Greatly Mangled Car 400

[Crash Test]

Well the GMC 400 is on this weekend around the streets of Canberra.

This is just my opinion, but i doubt that 32 cars will be coming from the meeting...
1. The reverse grid race...we already know how impatient some drivers are...
2. The track. Some parts of it are rediculously tight, with some sections only 7m wide...

I think that there will be much Indy like carnage on the tight and twisty streets, but will we see everyone having a big indy style spack, packing up their trucks on Saturday afternoon like Perkins and HRT have done in the past on the Gold Coast? Hell no, this is a Cochrane invention, could they possibly rag it?
I would laugh if they lost half the feild...that's teach em a lesson...

[Buckshot]

I was down Canberra not last weekend but the weekend before and was surprised to see most of the track and a few grandstands already constructed. Not believing my luck I of course had a bit of a sticky beak and like Crash Test has said in his post the roads are very narrow.

Although I didn’t drive around the whole track and was going the wrong way I could not believe how little room there is in parts.

It is only two standard lanes wide from most of the sections I drove on and feels very claustrophobic with the concrete barriers and fencing looming above.

I am really looking forward to it though, as this will be a totally new track for all involved.

Can’t Wait !

Cheers Jas.

[marcus]

Im really looking forward to it as well..but crash test you may be right about a bit of carnage..but we will have to wait and see...i like the idea of a reverse grid race but only on a spectators side..i guess a drivers view would be a bit different depending on who you were..for example for Skaife,Lowndes,Ingall etc it will be a nightmare but forguys like Brad Jones Paul Morris and Cameron McConville it will be pretty good as they have reasonable cars and are good drivers the fast guys may struggle a bit getting past them or by the time they get a chance to get to them they will be to far in front...either way it should be a great weekend and i for one am looking forward to it emensly

[Crash Test]

Well there were a heap of reverse grid races the other weekend at Lakeside for much slower cars and there was a bit of carnage, but as a whole the people went off into the paddack, not into walls or each other. My pick is Tomas Mezera (remember Bathurst last year when he was up there at the front after getting out of sequence with the pit stops?) and Cameron McLean if they are up the front for the reverse grid race.
But the thing with the Lakeside reverse grid races, at least there is at least a 9m wide track minimum in all areas, where it might be dodgy at Canberra. What's the chances of someone winding up in the lake or in parliament?

[Crash Test]

Well after race 1 we have seen:
1. Its a very mickey mouse sort a track (a joke, a gimmick etc etc) very much like a fiddely Monaco, or one of those tracks in North America like a narrow Detroit, Trois Rivieres, St Petersburg, Reno, or Minnesota, or even Wellington. The track is two street lanes wide the whole way around...thats not enough to have a serious race on...
2. Carnage -wasn't too bad...but then again wasn't that good...i wish i had shares in bumper bars
3. The first turn -everyone stopped and had a tea break on the first lap...a little too tight for racing...
4. If they want more events like this, i suggest a race around my clothesline....
5. Poor Cameron McLean...oh well, stuff happens..
Lets see how today goes...

[marcus]

yeh I hope you enjoyed the canberra go kart track ...what a joke that is ..it is way to narrow...they need to do some serious thinking before returning next year thats for sure...I was really looking forward to it but after seeing the track for the first time i nearly turned the tele off because it is a complete shame....as for the racing well it wasnt to bad funny how most of the privateers finished in the top 10 and now will start today down the back in the reverse grid race..so maybe this wont be a huge problem as expected

[Diabando]

well hmmmmmmmmm....

What a weekend it was...it certainly didnt turn out as badly as we predicted. I was actually amazed at how much overtaking there was, I think all round, we were all proved wrong. The drivers seemed happy with the track, something they could get their teeth into and have a bit of fun with, and at the end of the day, there was a lot less carnage than expected.

I enjoyed watching it, and from all accounts, the drivers had fun too. I guess the only people who are going to be grinding their teeth will be the team owners and sponsors who have got to pay for all those headlighs, tail lights and bumpers..*L*

One thing...I still dont like the idea of the reverse grid.

Cheers!

[elephino]

Well, the reverse grid race at least made for some interesting grid positions in race 3. Didn't do much for me, but it wasn't a bad thing.

Poor John Faulkner though, very unfortunate with his little crash. The commentary was lacking more than usual, especially Barry Sheene. He needs learn what CAMS do for starters, and also the difference between a window and a monitor.

[marcus]

hahahaha...I like that one elephino..they did seem to be looking out the winodw a bit to much...but yes i must say that after seeing sundays races I began to enjoy the place a bit more and all the drivers did an excellent job without alot of serious stuff besides Faulkner and Bargwanna making a mess of their cars..and Paul morris would have to be one of the luckiest blokes on the planet after his crash...i bet "he's excited"

great job by Todd Kelly was an excellent drive by him all weekend really and to see him win race 2 was pretty awesome...

best line of the weekend came from Mark Oastler.."wow Ingall is drivin that thing like its stolen"

brilliant

[Buckshot]

My favourite comment of the weekend also came from Oastler but it was for a comment he used twice on Saturday:-

"...driving right on the limit of adhesion..."

Struck me as funny anyway...

Cheers Buck

[elephino]

Just a shame he 'stole' the line from a No Fear t-shirt, probably saw it when looking out the window.

Todd Kelly did very well, and while the format probably helped him win the race, he would have finished very high up anyway.

[Falcadore]

I thought the place was very much like Wellington Street Circuit. Greg Murphy won a race there too. God awful circuit. And they had o go the the blimp to get the shots of parliament house they kept talking about. I've heard very little good about the weekend.

We'll be disecting it on the Panel Beaters internet chat show tonite please all come and join in.

see for details
http://v8sp10.nectar.com.au/panelbeaters/

yours
Mark Jones

[DAVID PATERSON]

My favourite line was during the intro when they boasted that they had so many cameras, "so we wouldn't miss a second of the action," yeah right!