The Australian TCR Championship would leave the picturesque Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit with plenty of storylines. An overseas contender, a fresh car debut, a first-time winner and plenty of great racing to boot. Tom Oliphant, two-time race winner in the British Touring Car Championship and British GT driver has joined this year's TCR grid, driving for Ash Seward Motorsport in a unique Lynk & Co Touring Car. Oliphant's participation would be a sneak peek for when the TCR World Tour comes to Australia to race at Sydney Motorsport Park and Bathurst in the first two weekends of November. A brand-new car would take to the track in the form of the Cupra touring car, Cupra being a stand-alone Volkswagen group manufacturer that spawned from the high-performance division of the Spanish car company known as SEAT. The new contender would be driven by Michael Clemente for Carl Cox Motorsport. After the first-round of 2023's championship, Bailey Sweeney would lead thanks to two victories at Symmons Plain's. Not too far behind though was reigning champion Tony D'Alberto, and Peugeot drivers Aaron Cameron and Jordan Cox. The GRM Valvoline Peugeots are always ones to watch, with Kody Garland paired with Aaron Cameron, who was pulling double duty racing both S5000's and TCR's. Despite a spin at turn 6, D'Alberto would be the fastest in Practice 1, but only by three hundredths of a second ahead of Zac Soutar in the Audi RS3 LMS. Will Brown in the other Audi would not set a time in first practice thanks to electrical gremlins and would be the start of a bad weekend for the 2019 champion. Tony D'Alberto would continue with his fast pace in Practice 2 with a fastest time of 1:37.336, closely followed by championship leader Bailey Sweeney and Lachlan Mineef, as the troubles continued for Will Brown and his Audi team. Tony D'Alberto wouldn't be able to continue his perfect form qualifying third with Zac Soutar pipping him by three thousandths. Josh Buchan in the very cool Hyundai i30N Sedan would take pole position, dipping into the 1 minute 36 second lap times. Will Brown would continue to have awful luck, with his steering going pear shaped into Miller corner, sending him off to the escape road but luckily after completing a lap time good enough for seventh. Before both afternoon races for only the TCR's, the front straight was open for ten minutes, allowing fans to walk among the starting grid as teams and drivers made their final preparations ahead of the warm-up lap and the race. Certainly, a very cool initiative by the Speed Series, something that I hope continues on for future rounds. D'Alberto would jump up to second in the first corner as there was plenty of bumping and grinding behind. Will Brown's weekend woes would continue, with an upright failure taking him out of the race. It would be Lachlan Mineef in his Audi that would put on a show as he fought his way from ninth all the way up to second. Aaron Cameron would finish third thanks to Tony D'Alberto's front right tyre cutting down to the rim, causing him to DNF. However, no one was catching Josh Buchan, who held the lead into turn 1 and stayed there, picking up his first race win of the season and Hyundai's third. For the second race of the weekend, the top ten finishers would have a reversed starting grid, meaning rookie Brad Harris would start on pole, with Jordan Cox alongside. Jordan Cox would take the lead off the line with Michael Clemente taking third and then second on his way to hunt down the FWD master Jordan Cox, as Ben Bargwanna moved up from fifth to third. Michael Clemente would close in on Jordan Cox and almost make the overtake but Cox would hold him off. The suspense in the Carl Cox Motorsport pits was intense. It looked like Jordan Cox would win as he held a 0.4 second lead for multiple laps. However, with time running out, Clemente would make one more attempt, and on the final lap at turn 2, would go down the inside of Cox, taking the lead as his team erupted in the pits. In its debut weekend, Michael Clemente would take the Cupra to both the car and his first win in the TCR championship, much to the delight of the team and extending family. The grid would be set for the final race of the weekend with Josh Buchan again starting on pole, with Michael Clemente alongside, and Ben Bargwanna starting third. Josh Buchan would again pull away from the field, as a train formed behind Clemente and the two Audi's of Mineef and Soutar fought side by side. Clemente however would pull away late in the race, taking second ahead of the Peugeots of Bargwanna and Cox that had been hassling him in the first half. Buchan would again win with a green flag to chequred victory, followed by a popular second from Michael Clemente and Ben Bargwanna third. Heading to Winton Motor Raceway, Bailey Sweeney still leads the championship as Jordan Cox has jumped to second and only trailing by 12 points. Aaron Cameron is only a single point behind Cox in third, and after a stellar weekend, Josh Buchan is now in fourth. Anything can happen at Winton, and when it does, there will certainly be more movement in the standings. Bonus Gallery
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Australia's premier open wheel championship would return to Phillip Island for the second round of their 2023 championship. Everyone would be aiming to catch Joey Mawson, who took victory in the first three races of the season at Symmons Plains. The new 'Push to Pass' system that was introduced at the Gold Coast round last year was expected to add an extra strategic element to the races due to the number of straights at the Phillip Island circuit. 'Push to Pass' increases the horsepower made by the engine for a period of time, and drivers would be allowed 45 seconds of 'Push to Pass' to use during each race, to help overtake or even defend their position. Australian Formula Open rookie Mark Rosser and Formula Ford driver Winston Smith would join the S5000 grid at Phillip Island. Winston Smith would drive a lovely bare carbon machine, whilst Mark Rosser would ride in the very colourful and unique Exploding Kittens livery. Supercars driver James Golding would not only go fastest in both practice sessions, ahead of championship leader Joey Mawson, but would also set a new lap record in Practice 1 with a 1:24.709, two tenths quicker than the previous record. Joey Mawson would begin an eventful weekend for himself in Practice 2, by hitting a goose as he flew through turn 8. I felt bad for the officials who had to scrape the remnants of the bird off the track with a shovel. Cooper Webster would claim pole position in the Saturday morning session, ahead of Joey Mawson and James Golding, the top three being split by a total of less than three tenths of a second. Joey Mawson would grab the lead heading into Turn 1 as Aaron Cameron snatched third away from teammate James Golding. Mark Rosser would go off at turn 1 bringing out the safety car. On the restart, Webster hassled the rear of Mawson, but to no avail. Joey Mawson would win, claiming four wins from four races in the championship. I'm not biased, but I when Mawson wins, as you're guaranteed a special celebration. In Race 2 during Sunday morning, it would be a repeat of the previous race, this time with Joey Mawson who started on pole, getting overtaken by Cooper Webster around the outside of turn 1. Winston Smith would bring out the safety car after spinning into the turn 2 gravel trap. This would set up Mawson's overtake on Webster at the restart. Could Mawson go for an unprecedented five wins in a row in the S5000s category? The answer would be no, as Mawson would receive a 5-second penalty for being alongside Webster before the start/finish line, dropping him to third, handing Webster the victory and James Golding second. Aaron Cameron in the no.18 Valvoline GRM S5000 would also receive a 5-second penalty for the same reason dropping him from a potential third, down to seventh. Cooper Webster would again be on pole, but this time would hold off Mawson into turn 1 and 2. Blake Purdie and James Golding would have a fierce battle for third, with Aaron Cameron waiting in the wings to see if he could snatch a position. No one was stopping Cooper Webster, claiming his second victory of the weekend. Mawson would finish second and James Golding would brilliantly re-overtake Blake Purdie early on to grab another third-place finish. Despite Cooper Webster winning the round at Phillip Island, Joey Mawson still leads the championship as they head to Winton for round 3. The gap has closed from 29 to now only eleven points, but it's going to take a bit more to catch the two-time champion. Bonus GalleryA race isn't won in the first corner and a championship isn't won after the first round. But after Round 1 of the 2023 Battle Royale championship both Marcus McCathie and Adrian Punaro were the favourites, both having huge momentum behind them coming into Round 2. The hype was real and was intensified with Keep it Reet's special guest. Drivers were excited and preparing early, with new livery and car updates. Jordan Sanderson. Patrick Barlee and Nathan Makovec all had fresh war paint added to their drift machines. The FD layout would be the battleground for the second installment of the championship. Drivers would need to focus on pointing the rear of the car as far onto the clipping points painted out on the track as possible. The judges also made a point that the lead driver needed to be high up on the banking coming into turn 1 to give the chase car a chance at getting as close as possible. The FD layout would also be an appropriate track layout to use, as the special guest would be none other than Formula Drift driver Chelsea Denofa, who had flown all the way from the US to compete. His Ford contract however meant that he was unable to compete in any of the Reet fleet Skylines. That was no issue though as Keep it Reet had their mighty RB20 powered AU Falcon Ute on hand. I love coming here and driving. Australia is one of my favourite places to drive and hang out with everybody. The vibe is really good." -Chelsea Denofa Regardless, it was tricky coming from a Formula Drift spec Mustang to a 320kw ute with leaf springs. The thing Chelsea most found difficult to get adjusted to however was the car being right hand drive, whilst the leaf springs made it difficult to feel what the rear of the car was doing. [The AU] is different to everything [else] I've driven. I'm used to left-hand drive... the positioning of your body in the car and also how it actually drives, the steering and the leaf spring rear [was] very difficult for me." -Chelsea Denofa Despite being thrown into the deep end with a completely unique drift car, Chelsea and the AU went through the event without incident, and he was very positive after the nights action had finished. It ran all [day], never let me down and did everything it was supposed to. I think I could have won in that car if I kept it together" -Chelsea Denofa If you thought Chelsea Denofa had brought along his RTR teammate Adam LZ, you’d be wrong. Reigning Battle Royale champion Cam Marton would be a late entrant with his refreshed R33 that now resembles more of a championship challenger rather than a crumpled beer can. The first corner in practice proved as always to be troublesome, and thanks to the mud, it was clear who had become a victim. Drivers had two and a half hours of practice before battles began to acclimatise to the concrete jungle. Make a mistake, go wide, and you're either off into the mud with a debeaded tyre, into a tyre barrier or worse, straight smack into a concrete barrier. Following on from Round 1, without any changes would be the new qualifying battle system, except drivers aren't battling each other, rather trying to help each other qualify into the top 16 by getting clean runs as both the chase and lead car. Cam Marton and his R33 would be right at home during its maiden outing, being the top qualifier, with Chelsea Denofa a solid third despite spinning out in his first run. That's the beauty of this system, your worst run being thrown out and not contributing to your overall qualifying score. Throughout the whole day and into the night, drifting excitement was always present on the track, but one of the highlights from the night came from none other than Shane 'Sharky' Crawford. Initiating the drift at the bottom of the banking, the right rear wheel and spacer on his Commodore exploded, sending the face of the rim flying past the Commodore. Shane drove the car back to the pits in the state you see it in, as he knew that if he stopped on track, it was going to stay there for a while. After literally pondering what had happened for a while, the team theorised that the spacer had come loose, causing the wheel to shatter, due to the wheel wobble felt before initiation the drift. Certainly, one of the most bizarre things I've witnessed shooting motorsport! Into the Top 16 battles now and Jason Ferron would go up yet again and defeat the driver that he'd invited over to compete in his championship. Luckily, as it was only the first battle, Denofa could still continue, but one more loss and he'd be out. The two South Australians would take on each other for the very first time in competition, despite drifting together for many years. They certainly put on a show, demonstrating to all us Victorians how it's done, even when Scott Miller clipped the inside of Turn 1, ripping off part of his front bumper. Beau Gagliardi in the Madhouse MX83 Cressida would take the Top 16 victory, but this wouldn't be the last time the two would face off. The Top 2 finishers in Round 1 would both be handed losses early, with Gagliardi continuing on his strong form by defeating Adrian Punaro, and Jason Ferron taking victory over a spinning Marcus McCathie. My two favourite drift cars of the night would be paired together for a Top 12 knockout battle. Patrick Barlee would spin out at the final hairpin during his lead run, and Jarrad Klingberg would do the same, albeit due to a debeaded tyre, which flew straight under Barlee's Corvette! As they both made the same mistake, the judges would declare a 'One More Time' battle, with Patrick Barlee advancing into the Top 8. Speaking of debeads, Jamie Stevkovski, who knocked out Mike Lake, would suffer the same issue as Klingberg directly after in his battle against Scott Miller, who would go on to win and thus, knock out the AU Drift Society driver. The battle we'd all been waiting for between the two S13's of Adrian Punaro and Marcus McCathie would take place also as a knockout battle during the round of 12. The rematch from the Round 1 final would consist of another 'One More Time' battle and a five minute mechanical break for Punaro to fix his scraping exhaust. After all that, Marcus McCathie would take his redemption and advance to the Top 8. Before the Top 8, the drivers would take a break for a signing session, handing out stickers, signing posters and even the odd pizza box. Chelsea Denofa would be the busiest man though, as he signed Formula Drift Hot Wheels, a BMW steering wheel and took photos with the Australian fans. During the break however, the conditions would change drastically as the rain began to bucket down. Scott Miller would end Chelsea Denofa's night, giving him his second loss in the Top 8, as Cam Marton continued his reign, defeating Jason Ferron and Beau Gagliardi to receive a bye run straight to the Top 2 Final Battle. Not everyone mastered the wet conditions. Sam Mudge would smack the concrete in a battle against Marcus McCathie, his second accident in as many Battle Royale events. It wasn't all smooth sailing either for McCathie, his S13 failing to start in the rain meant he had to borrow an S14. In the borrowed car, McCathie would advance to the Top 4, however would be defeated by Jason Ferron. Scott Miller and Beau Gagliardi would battle again, this time for 4th and 5th, with Miller's rear bumper coming off, Gagliardi understeering into the tyre barrier, very near contact and a 'One More Time' battle. It would be the two blue 4-door Skylines of Cam Marton and Jason Ferron that would duel for the overall round win. In the first of three battles, Cam Marton would understeer off track, jumping through the mud. The spectators that combated the weather would witness two close battles between the two, but the damage had already been done for Cam Marton. Jason Ferron would win his first Battle Royale event, with Cam Marton second, and Marcus McCathie again on the podium finishing third. Scott Miller would this time beat Beau Gagliardi to finish fourth. Thanks for the champagne shower guys, as if I wasn't soaking wet already! Bonus GalleryAustralia's greatest automotive brand and arguably most important companies was celebrated in competition at Heathcote Park Raceway, with Holden enthusiasts bringing their powerful pride and joys from interstate to race down Central Victoria's quarter mile. A cultural icon, without Holden, our motorsport and car scene would look very different. James Alexander Holden began J.A Holden & Co. making saddles in 1856, and after H.A Frost from Germany and James' grandson Edward joined, the company was renamed Holden and Frost Ltd and switched their focus to repairing car upholstery. From car upholstery, they moved on to mounting bodies that they had trimmed out and painted and began building their own sidecar bodies. In 1923, a new company was made, Holden Motor Body Builders Ltd assembling bodies for Ford, GM and other car makers in Australia. In the late 1940s Holden were aspiring to build the first Australian designed car. With financial support from GM, they were able to do just that, and in 1948, the Holden 48-215 was released. Holden dominated the Aussie car market in the 1950's and the rest was history. There were some fantastic examples of these Aussie battlers that took to the track at Holden Nationals taking humble and not so humble Holden's, modifying and driving them to the extreme. The Torana was Holden's mid-sized car from 1967 to 1980, becoming Holden's first motorsport legend. The first generation Torana, the 'HB' was closely based on the Vauxhall Viva from England, however the one you see here has barely any relation to the small four-cylinder British family car. Andrew has swapped the puny 1.1 litre originally in his 1967 HB for a Garret turbo strapped to a 6 litre LS2 V8. Only the factory frame rails at the front of the car are original, the rest of the chassis is brand new thanks to PSI in Sydney. An ice tank in the boot, keeps the engine and turbo running cool as it shoots down the quarter mile in 9 seconds. Andrew has had the car for twelve months, and it had sat in his shed for nine of those, before the car was put together in the past three. When I spoke to Andrew during the Thursday Test 'N Tune Day before the two-day competition, he had just run a personal best of 9.0 seconds, but clearly, he knew there was more speed to be found. I'll run an eight today, maybe tomorrow in one of the qualifiers, and then I'll dial it back so I can run the same number over and over." - Andrew (1967 Holden HB) Kevin Bowker also needs a shoutout in his 800hp HB Torana. Torana is an aboriginal word meaning 'to fly', and as Andrew's black HB flew down the quarter in nine seconds, Bowker's Torana pointed skywards off the line, wanting to take off quite literally. Before 1970, the words 'Torana' and 'Motorsport' went together like vegemite and peanut butter. In other words, they were incompatible. But the second generation Torana, the 'LC' would put things into motion. The new six-cylinder Torana GTR XU-1 dominated Class C at the 1970 Bathurst 1000, and finished third outright. Throughout racing in 1970-71, the LC Torana proved to be a special and favourable weapon indeed. There were two LC Torana's that stood out to me at this year's Holden Nationals, the first being Mick Atkins patinaed LC dubbed 'The Project', as it's not quite finished yet. Powered by a small block Chevrolet 407 cubic inch V8, with 220 AFR heads, and a 4150 carburetor, all 650hp is sent through an infamous Holden Powerglide and a 9-inch diff to the sticky 32-inch slick tyres. The torque converter has a 6000 stall, meaning that the tyres will break loose at 6000rpm. The fastest time Mick had run in it when I spoke to him was an 8.9 second pass at 124mph, although it reached 140mph on a different pass. The car had broken a collector (where the headers merge into the exhaust system) during the weekend, but thanks to the O2 sensor and a few zip ties, it wasn't going to fall out. I've just got to get used to the pro [starting light] tree. [The car] is consistent, but I'm not consistent, but anyway, I'm just having fun." -Mitch Atkins The second is Will Wallace's 1970 LC Torana set up for the 1/8th mile. A 327 cubic inch V8 with a Holden based 308 stroker has been strapped to a V27 Vortex Supercharger making 1000hp. Will first got the car a bit over 12 months ago, when it had a small block Chevrolet engine in it. The monster screaming out of the bonnet is an engine he had lying around. In addition, he kept the 9-inch differential the car came with, but changed the gearing, more suited for 1/8th mile drag racing. Even in half the distance, Will and his Torana is able to get up to 136mph, and put in a time of 5.2 seconds to the 1/8th during the Thursday Test 'N Tune. Competing in the Big Tyre class, up against cars with double the amount of horsepower, Will's aim for the weekend was to put in as many runs and thus gather as much data as possible, and obviously also have fun. In 1974, the Torana would get a refresh with the LH chassis, larger in size, performance and success. Peter Brock would the Bathurst 1000 back-to-back in 1975-76, as the LH Torana SLR/5000 was the dominant force in the Australian Touring Car Championship. The facelifted LX Torana would continue Holden's success, with Peter Brock again - this time alongside Jim Richards - winning at Bathurst in 1978 and '79 before the new Commodore became Holden's flagship model to take racing. There would be one more production model of the Torana before its end. The UC Torana was introduced in March of 1978 saw a return to a sensible mid-sized car, with no V8 becoming a direct competitor to the Ford Cortina. However, it was soon dropped as it became evident that it was outdated compared to the similar sized and more modern Commodore, that had been released only seven months later. Although it was the Torana that put Holden on the motorsport map, it would be the 4-door Commodore sedan that is Holden's most successful model, both on and off the track. Not only did the Commodore replace the Torana at the front of Group A racing in Australia but also in the showrooms as the mid-sized executive car in Holden's fleet. The position that used to belong to the Kingswood and Premier models. Phil Armstrong's VH is a very cool example of the first-generation Commodore. Powered by a Holden 355, Phil can pedal this blue beast to a 10.93 second 1/4mile pass at 120mph using the Turbo 400 transmission and four Borgwarner 44's in the rear end. Phil tells me these modifications make it a car that you just 'get in and go', and that was proven with each pass he made. The next phase of the Commodore's first generation after the VH was the VK, which included a new homologation car for the Group A category in the Australian Touring Car Championship, with input from Peter Brock himself. From a distance and even closer up, this VK Commodore looked like a clean untouched example of the Group A homologation. However, the rear semi-slick tyres, exhaust soundtrack and times down the strip for this particular car said otherwise. Luke Renyard's 1985 replica Brock Commodore gets all its power from the 550hp six litre LS motor, which sends it all through the Turbo 400 and a differential from a VL Commodore. Luke and his VK were entered into the 'Street Brawler' class, meaning, in addition, they had to take a 40km drive, visiting different checkpoints to qualify for their class. [The aim] was to run a ten second pass, haven't got there yet... So far today [we've run] an 11.4 so we've made a few changes, so you never know. Go out again in an hour or so and see what happens" -Luke Renyard (Day 1 of Competition) One of the most popular early Commodores is the VL, mostly thanks to its six-cylinder Nissan RB30 power. The 'Six Cylinder' class was also one of the most competitive and exciting to watch at this year's Holden Nationals, filled to the brim with VL entrants pushing big numbers, and very quick times. Giovanni Inturrisi's VL Calais was pushing big numbers under the bonnet and on the track. The RB32 billet block, with a twin cam head is all thanks to JW Automotive and puts out 2250hp. The VL's personal best down the quarter mile is a brutally quick 7.0 second pass at 200mph. "It's an eager beaver that one!" one of the young team members told me. A full Motec system is the brains of the car, as the VL can be switched from E85 to methanol for street or track driving. Although the team's objective for the weekend was just to win the class, and not run a new personal best, it can definitely go faster. Probably not here, but a 6.70, 6.80 [second pass] is definitely the aim." -Team Technician Speaking of heavily modified, Shane Guthrie's 1990 VN, the first variation of the second-gen Commodore is exactly that. Originally owned and driven by Lucky Bellleri, Shane bought it as a rolling chassis last year. Now it has an alcohol injected 540 cubic inch big block Chevrolet V8 with a 14/71 blower sticking out from the top, sucking in all the tense air around the drag strip. The car is a full tubular chassis whilst having an onboard fire system and Funny Car roll cage inside. Shane first fired up the car only four weeks before Holden Nationals, so he's aim was to be competitive, consistent and obviously keep it off the wall. You can't get much more modified than this. It's an absolute animal to drive, very vicious off the start. So far, my best time is a 7.90 [at] 175mph." -Shane Guthrie (Day 1 of Competition) HSV (Holden Special Vehicles) became Holden's performance division in 1987, and its best seller is the Clubsport, the entry level high performance HSV model based off the Commodore. This Clubsport however, despite being still suited for the street is packing more performance than when it left the factory. Below the bonnet is a 355 Stroker with cast iron heads, bolted to a 3-speed manualised Turbo 350 gearbox. A Detroit Locker differential with 4.11 gears makes sure all 500hp is put through the rear wheels. When I spoke to Peter Ritter, he had just run a personal best of 11.18, albeit without the exhaust, which was holding back the car by a couple of tenths down the track. It drives mint, we've done Drag Challenge in it a few years ago so it cruisers around. We've made a few changes with all the testing we did [on Thursday] and today, so [we'll] try and back a number up on the next qualifier. So, we'll try and get a consistent number, which I haven't gotten yet." -Peter Ritter The fifth and final generation of Commodore to be built in Australia began with the VE, which was also the first Commodore to be completely designed in Australia, rather than being an adapted Opel based design. The Calais is the Commodore's flagship model, and this is Daryl Newman's VE Calais. The 6.0 litre Chevy V8 small block powering Daryl's Calais has heads from the LS3, lifters from an LS7 and a camshaft from VCM. The upgraded engine puts out 309kw and an impressive 608NM of torque, which Daryl was very proud of. It's very expensive for tyres and wheels haha! So I'm trying out different tyres and wheels because [these] one's chatter like mad. But I'm new, this is my first race!" -Daryl Newman Daryl served in South Vietnam as a paratrooper for the 3rd Battalion in the Royal Australian Regiment, and although racing his VE doesn't quite hold a candle to the adrenaline of jumping out airplanes, he still is extremely keen on his racing. My old man was a speedway racer in the 50s, 60s and 70s. So, I bought this car and thought 'let's do something with it'... [and] do it all myself at home. It's not as much adrenaline as jumping out of airplanes, but that's why I need to go faster!" -Daryl Newman There were quite a few other sedans and coupes that Holden made during their time including but not limited to under the Monaro, Gemini Premier and Kingswood names. One sedan that may have been forgotten is the Holden Camira. Although it was unable to take to the track due to a blown head gasket, this is one special Camira. Originally built by the Roberts brothers in the late 80's, it is most known as being driven by Craig Geddes. Geddes is one of Australia's most successful drag races, eight-time ANDRA Sportsman Champion, who recently claimed the Competition Australian Title, took this Camira to victory in the 1995 Australian Super Gas championship. After it was raced by Craig Geddes it was raced by Adrian McGrotty (who now races a Commodore in Super Gas) for a few years, then by Matt Forbes until 2006. Current owner Kym Oberaur bought the car from Forbes in 2006 and raced the car until 2013, when the Camira parked. With help from Rod Camilleri (above) to rebuild the old school 406 small block Chevrolet V8. The Camira also has an 830 Demon carburetor that like many other parts including the fuel pump on the car, is no longer manufactured. Approximately 550hp is sent from the engine through the 2 speed Powerglide with a 1.80 first gear rather than the standard 1.76. Because it is set up for Super Gas racing, which uses a Pro Tree for the start, the Camira has a delay box, allowing the driver to let go of the transbrake before the last amber flashes on the tree, meaning the car will count down and then release itself off the line. Kym and Rod have certainly put in a lot of work in getting this historic Super Gas Camira back up and running, and it will be awesome when Kym finally gets to drive it in competition. It's set up for Super Gas... but we'll be running it in the Super Sedan championship... We'll go to as many tracks as we can. I'd love to go next year to the Winternationals in Willowbank. Hopefully we'll be back out again in another three or four months time and we'll give it another go." -Kym Oberaur Other than sedans, Holden has been moving Australia with their wagons, vans and most notably their utes. Cara Bertolli's HZ Utility is as expected, more of a racecar than a farmyard vehicle that she's built over the course of five years. The LS1 with carby distributor, 232/236 camshaft and Higgins CNC ported heads, sends all 540hp through the manualised T350 gearbox. Coming into Holden Nationals, the car's personal best was a pass of 10.84 seconds. [The aim for Holden Nationals is] just to go consistently, which the car has proven to be able to do... Hoping we can run [a] 10.70, 10.60 if [the car] is nice to me!" -Cara Bertolli Chris Cookson's VY SS Ute is another example of a Holden utility vehicle turned drag strip monster. Chris bought the car when he was 20 years old, before he was allowed to drive it on his P plates and has built the car up to the state you see it in now over sixteen years. The twin 69mm Borg Warner billet turbo LQ9 engine with cast iron block puts out a whopping 1046hp. Methanol is injected through 700lb/hr injectors, and all the power is sent through a 2-speed Powerglide gearbox and 3500 converter to the double bead lock rear wheels. Chris' VY Ute used to be a single turbo on a stock engine reaching ten seconds down the quarter mile. When the Powergllide was put in, the engine had had enough, so Chris decided to build the whole thing properly. Up until Holden Nationals the car in this set up had no time but, by the end Chris made a pass of 9.1 seconds, with much more potential predicted. Like most manufacturer-based drag competition, entrants with cars made by other companies are still allowed to compete, and rather than being put in their own 'Imposter class', Camaros, Fords and other non-Holdens were mixed into each racing class, up against the signature Holdens. One non-Holden competing in Holden Nationals was Clint Noble and his Fiat Topolino dragster which was allocated to the Aspirated Assassins class. Sitting bare chested is a 489 cubic inch big block Chev motor making 660hp and 600ft/lb of torque, mated to a 2-speed Powerglide and 9-inch differential. [It is] a big learning curve going into a centre steer car. It moves a bit, keeps your attention levels up.” -Clint Noble The Fiat Topolino set a new personal best during the Thursday Test ‘N Tune with an 8.63 second pass at 153 miles an hour. It’s not as quick as any of these turbo cars, but ask any of the turbo guys to get in one of these and they just look at you and laugh… not a chance!” -Clint Noble After qualifying - which went all of Friday and into Saturday morning - was all said and done it was time for the elimination rounds. Every class would race DYO, except for the 'Big Tyre' class which would follow the Chicago Shootout system, the best of four runs taking home the trophy. Elimination after elimination, drivers were getting paper thin close to their dialed time, within thousandths of a second. After three days of quarter mile drag racing, and two days of competition, with the most entrants ever at a Holden Nationals event, there could only be… nine winners. Chris Tatchell in his LH Torana would claim back-to-back victories in the Iron Lion class. Pat Caruso would claim victory in his 700hp Gemini Coupe dragster - a common sight at Heathcote - in the Aspirated Assasins class. Matt Murphy in his nitrous injected HQ Kingswood won the Boosted Holden class. Chris Oscurro and his VL would win the battle of the RB’s in the first year of the Six Cylinder class. Kevin Cox pulled off wheel stand after wheel stand on his way to victory in the 235/255 Tyre class in his HK Premier Wagon. Mark Drew in his six-second street LH known as the ‘Crusty Torana’ would win the 275 GOAT Tyre class. Imposter Steve Athens’ Ford Mustang would claim the trophy in the Big Tyre class as Jamie Turner’s 450hp LS swapped HQ Kingswood would win in the Street Brawler class. And finally, Nick Nelson and his VK Commodore would win the Stick Shift class. A special mention also needs to go to Bruno Matijasevic and his HG Kingswood, which throughout the weekend set the fastest times ever seen at Holden Nationals. In consecutive runs on Friday, the car ran a 6.82, then a 6.85 second pass, both at 190mph. Bonus GalleryAs Sprintcar and Super Rod teams rolled into Avalon Raceway for night one of the yearly Sprintcar Easter Trail, so too did the dark clouds. Melbourne and the rest of Southern Victoria had been hit by multiple showers leading up to Good Friday. Luckily Avalon had avoided most of the rain and there was even a nice and sunny couple of hours before engines roared to life. Even with the threat of more rain on the horizon, plenty of speedway fans had joined the convoy, never wanting to miss a chance to watch some of the best Sprintcar drivers and teams in the country. I also wanted to try out my 105mm Macro lens (Nikon calls it a Micro because they're odd). The clouds and the chance of rain was being ignored by teams, their only focus being getting their cars prepped as best as possible, fitting racing tyres, spraying the bodies clean, setting up suspension and loading the team push buggies with all the amenities for qualifying. Team buggies and Sprintcars made their way to the centre of the speedway. The sky grew dark, and the precipitation in the air mixed with the methanol powering the 410 cubic inch V8's, burning the eyes, as if we were all standing too close to a Top Fuel Dragster at idle. Super rods were the first to take to the track in anger for their first three heat races. The Easter Trails are three straight days of Sprintcar racing in Victoria, starting on Good Friday at Avalon, with teams heading to Borderline Speedway in Mt Gambier on Saturday, then racing at Premier Speedway in Warnambool on Easter Sunday. The Super Rods would also follow the same schedule, with late model speedway teams joining the proceedings at Borderline and Premier. The Sprintcars would go straight to qualifying without any practice hot laps to speed up proceedings. With them following the Super Rods, it was very cool and clear to see the difference in speed. The 900 horsepower Sprintcars are visually so much faster (particularly when following them through the camera) then their clockwise racing cousins, it's phenomenal, and I don't think I'll ever get bored panning them. Jock Goodyer claimed victory in this year's Australian Sprintcar Title at the Perth Motorplex, meaning he would race adorning the Australia number 1. Marcus Dumesney was the previous holder of the special national no.1, but his sprintcar still is one of the best looking in the country, even when back with the number 47. There aren't many paint schemes that can beat the classic Valvoline look! As qualifying went on, the darkest of clouds passed over, and it looked like Avalon Raceway had dodged the rain. However, during the break before the next heat races, the clouds opened up. With the nights racing in question, the tractor was sent to rip up the dirt to mix in the now wet top layer and a drivers briefing was called. The new plan was one more set of heat races for the Super Rods and only one round of heat races for the Sprintcars, followed by the Super Rod A Main, and the two main Sprintcar races, to give time for any short rain delays that came along. The Super Rods would have three final ten lap heat races to set the grid for their A Main, demonstrating their close racing and also that despite the rain, the track was still suitable for racing. Dane Court would jump into the lead on lap one and never look back, claiming victory in the first Sprintcar race of the night. Troy Little separated himself from the pack early out front until two stoppages came - including a rollover from Bobby Daly - bunched up the pack. Unfortunately, this would give Tim Hutchins the chance to snatch the lead and the win, as Little dropped to fourth. Supercars driver Cam Waters would lead from pole, green flag to chequered in the third and final Sprintcar heat of the night before the Super Rods came out one final time. The Super Rods began their A Main with good rhythm and tight battles throughout the field. The first red flag would come out when Domain Ramsey in the W84 slid up into the wall and into multiple rolls on the front straight, ripping his bodywork to shreds. On the restart, Jacob Pitcher in the V1 car had a huge moment as he hopped on three wheels through Turn 1. Two laps later, Corey Degliatis would do the same, but was unable to save it. As recovery crews came to check he was okay (he was) and remove the car from the track, the rain came down. The Super Rods stayed out to assess the track, but it had become just too slick (see how shiny the rear wheels were becoming). The tractor was sent back out, and the fireworks show was moved forward. Fireworks are often an added attraction to larger speedway events, and is popular particular with young kids, who got really excited. So, although a lot of racing was missed out on, at least the fans got their fireworks show. The Super Rods would get underway again but not for long. With less than ten laps to go, it started bucketing down, and soon the call to abandon racing all together was made. It was a valiant effort by Avalon Raceway to squeeze in as much racing as possible, but unfortunately, you can't race through the weather on dirt. It's always a risk when deciding to come and watch this type of racing, but for those who braved it out, I think they got to see more racing than they thought they would. Bonus GalleryAustralia’s Historic Hillclimb, one of the first three purpose built hillclimbs in the world - along with Shelsley Walsh and Prescott Hill in the UK - went under large renovations. On March 19, we’d be able to witness the refreshed Rob Roy and the beginning of a new era for the track. From the track to the paddock, Rob Roy had been revived, and the 'Rob Roy Revival' was the official opening of one of the world's oldest hillclimbs in its new form. For starters, the gravel road from the entry to the start line has now all been replaced with smooth asphalt. The 'Wayne Rushton Hill' is also looking fresh too, with permanent garage tents for the competitors and their machines. The Pergola was also extended twice for some relaxed meals among the loud classic racecars powering up the hill. The track itself also went under a few adjustments with a new race mixture to increase grip. And drivers would need as much grip as possible to get a fast run on the smooth, fast yet tricky Rob Roy. As the green light flashed, all the focus for the drivers would be about getting off the line with as much acceleration, but also with as little wheelspin as possible, to maximise their overall top speed up the hill. Aiming for the dirt on the inside of the blind turn 1, they race over the rise before heading downhill past the pits. Donwhill and across the causeway, the drivers downshifting before reaching the highest gradient part of the track. Past the marshal post and spectators, previously it would have been foot to the floor around the long uphill left-hander, but not with the recent track upgrades. In the middle of the second of the uphill sections, a bus stop style, left-right-left chicane had been paved. This would prove tricky, not only as now there would be more emphasis on acceleration rather than top speed, but also as drivers would try to find the quickest line through the new section, making sure not to knock down the bollards and avoid a penalty. After exiting the chicane, it would be all steam ahead to the finish line, before heading down the newly paved and now entirely separate from the track, return road. It would be Laurie Bennett in his 1971 Elfin 600 that would set the inaugural track record (with the added chicane) with a time of 26.66 seconds. Darren Visser in his 1977 Bates Cyclo only five tenths behind Bennett. This new return road is what I found most impressive of Rob Roy's upgrades. Before, it was a sheer drop from the armco barriers on the causeway, but they've moved tons of dirt to create a road, so cars aren't directed back onto the track and into the pits, which used to delay runs at previous events. Other than watching cars take on the fresh tarmac at Rob Roy, there was plenty else to do at the revival. With Rob Roy being under the MGCC (MG Car Club) there was obviously going to be a large collection of MG's in the trackside car show. After checking out the clean collection of classic and vintage cars, you could grab yourself some memorabilia for your garage, or do what I found most people doing, watching the drivers line up for their run, getting as close as possible to these purebred racing machines. Overall, the Rob Roy Revival was a fantastic day to begin Rob Roy's next historic chapter, and I cannot ignore all the fundraising for the upgrades done by the MGCC and all the work completed by the infamous 'Wednesday Warriors', who worked more than every Wednesday to not only help maintain the track but attend to the renovations. We now get to enjoy and experience the next stories from Australia's historic hillclimb. Bonus GalleryJust like each historic motorsport weekend held by VHRR, some of the coolest classic racers in Australia and abroad come together to be pushed to their limits again in front of the eyes of many motorsport fanatics. For the 34th running of the Phillip Island Classic Festival of Motorsport, I wanted to pick a handful of cars to focus on, and I quickly learned that each car and their owners have a special story. My first spotlight is not one but technically three cars. Three Prosport LM3000's graced the Phillip Island circuit, and their paint scheme game was strong. Only 21 of these cars were ever made, and for a single make series in the UK and throughout Europe, however they also raced in other Group C races including the Daytona 24hour. These particular three were imported into Australia approximately four years ago. Swift Racing brought out the Gulf and Shell flavoured LM3000's as Graeme Hughes now owns the Castrol Prosport. As best we know, there's about 15 of them left worldwide... three here in Australia... two in South Africa, the rest have spread throughout England and Europe. These three probably get raced more often than anywhere else in the world." - Swift Racing Mechanic They are made up of a space frame chassis, meaning the engine, suspension and body panels are attached to a frame of tubing. 3-litre V6 Ford Cosworth engines gives plenty of horsepower whilst playing a beautiful symphony at full throttle, whilst the rocker arm suspension and flat underbelly keeps the car stable on the ground. However, the no.33 Castrol, is powered by a 3.5 litre Ferrari V8. In terms of information on what was called the BRSCC Prosport LM3000 championship, there is very little, however if this 28-year-old footage is anything to go by, it certainly would have been quite a spectacle. We can count ourselves lucky in Australia by having three that are a common sight at historic race meetings. Speaking of cars that had their own championships, the BMW M1 Procar. It's angles, beauty and special exhaust note is one of a kind, and a rare sight, but what particularly caught my eye was the Japanese sponsorships. The M1 Procar began as a one-make series so that it was eligible for Group 4 (later known as Group B) World championship racing. In addition to racing as a support category for Formula 1 and later at Le Mans, the M1 Procar would race all over. This particular M1 was built by Project 4 - Ron Dennis' business before McLaren - and was delivered brand new to Japan. The M1 was BMW's first car built solely under its M division. Boasting a powerful straight 6 engine, the M1 could go from 0-100km/hr in just 4.2 seconds, a proper supercar with the looks, sound, grunt and overall mid-engine chassis stability, along with its ties with F1 drivers competing in its Procar class, it is no doubt a legend. As it looks now is how this M1 was raced back in 1979 in Japan, winning the 1980 Japanese Endurance Championship. The car was then sold from the team sponsor Speed Star Wheels (now called Speed Star Racing, which are the famous SSR Wheels) on to Auto Beaurex Motor Sports, which gave the car victory in its class at the 1981 Fuji 1000km and the overall win at the 1982 Suzuka 1000. Chris Bowden then purchased the car from Auto Beaurex in 2013 and returned it to its 1979 shining silver warpaint. So how is it like to drive? After being interrupted by the angry C2 Corvette in the next garage bay over, and the Group S cars flying down the main straight, Chris Bowden could tell me. Beautiful! It's an endurance racer... it's very stable, beautiful weight distribution... It's not scary to drive as such, just very well behaved, reasonably fast. It'll never beat a turbo Porsche in a drag race but certainly under brakes mid corner it'll smoke it. I absolutely love it, it's probably the coolest thing I've ever raced. Inside the cabin it sounds crazy, it's just a fricken' cool car, just stoked to have it down in Australia and let everyone hear it and see it." -Chris Bowden Chris and the team also raced the car at Laguna Seca in 2016 (where it was spotted by StanceWorks) for the worldwide celebration of 100 years of BMW and it was the fastest BMW badged car at the event. It is one thing to be in the presence of one of these, but to be in the presence of chassis #1077, with its ties not only to Ron Dennis and Project 4, but also its connections with the Japanese Speed Star Racing is truly special. Rarely are you able to witness with all of your senses big juxtaposing motorsport names coming together in success in the form of a single car. Speaking of cars connected to famous names in motorsport, here we have the Old Yeller MKII Buick Special. Max and Ina Balchowsky were behind the well-known hot rod and motor transplant shop of Hollywood Motors. They raced a few highly modified cars in sports car races in the 1950's including a Buick powered '32 Ford and a Dolcetti Special from England, again with a Buick motor. With their acclaimed skills, known as the master of engine transplants at the time, Max got the opportunity to take over the operations of the famous Morgenson Special, which after a crash, they rebuilt and modified with another Buick motor. This became known as the Old Yeller MK1. The second version of Old Yeller would come about in the fall of 1959, built from the ground up with a lightweight tube chassis. As usual at Hollywood Motors, Max and Ina integrating a Buick V8 and some of best parts at the time, often taken from junkyards, which is why the Old Yeller is also known as the 'Backyard Special'. Setting the engine way back, and putting the driver right near the rear end, gave it impressive weight distribution for the time. With drivers like Bob Bondurant, Billy Krause, Bobby Drake, Paul O'Shea, Max Balchowsky himself and most notably Dan Gurney and Carroll Shelby, Old Yeller II would beat factory teams of the likes of Ferrari, Jaguar and Maserati, breaking track records in the process. It blew away the competition, with only mechanical issues being its downfall. Carroll Shelby led by 51 seconds over the competition at the Road America International Grand Prix, before suffering transmission problems. Despite this it would have certainly proved to Carroll Shelby the brilliant recipe of a lightweight chassis and a big American motor. So [Carroll Shelby] calls up AC. 'Send me a chassis, body no motor, I've got the motor'... and that became the Cobra" -Ernest Nagamatsu This 'Home Built Backyard Special' would find itself in a backyard before being found and restored in the mid 1970's by David Gibb in Santa Barbara, California. Ernest Nagamatsu purchased the car from David Gibb and completed the job in restoring Old Yeller back to its racing configuration, and now he races it all around the world, from Road America to the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and all the way here in Australia. It's a handful, because it's got a massive amount of torque and horsepower from 6400cc, and the problem is you hit the throttle, the torque just pulls you out like a freight train, so you have to be very cautious." -Ernest Nagamatsu Ernest has a website dedicated to the complete history of the Old Yeller MKII, so I highly suggest you have a read. Both he, Max Balchowsky and Old Yeller are beyond cool! Staying with the theme of American race cars, next up we have this 1986 March 86C Indycar. This is chassis no. 11 and was used during practice for that year's Indianapolis 500 by Tom Sneva, racing for Mike Curb of Curb Racing. However, Sneva would qualify with chassis no. 31 that was powered by the faster Buick engine at the time. Sneva would spin out on the formation lap and would use the chassis you see here for the rest of the season finishing on the podium at Phoenix and Milwaukee. In 1987, the car would be driven by Ed Pimm in the 1987 Indy 500, qualifying with a four-lap average of 203.284mph, but retired on lap 109 of the race. Notably, John Andretti would drive this car in at least one known race at the end of the season, assisting him in receiving rookie of the year honours. After its time at Curb Racing, it was owned privately twice, first in Pennsylvania then in Los Angeles where it was raced in the Historic Series West, before Ian Buddery purchased the car in 2013. Because the cut off for historic racing at the time was 1986, Ian had to revert the livery back to Tom Sneva spec, rather than having John Andretti's name on the side. In 2016, Ian sent the March 86C's Ford Cosworth engine to Indianapolis to be refurbished by Team Penske's chief engine builder, and has since refurbished the engines rings and bearings himself. It sensational! It's incredibly fast in a straight line, I do the same time down the straight as Guido does in the Ferrari [156/85], but Indycars are not as nimble as F1 cars, they have a longer wheelbase, so they don't dive in[to] the corners." -Ian Buddery Ian Buddery also has an entry into the Indianapolis Historics for June next year, since the car is eligible, as it did compete in the Indianapolis 500. I've driven at Indy, this is my second Indycar, I've had Indycar's for fourteen years, and the holy grail is driving around the speedway. It's a very special place, very emotional"-Ian Buddery From an Indycar to now Formula 1 cars, this is the Tyrrell 012, the Formula 1 team's first car to be mostly composed from carbon fibre and used during the 1983-1985 seasons. The Tyrrell team chose a short-stroke version of Ford's DPV Cosworth engine that they had gotten from the Lotus F1 Team. Despite the car being very nimble lightweight, it was unable to match the high horsepower turbocharged competition. From 1983 to 84, Tyrrell experimented with different aerodynamics including a triangle like rear wing, larger sidepods and a larger more conventional looking rear wing (like the one you see here) to increase downforce. In 1984, Tyrrell would go from the DPV engine to the DPY V8 engine provided by Ford themselves which had a water injection system to lowere cylinder temperature. Both drivers Martin Brundle and Stefan Belloff would impress in their rookie season, both scoring a podium each and scoring multiple points finishes. Unfortunately, it would all come crashing down as the team was disqualified as they were caught filling up their water tank late during the Detroit Grand Prix, with not only water but shots of lead to make sure the car was above weight. Tyrrell would be excluded from the 1984 championship standings and the Tyrrell 012 would only compete in a handful of races in 1985 before being replaced with the turbocharged Tyrrell 014. The fashion brand Benetton would sponsor the Tyrrell team in 1983, before purchasing the Toleman team in 1986. They would start their constructers endevours in Formula One with the very colourful Benetton B186. Not only did it feature a fantastic looking livery, but it was also very quick. Its BMW M12/13 inline four turbocharged engines made sure it was one of the fastest down the straights in the field, pushing out up to 1400bhp, with Gerhard Berger setting the fastest speed at Monza that year of 352km/hr. Berger would also score a podium at San Marino along with points finishes for the first three races. However, the car was uncompetitive on tight tracks like Monaco, whilst also being unreliable. Gerhard Berger and teammate Teo Fabi were on for a 1-2 finish in Belgium, until Fabi overrevved his engine, causing it to fail laps later and Berger's battery died. However, Benetton would win their first race in Mexico later in the year with Gerhard Berger on the top step of the podium. This Benetton has been in Australia for quite a while, it's current owner has had it for eight years now before being owned privately in New South Wales. Unfortunately, this B186 would suffer boost issues all weekend, with the car being surrounded with work all Saturday. It's normally an absolute animal [to drive]... but this weekend we didn't have boost, so we sorta just made-up time in the corners and did what we could to catch up to everyone." Next up we have another homebuilt custom racecar, this blue beauty is known as the Toron Special. In 1962, Kerry Luckins would begin building this special racer in his home garage with the help of his brother Garnet and Ross Stewart, a specialist in supercharging. Built on a space frame chassis, the Toron would be powered by a supercharged Hillman 1500 engine, which would be paired to the gearbox from a 1953 Type 1 Volkswagen. The car was finished a year later and began competing in local Victorian Hillclimb and circuit races until 1968. However, the Toron Special would spend most of its life as a planter pot for a lemon tree. In 2007, Soren Luckins, Garnet's son decided to restore the garden ornament to its original racing pedigree. With help from Greg Smith, many but not all (including the supercharger unless I'm very much mistaken) was saved, and ten years later, it returned to the racetrack at the 2017 Sandown Historics. Made up of a fiberglass front clip, alluminium tail section and including inboard rear brakes and independent suspension, it was one modern racecar back in 1963, and certainly one special piece of family history now. The three Nissan Skyline GTS-R's were probably the most popular cars at this year's Phillip Island Classic, but there was another Japanese Group A car I wanted to chase down. The Toyota Team Australia MK3 Supra, built by the Japanese specialists at TOMS had its return to action at Phillip Island that weekend. This 1989 Toyota Supra was shipped over to Australia for use in that years Bathurst 1000 and the 1990 Australian Touring Car Championship and was driven predominately by John Smith. With teammate Drew Price, the car finished fifth in the 1990 Sandown 500, but would retire on lap 112 of that years Bathurst 1000 with engine problems. Toyota Australia would pull the plug on the program at the end of 1990, but Smith purchased and would drive the car in the 1991 Bathurst 1000 pairing with Geoff Morgan and the 'Mercantile Mutual' sponsorship you see on the side here. Toyota Australia campaigned two of these Supra's in Australia, the other one unfortunately met its end at the crusher as it was not allowed to be sold or sent back to Japan. John Smith had owned the car for pretty much its whole life until Meon Nehrybecki wanted to buy it, and after a year of negotiations, he now has the keys. This is the Supra's first event in ten years and was incredible to witness among so many other now classic Group A contenders. It's got plenty of mumbo. It delivers [480hp] nicely, it's got plenty of torque. Brakes well, steers well, does everything a racecar should, I'm just getting used to it. [John Smith] qualified at a 1:46 in 1990, and the best I've had is a 1:52, so there's about 7 or 8 seconds there I've got to find." -Meon Nehrybecki At every race meeting, Formula Fords always seem to crop up. They are not only one of the most popular forms of racing in Australia, but the world over in some form or another, and Andrew Barron's Van Dieman is quite an interesting open-wheeler at that. Most Van Dieman's are labelled as an RF chassis, however Andrew's is an early FA73. The FA referring to Ralf Firman and Ross Ambrose who began building these Van Dieman cars. Unfortunately, that partnership fell apart the next year, which is why Van Diemans built after 1973 are referred to as an RF chassis' (just Ralf Firman). This Van Dieman is chassis no. 8, so possibly the earliest Van Dieman running in Australia today but was first imported to New Zealand in 1973. Like all historic Formula Fords at the Classic, it's powered by a Kent 1600cc crossflow engine from an Escort Cortina Penrite imported the car into Australia in 2005 and was owned by a couple of different owners before Andrew Barron purchased the car 5 years ago. One detail you may notice that's unique to this Formula Ford is it's primitive and lack thereof for aero and body panels. The early owners made many modifications to the fiberglass to reduce weight, removing the common duckbill like nose and sidepods over the radiator, as even back in 1973, they found it was too heavy. Andrew also has a custom helmet bag and drink bottle that matches his machine, and was a 40th birthday present from his fiancé. I doubt the historic F1 Ferrari mechanics had anything quite like that! This being such an early model, it is also lower to the ground, and Andrew practically lies down inches from the ground as he dives approximately into the 1min and 53sec lap times around Phillip Island. It's the first racecar I've ever owned, so I don't know any different, and it's absolutely amazing! Now that I've done this for a few years I think I can relax and go quickly, and when you do that, you go slow. It's amazing how much it forces you to focus and think about nothing else." -Andrew Barron Last but certainly not least we have Mark Goldsmith, his Elfin 400 and quite a special story. This 400 is chassis no. 1 of four ever built, with each chassis having a different engine including one with a Chevy V8 and one with the first Repco Brabham engine to be sold to anyone other than Jack Brabham. However, chassis no. 1 would first be powered by a Ford 298 before being upgraded to a 302 Windsor. Globe Products were perfecting a quad cam V8... and they wanted this [Elfin 400] as the mule car for it. Sadly, they built one engine, but cams were outlawed then on non-production engines. That knocked out this car and the third car, which went to Bob Jane and had a Repco Brabham engine in it." -Mark Goldsmith The Elfin 400 greeting your screen now has had multiple owners including, Stan Keen who raced it in South Australia, Max Thompson who successfully campaigned the car in Tasmania and Bert Howard. As the car had two big shunts in Tasmania, it was sent back to the factory to not only be restored, but also given a more modern wedge shape look for Bert Howard. According to Mark, "it looked ugly!" Mark would acquire the car in 2014 and would begin a five-year process of a stripping the Elfin 400 right down to the bare chassis, sandblasting it and returning everything back to 1966 specifications. I think I logged it at 3000 hours, of which 300 were [to] outside contractors. We manufactured stuff from old photos... and I've got photos as the chassis is being built, so I was able to go back... what was there before? Ah yeah a bar went there, a bar went there, round the back of the bell housing, no worries we can do that" -Mark Goldsmith My favourite part of Mark Goldsmith's story with this car however starts right back. Elfin 400 chassis no.1 would compete in its first race at Mallala, and who would be in attendance? None other than a 14-year-old Mark Goldsmith and who would've thought, 55 years later, he would own it! And you can tell he absolutely loves and obsesses over this car. [Driving the Elfin 400], it's like wrestling a gorilla, it's a short chassis, a lotta horsepower, over 400, so one false move and it slides. But that's how it was in '66!" -Mark Goldsmith So, I've shared 10 on-track spotlights from the Phillip Island Classic with you. But I'm not done yet. There was one yellow submarine that didn't take to the track, that I can't help but mention. This beauty is a 1987 Penske PC16, driven by racing legend Rick 'The Rocket' Mears, and is currently up for sale (so if anyone has a spare $245,000 lying around, let me know). The PC16 sadly had teething issues not only at the start of the 1987 season, but was off the pace in the rest of its tenure. Come the biggest race of the year, the Indianapolis 500, not only the car you see here, but each PC16 failed to get up to speed, so after the first week of practice, Team Penske decided to switch to their stable of 1986 March IndyCar's (you've already seen one in this article). This car would be soon forgotten among the bizarre nature of the 1987 month of May in preparation for the 500. A total of 21 incident occurred leading up to the race, with reasons being as it hadn't rained for a full month, leading to the track being slick with oil and rubber, whilst others pointed to the new Goodyear radial tyres. Rick Mears' teammate Danny Ongais would be one of those to suffer an incident, one that would knock him unconscious, and out of the 500. His replacement, three-time champion and at the time three-time Indy 500 winner Al Unser would famously drive what was originally a display car sitting in a hotel lobby to victory that year, claiming his 4th and final Indy 500 crown. Although the PC16 was abandoned mid-season, Rick Mears did post some successful results in what is chassis no. 4, including a 3rd at Portland and two top ten finishes at Cleveland and Toronto. This car was also the base for the following PC17, one of Team Penske's most successful IndyCar's, so it wasn't all doom and gloom. This car was owned by Pennzoil before being purchased by Penrite and brought over to Australia. It was used as a display car, along with a display engine from Roger Penske, but was put into storage until 2016. The current owner bought the PC16 from Penrite and commissioned its full restoration to glorious racing condition. It's certainly a forgotten Penske, but still has an amazing presence about it, and I certainly hope to see it on track in the future. You never know what brilliant racecars are hiding around Australia until an event like this. Phillip Island Classic GalleryAfter the success of Keep it Reet's inaugural Battle Royale championship in 2021/22, the popular action-packed formula was continued for a second season. A handful of changes would make the competition even closer and the action fiercer. Round 5 of the 2022 season proved that the amateur drivers could dance with the big boys in Pro, so both categories would merge into one, with now 40 drivers able to attempt to qualify for the Top 16 battles. New tyre regulations would be put in place too. Using the Drifting SA approved tyre list would keep the competition close and fair between pro drift cars and more street style cars, whilst also having consistent regulations across state championships for ease, as many drivers compete in both Battle Royale and Drifting SA events. The recently returned and fan favourite 'Run the wall' layout would hold Round 1 of the championship. In the driver's briefing, the judges explained where they were expecting drivers to put the cars to garner the perfect run. A tight drift through the first two corners were preferred, but not too tight as for the car to jump over the kerbs. On the run to the bowl, the judges wanted to see the whole section drifted, although would allow for lower powered cars to grip up and catch up if needed. For the wall section, the entire concrete was one large clipping point, so the closer the better. If your car wasn't on or behind this crack in the middle of the bowl, you wouldn't be scoring points. Most drivers would ease closer to the wall with each run during practice. However, Matt Walker from Team Rushstreet in his S13 would slide centimeters from the concrete straight out of the box. Keep it Reet had also brought over Irish pro drifter Dave Egan from Drift Games, who also competes in Drift Masters to battle it out against Victoria's best in the Reet R32. Within a few runs, Dave Egan became acclimatised to the R32 and the unique track layout, just not the Melbourne heat. With practice done and dusted it was time to better explain how qualifying would work to the drivers. They would be randomly paired together for two qualifying battles each, that's four runs, two leading and two chasing. Your worst run would be removed, not counting towards your final score, and your best run would be doubled. This format from Drifting SA rewarded brilliant runs in qualifying rather than lots of consistent, semi-decent runs. Jason Ferron and Marcus McCathie treated qualifying like it was the final battle, putting on a show with heaps of angle and even more proximity to each other. Daniel Ridley in his R32 with a fresh wrap would just miss out in qualifying for the Top 16 battles. Mike Lake would qualify 12th in his fresh new E36 chassis, which was finished that very morning as Ben Coady would qualify well in 7th in his red rocket VN Commodore. However, it would by Drifting SA reigning champion Scotty Miller who would just pip Jason Ferron and Adge Punaro for the top qualifier spot. All eyes would now be on the Top 16 battles and onwards. The media team at Keep it Reet would stream the night's action on Youtube, with multiple camera angles, live commentary and live results through live.keepitreet. Stewart Bryant and three-time VicDrift champion Leigh Pidwell would use all the camera angles to fairly judge each run, as Tauri Onus tried distracting them. Russel Cunningham would unfortunately start this year's championship battles how last year's campaigned ended, with a broken gearbox. In the Top 12, Jamie Stevkovski jumped the gun at the start during his lead run against Baldeep Shergill in the Hartless Knights R33, making for a one more time of just his lead run. Unfortunately, the only AU that qualified was knocked out early. Patrick Barlee would win each of his battles, saying he wanted to do the least number of runs on his way to the Top 4. A close battle between the two S13's of Marcus McCathie and Sam Mudge would see them go one more time, with McCathie holding on to give Mudge his first loss of the night. Jason Ferron would send Dave Egan home in two ways, out of the competition and back to Ireland. Despite being knocked out earlier than special guests in the past, Egan was all smiles and praise for Battle Royale, saying later it felt as if he had been 'thrown into the tiger's den'. Later Sam Mudge would go up against his teammate Ben Brentnall, sliding into the concrete wall, and receiving enough damage to take him out of the night's drifting completely. Patrick Barlee would defeat Jordan Sanderson in a very close fight on his way to battle Adge Punaro for a ticket straight to the finals, who had also not lost a battle all night. Despite being frequent at Friday Night Drift events, Punaro had not drifted competitively in three years, although you simply wouldn't have known by his consistency. Before the final battles of the night, there was a break for a signing session with the drivers and the opportunity to meet Dave Egan. Pictures were taken and posters, number plates and even air filters were signed. When the action returned, Adge Punaro would halt Patrick Barlee's charge and advance to the Final Two. Marcus McCathie would beat Adrian Bono in the fresh 'Firefly' Toyota 86 and then take on Jason Ferron, winning again to have another go at Adge Punaro. Scotty Miller and Jason Ferron would go side by side in their fight for fourth place. With contact made, Miller would slide through the bowl with the front bumper holding on for dear life. Just like in the Top 16, these two very similar set up Silvia S13's would compete side by side for victory, however this time with the overall on the line. McCathie had been dealing with a faulty alternator and had borrowed a battery from Matt Walker, nursing the car to the start line and drifting without any lights. For the final battle, it would be a best of three. It was neck and neck until the final run, as McCathie spun in the bowl during his lead run. Marcus McCathie's mistake would hand over the win to Adge Punaro, his first competition event in three years, and he would find himself, on the top step of the podium. Punaro would dedicate his win to Anthony Carrio, an amazing member of the drift community who we lost the week prior. Matt Walker would appropriately take home the 'Thrash Kings' award, for best displaying the spirit of drifting and absolutely shredding not only tyres all day, but his car's body panels too. Scotty Miller would be classified fifth, with Jason Ferron fourth. Patrick Barlee would claim third with the two S13's of Adge Punaro and Marcus McCathie first and second. Round 1 showed that there will be plenty of competition for the 2023 Battle Royale title until the end. Punaro and Barlee look to be main contenders with the amount of drifting they plan to do throughout the year. McCathie came off a win in the final round last year and a second place in round one this year, so he certainly has some momentum behind him. But don't count guys like Scotty Miller or Adrian Bono to go even better next time, or drivers like Sam Mudge who unfortunately got unlucky this time around. Bonus GalleryAnd just like that, the offseason is over, and a new season of circuit racing has begun. Teams and drivers competing in the many categories that make up the Victorian State Race Series would begin their championship campaigns at Sandown Raceway for Round 1. If they wanted to have the number 1 on their car for next year, and the championship in their hands at the end of this year, both speed and a consistent collection of points would need to begin now. Friday would consist of three twenty-minute practice sessions for each category. With ten categories competing, two simultaneously would take to the track during each session to give everyone as much track time as possible for the first round of the championship. The open wheel car of Formula Ford and Formula Vee would flood the track during their practice sessions. Not only do many professional Aussie drivers like Matt Brabham, Jamie Whincup and Will Power start their careers in Formula Ford, but also many mechanics and engineers that are now at top teams in GT racing and V8 Supercars. As the name suggests, Formula Ford is powered by 1.6 litre Ford engines whilst Formula Vee has VW engines that are either 1.2 or 1.6 litres. The Fords are more aerodynamic with their sidepods, whilst the Vees are known as the cheapest form of open wheel racing in the country. Another cheap yet very competitive form of racing is the Hyundai Excel series. From Phillip Island to Bathurst, this championship swarms' racetracks all over Australia. At Sandown there were 35 Excels entered, and I've seen grids of up to 60 cars both here and at Bathurst. The Excel series has a lot of restrictions in control to level the playing field car wise, with emphasis more on driver speed and car setup, rather than equipment. Saturday would begin with Qualifying set the grid for each of the three races that weekend for each and every category, with the Porsche 944's being the first out on the much cooler track than the previous day's scorcher. The Porsche 944 class is the fastest single make category in the Vic State Race Series, and on par lap time wise with the Saloon cars. You don't often see 944's on the streets, but maybe that's because they've all been modified to race against each other, just like the 17 Porsches that would do battle at Sandown. For some cars and drivers, the Saturday morning qualifying would be their first session of the weekend, and for others it would be also their last. You could tell which cars and when the drivers of those cars were on a flying lap by seeing how much kerb they were using in the corners, and by a handful of cars splitting flames out of their exhausts. This wasn't the case with everyone though, but it gave spectators and photographers an idea of who to watch when it came time for the green flag to drop at race start. This brings me on to a simple point on why attending a Motorsport is always better than watching the broadcast. You can pick which cars and drivers to follow and get a closer look at, rather than being restricted to what the cameras and commentators are focusing on. I will say that Blend Line TV did a fantastic job of covering Saturday's and Sunday's action, and I did go back and watch it, because even at Sandown, you're not going to see everything that happens, especially when you're distracted by the cars you've chosen to follow each lap. For instance, this V12 Jaguar XJS that wheel-spinned off every start and screamed down the back straight at Sandown. This isn't any XJS though, this one is special, as it is the 1985 Bathurst 1000 winning chassis, driven to victory by Aussie John Goss and German racer Armin Hahne. My two personal favourites was this FG Falcon in XB Falcon inspiried war paint and this flame spitting VZ Commodore, both competing in the Sports Sedans class. I just love the 2006-2013 era of V8 Supercars. Although the retired V8 Supercars were at the front of the Sports Sedan category, there was no stopping this insane SAAB 9-3, powered by a Chevy V8 and pushing out 740bhp. The gap V8 Supercar driver Thomas Randle made on the rest of the field in his father's SAAB was immense. While the Sports Sedans were blinding down the straights, the HQ Holdens leaned into the corners like sailboats in choppy waters. The Group N Historics were perfect for those more interested in classic racing, with cars post war up to 1973 competing and being raced just as hard as they did when they came out of the showroom fifty plus years ago. With this wide range of racing already, the Improved Production series would put this diversity on the track all at once, pitting Nissan Pulsars and Toyota 86's up against Holden Monaros, BMW M3's and everything in between. The MG and Invited British class brought the best of Bristish motoring on track as well. You really never get to see old MG convertibles competing againt newer MG hatchbacks and TVR sportscars, but that's the point of categories that mix different styles of cars together. They may always be clearer stand out cars that gather a huge lead, but in the mid pack there are sure to be some close battles between cars you thought you'd never see. Last but certainly not least are the Saloon cars. Another category striving to be a cheaper entry into motorsport, these are 6-cylinder sedans using off the shelf parts for as much reliability and affordability as possible. The competition was close as expected, but the 'Sedan Hotel' sponsored cars still had podiums in their hands all weekend long. Bonus GalleryOff the South Gippsland Highway is the town of Nyora. Its recreational reserve is your typical small-town sports club with a cricket/football ground. However, right next door is the Nyora Raceway, a 380 metre sunburnt clay speedway. The All Star Sprintcar series along with Dirt Modifieds, Standard Saloons and Mini Sprints all headed to this small racetrack to put on a show. Like most racetracks, Nyora began as a safe place for young guys to drive their beat-up cars back in 1960. Now it holds numerous events throughout the Speedway season with various categories from Sprintcars to demolition derbies. Get a seat on the hill and you have a great view of the night's racing. Certainly, one of the better speedways for spectator viewing that I've been to. And when the darkness falls, it has an extremely well-lit infield, I'd say better than Avalon. Before the big cars took to the track, the Outlaw Karts had their heat races in the shorter infield track. Outlaw Karts are go-kart sized Sprintcars with single cylinder engines yet still similar power to weight of a standard Sprintcar. The category was split into two classes, Juniour and Open. According to V8 Supercar champion Rick Kelly - who was racing in the Open class that night - these are some of the best bang for your buck race cars you can drive. Watching them slide around and get up on two wheels as they were pitched into the corners was enough proof. Furthermore, this is why many kids racing in Speedway start in these karts which are growing ever more popular. I wonder if there was a future Australian Sprintcar champion racing at Nyora that night? Only time will tell. Soon enough, it was time for the big dogs to head on track. As always when Sprintcars are in town, they set off with the hot laps and time trials, as teams work around the cars in the infield, one of my personal favourite parts of photographing Sprintcars. Brett Milburn would not only set the fastest lap of qualifying, but a new Sprintcar track record of a 13.194 in front of a packed house at Nyora Raceway. Milburn would continue to show his speed, winning the first of the four heat races, as Mark Caruso, Steven Loader and Todd Hobson would claim victory in the other three respective heats. In between the anticipated Sprintcar heats, Dirt Modifieds, Saloons and Mini Sprints took to the clay in their heat races, setting the grids for the final races at the end of the night. Warrick Taylor in his pink Dinoco #43 would win the first and third heat races in the Dirt Modifieds as State champion Daryl Hickson would claim victory in heat two. In the Juniour Saloons, Beau Stuchbery would win the first two heat races in his blue #24 Ford, wilst Harry Cecil would claim the heat three victory, lining up alongside Stuchbery on the front row in the Final. Mark Miles and Shane Stewart would be first to the chequered flag in the first and third Open Saloon heat races. Ryan Lansdown would not only win the second of the three heat races in the Open Saloon class, but also claim a new 8-lap track record in the process of a 2:26.457. Mini Sprints, also known as Lightning Sprints, are midget car sized Sprintcars often powered by a 1000cc chain driven motorcycle engine. Visually, they dive into the corners like a formula ford on a paved circuit, although drivers still find ways to slide these cars on the high lanes of the banking. Lap times fell during the Mini-Sprints heats as Michael Conway set a new 8-lap record of 2:09.543. Andrew Burleigh would win heat two as Ally Moore would win heat three. After the final heat races, the Outlaw karts returned to the infield for their final deciders. Young Cruz Farrell would become victorious in the Juniour class, as the aforementioned Rick Kelly would win the 15-lap Open Class final. Now it was time for the finals as the full 380-metre clay speedway was re-prepped. Some saloon drivers weren't happy with the track conditions, so decided not to race in the final as to not damage their car. And on lap 1, a three-car pile-up brought out the caution. After a tricky start, Rhys Lansdown would claim the chequered flag in the Open Saloons final with a new track record of 4:40.234. Despite a couple of cautions during the 15 lap Open Saloons final, Harry Cecil would be victorious, leading from start to finish. With darkness covering the circuit, the Dirt Modifieds put on a show, belching flames decelerating into the corners, as Daryl Hickson demonstrated why he is state champion, winning whilst setting a new 20-lap record for Dirt Modifieds at Nyora with a time of 5:09.865. Michael Conway would be quick once again, setting a new Mini-Sprints Nyora lap record of 13.825, only 7 tenths slower than the fastest full size Sprintcar time of the night. The thirty-lap Sprintcar feature race would be full of drama. Jeremy Kupsch in the #47 would spin but able to continue, as Chris Temby would be the first to exit with tyre damage. Boyd Harris would have the first rollover of the night on lap 18 whilst David Donegan and Steven Loader would tangle on lap 25, causing a skirmish, and putting Dan Scott in the #91 in a rollover. It looked like Chris Solomon had the race wrapped up after leading the entire race at this point. However, both Solomon and Mark Caruso in second had chewed through their tyres, causing them to go flat with only two and a half laps to go. This would hand the win to local boy Brett Milburn, who knew he'd have to nurse his tyres if he was going to finish. Just look at the tyre on the number 25 (as pictured), it's something you'd see at a drag strip rather than on a dirt oval. Bonus Gallery |