Shannons Nationals - Mallala

[speedraced04]

Well the Shannons Nationals (Rnd 9) is at Mallala this weekend. Going to be an interesting weekend with a number of categories with very tight title battles.

Saloon Cars have Lovell & Kwiatowski lcoked in battle at the top, and it is expected that picking a winner from the two is going to be near impossible. Mallala is home track for both the SA lads. Heinrich has shown excellent pace in his VT at Mallala testing recently, and is hot tip to take the round win.

Commodore Cup are trying something new with two mini-enduro races. This brings co-drivers into play...going to be very interesting! There will be one 45 minute race on Saturday and another on Sunday, with a driver change in each, and i believe there will be a wheel (1) change in each as well. Certainly a great way to make things interesting, and you have to give them credit for that - their reverse top 10 grids have made excellent viewing in the past.

The Supertruck championship will be decided this weekend. John Falk and Bob Middleton head into the round with just 10 points splitting them, and going off past racing this will be something well worth seeing as the two of them pedal several tonne of truck round the Mallala circuit.

Also on the programme are Formula Vee, Superkarts and Group N Touring Cars

Cant wait

[Dasher]

The Season of Endurance is Not Over Yet

The V8 Supercar endurance races for 2008 may have been run and won, but the Australian season of endurance is not over yet, because there is a hotly-anticipated Commodore Cup endurance event to be held at Mallala in a fortnight.

The penultimate round of the Commodore Cup national series will feature two 45-minute races, with two drivers sharing each car. Each race will include one compulsory pit stop for a tyre change, and one compulsory pit stop for a driver change. The event will be sponsored by Southern Star Windows.

With the event counting for full points, the series front-runners have had to select top-quality co-drivers to ensure they have the best possible chance of victory in the two races.

The current series leader, Adam Lloyd, has left nothing to chance in his quest for outright race honours. His ageing VH machine, which has served him so well for the last couple of years, has finally been put out to pasture, replaced by a brand-new VS Commodore. Lloyd has also recruited former NSW Under 2-Litre Sports Sedan champion Maurice Henkel as his co-driver.

While the name might by unfamiliar to some, Henkel is a highly accomplished steerer; his many achievements include setting the current Under 2-Litre Sports Sedan record at Winton. Henkel also performed impressively in pre-event testing alongside Lloyd at Wakefield Park.

“There’s definitely some pressure driving alongside the series leader, but I’m confident I can do the job,” Henkel said. “The main thing is to make sure we finish both races and don’t have any problems.

“I really enjoyed driving the Commodore Cup car in testing; it has a lot of power compared to my Sports Sedan.

Michael Tancredi, who sits a solitary point behind Lloyd in the standings, has also secured a well-credentialed co-driver: 1997 Commodore Cup champion Dean Crosswell. Crosswell was consistently faster than Tancredi in a recent test at Calder, with both drivers setting lap-record times.

Nick Parker, the dominant winner of the previous Commodore Cup event at Phillip Island, will be joined by current Australian Sports Sedan series leader Darren Hossack in a pairing that will have no shortage of pace, while Ross McGregor will be partnered by five-time Commodore Cup champion Geoff Emery. McGregor’s team-mate Phillip Menzel will be accompanied by Australian Formula Ford steerer Taylor Gore.

Nathan Collins has never finished on the podium in a Commodore Cup event, but heads to Mallala with his best chance yet after poaching Simon Wills as his co-driver. Wills has no shortage of endurance experience, and his CV includes a win in the 2002 Queensland 500 V8 Supercar race with David Besnard, driving for Stone Brothers Racing.

“I’ve raced in a few different categories lately, and this one looks quite exciting,” Wills said. “I’ve driven more laps around Mallala than any other circuit, which will be an advantage. I’ve also done in few races in the New Zealand V8 Touring Cars, which are very similar in specification to Commodore Cup cars. I’m really looking forward to working with Nathan and helping him move forward.”

Phil Brock will drive with former Commodore Cup regular Christian D’Agostin, and this year’s two Aerial Motors Racing drivers, Kane Millier and Chris Stevenson, will share the Aerial Motors VH Commodore. Denis Pana is expected to confirm production-car racer Lauren Gray as his co-driver.

A few teams from the Northern Territory Commodore Cup series will contest the event, with David and Steven Ling driving together, and Alan Langworthy being joined by Andrew McInnes. Garry Rogers Motorsport employees Matt Chick and Ryan Millier will also share a car.

"Article courtesy of Lachlan Mansell"

[speedraced04]

i also notice that Glenn Seton will be racing in Group N

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by Dasher

The Season of Endurance is Not Over Yet

The penultimate round of the Commodore Cup national series will feature two 45-minute races, with two drivers sharing each car.

Kudos to the Commodore Cup guys for adding a new element to the championship and Mallala bill but should we really be referring to 45 min races as endurance ?

[Heidley]

Yes Glenn Seton is coming over with the Capri to give us a run for the money so to speak, should be a good weekend.