The fuel to be used by the high performance V8 Supercars is E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent unleaded petrol.

Hamilton 400 Event Director Steve Vuleta said that the change to E85 ethanol will make a significant difference.

“Reports from the company supplying the E85 that we will use indicate that it will produce less than half the CO2 emissions,” Mr Vuleta said.

Added to this is that the particular type of ethanol comes from a by-product of crushing sugarcane crops.

“It’s made from molasses which is a by-product of sugar production and is not a food staple. So we are also helping by finding a great use of a by-product.”

Mr Vuleta said the product has been fully tested on V8 Supercars and believes this fuel will become a viable alternative for motorists in the future.

“We have already established a number of initiatives for our first event this year to reduce carbon emissions. The use of ethanol is another step in this process, and we hope it will set an example to the wider community as the fuel of the future,” he said.

The E85 blend has undergone rigorous testing which has shown it will easily convert to the most sophisticated of V8 Supercar engines.

“This is a great outcome for the sport and the environment,” said champion driver Craig Lowndes. “I noticed absolutely no difference in power or performance between the ethanol fuel and our current petrol blend. What we did notice was the massive reduction in exhaust fumes and how much cleaner the E85 burns. It was very dramatic.”

The second Hamilton 400 will again cover the costs of the Hamilton public bus service for the three days of the event, run a Park N Ride bus service for fans travelling to Hamilton and is to embark on a new recycling venture aimed at recycling more than 90 per cent of the waste from the event.

“He (Jamie) is the best out there,” Lowndes said. “When Jamie came into the team (three years ago) he was able to push us along. His maturity this year has been amazing, he learns from everything and it has been great to have him as a teammate, each lap he pushes at 110%. If we break something, the team goes away and works out how to make it better.

“For us as a future, we are in better shape than ever before.”

For Skaife it was not all the memories he wanted of his last race but he had a cracking very last race when he pushed into 12th from 26th. It included a skirmish with his old mate and nemesis Russell Ingall.

“I would have given my right arm to push up inside of Russell and spin him around,” Skaife said. “I wouldn’t have speared him off though, I’m not Russell. But I was having a ball out there. There’s nothing better than being a race car driver and doing what we do.”

Skaife kept his emotions in check during a tribute to his career but admitted he choked up on the grid prior to his final race.

“The parade lap wasn’t too bad. I was probably more emotional on the grid. It takes a whole career to even have Ford fans waving at you.

“Then (wife) Toni and my son Mitch came out on the grid. I almost needed wipers on the inside of my helmet when I saw them.”

In contrast Paul Morris – who at one stage spun Whincup around in the last race – was not too phased about also heading into retirement from full-time racing.

“I’m not that stressed about it. It’s only a car race, not a big deal. I’ve got plenty of other things to do and I haven’t got the same record as Skaifey so it’s less emotional for me.”

Whincup won the title despite not even starting the Hamilton 400 in April after a big crash in qualifying. Despite the fact that at the time it may have stopped him from winning the title, he in fact said it helped him win it.

“Mistakes and setbacks make you better. Without Hamilton we may not have won the Championship. It made us so much more determined.,” Whincup said.“After Phillip Island I promised myself not to make any more mistakes this season, and I’m going to race hard to the end and I’m looking forward to not breaking that promise and not to make a blue.”

“I’ve always had faith in my ability, there is a lot of guys with the potential who don’t get the opportunities to show what they can do. I’ve got plenty of critics out there and hopefully this will silence a few of them.” Whincup is sure to have a headache tomorrow after revealing that after winning 10 of the last 11 races before yesterday and the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 that the team had not yet celebrated. “We’ve got a lot of celebrating to do, after Bathurst it was just a few lemon squashes and then Indy was quiet too, which was hard at my home race. We’ll do some celebrating tomorrow night, this has been an amazing year.”

The final round did not produce any cigars for New Zealand drivers with Steven Richards leading the way in fifth, Fabian Coulthard ninth, Shane van Gisbergen 16th, Jason Richards 18th, Greg Murphy 24th and Daniel Gaunt 26th.

Richards was the leading New Zealander over the championship finishing in eighth overall while Coulthard enjoyed his best seaon in 13th. Van Gisbergen, the youngest driver in the championship, was 15th ahead of Murphy 16th, Jason Richards 17th and the three TeamKiwi Racing drivers combining to be 28th.

The V8 Supercar Championship Series re-commences at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide next March and includes new races the Sydney 400 and the Townsville 400, with the sole New Zealand round at the Hamilton 400 scheduled for 17-19 April.

He extended his Championship lead to a commanding 233 points in dominating the Falken Tasmania Challenge at Symmons Plains near Launceston today in front of more than 28,000 fans. It was his fourth straight meeting win, a feat achieved by only six other drivers in the Championship history, and his sixth round win of the season. He won both races today after finishing second on Saturday to finish clear of Todd Kelly (Jack Daniels Racing Holden) with his TeamVodafone team-mate Craig Lowndes third. “If this Championship happens it’s going to be a great team effort. We will go to Oran Park needing about 70 points so we have to go and get the job done. It’s not over until it’s over,” Whincup said. “The car was great, in fact both cars were great and we proved it all weekend. I can’t stress enough that this weekend was so, so important for us and I am so happy to have come out on top. “I can’t see why I can’t go on to Oran Park and get the 67 points I need. It’s a place I really like. I am not going to relax. I want to round the year off as well as I can.”

It will come down to a two-horse race at Oran Park with Mark Winterbottom the only driver with a chance of catching his fellow Ford opponent.

Defending Champion Garth Tander dropped out of the title race after he could only manage eighth overall in a disappointing weekend for the Holden Racing team driver.

“We were hanging on by our fingernails coming into the round, but the Championship’s definitely over now,” Tander said. “Good luck to Jamie [Whincup]. We’ll just go to Oran Park and enjoy the round for what it is, try to put on a really good show and end the year on a positive note.”

There was some good news for Holden fans with the emergence of Kelly who followed his win in the wet on the first day with two third placings in the dry to finish runner-up for the round, the best this season for the Jack Daniels team. “The speed was quite good in the dry today which was great,” Kelly said. “After the amount of work the boys have done all year and the only thing the guys wanted was a result. To get another Holden up there and to do the job for Jack Daniels, it means a lot. “All that hard work has paid off and just in the nick of time. I was feeling a bit of pressure to perform after having good speed but not getting a result in Bahrain. I’d like to think we can go on and perform strongly at Oran Park.”

Winterbottom managed fourth overall this weekend ahead of Will Davison, Steven Johnson, Lee Holdsworth, Tander, Fabian Coulthard and Rick Kelly.

Whincup leads the championship on 3208 ahead of Winterbottom on 2975, Tander on 2788, Lowndes on 2619 and Davison on 2375. Predictably Team Vodafone lead the team Championship with a 489 point lead over Ford Performance Racing.

The final round – the NRMA Grand Finale - is at Oran Park in Sydney in two weeks. It will also be Mark Skaife’s last appearance in the V8 Supercar Championship Series.

At the same time Whincup effectively lost one of his greatest challengers when Toll Holden Racing Team’s Garth Tander, the current Champion, suffered badly at the Bahrain track that has not been kind to him over the years. Whincup (2916) leads Mark Winterbottom (2729) and Tander (2624).

“We are not going to get ahead of ourselves,” Whincup said. “There’s still 600 points up for grabs. I’d be silly not to change my style now.”

There were two New Zealanders in the top 10, with Steven Richards (Ford Performance) eighth and Shane Van Gibergen (Stone Brothers Ford) in 10th. Greg Murphy finished 14th for Tasman Motorport Holden with Fabian Coulthard (Glenfords Ford) in 19th and Team Kiwi Racing in 26th. Jason Richards didn' feature after a serious crash in the opening race.

Tander’s weekend went from bad to worse. The notorious turn one was again the culprit when Jack Daniel’s Todd Kelly turned into Jim Beam’s Will Davison in a war of the bourbon brands.

Tander had gone slightly wide to avoid the trouble and at one stage looked fine until the almost unthinkable happened and his own team-mate – coming into the corner – slammed straight into his HRT partner.

It left Tander with severe damage to his right rear tyre. He had to pit not once but twice to check the damage even before his compulsory pit stop.

The performer of the day was Winterbottom. He was the villain yesterday when he crashed into Tander and had to make amends for his error today.

That he did through a long pit strategy in race one and a timely safety car that helped him push 17 places up the grid from 21st to eighth. A strong start in the final race pushed him up into fourth for the race.

"That's what's great about this championship, things can change," the Ford Performance Racing driver said. "There's still 700 points to be got (this season), I'm still in the running and I'm going to dig deep and give it everything I've got."

The Series now moves to the Tasmanian Challenge at Symmons Plains Raceway in Launceston in two weeks.

“Motor racing has been my life for the past 21 years and, as any professional sportsperson will attest, if you have a love and passion for what you are doing, for the competition and being on top of your game, then retirement is not something you ever easily consider.

“But the reality is that you do come to point in your career when you have a decision to make. I’m looking to the future for both myself and the Toll Holden Racing Team, and while this decision ends one phase of my career, I’m confident it will also open doors and exciting new opportunities.”

Skaife’s list of achievements is unsurpassed in Australian motor sport, with a record-equalling five Australian Touring Car/V8 Supercar Championships (tied with Ian Geoghegan and Dick Johnson), five Bathurst 1000 titles and a record 40 Australian Touring Car/V8 Supercar Championship round victories. He also has three consecutive Australian Drivers’ Championships (1991-93).

Having begun racing in karts before moving to cars, Skaife made his professional debut at the wheel of a factory-backed Nissan Gazelle at Winton Motor Raceway in 1987, finishing third, and later showed his versatility by winning three consecutive Australian Drivers’ Championships in the Formula Holden open-wheelers.

As a works Nissan driver in 1992 he clinched the Australian Touring Car Championship, Australian Drivers’ Championship and Bathurst 1000 in the same season before moving to Holden with Gibson Motorsport at the beginning of the V8 Supercar era the following year.

Jumping to the Holden Racing Team in 1997 upon the retirement of the legendary Peter Brock, Skaife won a hat-trick of championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002 in addition to back-to-back successes at Bathurst in 2001 and 2002.

He assumed ownership of HRT in 2003 and mounted a championship challenge that was alive until the final round of the series. In 2005 he collected his fifth Bathurst 1000 victory, with Todd Kelly.

Last year Skaife chalked up 20 years as a professional racing driver at Winton, and the following round again rewrote the record books, his victory at Eastern Creek notching the 38th victory of his career to eclipse the all-time record of racing legend Brock.

His tally increased to 39 wins earlier this year when Skaife was retrospectively awarded the 2000 Clipsal 500 title after series organisers corrected a rules anomaly, and he added win number 40 with his and Garth Tander’s victory in last month’s L&H 500 at Phillip Island.

Mr Paul Little, Managing Director of Toll HRT naming rights sponsor, Toll Holdings Ltd said Mark Skaife was a true champion in every sense of the word.

"Mark has become a figurehead for motor racing in this country. He has not only achieved everything there is to achieve in the sport, and in the most professional manner, he has also set tremendous benchmarks for those who aspire to follow in his footsteps.

"We congratulate Mark on his outstanding career and wish him every success in the future."

Greg Smith from Mobil also paid tribute to the retiring champion.

“Mark has been a fantastic ambassador for Mobil over the last 10 years, consistently adding value to our company,” Greg Smith said. “His skill as a driver and dedication to V8 Supercars is legendary.” "He is understandably ranked as one of the most successful touring car drivers in Australian motor racing history and we congratulate him on his many achievements throughout his esteemed career," he said. "From all of us at Mobil, we wish Mark all the best for his future endeavours and thank him for his support and contribution to our business."

Skaife said three performances stood out from the others during the past 21 years. “The first was in ’92 when I won my first Touring Car Championship in the Nissan, and then being the youngest ever to do so,” Skaife said. “That same day we also won the Australian Drivers Championship in a Formula Holden open wheeler, so it was a great day. “The second was winning the V8 Championship in 1994 with a Fred Gibson Commodore as it was Holden’s first title for 14 years since Brock and HDT in 1980. “The 2002 HRT Bathurst win with Jim Richards was also one of my favourite moments, as it sealed the championship at the same time and came 10 years after we last won Bathurst together in 1992.”

Skaife said he was looking forward to ending his career on a high note over the season’s remaining rounds, including the NRMA Grand Finale at Sydney’s Oran Park Raceway – ironically that circuit’s last ever V8 Supercar event.

Skaife holds the track qualifying record, set in 1999, and has won at Oran Park six times previously – including four in a row from 1999-2002 – while HRT won at the track for seven consecutive years from 1996-2002.

“Mark is one of the country’s most remarkable, respected and admired sports people of the last two decades. There are very, very few sports people with either his record or his public recognition,” said Mr Cochrane who has a close friendship with Mark since beginning the V8 Supercar Championship Series 12 years ago.

“All of our modern day drivers can take a lesson from Mark in his professionalism, dedication to the sport and the way he handles an intense public spotlight. He has been an enormous ambassador for V8 supercars and is an icon top all young people in the way he handles himself and his responsibilities.”

Mr Cochrane said Skaife, a five-time Australian Touring Car Champion and five-time Bathurst 1000 winner, had made the right decision for himself and his family, as difficult as that has been.

“Mark has made the decision to leave at the top of his game with a round victory this year at the prestigious L&H Phillip Island 500 and we look forward to Mark having a continued career within the V8 Supercar family,” he said.

“This has been stellar career of magnificent proportions – five-time V8 Supercar Champion, five-time Bathurst winner and a record 40 round victories – which is unmatched in Australian motorsport history at the very highest level.

“This is a sad day for Australian sport, V8 Supercars Australia and motorsport but a happy one in that Mark can be celebrated the way he should be. Mark’s record speaks for itself he is without doubt one of the greatest touring car drivers in the world.

“To his wife Toni, son Mitch and daughters Mia and Tilly you can have your husband and father back for a while but such an enormous racing brain can’t be left idle for too long.”

Skaife will continue to compete in the V8 Supercar Championship Series for the remainder of the year, finishing with a ‘home town’ race at the NRMA Grand Finale in Sydney on December 4-7.

V8 Supercars Australia will now begin planning several tributes to the country’s greatest ever driver to ensure he is given the fitting farewell he deserves.

Whincup increased his V8 Supercar Championship Series lead to 75 points on Ford Performance Racing’s Mark Winterbottom and 106 points on Toll Holden Racing Team’s Garth Tander by clean-sweeping all three races at Surfer's Paradise.

Main challengers Garth Tander (Holden Racing Team) and Mark Winterbottom (Ford Performance Racing) finishes second and third overall ahead of Todd Kelly and Russell Ingall.

It proved a toughweekend for New Zealand drivers with Winterbottom's teammate Steven Richards the best of the kiwis in 10th overall. Jason Richards recovered to finish 12th for Sprint Gas Racing with Team Kiwi Racing enjoying their strongest showing of the year to be 18th overall, showing the benefits of some valuable additions to their crew and with Steve Owen behind the driver's wheel.

Greg Murphy (Spring Gas Racing) was 19th, Fabian Coulthard (Glenfords Ford) 20th and Shane Van Gisbergen 21st (Stone Brothers Ford) in a tough weekend on the demanding street circuit.

Whincup's triiumph came after he threw away last year’s event with a self-confessed shocker at the same track.

“It is 12 months more experience and my mentality is different towards the end of this year than it was last year,” Whincup said. “I made way too many mistakes last year so this weekend I couldn’t be happier. But the real test is going to be whether I can maintain it for another three rounds.

“There’s nothing in it. All it takes is one DNF, a poor result, a locked wheel or anything and that’s your weekend done. It’s extremely, extremely close.”

Winning on the Gold Coast was a significant milestone for Whincup. “It’s a big deal to be pole and win the three races. For me this event was the only real major that I haven’t gone any good at. I’ve had success at Clipsal, Sandown, Bathurst but I put this in with the majors that I’ve had trouble with. “I can tick another box but it’s exactly what I wanted in this category.”

Tander went as far as to say the trio were “a level above” the rest of the field and would continue the same intense battle that resulted in some of the most intense and closest racing of the year. “The last three rounds probably suit all of our cars and the three of us clearly proved this weekend that we are all on top of our game and a level above the rest of the field. So, yes, I would expect the three of us to fight it out like this until the end,” Tander said.

Tander seized the moment in the first race with a good start and then survived a touch from Whincup at the first chicane when the Ford driver tried a nudge move on the inside. But pit strategy hurt the Holden when he went in early and got caught behind traffic. A lightning fast stop by Whincup’s team out him in front and like the first race he was never headed despite some moments of pressure from Tander. “That was a great race,” Whincup said. “I didn’t quite have Garth’s pace at the start but the crew got me in and out quick from the pits. There was plenty of pressure out there but I’m glad I kept it together.”

Tander admitted his team “got it a bit wrong” in the pit stop but added he’d picked up point in the Championship on Winterbottom, claiming he was content to “pick them off one at a time.” “We fought all the way to the end,” Tander said. “We had a great start this morning and pulled a gap but it all went a bit wrong at the pit stop. One of the hallmarks of this season is taking the opportunities when they arise but we didn’t quite do it this weekend.”

Perhaps the next best drive of the weekend was by HSV Dealer Team’s Rick Kelly who tore through all-comers today coming from dead last on the grid in the first race to finish fourth in the third and final race.

The event will become the Grand Finale of the V8 Supercars Championship Series and be raced through the streets of the Olympic Park Precinct at Homebush Bay. A first year crowd in excess of 150,000 spectators is expected to bring the precinct to life for a three-day spectacular.

“This is big, big news for Sydney,” Mr Cochrane said.

“Already we have been in talks with some of the country’s largest companies about being an integral part in this signature event that will provide Sydney with just what it wants – an annual, international-scale event.”

The New South Wales Government gave approval for the race to be held from December 4-6 2009.

Mr Cochrane said the event was a guaranteed winner for New South Wales and in particular Sydney. “This is great news for Australian motorsport and reflects the fact that Premier Rees and the New South Wales Government want New South Wales back in the event business,” Mr Cochrane said.

“We are naturally delighted that after an extremely exhaustive study, to be given approval in what will become Sydney’s biggest annual motorsport carnival and party. “Olympic Park is tailor made as an entertainment and events precinct and our Grand Finale will turn the area into a showcase street circuit which will make every Australian proud.

“I’d like to particularly acknowledge the significant contribution of the New South Wales Government and in particular Premier Rees and Minister Macdonald in bringing this project forward. “Nothing will be spared in making this a World class event.”

Plans are in place to stage a major concert within the precinct on the Saturday night of the race and attract a major international act. This will be just one of the many off-track events. “This is not just a motor race – this is a three-day world class event,” Mr Cochrane said. “We can stage one of the world’s best shows on the race track by day and then by night this will be a party for all of Sydney and Australia at arguably one of the finest venues in the country.”

Further announcements regarding ticket sales, event information, corporate ticketing and general inquiries will follow in the coming months.

The 2009 V8 Supercars Championship Series calendar:

Mar 19-22: Clipsal 500, SA

Mar 26–29: Australian Grand Prix, VIC

Apr 17–19: Hamilton 400, NZ

May 1–3: Winton Raceway, VIC

May 29–31: Tasmania Challenge, Symmons Plains, TAS

Jun 19–21: SKYCITY Challenge, Hidden Valley, NT

Jul 10–12: Townsville 400, QLD

Jul 31–Aug 2: Sandown, VIC

Aug 21-23: Queensland Raceway, QLD

Sept 11–13: L&H 500 Phillip Island, VIC

Oct 8–11: Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000

Oct 22–25: Nikon Indy 300, Surfers Paradise, QLD

Nov 5–7: Gulf Air Desert 400, Bahrain

Nov 20–22: Barbagallo, WA

Dec 4–6: Sydney 400, Homebush, NSW

Organisers have reduced the number of tickets for the 2009 event by 10,000 per day, but increasing grandstand capacity and improving other viewing opportunities to offer fans even better value for money. V8 Supercars Australia confirmed the new format with the Hamilton 400 now the second round of the championship in 2009.

The change to the new format is based on the outstanding success of the inaugural event. As part of the format change one race will be held on Saturday 18 April and the second on Sunday 19 April. This is similar to the highly successful Clipsal 500 format in Adelaide.

This year’s sell-out Hamilton event was a great success in its first year with 172,000 people attending over the three days. In the first year of the track it is now felt it would be better served by a more testing format, according to V8 Supercars Australia.

The new Hamilton 400 format will include two compulsory pit stops – one for tyres and one for fuel.

Hamilton 400 Event Director Steve Vuleta said they were delighted with the change of format for 2009.

“This is a testament to the success of our first year. And it gives race fans something special. The two longer races will definitely add considerable interest for spectators both with the effects of a longer race and also the compulsory pit stops for both tyres and now refuelling,” said Mr Vuleta.

“It means there is a major focus on both weekend racing days while Friday’s practice and qualifying will become even more critical to teams’ chances.

“We believe the changes to grandstands and viewing for fans and this news about the race changes for 2009 means we can make our second year even better than the first.”

There are a number of other changes to the racing next year that will see the introduction of a softer compound tyre option and return to a Top Ten Shootout. “It is time for the sport to reinvent itself and spice up the on-track spectacle,” said V8 Supercars Australia Chairman Tony Cochrane. “The board fully agrees that these sweeping changes are what is needed to take the sport to the next level by ensuring for everybody at the track and watching at home that it has plenty to offer.”

Tickets for the Hamilton 400 went on sale today through Ticketek outlets.

For further information contact:

Ian Hepenstall
Sports Media NZ Ltd
Tel 0275 613181

While the event coped well with the 60,000 daily limit this year, organisers have reduced that number to improve the experience after responding to feedback from fans. The decision was made despite gaining permission to increase the daily limit to 80,000 spectators each day.

Hamilton 400 promoter Dean Calvert said that creating a better experience for fans was the No 1 priority but he expected the smaller number to mean a massive rush to secure tickets for next year’s race.

Tickets go on sale from 9am on Monday through all Ticketek outlets around the country.

“The feedback from fans, especially those general admission holders, was that we had to work on visibility. So that’s what we have done by providing more grandstand seating and improving the overall experience,” Mr Calvert said. “To some extent it is also an ongoing education process because the experience at a street race is much different to a traditional circuit like Pukekohe.”

There will be an additional three grandstands for the 2009 race around the 3.4km circuit, lifting the overall grandstand seating to nearly 30,000 with corporate hospitality at 25,000. The additional seating are at the Premier Fountain grandstand and at turn three at Hinemoa Park as well as at the Station Grandstand at the turn into High St.

The seating at the Stadium Grandstand will be reduced with a new configuration to ensure that all patrons have a clear view of the track in front of the stand.

“These changes are a direct response from the customer feedback,” said Event Director Steve Vuleta. “It comes back to value for money. When you pay a premium you expect a certain level or standard and that’s what we are addressing.

Ticket prices have risen slightly from last year. This is a result of less capacity available and significantly increased costs especially to in the air freight of the cars, equipment and race teams to New Zealand. However it is offset by increased grandstand seating, improvements to visibility and the spectator experience.

The three-day Silver Grandstand pass will be $160, Gold Grandstand pass for three days is $185, three-day General Admission is $110 and three-day pit pass remains unchanged at $25.

Mr Calvert said that the prices for three days of racing still represented outstanding value for money compared with other sporting and entertainment options.

“There will also be some other developments that we hope will make the 2009 event even more enjoyable than our sellout first year.”

For further information contact:
Ian Hepenstall
Sports Media NZ Ltd
Tel 0275 613181

The young gun led home Lee Holdsworth who held it together despite losing both his cool suit, designed to cool the core of his body in extreme temperatures, and the air intake into his helmet that pumps fresh air into his face. Holdsworth was on the brink of collapse at race end.

And Team BOC’s Cameron McConville, the grossly under-rated one in the pack, scored his team an incredible result for the Albury team up against the much larger factory-backed outlets.

There were some big results for New Zealand drivers led by teenager Shane Van Gisbergen who finished a superb fifth in race two for Stone Brothers Racing and sixth overall. Tasman Racing’s Greg Murphy was seventh in race two and seventh overall, his team-mate Jason Richards eighth today and ninth overall, Steven Richards (Ford Performance) 15th in race two and eighth overall, Fabian Coulthard (Glenfords Ford) 18th today and 14th overall with Team Kiwi Racing’s rookie Kayne Scott 14th today and 17th overall.

After a lean time last year, it was a strong start for the New Zealand contingent.

All three top placegetters today were either groomed by Garry Rogers Motorsport, or in the case of Holdsworth still races for the best talent spotter in the sport. Current Champion Garth Tander also cut his teeth in the Garry Rogers stable.

Whincup scored the double to become only the third driver alongside greats Mark Skaife and Marcos Ambrose to win dual Clipsal 500s – arguably the most grueling event of the V8 Supercar Championship Series outside of the famous Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.

He shone to lead from start to finish and left carnage in his wake. The race exploded on lap 56 of 78 when James Courtney and Craig Lowndes exited in high drama.

“It was an amazing weekend – one of those ones that as a kid you dream of. There was never a dull moment. I was always pushing hard and giving the 88 car a real push,” Whincup said.

“Winning the Barry Sheene (best and fairest medal) last year was a big eye opener but now to win back-to-back Clipsal 500s is a great feeling. To join the greats of the category makes me really proud.”

Holdsworth stuck in for second in an incredible display of courage. He admitted that at some stages he was almost too fatigued to keep pushing.

“My cool suit ran out after about lap 20 so it was just circulating hot water around my body and the air intake on my helmet failed. It was incredibly hard,” Holdsworth said.

“But to be here is unbelievable. I felt at the start of the year that I could be a top ten contender and it’s such a great feeling going into the rest of the year knowing we can perform.”

Similarly McConville, who switched from the PWR outfit, scored a great third for Team BOC in their first weekend with a Holden Commodore. Not only that, he started from 28th on the grid. “It’s unbelievable to think that we started 28 and last on the grid,” McConville said. “All credit to Team BOC who are such great strategists. My aim was to finish top 15 from there. You always keep hoping that you are going to get back up here and I worked really hard over the off season. “Still it’s hard to believe we are here.”

The accident that started the final chain of events came when Lowndes attempted a tough move around the outside of Courtney but squeezed him too hard, ending with both slamming into a wall simultaneously.

Amazingly it left Whincup still in the lead but Team BOC’s McConville and Valvoline’s Holdsworth in second and third racing for the trophy. Both had incredible days and were in the mix the whole way when the break came.

The Lowndes/Courtney bingle also trapped Ford Performance Racing’s Mark Winterbottom who got stuck in the melee. Winterbottom’s day was also over having finished second yesterday.

But it was a grim day for current Champion Tander. Tander tore through the field from the start skipping an amazing 10 places in the first three laps. By lap eight he was ninth and still moving forward. But the bad luck of the day before returned on lap 31 when Tander and Courtney came together. “James Courtney pushed me out of the way pretty aggressively which appeared to cause some damage,” Tander said. “We’ll see how we go and look at turning it around at Eastern Creek.”

Tander returned under safety car which helped him catch the tail of the field but he was eight laps down and only scrambling to get any points he could.

Jim Beam Racing’s Will Davison was also an early retirement with clutch damage as was Supercheap Auto Racing’s Russell Ingall in his new Holden with some form of front end damage. Ingall’s team-mate Paul Morris also struggled early with a mechanical problem.

Last year the sport was watched by just on 22 million (Source: Mitchells) people across Australia as the first year return to Network Seven rocketed the sport to new heights. It was a 25 per cent hike in total viewers across Australian metropolitan and regional markets.

“The move to Network Seven and their all-network commitment to the sport could not have had a more successful first year back,” V8 Supercars Australia Chairman Tony Cochrane said.

“The partnership is getting stronger and stronger as Network Seven discovers the huge fan base of our sport which spreads from Broome to Brisbane and Darwin to the Derwent.

“Compare this to the A League that was recently applauded for having a 23 per cent increase to 2.8 million viewers and it offers you a real perspective on what Australians are watching.”

Crowds in 2007 were also up by around 1.5 per cent up on comparison with the previous year.

“V8 Supercars can no longer be considered as a second class citizen in the Australia sporting arena,” Mr Cochrane said.

“It also is reflected in our international television numbers which are receiving the same phenomenal growth.”

The 2008 season launch will take place at Melbourne’s Peninsula function centre at Docklands tomorrow evening to invited guests including Australia’s leading businessmen, corporate guests, celebrities, Seven personalities, V8 Supercar drivers and teams.

XXXX GOLD will be the beer on tap at all twelve Australian V8 Supercar events and will be actively involved in the atmosphere of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, including the XXXX Angels.

Lion Nathan joins an increasingly large stable of sponsors who have recognised V8 Supercars as an outstanding investment opportunity in the sporting landscape.

In 2008 a new street race will be held in Hamilton, New Zealand, to a sell-out crowd of 150,000. The amazing reception in New Zealand has guaranteed the event a record crowd for the country, once again.

The build-up to the inaugural Townsville street race in 2009 will also continue. Townsville is also shaping up as an event that will be one of the biggest in Australia.

On the racing front 2007 Champion Garth Tander has switched to the powerful Holden Racing Team, Russell Ingall to the Paul Morris Supercheap Auto outfit and Todd Kelly to Jack Daniel’s Racing.

Albury-based Team BOC has swapped camps from Ford to Holden and found a new driver in Cameron McConville while the HSV Dealer team replaced Garth Tander with Paul Dumbrell. And Stone Brothers Racing recruited another Kiwi Shane Van Gisbergen to partner James Courtney.

And the top three from last year’s Fujitsu (development) Series, Tony D’Alberto, Michael Caruso and Kiwi Kayne Scott, all have secured drives in the Championship as reward for their great form of 2007.

The L&H 500 at Phillip Island is a new addition to the calendar as the lead into the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 at Bathurst with the Sandown track now hosting a sprint round of the Series in June.

Sydney’s grand old lady Oran Park will host this year’s grand final in its final year of distinguished service to Australian motorsport before it closes its doors in 2009.

The Clipsal 500 in Adelaide begins the year as usual from February 21 to 24 followed by Eastern Creek in Sydney. One week after Eastern Creek is the non-Championship Australian Grand Prix.

V8 Supercars return to the Australian Grand Prix for the Manufacturer’s Challenge which pits Holden and Ford against each other in a combined points score format.

The 2008 V8 Supercar Championship Series calendar:


February 21-24: Clipsal 500, Adelaide

March 7-9: Eastern Creek, Sydney

March 13-16: Australian Grand Prix, Melbourne (non-Championship)

April 18-20: Hamilton 400, New Zealand

May 9-11: BigPond 400, Perth, WA

June 7-9: Sandown 400, Melbourne

July 4-6: SKYCITY Triple Crown, Darwin

July 18-20: Queensland Raceway

August 1-3: Winton, Victoria

September 12-14: L&H 500, Phillip Island

October 9-12: Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, Bathurst

October 23-26: Coffee Club V8 Supercar Challenge, Gold Coast

November: 6-8: Desert 400, Bahrain

November 21-23: Tasmania Challenge, Launceston

December 4-7: Grand Finale, Oran Park

Instead, they will be setting out to put as many points as possible between themselves and other challengers as they head into this year’s big enduros at Sandown and Bathurst over the following two rounds.

Championship leader Tander and defending champ Kelly say only a solid result will do in the Jim Beam 400 at Sydney’s challenging 2.7km figure-eight circuit as a launching pad for the endurance races.

But that means avoiding the glitches that beset their efforts at Oran Park last year.

On that occasion, Tander’s championship aspirations took a hit when a power steering failure forced him out of Race 1 of the three-race round.

It was the first of several unlucky setbacks that effectively skittled his championship in the course of three rounds, including “DNFs” with Holden Racing Team’s Mark Skaife at Sandown and Bathurst.

And while Kelly scored second place at Oran Park last year, it could have been better except for broken steering that caused his Commodore to “drive like a billycart”, forcing him to give up the lead in Race 3.

Like last year, Tander is leading the title battle going into the round at Oran Park – a circuit he loves but which has not always returned his affection, his best finish there being second in 2000.

And like last year, the West Australian is chasing back-to-back victories after his dominant three-race clean-sweep at Queensland Raceway last round.

But Tander knows better than anyone that he has to make every post a winner from this point in the series to avoid having his championship dream snatched away once again.

And again, his own team-mate, defending champion Kelly, is his biggest threat at the half-way mark of the series.

Kelly goes into Round 8 just behind Tander after giving up the championship lead last round at Queensland Raceway. A drive-through penalty for a pit lane infringement cost Kelly any chance of success on that occasion, although he clawed his way back up 22 places and into the points at ninth place overall.

While the 24-year-old from Mildura still has a 74-point break over third-placed Jamie Whincup, he will be keen to keep that gap in the bank for the run home while he wrestles Tander for the title.

Like Tander, Kelly loves Oran Park, with its kerbs, flowing back section and need for commitment at several points.

So far this season, at least one of the Toll HSV Dealer Team drivers have made it on to the podium every round, with three round wins between them. Both drivers are averaging more than 50 points a round – the only drivers in the field to achieve this feat.

Both Toll HSV drivers know there is more than points at stake in this weekend’s round – the results could have a major bearing on driver pairings within the Toll HSV team for the big endurance races over the following two rounds.

#16 Garth Tander: “This is one round that I don’t have great memories of from last year, because it all started going pear-shaped from here for a while. But we had good speed there last year, and it is a circuit I really enjoy, so we are looking to go there and get a good solid result before we head to Sandown. The championship position won’t change things at all, really. Obviously we won’t want to get caught up in any dramas, but I don’t think it will make any difference to any other round we have had this year. We just want to go there and do a solid job, score as many points as we can and see where we are.”

#1 Rick Kelly: “Queensland was tough for the team on car No. 1. We are very keen to get to Oran Park to get our championship back on track. Oran Park is one of my favourite tracks. It is nice and flowing, and a good lap around there is very rewarding. Last year it treated us well, and we only missed out on a win due to a car hindrance.”

The event promoters in conjunction with the Porter family announced that the V8 Supercar Championship drivers will race for a new trophy, the Mark Porter Memorial Trophy, to honour the well known Waikato driver who was tragically killed whilst racing at Bathurst last year.

Waikato fans will get the first opportunity to purchase tickets for the Hamilton 400 which go on sale in Hamilton next Saturday 18 August. Residents who bring a coupon from the Waikato Times newspaper to one of the Ticketek outlets in Hamilton will have exclusive rights to purchase their tickets for the event for the first week.

General public throughout the rest of the country and online purchases will be able to buy tickets from all Ticketek outlets and book accommodation through the centralized online system from Monday 27 August.

The Chairman of V8 Supercars Australia, Tony Cochrane said his organisation was thrilled to have secured the date and looked forward to bringing the exciting V8 Supercar Championship to Hamilton next year.

“This is going to be one of the best events on our calendar. With tickets now on sale I urge all New Zealanders to make sure they are part of this historic first race on a great journey for Kiwi motorsport,” Mr Cochrane said.

“Hamilton has the hallmarks of becoming the New Zealand equivalent of the biggest and best street race on our Australian calendar – the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide.

“What a wonderful achievement for New Zealand and Hamilton to be able to stage what will be the biggest single sporting event in the country by far.”

The New Zealand promoters Caleta Streetrace Management Ltd (CSM) said the confirmed date signaled a firm reality that the event was all-go.

“Our team has been working very hard to get to this point and we are excited that we have a firm date now. It signals the start to what we believe will be an iconic event in New Zealand,” said Dean Calvert, managing director of CSM.

“We are also honoured that the Porter family have agreed for that the drivers can compete for the Mark Porter Memorial Trophy, to be held in perpetuity for this event. Mark Porter was a well known driver in V8 Supercars and the Porter family has been synonymous with motorsport in this country and especially here in their home in Hamilton.

“We feel this is an appropriate way to celebrate and honour that contribution and we are indebted to their support.”

Hamilton Mayor Bob Simcock says the announcement of the V8 dates and ticket release is an exciting milestone.

"This major event is now really on its way. The civil works in preparation of the track are proceeding well, and we believe the momentum will really start to build now that we have dates and ticket sales confirmed," says Mayor Simcock.

Mr Simcock says the excitement in the community has continued at a high level right from when the announcement of the event was first made. He says this next phase promises even more.

Mr Calvert said that residents of the Waikato and Hamilton in particular, along with Hamilton City Council, had shown tremendous support for the event since it was first mooted.

“One way to repay some of that support and loyalty is to give them the first opportunity to purchase the tickets of their choice. They get to choose the best seats in the house.”

A special ticket outlet will be established in Civic Square, Garden Place for a one-day promotion on Saturday 18 August from 10am to 4pm. This will include some special displays with support from Ford and Holden, Waikato Times and The Radio Network.

“They just have to bring along the special coupon out of the Waikato Times and they can secure their pick of the seats. I am sure there will be a race to see who can secure the first tickets to the first ever V8 Supercar streetrace in Hamilton.”

The event is limited to 55,000 per day for the first year which includes nearly 20,000 grandstand seats.

“The nature of a street circuit is much different. Our aim is to provide an overall experience for the whole family.

“While there will be excellent opportunity for general admission, the best viewing will be from the seven major grandstands which all have good views to the 12 big screens we will have around the circuit.”

The ticketed area is at the top of the circuit running from the Waikato stadium, which pits and start-finish line on Mill St through to Seddon Park, which will be the venue for two nights of free concerts after racing for ticketholders. The rest of the 3.4km circuit winds around the Frankton business district which will not offer direct viewing of the track aside from the grandstands at the bottom of the circuit. Race fans able to wander through the Frankton retail district which will operate throughout the weekend.

“We’ve enjoyed excellent support from the Frankton business and retail district and we will be holding further meetings with them in the coming weeks to outline further details and support for them in appreciation for their help.”

Mr Calvert said that full details of ticketing and event organisation will be on the event website and in the media in the coming weeks.

“We’ve reached the start line for the Hamilton 400. It’s going to be a long hard race ahead but this is a red letter day for us, for Hamilton City, for the V8 Supercar Championship and for motorsport in this country.”

Team Kiwi Racing announced today that they have finalised a technical partnership with Stone Brothers Racing after weeks of discussions with various other teams and looking at other options.

Under the agreement, SBR have been contracted to provide technical support to TKR, as well as supply engines for the Team Kiwi Ford, taking the number of V8 main-game cars using SBR engines to eight.

TKR owner David John said he and his sponsors are excited about the future.

“We can’t wait to get the TKR All Black machine back on the grid for our many fans, our sponsors and our team,” Mr John said.

“The criticism and the malicious reports over the last few weeks have been hard to take but we have remained focused on getting back on the track and let the side show just run its course.

“Our focus has been to ensure we provide our sponsors and New Zealand public with the most competitive package we could with for the Australian V8 Supercar Championship and that is part of the reason why we decided to go with the Stone Brothers Racing option.

“We are delighted to have secured technical support from Stone Brothers Racing. They have been one of the best teams in V8 Supercars over the last few years and have an engineering reputation second to none.

“We must also thank all other teams who offered their support and put forward various options and opportunities to see Team Kiwi Racing back on the track and competing in the Australian V8 Supercar Championship”

Mr John said TKR will be returning to its roots in continuing to provide young New Zealand drivers with the opportunity to step up to the main game in the highly competitive V8 Supercar Championship with the signing of Shane Van Gisbergen.

Van Gisbergen, 18, is a natural talent having won the New Zealand Formula Ford Championship and numerous other NZ titles and honours.

“Shane has tested in a V8 Supercar on three previous occasions and has shown the ability to be fast and smooth at the same time,” said Mr John.

Van Gisbergen is excited at the prospect. “This is a dream come true for me. I know I still have a lot to learn both on and off the race track but that is the challenge ahead for me and I look forward to repaying everyone who has shown faith in providing me with this opportunity,” Van Gisbergen said. “I am also indebted for the support from the Giltrap Motor Group who gave me the chance to compete in the Toyota Racing Series, which has been the springboard to this chance with Team Kiwi Racing in V8 Supercars.”

Van Gisbergen will have a rookie test day in the TKR All Black V8 Supercar before he heads to the Oran Park round of the Australian V8 Supercar Championship in Sydney on the 17 to 19 August.

2006 Crowd: 41,614
Circuit length: 2.9-kilometres
Circuit direction: Anti-clockwise
Average speed: 147km/h
Maximum speed: 265km/h
Fastest Point: End of main straight
Slowest Point: Turn 5 Hairpin (65 km/h)

Brief description of the circuit: South of Darwin, Hidden Valley Raceway’s main feature is its 1.1-kilometre long straight where top-end horsepower is critical and a car that flows well through the sweeping bends in the second part of the lap is the key.

10 FAST FACTS

1. Only two drivers have made it to the third and final segment of qualifying at every round so far in 2007. Todd Kelly and Garth Tander are yet to qualifying out of the top 10 after five rounds, with the former taking two successive pole positions at Winton and Eastern Creek and the latter’s sixth place at the ‘Creek his first time out of the top three starting spots all season.

2. Mark Skaife’s return to form at Eastern Creek – where he broke the record of the late Peter Brock for most round wins in the Australian Touring Car/V8 Supercar Championship Series – also saw the first Holden Racing Team 1-2 round result since Oran Park’s Round 7 in 2002. On that day, Skaife led home then team-mate Jason Bright. The duo also ran 1-2 at the Hidden Valley round earlier that season. Skaife has never finished outside the top 10 at Hidden Valley in nine starts and hasn’t started off the front row of the grid there since 1999.

3. Speaking of Skaife and Bright, the duo has had a mortgage on pole position at Hidden Valley. Over the past six years, no other driver has sat on pole position for the event, with Bright breaking a six-year streak of HRT poles at the circuit last year while driving for FPR. Bright, now driving for his own Britek squad in the #25 Fujitsu Falcon, has qualified in the top 10 for the last two rounds in a body shell leased to his team by Team BOC after his regular car was damaged in a practice accident at Barbagallo’s second round of the Series.

4. WPS Racing’s Jason Bargwanna is heading to Hidden Valley fresh from his best qualifying performance for the year of 12th at the Eastern Creek round. The former Bathurst winner was runner-up to Russell Ingall in the inaugural Hidden Valley round in 1998 (and finished equal on points only to lose the win on a count back) but hasn’t had anywhere near the same sort of luck since, although he did finish 10th at the event last year to go with two other top 10 results (in 1999 and 2001).

5. The overwhelming domination of the HRT and Toll HSV Commodores on the Holden side of the fence leaves Greg Murphy as the best non ‘Clayton’ car in a distant 13th in the Championship. The Kiwi, whose best result this year was fourth in the wet at Winton despite retiring from one of the races, has had a miserable time of things the last few years at Hidden Valley. Qualifying performances of 25th, 24th and 17th over the last three years can only be buoyed by the speed shown by his team-mate Jason Richards, who finished fourth overall last year and a flying second behind Craig Lowndes in the final race.

6. Jim Beam Racing’s Steven Johnson is again piecing together a very consistent season in the #17 Falcon. The Gold Coaster sits seventh in points entering Hidden Valley with a season-best result of fourth at Barbagallo in round two. But Hidden Valley has never been a happy hunting ground for Johnson, who has never qualified in the top 10 there (best of 13th in 2002) and only finished in the top 10 once – fifth in 2005.

7. Team BOC’s Simon Wills, who has replaced Brad Jones in the #14 Falcon from Winton onwards, is the fastest man to ever lap the Hidden Valley circuit. The Kiwi, who finished sixth in Darwin in a Team Dynamik Commodore in 2003, zoomed around to stop the clocks at 1m02.9268s in a Formula Holden open wheeler in 2001.

8. Wills’ Team BOC team-mate Andrew Jones will celebrate his 27th birthday on the Sunday of Hidden Valley. The 2004 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series Champion isn’t the only driver to celebrate a birthday around the Darwin round, as TeamVodafone’s Craig Lowndes hits 33 on the Thursday of race week.

9. Ford will be looking to fight back at Hidden Valley, with Holden winning 13 of the 14 individual races held so far. Jamie Whincup’s win in race one at Winton stands as the only Ford victory of the 2007 Championship. Things are slightly more balanced in the fight for pole positions, with Holden taking three and Ford two.

10. There are four drivers who are yet to race in a V8 Supercar at Hidden Valley. Jack Daniel’s duo Jack Perkins and Shane Price can add the circuit to their list of ‘never been there before’, while Fabian Coulthard and Alan Gurr have never raced V8s there but have competed in the Territory before in Carrera Cup.

2006 Hidden Valley Round Result:

1. Craig Lowndes, Betta Falcon BA, 304 pts
2. Garth Tander, Toll HSV Commodore VZ, 282 pts
3. Rick Kelly, Toll HSV Commodore VZ, 282 pts
4. Jason Richards, Tasman Commodore VZ, 270 pts
5. Mark Winterbottom, FPR Falcon BA, 252 pts
6. Mark Skaife, HRT Commodore VZ, 246 pts
7. Russell Ingall, Caltex Falcon BA, 240 pts
8. Jason Bright, CAT FPR Falcon BA, 216 pts
9. Cameron McConville, Supercheap Auto Commodore VZ, 210 pts
10. Jason Bargwanna, WPS Falcon BA, 184 pts
Qualifying Lap Record: Jason Bright, HRT Holden Commodore VX, 1m07.8546s, 2002
2006 Pole Position: Jason Bright, FPR Ford Falcon BA, 1m09.0322s
Current Lap Record: Jason Bright, Pirtek/SBR Ford Falcon AU, 1m09.0149s, 1999

Previous Hidden Valley Round Winners

1998 Russell Ingall Castrol Perkins Holden Commodore VT
1999 Jason Bright Pirtek/SBR Ford Falcon AU
2000 Mark Skaife HRT Holden Commodore VT
2001 Marcos Ambrose Pirtek/SBR Ford Falcon AU
2002 Mark Skaife HRT Holden Commodore VX
2003 Marcos Ambrose Pirtek/SBR Ford Falcon BA
2004 Todd Kelly HRT Holden Commodore VY
2005 Todd Kelly HRT Holden Commodore VZ
2006 Craig Lowndes Betta/Triple Eight Ford Falcon BA
2 – Mark Skaife, Marcos Ambrose, Todd Kelly
1 – Jason Bright, Russell Ingall, Craig Lowndes

Previous Hidden Valley Pole Position Winners:

1998 Jason Bright Pirtek/SBR Ford Falcon EL
1999 Glenn Seton FTR Ford Falcon AU
2000 Craig Lowndes HRT Holden Commodore VT
2001 Mark Skaife HRT Holden Commodore VX
2002 Jason Bright HRT Holden Commodore VX
2003 Mark Skaife HRT Holden Commodore VY
2004 Mark Skaife HRT Holden Commodore VY
2005 Mark Skaife HRT Holden Commodore VZ
2006 Jason Bright CAT/FPR Ford Falcon BA
4 – Mark Skaife
3 – Jason Bright
1 – Glenn Seton, Craig Lowndes

The board of V8 Supercars Australia did not meet at the Eastern Creek round of the Championship in Sydney at the weekend as reported . Only this board has the power to make such a decision, if it were to be made.

This is the position of V8 Supercars Australia in all matters on this issue.

TKR owner David John said their All Black Ford will definitely be on the start line for the next round in Darwin but there was insufficient time to convert a leased Ford to the V8 Supercar specifications.

"There’s just too much to do and there’s a real shortage of the necessary parts to get this car up to the right specification in time," David John said.

"We have to be at scrutineering this afternoon at Eastern Creek and we just can’t make that deadline now. We made the decision late last night that we could no finish the project in time.

"We will push ahead though and we will have our Team Kiwi Racing car on the race track for the next round in Darwin.

"But I have notified V8 Supercars Australia that we won’t be there this weekend. We will accept what ever fine they determine."

Mr John said the only way they could have made it on to the start line today was to lease a race-ready Holden which was available.

"Team Kiwi Racing honours its obligations and we have a contract to race a Ford and that’s what we will stick to, even though it is going to cost us a fine of up to $150,000."

This will be determined by the Board of TEGA (Touring Car Entrants Group of Australia).

Mr John said he has been inundated with offers of support from sponsors, fans and motorsport folk including Pukekohe race car specialist David Mills who had been working closely with the Australian company Prodigy Motorsport to convert the car.

"When it became clear last night that it was not possible to get the car up to specification in time for scrutineering we decided it was not worth David Mills and his team heading to Sydney.

"But we are hugely appreciative of their support and that from Race Image Prodigy Motorsport in Australia."

Prodigy Motorsport said it was going to be a mammoth effort to convert the car. "Race Image and Prodigy Motorsport were excited with the possibility of helping Team Kiwi Racing to provide a BF Falcon to compete in Eastern Creek," a company spokesman said. "This would have seen Team Kiwi Racing and the Prodigy team undertake approximately 240 man hours and $40,000 of work over 36 hours to meet the strict scrutineering regime. "Unfortunately we ran out of time to complete the work in time."

Prodigy Motorsport with the support of David Mills and his team have informed TKR that they can to convert the car in time for Darwin.

Mr John is flying to Sydney on Sunday to meet with V8 Supercar Australia officials and Race Image Prodigy Motorsport about future plans and attend Eastern Creek round.

“TKR is in breach of contract and I have therefore terminated my contract with immediate effect,” Radisich confirmed today from his base in Melbourne.

Cochrane said he was absolutely delighted with how well Hamilton Mayor Michael Redman and event promoters CSM Limited have performed so far.

And he said if early crowd figures for this weekend’s final round of the V8 Supercars at Pukekohe were anything to go by it would be a raging success.

“We had a record crowd here last year and this year if Friday’s crowd – well over 30,000 - is anything to go by we’re in for a massive weekend,” he said.

“That’s phenomenal to think that we’ve been coming to New Zealand for seven years that we could draw that sort of crowd for a practice day on Friday is absolutely outstanding.

“That crowd yesterday to put it into some perspective was bigger than the entire crowd at the A1 Grand Prix back in January. That’s a wonderful endorsement of V8 Supercars.”

Redman admitted he was glad to finally be talking about the street race as a reality.

“It’s great to finally be in a position to be able to talk about the street race as a reality rather than a concept,” he said.

And Cochrane believes the Hamilton street race will help increase the popularity of V8 Supercars in New Zealand.

He also revealed that a bidding war is underway for the TV rights to the V8 Supercars in New Zealand.

“Many of you will not be aware at the moment we are renegotiating or TV rights for New Zealand and for the first time ever we have all three major networks bidding for those rights and bidding very strongly,” he said.

“We plan to announce a new five year TV arrangement probably towards the middle part of June this year and obviously those arrangements will commence with the opening round next year.”

Resource consent for the first year of the Hamilton street race will limit numbers to 155,000 people over the three days of racing.

And Cochrane said he expected the event would have no problem drawing that many people in to Hamilton.

“I think for the first time ever New Zealanders will understand the pulling power of a street race,” he said.

“I don’t think there is going to be any question we will have a three day crowd well in excess of 150,000.

“I’m sure that the only problem the good citizens of Hamilton will have will be the town will be very full and everyone will be kept extremely busy for that week. We’re certainly looking forward to Hamilton.”

Redman said he hoped Hamilton would turn on a carnival atmosphere that would rival any major sporting event around the world.

“It is important to remember that the city council is not putting on the event,” he said. “CMS Limited are the promoter.

“But we are very keen for them to put on an event that is much broader than the motor racing event. They’ve made a commitment already to concerts in the evening, to a community day on the Thursday.

“There will be other events as in Adelaide which we will be reproducing. There will be a lot of peripheral activity.

“A really good example of how it is done well in New Zealand is the Sevens tournament in Wellington. We’d be looking to beat that.”

The street race looks set to be run in March or April next year.

“It’s a good time of the year,” Cochrane said. “We think late March through April is a good time of the year. It works well for us and the promoter. I see no reason why it won’t be in that window for many years to come.”

For further information:

Ian Hepenstall
Sports Media NZ

Ph: 0275 613181
E: ianhep@xtra.co.nz