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Everso Biggyballies
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#1216

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Bottom post of the previous page:

Deserved it, especially after last years disappointment.
Interestingly, the V8 Commodore that finished 3rd overall is the first time a V8 has been on the outright podium at this race.

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#1217

Post by theracer120 »

V8s have generally struggled in the modern production car races here, a V8 only got on podium once in the 2007 to 2010 production car twelve hour races and that was a HSV wagon (!)
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#1218

Post by erwin greven »

Brian Redman: "Mr. Fangio, how do you come so fast?" "More throttle, less brakes...."
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#1219

Post by theracer120 »

Go the Swift

Although that's a fucking big penalty for what probably gained them a one lap advantage at most, unless they only did two stops or something.
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#1220

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

I see Jenson Button was back in Australia cutting secret laps at Bathurst over Easter.

Whilst he was here he cut some laps at Bathurst, driving the Honda Cicic Type R with the instruction to wring its neck. He managed to lap it in under the Production class record set by Chas Mostert at last years 6 Hour race, driving an RS Focus.
Honda Civic Type R sets Bathurst lap record with Jenson Button

FORMULA 1 world champion Jenson Button has driven a Honda Civic Type R to a new benchmark time at Mount Panorama during a secret test day over the Easter long weekend.

With a time of 2:35.2017, Button and Honda have set a yardstick for all other hot hatch manufacturers to measure themselves against.

Button was flown to Australia in secrecy, and given a single task – to pedal the Civic Type R as fast as possible around the country’s most prestigious circuit. The 6.213-kilometre Mount Panorama circuit uses public roads, includes 23 corners and rises 174-metres with gradients as steep as 16 percent.

The Type R used for the lap was identical to what can be bought in showrooms around Australia for $51,990. Honda says the car was in completely stock trim – including the Continental SportContact 6 tyres.

Honda’s hot hatch hero is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder that sends 228kW and 400Nm to the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. The official kerb weight is 1393kg.

Putting the stock Type R’s time into perspective, it would have been good enough to qualify second in class for this year’s Bathurst 6 Hour, held the day prior to the record attempt.

Button completed just 14 laps of the circuit, spread across a one hour session in the morning, and a 10 minute session in the afternoon.

“Anything you drive around Mount Panorama is pretty amazing. Up across the top of the mountain, the Type R is so fast through there, so once I got into a rhythm and got used to the speed you can carry, it was really good fun,” the 2009 Formula 1 champion said

“I think if it was cooler you could go a bit quicker, but I do feel like I got everything out of the car.”

The official outright production car record at Mount Panorama is a 2:16.5, set by Bernd Schneider in a Mercedes-AMG GT R in 2017.

Fittingly, Button also holds the unofficial outright quickest lap of Mount Panorama, setting a 1:48.8 time in a 2008-spec McLaren MP4-23 wearing 2011-spec Pirelli tyres during a sponsor event.

Brabham’s BT62 cut an unofficial 1:58.69 during demonstration laps at this year’s Bathurst 12 Hour, making it the quickest tin-top to lap the circuit, while Christopher Mies holds the outright official record at 1:59.291 set in a derestricted Audi R8 GT3 during the Challenge Bathurst event last year.

The Group 3E Series Production car record (ostensibly the racing production car category) of 2:25.802 was set by Chaz Mostert during the Bathurst 6 Hour in 2017 with a Ford Focus RS.

Button’s mission was part of Honda Australia’s year-long 50th birthday bash, and is the first leg of the Type R Challenge set outside Europe.

The Type R Challenge has seen the Japanese hot hatch flown to some of the world’s finest tracks to have a lash at various records. It has had five previous legs, with Button also setting a front-drive production car record at the Hungaroring grand prix circuit with a time of 2:10.19.
https://www.whichcar.com.au/news/honda- ... son-button

There is a video of the event and an interview with Jenson


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#1221

Post by erwin greven »

Brian Redman: "Mr. Fangio, how do you come so fast?" "More throttle, less brakes...."
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#1222

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

TCR Australia set to open this weekend....

There has been much debate over the viability of TCR racing in Australia of late with the news last year that they will be starting a TCR Championship down under. Initially there were fears that it would not attract the numbers and that they would fail miserably.

It seems we have a good number of cars making a go of the series with entries of many brands.... Alfa and Renault, run by Garry Rogers Motorsport, Opel (badged Holden) Astras from Kelly Racing plus entries of Subaru, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Seat Audi and Hondas'

Full listing on the TCR Aus website: https://www.tcraustralia.com/teams-and-drivers/

Some high profile drivers taking part.... Tony D'Alberto, Jason Bright Alex Rullo and James Moffat included.

7 rounds have been announced with the opening round at Sydney Motorsports Park (Eastern Creek) this weekend.
Live TV coverage on FTA is promised with free online streaming via the SBS website. https://www.sbs.com.au - Probably only available in Aus, but a VPN will get round that. It is also being streamed live on the Shannon Nationals Motor Racing channel http://thenationals.com.au/
Greg Rust and Aaron Noonon are the presenters / commentators.
I think that the organisers are also running a stream on their website http://tcraustralia.com/


I love the look of the GRM Alfas....

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Im quite looking forward to it and wish them every success.

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#1223

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Here is the full entry list for round one.... interesting that a couple are only entered for round 1. Presumably budget issues.

Entry list: Round 1, Sydney Motorsport Park

Num Team Make Driver
2 Melbourne Performance Centre Volkswagen Aaron Cameron
22 Melbourne Performance Centre Audi Rik Breukers (Round 1 only)
6 Kelly Racing Subaru Molly Taylor
37 Kelly Racing Holden Chelsea Angelo
62 Kelly Racing Holden Alex Rullo
777 Kelly Racing Subaru Andre Heimgartner
7 Garry Rogers Motorsport Alfa Romeo Jimmy Vernon
33 Garry Rogers Motorsport Renault Chris Pither
34 Garry Rogers Motorsport Renault James Moffat
8 Alliance Autosport Volkswagen Jason Bright
35 Alliance Autosport Volkswagen Alexandra Whitley
9 Ashley Seward Motorsport Alfa Romeo Dylan O’Keeffe
11 HMO Customer Racing Hyundai Nathan Morcom
30 HMO Customer Racing Hyundai Will Brown
24 Wall Racing Honda John Martin
50 Wall Racing Honda Tony D’Alberto
29 Garth Walden Racing Australia Hyundai Michael Almond (Round 1 only)

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#1224

Post by theracer120 »

That was a pretty good start to TCR Australia.

There was some good racing in the early laps before the field got kinda spread out but that's to be expected given most of the teams probably haven't got much of a grip on the cars yet.

I wouldn't say there was a packed crowd but there was definitely a not terrible amount of people there, I'm 99% certain that would be the biggest ever crowd for a Shannons Nationals event.
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#1225

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

I think the Saturday crowd may have been affected by those who ran out of time with having to vote. Today seemed a bit better.

Overall a great start to TCR in Aus, with some good racing, plenty of rubbing, some of it a bit OTT, FTA TV, some good dicing throughout the field, even if it spread out a bit. We had several different brands dicing for the lead at different stages, although Will Brown in the Honda took two out of three wins. Jason Bright took the other race for VW.
Alfas were up there so I am happy.

Next stop Phillip Island for round 2 in a couple of weeks.

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#1226

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Norman Dewis 1920-2019 RIP

Sad to read in MotorSport that Norman Dewis, the legendary Jaguar Test driver, has died aged 98. Credited with having tested Jaguars in excess of 100mph for over a quarter of a million miles. He continued right up to this year as an Ambassador for Jaguar, appearing on their behalf at motoring events.

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'Britain's greatest test driver': Norman Dewis 1920-2019
9th June 2019

Norman Dewis, who developed the Jaguar C-type, D-type and E-type, has died. In his 33-year Jaguar career, he covered a quarter of a million miles at more than 100mph

Norman Dewis, Jaguar’s legendary test driver who developed disc brakes, the D-Type, and set a production car speed record of 172.4mph, has died aged 98.

His 33-year career, as chief development driver at the British manufacturer, gave him a pivotal role in the creation of 25 Jaguars, including the C-type, D-type and road-going models such as the E-type, Mk II and XJ saloon.

It’s thought that he covered a quarter of a million miles at more than 100mph.

Dewis served on Blenheim bombers in the war and competed in the Mille Miglia with Sir Stirling Moss.

He also raced in the 1955 Le Mans 24 Hours with the Jaguar works team, and famously survived barrel-rolling an XJ13 at 135mph.

It was one of many high-speed accidents, which were sometimes deliberately provoked. In 2000, he told Motor Sport: “You need to know what happens when a tyre blows at a car's top speed. So the tyre blows and you just hold onto the car, hope it stays on the road. This is the job of a test driver. You have to do these things.”

Hailed by Jaguar as Britain's greatest test driver, Dewis retired in 1985 but remained in the public eye until recently. He drove at the Goodwood Revival, acted as an ambassador for Jaguar and gave sharp-witted talks of a life lived at full pace.



The extraordinary life of Norman Dewis, a hero

Norman Dewis was born in Coventry on 3 August 1920 and won a scholarship to art school, but didn’t take up the place, after his father died suddenly when Norman was aged 14.

As the family breadwinner, Dewis went out to work as a grocer’s delivery boy, but soon began working at the Humber car factory, which was on his street.

Dewis moved to Armstrong-Siddeley, aged 15, as an apprentice but his career was interrupted in 1939 by the war. He joined the RAF and was a gunner in the centre turret of a Blenheim bomber.

After the war he started at Lea-Frances and was then recruited by Bill Heynes, Jaguar’s engineering boss in 1951, joining the company as development test driver. It was a role that put him in close contact with Sir William Lyons, the company founder.

Norman Dewis and Stirling Moss at the 1952 Mille Miglia

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Dewis introduced standardised test procedures, to improve the quality of production cars, and began developing the disc brake concept. The technology was fitted to Stirling Moss' Jaguar C-type in the 1952 Mille Miglia, and Dewis accompanied him as a passenger. They were third overall, and 100 miles from the end, when a collision with a rock ended their race.

A year later, Dewis was in the driving seat for an attempt at the production car speed record, on a closed stretch of Autoroute in Jabbeke, Belgium. His XK120 had been modified with a full-length undertray and perspex canopy. "We were so stupid," he said. "When I got in, they screwed the perspex down from the outside. [Aerodynamicist] Malcolm Sayer said the car would start to take off at 160mph. And there I was bolted into it." Dewis set a production car speed record of 172.4mph.

He raced at the 1955 Le Mans 24 Hours, reaching 192mph on the Mulsanne Straight in a D-type, which he had tested extensively.

Much of Dewis' time was spent at the high-speed MIRA track in Warwickshire, where he would regularly cover 500 miles a day at 130-140mph, seven days a week. “Everything had to be recorded by the driver," he said. "You'd have to memorise so many things at a time, so you might do 20 laps at 140mph, come in and a guy would say 'gearbox temperature' and you'd tell him; 'water temperature' and so on. If there was a problem with any of the numbers, a change would be made and you'd go out again."

Norman Dewis and Jaguar XJR13

Image

Dewis put in weeks of testing to ensure that the Jaguar E-type would achieve the goal of a 150mph top speed, then drove a car overnight to the Geneva Motor Show for its public debut.

He secured permission to spend his weekends developing the XJ13 – after receiving a dressing down from Sir William Lyons for secretly testing the car after the project was cancelled.

It was in the XJ13 that Dewis suffered his dramatic crash. “I know she caught me out, but she's still a lovely thing,” he said. "I was high on the banking at about 135mph when the offside rear wheel broke. It spun down the banking onto the infield, dug in, did two cartwheels and then a series of barrel-rolls. I wasn't strapped in, but while it was all going on I managed to wedge myself under the scuttle. The wreck ended up on its wheels, and I got myself out."

After a hospital check-up, and with no broken bones, Dewis returned home, telling his wife, Nan, that he needed an early night after a busy day. The full story soon emerged, however, thanks to a headline on the front page of the Coventry Evening Telegraph: ‘Mr Norman Dewis crashes experimental vehicle at 140mph'

After retiring in 1985, Dewis continued to work with Jaguar, taking part in D-type drives to Le Mans, and demonstration laps of the car at Goodwood. He and Moss took the start of the 2012 Mille Miglia in a C-type to mark the 60th anniversary of their initial entry. In 2015, he was awarded an OBE for services to the motor industry.

Earlier this year, at the age of 98, he was still involved with Jaguar, helping to promote the electric I-Pace.

Motor Sport extends its condolences to the family and friends of Norman
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/news ... -1920-2019



Jaguar's 2015 tribute to Norman Dewis




RIP Norman Dewis. :bow: :rip:

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#1227

Post by DoubleFart »

All that time spent at over 100 to ironically pass at 99.
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MonteCristo wrote: 2 years agoVettel: Not a fan at all on track. But off track, good guy.
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#1228

Post by erwin greven »

Brian Redman: "Mr. Fangio, how do you come so fast?" "More throttle, less brakes...."
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#1229

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

I want one

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#1230

Post by erwin greven »

Image

Still running at: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7ak45f French/Flemmish comments.
Brian Redman: "Mr. Fangio, how do you come so fast?" "More throttle, less brakes...."
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#1231

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Could not find a Jap GT thread to post this, but this weekend is the SUPER GT - Fuji 500 Miles race.

Sunday, August 4 - 04:20 GMT

Free live stream when it is on, courtesy of MotorsportTV

https://motorsport.tv/motorsporttv/vide ... 082019&utm

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