Wayne Wakefield

[Ray Bell]

There's a lot of mention of this guy in the Club Cars thread, but rather than put my views in that thread, I'll post them in a new one and get some serious discussion going.

First, back a few years, there was a wet meeting at Lakeside for the ATCC round. In a Club Car race he had the length of the straight over an RX7 as he led in the old wagon... by the second lap!

In other words, when it comes to driving ability, Wayne has daylight in second place.

Then, about three years ago, the Commodore Cup cars visited his spiritual home. He was given a one-off drive... rather, someone bought him a drive... and he got pole by about a second. An unheard of margin in that class.

Some of the top runners were talking to John Bowe after practice and asking what it was with him, why they couldn't come near to matching his times. Bowe attributed it to local knowledge....

Race day came and the series protagonists approached him and told him "We're racing for a title here, don't get in our way!" He walked away staggered at their gall, that they would ask him to bow at his one big chance to show his talent in an equal car and defer to them!

So he didn't get in their way... no, sir, he had a cold-tyre lap that blistered their chances off the results sheet!

And won the race by a margin rarely seen as well.

That doesn't come with 'local knowledge'...

The guy manages a tyre store, he has supporters who help him find money to drive... because he is fast!

Anyone doubting this should have been there the day he set his lap record in the old station wagon. Sure it had plenty of power... but there was not less than 6" of axle hop under the back end as he turned into the corner under the Shell Bridge... no place to be mucking around.

I've seen many drivers race at Lakeside, and in tintops the ones who are on the "that impressed me" list are:

Pete Geoghegan
Lakis Manticas
John French

Wakefield has to join them.

Moreover, he is clean in his racing, not given to biff and barge, but fast enough to have anyone with latent jealousies start saying he's a biffer to give him a bad name.

[Peter Mallett]

There are some natural talents which just go to waste. I used to race against a guy called Neil McCann. Neil could drive just about anything quickly. We raced together for a couple of seasons and although I took some lap records and wins, over the two years he twice beat me to the title.

However, I did try to secure him some sponsorship but because of his success, he was labelled a cheater. Not true as far as I was concerned. He gave up to get married in '94 and I haven't seen him since.

[elephino]

Wayne is an absolute talent. I've seen him run rings around Amaroo Park, and that definitely isn't from local knowledge.

[Ray Bell]

While I agree that local knowledge counts, it's not so important with the number of private laps people tend to do these days. Lakeside is one of the most important places to have it, and Amaroo must have ranked about third...

No, just raw talent.

[Crash Test]

There is no denying it- the bloke is an absolute legend. Add to Lakeside, the Club Car lap records at places like Oran Park, Eastern Creek, and where ever else he has driven.

Also at the first Commodore Cup meeting at Lakeside in 1998, he allowed us to stick our website stickers on his car, so he is a top bloke in that respect too

Saying that, all of the talent in the world doesn't get you anywhere without money. He tested the Gibson Motorsport Young Lions car back in 1998, and impressed them enough to get offered the drive. But then he needed the money, something Steve Ellery had.... imagine where WW would be these days if he had the full time drive with a level 1 team that long ago?

Also, at Bathurst and the QLD 500 in 1999, in the ex-Heffernan car, he was inside the top 20 in practice....that is relly quite a feat.

Probably my favourite WW moments happened at Lakeside's kink. In one race, on a charge from the rear in the "Shaggin Wagon", he came up to the leader of the race down the straight. Ok, so he takes the outside line around the kink...until the other car moved over. On as close to full lock as possible, he was in the dirt and didn't lift for a second. Incredible.

Then a few years later he was out test driving on of Phil Laird's new RX7s. It was a practice day, so I was walking back from the Karussell along the top of the concrete wall. Second lap in a brand new car he comes screaming around the kink with an armfull of lock, never flinching...but as for myself, never have I been so ****scared in my life!

Also who would forget the Lakeside Konica round last year? The car he was driving was in hindsight an absolute dud by Konica Series standards, let alone Stone Brothers standards. The fact that he was able to keep up with Besnard was amazing.

He's not afraid to back himself- he knows that if he throws a car into a corner, he can pull it out...

[Ray Bell]

I think he's the best I've seen since Michael Lance... would be nice to see him in an open-wheeler, and I don't think FF except to teach him a bit of humility or background for three or four races...

[Crash Test]

I'm sure if anyone could talk their way into a open wheeler drive it would be WW.

Really there isn't much he hasn't driven in tin tops. Geminis, HQs, Club Cars/Improved Production, Super Touring, V8 Supercars, GTP, Commodore Cup....

But in that mix he has raced for 3 different GTP teams, 2 Super Touring teams, and 3 V8 teams. It'd be good if a team like DJR would give him a test...but I'm certain they'll pick some rich kid Formula Ford driver...

[Ray Bell]

And I think he's had to find the money for all too many of those drives... you're right, he should have the HRT or someone chase him to cultivate and keep them at the forefront.

Maybe CAT? heh heh...

[Crash Test]

Hmmm, he has gotten a lot of freebys over the years.

In 1997 he had the drive in the SuperCheap Autos BMW Super Tourer, and did exceptionally well at the first round at Lakeside, but then the deal fell over.

Then of course he was given the drive with Mal Rea at Bathurst in 1998....with all due respect to everyone involved, that car had absolutely no right to be running in the top 10 of such an international field.

I'm not sure what the deal was with him in the Rotary Beat RX7 GTP car, but he was given the co-drive with John Trimbole at the 1997 Bathurst 3-hour. John also gave WW the drive at the 1999 AGP support race in the V8s, that was fantastic, and a fantastic car (which coincidently was the HYL car that he could have run at Gibson...). But then John was going to ask for $20,000 a sprint meeting, money WW didn't have.

There was also the drive of Peter Roma's puke green and blue RX7 last year, yet again an old car that had no right to get on the podium... The idea was to give the new team some exposure, and I think he did the job well.

Then in 1999 Charles Ryman, whom WW had done considerable testing for in the past, got him in the seat at Hidden Valley and QR, where he won top privateer on the day, and lead the privateers dash convincingly before a minor off. That car was apparently very well past its used by date...

Also he had a drive in the Owen Parkinson car at Sandown, but he did have to pay for that.

He was lucky to link up with Dave Skillender from Graphic Skills. Dave probably gets more enjoyment out of watching his gun race, rather than race himself (he's raced HQs for many years). Sadly at the moment the money isn't there for him to have a full campaign, but they will apparently be making a start at Lakeside. I've the car in the workshop (it's the ex-Heffo car, fully rebuilt since the Canto stack in 1999) and it looks a treat. I can't wait

[DAVID PATERSON]

Crash, you know how i feel about this topic. WW has a few knockers, they say he's a cheater, or a push and shover or a car breaker, but every last one of them is just plain jealous of the fact that he can run rings around them all.

It really is a shame that he hasn't been in this year's Konica series, what a waste. Maybe FF is compulsory for V8 Supercar drivers, don't ask me why, i have no idea.

A couple of minor corrections, the Mal Rea Carina at Bathurst was a freebie, until the 11th hour, when Wayne had to rush aroud and find sponsorship from Motorama. Also, he paid good, hard money out of his own pocket for the ST BMW drive and was soundly screwed there.

He also had a drive in my car too. Though that was free. On a damp track with only the racing line dry, he did only 3 laps, each was just a second slower than my best ever!

[Crash Test]

Oh my God! How come you have never told me that before? Wow, I've been in a car that WW has driven.....

[DAVID PATERSON]

Yesterday, Wayne had his first race in 10 months. Driving the repaired ex-Heffernan VS he did very well at Lakeside in Round 5 of the Konica V8 Supercar series. Not only did he qualify 4th in a field of 23 cars, impressive on it's own, but he was faster than any Ford, AU or EL, fastest VS and fastest of the true privateers. He qualified the car with 52.3s lap! Amazingly he went even faster on sunday morning, with a 52.1 in the warm-up!

In race 1, he started 4th and kept his nose clean, didn;t put a foot wrong and finished 2nd. With the bull**** reverse grid rule he had to start 8th for race 2. Again, he drove very cleanly and faultlessly and pulled off some fabulous passes and finished 4th. In the last race, he came from 4th on the grid, put in another faultless, clean drive, made a couple more great passes and finished 2nd again, to be second overall for the day. Not bad for a bloke having a one-off go in an old car.

One day, a top Shell series team will realise that it's the team manger's job to find the money, not the bloody driver and then he should get a seat he deserves.

[marcus]

Ive only seen Wayne race On TV and never in the flesh but from what I have seen he is the real deal ..very quick and just does it so effortlessly...and Ive just looked at the results from the konica round at Lakeside and i would have to say that was just amazing...all I can add is politics sux..he should be in a top car for the enduro's at least and then a full time ride for next year..why someone doesnt pick him up I will never know...never saw the wagon race at all but from all accounts it was something special.

dont worry wayne if i win lotto i will buy you a drive for bathurst my boy..and from what ive seen you desrve the chance to win the damm thing.

all this from a non queenslander as well

[Ray Bell]

Problem is that this effort was at Lakeside, where the likes of John Bowe can continue to say, "Well, local knowledge counts for so much at Lakeside..." and others can simply shrug and ask when he's due for his big one... and I mean crash there!

To the impartial observer, his ability is quite clear, but to get into a team at Bathurst he must avoid threatening a top driver... if you know what I mean?

And get past that thought that he's on the brink of some disaster.

[marcus]

well the old reverand limiter in auto fiction gave him a heck of a write up this week..hopefully his performance and the fact that many people feel he deserves the chance will spur a top team into action..maybe even Larko could give him a run ???

anything is possible

[Crash Test]

The good Reverand was right though, the crowd went into a frenzy whenever he made a pass. In fact, I never remember the crowd getting behind a single driver like that before, even say Dick Johnson...