CAMS National Racing Championships Round 5 Mallala

[Kerri]

CAMS NATIONAL RACING CHAMPIONSHIPS

PREVIEW
Round 5, Mallala, 24-25 June

Some of Australia’s fastest cars will be at Mallala for the multiple category national championship event this weekend.

The Australian GT Championship, Australian Formula Three Championship, Australian Saloon Car Championship, Commodore Cup National Series and the Superkart Nationals will all be on the same program, with a full day of racing on Sunday 25th.

The Championship series is ‘by the racers, for the racers’, but it does provide motor racing fans with an opportunity to see top quality motor racing and get close to the teams and cars in the pit paddock. See the new Ferrari F430 in full race trim, thumping V8 Commodores and 36 Saloon Cars trying to take turn one!

The Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship for the CAMS Gold Star heads to Mallala with SA based British driver Ben Clucas some 28 points ahead of nearest rival Michael Trimble.

The battle is developing into a classic South Australia (Clucas and Team BRM) versus Victoria (Trimble and Astuti Motorsport) affair, with Mallala a key round in the race for the Gold Star, Australia's most prestigious motorsport award.

Leanne Tander, wife of V8 Supercar ace Garth, heads to Mallala having completed a number of test days at the circuit prior to the start of the season, whilst Victorian Tim Macrow is a former pole sitter at the circuit and will be a contender.

The Gold Star will be battled out over two races Sunday.

20 cars representing four prestige manufacturers will roar into Adelaide for the first visit to South Australia from the Speed Energy Drink Australian GT Championship.

Local favorite and defending champion Bryce Washington will be the most likely to win in the series’ first visit to the South Australian track, local knowledge playing a key role in taking the ADRAD Porsche GT3 to the top.

Greg Crick will look to use the horsepower of his thundering Dodge Viper GTS, whilst the stunning new Ferrari F430’s of John Teulan and David Stevens will also be ones to watch.

The 20-car field includes cars from Porsche, Dodge, Ferrari, and Lotus.

The Supaloc Australian Saloon Car Championship makes a welcome return to the CAMS Nationals after skipping the Phillip Island round last month. The Ford versus Holden will be alive and well….six cylinder style, with a big grid of 36 Falcons & Commodores from across the nation.

Boosting the field of cars from WA and the eastern states will be the one-off entries from the South Australian state series, including Grace Monterosso, who has had the baton passed on from her father and former Sports Sedan Racer, Mick Monterosso.

South Australians drivers continue to do well in the series, filling two of the top four spots after three outings. Local driver and 2005 Champion, Bruce Heinrich, has taken some time to settle his ‘new’ AU Falcon, but is sitting in second place with 280 points, behind the series leader, Clint Harvey from WA who has 296 points.

Also from SA, John Goodacre has his Holden Commodore in fourth place, just behind Queenslander Kris Walton, who is driving one of the three AU Falcons in the top four places.

Arguably Australia’s most competitive one-make series, the V8 thunder of the Ebanc Trade Commodore Cup National series will descend on Mallala following some of the best racing of the season at Phillip Island three weeks ago.

Following a wet and wild Phillip Island weekend, Daniel Richert now leads the series after three rounds, with Christian D’Agostin and Marcus Zukanovic hard on his heals.

The three have produced some of the closest and most competitive racing of any category this season and head into round four closer than ever.

Series stalwart David Gittus, Brett Holdsworth and Tony Bates lead an 18-strong field of VS and VH Commodores ready to rumble at Mallala.

The Nationals provides an ideal opportunity for several race car categories to contest their Australian Championship rounds, which will always guarantee great racing, irrespective of the category. For Australia’s best Superkarts, Mallala will host the one-off 85cc Gearbox and 125cc RotaxMax national title event.

The 125 RotaxMax class has a strong following in SA, which has boosted an already impressive entry list of entrants from across Australia to 42 karts, all looking to take home a number ‘1’ plate.

Qualifying Saturday: $15 Races Sunday: $25
Weekend Passes $35 Free Grandstands
Kids U14 Free Gates open at 8am

www.mallala.com

[SRabbit]

Would have been nice if they had the 430's at Oran Park last month - only the 1 360 was running - oh well - any word when/if the Lambo will be playing?

sounds like a good weekend though....

[Kerri]

Originally Posted by SRabbit

Would have been nice if they had the 430's at Oran Park last month - only the 1 360 was running - oh well - any word when/if the Lambo will be playing?

sounds like a good weekend though....

Sorry SR I have no idea about the Lambo, I'm just the messenger.
I think it will be a good weekend of racing, but the weather forecast isn't looking to good at the moment.
Anyone going would be well advised to rug up especially for the mornings, it has been freezing for the last week where I am and I know Mallala is at least 2 to 5 Decrees colder, but the days are fine and sunny.

[Group'C']

.
Greg Crick was at Symmons Plains the weekend running in a new motor. He said in an Interview on the TV that good Brakes would be a help at Mallala !!

[D.R.T.]

Hackett said at Bathurst that TLA were looking at doing a full assault on the 2007 championship with the GT3 Gallardo. They might be out a the last couple of rounds this year to get some running in the car, but that was only a maybe.

[Chucky]

They have to sell the old ones first.

[RS500]

I'll be there, looking forward to the hearing the viper again - been too long between visits to adelaide.

[XW GT]

I will be at the Mallala round, and instead of looking forward to seeing the "Lambo" or the "Viper", I will be looking forward to seeing real racing with passing and rubbing in the Commodore Cup and Saloon Car races. The GT cars do sound good but that is about all!
Racing is what it is all about, and Commodore Cup and Saloon Cars are the only categories on the program that deliver the goods (in my opinion).;

[SRabbit]

have to say when out at Oran park in may I really enjoyed Commodore Cup - I only saw qualifying on saturday but they mostly seem to run 5 litre V8's so they sound like 'those other' cars, but with $4,000,000 less worth of suspension and tyres they certainly put on a show!!

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by Chucky

They have to sell the old ones first.

Would not make a bad Thundersports car.

[Richard Craill]

..but they mostly seem to run 5 litre V8's so they sound like 'those other' cars, but with $4,000,000 less worth of suspension and tyres they certainly put on a show!!

CCup cars run 253ci (4.2L) engines in a reasonable state of tune apparantly. It has produced, in my opinion, some of the best racing i've seen. It's great stuff!

Should be a good weekend.. hope to see plenty of people out there.

[Kerri]

Me too Richard, hopefully the weather will be better than they forecast.
They are usually wrong, but as stated before, it will be cold so bring your thermal undies.
Or you can always come down to the SC Hospitality shed and grab a nice hot coffee or tea

[Chucky]

Originally Posted by D.R.T.

Would not make a bad Thundersports car.

Would make a great Marque Sports car for the State series.

Hhhmmm, with a decent driver, could it be the first State Series car to set the fastest tin top time at PI?

[00 XR8]

Originally Posted by Kerri

Sorry SR I have no idea about the Lambo, I'm just the messenger.
I think it will be a good weekend of racing, but the weather forecast isn't looking to good at the moment.
Anyone going would be well advised to rug up especially for the mornings, it has been freezing for the last week where I am and I know Mallala is at least 2 to 5 Decrees colder, but the days are fine and sunny.

Fine and sunny maybe, windy as hell definitely

I shall be there, looking forward to some good racing. Haven't been to Mallala since Easter, and it is always good to see some live racing.

Disappointing that the Vic State Series didn't come over for a round this year.

[Richard Craill]

Really good weather today folks.. Very nice indeed.

Track timing was operating for F3s and GTs today - F3 times are available on www.formula3.com.au

GT Times are as follows.

1. Washington - Porsche GT3 Cup Car - 1m10.59
2. Koundouris (J) - Porsche GT3 Cup Car - 1m10.70
3. David Stevens - Ferrari F430 Challenge - 1m10.80
4. Max Twigg - Porsche GT3 Cup Car - 1m11.03
5. David Wall - Porscge GT3 RS - 1m11.06
6. Koundouris (T) - Porsche GT3 Cup Car - 1m11.28
7. Greg Crick - Dodge Viper GTS ACR - 1m11.49
8. John Teulan - Ferrari F430 Challenge - 1m12.39

Sorry - only recorded top 8 combined times as timesheets weren't in abundance!

Hope to see lots out this weekend!

[Kerri]

Agreed RC, the weather was great, shame there weren't any times for SC, but It keeps them guessing.
No rain forecast at all now for the next few days, just cold mornings, plenty of sunshine & good racing to come.

[Richard Craill]

Cold Mornings.. A bit of fog... chilly breeze when the clowds come out... Typical Mallala, really!

Plenty of Saloons out there today.. Good to see a couple of the local State Series Guys and Girls there too. Had to chuckle when they started forming up for practice outside the dummy grid area.. so many of the things!

[Kerri]

I like seeing them on the grid lined up half way around the esses, kind of reminds me of when I raced HQ's years back, I was always back there, couldn't see the flags or the lights I had to get in a position so I could see the guys at the front so when they took off so did I, about the only thing I had against the rest of them around me at the back, I could pass up to 7 or 8 cars before turn 1, they never did figure out how I did it. But by turn 3 they had all passed me again I certainly was never a Leanne Tander, but hey it was great fun anyway.

[RS500]

Not a bad day some great racing and fortunately only a few accidents, very cold though. I don't know what the other CAMS rounds are like but i think that its the smallest crowd I have ever seen.

Saloon cars looked great winding down around the corners.

[Richard Craill]

Actually I thought the crowd was reasonable. A heap of people were around at turn five parked on the hill, whilst there were also people along the back stretch and on the run towards seven. It wasnt huge but it was a step forward from the same meeting last year and something to build on.

As long as the promoter, the competitors and the spectators that were there were happy, it's all good!

I had fun

[birtek]

I for one was happy, couldnt stay till the end, but I stayed till after the second Formula 3 race.

After going home a little annoyed at the easter historics with the facilities - ie cold hot food etc, the Lions Van was a welcome hot food treat, and boy was the hot food required - it was cold.

[Chucky]

Originally Posted by Richard Craill

I had fun

Well, that's all that matters then, isn't it?

[Silver 3]

Originally Posted by Richard Craill

Actually I thought the crowd was reasonable. A heap of people were around at turn five parked on the hill, whilst there were also people along the back stretch and on the run towards seven. It wasnt huge but it was a step forward from the same meeting last year and something to build on.

As long as the promoter, the competitors and the spectators that were there were happy, it's all good!

I had fun

You are from Adelaide are you not.Enough said.

[Rombles1]

I take it you mean that we in Adelaide know how to have a good time?????

[Richard Craill]

Well, that's all that matters then, isn't it?

Naturally

You are from Adelaide are you not.Enough said.

Why does where I'm from mean it's enough said?