B
$4.20 INZtS.gSIncIQST}
4
‘Sr
>
●; V ■
3^:
■■.Mi
>
J.
4:
.*
I
anwGEsranE§
'
r
f: -k^cja /AUSTRA’iJA A
<.
nt
y -7
■ V«^V
m
●P
F/' Tr
4
~T
s
5.
e
/>
■■ii-
a
,^j
k :
i
'■ "n .t-
z i .
4
■;●;
ff '
^ ●> “"F!
f-
■'3e^' ■t.
’ --
#■
.
.?
■
t. ■j, fi.' -(j V
^;-
^
.
●■
●
'
240doter199/
Gardner doubt By CHRIS LAMBDEN
WAYNE
Gardner’s Coke
Commodore team may have run its last race.
I
Gardner is unsui’e of the sponsor ship future of his team and, before leaving for his sports car commit ment in Japan this weekend, said that it was very much under a cloud. “I don’t have any sponsorship commitments for next year yet,” he said. “Fll be seeing both Coke and Donut Ring when I get back next week, but I’m not that hopeful of getting sufficient budget together to continue.” At this stage, Gardner has promised his tight-knit crew work until the end of this month. “Obviously, I want to carry on. But without a workable budget I won’t.” Gardner believes the category has to work harder to cut the costs associated with racing if the num ber of Level 1 teams is to be main tained, never mind grow: “It’s a great category to race in, but as I keep pointing out to them, it’s stiU too expensive for Australia. ‘You need $1 million to run a car at the top level and the chances of finding that much in sponsorship in this country isn’t good at present.”
END OF THE ROAD?...A distraught Wayne Gardner climbs out of his Commodore at Bathurst. (Photo by Mpix) Although going out of the Primus 1000 Classic while leading was bad enough in itself, a strong result was what Gardner had hoped for to boost his sponsorship bid. “There’s nothing like walking in there and dropping the Primus
1000 trophy on the table,” he said. “But, in the end, WGR did the job. The two things we contract out are our tyres and the engines, “It was the engines which let us down and that’s an area we will have to look at. The engines in both
cars have holes in the sump ... “Ideally, you want ever3fthing inhouse, where you can monitor it that’s why Larry is so strong. “But the team itself did everything it could and we went out while we were leading the race.”
1998 Webber linked to Primus McLaren F3000 1000 date set By JOE SAWARD and DAVID HASSALL
McLaren is expected to run a Formula 3000 team next year in Europe next year with engi neer David Brown looking after test driver Nick Heidfeld and a second youngster. This could be Mark Webber, but the young Australian has not yet signed for Mercedes and such a drive has not yet been dis cussed. Webber said this week that he was still unsure of his racing plans for 1999 and had not been asked about the F3000 team, although he has had discussions during the year with Brown because of Mark’s Mercedes association. Brazilians Max Wilson and Juan-Pablo Montoya are the favourites for the drive, however, while the involvement of Mobil might even bring Craig Lowndes into the picture. The team will be sponsored, like the FI team, by West, Mercedes and Mobil. A Formula 3000 budget is small change to the big FI combines and coverage can be increased dramat ically. This will also please FI boss Bernie Ecclestone, who has long been trying to establish a more professional F3000 which he can promote more effectively. Ultimately, we believe it is Ecclestone’s aim to have two Divisions of FI, running on alter native weekends. This will enable
I
HIGH HOPES ... Mark Webber (centre) at Bathurst with CAMS President Peter Bready and World Karting Champion James Courtney. Webber collected a $5500 cheque from the Australian Institute of Sport to assist him to race at Macau next month. Formula 1 Holdings to generate a great deal more money. The planned BAT Reynard team will be doing the same as McLaren and we expect the Prost will follow suit in 1999. Jordan is also looking at a simi lar idea and has just announced a scholarship scheme for Japanese drivers to prepare them for FI. The deal is mainly a way to keep Mugen and Honda happy without having to run a Japanese driver in one of the Jordan FI cars. Aguri Suzuki has announced his plans to promote young Japanese drivers and, although the two
schemes are not officially linked, we believe that Suzuki’s scheme will feed the Jordan Scholarship program. Autobacs Racing Team Aguri (ARTA) is intended to be like the old Elf driver scheme in France, supporting drivers through the formative stages'of their careers. The scheme will find seven can didates in its first year who will be coached by Suzuki and others and will begin competing in the Suzuka Racing Formula. The entire scheme is being sup ported by the automotive parts company Autobacs.
AVESCO has set November 15 as the date for next year’s Primus 1000. Chairman Tony Cochrane confirmed the move to midNovember (exclusively revealed by Motorsport News last issue) “to build up our own traditional date”. “However, should the first weekend in October become available, then we would look at moving back to that date.” The move from mid-October became necessary once CART announced that the 1998 Gold Coast IndyCar race would move to October 18. The date change was one of a number of items of interest cov ered during a press conference on Saturday morning at Bathurst. Announced were: l An eight-year contract between IMG and the Bathurst City Council to conduct the Primus 1000 Classic; l A four-year agreement with Network 10, taking the category through to the end of 2001 which, according to Cochrane, guarantees AVESCO in excess of $4,000,000 in fees for the life of the contract; l A four-year contract for a major support race at the Qantas Australian Grand Prix through to the end of 2001. - CHRIS LAMBDEN
n (,
Bathurst ratings down Despite a record race day crowd, 52,000 according to the organis ers, TV ratings for the Primus 1000 were a little down on those for the Bathurst 1000 in 1996although the race annihilated its opposition programmes on Networks 7 and 9. The Ten Network rated an average 14.7 nationally from 7am to 5pm,compared -with 19.3 in 1996(and 15.4 in 1995). Two weeks earlier, the AMP Bathurst 1000 rated 11.3 on the Seven Network,clashing partially with Ten’s Bike GP coverage. Last weekend’s V8 race peaked at 24, while the Super Tomer event managed 22. The effects on the ratings ofthe existence of two Bathmst races and their close proximity are, of comse,immeasurable... n Bathmst saw the debut of a new electronic checking gadget by TEGA.The latest product from Motor Sport Electronics looks for any variation in crank shaft speed and spark frequency as a means of policing possible traction control software. The system was fitted to HUT’S Lowndes/Mmphy car, Larry Perkins’ Commodore and the Falcons of Dick Johnson and Glenn Seton. AH fom came up smelling of roses. n In case anyone thought the issue was going to go away. Primus 1000 Classic winner Larry Perkins re-iterated during race week that “I expect this to be the last Bathmst race I do vnthout a Control tyre ...” n Michael Schumacher has hinted he might leave Ferrari if they faO to win the world title next year. “IfI’m to blame (for not taking the world title), then Ferrari will have to draw the consequences,” he said last week.“And if we don’t make any progress in devel oping the car, then I will have to look for another work place.” n AVESCO Chairman Tony Cochrane has suggested that the Sandown 500 may be moved to a season-starting spot in February, much like NASCAR’s Da3ftona 500 in the US. Whether this would be instead ofthe scheduled SATCC opener or whether Sandown’s round would be moved to later in the series was imclear. n John Bow&has established a defensive and advanced driving school. Based at the Point Cook RAAF base in submban Melbourne,the John Bowe Institute of Driving offers pack ages for corporate and private clients. Bowe will be actively involved in conducting comses around Australia as his racing schedule allows. n Peter Brock will be the spe cial guest this weekend at a func tion to honom another man by the same name-Father Peter Brock. The priest concerned is the long-time musical director ofthe Newcastle University Choir and Orchestra. Interestingly, Fr Brock was bom in the same year as Peter, announced his retirement in the same week (last May)and will retire in the same week. God works in mysterious ways ...
* > ,r*^L:r X
JVIT. PANORAIWtA
1000
Winners 1997
-_s ’£■
-V -
-
Primus 1000
Larry rerWns
■