Last weekend, Sydney Motorsport Park hosted a bumper Round 5 of the 2012 Shannons Nationals. Categories on offer were the colourful and very nimble Radical Australia Cup, Australian GT Championship including great marques like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes, Aston Martin, Audi, Mosler and Porsche, the impressive looking and sounding Kerrick Sports Sedans, the surprisingly quick Australian Swift Racing Series, the highly competitive Porsche GT-3 Cup and of course Australia's fastest racing cars, Formula 3.
    Circuit upgrades to Sydney Motorsport Park are complete with now numerous configurations on offer. The Australian Racing Driver's Club should be commended for improving facilities.
    The event itself was free on Saturday and $20 for adults on Sunday. Sydney came to the party with perfect winter weather and combined with virtual non-stop on track action with sprint races intermingled with semi-endurance races ensured fans were kept enthralled. Fans were free to wander around the paddock and pit area, with drivers of all categories keen for a chat. 
    All this makes for a great family picnic day out at the motorsport. But where were the fans? formulafrontrow.com is intrigued to know why an event of this calibre with such a diverse mix of categories and so little cost does not attract many more punters. Is it simply a case of improving promotion to make people more aware, or is motorsport something that people don't actually consider when evaluating their entertainment options? Send us an email at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com or simply leave a comment. 
    Formula 3 is one of our favourite categories and is world widely respected as one of the top forms of motorsport. These cars are seriously quick and certainly fill the void when Formula One is not in town. Not only that, kids love the excitement. Bring the family and see you at Sydney Motorsport Park.
        

    McLaren Formula One driver Jenson Button's crushing victory way back at our own season opening Australian Grand Prix must feel like an eternity ago. Writing this pre- Silverstone qualifying, he is clearly not extracting the amount of performance from this year's McLaren as his team mate, Lewis Hamilton.
    At the start of the season, numerous F1 pundits were convinced that Jenson Button's smooth driving style would compliment the nursing demands of the Pirelli rubber that all F1 cars are brandishing. On the flipside, they predicted Lewis Hamilton's more aggressive driving style would ask questions of the tyres that would exceed their capabilities. However, approaching the half way point of the 2012 season, Lewis Hamilton is trouncing Jenson Button. 
    But is it simply a case of requiring more understanding of the Pirelli tyres for McLaren to turn Jenson's season around? Whilst the Pirellis' seem to have a narrow operating temperature with which to extract their maximum performance, could the development path of this year's McLaren be better suited to Lewis Hamilton? After all, Button's already confirmed with the team for 2013, but Hamilton is not. Let formulafrontrow.com know what you think by leaving a comment, or send us an email at: greenflag@formulafrontrow.com.
    Silverstone is a race that Jenson Button has never won. Can the Brit win in front of his home crowd and subsequently get his 2012 season back on track? Looks like a wet qualifying is in store for the British Grand Prix. Game on....