“I am very lucky to be in this position – to be driving a Castrol-backed, Triple Eight-built Holden Commodore for one of V8 Supercar’s leading teams, Paul Morris Motorsports, in 2010 is extremely exciting for me,” Murphy said.

“With the closure of Tasman Motorsport, this is a case of me being in the right place at the right time and I am very thankful to everyone who has helped put this deal together.”

The two cars will be sister machines to the cars for V8 Supercar champion Jamie Whincup and his Bathurst winning partner Craig Lowndes, with their team switching to Holden next year.

Murphy believes the new partnership will allow him to be far more competitive on a more regular basis, with his eyes fixed on success at home in the ITM400 in April where he hopes to repeat the form that saw him win four times at Pukekohe.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been a serious contender at home and that’s been quite frustrating. This puts me back onto a level playing field, so I’m pretty excited about Hamilton.”

The new arrangements see Murphy renew his association with Castrol, having driven Castrol-backed cars at Kmart Racing and SuperCheap Auto Racing, claiming back-to-back Bathurst 1000 titles in 2003/04.

“I am thrilled to be joining up with Castrol again, I like the way the company goes about its business and how it leverages its motorsport involvement. We have had great success together in the past and I am looking forward to a lot more success with Castrol in the future.”

Murphy will team up with another V8 Supercar veteran in Russell Ingall.

For over a decade Murphy has been one of V8 Supercar’s leading drivers, driving for the Holden Racing Team, Gibson Motorsport, Kmart Racing, PWR/Supercheap Auto Racing and Tasman Motorsport (Sprint Gas Racing).

He has twice finished second in the V8 Supercar Championship (2002, 03), won Australia’s Great Race, the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, four times – 1996, 99, 2003, 04 – and four times won the annual V8 Supercar round in his native New Zealand, at Pukekohe, including three straight years (2001, 02, 03).

Murphy will also be joined at PMM by long-time personal supporters, Powerbuilt Tools, MTA and Big Ben Pies.

He will be back in New Zealand next month to help promote the ITM400 as part of the national roadshow. He will appear in Christchurch on January 15 and Invercargill on January 16.

The ITM 400, New Zealand’s sole round of the V8 Supercar Championship, is the fourth round of the serieson April 16-18.

Testing for the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series will begin in early February with the first two rounds, a double-header in the Middle East – Abu Dhabi (18-20 February) and Bahrain (25-22 February) – scheduled for later that month.

Whincup finished clear for his second successful championship ahead of Will Davison and Garth Tander. Best of the New Zealanders in the championship was the 20 year old Van Gisbergen who finished 12th overall in a strong season ahead of Steven Richards 13th, Jason Richards 14th, Coulthard 16th and Murphy 21st.

Whincup now moves to Holden from Ford in 2010 with Team Vodafone, something he sees as the next great challenge.

“That was definitely the toughest race of the year without a doubt,” Whincup said.

“This trophy means everything to me, I’m very glad to deliver Ford the Manufacturers Trophy as it means a lot to them and of course the Ford fans.

“I just do the best I can, I am only one of the team. I work hard for the team, hard for my family and hard for the people that support me.

“The biggest challenge is no-one has won a Championship with Ford and Holden – that’s by far the biggest challenge out there. Your motivation comes to you, you don’t go looking for it. It could be something in the press or something you encounter in life but definitely the motivation is to win a Championship in both makes. It’s a huge deal.

Whincup said he planned to stick around for a while in the V8 Supercar Championship Series.

“You look at Valentino Rossi, Michael Schumacher, Tiger Woods, Roger Federer – they back up year after year. I’m not getting too far ahead of myself but the motivation will be similar.”

It was an unlucky day for Sprint Gas Racing’s Murphy who was pushing Courtney for the lead on lap 32 when he inexplicably locked the wheels, spun and slammed backwards into a tyre bundle, smashing the rear window.

There is a short turnaround before the 2010 season which opens with twin rounds in Abu Dhabi and Bahrain with the sole New Zealand races in the championship at the ITM400 set for round four on 16-18 April following Adelaide.

“The thought of 32 V8 Utes hurtling into Turn 1 is going to be some sight. When you add the fact that this is a battle between Australia and New Zealand then it is going to be pretty special,” Mr Vuleta said.

“We’ve been talking to the V8 Ute class and felt that we wanted to make this a racing opportunity that race fans cannot experience anywhere else. That’s where the Trans Tasman idea came from and we are excited about the prospect.”

Australian V8 Ute Category Manager Craig Denyer is looking forward to the contest and hopes it may become an annual battle.

“The promoters of the ITM400 in Hamilton have offered a fantastic opportunity for us to perform at the largest motorsport event in New Zealand, and one of the biggest on either side of the Tasman,” Denyer said. “I am sure the New Zealand race fans won’t be disappointed with the action of 32 Ford and Holden Utes going door to door around the Hamilton street circuit.” Current Australian V8 Ute championship leader Jack Elsegood is fizzing at the prospect.

“The racing will be sensational with the colour of our country on the line and hopefully there will be a few Aussie fans at the event to cheer us on,” Elsegood said. New Zealand V8 Ute organiser Jamie Kett from Event 1 said he was thrilled at the prospect.

“There’s nothing that we Kiwis enjoy more than knocking the stuffing out of any Aussie team and the fact that we get to do it at New Zealand’s premier motorsport event in front of thousands of fans is just the icing on the cake,” Kett said. “It is our absolute intention to send them back home with their tails between their legs.”

The V8 Ute Trans Tasman Challenge includes two practice sessions, one qualifying session and three races over the weekend. Each row of the grid will include one Australian and one Kiwi V8 Ute to ensure there’s completion right throughout the field.

The ITM400 will be held on the streets of Hamilton on April 16-19. Purchase a ticket for next year’s ITM400 by December 15 and be in to win one of 10 expense-paid trips to the Bathurst 1000.

The sandy and abrasive surface and extreme heat made for a massive test with New Zealand drivers not enjoying much success.

Best in Saturday’s first race was Greg Murphy in eighth place ahead of Fabian Coulthard 13th, Shane Van Gisbergen 15th, Jason Richards 20th after an ordinary qualifying while Steven Richards had his issues to finish 23rd.

Today’s monster 84 lap race, with two stops and the balancing act with use of the sort compound tyre, did not shine any more fortune on the kiwi drivers. The best was Steven Richards who was racing home best on the soft tyres to finish eighth from Coulthard 11th after he qualified sixth fastest. Van Gisbergen was 13th ahead of Jason Richards, who start back in 28th, while Murphy was 19th.

With only the much anticipated street race in Sydney to come, Van Gisbergen is the best of the New Zealanders in 11th place in the series ahead of Jason Richards 14th, Steve Richards 15th, Coulthard 19th and Murphy 21st – the latter pair in their last drives for their respective teams who both sold their licences this week.

Coulthard has already be named to move to Tom Walkinshaw’s Holden team while Murphy says he has no firm commitment until the end of the year but rumours have linked him to a move to Paul Morris Motorsport.

Davison’s campaign effectively ended in extraordinary circumstances today after he skided across the brake fluid dropped from a crash between Todd Kelly and Lee Holdworth.

Davison couldn’t negotiate the pit entry, crashing into the tyre barrier. The front end damage proved catastrophic. At the time he was just a couple of places behind Whincup.

“What a way for it to finish,” Davison said. “I would have liked to at least fought it out. The track was covered in rubbish and I got no information about it. I just hit the wall.

“Jamie has had a phenomenal year and I wanted to run it right down to the wire. It was such an anti-climax. It’s shattering for it to virtually end this way. It should not be like this to virtually have a Champion today. What do you do?”

Whincup’s team-mate Lowndes won today, his first victory in Perth in a Ford. It went a way to silencing some critics who during the week claimed he was too old. It was his 74th career race win.

“I’m as old as I think I am but not as slow as they think I am,” Lowndes said.

Jim Beam’s Steven Johnson was second, his first podium in Perth and Tander third on the day his wife Leanne was sent to hospital after a heavy crash in the Mini Challenge.

The road show will feature an authentic V8 Supercar for fans get the feel that the driver experiences. There’s a driving simulator from Hyper Stimulator – and fans can see if they can beat Shane’s time. There are also displays, video footage, merchandise, tickets for the event, prizes and competitions, the magnificent Mark Porter Trophy for the winner of the ITM 400 as well as a poster signing session with Van Gisbergen.

The 20 year old is one of the emerging superstars who made his debut at 18 for Team Kiwi Racing, after his talents were spotted by Ross and Jimmy Stone. He moved to Stone Brothers Racing the following year to replace Russell Ingall and impressed with his blistering speed particularly on wet tracks.

Van Gisbergen was 15th overall in the championship in his first year with five top-10s and one podium finish, and is currently 11th overall and the leading New Zealander in this year’s series with two rounds remaining this weekend in Perth and the final round in the new street race in Sydney.

The organisers said that they want to take the message about the event around the country.

“It was always our intention to head around the country, explain the event and share in some of the excitement that is V8 Supercars,” said ITM 400 promoter Dean Calvert. “Our first two years have been to focus on getting the fundamentals of the event right. We will continue to look to improve the event every year, but now it’s time to go out to the fans around the country.

“We get fantastic support not only from the Waikato, Auckland and areas close to Hamilton but also from around the country. Our research shows us we get great support from places like Taranaki, Wellington, and the South Island including a number of fans from Invercargill.

“V8 Supercars is a fantastic product and the drivers are incredible athletes and great people. We want to share that with motor race supporters and sports fans around the country.”

The next road show will be on January 15 and 16 in Christchurch and Invercargill with Greg Murphy as the guest V8 Supercar driver. Further road shows are planned leading up to the ITM 400, which will be the fourth round of the 2010 V8 Supercars Championship, on April 16-18.

Of the other New Zealanders Jason Richards (Team BOC) was 10th and 15th, Fabian Coulthard (Wilson Security Ford) was 14th and ninth although qualified in the top 10.

With news that Greg Murphy’s Sprint Gas Racing is to sell their franchises, he jumped to 15th on Saturday after a poor qualifying but had his troubles to finish at the back of the field today while Steven Richards (Ford Performance) raced mid pack in both races.

Whincup knew the importance of his duel wins this weekend on his attempt to defend his V8 Supercar crown.

“I’m aware of the Championship points and it’s just a roller coaster ride this time of year,” Whincup said of his now 122 point lead. “We’ve got another event to go in two weeks followed by the massive event in Sydney. It’s a big finish to the year.”

His main rival Davison is not giving up the chase despite today’s disappointing end result.

“The last two events have proved that anything can happen ..... we’re heading to Perth next and it’s a good track for the HRT Commodores,” Davison said.

“We’re back on the soft tyre, I like the soft tyre, and we’ve gone well with that this year while Jamie’s struggled with it. He’s also struggled at Perth in the past so it’s not over yet. I’ll probably drive more aggressively there. Unless we win some races we won’t win the title, so I’ve got absolutely nothing to lose.”

In an eventful race today, Whincup endured trying times and an issue with the official safety car which had stopped as he as the leader came out of pit lane. The rules state you are not allowed to pass the safety car so Whincup stopped alongside.

The drama was exacerbated by the fact that while Whincup was coming out of pit lane others were still on the track racing for position only to confront cars stopped in front of them.

That aside the field was restarted in order and Whincup left them in his wake from the outset despite strong pressure from the resurgent Ricky Kelly in his Jack Daniel’s Commodore. Tander was third having fought his way through the pack from 13th. Kelly couldn’t find the pace to catch him but it was a great effort to follow his third from yesterday.

“I was trying my hardest to catch Jamie but had a few slides here and there. If that kept happening I knew the field would swallow me up pretty quickly so I had to stay in control.”

Tander still thinks he is a chance at a Championship despite being some 340 points behind heading to his home race, the BigPond 300 in Perth and then the Sydney Telstra 500 at Olympic Park in Sydney.

“Perth’s a special place for me. I want to go home to win and then Sydney … everybody wants to win that one.”

After a difficult start Mark Winterbottom clashed with fellow Ford racer Van Gisbergen on the front straight in a scene reminiscent of a nasty accident had by Cameron McConville at the same place during the L&H 500 six weeks ago.

Winterbottom was touched at the back by Van Gisbergen at around 275km/h and sent spiralling out of control into the gravel. Winterbottom was lucky to get away with it but his car didn’t, stopping on the front straight on the same lap.

From pole position Whincup took control just as he did in the shorter 100km sprint race the day before. Winterbottom was alongside him before the poor start. It was Whincup’s fifth Armor All pole position of the season, equal with Winterbottom.

The road show will feature an authentic V8 Supercar for fans get the feel that the driver experiences. There’s a driving simulator from Hyper Stimulator – and fans can see if they can beat Shane’s time. There are also displays, video footage, merchandise, tickets for the event, prizes and competitions, the magnificent Mark Porter Trophy for the winner of the ITM 400 as well as a poster signing session with Van Gisbergen.

The 20 year old is one of the emerging superstars who made his debut at 18 for Team Kiwi Racing, after his talents were spotted by Ross and Jimmy Stone. He moved to Stone Brothers Racing the following year to replace Russell Ingall and impressed with his blistering speed particularly on wet tracks.

Van Gisbergen was 15th overall in the championship in his first year with five top-10s and one podium finish, and is currently 11th overall and the leading New Zealander in this year’s series with two rounds remaining this weekend in Perth and the final round in the new street race in Sydney.

The organisers said that they want to take the message about the event around the country.

“It was always our intention to head around the country, explain the event and share in some of the excitement that is V8 Supercars,” said ITM 400 promoter Dean Calvert. “Our first two years have been to focus on getting the fundamentals of the event right. We will continue to look to improve the event every year, but now it’s time to go out to the fans around the country.

“We get fantastic support not only from the Waikato, Auckland and areas close to Hamilton but also from around the country. Our research shows us we get great support from places like Taranaki, Wellington, and the South Island including a number of fans from Invercargill.

“V8 Supercars is a fantastic product and the drivers are incredible athletes and great people. We want to share that with motor race supporters and sports fans around the country.”

The next road show will be on January 15 and 16 in Christchurch and Invercargill with Greg Murphy as the guest V8 Supercar driver. Further road shows are planned leading up to the ITM 400, which will be the fourth round of the 2010 V8 Supercars Championship, on April 16-18.

In another classic, Tander defied the pressure to hold out Richards (Cam McConville) and Lee Holdsworth (Michael Caruso), as well as the great Murphy who proved his combination with Mark Skaife was a formidable pairing.

It was Tander’s second win on the mountain and the first for Davison who joined HRT at the start of the year and is closing the gap of V8 Supercar Championship Series leader Whincup in the run to the Sydney Telstra 500 in December. Tander was ice-cool to the finish despite the enormous pressure while Davison had the drive of his life when the mountain did what it can during a period of torrential rain that made conditions treacherous.

The hard luck story was that of Murphy and Skaife who appeared to have the best chance of anyone before a safety car with 20 laps to go killed their near perfect strategy. They missed a crucial pit stop by five seconds when the safety car was called.

“I’ve never seen a race like that,” Murphy said.“We went from hero, to zero to hero to zero. It was great fun and those on the podium deserve to be there. We gave it our all and just fell short. It’s the best fourth place I’ve ever had.”

Skaife was likewise: “It smashed us. We were under green to make the shortest fuel stop. Without another safety car we are hammered. It’s a cruel game; I’ll give you the tip.”

At the other end of the scale the other Kiwi Jason Richards came within 0.7s of victory.

“Maybe next year we only need that 0.7,” Richards said. “I was sitting back there in sixth at one point but just kept running up the back of other cars. I couldn’t do much. Then it all just happened. It was doe or die I’m not going to sit here and finish sixth at Bathurst.”

Lowndes battle came, went and came again throughout the race while Whincup had a remote chance towards the end before a late incident.

“It was a very tough day,” Lowndes admitted. “The conditions were difficult to keep on top of and we had a couple of little things go wrong.

“The team did an unbelievable job with strategy, Jamie did a fantastic job in the final stint and despite the problems we encountered the car soldiered on all day.”

The action started from the onset. A heavy shower drenched the circuit just before the start with the field starting on wet tyres and a safety car called on lap one.

Tander and Davison took control early from Lowndes but the dramas had just begun. Lowndes copped a drive-through penalty for a pit lane infringement shuffling him back through into the second half of the pack. All the while Murphy and Skaife pushed and pushed at the front, on lap 43 claiming second place as rain threatened again.

Steven Richards had a cracking start and put his FPR Falcon in great shape but tragedy would soon strike the pair. On the 50th lap a loose battery ignited the car. Luckily Winterbottom was near pit entry and pulled in with the flames soaring from the rear.

Quick work by rival crews from Dean Fiore, Paul Morris and the HRT outfits helped the fire crews douse the blaze and get Winterbottom out but the damage was too great for them to continue.

“I saw a bit of smoke and I tried to get it back to the pits as you do, but when it’s on fire you don’t muck around, you just stop. I was 100 metres short from showing the (FPR) guys what was going on,” Winterbottom said.

“I have never been in a fire before so you sort of think s**t what am I meant to do now, get out or press the fire bomb? You don’t know what to do. You try to get out; it’s not a nice thing to have that is for sure.” The rain struck again right on the midway point of the race. Jim Beam Racing’s James Courtney was the biggest victim when a touch with Alex Davison spun him around near the top of the mountain. He was left stranded and shuffled to the back of the pack.

Of the other New Zealanders Shane Van Gisbergen with Alex Davison were 13th, Daniel Gaunt and John McIntyre 19th, Craig Baird with Paul Dumbrell 21st while Fabian Coulthard and Steven Richards did not finish.

The sweet victory was Tander’s second straight at the event and the first for his new team-mate Will Davison. They came home over the Lowndes/Whincup combination that ran out of tyre luck on the last lap.

New Zealand-born Steven Richards got on the podium in third place with his Ford Performance Racing teammate Mark Winterbottom.

There were three kiwis in the top-10 today with Craig Baird teaming with Paul Dumbrell in the second Holden Racing Team car while Shane Van Gisbergen was 10th with Alex Davision for Stone Brothers Racing. Greg Murphy, teaming with the “retired” Mark Skaife came from 21st on the grid for an encouraging 11th place with kiwis Daniel Gaunt and John McIntyre 17th for the Irwin Racing Ford. It was not good news for Fabian Coulthard, who blew an engine early in the race, and Jason Richards who both failed to finish despite qualifying in the top end of the field. Richards’ teammate Cameron McConville survived a high speed crash after he clipped the rear of Steve Owen’s car.

At the front of the race it looked for all money as if Tander and Davison would have to settle for second best.

“With five laps to go the boy said to just conserve fuel, we are going to get second,” Tander said. “Then with three to go they said ‘go as hard as you can and see what happens’. Then Craig came kept coming back to me. I wondered if he was low on fuel as well. Then he started to slide around a bit and it was on.

“Amazing race. It was 500km absolutely flat out. I don’t think there was ever more than two seconds between the two cars the whole way round. We will absolutely take it. PI has been very kind to me in the past few years. I think we will go out and help the economy a little tonight.”

An initially devastated Lowndes had come to terms with the loss after he had run away with the race, seemingly, after he passed Tander on lap 98.

“It was a bit of a shame,” he said. “We were one lap short really. Now I know how Jamie feels, it is gut wrenching.”

Winterbottom and Richards are also well placed going into next month’s huge Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 with their continued form resurgence.

“It’s a great relief,” Richards said. “FPR have been working really hard and now we are pushing all the right buttons. It gives us really good direction going to Bathurst. We should be really pleased with that result.”

In an action packed race hearts stopped at one stage.

Team BOC/WOW Racing’s McConville escaped what could have been a horrific accident when at around 280kmh he clipped the rear of Steve Owen on the main straight, sending him careering out of control through a massive gravel trap.

McConville was still travelling at extremely high speed when he went out the other end of the trap and still out of control as he crossed back over the track going backwards. With nothing he could do he was hurtled straight into oncoming traffic which only missed him by a matter a feet.

“It’s any wonder he struggles to get a regular drive,” McConville said. “It shouldn’t happen… I was trying to pass him down the inside and he just kept on moving over; I had a run on him and there is just no point blocking like that on lap 20-odd of a 113-lap race. He must have just clipped my wheel as he continued to block… what do you do?

“It was just not worth arguing over that piece of territory with 90-odd laps to go; it was just stupid!”

Same for Coulthard who blew an engine at high speed on lap five sending him on a merry ride as smoke poured out of the rear of his Wilson Security Racing Falcon.

“I was hard on the throttle pulling fourth gear and it all went wild,” Coulthard said. “There were flames pouring out everywhere. It’s a hard thing to swallow but we need to come back stronger and tougher for Bathurst.”

Lee Holdsworth was another early casualty in an incident similar to McConville except not as scary. He broke the front suspension along the way, ending the day for the form Garry Rogers Motorsport pair.

Conversely veteran pair Skaife and Murphy had a great day with Skaife coming out of retirement for the two endurance events.

“It was great to get back behind the wheel,” Skaife said. “It was good to grab some match fitness for Bathurst, both Murph and I will be fired up for a big effort.”

The Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 is on at Mount Panorama on October 8-11.

Executive Chairman Tony Cochrane unveiled the calendar at the L&H 500 at Phillip Island today after last week announcing the season would start with a ground breaking Middle East double-header in February at both Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.

The earlier start has compacted the two-half season with ten events up until mid-June, a nine week break and six events to finish the season, culminating again with the massive Sydney Telstra 500 in December.

“The earlier start gave us a great opportunity to tighten up the regularity in which we race but also give our teams an all-important rest in the middle of the year,” Mr Cochrane said.

“It gives our TV viewers a much needed, more regular viewing pattern.

“The Board and I are extremely happy with the outcome and ecstatic that we have expanded the calendar to 16 events including the non-Championship Australian Grand Prix. We look forward to some further announcements concerning the AGP in the future months.

“It’s great news for the sport and for our teams and with more racing than ever – for our fans!”

Mr Cochrane said the news of starting in the Gulf region at Yas Marina Circuit on February 18-20 and the Desert 400 at the BIC on February 25-27 was an enormous result for the sport and its international footprint.

“To add Abu Dhabi and the incredible Yas Marina Circuit is just tremendous. We can’t wait to get to one of the world’s most rapidly expanding regions and economies,” he said.



“That they have been able to work alongside our great friends at BIC to establish this partnership has been wonderful. It’s a brilliant place, amazing circuit and sensational organisation.” Mr Cochrane announced that a potential replacement for the BIC event, scheduled for November 5-7, would be announced in the coming week following some ongoing negotiations.

“As we have received our sanction fee for this year’s Bahrain event, we are looking to use the replacement round as a charity fund raiser.

“At this stage, until we can confirm our future requirements, both Perth and Queensland Raceway are provisional dates on the 2010 calendar.”

In other calendar movements the Falken Tasmania Challenge has been moved to November from this year’s May date while the Norton 360 Challenge at Sandown has also been shifted to the more weather friendly date of November 19-21, slotting the BigPond Perth 300 to a more workable June date.

It also enables a top end loop for teams to curve around the country from Perth to Darwin, Darwin to Townsville in one movement, if they choose to take that option.

The 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series:
18 – 20 February Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi
25 – 27 February Desert 400, Bahrain International Circuit, Bahrain
11 – 14 March Clipsal 500, Adelaide Parklands, SA#
26 – 28 March Australian Grand Prix, Albert Park, VIC
16 – 18 April ITM 400, Hamilton, NZ
* 30 April – 2 May Qld Raceway, QLD#
14 – 16 May Winton, VIC#
* 4 – 6 June BigPond 300, Barbagallo, WA
18 – 20 June SKYCITY Triple Crown, Hidden Valley, NT
9 – 11 July Dunlop Townsville 400, Townsville, QLD#

MID SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP BREAK
10 – 12 Sept L&H 500, Phillip Island, VIC
7 – 10 Oct Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, Mt Panorama, NSW#
21- 24 Oct SuperGP, Surfers Paradise, QLD
5 – 7 Nov Falken Tasmania Challenge, Symmons Plains, TAS
19 – 21 Nov Norton 360 Sandown Challenge, Sandown, VIC#
3 – 5 Dec Sydney Telstra 500, Homebush, NSW#

Stone Brothers Racing has a rich history at the Mt Panorama circuit having won the 1000km Bathurst event in 1998 with Jason Bright and Steven Richards.

More recently SBR have also claimed podium finishes in the last three years; 3rd in 2006 (James Courtney/Glenn Seton), 2nd in 2007 (James Courtney/David Besnard) and 3rd in 2008 (James Courtney/David Besnard).

Ross Stone – SBR Team Principal “I feel like we have scored a great result even before we head to Phillip Island and Bathurst. If you look at our results at Bathurst in recent years we have been by far the best team that has run a car with a full-time and part-time driver pairing. We knew if we wanted to take the next step that the only way to go was to put our two main guys together. I was pleased that the same enthusiasm was shared by both our major sponsors.

“We have had to work away at making the combined livery happen, but without the commitment of all our corporate partners involved we would never have come close. The result is a very strong lead car with Alex [Davison] and Shane [van Gisbergen], and our second entry with John [McIntyre] and Daniel [Gaunt]; who I know will represent our team very well indeed.”

Kevin Davis – SP Tools, Managing Director “It just made sense to put Shane and Alex together for the enduros. As much as combining liveries can be a challenge we are all really pleased with the end result.

“SP Tools have been involved with V8 Supercars for fifteen years now and it has always been a personal goal of mine to have a car with the SP Tools logo on it cross the line first at Bathurst. This year will be our best shot at it so far.”

Nick Pritchard – IRWIN Industrial Tools, Managing Director “Putting Shane and Alex together made sense to everybody. We all knew that we had to put the main series drivers together if we truly wanted success during the endurance races and we all worked well together to achieve that outcome.

“There was never any doubt that we’d do it – we just wanted to achieve a livery design that presented the cars well and we all agree that we’ve done that. The cars look good, the drivers are happy, the team’s happy, and the sponsors are happy so it’s good all round.”

“It gives fans plenty of notice to organise themselves for the event, which promises to be the best one yet. We learned a lot from the first year and fans that came back this year remarked on the positive changes we made.”

Mr Calvert said the organisation is confident about prospects for next year’s race, with some excellent commercial opportunities developing since the race in April.

“We know we have a good product that can deliver good quantifiable results for sponsors especially in these tougher economic times. We are currently involved in several encouraging discussions and hope to make some major announcements in this respect in the near future.”

With an early announcement of next year’s date, the organisers can now finalise plans for public tickets sales.

“We expect to have tickets on sale for the public next month. The residents and businesses on the circuit who give us so much support will receive the first offer of a discounted ticket price. This is on top of the free tickets we provide that was more than $300,000 worth this year.”

The Hamilton 400 is also planning on a road show throughout the country later this year.

“We are excited about next year’s race. We are planning further improvements and believe the development in the V8 Supercar Championship will result in some very exciting racing as has been seen in recent rounds. “V8 Supercars is continuing to prosper and grow. And Hamilton offers the only opportunity to see Australasia’s premier motorsport series in this country.”

V8 Supercar champion Jamie Whincup extended his lead in the championship after winning Saturday’s first race and finished runner-up Courtney in race two. Whincup leads the Holden Racing Team pair of Will Davison and Garth Tander by 174 and 348 points respectively.

It proved an unmemorable weekend for New Zealand drivers, with Jason Richards leading the way in 12th place in race two ahead of Fabian Coulthard 19th and Steven Richards 20th while Greg Murphy and Shane Van Gisbergen did not finish. Murphy (Sprint Gas Racing Holden), who has pushed close to the top 10, had an alternator belt break to flatten his battery while Van Gisbergen (Stone Brothers Ford) had steering rack problems.

Coulthard is the best of the kiwis in the championship in 11th place ahead of Van Gisbergen 12th, Jason Richards 15th, Steven Richards 16th and Murphy 23rd.

Courtney took the lead on lap 29 of 72 when he beat Whincup out of the pits after a safety car period and was never headed from there, going on to win his second V8 Supercar race ahead of Whincup, Tander and Davison.

Courtney’s JBR teammate Steve Johnson was fifth to give the Gold Coast-based team something further to cheer about.

Whincup’s result improved his position as Championship leader with a total of 1560 points to Davison’s 1386. They are followed by Tander (1212), Craig Lowndes (1110) and Steve Johnson (1050).

Courtney started the season with a massive crash in Adelaide, which badly damaged a brand new car. Apart from a solid result in New Zealand, the year has produced few things to cheer about. That misfortune continued on Saturday when the engine blew early while leading the race.

That ill-luck gave him the benefit of a full tyre package for today’s race.

“We came straight off the back off the truck at the start of the weekend and the car was on fire and it makes my job so much easier for the weekend when the car is like that and I didn’t have to push hard,” said Courtney.

“We were never really worried about our race pace and it was great to repay the boys at Jim Beam Racing with a race win because it’s been a long time coming.”

The seventh round of the V8 Supercar Championship is at Sandown near Melbourne on July 31 to August 2.

Caruso matched the feat of his team-mate Lee Holdsworth who pulled off an equally unlikely win for the same owner two years ago while Davison grabbed his best finish in his comeback year with SBR, having been unceremoniously dumped by Larry Perkins a few years ago.

The 200km race in the blazing heat at Hidden Valley brought up a raft of different strategies, but Caruso reigned supreme as Davison and Lowndes loomed late, both saving the super-fast soft tyres until the final stint of the 69-lap race.

“I knew that the guys behind had their sticky tyres,” Caruso said. “(With) eight laps to go it was always going to be hard staying in front of them, not to mention having a guy like Craig Lowndes in your mirrors which is always intimidating.

“I’m at the pinnacle of Australian motor racing and I probably haven’t come to terms with just how big this is. It’s been a long time coming, I’ve been in motorsport since I was 12 years old.”

The best of the Kiwis today was Shane Van Gisbergen, who also prospered saving his soft tyes until last, finishing ninth after being off the pace on Saturday. It proved an excellent double for Strone Brothers Racing.

Jason Richards (Team BOC Holden), denied a podium finish from pole with a bent shock just two laps from the finish, managed 11th today to complete an excellent weekend.

Steven Richards (Ford Performance) was 14th, Fabian Coulthard (Wilson Security) 20th and Greg Murphy (Sprint Gas Racing) 21st.

After his win on Saturday, defending champion Jamie Whincup (Team Vodafone) increased his lead in the championship, despite finishing 10th today. He is now 144 points clear of Will Davison (Holden Racing) who is on 1128 with team-mate Garth Tander third on 954, and Whincup’s team-mate Craig Lowndes on 906.

Best of the New Zealanders is Van Gisbergen in ninth, with Coulthard 11th, Jason Richards 12th, Steven Richards 17th and Murphy 22nd.

It was also a celebratory day for New Zealand owners Ross and Jimmy Stone to be back on the podium with Davison’s storming finish, pushing through from 15th to second in the final stint.

“I was written off and it’s a hard deal to get back into when you get booted out once. It’s a little bit emotional. It took half a lap before I realised. Today was just a great day,” Davison said.

“It’s been difficult for me coming from a completely different car. It’s starting to click now. We are starting to gel more and I’m beginning to learn what I can get out of the car.”

The  Darwin heat proved to be no issue for New Zealander as he remained at the top of the times until Holden Racing’s Will Davison snatched a last gasp fastest time in the closing moments of of the session. Former V8 Supercar Champion Craig Lowndes (Team Vodafone Falcon) was a close third.

Davison said he learned after a mistake at the Hamilton 400 earlier in the season.

“I got caught out in New Zealand by not trying the changes we made on a better tyre and that affected my qualifying the next day. The ones I used today at the end weren’t new but at least I put in a ‘banker’ lap to double check we are headed in the right direction. It was by no means an ‘ego’ trip to be fastest on Friday.”

Van Gisbergen was joined in the top 10 by Stone Brothers Racing team mate Alex (brother of Will) Davison.

 “Both Alex and I were struggling with the older rubber we were running until we put on a fresher set and went from 25th to second fastest which shows how important the tyre is around here,” Van Gisbergen said. “We are struggling a little with straight line speed in comparison to others given this track has such a long straight.”

Series leader and defending champion Jamie Whincup (Team Vodafone) was nestled just behind his team-mate in fourth fastest ahead of Rick Kelly (Jack Daniel’s Racing) and the Ford Performance pair of Mark Winterbottom and New Zealand-born Steven Richards.

Of the other New Zealanders, Greg Murphy (Sprint Gas Racing) was 13th fastest just ahead of fellow kiwi Fabian Coulthard (Wilson Security) with Jason Richards’s 17th fastest for Team BOC.

Tomorrow’s schedule includes qualifying from 1.30pm (NZ time) followed by 35-lap first race at 6.05pm with Sunday’s qualifying session also at 1.30pm and 200km race over 69 laps from 5.05pm.

Current championship leader Jamie Whincup believes it will be a challenge especially with the new soft tyres that must be used at some stage over the weekend racing.

"The big challenge this weekend is the heat," Whincup said. “We've got a brand new tyre, which is a really soft compound tyre.

"It's going to be really quick for a couple of laps and then it's going to overheat and drop right off. So the challenge is when to put that tyre on and when to get it off before it blows apart."

The temperature in Darwin is expected to reach 31 degrees Celsius on Sunday when the teams will face a 69-lap, 200km race for the first time at Hidden Valley. This is more than 20 laps more than ever run at the track before at a time when tyres will be close to their use-by date.

There’s real confidence in New Zealand’s Fabian Coulthard and his Wilson Security Racing squad who head to Hidden Valley fresh from their first podium result at Tasmania in the last round. The third-place result was the Kiwi’s first visit to the podium since debuting in V8 Supercar racing in 2004 and the team’s first since it entered the V8 Supercar Championship Series in 2006.

The result has lifted Coulthard to eighth in the points although last year Coulthard struggled in Darwin, qualifying 15th and finishing 14th, 24th and 22nd in the three-race format.

Sprint Gas Racing’s Greg Murphy showed they are getting to grips with his Holden at Tasmania although he hasn’t qualified in the top 10 in Darwin since 2003.

Another kiwi, Stone Brothers’ Shane van Gisbergen will be looking to continue his strong performances, currently ninth overall in the championships, while Jason Richards (Team BOC Holden) will be hoping for a change of fortunes after a disastrous weekend at Tasmania when they struggled to find the necessary speed to be competitive, especially in qualifying.

Current points:

1. Jamie Whincup (TeamVodafone), 1044 pts
2. Will Davison (Toll Holden Racing Team), 948 pts
3. Steven Johnson (Jim Beam Racing), 753 pts
4. Garth Tander (Toll Holden Racing Team), 723 pts
5. Lee Holdsworth (Garry Rogers Motorsport), 723 pts
6. Craig Lowndes (TeamVodafone), 675 pts
7. Rick Kelly (Jack Daniel’s Racing), 627 pts
8. Fabian Coulthard (Wilson Security Racing), 606 pts
9. Shane Van Gisbergen (SP Tools Racing), 600 pts
10. Mark Winterbottom (Ford Performance Racing), 573 pts

Hart attended last week’s round of the V8 Supercar Championship in Tasmania and the pair got up close and personal with former V8 Supercar champion Russell Ingall on the Gold Coast.

"It's the most time we've ever been able to spend together," said Pink. Hart has organised his own motocross and stunt events while he is in Australia.

The pair tested themselves out with Ingall at the Holden Performance Driving Centre.

"We head to Symmons Plains with good confidence after winning there for the past two years, it's the first real high speed track of the year and we've been working hard to set up the car accordingly," Whincup said.

"We don't have the luxury of running the new tyre in practice, so it will be interesting to see how it goes in the race."

"I'm heading into the event all fired up, ready to erase the disappointing result at Winton."

There will be plenty of interest in the change of format for the tight Tasmanian track which will feature a 100km race on Saturday and 200km on Sunday. A pit stop is likely to put a drive a lap down at Symmons Plains.

Team-mate Craig Lowndes is coming off a brilliant effort at Wintonw here he won both races and he will debut a new car this weekend. "We took the new car for a shakedown on Friday and it was unbelievably good straight up," Lowndes said.

"As a team we really got a handle on this track last year and there is no reason that some of that knowledge won't transfer to the new model FG."

"I am confident we can keep the momentum going with chassis 20."

With sixth and 12th placings at the most recent round at Winton in Victoria, van Gisbergen moved up to eighth place in the overall series points standings for the year and is hoping for another strong showing in Tasmania on the back of testing done by both the Stone Brothers Racing and Ford Performance Racing teams between the two rounds.

In a major step forward for the series' two Ford-backed teams van Gisbergen was invited to drive Winterbottom's car at a test at Winton the Tuesday after the latest round and two days later Winterbottom drove van Gisbergen's car at a Stone Brothers Racing test day at Queensland International Raceway.

As Stone Brothers Racing team principal Ross Stone said when the joint venture was announced; " Being that SBR and FPR are the only two official Ford-sponsored teams I think this test exchange is a perfect fit to keep is working hard to get the results that we both expect."

And having now driven the Winterbottom car van Gisbergen says the test certainly gave him something to think about.

"It was interesting because, obviously, I've only ever driven Stone Brothers cars, and his (Winterboottom's) was different, very different to mine."

So far this year van Gisbergen has shown plenty of speed in practice - he was second quickest in the second practice session at Winton on the Friday - and real tiger in the races. Qualifying has, however, been a problem, though he believes progress has been made since Winton.

"To be honest," he says," I'm sick of ending up 11th (and just outside the Top 10 Shootout). We seem to be able to get the car to a level but then the other guys find that little bit more and we end up being shuffled back."

Qualifying will certainly be important this weekend thanks to the compact nature of the 2.4 km Launceston track which the V8 Supercars lap in just 51 seconds.

This will be van Gisbergen's third visit to the circuit in north-east Tasmania and the just-turned 20-year-old is always happy heading there. One of the reasons is that Tasmania reminds him of home - 'it's so green, particularly at this time of the year' - and another is that though it is relatively short and straight nailing a good lap time isn't as easy as it might look.

"That's right," he says, "though there's really only three sections to it a good lap is all about brakes and getting the power down. Get it right and you're away, get it wrong and everyone's so close that even a tenth (of a second) can be the difference between something like fifth or sixth and 15th."

There is practice today before the first qualifying session, Top 10 Shootout and first (42 laps) race on Saturday, with second qualifying session and second (84 laps) race on Sunday.

Tim Edwards
FPR Team Principal
“Shane did around 20 laps today. On his first run he found the car quite a bit different but he adapted pretty quickly.

“He highlighted the differences between his own car and ours; where ours is potentially quicker and vice versa. He felt our car had more mid-corner speed but that his was better on the exit. He was struggling with the brakes but SBR use a different compound and it’s always hard to get used to a new brake package.

“The proof of the pudding will be when Frosty drives their car and cross-comparing the feedback from both of them, but over all I think it was a positive exercise today.”

Shane Van Gisbergen
SP Tools Racing Falcon
“I was getting pins and needles in my leg with cramp by the end; obviously the other guys aren’t as tall as me!

“It’s probably a bit different to my car; the brakes were the biggest difference but it was good to get an idea of how the car works. It has a lot of mid-corner grip and you can carry a bit more speed through there and still get out strongly.

“I need to get back to SBR now and work through it with the team; we’ll just talk about a few things amongst ourselves and go from there. I’ve not had any experience developing a car before but it’s good. I’ve only driven the SBR Supercar before so it’s interesting to try something different.

Best of the New Zealanders was Fabian Coulthard in fifth today and retains fifth place overall, while Greg Murphy was eighth.

The back-to-back wins in Hamilton was also a remarkable comeback given that Whincup did not even race here last year after a heavy qualifying crash destroyed his car.

“Today was all about race pace and we had a fast car. We picked our time for the pit stop, got out really fast and the car was on rails for the whole race,” Whincup said. “Considering last year that I didn’t even start both races this weekend was pretty amazing.”

While still quite a way back Courtney believes his team is getting closer to Whincup with the double podium finish on the back of putting both cars on the front row of the grid after Armor All qualifying this morning. “He (Jamie) had an awesome car all weekend and it shows 888 (TeamVodafone) know what they are doing,” Courtney said.

“(But) our guys are doing a fantastic job. We’ve only had these cars for two rounds now and are trying to work out what makes them go fast. These guys have the advantage of building and designing the cars (that we use).” Johnson said it was the detail and fuel economy that appeared to be the difference between Whincup and the field.

“We’ve got to work just a little bit harder on our fuel economy. Jamie’s car was fast but it also had good fuel economy. So if that’s what beat us at the end of the day then we are not that far away,” Johnson said. “Last year and the year before that we had a pretty hard run. This year it’s coming together although I’m still quite disappointed about qualifying in Adelaide but you can’t dwell on that. “I wouldn’t say this weekend exceeded my expectations. I was pretty disappointed with my lap in the shootout when I missed a gear onto the straight. Apart from that small mistake I’m pretty happy with the weekend, our strategy and what we wanted to do. “We will only move forward from here.” Today’s victory was won with a brilliant pit strategy after Whincup was fourth fastest in the 20 minute qualifying session – pipped of potential pole position when the session was red flagged within sight of a super-quick lap.

In the race his team chose to bring him in after only 20 of the 59 laps, and his superior speed once he got clear air saw him nearly seven seconds in front once previous leaders Courtney, Johnson, Lee Holdsworth and Steven Richards who made their pit stops between laps 25 and 31.

Earlier a thrilling Sunday Armor All qualifying was intense. The 20-minute session provided plenty of action and also Johnson’s second pole position of his career in an all Jim Beam Racing front row alongside Courtney.

The theatre of the session climaxed when with just over two minutes left Supercheap Auto’s Tim Slade crashed, leaving the teams yet to post a fast lap waiting for the session to recommence. It didn’t happen and set up an even better final race of the weekend.

Whincup was about to set an Armor All pole position time but the red flag came out moments before he crossed the line on his flying lap. It meant Whincup had to rely on an earlier lap that placed him fourth on the grid.

The Championship continues at Winton Motor Raceway in Victoria in two weeks time.

Whincup took the first of the two races here, vanquishing the demons of the same event last year when he was reduced to a commentator instead of a driver after a heavy qualifying crash.

"We did a lot of work here last year and got zero reward. It was by far the darkest day of the season," Whincup said.

"We were at a track that really suits us and went home with a completely wrecked car. It wasn't just a car though it was chassis 12 which was the Bathurst winner. This one was about re-grouping and getting one back for all of the hard work last year."

Whincup's comeback came after a horror first day when he was 21st in practice. That changed dramatically when he qualified on the front of the grid with Winterbottom.

"We had a crazy day. I was a commentator here last year and 21st in practice yesterday in a car I wasn't quite happy with. We came out today, qualifying was amazing and then in the shootout there was one thousandth of a second separating us.

"I was pushing 110 per cent and nearly stuck it in the walls a couple of times. I won with a fast car. I just go about my business, concentrate on one event at a time and think about records after that."

Winterbottom still had faith that his FPR team can challenge Whincup.

"We are not far off - we can do it over one lap, we just need to do it for 59," he said. "We've got to work harder and get the car better."

Holdsworth was thinking further ahead.

"We had quite good pace at the start of the race and it just got better and better while everyone else fell off. We didn't have the speed of Jamie but I felt I could get Mark but he held me off at the end.

"I will have good pace tomorrow. We have got good tyres in the bank and we seem to go well at these street circuits. We always knew we were going to go well at these circuits and the next race is at our home circuit.

"It's when we get to the events like Phillip Island where the true challenge will be. Our cars don't like the long radius corners so if we can sort that out we will have a good Championship."

And what a difference a day makes. All three top finishers from practice did not make the top ten in qualifying and many of the big names got bounced by a few surprise packets.

Will Davison went from first to 11th, brother Alex from third to 16th and Jason Richards from second to 20th. Whether it was a change to the track was the subject of debate after tyre bundles were added to a chicane on the back straight.

It certainly mattered to Richards who hit one of the bundles and broke a water pipe that ended his session. His team-mate Cam McConville did exactly the same thing and finished well down in 27th position.

Local hero Greg Murphy also struggled into 17th in his Sprint Gas Commodore; Supercheap's Russell Ingall was one spot back while Wilson Security's Fabian Coulthard qualified for 21st on the grid.

At the other end of the spectrum Garry Rogers Motorsport pair of Holdsworth and Michael Caruso both made the top ten shootout.

Jim Beam Racing's Steve Johnson and James Courtney were great performers in qualifying with both cars in the top ten.

"I just think that now we have got some new equipment, new cars and an even playing field to the rest of the field we are showing our true colours," Johnson said.

"People are forgetting that our car last year was four-and-a-half years old. James is bloody fast too; we're both in the top 10 and that's a pretty hard feat in this day and age.

"I can't remember the last time we've had the two in the top 10 for a long, long time especially on a regular occurrence. It's great for the team and it's shown that their hard work is paying off."

Tomorrow is a new day, starting with an all-in 20 minute qualifying session that will determine the grid for race two. Then the challengers to Whincup get another chance.

For Will Davison it was his brother that was the focus of his attention. He reckons Alex is a multiple race winner in the making now he is back in the game after two years of an extremely successful stint in Europe and elsewhere.

"It's so good to have him back," said Will.

I'm one of his biggest supporters; we are close mates and good brothers. We've always supported each other from day dot no matter what we've done.

"In this business it's too cut throat to have an emotional attachment to your views on someone but I genuinely know just how good he is.

"I've been so desperate for him to get another shot here because I know what he can do. He has done so much more than most; he is so experienced and so rounded. And, he has some massively unfinished business.

"He has given away a pretty hefty career in Europe for this V8 thing but I know the last time he didn't get the opportunity to show his real true colours and he is out to prove some people wrong.

"And it's good for me. There was no-one happier to see him there today than me."

The level-headed Alex Davison played his day down but was nonetheless happy to be third on the day, his first real full practice session after blowing two engines at the last event in Adelaide.

"It's only a practice session so I'll only get excited about it for five minutes and move on," he said. "It's definitely a step forward and we can keep edging ahead. I had a great time today."

Transformed Team BOC recruit Richards praised some key changes to the Hamilton track which result in the top 20 cars all being under last year's lap record.

"It really transformed the track for me, it really came alive," Richards said. "That chicane really choked it down. I love it. It's going to be so much better for the racing."

But sitting in 21st was current Champion Jamie Whincup with some work ahead of him in qualifying tomorrow.

There were three New Zealanders in the top 10 with Greg Murphy sixth fastest and Shane Van Gisbergen seventh.

Also sitting ominously in contention today was Melbourne Grand Prix winner Craig Lowndes with fellow Russell Ingall fifth fastest with a strong run with green tyres late in the final session.

Tomorrow includes a qualifying session and Top-10 Shootout ahead of the first 200km race, with a further 20 minute qualifier and race two on Sunday.

Entry is free and there’s great entertainment all night courtesy of Lion Red, proud sponsor of the Hamilton 400.

Van Gisbergen was fast in opening practice in last year’s inaugural Hamilton 400 which did not convert to a result during the three-sprint race format.

He is a more confident driver heading into New Zealand’s sole round of the V8 Supercar Championship which begins this Friday around the streets of Hamilton.

“I’ve done all the tracks now and I am better prepared,” Van Gisbergen told TVNZ. “I’ve had that year to settle in and I am a lot more confident. I am sure that this year I am up for a better result.”

Van Gisbergen reckons that consistency is the key to mounting a credible V8 Supercar Championship challenge, and to pick up points in every round.

“You want to be as fast as possible but you don’t to be all over the place and reckless. It’s a bit of a fine balance that we are still finding.”

The Gold Coast-based Aucklander can’t wait to get back to the street circuit in Hamilton.

“Hamilton last year was awesome. It was my first race in from of a home crowd. It was amazing to have all that support. And to have all the people behind me was great.”

The second Hamilton 400 begins with practice on Friday, qualifying, Top-10 Shootout and 200km race one on Saturday with qualifying and 200km race two on Sunday. This year’s event has been upgraded to two 200km races, each with mandatory tyre and fuel stops, and also racing with the more environmentally friendly E85 ethanol fuel.

“The change to the chicane will work well. It caused a bit of damage to the cars last year but I think the change will make it much smoother.

“It will create a bit more speed down to the bottom corner. And the rest of the changes will be great. The first year was fantastic but this one will be even better.”

That means qualifying for each Saturday race retains two knockout qualifying sessions and a top ten shootout, while on Sunday the shorter session sets a new grid for race two.

“The board decided that in order to further focus on two races of equal standing that a stand-alone qualifying session would make for a more distinct separation,” V8 Supercars Australia CEO Cameron Levick said. “The emphasis is on the great achievement of winning a race which is always the intent.”

The Sunday qualifying session had previously been discussed as an option for 2009. Based on feedback from teams, drivers and fans, the decision was made to change to that system.

“Our focus is on the best entertainment we can offer for a spectators at the track and viewers on television. It’s all about adding spice and variety to the racing,” Mr Levick said. “With each race being equal in points and having individual podiums it is a great way to give every opportunity to any driver to stand on the podium. “Qualifying well is still important and that won’t change.”

Mr Levick also announced the regulations that will apply to the new ‘soft’ tyre compound to be introduced at the Winton event in early May. It will also be used at Symmons Plains (TAS), Hidden Valley (NT), Ipswich (QLD), Sandown (VIC) and Barbagallo (WA).

Each team will be given four brand new Dunlop SP Sport Maxx Sprint tyres at select events. Teams will use all four tyres at the same time in one of the two races on each of those weekends.

“Again this is designed to mix up races, have faster cars, slower cars and improve the spectacle,” Mr Levick said. “The more passing, strategy and excitement we have in our racing the better.”

The SP Sport Maxx Sprint tyre will be recognisable both on and off the race track by a distinctive yellow marking on the wall of the tyre.

About the V8 Supercar Championship Series
The V8 Supercar Championship Series is one of the world's largest and best known touring car categories, recognised internationally as a leader in motorsport and entertainment. The Championship consists of 14 Championship events across Australia, New Zealand and Bahrain in the Middle East in 2009, as well as racing at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.

In 2008 more than 1.65 million people attended a V8 Supercar event and 19 million Australians watched on the Seven Network. Event attendances ranged from 50,000 people in Darwin to around 300,000 in Adelaide and on the Gold Coast. V8 Supercars is considered to be the equal of the National Rugby League (NRL) and rugby union in terms of general popularity in Australia.

Major sponsors include BigPond and XXXX Gold. In 2009 it will introduce key races in Townsville and on the streets of the Sydney Olympic Park at Homebush Bay. Also in 2009 all V8 Supercars will run on 85 per cent CSR Ethanol, a renewable fuel made from the bi-product of the sugar refining process.

The Hamilton 400, the second round of the series around the streets of Hamilton on 17-19 April, will now feature separate qualifying sessions for the two 200km races on Saturday and Sunday. Event Director Stephen Vuleta said he was able to make changes to his race schedule on the Sunday to accommodate the change.

“The winners will be the race fans because they will see more V8 Supercars in action,” Mr Vuleta said. “While the changes to the format caused us a few headaches, we were happy to accommodate them to improve the event and the sport.”

This year’s V8 Supercar Championship has each race treated as a separate entity, rather than combining the points for the weekend to determine a round winner as been the case in the past.

The qualifying session at Adelaide determined the grid positions for both races on Saturday and Sunday while last year’s system saw the grid for the second race decided by the finishing position in the first race, and so on.

Some drivers felt that the new system unfairly penalised a driver who started near the back of the grid but had made gains through the field in the first race, only to return to the rear grid position for race two. The change will mean that the Saturday qualifying session and Top-10 Shootout will decide the grid position for first 200km race, and an additional 20-minute qualifying session has been added to the Sunday programme to decide the grid for the second 200km race.

“This will mean that fans will get a second qualifying session on the second day. Teams that don’t get things right in the first race now have that short 20 minute window to chase a more competitive grid position in the Sunday qualifying. It will be a very exciting session.”

Mr Vuleta said he had managed to ensure all support categories – Toyota Racing Series, NZ V8s, Porsche and GT1 – retain their full schedule of racing.

The changed full race schedule is now on the event information page of the website.
Click here to view

They have a special Honda motorcycle park with FREE parking facilities only 300m from the main entrance at Gate 1 (Waikato Stadium entrance). (All riders and ,machines are welcomed.) What’s more the parking facility has a building on-site where they will securely store your helmet and riding gear for you while you enjoy the fantastic racing for just $3. Even better still, if you are a Honda Riders Club member, it is absolutely free.

The Honda Riders Club FREE motorcycle parking is at Whitiora School, which is located on Abbotsford off Victoria St. It will be signposted off Victoria St – look for Corporate Car Park A.

Now you have the chance to beat all the traffic, enjoy a great ride down to Hamilton, get a prime position with security for your bike and belongings and enjoy a fantastic experience on the streets of Hamilton.

In addition Honda Riders Club members can get discounted tickets to attend the Hamilton 400.

For more information on the Honda Riders Club park and the discounted ticket offer visit www.hondaridersclub.co.nz

A key change to the circuit has been to take out the fourth element of the chicane down the back straight, which Murphy says will work well.

“Last year the chicane was fairly tough. The angles were fairly tight and it was a bit of an achilles heal for me. We did quite a bit of damage,” Murphy said.

“But the changes will definitely male the circuit flow a lit nicer and create a bit more speed down to turn five. “I am in favour of the changes and thing it will work well. I can’t wait to get back here again in a couple of weeks.”

Some other bumps in the circuit have also been smoothed out in the exciting 3.4km track.

Hamilton Mayor Bob Simcock says, ”The people of Hamilton are great hosts, we had an excellent start to the V8 Supercars event in its first year and this year we want to celebrate by throwing out a super challenge to some super fans around the regions.”

Two representatives from across the regions will team up with their favourite V8 Supercar driver for the ride of their lives on an amazing race of Hamilton. They will be competing against Hamilton’s best in a series of three super-charged challenges including jumping from 10,000 feet onto Hamilton International Airport’s tarmac and canoeing New Zealand’s mightiest river.

“Hamilton has always enjoyed a bit of fun rivalry up and down the country. Whether you’re in Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Wellington or down South - we’re keen to see fans step up and bring that pride to Hamilton to compete for their regions...

“With the second running of the Hamilton 400 V8 Supercar race just over two weeks away, organisers are confident of a better, but not bigger event.

Ticket numbers have been reduced to improve viewing of the street race, especially in the main grand stand, which was the sole black mark for last year's event.”

To view more www.3news.co.nz

Hamilton City Councillor Angela O'Leary says that with so many different businesses participating and some great deals across the board, there'll definitely be something for everyone in Frankton this April.

"Whatever you are after, pop into a participating store in Frankton this April and you'll find a deal too good to refuse. Over 100 Frankton businesses are taking part in Frankton's Mega Deal Month in April – from commercial printers and pharmacies to furniture stores, cafes, mechanics, video stores, pizza shops and more. There are a wide range of great businesses in Frankton and Mega Deal Month will be a perfect opportunity for those regular shoppers and those new to Frankton to come and see the heart of the V8s and get an unbeatable bargain along the way.

"Grabbing a deal is easy, simply look out for the in-store posters and badges or pop into one of the participating businesses and ask about their mega deal. All participating businesses will be advertised in the Waikato Times, Hamilton Press and online at www.hamilton.co.nz/megadeal.

"Frankton Mega Deal month is a great example of Council working with city businesses to take on board the recommendations of the Hamilton 400 Independent Event Review and of Council providing the support to help businesses help themselves to make the most of the event in the city."

"Council has provided the organisation and marketing resources to make this promotion possible and the businesses of Frankton have embraced that opportunity wholeheartedly putting some unbeatable bargains on offer."

His win ironically helped seal the Sprint Gas Challenge for Ford – the manufacturer that last year chose not to continue backing Lowndes’ Championship winning Team Vodafone outfit.

But that was all forgotten in the “Purple Pig” car of Lowndes who scored a massive win over Ford Performance Racing’s Mark Winterbottom and Toll Holden Racing Team’s Will Davison – the same three drivers to occupy the top positions in all three races this weekend.

It was a good weekend for New Zealand drivers, with three finishing in the top 10. Jason Richards enjoyed a consistently good weekend to be fifth overall for Team BOC Holden with Shane Van Gisbergen sixth for Stone Brothers Racing while Fabian Coulthard was eighth for Wilson Security Racing. Steven Richards (FPR) was 13th overall, Team Kiwi Racing 24th and Greg Murphy (Spring Gas Racing) 26th.

Today Winterbottom flew out of the blocks and tore away from the field. For the third time Lowndes seemed to struggle from the start line and Davison snuck up his inside for the early position behind Winterbottom.

But Lowndes was not to be undone. The TeamVodafone racer was clearly on new tyres for the final race, having alluded the previous day to the fact they had kept a set up their sleeve for today’s race.

“Our starts haven’t been too great this weekend,” said Lowndes. “We tried different methods but it’s not good enough going into the next Championship event in Hamilton in a few weeks time. “The car was working really well. We didn’t take too many risks. I’m enthusiastic about the year and we have hit the ground running. It’s a much better start than last year with a crash in Adelaide so all is looking good.”

Davison, a podium getter in the first round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series in Adelaide last weekend, knew things might be tough with Lowndes on new tyres.

“I had a few ideas what was going on after yesterday,” Davison said of the battle of the tyres. “It usually happens here (a non-Championship event) when you are trying to save tyres for the year ahead. I think we had tyres from about a year ago.” It took Lowndes no time to lap up Winterbottom and was on his bumper on just the second lap, taking the lead back late on lap three with a neat pass underneath Winterbottom on turn 15. The V8 Supercar Championship Series continues at the Hamilton 400 in New Zealand on April 17-19 with round two of the Championship.

About the V8 Supercar Championship Series

The V8 Supercar Championship Series is one of the world's largest and best known touring car categories, recognised internationally as a leader in motorsport and entertainment. The Championship consists of 14 Championship events across Australia, New Zealand and Bahrain in the Middle East in 2009, as well as racing at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.

In 2008 more than 1.65 million people attended a V8 Supercar event and 19 million Australians watched on the Seven Network. Event attendances ranged from 50,000 people in Darwin to around 300,000 in Adelaide and on the Gold Coast. V8 Supercars is considered to be the equal of the National Rugby League (NRL) and rugby union in terms of general popularity in Australia. Major sponsors include BigPond and XXXX Gold. In 2009 it will introduce key races in Townsville and on the streets of the Sydney Olympic Park at Homebush Bay. Also in 2009 all V8 Supercars will run on 85 per cent CSR Ethanol, a renewable fuel made from the bi-product of the sugar refining process.

Whincup today beat home Toll Holden Racing Team’s Will Davison, his former Gold Coast flat mate who has this year moved to Melbourne to change team, and Garth Tander who fended away Craig Lowndes in the closing laps.

“Marcos Ambrose is someone I regard as one of the best drivers I have ever seen so to get one better than him is very, very satisfying,” Whincup said. “It’s been a long three months since the last race at Oran Park and you have a lot of expectation on your shoulders. I didn’t know if I was going to come here and run 25th or at the front of the pack.”

Best of the New Zealanders was again Jason Richards who enjoyed a strong debut for Team BOC Holden, following his fifth yesterday with seventh today.

His former partner Greg Murphy, who was embroiled in controversy after a collision that ended in a write-off for Michael Caruso on Saturday, had a much improved effort to finish eighth for Sprint Gas Racing while Steven Richards was ninth for Ford Performance Racing.

Of the other New Zealanders Fabian Coulthard (Wilson Security Racing Ford) was 12th, Shane Van Gisbergen (SP Tools Racing Ford) 13th and Team Kiwi Racing, in the hands of Australian Dean Fiore, enjoyed a creditable weekend following the 16th on Saturday with 18th today.

Whincup said he felt the pressure from Davison who in his HRT debut scored two second places. “A little bit of me wanted to give him a win on debut but I snapped out of that pretty quickly,” Whincup said.

In an epic finish a safety car bunched the field and then with 10 laps to go Lowndes started to heavy Tander with an enormous challenge in the closing stages in the fight for third place. The battle allowed Whincup to build a small but race-winning margin with Davison holding second.

Davison underlined the pedigree of his famous grandfather Lex, the Formula One driver, with the strong debut but was not about to get carried away. “I’m absolutely thrilled, a dream debut,” Davison said. “I could not be happier at the moment and now look forward to a great year ahead. I’m well aware that I need to be a contender for the Championship this year and the team has the right tools to do the job. “Still it is one step at a time, it’s crazy to be thinking about a Championship now knowing just how weird this Championship can get. Still we all have our goals.” The race was a dramatic one, with few better moments the closing stages when Lowndes hunted down Tander but could not edge him out of third. The dog fight allowed Whincup and Davison some clear air in the chase. There were early dramas when Kelly Racing’s Jack Perkins caught up with a wall at the famous turn eight, causing one of the several safety cars in the race. Perkins had some sort of failure that affected his steering and escaped unharmed.

Jim Beam Racing’s James Courtney crashed in warm-up earlier in the day with a mechanical failure that caused him to lose all control of his Jim Beam machine. “When I came out of the chicane something broke in the rear and I had no control from then on. I ended up running down the wall so we'll have to work hard to get it out there,” he said at the time. It continued a tough weekend for Courtney who battled hard in race one in oppressive conditions when his cool suit failed. He managed to get back on the track late following the warm-up crash but almost 14 laps behind the leaders.

Whincup and the V8 Supercars teams compete in the non-championship round at the Australian Grand Prix before heading across the Tasman for the Hamilton 400 on 17-19 April where the champion crashed out on the opening day and took no further part in the weekend last year.

About the V8 Supercar Championship Series
The V8 Supercar Championship Series is one of the world's largest and best known touring car categories, recognised internationally as a leader in motorsport and entertainment. The Championship consists of 14 Championship events across Australia, New Zealand and Bahrain in the Middle East in 2009, as well as racing at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.

In 2008 more than 1.65 million people attended a V8 Supercar event and 19 million Australians watched on the Seven Network. Event attendances ranged from 50,000 people in Darwin to around 300,000 in Adelaide and on the Gold Coast. V8 Supercars is considered to be the equal of the National Rugby League (NRL) and rugby union in terms of general popularity in Australia.

Major sponsors include BigPond and XXXX Gold. In 2009 it will introduce key races in Townsville and on the streets of the Sydney Olympic Park at Homebush Bay. Also in 2009 all V8 Supercars will run on 85 per cent CSR Ethanol, a renewable fuel made from the bi-product of the sugar refining process.

More information can be found at v8supercars.com.au or v8supercarevents.com.au

Most believe cars will consume approximately 30% more of the new sugarcane-based fuel than they did previously with premium unleaded. That figure, however, is one of the biggest unknowns.

Also new for 2009 is the return of the top-ten shoot out in qualifying, which will see the ten fastest drivers determine starting positions for both the weekend’s races with a one-lap decider.

Ford Performance Racing will take to the track for practice this Friday at 09.10 CST. Steve Richards Castrol FPR Falcon “There has been a lot of debate behind the scenes about who has done what in relation to the development of E85 Ethanol engine mapping. If teams have made in-roads into improving economy by two or three percent, without losing the power gain, it could return a two to four second advantage at the fuel stop, which could almost win the race for you. “FPR has done a lot of work in relation to the E85 conundrum and I’m confident we’re looking pretty good. I wouldn’t want to be in a car that has sacrificed power for economy for track gain if there was a safety car with 20 laps to run this weekend.”

Mark Winterbottom Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon “I’m not worried; the new fuel won’t affect power too much, just consumption, which is a massive key in getting your pit strategy right. “To gain horsepower you always have to use fuel; you can have more power and less fuel economy or you can save your economy and sacrifice power. It just depends on how people approach it. We’re confident of the way we’ve done it and I have a lot of confidence in our engineers. “From driving at the test, our fuel usage was good and there was no problem with power so I think we’ve got a good compromise.”

Tim Edwards Team Principal “With fuel consumption, we’ve run the numbers but I really don’t think there’s much in it. We’re all going to be two-to-three percent different, which is what the teams were last year and FPR was probably at the better end of that scale. “It’s great to have the top-ten shoot-out back. It puts the pressure on the driver because there’s no room for error. In a normal format, if the driver gets it wrong into turn one he can back off for the rest of that lap and try again on the next one but with the shootout format he’s only got one shot at it. The stress is exactly the same for the crew watching as it is for the driver!”

Tander and Davison took part in the official V8 Supercar test day at Winton Motor Raceway last week (9 March), and stayed on the following day to again run laps in preparation for a very different looking series this year. Concentrating on setup, reliability, and for Davison, comfort in new surroundings, both drivers produced extremely competitive times – Davison officially second quickest on Day 1, Tander quicker again the next – but they have warned that blistering testing times proclaimed by some teams will count for nothing when they hit Adelaide’s streets this Friday.

“The speed of our Toll HRT Commodores was good; we weren’t concerned about heroics in trying to beat anyone else’s lap times – it wasn’t a chest beating exercise, we solely wanted to concentrate on our program,” said Tander, the 2007 V8 Supercar Champion who finished third in last year’s title chase. “At the end of the second day our speeds were very good. We are fairly confident that the cars are where we need them to be and we have sorted out areas of the car that we felt needed to be worked on from last year.

For team-mate Davison who will drive the team’s #22 VE Commodore, it was his first chance to sample a HRT machine and familiarise himself with his new surroundings. “It was definitely a good couple of days,” said Davison, who finished fifth in last year’s championship. “It was really beneficial to get myself acclimatised and by the second day I was starting to feel as one with the Commodore. We ran to a full schedule and did lots of laps. The most important thing is that I now feel comfortable in the car; I’m feeling confident in it and how best to drive it. We tested everything we could think of and practiced pit stops and the like. “I’ve spent a lot of time with my new team and have gotten to know everyone pretty well. They’re all really motivated, in good spirits and have great attitudes, and they’re a pleasure to be around. Everyone just wants to win, there is lots of experience within the team and it’s been really enjoyable – it’s made me look forward to the year even more.”

There are a raft of changes for teams to contend with in this year’s V8 Supercar Championship Series; a change to E85 ethanol-blended fuel, the return of the Top 10 Shootout and the abolishment of compulsory pit stops mean that this year’s season-opener will have a very different look and feel. “The fuel changes are going to be a big talking point for the Clipsal races, while the E85 program is important to Holden,” Tander said, with the Toll HRT Commodores carrying E85 logos and EcoLine branding signalling GM Holden’s new range of vehicles that use alternative fuels or fuel saving technology. “Based on what we’ve been seeing, the fuel windows will be a lot tighter and that’s going to make the races far more interesting – it’ll also give us an indication of who’s on top of their E85 program more than others. “I’m a big fan of the shootout and it’s a good format for the fans, so I’m very happy to see it back although I think it does take the shine away from the Bathurst race by doing shootouts at other rounds.”

Adelaide has always been a happy hunting ground for the Toll Holden Racing Team, with four overall victories in the Clipsal 500 (1999, 2001, 2002, 2003), eight individual race wins and two pole positions (2002, 2006).

But both drivers will have to contend with a modified turn 8 sweeper and various resurfacing work around the 3.2-kilometre street layout. “Clipsal is a very important race and I think we are going to be competitive and have a strong result,” said Davison. “I need to get through the race and get maximum miles on the weekend and I’m aiming for to stay up the pointy end of the track. I’m feeling more relaxed now that I’ve tested and want to get lots of points by having a clean run.”

Tander also understands that testing well at Winton does not necessarily translate into qualifying speed and race pace in Adelaide. “It’s always difficult to replicate the demands that Adelaide puts on the car in a test situation so you have to go based on previous experience there, and going on that last year our speeds were very good,” he said. “The car was very good in the race last year and we have improved it in a few areas so we have as good a shot as anyone else.”

Practice for the Clipsal 500 begins in Adelaide on Friday with qualifying and the top 10 shootout rounding out the day.

One 78-lap, 250-kilometre race will be held on Saturday with a second on Sunday.

And late in the day star Holden recruit Will Davison fought back for the Walkinshaw factory team along with Garry Rogers’ Motorsports Michael Caruso. Despite setting the early time Richards came home fourth on the day.

The Victorian-based V8 Supercar stars were on fire early on a day when more than $17,000 was raised for the Victorian Bushfire Appeal with around 6000 people attending. Winton Motor Raceway donated the voluntary contributions to the appeal.

The FPR duo of Winterbottom and Richards, second and eighth in last year’s Championship, sat atop the leader board for most of the day as the only Victorian-based Ford team before the late charge by the Holdens.

“It’s good to be flying the flag for the southerners,” said Richards who was pipped late in the day by his team-mate before Davison and Caruso also came through the pack.

“For sure it’s a nice way to come away from any day. I’d certainly rather be there than somewhere in the middle of the pack. It was a good start on a day where each car was focused on certain things in particular areas.”

Richards was most impressed by the first official day of action using the 85 per cent ethanol blend of CSR Ethanol.

“It was fantastic,” he said. “The one great thing was that there were hardly any fumes at all. That’s going to be such a huge bonus particularly at the street circuits where the fumes add so much to the fatigue factor when combined with the extreme heat and the endurance.

“It will particularly be a huge savior in at Adelaide next week for all of us. And the overall performance was absolutely spot-on, no issues whatsoever.” New team Kelly Racing got in the action late in the day with Rick Kelly pushing the Jack Daniel’s car into fifth ahead of Caruso’s team-mate Lee Holdsworth and Paul Dumbrell in the Walkinshaw prepared Autobarn Commodore next in line.

Action Racing’s Fujitsu Series driver Marcus Zukanovic suffered multiple leg fractures in an incident early in the day. A mechanical problem caused Zukanovic to miss the second last corner and collide with the safety barrier. He was taken to Wangaratta Hospital in good spirits despite the fractures that will prevent him from lining up at the season opener, the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide next week.

The action heads to Queensland Raceway tomorrow when the remaining teams take part in their northern test day. All proceeds from the day will go to the Queensland Flood Appeal.

Top 10 Lap Times:

1. Ford Performance Racing; Mark Winterbottom; Ford Falcon; 1:24.1057
2. Walkinshaw Racing; Will Davison; Holden Commodore; 1:24.3192
3. Garry Rogers Motorsport; Michael Caruso; Holden Commodore; 1:24.3245
4. Ford Performance Racing; Steven Richards; Ford Falcon; 1:24.3410
5. Kelly Racing; Rick Kelly; Holden Commodore; 1:24.5969
6. Garry Rogers Motorsport; Lee Holdsworth; Holden Commodore 1:24.6265
7. Walkinshaw Racing; Paul Dumbrell; Holden Commodore; 1:24.6734
8. Kelly Racing; Todd Kelly; Holden Commodore; 1:24.7138
9. Walkinshaw Racing; Garth Tander; Holden Commodore; 1:24.7162
10. Brad Jones Racing; Cameron McConville; Holden Commodore; 1:24.7448

The V8 Supercar Championship kicks off this weekend in Adelaide with teams still to get an accurate measure on the usage of the new E85 Ethanol fuel to be used for the championship this year. Teams have had one test day last week in Winton near Melbourne and Queensland Raceway, which was interupted by wet weather.

SBR’s Ross Stone and his SBR team manager David Stuart believe this weekend’s first round will be a real test on understanding the mileage with the new fuel mix. “I reckon it's looking at this stage like Adelaide will be won and lost on fuel,” Stone told the V8 Supercar website last week. While some teams reported computer management glitches associated with the E85 blended fuel, others were more happy. “I'm not aware of where we are at with horsepower and economy at this stage but on the track it revs up good, spins good and generally feels okay,” TeamVodafone driver Craig Lowndes said.

While the two 250km races on the weekend will give a much better indication, fuel calculations will be a real factor when the 30 cars head across the Tasman for the second round of the championship at the Hamilton 400 on 17-19 April.

Courtney’s old team-mate and sparring partner Russell Ingall was hot on his tail in the Supercheap Auto Commodore on a day when best times were set in the middle part of the day as rain played with any chance of quick times in the afternoon.

TeamVodafone’s Craig Lowndes was next in line from Wilson Security’s Fabian Coulthard with Lowndes’ Champion team-mate Jamie Whincup fifth fastest on a day when fuel testing appeared to be his team’s main goal.

Courtney switched to Jim Beam Racing at the end of last year after a strong but win-shy stretch at Stone Brothers Racing. He has made it clear that 2009 is his year to achieve more winning results.

“Pressure is what you make of it and no-one could put any more pressure on me than I do myself,” Courtney said. “There are two ways to look at pressure, you either hide from it or use it to your advantage. It was a productive day today that went to plan. To finish on top on your first day for a new team is always a good result.”

Courtney’s team-mate Steve Johnson was solid in sixth with Stone Brother’s Racings new recruit Alex Davison seventh. Supercheap Auto rookie Tim Slade was next in line on his debut in the Championship.

It was also the first hit-out for female driver Leanne Tander who joined her new Wilson Security outfit for the test day. Later this year Tander will become the first female driver at the endurance events in more than a decade.

The wife of 2007 V8 Supercar Champion Garth had a solid day behind the wheel. “Today is all about spending more time in the car and getting comfortable with it. I’m about where I thought I would be at this point,” Tander said. “The team is really committed to giving me plenty of laps in the car and they will take all of those opportunities for me to get laps. I’m used to being the female in a man’s world so to me it’s no different but the team has been fantastic. When you go to a new team and they don’t know you and you are a girl they don’t always trust what you are saying but that’s not the case here.”

It was also comeback day for Jim Beam Racing’s Grant Denyer who returns to the Fujitsu Series in 2009 following a major back injury last year.

Denyer was 14th on the time sheets on a day where getting re-adjusted following the severe injury seemed the paramount goal from the test day.

Top 10 Results:

1. Jim Beam Racing; James Courtney; FG Falcon; 1:11.1119
2. Supercheap Auto Racing; Russell Ingall; Commodore VE; 1:11.2424
3. Team Vodafone; Craig Lowndes; FG Falcon; 1:11.2812
4. Wilson Security Racing; Fabian Coulthard; FG Falcon; 1:11.4823
5. Team Vodafone; Jamie Whincup; FG Falcon; 1:11.6609
6. Jim Beam Racing; Steven Johnson; FG Falcon; 1:11.6678
7. Stone Brothers Racing; Alex Davison; FG Falcon; 1:11.8996
8. Supercheap Auto Racing; Tim Slade; Commodore VE; 1:12.0585
9. Stone Brothers Racing; Shane Van Gisbergen; FG Falcon; 1:12.0792
10. Britek Motorsport; Jason Bright; Falcon BF; 1:12.2240

And late in the day star Holden recruit Will Davison fought back for the Walkinshaw factory team along with Garry Rogers’ Motorsports Michael Caruso. Despite setting the early time Richards came home fourth on the day.

The Victorian-based V8 Supercar stars were on fire early on a day when more than $17,000 was raised for the Victorian Bushfire Appeal with around 6000 people attending. Winton Motor Raceway donated the voluntary contributions to the appeal.

The FPR duo of Winterbottom and Richards, second and eighth in last year’s Championship, sat atop the leader board for most of the day as the only Victorian-based Ford team before the late charge by the Holdens.

“It’s good to be flying the flag for the southerners,” said Richards who was pipped late in the day by his team-mate before Davison and Caruso also came through the pack.

“For sure it’s a nice way to come away from any day. I’d certainly rather be there than somewhere in the middle of the pack. It was a good start on a day where each car was focused on certain things in particular areas.”

Richards was most impressed by the first official day of action using the 85 per cent ethanol blend of CSR Ethanol.

“It was fantastic,” he said. “The one great thing was that there were hardly any fumes at all. That’s going to be such a huge bonus particularly at the street circuits where the fumes add so much to the fatigue factor when combined with the extreme heat and the endurance.

“It will particularly be a huge savior in at Adelaide next week for all of us. And the overall performance was absolutely spot-on, no issues whatsoever.” New team Kelly Racing got in the action late in the day with Rick Kelly pushing the Jack Daniel’s car into fifth ahead of Caruso’s team-mate Lee Holdsworth and Paul Dumbrell in the Walkinshaw prepared Autobarn Commodore next in line.

Action Racing’s Fujitsu Series driver Marcus Zukanovic suffered multiple leg fractures in an incident early in the day. A mechanical problem caused Zukanovic to miss the second last corner and collide with the safety barrier. He was taken to Wangaratta Hospital in good spirits despite the fractures that will prevent him from lining up at the season opener, the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide next week.

The action heads to Queensland Raceway tomorrow when the remaining teams take part in their northern test day. All proceeds from the day will go to the Queensland Flood Appeal.

Top 10 Lap Times:

1. Ford Performance Racing; Mark Winterbottom; Ford Falcon; 1:24.1057
2. Walkinshaw Racing; Will Davison; Holden Commodore; 1:24.3192
3. Garry Rogers Motorsport; Michael Caruso; Holden Commodore; 1:24.3245
4. Ford Performance Racing; Steven Richards; Ford Falcon; 1:24.3410
5. Kelly Racing; Rick Kelly; Holden Commodore; 1:24.5969
6. Garry Rogers Motorsport; Lee Holdsworth; Holden Commodore 1:24.6265
7. Walkinshaw Racing; Paul Dumbrell; Holden Commodore; 1:24.6734
8. Kelly Racing; Todd Kelly; Holden Commodore; 1:24.7138
9. Walkinshaw Racing; Garth Tander; Holden Commodore; 1:24.7162
10. Brad Jones Racing; Cameron McConville; Holden Commodore; 1:24.7448

The project comes after 10 years in the sport for the Kelly family and with the blessing and major support of Holden.

The move will make Todd and Rick Kelly the only owner-drivers in the series, which will consist of 14 championship venues this year throughout Australia, New Zealand and Bahrain.

“We are extremely excited to have built what we have from scratch by combining 10 years of family knowledge, some first class sponsorship partners and the passion and enthusiasm of the Kelly Racing employees,” said Todd Kelly.

“Holden has been critical in the whole process and are providing significant support as we drive forward with all of our plans. “The enthusiasm and morale around our race shop is just awesome and everyone is itching to get out on the race track. “This is by far the most exciting time of my racing career and to put together what we have in a pretty short period of time is outstanding and an absolute credit to all our guys. “Jack Daniel’s is a fantastic company and brand to be in partnership with and to have solid support from Dodo for Jack (Perkins) is very pleasing this early in our development.”

Rick Kelly believes this new concept is going to be a significant change for his career and one he cannot wait to tackle head-on. “This is something very different from what I have been used to and it brings me to a new chapter in my career,” said Rick Kelly. “I am looking forward to being able to have more input and involvement in the day-to-day operations as well as race weekends. “I think everyone involved in this program over the last few months has learnt a lot about teamwork and if the passion being shown behind the doors at Kelly Racing is any indication, then I think we are going to be competitive.”

Holden Motorsport boss, Simon McNamara, said that Kelly Racing would give Holden fans plenty to cheer about throughout the year. “Todd and Rick Kelly have been tremendous ambassadors for Holden, Holden Motorsport and our associated brands for many years,” said McNamara. “Both drivers have been successful in their own right and possess so many of the key elements needed to be successful in this business.”

The Jack Daniel’s Racing Holdens will hit the track at Winton in North-East Victoria tomorrow for a initial shakedown, while all four Kelly Racing entries will return for an official V8 Supercar test day on Monday, March 9.

A striking new livery design for the IRWIN Industrial Tools entry complements the new styling cues of the FG Falcon, which will make its race debut at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide on 19-22 March before heading to New Zealand for the second round at the Hamilton 400 on 17-19 April.

2009 marks a new partnership between Alex Davison, Stone Brothers Racing, and IRWIN Industrial Tools and all three parties are delighted with this year’s look.

For brothers Jimmy and Ross Stone, the unveiling of the car marks the completion of the first step of Stone Brothers Racing's FG Ford Falcon programme.

"The team has worked really well to build the new FG Falcon and everyone at SBR is excited about the first test and the 2009 season in general," said Ross Stone.

"There is so much potential in not only the car, but also Alex and our partnership with IRWIN Industrial Tools. We are very proud in our team’s history and its successes. It would be very special to add to that with the IRWIN Racing Falcon in 2009."

The IRWIN Racing Ford will go through further technical checks and updates ahead of its first shakedown on March 9, before a full day’s test at Queensland Raceway on March 11.

John is excited about the new arrangement and the future of TKR, as they concentrate on rebuilding to a top level team.

It is also returning to known ground, with TKR campaigning with a PMM prepared car from 2004 to 2006 until their disasterous crash at Bathurst.

"The last two years especially have been a struggle both on and off the track but the change back to familiar surroundings is one we are looking forward to,Mr John said. "This year we celebrate our 10th Anniversary and I am confident that we will be competitive with a car and support from Paul Morris Motorsport. We've compaigned two cars with them previous and both provided a solid race package while they will provide us with excellent back-up support."

Team Kiwi Racing will retain their head office and their base in New Zeald with the race team sharing facilities at PMM's headquarters of The Driving Centre in Queensland.

TKR purchased their first car from PMM in 2004 which Craig Baird put on pole position at Winton and the second PMM built car was purchased brand new for Paul Radisich which he put on the podium in China and was subsequently written off at Bathurst in 2006.

TKR will announce their driver along with new livery and new sponsor announcements in the coming weeks.

The V8 Supercar Championship begins with the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide on 20-22 March with the second round in New Zealand at the Hamilton 400 on April 17-19.

Champion drivers Murphy, Cameron McConville, Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup were on hand to launch the new attraction at Dreamworld following a two heat competition against members of the public that saw a local Coomera police officer out drive one of the pros and make it into the final race of four. Murphy was eventually crowned King of the virtual mountain with the fastest lap time of 2 minutes 22.22 seconds.

Fitted with collision detection and real dynamic mechanical vibration, V8 Supercars RedLine straps challengers into a 360 degree racing world, with motion cues to support the streaming action on extra wide screens in front of the cars. Drivers feel the roar of the motor as they pit asphalt against controls and follow in the tread marks of the legendary drivers.

Dreamworld CEO, Noel Dempsey said the team was determined to bring the simulator racing cars to Australia after first experiencing them in the USA. The trick was to adapt the technology to Australian conditions.

“Nothing thunders through the body like the roar of a V8 engine and nothing appeals to Australian driving enthusiasts more than the battle at Bathurst. We’ve brought the technology from the US and partnered with what is at heart a deeply revered Aussie sport, V8 Supercars racing.

Mr Dempsey added that RedLine racing is as real as it gets without spending half a million dollars building a car and taking it track side.

“The attention to detail is incredible. You can actually feel the asphalt push against the steering wheel as you work through turns and chicanes,” he said. “Drivers also compete against 21 computer generated drone cars that scream in and out of peripheral vision on the three display screens.

“Even the rear view mirror shows the on-track action as challengers creep close enough to clip your bumper. Just like a real race, you can also experience the jarring impact of a crash at high speeds.”

The V8 Supercars RedLine opens racing to a broader community, including enthusiasts not old enough or not deep pocketed enough to experience the real thing.

Explained GM Operations, Rob Buchanan, “Sitting in a real V8 Supercar and racing champion drivers is something that very few people get to do, but the RedLine experience gives Dreamworld guests the chance to dice with the pros for the fastest time in a virtual world.”

Dreamworld’s V8 Supercars RedLine costs $10 per Driver’s Passes and $5.00 per Passenger Pass and can be booked at www.dreamworld.com.au.

This coupled with negligible civil works required around the track should make for significantly less impact on the Frankton area. “We have listened to local business and residents and also looked at how we did things in the first year,” Hamilton 400 Event Director, Steve Vuleta said. “We have changed the order of the build this year and early installation will be in areas of least amount of impact as possible on local business. “Our calculations on timing were pretty-well spot on last year. But this year we have changed the order of the track build which will make a real difference. “And after one year we have some experience in knowing exactly how it pieces together.”

Construction on the block walls for the track will begin in early March on the railway side of High St and the stadium side of Mill St. Businesses will have vehicle access to their properties right up to the Thursday prior to the event, and the organisers have met with a number of businesses to work through any individual needs. Race organisers continue to work closely with the Frankton Community Group and continue to support initiatives to further business opportunity in the area.

Mr Vuleta said further contracts have been let to Frankton business, with local security firm ADT picking up a multi-year contract for security services that will exceed $1 million over the term. Construction on grandstands continues with work to start on the Main Grandstand this week. “We have been given earlier access which means we should be able to construct this grandstand during the day to again lessen impact on residents with any night work. “The track and grandstand construction teams are up and running now. There’s a tremendous amount of work to be done but we are confident that with our revised planning disruption will be less than the first year whilst remaining on schedule.”

All businesses and residents on or inside the track will be sent a track build map and schedule this week, and it will be updated on the event website, www.Hamilton 400.co.nz.

A former open-wheel star that test drove Formula One, Davison began his V8 Supercar career in 2004 driving a Holden. The grandson of Australian Grand Prix legend, Lex Davison, said he was delighted to claim the most coveted seat in V8 Supercar racing. “It’s a wonderful honour to drive for the Holden Racing Team, the absolute highlight of my career to date,” Davison said. “HRT is the elite motorsport outfit in Australia and the team every young driver wants to join. “It is renowned for its professionalism and has a proud track record of success. “I can’t wait to be a part of that.”

Tander is also hungry for success, determined to regain the title he won in 2007. “I began my preparation for the season immediately after the final round of 2008 at Oran Park,” Tander said. “I’ve kept my fitness up since then, I didn’t take any time off over the break and I’m working through a solid pre-season. “Having Will on board this year and being able to push each other to success will be great for our team. “He’s on the verge of some real success in this category, so that’s going to be good for the team, good for Holden and all our sponsors.”

Davison and Tander will pilot identical VE Commodores featuring the striking day-glo red and white elements of last season’s livery, with added black and grey accents to create a fresh new look. Team owner of the Toll Holden Racing Team, Tom Walkinshaw, promised HRT fans the team had a renewed focus on delivering results on the track in 2009. “We’re determined to return HRT to racing success and today’s announcements confirm our intentions.” Walkinshaw Racing CEO Craig Wilson said Davison’s signing meant Toll HRT had an experienced, recognisable duo heading up the factory team. “Will and Garth Tander are not only talented drivers, but also terrific young men who will push each other to greater heights throughout the V8 Supercar season,” he said. “I know both of them can’t wait to get behind the wheel of their VE Commodores for the first race in Adelaide in just six weeks time.”

HRT’s trademark “helmet and lion” graphic returns to the cars’ flanks this year. The HRT Commodores will also carry EcoLine branding on the roof and rear diffuser, signalling GM Holden’s new range of vehicles that use alternative fuels or fuel-saving technology. The signage reinforces the category’s move to an environmentally friendlier E85 ethanol-blended fuel this season.

GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director Mark Reuss said Holden’s tradition of taking knowledge from its motorsport program for the development of its road cars will become even more important in 2009. “Over the years our involvement in motorsport has meant more to the development of the Holden brand than simply race wins and championships,” he said. “It’s been central to our research and development efforts to provide the best possible road-going vehicles for Australian drivers. “What we learn on the track helps guide our production car development. “That will become more important than ever in 2009 when V8 Supercars move to running on E85 ethanol fuel.

“The knowledge gained by HRT from using E85 will be important as we take a leadership position on ethanol and become the first local manufacturer to make its road cars capable of running on the fuel.” International freight and logistics company Toll continues with its naming rights sponsorship of HRT, and are again joined by Mobil which, with a new three year contract, extends its tenure with the team to 18 years. Holden Special Vehicles will have a significant presence on the side of the HRT Commodores, with the team also welcoming Delphi and NEC as new sponsors.

This coupled with negligible civil works required around the track should make for significantly less impact on the Frankton area. “We have listened to local business and residents and also looked at how we did things in the first year,” Hamilton 400 Event Director, Steve Vuleta said. “We have changed the order of the build this year and early installation will be in areas of least amount of impact as possible on local business. “Our calculations on timing were pretty-well spot on last year. But this year we have changed the order of the track build which will make a real difference. “And after one year we have some experience in knowing exactly how it pieces together.”

Construction on the block walls for the track will begin in early March on the railway side of High St and the stadium side of Mill St.

Businesses will have vehicle access to their properties right up to the Thursday prior to the event, and the organisers have met with a number of businesses to work through any individual needs. Race organisers continue to work closely with the Frankton Community Group and continue to support initiatives to further business opportunity in the area.

Mr Vuleta said further contracts have been let to Frankton business, with local security firm ADT picking up a multi-year contract for security services that will exceed $1 million over the term. Construction on grandstands continues with work to start on the Main Grandstand this week. “We have been given earlier access which means we should be able to construct this grandstand during the day to again lessen impact on residents with any night work. “The track and grandstand construction teams are up and running now. There’s a tremendous amount of work to be done but we are confident that with our revised planning disruption will be less than the first year whilst remaining on schedule.” All businesses and residents on or inside the track will be sent a track build map and schedule this week, and it will be updated on the event website, www.Hamilton 400.co.nz.

For further information contact:

Ian Hepenstall

Sports Media NZ Ltd
T: 0275 613181
E: ian@sportsmedianz.com

PCR have signed a new major sponsor and significantly have entered into an exclusive commercial agreement with Triple Eight Race Engineering, owners of the championship-winning team of Jamie Whincup who also won Bathurst with team-mate Craig Lowndes, according to a report from Bigpond Sport today.

Coulthard has signed up for another two years with the team and will drive a brand new FG Falcon with Wilson Security livery. Wilson Security, a sponsor with PCR in 2008, will become a major sponsor this year following the withdrawal of Glenfords Tools.

Patrizi will join Coulthard, running an Ausdrill liveried BF Falcon, it was reported. The Western Australian debuted in V8 Supercars with the now-defunct Ford Rising Stars Racing (FRSR).

Ausdrill, founded in Western Australian, was the main FRSR sponsor and the international drilling and mining company has moved its sponsorship across to PCR with Patrizi.

The second licence for PCR to run as a two-car team has been obtained from Jason Bright.

Bigpond Sport also reported that this comes on top of a deal that will see the team run what are arguably the best Falcons in V8 Supercars.

PCR have entered into an exclusive commercial agreement for full ongoing technical and engineering support from Triple Eight Race Engineering. While Triple Eight supply a number of teams with the cars, PCR will be the only team besides TeamVodafone to get such an extensive level of support.

Coulthard, who impressed to finish 13th overall in the championship in 2008, will debut the brand new Wilson Security FG at the Clipsal 500 in March, while Patrizi will use Coulthard's 2008 BF chassis.