2019 Aussie Supercars & Supports discussion | Season final @ Newcastle (22-24 Nov)

WTCC, BTCC, DTM and Aussie V8s
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theracer120
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2019 Aussie Supercars & Supports discussion | Season final @ Newcastle (22-24 Nov)

#1

Post by theracer120 »

Last edited by theracer120 4 years ago, edited 19 times in total.
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#2

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Some interesting developments were reported by Supercars Trackside on the Sunday after the race regarding a new manafacturer. Apparently representatives from Kia were at the Newcastle track and they might be looking at entering in 2020 with the Kellies who don't have a manafacturer after this year. The Kellies are reportedly a bit hesistant as it would mean developing another engine (presumably the Stinger V6 twin-turbo).

As far as the Kellies' 2019 season goes, Caruso was apparently talking in the paddock about not having a full-time drive for 2019 and that he was trying to get a co-driver role. Heimgartner might also be in the same boat. Reportedly Alex Rullo and Garry Jacobson are looking at taking their places.

**************

Richie Stanaway has a contract for 2019 with Tickford, however there seem to be some doubts about whether he'll be staying on. He himself came out today and said that:
“I think some massive changes need to be made with the people I’ve got around me if I was to do another year anyway, because if I’m given the same opportunity I was given this year then I wouldn’t be interested.

“It’s not even close to what I need to be competitive.

“The team need to pick up their game in order for me to be interested anyway.

“I’d love to do another year but the team needs a massive overhaul with everything surrounding running me.

“They obviously haven’t given me what I’ve needed and I think I’m capable of being successful, but I’ve got to be given the crew and the tools around me to do it as well.”
Supercars Trackside also talked about Tickford replacing Winterbottom with Holdsworth or Le Brocq. However there's an issue with that, in that it's been unofficially confirmed (by Speedcafe) that Tickford has handed back in a REC. That could mean either that that rumour is false, or that it's actually Richie getting replaced (or that they haven't actually handed back in a REC).
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#3

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Ill post this here as it is past the end of season.

Tom Walkinshaw has been inducted into the Supercars Hall of Fame at the championship’s annual Gala Awards night. I was always very fond of Tom Walkinshaw and his contribution to motorsports worldwide was immense. I am very pleased that his name has been honoured in this way. :thumbsup:
Walkinshaw would have been ‘humbled’ by Hall of Fame honour

Ryan Walkinshaw believes that his late father Tom would have been ‘humbled’ at his induction into the Supercars Hall of Fame at the championship’s annual Gala Awards night.

Tom Walkinshaw, who died of cancer in December 2010, is the 22nd inductee into the Hall of Fame, which was established in 1999, joining luminaries such as Allan Moffat, Harry Firth, and non-driver members such as the Stone Brothers collectively.

The Scot finished third from pole in his own factory Jaguar in the 1985 Bathurst 1000, won by the sister XJ-S of John Goss and Armin Hahne, but is best remembered in Australian motorsport circles as the man who helped create the original incarnation of the Holden Racing Team, and Holden Special Vehicles.

He achieved success in sportcars and other touring car racing, and held senior roles in Formula 1 before the ill-fated Arrows venture, but his son maintains that it was the Australian Touring Car Championship/V8 Supercars, as it was known in his lifetime, that held a special place in Tom Walkinshaw’s heart.

“Whilst he competed in most major racing categories around the world, either as a driver or owner, he always saw Supercars back under its various titles as one of, if not the, best touring car championships in the world,” said Ryan Walkinshaw as he accepted the honour with widowed mother Martine.

“There’s a reason he came to race in Australia; his love for Bathurst, his love for the passion that the fans showed, and that really instigated the reason why he came here, set up his team here, and set up an automotive business here, and it’s the reason that we continue to race and do business here today.

“I know that to be held in high enough regard to be inducted into the Supercars Hall of Fame would have meant a great deal to him. His respect for many of those already inducted is unquestionable, and it would have truly humbled him to now be seen alongside so many of the other greats of the sport.

“Dad would also have been one of the first to say that if it wasn’t for the incredible talent of the people who supported him during his journey – the engineers, the drivers, the mechanics, everyone around the team, all the way through the journey – he wouldn’t have been able to achieve anything that he did, so this induction into the Hall of Fame isn’t just about him, it’s also about all those people who supported him over the journey.”

Martine added, “I want to take this opportunity on his behalf and on the family’s behalf to thank Supercars for bestowing this great honour onto my late husband Tom.

“It truly means a tremendous amount and I only wish that he was still here in order to be able to stand up here, in front of us, with all of us, to receive this award himself.

“We miss him dearly, and to see him honoured this way is something I will treasure forever.”

The Tom Walkinshaw Racing empire won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1988 and 1990, while Walkinshaw worked for Benetton and Ligier in F1 before acquiring a majority stake in Arrows.

It was the latter venture which dragged TWR to collapse in 2002, with HRT bought by Mark Skaife and its sister Kmart Racing team by John and Margaret Kelly, parents of Todd and Rick.

Tom Walkinshaw returned to Supercars in 2005 as a supplier to HRT and the HSV Dealer Team, by which Kmart Racing became known.

The latter won the 2006 and 2007 V8 Supercars Championships, adding to the six HRT won in its own right under TWR ownership, before Walkinshaw Performance entirely bought HRT back from Skaife by the end of 2008.

It has since won the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 on two more occasions (2009, 2011), having done so five times from 1990 to 2005, but slumped to a point where Holden transferred the HRT title and factory backing to Triple Eight at the end of 2016.

Today, Ryan and Martine continue to own the Walkinshaw operation, including the HSV business which is necessarily undergoing a transformation with the closure of local Holden manufacturing.

Its racing team, meanwhile, has shown green shoots of recovery in the first year of its joint venture as Walkinshaw Andretti United.

Ryan shared with those gathered at the gala an amusing anecdote demonstrating his father’s affection for the team.

“I often remember, growing up, for years coming downstairs on a Sunday morning, young and sleepy-eyed, I’d see my Dad sat there on the side of the breakfast table and he’d start roaring at me, in his thick Scottish accent as some of you would have known, ‘Ryan, pussy won last night.’

“Before David Reynolds falls off his seat in excitement, ‘the pussy’ was in fact an affectionate nickname he had for the Holden Racing Team cars, a cheeky reference to the lion that adorned the side and bonnet of the cars at the time.

“(It) is good that eventually I found out what that was because for months I genuinely thought he had some sort of weird Saturday night fight club between the cat and the dog in the house, so glad that was eventually resolved.”
https://www.speedcafe.com/2018/11/27/wa ... me-honour/

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#4

Post by theracer120 »

Common sense has prevailed and the Gold Coast 600 won't be having a format change next year after all:
https://www.speedcafe.com/2018/11/29/su ... at-change/

David Reynolds was given the championship's "best and fairest" award, the Barry Sheene Medal, for the second year in a row:
https://www.supercars.com/news/champion ... -reynolds/

The unofficial third tier series of Supercars (the Kumho V8 Touring Cars) is now the official third tier series and it will be known as the Super3 championship. It will retain its current format and management:
https://www.speedcafe.com/2018/11/28/v8 ... -calendar/

Wilson Security has ended their sponsorship of GRM:
https://www.supercars.com/news/champion ... 03185214=1

Scotty McLaughlin will continue to use the classic DJR #17 next year:
https://www.speedcafe.com/2018/11/27/mc ... -for-2019/

Todd Hazelwood will drive Whincup's ZB from this year next season:
https://www.speedcafe.com/2018/11/28/ha ... e-in-2019/
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#5

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Triple Eight confirm #888 to take a full time racing break.

In more minor news, it was thought that Whincup would take over the #888 entry used by Craig Lowndes over the years now JW wont be using the #1 next year. :wink: There was also talk that SVG would use the #88 used by JW in his non championship winning years, in place of his usual #97.

However T888 have today announced the #888 will only be used in the foreseeable future in the enduro rounds when Craig Lowndes will be onboard, with whether that will be with Whincup or SVG still to be confirmed.

For next year Whincup will use #88 and SVG will retain his usual #97.

The #888 has been associated with Lowndes since he joined the Triple Eight squad in 2005, although it was used on occassions prior to that by other drivers. In effect the #888 is having a full time racing break most likely until Whincup retires. The #888 might then be resurrected for whoever takes his place. In effect the #888 will not be used by anyone other than a car which Lowndes is driving whilst he is still involved.

https://www.speedcafe.com/2018/11/29/tr ... e-holiday/

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#6

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https://www.speedcafe.com/2018/11/30/ti ... ng-tie-up/

23Red will become the fourth Tickford entry next year with Will Davison driving alongside Cameron Waters, Chaz Mostert and a yet-to-be-named third driver. This means that Tickford has handed in a REC as reported and that we are officially back to 24 cars.
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#7

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

They have been busy at DJRTP since last weekend.

They have stripped Coulthards Falcon and it is on its way to becoming a Mustang.... :whistling:
Not sure if Scotty will get a new chassis. They will probably put his championship winning #17 car in their museum/showroom given it's likely future value as an original as raced championship winner.

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#8

Post by theracer120 »

I read somewhere the championship car from this year was actually getting sent to the Penske museum or something in the USA.
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#9

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

theracer120 wrote: 5 years ago I read somewhere the championship car from this year was actually getting sent to the Penske museum or something in the USA.
Makes sense. It will in time become a very valuable piece of kit if left as raced. And it is good PR and promo value sitting in a museum, whilst its value accumulates.

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#10

Post by theracer120 »

https://www.supercars.com/news/champion ... ce-return/

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In all seriousness that would be cool if it happens, I'll believe it when I see it though.
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#11

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

The Mercedes is out testing at Winton today with it is believed, Youlden at the wheel.

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He is the one who apparently has the backing to run the car in Super 2 next year. am not saying it is a fait accompli, as it all sounds a bit far fetched to me.

Im still in this camp:
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Actually it is set to be a busy day today at Winton.... Walk. And. Unite. is running British racing driver Abbie Eaton, who was doing the PR rounds in front of any camera she could find at Newcastle last weekend, and Porsche Carrera Cup Australia champion Jaxon Evans in a Super2 specification VF Commodore. Eaton has a busy week ahead as she heads to Queensland to test a Matt Stone Racing Super2 specification Falcon FGX at Queensland Raceway.

ALso at Winton today Brad Jones Racing is running a host of rising stars in its Super2 car raced by Macauley Jones, while Porsche Carrera Cup driver Dylan O’Keeffe is set to pilot a Garry Rogers Motorsport Super2 Holden.

As well as the Mercedes, Erebus are running their main stream car to prepare for next season by evaluating a long list of components across its ZB Commodores.

They are running their primary drivers and its 2019 co-drivers at the test with Anton De Pasquale and Will Brown joining Reynolds and Youlden at the circuit.

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#12

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Erebus have made a statement about the sudden talk of the Merc name returning to the VASC circle are all dependent on Luke Youlden going out and getting the necessary sponsorship to run the car in Super 2. As I think has been mentioned it is nothing to do with Mercedes, and in fact if it materialised the car wont even have Mercedes badging apparent, logos replaced with the Erebus logo as has happened with other teams. (ie T888 when they announced a break from Ford and a return to Holden.) The whole deal sparked from an idea from Youlden to bring the Mercedes out of retirement, who approached the team about a plan to bank more laps prior to the 2019 enduro season, which he already has an Erebus deal for 2019.

Team Manager Barry Ryan has indicated it might not be a full season they have planned or discussed. Chances of anything happening are c50%
Barry Ryan wrote:“We are confident that if we did Super2 with it and we got a (test) day we could get it up to a pretty good level. It wouldn’t be far behind where we are (with the Commodores),” Ryan told Speedcafe.com.

“We know exactly what the feel difference is between that car and our car (Commodore).

“The journey for the day wasn’t to make it the fastest car on track it was to run it and see what we would need to do if we were going to race it.

“I think it is just over 50/50,” he added, when asked to rate the chances of the E63 racing next year.

“Luke coming back with a deal (will be crucial for the project), we are not going to fund it as it is not going to help us win a championship.

“It would be nice to give Luke some extra laps but he has proved with his experience that he only needs minimal laps. But if he can get a couple of rounds up his sleeve that will help him.”
The pigs are not flying yet by a long way.

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#13

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

It seems that Alex Rullo's wishes to return to the main game are not working out. He was as @theracer120 mentioned earlier in the thread, looking to turn his Enduro role at Nissan/Kelly Racing into a full time gig for 2019. Now the talk is he will continue in Super 2 for another season. I guess by that token Caruso is looking stronger to retain his seat in the team, although Heimgartner and Jacobsen are in the picture. It seems like a case of who can bring the most funding to the team might get the gig.

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#14

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

No surprises really but Macauley Jones joins the main game with the Cooldrive BJR Commodore for 2019.
Macauley Jones will make his full-time debut in the Virgin Australia Supercar Series in 2019 as he takes over the wheel of the #21 Team CoolDrive Commodore.

Macauley has been racing full-time in the Super2 series since debuting mid-season at the Townsville event in 2014, and made his Supercar debut the following year, co-driving in the Endurance Cup with Dale Wood in the #21 Commodore. Since his start, Macauley has continued to improve on his results and been labelled one to watch.

In 2017, Macauley won the Bathurst Super2 250km race which was a very proud moment for Macauley, the team and his dad, Brad Jones. Throughout the 2018 season, Macauley claimed his maiden pole position and earned further podium finishes.

Macauley continued to line-up as a Supercar co-driver in the BJR stable, driving the #21 Supercar with Tim Blanchard in 2016, and in the #8 Supercar with Nick Percat in 2017 and 2018. Macauley also competed in the Supercar wildcard events over the last two years, racing at Darwin, Winton, and Tailem Bend, totaling 23 Supercar races for the rising star.
Full story
http://www.bradjonesracing.com.au/news/ ... -main-game

* I started life with nothing, and still have most of it left


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#15

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Adelaide 500 season opener to feature twilight sessions and races.

I see that there will be a change of format in next years season opening Superloop Adelaide 500 (previously known as the Clipsal!)
The idea is that now the V8s will be seen on all 4 days of the meeting (previously the Thursday was only for support categories) This is to allow the V8s to have twilight practice on Thursday and Friday in readiness for a Dusk start for the race on Saturday. Qualifying will be held after the Friday twilight practice. It is not so much a night race, with Saturday’s Supercars race starting nearly an hour later than last year.... Sunday’s race will remain in its usual afternoon time slot. Mind you inclement weather could make it more than a twilight situation.

Of course the meeting will also see the return of the Mustang name to Aussie Touring cars, with the Falcon now purely a memory.

It wont just be the main game featuring in twilight... Super2, the Audi Sport R8 LMS Cup and Aussie Racing Cars will be amongst the twilight action on Thursday, while Touring Car Masters, Super2 and Porsche Carrera Cup Australia are slated for twilight sessions on Friday.

I am not sure if that is an expanded support programme, because despite the later running of the day to get the twilight, action still starts on track at 9.30am every day. The inevitable utes racing is also on the card, just they seem not to allow them out after the sun goes down! :haha:

More on this and also the (still provisional) full event schedule:
https://www.speedcafe.com/2018/12/09/su ... -adelaide/

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