very impressive.

QuoteA South Australian farmer has built a 60-kilometre circuit for off-road racing on his farm, attracting competitors from across the country to compete in an inaugural event.

Known for taking on big challenges, Ben McNamara turned a section of his property, located between Tumby Bay and Port Lincoln, into a 60-kilometre dirt circuit in just under a year.

Mr McNamara said he wanted to tick off-road racing off his bucket list and needed a circuit to practise on if he were to ever race on the Finke track in the Northern Territory.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-20/jamalka-off-road-racing-hosted-by-eyre-peninsula-farmer/102240322

QuoteThe current record is held by the Cobra Jet 1400, which ran the quarter mile in 8.128 seconds at 276.76 km/h in June 2021 with Bob Tasca III at the wheel. The Super Cobra Jet 1800 was created with the aim of breaking this record easily.

Compared with the Cobra Jet 1400, the Super Cobra Jet 1800 is equipped with four PN-250-DZR inverters and two pairs of DS-250-115 dual-battery motors to produce 1,800 hp at the rear wheels. A Liberty transmission and a lighter battery system improve the car's efficiency, making it even faster.

Now that's an electric Mustang that I would like to see. A bit out of my price range, methinks.


https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/mustang-super-cobra-jet-1800-the-new-record-breaking-electric-car-is-an-1800-hp-monster/ss-AA19YN3S?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=ccce4c7f040c4fc1aae3a0b2d8e1782f&ei=30#image=3

QuoteAustralian Trans-Am is a category paying tribute to the great American Trans-Am Series of the late 60s and early 70s, catering for 2-door, 4-seat, rear wheel drive, V8 American Sedans built from 1963-1974. The ultimate American automobile showdown on Australia's best race tracks!

Run in Queensland with about 12 cars, the website has no information about the series going forward.

I wonder: Coul these cars be converted to historic classes or to TCM or will they end up just as local racers?

I know at least one car was converted to TCM and run through Peters Motorsport.

https://www.australiantransam.com.au/

 I am impressed with the expanse of Formula Ford competition, both oldies driving for fun and youngsters aiming higher and people who just enjoy competing at an affordable level.

To think that CAMS, as it was then, tried to downgrade the cars and effectively kill the series. To misquote "The Phantom of the Opera", FF never dies.

This series has led some drivers to Formula One and extensively to Supercars and TCR and F5000.


PS: I wonder what happened to the Formula Four cars that cost CAMS member so much money?

https://www.v8sleuth.com.au/familiar-names-feature-in-formula-ford-bathurst-field/

[moved from F1 thread.]

Quote
Mysterious Ferrari Formula 1 Car Spotted Again On Czech Highway
Jacob Oliva - Yesterday 9:48 pm

The driver risks getting banned from the road and tens of thousands of dollars in total fine.
Formula 1 is back in the Czech Republic, and no we're not talking about a Grand Prix schedule in the nation located in Central Europe – something that has never happened before.

We're talking about the infamous Formula 1 car that's being driven on public roads. A few years ago, a red Ferrari F1 car was seen coasting on the D4 highway between Příbram and Dobříš.

The Czech police asked for help then to track down the driver, which they did. The 45-year-old suspect escaped the penalties since he wasn't clearly identified, thanks to the helmet he was wearing. The penalties would have involved getting banned from using the thoroughfare for up to one year, plus tens of thousands of dollars in total fines.

Those penalties appear to have no effect on the offender as he's back on the road again. This time, he was captured on an up-close video by one of the readers of iDNES, embedded atop this page.

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/mysterious-ferrari-formula-1-car-spotted-again-on-czech-highway/ar-AA10Eesy?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=8620bdaa90de440f95b7d0cece8d74b0

However, learned observers suggest that the car is actually a 2008 GP2 car stickered as an F1 Ferrari. It would be powered by a V8 and be a lot less technical to maintain. Apparently he was driving at normal road speeds.

Police are hunting the driver.

Quote

Quote from: stevo qld on July 25, 2022, 11:34:31 AM

Quote from: Tommo on July 12, 2022, 02:26:55 AM
Do we think that Piastri will actually get a seat? A few weeks ago there was noise about Williams but that has gone quiet. Also in F2 Logan Sargeant is going well and is a Williams academy member. He is also American and these days sadly the series is very much more American focused.

Vettel's seat might become available, or better still Hamiltons.

I would not be surprised if  HAAS is sold, in part or full, to Andretti.

Well there is one prophecy fulfilled. Vettel's seat is now available. Well done Sebastian.

https://www.speedcafe.com/2022/07/28/vettel-announces-formula-1-retirement/

QuoteSebastian Vettel has announced he will retire from Formula 1 at the end of the 2022 season.

The German currently drives for Aston Martin, but has had stints at Ferrari, BMW Sauber, and Toro Rosso.

The 35-year-old enjoyed the bulk of his success with Red Bull, winning four world championships from 2010.

"I have had the privilege of working with many fantastic people in Formula 1 over the past 15 years – there are far too many to mention and thank," he said.

"Over the past two years I have been an Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula 1 Team driver – and, although our results have not been as good as we had hoped, it is very clear to me that everything is being put together that a team needs to race at the very highest level for years to come.

"I have really enjoyed working with such a great bunch of people.

"Everyone – Lawrence [Stroll], Lance [Stroll], Martin [Whitmarsh], Mike [Krack], the senior managers, the engineers, the mechanics and the rest of the team – is ambitious, capable, expert, committed and friendly, and I wish them all well.

"I hope that the work I did last year and am continuing to do this year will be helpful in the development of a team that will win in the future, and I will work as hard as I can between now and the end of the year with that goal in mind, giving as always my best in the last 10 races.

"The decision to retire has been a difficult one for me to take, and I have spent a lot of time thinking about it; at the end of the year I want to take some more time to reflect on what I will focus on next; it is very clear to me that, being a father, I want to spend more time with my family.

"But today is not about saying goodbye. Rather, it is about saying thank you – to everyone – not least to the fans, without whose passionate support Formula 1 could not exist."

Alongside his four world titles, Vettel has to date recorded 53 wins, 122 podiums, and 57 pole positions.

"Supercars runs into financial issues after rejecting takeover bid from European investment consortium
Investors in the Supercars motor racing series are hoping their funds do not go up in smoke.
...
EXCLUSIVE
JOHN STENSHOLT
EDITOR, THE LIST
@JohnStensholt

2 HOURS AGO JULY 20, 2022
NO COMMENTS
The privately owned Supercars series recently rejected a takeover offer that would have delivered shareholders a 20 per cent return in only nine months, and a board member has since had to tip in $10m to shore up its short-term finances.

Sources have told The Australian that Supercars, the popular motor racing circuit that includes the iconic annual Bathurst 1000 race each October, also needs to raise $10-12m in fresh capital from existing or new investors by the end of the year.

The offer by European media and entertainment business FanTech included buying out shareholders, taking on $45m debt and the obligation to pay Supercars team owners about $17m annually calculated on a per car basis.

Supercars is owned by Racing Australia Consolidated Enterprises (RACE), a consortium led by former QSM Media boss and now Supercars chairman Barclay Nettlefold and also including the Domazet family, the Canberra-based owners of hotel and property business Doma Group, Melbourne advisory firm Henslow and other motorsports series owners.

The RACE board recently rejected the FanTech offer that sources say was worth 20 per cent more of the value of the equity component of the transaction used to acquire Supercars from private equity firm Archer Capital last year.

In a statement, Mr Nettlefold told The Australian that RACE "has received a number of unsolicited approaches," but did not comment directly on the FanTech offer.

READ MORE:Supercars value reverses $200m in sale|V8 Supercars owners gear up for investment
"Whilst the Board owes a duty to its shareholders to consider any approaches, none have progressed. RACE acquired the business on the basis of a long-term investment in the sport and remains committed to being long-term owners," he said.

The FanTech offer would have united several racing series given it would have also included the circuits owned by Australian Racing Group (ARG), such as SpeedSeries, TCR Australia, Touring Car Masters and GT World Challenge Australia.

RACE bought Supercars last November from Archer Capital, which had owned 60 per cent of the series for more than a decade, in a $70m equity and debt transaction.

There is a $25m equity component to the valuation, while Supercars also has $45m in debt used to finance the acquisition using a six-year 6.25 per cent secured note issued by FIIG Debt Capital Markets last year.

Supercars has at least 13 races on its schedule this year, including Bathurst in early October and the popular Gold Coast 500 later that month.

...
While Supercars achieves strong television ratings on Foxtel and Seven Network, the circuit's owners are understood to have had some short-term funding issues, which has led to the Domazet family providing a $10m loan to help with cashflow.

Mr Nettlefold said RACE "is a privately held company and does not comment on its financing" but added "Supercars is a profitable business and RACE (and its shareholders) are long-term investors in the sport."

"In addition, RACE sees substantial upside in the sport with the continued investment in the business, the people, the teams and the sport," Mr Nettlefold said.

"We are pleased to say that since acquiring Supercars, all key indicators of the business are encouraging, including ticket sales, hospitality and sponsorship, which are all tracking well ahead of pre-Covid numbers.

Jure Domazet, a former member of The List – Australia's Richest 250 with his father Ivan, is the managing director of the family business Doma, which has commercial and residential property projects in Canberra and Newcastle and owns hotels such as Little National Sydney and Hotel Realm in Canberra.

An additional and fresh capital raising of $10-12m from investors could dilute existing shareholders.

ARG is also a Supercars shareholder and is owned by Brian Boyd and John McMellan from Payce Property and Payce Security, along with well-known racing identities Garry and Barry ­Rogers.

FanTech is led by Belgian Wim Ponnet, the former chief strategy and commercial officer of global television and distribution giant EndemolShine Group, and its executive ranks includes ex-rugby union administrator David Gibson.

The FanTech offer was received by the Supercars board in recent months, and it is understood the group was allowed to undertake due diligence before a firm offer was lobbed.

But the bid was rejected, and at least one or potentially multiple shareholders are now disenchanted with management and the Supercars board and could walk away from motorsport.

The shareholders' stake could be bought by other existing investors, or be offered to an external party by Henslow.

Supercars has been hit by Covid disruptions in recent years, but documents seen by The Australian show that the series recorded "EBITDA before appearance and grid fees" of $23.8m from $118m revenue in 2019, the last completed year of racing that was not interrupted by the pandemic.

An information memorandum circulated by Henslow at the time of the deal last November had a range of financial projections, ranging from a low base scenario of earnings before interest and tax of $7.4m from revenue of $110m, and after $17m was distributed to teams, to a high of $12.3m EBIT and revenue of $124m with distributions of almost $20m.

The $45m debt used to buy Supercars last year was raised on the bond market by fixed income firm FIIG, which said that "acquisition funding is unusual in bond markets" in a statement about the transaction on FIIG's website.

JOHN STENSHOLTEDITOR, THE LIST
John Stensholt joined The Australian in July 2018. He writes about Australia's most successful and wealthy entrepreneurs, and the business of sport. Previously John worked at The Australian Financial Review an... Read more

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https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/supercars-runs-into-financial-issues-after-rejecting-takeover-bid-from-european-investment-consortium/news-story/b7798423cc98773ab4a25b85904c3155


I don't know how true this is. Media posted approx 6 pm Wed 20/07/2022

The new rules have been posted.

QuoteSuper2 will be an all-in of the Holden ZB Commodore, Gen2-spec Ford Mustang, VF Commodore, FGX Falcon, and Nissan Altima; the Mercedes E63 AMG and Volvo S60 also remain eligible, not that any have ever been seen in the series.

Furthermore, the Super3 class will remain, for Project Blueprint-spec VE Commodores and FG Falcons.

QuoteConsistent with Burgess's comments, Super2 teams faced two key issues with respect to a hard changeover to Gen2.

Firstly, the market is tight.

Speedcafe.com understands that many cars which are currently on the race track in VCS (code for the Supercars Championship) have already been sold to collectors and are in fact being leased back from their new owners.

A second reason, perhaps related to the first, is that the asking price for Gen2 cars is believed to still be in the region of several hundred thousand dollars each, a figure which would stretch Super2 teams, especially those which field multiple cars.

This will please 2022 Super 2 teams as they do not need to spend big bucks on an upgrade to 2022 Super 1 cars.

But the current Super 1 cars are superior to the previous Super 1 cars (current Super 2) and some teams will be worried about some sort of performance equalisation.

https://www.speedcafe.com/2022/07/04/all-cotf-models-to-compete-for-2023-super2-series-title/

It seems to me that S5000 only continues with a considerable financial support from Barry Rogers and GRM.

Will Motorsport Australia continue to award the Gold Star to races with less than 10 starters?

After the poor numerical showing at the last round, we now have the news that the season is to be cut short, although a reason has been given.

QuoteThe mid-year break after Darwin will allow for teams to plan ahead for both the Tasman Series and the 2023 S5000 Australian Drivers' Championship, which is in the early stages of calendar planning.

https://autoaction.com.au/2022/06/02/s5000-championship-to-end-in-darwin

GRM directly support three cars (out of 8 ) and, I suspect, have been doing very cheap lease deals and providing support for some of the relatively inexperienced drivers and overseas "Stars".

If, as Barry Rogers suggested, there is a possibility of selling the entire fleet of cars (17 or 18) and spares plus intellectual property to an overseas promoter, then poor utilisation of the cars and poor financial returns may result in a sale soon. One report suggested that an American Promoter is interested in buying.

I would suspect that GRM would keep one car back for their private museum.

[quote]Motorsport 2022: Scott McLaughlin says Supercars series 'full of backstabbing' in epic spray

By JAMES PHELPS
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA SPORTS NEWSROOM
AN HOUR AGO MAY 25, 2022

Scott McLaughlin has slammed his former Supercars rivals as backstabbers in a shock spray at the sport that made him a star.

Taking aim at the series that paved the way for him to move to the US and become an Indy Car driver, the former V8 champion slammed the likes of Shane van Gisbergen and Chaz Mostert by claiming his former sport was full of "crap" and "bull****".

McLaughlin also ruled out returning to race the Bathurst 1000 while he is pursuing his Indy car career in a move that will spare him a pit-lane showdown with the former rivals he accused of being backstabbers.

"I come from a series (Supercars) that was full of backstabbing," McLaughlin said in a US interview.

"I just love how pure [IndyCar] is.

"You can have a blow-up on the racetrack, but I feel like you can all have a beer together after.

McLaughlin, who will contest this weekend's Indianapolis 500, explained why he withdrew from last year's Bathurst 1000 after being granted a wildcard to return for a one-off crack at Mount Panorama glory.

"I think it was a decision that didn't come lightly," McLaughlin said.

"It was just something that I needed to put my best foot forward here. For me I have done what I needed to achieve in Australia. I love that race and for sure I would have love to have been back there if the time was right but what I have had to unlearn and put in the Indy Car basket to help me in IndyCar, it has taken me so long to get rid of it."

In a statement that may explain why he so boldly took aim at his former sport by claiming it was full of backstabbing, McLaughlin all but ruled out a return to Supercars.

"I want to make sure I am 100 per cent in the game over here," McLaughlin said.

"There is where I want to build my future and hopefully, I will retire here. It is a lot and I ended up making sure I am 100 per cent here. I am all in here.

"I am not going to say never but right now in this part of my career in America the best thing for me is to focus on what I am doing here."

McLaughlin's dream of winning the Indy 500 was dealt a blow last week when he qualified back in 26th place.

"I am going to experience a proper Indy 500," McLaughlin said.

"It is going to be one of the biggest crowds they have ever had. I am really excited for that and what is ahead."

McLaughlin won three Supercars titles in a row before moving to the US to race for American giant Penske Racing in 2021.

Share this article[/quote]

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/motorsport/motorsport-2022-scott-mclaughlin-says-supercars-series-full-of-backstabbing-in-epic-spray/news-story/47fb33d83d5a4f61d491e59e27d381df

Quoted in full due to paywall.

QuoteNew suburb flagged as Melbourne Racing Club reveals Sandown redevelopment

JARED LYNCH
REPORTER
@jaredm_lynch

12:17PM MARCH 24, 2022


Melbourne Racing Club has proposed to build a new suburb – with a population almost the size of Wangaratta – on its ageing Sandown Race Course under a $3.5bn plan.

The racing club has submitted its long-anticipated application to rezone Sandown Racecourse, located 25 kilometres southeast of Melbourne's CBD, for residential use to Dandenong Council.

The track – Melbourne's only metropolitan racecourse built in the 20th century and which includes a motor raceway – is popular with trainers, but not with crowds, with the facility burning a $5m hole in Melbourne Racing Club's balance sheet each year.

Club chief executive Josh Blanksby is yet to say if racing will continue at the track under the redevelopment, which could include a combination of scaled-down racing, housing and retail.

But if the 112 hectare site is fully redeveloped, it would cost $3.5bn over 20 years and include 7500 homes – including affordable housing – for 16,000 people. It would also feature 12,000 square metres of retail space and 8000 square metres of non-retail commercial use, creating 595 ongoing jobs.

Meanwhile, 3.5 hectares has been earmarked for a school and community centre.

Melbourne Racing Club had been sweating on submitting the proposal but after the Andrews government backflipped on the windfall tax, it gave it the confidence to proceed.

"It was good the government recognised that we have been going through this process – we flagged our interest in rezoning this land back in 2015 – so they recognised that it wasn't supposed to be retrospective tax," Mr Blanksby said.

But development of existing green wedges, like golf courses and other sporting grounds, is controversial, and in the past 20 years has ignited a gold rush of developers. More than half a dozen clubs have been persuaded to make way for housing estates, with Doncaster's Eastern Golf Club, which covers 47 hectares, sold for $100m in 2011.

While attracting some community opposition, city planners say developing suburban infill sites, such as golf courses and old factories which are close to existing infrastructure, will be vital to limiting Melbourne's urban sprawl as the population soars from 5 million to around 8 million by 2050.

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For Sandown, Mr Blanksby said the project will require approvals and consultation from Dandenong Council, Melbourne Racing Club Members and Racing Victoria. If fully redeveloped, at least 14 per cent of the racecourse will be kept as open space.

While he said it was too early to speculate on what the site might be worth, the proceeds will be used to help fund a $300m redevelop its principal racecourse at Caulfield, located nine kilometres from Melbourne's CBD.

Also weighing on the club is what is fast becoming a crowded sports wagering market, which has traditionally been the main source of income for Sandown.

"That's one of the things that racing has always enjoyed in its history, this sort of monopoly on betting and that's shifting," Mr Blanksby said.

"And so racing needs to make sure it's looking after itself and my view is that the Melbourne Racing Club is being quite proactive is doing this at a time when we are financially strong, rather than doing a reactive time when it's too late and you're rushing to do things,"

"I'd rather be in a position that we know what we can do in the land holdings and we can give options on that and then people can make educated decisions."

To this end, the redevelopment is similar to the consolidation of AFL grounds to drive more investment at stadiums closer to the CBD. Waverley Park, which was built in the 1960s – at a similar time to Sandown and location, with a capacity of 72,000 – was designed to cater for what was expected to become the demographic centre of Melbourne as residents rushed to the outer suburbs mid last century.

But the CBD became popular again, and with new housing developments on the opposite side of the city, the demographic centre shifted closer to the centre of Melbourne again, leading to AFL to sell Waverley Park to Mirvac in 2000 to create a mini-suburb and fund the construction of a new football ground at Docklands, now called Marvel Stadium.

Waverley Park has kept its main grandstand and field, which is used as a training ground by the Hawthorn Football Club, with houses taking up the rest of the 85 hectare site.

"In a post Covid world, everybody should be looking at all their cost base and saying okay, well, is this the most efficient way to run the sport?" Mr Blanksby said.

"Other sports, AFL predominantly and cricket, have moved to less grounds and those grounds are a lot better.

"We think the investment in Caulfield is really important ... and you can't keep all these racetracks in pristine condition. It's just an inefficient model."

JARED LYNCHREPORTER
Jared Lynch is a business reporter with a career spanning 15 years across national publications. Jared is based in Melbourne and writes on agribusiness, healthcare and gaming. He also has extensive experience i... Read more

I qupted the whole article as it may be behind a paywall.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/new-suburb-flagged-as-melbourne-racing-club-reveals-sandown-redevelopment/news-story/e65d010c570e5c7d0e0d2c2ced99c643

There is a lot of hype about the support categories in Tassy.

Seriously. Why would Supercars want to go to the expense of running higher level support categories, and more to the point, why would entrants want to go to the expense of running there when their hard to get sponsors will not receive air time?

https://autoaction.com.au/2022/03/22/does-supercars-care-about-tassie

https://www.speedcafe.com/2022/03/23/quinn-hits-back-over-tassie-criticism-of-supercars-aussie-racing-cars/

I may be wrong but it seems that 8 of the top 10 Qualifiers at Texas are not USA born.

It is a real International Series.

QuoteResults: Qualifying

Pos   Num   Driver   C/E/T   Lap 1   Lap 2   Total time   Avg speed (mph)
1   7   Felix Rosenqvist   D/C/F   23.4235   23.4671   0:46.8906   221.110
2   3   Scott McLaughlin   D/C/F   23.4394   23.4542   0:46.8936   221.096
3   51   Takuma Sato   D/H/F   23.4341   23.4599   0:46.8940   221.094
4   12   Will Power   D/C/F   23.4545   23.4561   0:46.9106   221.016
5   9   Scott Dixon   D/H/F   23.4470   23.4646   0:46.9116   221.011
6   06   Helio Castroneves   D/H/F   23.4519   23.5114   0:46.9633   220.768
7   2   Josef Newgarden   D/C/F   23.4787   23.4867   0:46.9654   220.758
8   21   Rinus VeeKay   D/C/F   23.4540   23.5136   0:46.9676   220.748
9   26   Colton Herta   D/H/F   23.4834   23.5152   0:46.9986   220.602
10   5   Pato O'Ward   D/C/F   23.4668   23.5367   0:47.0035   220.579
11   10   Alex Palou   D/H/F   23.4997   23.5055   0:47.0052   220.571
12   27   Alexander Rossi   D/H/F   23.5141   23.5152   0:47.0293   220.458
13   28   Romain Grosjean   D/H/F   23.4923   23.5469   0:47.0392   220.412
14   8   Marcus Ericsson   D/H/F   23.5108   23.5386   0:47.0494   220.364
15   60   Simon Pagenaud   D/H/F   23.5333   23.5217   0:47.0550   220.338
16   20   Conor Daly   D/C/F   23.5525   23.5775   0:47.1300   219.987
17   29   Devlin DeFrancesco   D/H/F   23.5979   23.5534   0:47.1513   219.888
18   48   Jimmie Johnson   D/H/F   23.5630   23.5932   0:47.1562   219.865
19   18   David Malukas   D/H/F   23.5715   23.5849   0:47.1564   219.864
20   77   Callum Ilott   D/C/F   23.6026   23.6402   0:47.2428   219.462
21   33   Ed Carpenter   D/C/F   23.6227   23.6739   0:47.2966   219.212
22   4   Dalton Kellett   D/C/F   23.6415   23.6928   0:47.3343   219.038
23   14   Kyle Kirkwood   D/C/F   23.6554   23.6842   0:47.3396   219.013
24   45   Jack Harvey   D/H/F   23.6907   23.6992   0:47.3899   218.781
25   30   Christian Lundgaard   D/H/F   23.7125   23.6978   0:47.4103   218.687
26   11   JR Hildebrand   D/C/F   23.6994   23.7332   0:47.4326   218.584
27   15   Graham Rahal   D/H/F   23.7538   23.7165   0:47.4703   218.410

https://www.speedcafe.com/2022/03/20/rosenqvist-pips-mclaughlin-to-texas-indycar-pole/

Rumour has it that there were 4 TCM races at Sydney this weekend.

Does anyone know if 7 has plans to broadcast them?

The V8 Utes were going to expand but we have yet to see a reasonable sized field.

Will they even get a gig at major televised events if this keeps up?

About half the field run out of Sieders.

Stalwart supporter, Peters Motorsport, have lost Ryal Harris and possibly his sponsor. Will Rod and Brett continue with Utes or move to other classes? Will they have new drivers and sponsors or park a car or two?

is the Dean Brooking car a new build or is it an existing car.

QuoteJKD Racing will join the Haltech V8 SuperUte Series in 2022.

Team owner Dean Brooking will drive a Toyota Hilux in the season ahead, stepping up from a variety of state-level events/competitions such as the Victorian Excel Racing Series.

The squad is based only 15 minutes from the Winton circuit and recently completed the build of a new workshop in preparation for its V8 SuperUtes tilt.

The six-round season is set to kick off at Symmons Plains in support of Supercars' Tasmania SuperSprint on March 26-27.

https://www.speedcafe.com/2022/02/14/new-team-for-v8-superutes/

QuoteRyal Harris will contest his first full Dunlop Super2 Series campaign at the age of 36 after reuniting with Matt Stone Racing.

Harris is a legend of Australian ute racing, having won five titles all up across three eras: V8 Utes, the diesel-powered SuperUtes, and the new V8 SuperUtes last year.

Long renowned as an excellent talent who'd been lacking opportunities at a higher level, Harris finally gets his shot in the Supercars feeder series.

https://www.speedcafe.com/2022/02/16/harris-to-contest-first-full-super2-season/

Does anyone know if there is a vendor of video of historic ATCC races?

I am particularly interested in 1972 and the Surfers Paradise Round.

I have some photos taken at the track and a Sunday Newspaper report and photo of my car, but the video would be interesting, if only because Bob Jane started last and was in the first corner about sixth in a 40+ car field. following an paddock agreement with midfield drivers and a selfish stance by Alan Moffat at the drivers briefing with Clerk of Course Ken West, where I had a heated discussion with both, I was backed by most of the drivers.

With Doctor Twiggy buying the major motorsport electric racer battery supplier, could that hasten such a class in Australia?

QuoteA company owned by Australian mining magnate Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest is buying Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE), the Formula 1 spin-off which is a key player in the electrification of motorsport.

WAE will be the sole supplier of batteries for Formula E's Gen3 cars, a position it already holds in Extreme E and ETCR,

...
WAE already had an Australian connection in CEO Craig Wilson, a former employee of the Walkinshaw empire whose roles included managing director of the Holden Racing Team.

https://www.speedcafe.com/2022/01/24/aussie-mining-magnate-in-purchase-of-williams-engineering-business/

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/fortescue-acquires-williams-advanced-energineery-for-309m-as-it-races-towards-netzero-goal/news-story/81cea7b50d97deaf15ff1c910ef5354f

The 2020 and earlier Supercar Championships have cease to exist on the Supercars Website, and have since late last year, at least.

I wonder if that is the new owners scrapping history or, more likely, a technical snafu?

https://www.supercars.com/championship/2020-virgin-australia-supercars-championship-points/

I really must learn how to post photos.

The HQ Monaro is definitely a walk on the widside.

QuoteWarren Trewin will race in the Gulf Western Oil Touring Car Masters Series this year, in an HQ Monaro GTS 350.

While he is yet to take delivery, artwork of the Holden has been released showing a wild livery, which is the handiwork of noted designer Tim Pattinson.

https://www.speedcafe.com/2022/01/12/wild-looking-monaro-for-tcm-debutant/

QuoteThe action-packed Stadium Super Trucks category might be gone from Australian shores for good with its 12-strong fleet being returned to the United States.

The development comes as SST stakeholders voice their dismay at a supposed lack of support from Supercars' new owners.

Typically, Supercars has paid SST a fee which is designed to offset costs such as travel for competitors.

With an agreement unable to be reached for 2022, the dozen trucks are slated to leave Australia on Wednesday, January 19.

Boost Mobile boss Peter Adderton, whose company was the naming rights partner of the Australian series, has come out swinging, questioning the judgement of the RACE consortium which now owns Supercars.

"I think it's a lack of understanding from the new Supercars ownership of how important Stadium Super Trucks were to the fans," Adderton, RACE's chief rival during the championship's sale process, told Speedcafe.com.

"And it's not a positive sign, in my opinion, that they truly understand what the fans want if they're going to [send] Stadium Super Trucks back without at least trying to fight to keep them here.

"They were a fan favourite and I think at the end of the day we want them there, we're obviously a big supporter of having them there, and we'd like to get Supercars to reconsider.

"But again, it concerns me that the new owners of Supercars don't see those things as valuable as fans; they were part of the entertainment of what made the weekend great.

"I can't think of another support category that gets people more excited than the Stadium Super Trucks.

"The drivers relate to the fans, the personality of the trucks relate to the fans, and I just think we need more of those categories in the country, not less.

"I think it's a huge vacuum that gets left."

https://www.speedcafe.com/2022/01/12/stadium-super-trucks-fleet-to-be-shipped-back-to-us/

Maybe they can replace the alleged "Vacuum" with some actual racing. There are certainly a lot of categories that would happily fill the vacuum and provide actual real racing.

Once again, Adderton speaks out on another issue that helps promote Boost with free advertising in the guise of news comment. It seems to be a new issue almost every day that needs his Boost comment.