Musical Chairs

Who's moved, who's stayed on and who's just plain dissapeared from the V8 circus

There’s been plenty of movement in the V8 Supercar ranks over the summer, and not only amongst the drivers. Here’s our team-by-team summary of what’s been going on.

If you can’t see anything about your favourite team, it’s because they either didn’t want to get involved (TPR was concerned about the licensing issue – fair enough) or didn’t bother to reply to us.

Stone Brothers Racing

One of the championship’s most stable operations continues that form, with Marcos Ambrose and Russell Ingall retained as drivers.

Behind the scenes floating engineer Derek Powell has left to try his hand in Europe, but has a standing invitation to return. His replacement is Wesley McDougall, an Aussie whose been working in Europe for the last few years.

Co-owner Ross Stone’s son, Nick, hands over signwriting duties to new signing Scott Ruddock so he can concentrate full-time on IT.

Super Cheap Auto Racing

The former PWR Racing has gone through wholesale changes over the summer, gaining a new title sponsor and therefore team name, moving to a new base in Dandenong, trading in HMS engines for Perkins-prepared units and replacing FPR-bound Jason Bright with Greg Murphy.

Behind the scenes chief engineer Phil Keed has also gone to FPR, his place taken by Steve Henderson, who was with Perkins Engineering in 2004 (albeit departing in May).

It’s also a return to the country for Bryson Seales to engineer Paul Weel. Seales worked for Perkins in the 1990s before working in Champ Car for Della Penna Motorsport and lately with Ohlins.

Weel’s former engineer Craig Spencer has left motorsport, while Craig Smith (mechanic) replaces Troy Nelson, who has moved to Britek. Truck driving legend Joe Sullivan moves from GRM.

Holden Racing Team

Team remains the same. Rob Starr stays as team manager, Richard Hollway to engineer Mark Skaife and Matt Crawford again working with Todd Kelly.

Kelly Racing Team

An off-season marred by constant disruptions, the most serious of which is finding a title sponsor to replace Kmart. On the driving front Garth Tander steps in to take Greg Murphy’s seat alongside Rick Kelly.

No changes in staff other than internal switcharound. Rob Crawford stays as Team Manager rather than leave for the TEGA Technical Director position, with Erik Pender taking on a role as Technical Director and engineer for Kelly. Kelly’s engineer from last year, Matt Nilsson, will work with Garth Tander. The team has also added a few apprentices from the VACC apprenticeship scheme.

Tasman Motorsport

Jason Richards returns for a second year, with new signing Jamie Whincup expanding the line-up to two cars.

The shift has been prompted by Ron Harrop’s buy-in late last year, joining Kevin Murphy (father of Greg), Tim Miles, Steve Reed and Trevor Ashby as a co-owner.

The team has added ex-BJR man Graham Jenkins as team manager to replace Jon Matthews (who didn’t move south with the team), and Rob Palermo, former Tander engineer at GRM, to engineer Jamie Whincup’s #23 car. Wally Storey returns on Jason Richards’ #3 machine.

WPS

While Craig Baird crosses the great divide from red to blue after two seasons at Team Kiwi, replacing Noske, Yoong and Owen Kelly (sorry if we forgot anyone) alongside David Besnard. Sponsorship and staffing remains stable.

Team Dynamik

A difficult summer for the sole South Australian team, which has had the Woomera schemozzle hanging over its head, plus stories emerging of attempts by owners Kieran Wills and Oscar Fiorinotto to sell off its two L1 licenses.

Nevertheless there have been significant signings, most notably with F1 aspirant Will Davision replacing Dale Brede as Simon Wills’ team-mate.

In the team’s Brisbane-based engine shop Peter Wallace has moved in from DJR to replace PMM-bound Alan Draper, and has recruited Steve Dewhurst (V8 touring cars and F1 before that) to help him keep the kilowatt count heading the right direction.

Meanwhile, former England Test cricketer Ian Greig, 49, has joined the team as its Commercial Director in a bid to enhance its off-track profile.

PMM

THE ambitious Queensland team expands its head count by five to 20 in 2005 as it ramps up its technology and development responsibilities with the arrival of Team Kiwi racing at Norwell.

Engine gun Alan Draper is the key signing, but also coming on are junior engineer Joel Binnie, a university graduate from New Zealand, and ex-Williams F1 machinist John Baker. Gold Coaster Alyson Jones joins the team administration, while Kiwi Donald McGregor is now responsible for the motorhome and tyres.

DJR

After a lot of staff changes in 2004, DJR has had only Peter Wallace depart for Team Dynamik. But Glenn Seton replaces Warren Luff, while Westpoint financial group replaces Shell as the naming-rights sponsor.

Triple Eight race Engineering

A double driver change with Craig Lowndes bumping Paul Radisich and Steve Ellery moving out of his own team (which, lacking sponsorship, will only contest the development division) to replace the peeved Max Wilson.

In the workshop Triple Eight has consolidated following last summer’s big changes, with only two new additions to the team. Joining the subassembly department is former TEGA member Gary Bailey and Neil Prior, ex-Williams F1, who heads up the CNC Machine Shop.

There’s also a new Commercial Operations Manager in ex-Geelong Football Club Marketing Director, Peter Jamieson, new Media Manager, Jillian Kingsford Smith (fresh from babysitting government officials in a similar capacity as a media advisor) and Marie Warwick (daughter of team owner Derek) to head up the new T8 merchandising venture.

BJR

Long-time BJR supporter BOC Gases takes on the primary role in the wake of Ozemail’s departure, but Brad Jones and John Bowe remain the driver pairing. There has been a staffing and technology ramp-up, but also a departure in the form of highly respected engineer Phil Curtis.

Russel exits FPR Just when we thought FPR had sorted out its often turbulent house, team owner David Richards has an in-depth inspection of the Campbellfield set-up and chief engineer John Russell resigns just weeks prior to the start of the championship. Russell: paid price for poor FPR form. A taciturn three-paragraph press release confirmed the Englishman offered his resignation during a meeting with Richards on February 10 and left immediately. Russell, who has often been the unhappy face of the struggling team, leaves just as the performance appears to be heading in the right direction and the design of his new-generation BA Falcons for new drivers Jason Bright and Greg Ritter is completed. At least there is now some depth in engineering at FPR, with former PWR employee Phil Keed signed up to continue his relationship with Bright and take on the senior race engineer role. Other new signings include Keith Turner, who comes across from Motec to take over electronics and systems from Ben Hitchcock (who literally has gone fishing), while ex-Williams F1 engineer Simon Holt is in charge of the new composites shop. Ritter’s engineer will be Clinton Wilson, who looked after Lowndes toward the end of 2004, while Seton’s former engineer, Dave Paterson, moves into a central role with an emphasis on the crucial area of damper development. Des Conway, the engineer who was shifted off Lowndes’ car when the team hit its nadir at Winton last year, has left for Bright’s new team, Britek. And don’t forget the new recruits who were brought in before the end of 2004, engine man Rob Benson and team manager David Ward. The latter, along with Keed and Holt, will take over Russell’s responsibilities for now.

V8 promo is Diesel-powered

AVESCO pulls out all the stops to give V8s a big media presence

By Luke West

V8 Supercar series organiser AVESCO unveiled its long-promised promotional blitz at a pre-season launch in Sydney on February 19. The football-style promo campaign is fronted by rock act Diesel with a 'You Really Got Me' theme, designed to broaden the appeal of V8 racing.

Diesel, aka Mark Lizotte, belted out the Kinks classic to thousands of V8 fans at the Sydney Olympic Park launch, which also acted as the first public showing for many of the team's driver line-ups and car liveries. Almost 30 drivers attended, with 14 V8 Supercars and 13 transporters positioned outside Telstra Stadium for a 'meet the people' session. Earlier, the transporters travelled in convoy from Sydney's CBD to Homebush Bay in a bid to capture the attention of the city's media, and Sydneysiders themselves.

"The campaign will heavily market V8 Supercar racing to families," AVESCO's media manager Cole Hitchcock tells V8X. "And there's a lost generation of sports fans out there that we've never had, so we're going after them also."

While AVESCO doesn't have the same promotional budget as the main footy codes, the 'You Really Got Me' advertising campaign marks a significant profile hike for the category. "We've thrown extra staff and budget at this campaign, and there will be more TV advertising, more internet-based promotions and more general media coverage for the sport, especially in lifestyle mags," says Hitchcock. The venue itself was notable, signifying AVESCO's medium-term aim of a Sydney street race.

AVESCO had originally planned for the launch to coincide with an 'all-in' test day at Oran Park but, with many squads still building new cars, that idea was dropped.

AVESCO used the Sydney Olympic Park launch to confirm rule and format changes for season 2005. These include the introduction of a 'block' two-hour practice session on Fridays, and the scrapping of raceday warm-ups. Shootouts will immediately follow qualifying sessions, both to improve the spectacle for fans and to discourage teams from rebuilding cars prior to the one-lap dash. AVESCO also confirmed the re-introduction of the points system's 'drop your worst round' facet, last used in 2003. This year, drivers will only be allowed to drop their worst round result following completion of round 10 at Bathurst, minimising confusion for the final three events.

BigPond, big plans

BigPond is set to take the wraps off a new-look V8 Supercar broadband site for the season-opening Clipsal 500.

Last year was the first full season V8 fans could view exclusive live qualifying and shootout vision via the dedicated broadband site.

BigPond has hinted the 2005 site will be redesigned with more of a racetrack feel, and events will be themed with specific information. Beyond that, the telco was tight-lipped, but it confirms the most popular features from last year will return.

"We'll continue to show qualifying, the top 10 shootout and all races live, mixed with live timing and telemetry," site content producer Sandra Davey tells V8X. "Driver interviews will continue, as will live coverage of the weekend press conferences."

BigPond is planning to officially unveil the new-look site in Adelaide, with more content and competitions to be introduced through the year.

"Given the popularity of our coverage of inside the HRT Garage, BigPond will look to do similar programs with Ford and Holden throughout the year," says Davey.

So what was last year's most popular video download? While thousands downloaded Greg Murphy and Marcos Ambrose's spat at Surfers, Davey says it's hard to top an old favourite.

"Anything to do with Bathurst has been the most popular," she confirms.

Chrysler joins V8 circus Chrysler has replaced Audi as the supplier of the safety car for this year's V8 Supercar Championship Series, starting at the Clipsal 500 on March 17. Calling the shots for the V8 field will be the American brand's new Hemi V8-powered sedan, the 300C, decked out in suitably extroverted colours. The road-going 300C goes on sale in Australia later in the year.