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V8 Supercar Pitstop - August 2007

Another win to Craig Lowndes

August 31st 2007 15:35
Courtesy of the official V8 Supercar website, V8 Supercars Australia

ABC TV’s Australian Story program “A Red Hot Go” on Craig Lowndes has won the Best Current Affairs Documentary or Special at the 2007 Queensland Media Awards.

Judges comment:

“The winner was considered a consummate piece of journalism, combining personal relationships with the quest for success and respecting and remembering a mentor – Peter Brock. The camera work was a big factor in creating he overall feeling of the piece.”

Statement from the producer of the program, Roger Carter:

“I would like to thank Craig and Nat Lowndes for their honest and candid involvement in the story. I would also like to thank Frank Lowndes, Mark Skaife, Neil Crompton, Bev Brock and Rick Kelly. I was especially impressed that Craig Lowndes’ main rival, Rick Kelly, continued with his commitment to be interviewed even after the most controversial finish in the V8 Supercars Championships history.

I would also like to thank the motor sport fraternity for their support of this story, from the fans who watched on the night through to the organisers and officials who allowed us close access to the sport. Cole Hitchcock, Media Manager of V8 Supercars, and David Segal, Craig Lowndes’ manager, deserve special mention for their support and assistance during the making of the program.
Craig Lowndes with fellow Team Vodafone driver Jamie Whincup
Congratulations Craig.


I would also like to thank our crew on the story: cameraman Marc Smith did a superb job capturing all the action, along with David Guppy on sound. Kelly Williams and Trudy McRobert also assisted enormously.

The Craig Lowndes story was a lot of hard work, but also a lot of fun. I thought motor racing was dangerous but that danger paled into insignificance when we arrived at the Lowndes’ household. We were confronted with the mountain that was Craig’s backyard and we wanted to get to the top to film a sunset sequence with Craig and his son. Craig provided us with a six wheel buggy. I think he called it an alligator, and continued to tell us to take it easy as the brakes weren’t that crash hot.

So to cut a long story short, the three of us, Marc Smith, David Guppy and myself loaded up the gear and followed Craig up a very steep heavily eroded path. I can honestly say we thought we were going to die. The soft edges of the path dropped away as we made our way up and I thought if we slid off the side we weren’t going to stop until we hit the bottom. Craig and his son shot to the top on his quad and had a great time watching us make our way up. Maybe he thought if we didn’t survive he wouldn’t have to do the interview scheduled for the next day.

We finally made it to the top and filmed a lovely sequence that unfortunately ended up on the cutting room floor. We survived the journey down only by having all our weight over the back wheels where the brakes were. Even then, there was a certain amount of uncontrolled sliding.

I suppose to end the story, I’d say we survived - which meant Craig and his wife Nat had to put up with us for another day and could no longer avoid doing their interview.

Craig and Nat spoke openly and with affection, which was appreciated by our audience. It’s hard to tell the whole story in a half-hour program. There was a lot of good material that didn’t get to air but that’s always the case.”
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Skaifey … Holden Hero

August 31st 2007 14:11
Experience matters … just ask Mark Skaife and Larry Perkins, two of the highest respected names in V8 Supercars.

Recent testing of the Jack Daniel’s Racing Commodore has seen Skaife come on board, completing ten laps at Winton Raceway, his ultimate goal being to assist the team with their preparations for the up-coming endurance races. Satisfactory results were seen from the five times V8 Supercars championship winner with lap times comparable to those seen completed by other teams testing at this track


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Canto canters on

August 31st 2007 00:06
Dean Canto courtesy of www.grmotorsport.com.au
Dean Canto

Born in Sydney in September 1980, Dean Canto is another young gun picked up by the Garry Rogers Motorsport Team, driving alongside Lee Holdsworth in the #34 Valvoline Cummins VE Commodore.

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Mark

August 28th 2007 00:46
Frosty
Mark 'Frosty' Winterbottom

From a young age, twenty six year old Mark “Frosty” Winterbottom was a keen sports fan, starting off at six years of age playing soccer. A professional enough player to be included in a state level team, Blacktown United, eventually Mark’s other love called out to him and, at the age of eleven, he turned his back on playing professional soccer and turned his attentions to motor racing.

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V8 Supercars Australia has picked up an important new supporter for the remainder of the 2007 championship series with well-known deodorant brand Rexona Men coming on board as the official sponsor.

“V8 Supercars Australia is very pleased to welcome the Rexona brand on board as the official deodorant sponsor of the 2007 V8 Supercar Championship Series, as well as a major sponsor of the 2007 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, Falken Tasmania Challenge and Dunlop Grand Finale,” said Tony Cochrane, Chairman of V8 Supercars Australia


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A “memorial wall” dedicated to Peter Brock on Mount Panorama has been white washed by Bathurst Council ahead of next month’s Bathurst 1000 V8 Supercar race.

Fans were shocked as the tributes, all handwritten on a concrete barrier situated on the Peter Brock Skyline section of the track, were painted over just a few weeks before the first anniversary of Brock’s death


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Greg Murphy can’t remember the last time he raced at Oran Park in the rain … but that’s exactly what happened today. Oran Park treated drivers and fans alike with a chaotic thrill ride which kept teams on their toes and drivers working hard all day as the rain relentlessly pelted down. The weather did nothing to put Lee Holdsworth off in his Valvoline Cummins Commodore though as the twenty four year old finished the round with his first ever race win and first ever round win in the V8 Supercar series.
Lee Holdsworth racing at Barbagello Raceway, courtesy of Martin Pot
Lee Holdsworth in his Valvoline Cummins Commodore


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Todd Kelly has celebrated his 100th start in V8 Supercars with pole position in this weekend’s round of the championship. With a grin that stretched from ear to ear he accepted his anniversary prize of $5000 for the fastest qualifying time.

As usual, the qualifying session threw a number of surprises into the mix at Oran Park this weekend, knocking out a couple of big names in leg one. Craig Lowndes, one of the contenders for the championship, was disappointed to qualify in 23rd position, well down the order, and one position behind James Courtney in the Jeld-wen Stone Brothers Ford


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Tasman Motorsport has a previous relationship with this weekend’s track of the V8 Supercar championship, and the Melbourne based team is hoping to take advantage of their intimate knowledge of Oran Park Raceway.

And Jason Richards, after a number of outspoken outbursts before, during and after the last round at Queensland Raceway, is definitely much more positive about Tasman’s prospects at Oran Park


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Ford hopes to dominate at Oran Park

August 15th 2007 11:43
Round eight of the V8 Supercar series at Sydney’s Oran Park is shaping up to be a fight to the death with Ford and Holden drivers alike vying for victory at this historic Raceway.

The BF Falcons of Stone Brothers Racing drivers Russell Ingall and James Courtney were tested this week at their home track in Queensland, resulting in a satisfying result for the team. Courtney’s Jeld-wen Ford has been rebuilt, ready to make it’s debut at Oran Park this weekend, while Ingall’s Caltex Falcon will also benefit from the testing of Courtney’s car, with a number of changes being made for round eight


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Todd Kelly - 100th anniversary

August 13th 2007 14:59
Holden Racing Team #22, Todd Kelly, has become the youngest driver to celebrate his 100th anniversary; 100 V8 championship rounds. And he will do it this weekend during the Jim Beam 400 at Sydney’s Oran Park.

Todd Kelly
"Did I win?"
Todd Kelly, team mate of round win record holder Mark Skaife, replaces Garth Tander as youngest centenarian driver by two and a half years including, eight round wins and 25 podium results on his impressive journey


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The next round of the V8 Supercar championship is almost upon us and this time it’s New South Wales who has the honour of welcoming these powerful beasts into its home once again.

Round eight of the championship series will be held next weekend, 17th – 19th August 2007 at Oran Park Raceway, 45 km from Sydney at Narellan. A popular race track, Oran Park has been welcoming petrol-heads to its bosom since 1963 and boasts 3 motor racing circuits, 2 dirt circuits, 2 four wheel drive training venues and a skid pan. The track has the distinction of being the longest continuous host of a round of the Australian Touring Car Championships


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It’s been on the cards for a while now with 2007 being the final time V8 Supercars will grace Pukekohe Park Raceway with their presence. Early in 2006, a two year extension was granted to Pukekohe to hold the New Zealand round of the V8 Supercar series; this has now expired, meaning Hamilton will take over starting in the 2008 season.

Hamilton has the necessary infrastructure needed to host a major sporting event of this size including transport links, location to population base and accommodation choices for visitors. V8 Supercars Australia has also expressed a preference for a street race in New Zealand; something that Hamilton can offer


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Motorsport Legends Gather Together

August 9th 2007 22:04
On August 20th 2007 some of the biggest names of Australian motorsport will come together for what’s believed to be the first time ever. The motley crew of motorsport heroes will gather at Sydney’s Star City Casino to celebrate 45 years of memories at the launch of one of the world’s greatest races – the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.

The last time a group of greats gathered at anything like this magnitude was at last year’s Bathurst event, where legends of the sport came together to commemorate the life of Peter Brock, nine times winner of the race, after his sudden death the previous month


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Growing up with a legendary father like Larry Perkins, his twenty year old son Jack could be forgiven for having motorsport in his blood from a very early age. As a youngster, Jack was heavily involved in motor sport, supporting his famous father around the race circuit and by the time he was 11 the young Perkins protégé was racing karts competitively all over Australia.

In the following years Jack achieved much in karting, moving up through the Australian National Karting ranks. In 1999, Jack finished third in the Victorian State Title, bettering this in the following year to finish as runner-up. In 2000 Jack also won the South Australian State Title, topping off a great year for the talented young driver


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V8 Supercar legend Larry Perkins has taken the bull by the horns this season, signing two of the youngest drivers in the paddock for his Jack Daniels Racing Team.

The two Perkins Motorsport VE Commodores are being enthusiastically driven by the twenty year old son of Larry Perkins, Jack, who will be celebrating his coming-of-age in a couple of weeks, and Shane Price, also twenty years old and the baby of the outfit


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Jason Richards. Image courtesy of me.
Jason Richards ... congratulations

Days of impatience and nervous anticipation finally ended for Jason Richards, Tasman Motorsport’s car #3 driver, yesterday when he and wife Charlotte gave birth to a bouncing baby girl.

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Yesterday saw Tasman Motorsport open their doors to the public for the very first time and from what I could see, it was an unmitigated success for all concerned.

The headquarters of the team in Preston, Victoria, were abuzz with anticipation from the word go, with eager fans interested to meet their heroes and hear what they had to say. A small podium had been set up where amplified interviews with both Greg Murphy and Jason Richards took place, followed by an autograph signing session


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FPR redecorate

August 3rd 2007 12:01
Originally posted on 2 August 2007 on www.orble.com/v8-supercars

There must be something in the air (or maybe in the water). First Tasman Motorsport announce a significant change to their management structure, now Ford Performance Racing are following suit as they announce a new team organisational structure. Not just one person but inclusive of all areas of operation, including engineering, manufacturing and marketing


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Originally posted on 1 August 2007 on www.orble.com/v8-supercars

Effective immediately, Tasman Motorsport has undergone a total restructure of its management team with former Managing Director, Kevin Murphy, stepping aside to make way for new team boss Jeff Grech


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Let's talk about tyres

August 3rd 2007 11:56
Originally posted on 1 August 2007 on www.orble.com/v8-supercars

To maintain parity in the V8 Supercar series, every car in the category uses the same kind of tyres, supplied by the same manufacturer, a control tyre which, for the last six years, has been supplied by Dunlop


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Originally posted on 31 July 2007 on www.orble.com/v8-supercars

Ask a V8 Supercar driver which track they find the most challenging, most demanding and the one they would like to conquer the most, invariably their answer would be Mount Panorama at Bathurst


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Tasman Motorsport Racing Team

August 3rd 2007 11:50
Originally posted on 30 July 2007 on www.orble.com/v8-supercars

At the weekend I posted information about an open day being held at the Melbourne Headquarters of Tasman Motorsport, so I thought it was appropriate to introduce a little bit of history and information on the team


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Tasman Motorsport Open Day

August 3rd 2007 11:48
Originally posted on 28 July 2007 on www.orble.com/v8-supercars

Tasman Motorsport is opening its doors to the public for the very first time at its race headquarters in Preston. This impressive open day will be held on Saturday and Sunday the 4th and 5th of August 2007


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Mark Skaife - legend

August 3rd 2007 11:45
Originally posted on 27 July 2007 on www.orble.com/v8-supercars

For the last twenty years, Australian motor sport has been honoured to include within its ranks the skill and experience of the one and only Mark Skaife


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The Rat is back

August 3rd 2007 11:42
Originally posted on 24 July 2007 on www.orble.com/v8-supercars

With the two endurance events just around the corner for the V8 Supercars, Toll HSV have confirmed the addition of Paul Radisich to their team for Sandown and Bathurst


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V8 Supercars and Formula 1 reunite

August 3rd 2007 11:40
Originally posted on 24 July 2007 on www.orble.com/v8-supercars

It was announced yesterday that the awesome power and excitement of the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix will be once more boosted by the presence of the V8 Supercars


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Justice for Mark Skaife?

August 3rd 2007 11:37
Originally posted on 23 July 2007 on www.orble.com/v8-supercars

Stone Brothers Racing may have finished this weekend’s round of the championship in a strong position with both Courtney and Ingall finishing in the top seven but the celebrations were short lived for James Courtney


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Garth Tander does it again

August 3rd 2007 11:34
Originally posted on 23 July 2007 on www.orble.com/v8-supercars

Toll HSV fans were buzzing yesterday after Garth Tander once more showed the rest of the field a clean pair of heels to take out round seven at Queensland Raceway. Continuing on from last year’s clean sweep, Tander cemented his ownership of this track, winning both Sunday races


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Originally posted on 22 July 2007 on www.orble.com/v8-supercars

Qualifying separated the men from the boys yesterday when the track known around the paddock as the paperclip, took a number of high profile prisoners. This seemingly simple track boasts just six turns, hundreds of bumps and takes just a little more than a minute to race around. It is a track drivers love to hate


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Queensland Raceway … who's hot?

August 3rd 2007 11:27
Originally posted on 20 July 2007 on www.orble.com/v8-supercars

The V8 Supercars have kicked off a weekend of racing with a fiery practice session today. Garth Tander, currently running second in the championship and last year’s winner at this track, set a very respectable lap time of 1 minute 10.66 seconds to place him second fastest so far


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Garth Tander ... the man to beat

August 3rd 2007 11:24
Originally posted on 20 July 2007 on www.orble.com/v8-supercars

GT
A thoughtful Garth Tander<