Round 9 - Sandown 500 *Spoilers*

[SetonFan]

Great to see Estre do well - hope a few more teams look abroad for drivers in the years to come.

Meanwhile I hope they solve the wheel nut issue as that's the sort of thing that can easily kill someone in the crowd.

[Bloopy]

Not sure about Mostert's car, but it looked like Randle's car was damaged in Ford-to-Ford contact with a DJR car, and obviously Waters' car had secondary bad luck due to another Ford's bad luck. Just a cursed brand really!

just saw a post from Thomas... broken belt while they were in the top ten around lap 50

After it happened they showed a replay of the two cars side by side and potentially knocking wheels, so perhaps the 55's whole steering system got knocked around.

Also on the steering topic, it's amusing to see Brodie saying "I kind of like my steering rack that I have at the moment" in the below article. Usually drivers like new parts!

https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/09/17/kostecki-didnt-play-cards-right-in-pursuit-of-feeney/

[Trevor]

is it being televised on free to air?

PM sent, Trev.

thanks mate - didn't watch it, had family visitors all arvo

Good to see another Camaro white wash AGAIN - NOT!!!!!! **** Supercars and Skaife, they have ****ed the series

[madbugger]

There have been many Sandown 500s reduced in laps due to time certainty so it's hardly a recent phenomenon - in today's case they were also a little unlucky with the delay caused by the Super2 crash

In that case the clowns aren't learning anything. Surely they realise that starting so late in the afternoon is going keep having this issue reoccur. I also can't remember an event at Sandown that hasn't had accidents involving safety fencing that caused delays or in some cases cancellations of races so the main event isn't impacted.

It's an easy fix, program the race start time so that there is no possibility of race going time certain. Have another race after the main event as a time filler if necessary, if it gets cancelled or cut short then so be it, the feature race should be able to be run without interference of a time certain finish, unless it is a time race rather than a distance race.

[drivexby]

The Sandown 500 was always an important lead up race to the Bathurst 1000 and had a big crowd following. Sad to see it no longer available on free to air TV and promoted.  I looked at the footage of the main grandstand that was shown towards the end of the race and it was fairly empty.  Either the majority were Ford fans who had left earlier in the day when they could see their cars had no chance or more likely that crowd numbers were low on the day.  It will be interesting to see the crowd numbers at Bathurst this year in comparison to previous years.

[fordman]

The Sandown 500 was always an important lead up race to the Bathurst 1000 and had a big crowd following. Sad to see it no longer available on free to air TV and promoted.  I looked at the footage of the main grandstand that was shown towards the end of the race and it was fairly empty.  Either the majority were Ford fans who had left earlier in the day when they could see their cars had no chance or more likely that crowd numbers were low on the day.  It will be interesting to see the crowd numbers at Bathurst this year in comparison to previous years.

Sandown numbers would be big as its been a while since there.

Bathurst all grandstands are sold out and campgrounds as well, so good numbers record numbers dunno.

Not confident they have fixed the parity for Ford and if lacking straight line speed as they think conrod and mountain straight are gunna hurt.

[Troy01505]

The Sandown 500 was always an important lead up race to the Bathurst 1000 and had a big crowd following. Sad to see it no longer available on free to air TV and promoted.  I looked at the footage of the main grandstand that was shown towards the end of the race and it was fairly empty.  Either the majority were Ford fans who had left earlier in the day when they could see their cars had no chance or more likely that crowd numbers were low on the day.  It will be interesting to see the crowd numbers at Bathurst this year in comparison to previous years.

Sandown numbers would be big as its been a while since there.

Bathurst all grandstands are sold out and campgrounds as well, so good numbers record numbers dunno.

Not confident they have fixed the parity for Ford and if lacking straight line speed as they think conrod and mountain straight are gunna hurt.

They'll rectify straightline speed after practice 2 or 3

[madbugger]

The Sandown 500 was always an important lead up race to the Bathurst 1000 and had a big crowd following. Sad to see it no longer available on free to air TV and promoted.  I looked at the footage of the main grandstand that was shown towards the end of the race and it was fairly empty.  Either the majority were Ford fans who had left earlier in the day when they could see their cars had no chance or more likely that crowd numbers were low on the day.  It will be interesting to see the crowd numbers at Bathurst this year in comparison to previous years.

Sandown numbers would be big as its been a while since there.

Bathurst all grandstands are sold out and campgrounds as well, so good numbers record numbers dunno.

Not confident they have fixed the parity for Ford and if lacking straight line speed as they think conrod and mountain straight are gunna hurt.

They'll rectify straightline speed after practice 2 or 3

I wish I was as confident of that as you are.

[stevo qld]

There was a time when Sandown 500 would give a guide to performance expectations for Bathurst.

It is hard to take seriously when it is reduced to about 40 minutes of race broadcast, and poorly edited at that.

Even channel 7 after reducing the race to unimportance still managed to start the miniscule Monday broadcast later than advertised.

The companies that sponsor cars and drivers and track advertising should be outraged.

[mikeamerica84]

I watch every race here in the USA on a delayed basis.  Flag-to-flag.  If any of you wish to pursue this safe route, just PM me.  This is like us trying to follow the IndyCars over here.  Unless you are paying for Peacock, you are not going to get it.  You have to have a Plan B.

Been doing this gig for years.  Why, at times I am almost feeling like I am sitting under a billabong tree out in the backyard and watching the roos hop on by.

No Swan lager, though.   

[AlbertM]

The Sandown 500 was always an important lead up race to the Bathurst 1000 and had a big crowd following. Sad to see it no longer available on free to air TV and promoted.  I looked at the footage of the main grandstand that was shown towards the end of the race and it was fairly empty.  Either the majority were Ford fans who had left earlier in the day when they could see their cars had no chance or more likely that crowd numbers were low on the day.  It will be interesting to see the crowd numbers at Bathurst this year in comparison to previous years.

Sandown numbers would be big as its been a while since there.

Bathurst all grandstands are sold out and campgrounds as well, so good numbers record numbers dunno.

Not confident they have fixed the parity for Ford and if lacking straight line speed as they think conrod and mountain straight are gunna hurt.

They'll rectify straightline speed after practice 2 or 3

Why then?

If they know how to fix it, why wait?

[AlbertM]

Racing Insiders on Facebook

Our pit lane spies have been busy this weekend & have managed to get this exclusive interview* with Supercars Head of Motorsport, Adrian Burgess*.

Racing Insiders: Thanks for talking to me
Adrian Burgess: Not a problem, thank you.
RI: This Mustang that was involved in the incident off Dandenong Road corner earlier...
AB: Yeah, the one the wheel fell off?
RI: Yeah
AB: Yeah, that's not very typical, I'd like to make that point.
RI: Well, how is it un-typical?
AB: Well, there are a lot of racing cars going around the world all the time, and very seldom does anything like this happen. I just don't want people thinking that racing cars aren't safe.
RI: Was this racing car safe?
AB: Well, I was thinking more about the other ones.
RI: The ones that are safe?
AB: Yeah, the ones the wheel doesn't fall off.
RI: Well, if this wasn't safe, why was it allowed on the track?
AB: I'm not saying it wasn't safe. It's just perhaps not quite as safe as some of the other ones.
RI: Why?
AB: Well, some of them are built so the wheel doesn't fall off at all.
RI: Wasn't this built so the wheel wouldn't fall off?
AB: Well, obviously not.
RI: Well, how do you know?
AB: Well, because the wheel fell off, & launched itself into Cam Waters boot. It's a bit of a giveaway. I would just like to make the point that that that's not normal.
RI: Well, what sort of standards are these racing cars built to?
AB: Oh, very rigorous Supercar engineering standards.
RI: What sort of thing?
AB: Well, the wheel's not supposed to fall off for a start.
RI: And what other things?
AB: Well, there are regulations governing the materials that they can be made of.
RI: What materials?
AB: Well, cardboard's out.
RI: And?
AB: No cardboard derivatives.
RI: Like paper?
AB: No paper, no string, no sellotape.
RI: Rubber?
AB: No, rubber's out. Except for the tyres. Um, they've got to have a steering wheel. There's a minimum crew requirement.
RI: What's the minimum crew?
AB: Oh, one, I suppose, to drive the car.
RI: So, the allegations that Supercars are just designed to change tyres as quickly a possible and to hell with the consequences, I mean that's ludicrous isn't it?
AB: Absolutely ludicrous, these are very, very strong vehicles.
RI: So what happened in this case?
AB: Well, the wheel fell off in this case by all means, but it's very unusual.
RI: But Adrian Burgess, why did the wheel fall off?
AB: Well, a kerb hit it.
RI: A kerb hit it?
AB: A kerb hit the wheel.
RI: Is that unusual?
AB: Oh, yeah. On a racetrack? Chance in a million!
RI: So what do you do to protect the other vehicles in cases like this?
AB: Well, the car was towed outside the race environment to the bit no one uses.
RI: Outside the racetrack?
AB: No, no, no, it was towed beyond the racetrack. It's not on the racetrack.
RI: Yeah, but from one racetrack to another bit of the racetrack.
AB: No, it's beyond the racetrack. It's not on a racetrack. It has been towed beyond the racetrack.
RI: Well, what's out there?
AB: Nothing's out there!
RI: Well, there must be something out there.
AB: There is nothing out there – all there is is birds and the horse race track and marshalling posts.
RI: And?
AB: And a wheel.
RI: And what else?
AB: And some ground off suspension.
RI: And anything else?
AB: And the race car stuck there from where the wheel fell off. But there's nothing else out there.
RI: Adrian Burgess, thanks for joining us.
AB: It's a complete void.
RI: Yeah, we're out time.
AB: The racetrack's perfectly safe. We're out of time?
RI: Yeah.
AB: Can you book me a cab?
RI: But didn't you come in a series car?
AB: Yes, I did.
RI: What happened?
AB: Well, the wheel fell off.
*we didn't speak to Adrian Burgess at all & we didn't speak to Senator Collins either when the front fell off.
Original written by John Clarke & performed by Clarke & Dawe.

[Sonic]

Racing Insiders on Facebook

Our pit lane spies have been busy this weekend & have managed to get this exclusive interview* with Supercars Head of Motorsport, Adrian Burgess*.

Racing Insiders: Thanks for talking to me
Adrian Burgess: Not a problem, thank you.
RI: This Mustang that was involved in the incident off Dandenong Road corner earlier...
AB: Yeah, the one the wheel fell off?
RI: Yeah
AB: Yeah, that's not very typical, I'd like to make that point.
RI: Well, how is it un-typical?
AB: Well, there are a lot of racing cars going around the world all the time, and very seldom does anything like this happen. I just don't want people thinking that racing cars aren't safe.
RI: Was this racing car safe?
AB: Well, I was thinking more about the other ones.
RI: The ones that are safe?
AB: Yeah, the ones the wheel doesn't fall off.
RI: Well, if this wasn't safe, why was it allowed on the track?
AB: I'm not saying it wasn't safe. It's just perhaps not quite as safe as some of the other ones.
RI: Why?
AB: Well, some of them are built so the wheel doesn't fall off at all.
RI: Wasn't this built so the wheel wouldn't fall off?
AB: Well, obviously not.
RI: Well, how do you know?
AB: Well, because the wheel fell off, & launched itself into Cam Waters boot. It's a bit of a giveaway. I would just like to make the point that that that's not normal.
RI: Well, what sort of standards are these racing cars built to?
AB: Oh, very rigorous Supercar engineering standards.
RI: What sort of thing?
AB: Well, the wheel's not supposed to fall off for a start.
RI: And what other things?
AB: Well, there are regulations governing the materials that they can be made of.
RI: What materials?
AB: Well, cardboard's out.
RI: And?
AB: No cardboard derivatives.
RI: Like paper?
AB: No paper, no string, no sellotape.
RI: Rubber?
AB: No, rubber's out. Except for the tyres. Um, they've got to have a steering wheel. There's a minimum crew requirement.
RI: What's the minimum crew?
AB: Oh, one, I suppose, to drive the car.
RI: So, the allegations that Supercars are just designed to change tyres as quickly a possible and to hell with the consequences, I mean that's ludicrous isn't it?
AB: Absolutely ludicrous, these are very, very strong vehicles.
RI: So what happened in this case?
AB: Well, the wheel fell off in this case by all means, but it's very unusual.
RI: But Adrian Burgess, why did the wheel fall off?
AB: Well, a kerb hit it.
RI: A kerb hit it?
AB: A kerb hit the wheel.
RI: Is that unusual?
AB: Oh, yeah. On a racetrack? Chance in a million!
RI: So what do you do to protect the other vehicles in cases like this?
AB: Well, the car was towed outside the race environment to the bit no one uses.
RI: Outside the racetrack?
AB: No, no, no, it was towed beyond the racetrack. It's not on the racetrack.
RI: Yeah, but from one racetrack to another bit of the racetrack.
AB: No, it's beyond the racetrack. It's not on a racetrack. It has been towed beyond the racetrack.
RI: Well, what's out there?
AB: Nothing's out there!
RI: Well, there must be something out there.
AB: There is nothing out there – all there is is birds and the horse race track and marshalling posts.
RI: And?
AB: And a wheel.
RI: And what else?
AB: And some ground off suspension.
RI: And anything else?
AB: And the race car stuck there from where the wheel fell off. But there's nothing else out there.
RI: Adrian Burgess, thanks for joining us.
AB: It's a complete void.
RI: Yeah, we're out time.
AB: The racetrack's perfectly safe. We're out of time?
RI: Yeah.
AB: Can you book me a cab?
RI: But didn't you come in a series car?
AB: Yes, I did.
RI: What happened?
AB: Well, the wheel fell off.
*we didn't speak to Adrian Burgess at all & we didn't speak to Senator Collins either when the front fell off.
Original written by John Clarke & performed by Clarke & Dawe.

Just a touch of gold here

Maybe they could check with Larry and see if they can go back to 5 wheel studs?

[Trevor]

*we didn't speak to Adrian Burgess at all & we didn't speak to Senator Collins either when the front fell off.
Original written by John Clarke & performed by Clarke & Dawe.

I was gonna say that reads like a Clarke and Dawe skit

[skaifeman]

The Sandown 500 was always an important lead up race to the Bathurst 1000 and had a big crowd following. Sad to see it no longer available on free to air TV and promoted.  I looked at the footage of the main grandstand that was shown towards the end of the race and it was fairly empty.  Either the majority were Ford fans who had left earlier in the day when they could see their cars had no chance or more likely that crowd numbers were low on the day.  It will be interesting to see the crowd numbers at Bathurst this year in comparison to previous years.

Sandown numbers would be big as its been a while since there.

Bathurst all grandstands are sold out and campgrounds as well, so good numbers record numbers dunno.

Not confident they have fixed the parity for Ford and if lacking straight line speed as they think conrod and mountain straight are gunna hurt.

I thought the crowd looked good, from TV anyway.

Feeney did an excellent job, but Whincup won that race. Drove to the front, took on more fuel than the Erebus cars and drove to the front again.
His advantage as a co-driver was as evident as we've ever seen. 3 straight 500 wins, all with different drivers.

Estre was the other standout, as Payne was. Possibly the best true international since Eskstrom?
Lowndes still has it, more than held it against the other co's. Still surprised they went with Stanaway over him in the Red Bull car.

Tander/Reynolds looked strong too. Tander is in the co-driver realm of Whincup. They are a good chance for the Blue Oval at Bathurst.