Yeee Haaaa

Crash Test · 12 Jun 2000, 23:20 (Ref:16954)

The super tourers hti town this year, although there arent many of them and the quality of the series is going through the floor, its gonna be a helluva good time!

I somehow think that 3t of lead wouldnt slow Morris down, show me wrong Paul, show me wrong

Series leader Paul Morris is concerned the 40kg weight penalty imposed on his all-conquering BMW threatens to end his domination of Queensland's Lakeside circuit in round two of the BOC Gases Australian Super Touring Championship this Sunday (June 18).

Morris took the chequered flag in all three races in the series opener at Oran Park in Sydney on May 28, and is the first victim of a new rule introduced this year by championship organisers TOCA Australia which requires winners to compete with an additional 40kg at the following round.

The 33-year-old Morris has won 10 of the past 12 championship races on the 2.4km Lakeside circuit since 1995, but he believes the weight penalty will slow the performance of his rear-drive Mount Cotton Estate Winery BMW 320i.

Morris' car at Lakeside will race at 1,040kg, compared to the minimum weight of 975kg for front-drive cars (without TOCA Australia weight penalties).

"Usually the BMW is the car to beat at Lakeside, but with the extra weight I'm not so sure this time," said Morris. "We're expecting to be about a second-a-lap slower toward the end of the races because the additional weight means more wear and tear on the tyres and brakes."

Morris said he planned to distribute the weight around the inside of the car in a bid to maintain optimum balance for the two races at Lakeside, over 17 and 27 laps.

"We will probably put about 25kg where the passenger seat would be in a road car, and position other bits of lead around to balance the corner weight on all four wheels," said Morris.

Morris. who has won the championship and leads this year's series with 46 points, said his tactics would be to try and qualify on the front-row of the grid and make an early break on his rivals, most of whom are racing front-drive cars.

"We need to get away in the first few laps because the others are going to close as the races go on," he said. "You've got to remember all the front-drive cars are at 25kg lighter than the BMW to start with even before any extra weight goes in."

Brisbane's David Auger is brimming with confidence for Lakeside, despite the fact he will be forced to race with a 15kg weight penalty after finishing runner-up in the championship opener at Oran Park. The Leatherman Racing Alfa Romeo raced by 39-year-old Auger must race at a minimum 990kg.

Auger finished with second, third, and fourth placings in the three races at Oran Park, his most successful round since his championship debut in 1997. He is second in the championship with 30 points and leads the Independents Cup.

"We've got a new engine from Germany in the car and it's brought us closer to the front than we've ever been before," said Auger. "The important thing for a quick lap at Lakeside is maintaining high corner speed through the fast turns. If we do that we can put pressure on anyone out there."

Sydney's Jim Cornish will make his long-awaited debut in the upgraded Visit Your Vet Honda Accord at Lakeside. Mechanical problems prevented the 29-year-old veterinarian from racing the Honda in the opening round, but he completed a successful 20-lap test session at Oran Park on Monday (June 12).

"The car has a new engine and gearbox, and we gave it a thorough systems check and everything was fine," said Cornish. "My initial impression is the Honda has heavier steering, compared to the Nissan (Primera) I raced in '99, but it feels easier to position on the track."

TC Motorsport owner-driver Tony Newman has sourced new engine parts from Great Britain to ensure his ex-works Peugeot 406 is competitive at Lakeside. The 43-year-old Sydney-based businessman from New Zealand was struck down by engine problems before and during round one at Oran Park.

"We had trouble with the engine before Oran Park, but we tried to race and there seemed to be one problem after another," said Newman. "There will be virtual new engine in the car at Lakeside, with some bits and pieces from Motorsport Developments in the UK."

Sydney driver Paul Leabeater spent two days driving an HQ Holden at Lakeside on May 31 and June 1 to prepare for his Super Touring debut on the circuit in the second round of the championship. The former HQ Holden racer is contesting this year's championship in a Redline Motorsport Hyundai Lantra, prepared by JPS Performance in Sydney, and finished all three races in round one.

"I've never raced at Lakeside before so when an opportunity came up to spend some time on the track in an HQ (Holden) I took it," said Leabeater. "Lakeside is a high-speed track and outside Bathurst it's one of the more exciting and flowing places I've driven at. It's going to be different in the Hyundai, but at least I know my way around. We have a new team this season and we were pleased with the reliability of the Hyundai at Oran Park. Now we're working on finding more speed."

Newcastle's Luke Searle is buoyed for Lakeside after becoming a father for the first time. The SAE College-Roadchill Express BMW 318i driver and wife Sarah became parents on June 2, with a son Griffen.

"We thought the baby was going to come on the weekend of Oran Park (first championship round), so I was really nervous that weekend," said Searle. "Now it's happened and everything is fine so I'll be more relaxed at Lakeside. I want to get on the podium this weekend!"

LAKESIDE - SUPER TOURING FAST FACTS

CIRCUIT LENGTH: 2.4km

RACE LAP RECORD: 52.23-secs, Jim Richards (Vic) Volvo S40, 1998

1999 POLE POSITIONS:
Race 1: 53.00-secs, Patrick Watts (GB) Peugeot 406
Race 2: 60.62-secs, Jim Richards (Vic) Volvo S40 (track wet)

1999 RACE WINNERS:
Race 1: Paul Morris (Qld) BMW 320i
Race 2: Patrick Watts (GB) Peugeot 406

LAKESIDE - SUPER TOURING SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, JUNE 16:
Practice 12noon-12.45pm, 2.35pm-3.20pm

SATURDAY, JUNE 17:
Practice 9.30-9.45am; Qualifying session 1, 11.15-11.45am; Qualifying
session 2, 1.45-2.15pm

SUNDAY, JUNE 18:
Race 1 (17 laps) starts 12.45pm, Race 2 (27 laps) starts 3.05pm

DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (after round 1):
POS DRIVER CAR POINTS
1. Paul Morris (Qld) Mount Cotton Estate Winery BMW 320i 46
2. David Auger (Qld) Leatherman Racing Alfa Romeo 30
3. Peter Hills (NSW) Signature Security Systems Ford Mondeo 22
4. Allan Gurr (NSW) Signature Security Systems Ford Mondeo 18
5. John Henderson (NSW) Henderson Racing Holden Vectra 16
Allan Letcher (WA) McGill Motorsport Ford Mondeo 16
7. Jamie Miller (NSW) Phoenix Motorsport Toyota Camry 11
Aaron McGill (NSW) Trinovin Nissan Primera 11
9. Michael Downard (Vic) MPD Racing BMW 318i 10
10. Paul Leabeater (NSW) Redline Motorsport Hyundai Lantra 8
11. Luke Searle (NSW) SAE College-Roadchill Express BMW 318i 6
12. Mike Fitzgerald (NSW) MF Motorsport Peugeot 405 2

INDEPENDENTS CUP POINTS (after round 1): Auger 46, Letcher 30, Downard
23, Miller 22, Leabeater 20, Searle 12, Fitzgerald 6

TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (after round 1): Knight Racing 57, McGill
Motorsport 52

kmchow · 13 Jun 2000, 03:07 (Ref:16979)

Wait, so what is the official classification for Morris? He isn't an independent, but then he isn't a Works? If we was considered a Works, he will be guranteed a Works Championship since there is no other Works car in the series? ;-)

I'm still hoping to hear from Speedvision to see if they will carry the ASTC. OTOH, the broadcast rights should be cheaper this year than last year??

Heeltoe6 · 13 Jun 2000, 05:13 (Ref:16988)

kmchow: According to SV's website, ASTCC coverage will air starting July 1. I hope they haven't changed this tentaive schedule:
The 2000 season returns to Speedvision Saturday, July 1st with race action from Oran Park, recorded in May.

Oran Park (South) Jul 1, 9pm ET
Lakeside Jul 29, 8pm ET
Oran Park (Grand Prix) Aug 12, 10pm ET
Mallala Sep 17, 12pm ET
Queensland Dec 16, 8pm ET

Crash Test · 13 Jun 2000, 11:06 (Ref:17011)

Yes, Morris aint a works team anymore, but neither are the Hills Mondeos, or Newman's Peugeot because they have waived their right to be in the independants cup so that they can have extra tyres to use on race weekends...

Thats why Auger is flogging them in the independants..

kmchow · 13 Jun 2000, 16:32 (Ref:17057)

So are Morris,Hills and Newman considered semi-Works due to either limited manufacturer support and somewhat higher budgets? ;-) Wow, they're guranteed a third place in the championship? ;-)

Crash Test · 17 Jun 2000, 07:00 (Ref:17678)

I would like to retract my yeeee haaaa statement. Godammit that was broing!!

I just got home from Saturday Qualifying, and the depth of the field is just pathetic. The number of cars on the track was just pathetic. There was wither no cars on the track for long periods of time, or there was the single Hyundai... The crowd was the smallest i have ever seen for a super touring Saturday (ok Willowbank last year came close). Yes they still sound good, and look good from a distance, but having a closer look at the cars (including the Hills Mondeos) they were still covered in dents and scrapes from the previous meeting....

This is supposed to be the second biggest class in the land...oh well, i guess we can live in hope of a Morris engine detonation tomorrow....

elephino · 17 Jun 2000, 16:16 (Ref:17709)

They have redefined what an independent is, due to a lack of manufacturer support. You have to fit into at least 3 of 5 criteria. I can't remember what it is right now, but a couple of them are year related, one is tyre related.

Crash Test · 19 Jun 2000, 02:32 (Ref:17908)

Well, ok i had a good weekend, laughed a lot during the super tourers, and at least the geminis put on a good show for the crowd which was slightly larger than what i was expecting.

Well in R1, Morris sandbagged and let Henderson past before absolutely murdering him by the finish. It was a joke. Everyone there knows it was.

But the best was yet to come...

In the pits before R2 i heard some drivers say some very disturbing things:

1. A driver approached some of the local racers to ask where was the best place to overtake....['carn mate, use your head!!!!!!!]

2. Also a group of drivers were heard to say something along the line of "Henderson and Hills are out, theres a lot of paying public here, lets slow it down and put on a good show for them.....if you are out there on your own just back it off a bit and find another car so you can have a battle...."

Any credibility the series had was completely lost on me at that moment.

Well Morris looked like he jumped the start by a few seconds from where i was, but obviously everyone else couldnt see the starting lights or something....

Anyways, Morris didnt get black flagged, but decided that he had a shredded tyre on the second lap and took it in to be changed. Came out of the pits last by 1/2 a lap, but still managed to win it by a very long way....

Another bone to pick with the series is the quality of drivers. Some of them had no idea what so ever with respect to racing lines and breaking points etc...and then some of the overtaking moves....very poor....

Positives to come from it was the effort Auger put in to hold out the faster competition for as long as he did, and Allan Gurr. He is young (younger than me...i wish my daddy was rich...) but in his second outing in the championship was one of the drivers who seemed to know what he was doing out there...

OH well, roll on V8s !!

Crash Test · 19 Jun 2000, 03:09 (Ref:17915)

Well here is the official, happy, positive, joyful version of what happened yesterday...

BOC GASES AUSTRALIAN SUPER TOURING CHAMPIONSHIP - ROUND 2
LAKESIDE, QUEENSLAND: Race Report, Sunday, June 18
MORRIS EXTENDS 100-PERCENT WINNING RECORD

Gold Coast driver Paul Morris today maintained his 100-percent winning record in this year's BOC Gases Australian Super Touring Championship by taking the chequered flag in both races of the second round at the Lakeside circuit near Brisbane.

Morris had previously won all three races in his Mount Cotton Estate Winery BMW 320i in the opening round at Oran Park in Sydney on May 28. He has also collected three bonus points for claiming pole position as fastest qualifier at both rounds and now leads the championship with 78 points. The 33-year-old raced with a 40kg weight penalty at Lakeside after his Oran Park victories.

Brisbane's David Auger, who went into the Brisbane round 16 points behind Morris, retained second position in the championship with an improved tally of 46. Auger finished fifth and third in the two races at Lakeside. Sydney teenager Alan Gurr is third in the championship on 40 points. He scored 22 points on the 2.4km Lakeside circuit in his Signature Security Systems Ford Mondeo.

Morris won the opening race over 17 laps in 15-mins 58.22-secs, finishing 9.64-secs clear of Sydney policeman John Henderson in a Holden Vectra. Henderson led the race briefly during the middle stages, but was forced to slow toward the end because of a collapsed front strut. Gurr was third, but his team-mate, 1999 Independents Cup champion Peter Hills, retired after one lap with an oil leak.

Sydney's Jim Cornish made a controversial debut in his updated Visit Your Vet Honda Accord. Cornish finished fourth, but had four championship points deducted after being found guilty of careless driving by Race Director Peter Wollerman after colliding with the SAE College-Roadchill Express BMW 318i of Newcastle's Luke Searle. Cornish also had seven points taken from his Independents Cup tally over the same incident.

Morris won the second race over 27 laps in 25-mins 7.88-secs, and finished 25.02-secs clear of Gurr, who was followed by Auger, Searle, and Cornish. After taking an early lead Morris made a pitstop on lap two to change a damaged front tyre and resumed racing at the rear of the field. He reeled off a series of sizzling laps, including the fastest time of the round, 53.60-secs, and regained the lead on lap 15. Auger, who led a championship race for the first time of his career, continued a close battle with Gurr, Searle and the Trinovin Nissan Primera of NSW's Aaron McGill for the remaining podium positions. Gurr eventually claimed second, narrowly ahead of Auger, Searle, and Cornish.

Henderson was unable to drive in race two because his Vectra could not be repaired in the time available. Auger retained the lead in the Independents Cup with an improved score of 73 points, while Perth's Allan Letcher remained second on 46 in his McGill Motorsport Ford Mondeo. The third round of the championship is at Oran Park in Sydney on July 9. Morris will again race with a 40kg weight penalty at Oran Park after his wins at Lakeside.

DRIVER QUOTES:

PAUL MORRIS (Mount Cotton Estate Winery BMW 320):
“The extra weight (40kg) wasn't as much of a problem at this track as I thought it might be. Maybe it's going to be different at other places. Our only real problem here was at the start of the second race. On the second lap the car started understeering and running wide in the corners. I thought maybe the right-front tyre was going down so I went into the pits. The tyre was damaged so it was the right thing to do. Once we got going again I settled into the groove and the BMW was as strong as ever."

DAVID AUGER (Leatherman Racing Alfa Romeo):
“We struggled all weekend because the car wouldn't handle as well as we would have liked. In the circumstances our results weren't too bad and I'm happy to come away still second in the championship."

ALAN GURR (Signature Security Systems Ford Mondeo):
“Finishing on the podium in both races is more than I could have expected. I'm still learning my way and when the cars are nose-to-tail like today it's going to improve my racecraft. I was running the Mondeo up the inside of the others, or trying to go around the outside, and they were doing the same to me."

JOHN HENDERSON (Henderson Racing Holden Vectra):
“I had an awesome race going with Paul (Morris) until about five laps from the end when the front strut collapsed. It left me with no brakes and I had to slam through the gears to slow down. I also had a big slide under the bridge, but I was able to finish and get some points. My aim is to win one of these races - I think I can."

JIM CORNISH (Visit Your Vet Honda Accord):
"My car collected some hits in the front and the back, which happens when the racing is close. I'm a little cornerned some of the hits were in high-speed places where you can badly damage cars, and drivers can get hurt. At the same time I'm pleased with how competitive we were and how good the Honda went."

RESULTS - RACE 1 (17 laps):

POS DRIVER CAR TIME
1. Paul Morris (Qld) Mount Cotton Estate Winery BMW 320i 15:58.22
2. John Henderson (NSW) Henderson Racing Holden Vectra 16:07.86
3. Allan Gurr (NSW) Signature Security Systems Ford Mondeo 16:14.69
4. Jim Cornish (NSW) Visit Your Vet Honda Accord 16:18.73
5. David Auger (Qld) Leatherman Racing Alfa Romeo 16:19.31
6. Allan Letcher (WA) McGill Motorsport Ford Mondeo 16:31.03
7. Luke Searle (NSW) SAE College-Roadchill Express BMW 318i 16:36.10
8. Carlos Rolfo (Qld) Bocoo-Global Express Peugeot 405 16:44.78
9. Aaron McGill (NSW) Trinovin Nissan Primera 16:55.12
10. Michael Downard (Vic) MPD Racing BMW 318i 2 laps down

FASTEST LAP: Henderson 54.72-secs

RESULTS - RACE 2 (27 laps):

POS DRIVER CAR TIME
1. Paul Morris (Qld) Mount Cotton Estate Winery BMW 320i 25:07.88
2. Alan Gurr (NSW) Signature Security Systems Ford Mondeo 25:32.90
3. David Auger (Qld) Leatherman Racing Alfa Romeo 25:33.98
4. Luke Searle (NSW) SAE College-Roadchill Express BMW 318i 25:34.09
5. Jim Cornish (NSW) Visit Your Vet Honda Accord 25:36.91
6. Brad Stratton (Qld) Motorsports Developments Toyota Carina Lap down
7. Allan Letcher (WA) McGill Motorsport Ford Mondeo Lap down
8. Michael Downard (Vic) MPD Racing BMW 318i 2 laps down

FASTEST LAP: Morris 53.60-secs

DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (after round 2):
Morris 78, Auger 46, Gurr 40, Henderson 28, Letcher 25, Hills 22, Searle 18, Downard 14, McGill 13, Miller 11, Cornish 10, Leabeater 8, Stratton 5, Rolfo 3, Fitzgerald 2

INDEPENDENTS CUP (after round 2):
Auger 73, Letcher 46, Downard 33, Searle 32, Leabeater 24, Miller 22, Cornish 20, Stratton 8, Rolfo 6, Fitzgerald 6

TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIP (after round 2):
Knight Racing 84, McGill Motorsport 84, Motorsport Developments 12

kmchow · 19 Jun 2000, 17:54 (Ref:18067)

Hmmm, after reading the latest emails, it just dawned on me that the the ASTC situation is EXACTLY what the NATCC would have been like if it had continued on '98. Wanna see the comparos???

ASTC versus hypothetical NATCC

Morris HART team: Accord
Hills/Auger TC Kline Racing
rest rest
Hyundais Pontiac Sunfire

Though I think the NATCC would have been more exciting with the same 8 cars becaues the first two groups are more closely matched.

OTOH, isn't the STCC and South American ST in a similar, just slightly better situation???

Troy · 21 Jun 2000, 22:51 (Ref:18596)

The Super Touring people need to take a good look at the show they are trying to put on. For a national championship, the Lakeside round was just not good enough. 8 or 10 cars in the last 2Litre race is just pathetic. Also, look at the Commodore Cup, just 10 cars turned up.

The only good part of the weekend, was the speed of the Sandgate Automatics Jabiru Formula Vee - almost as fast as some of the super touring backmarkers.

Crash Test · 21 Jun 2000, 23:09 (Ref:18601)

Hey there Troy, Shane was flying on the weekend wasn't he? I thought it would have been impossible to win formula vee races by 12 and 15 seconds...but there you go!!

Anyways, i did the driver of the month interview with him, and i'll stick that on the accelerate page (http://www.qrda.asn.au

) on the 1st of next month