Love the website

Just wanted to say, Great job on the new website (that’s v8x.com.au folks) it looks fantastic and a little bit more user-friendly. Keep up the great work.
Mark

Ingall vs Skaife

You ran a Poll that asked who was in the wrong? Skaife, Ingall, or no-one – it was hard racing?

You would perhaps do better to ask, Who started it?

The actions of both Skaife and Ingall were atrocious, but from reviewing the incident, it is clear that Skaife deliberately forced Ingall wide on the exit of the corner – after he had made the pass – and unnecessarily. Skaife’s actions clearly aggravated Ingall into his reprehensible action.

Skaife needs to accept that what he did was wrong.
Shane & Vanessa

I think a few people are forgetting that Skaifey did get punished for bringing the sport into disrepute, with a 75-point deduction, $10,000 fine and a 12-month suspended three-race ban, which still stands. He got off only on a separate charge of careless driving –Ed.

Where was Marcos?

This letter was originally to see if your magazine could be released before each race meeting, it would still be about the same number of issues but with more up to date info and would then be a good choice for a subscription, but I found the Skaife cover story on the last issue of the year extremely hard to take. 

Ambrose does exist, did win and should have been rewarded with front cover, main story, etc, etc.

Just for the record, I reckon HRT struggled because the new Falcons had a better aero (than AU) plus they could get past the wider cars of Richards and Tander, etc, and also HRT weren’t the cars affected with practice restrictions – ask Brighty! Yes I’m a Ford fan, but do not hate Holdens.

Come on guys, you have a great opportunity to service all V8 Supercar fans. Finally, just in case I do read your mag, stories on the rules and how they are implemented at meetings would be great.
Peter

Peter, I seem to remember a front cover with Marcos on it not long before the end of the season (issue#17). Second, unless the rounds are going to be at the start of the month then it is impossible to have the mag before each round (also, we release six issues a year and there are 13 rounds). Third, by the time we came out in December Marcos was everywhere and we felt that there were other stories that we could cover to keep the punters happy in the off-season and finally, if you are wondering why there isn’t an SBR car in this issue it’s because they couldn’t get the livery together before we went to the printer (though we do have an interview with Marcos and Murphy on page 30) –Ed.

What is going on?

Phillip Island is undoubtedly (from personal club racing experience) the most awesome track for racing, long straights, tough corners, sweepers, uphill, downhill, good spectator viewing, so why have the ‘suits’ removed this track from the 2004 calendar? Is it to make way for ‘Team Chop Suey’? I am for ensuring the future of the sport – let’s parade the best form of motor racing to the world – but the suits have forgotten the basic rule of business: keep the client happy.

We the public are the client, I think we should drop one round in NSW, and head back to the Island for 2005 – help me push this message. Let’s see if Tassie can get a round back as well, Symmons Plains is down on spectator comforts and driver requirements but with the right amount of lobbying to the Tas Govt I am sure Tas might be in with a chance. I’d love to hear your views.
Barry

Barry, you are right about keeping the client happy. Phillip Island had the smallest crowd attending and the same with corporates, so AVESCO dropped the round that would piss off the least amount of people –Ed.

Bring it on

Don’t you just love the start of the season. It’s the best feeling. I, along with thousands of other supporters in Australia, have had to wait months with absolutely no talk about the V8s let alone any races to watch. Of course, you guys feel the same (I hope you do).

I don’t know what it is about the start of the season. Seeing all the new cars and sometimes new teams (Tasman Motorsport, etc) and new drivers at different teams. It’s the best! It spices it up a lot.

I am also looking forward to Skaifey getting the title back for Holden (hahaha). I hope Marcos enjoys his crown while it lasts. I have a feeling that it will be a Skaife-Holden year this year with the HRT VY starting to show some promise (the last few rounds of the season), the new engines starting to phase in and hopefully some GOOD luck for Skaifey instead of the run of bad luck he had last year. Anyway, it’s not long to go until the Grand Prix but who’s counting? Only me!

Go Skaifey!
Shaun

Stop bagging Skaife

What do people have against Mark Skaife? Every issue of V8X I receive there is always an article with someone bagging out Skaife. Yes Skaife has made mistakes this year, but so have many other drivers. The only other driver anyone ever picks on is Ingall.

The incident at The Main Event was uncalled for, but Skaife apologised for his bad behaviour. Ingall, being the stuck-up person he is, didn’t. Skaife has copped penalties this year that have been unfair. Just leave him alone. He is trying to do his job.
Tammie

What are you all on about!

I just want to know what everyone is on about saying that Ambrose dominated last year’s V8 Supercar championship. Sure he had some good drives, but had Skaife and the other cars involved in the test ban been allowed to test would it had been a different story?

I have nothing against Ambrose winning, but to state that he did it easily is a joke. Whether or not he is a true champion will be debatable until 2004 when we will see if the Devil Racer is still good enough to hold off the roaring lion. Maybe his teammate too, will have grown up.
Selwyn

Last year was one of the toughest series we’ve seen for years and the fact that Marcos won more rounds than anybody (6) looks pretty close to dominating. I agree that a repeat is going to be tough, with the competition looking stronger –Ed.

Pick of the mailbag Alex wins a PC game from our great mates at Atari Why not on PS2? In regards to the telemetry section: being an electronic V8 Supercar fanatic, I have been in contact with AVESCO and Codemasters, regarding why the PS2 doesn’t seem to have a copy released, and rest assured, care of AVESCO there is a Mark 2 on its way, though possibly in August 2004. Bugger, date still to be established. My only regret is that PS2 was the first gaming console to release, and help sponsor our race and realise its potential, and thank goodness for Aussie V8 gaming, so why can’t both brands have the same release date? I know one thing for sure, I’m not going out to spend another $500 on controls and consoles, just to satisfy a competitor’s market. The F1 2003 is a brilliant game with the use of a wheel, a non force feedback, plus no cramped thumbs, especially in the 60 to 70 lap races; hopefully the Supercars 2 will sustain the same kind of driver feedback in braking and steering realism as in the F1 game, when compared with the first V8 Supercar game!.. And please ask for readers’ thoughts, to encourage developers to keep an ongoing enhancement to the Aussie home racer. I love beating, and taking out the Holdens. Alex I don’t know about the release date but if you saw the last issue of V8X you would have read the Xbox is more powerful and that a bit extra work is needed to basically fit it into the PS2 coding. I have been assured that it is on the way but if you can’t wait – and I have to say it looks great – then maybe some of us need to invest in an Xbox. Also check out our V8 Supercars