Here we go again. Another Formula One season about to commence. Another bunch of challengers hoping to dethrone Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes, and the first salvo to once again be fittingly fired at Melbourne's stunning lakeside street circuit, Albert Park.
    Normally at this time of year we like to preview Australia's premier motorsport event. Whether it be speculative statements about possible scenarios, great vantage points where F1 cars flirt in close proximity with the ever present walls, what to do whilst visiting beautiful Melbourne, photographic tips or simply season predictions. This year, it's the TV coverage that has sparked a lot of discussion. 
    In recent years, worldwide TV viewer numbers for F1 have steadily declined. F1 has traditionally attracted the highest viewing numbers worldwide for any sport. It's aired on average every 2 weeks between March and November. Only the summer Olympics and World Cup Soccer attract higher numbers, but those events are only every 4 years. Can the fall in the number of punters tuning in be attributed to F1's migration from free-to-air TV to pay TV?
    Conjecture was rife last year in the UK when it was announced that only pay TV's Sky Sports would be televising all F1 events live in 2014, whilst free-to-air broadcaster BBC would only be showing some events in entirety and the rest via a highlights package. In 2015, Australia is going down a similar path. Opinions were also divided in Australia when it was announced the hugely popular V8 Supercars would be moving over to pay TV and only 6 events broadcast in entirety on free-to-air. Now Australia's F1 coverage is following a similar path to V8 Supercars. Of 2015's 20 F1 events, only 10 are fully broadcast on free-to-air. The other 10 are going to be broadcast via a 1 hour highlights package on Monday evenings. Has this divided Australia's F1 thirsty viewers down the middle? There are those that say the move to pay TV's Foxtel is a good thing. All practise sessions, qualifying and extended race coverage shown on Foxtel coupled with personal viewer preferences is well worth the price. The subscribers will say it's only a case of beer or a couple of packets of ciggies a month. But what about those that cannot sustain the imposition on their wallets? There are those who simply don't have the disposable cash because of family demands, mortgages, car payments, online commitments and the like. What about old age pensioners on a fixed income? They're already fiscally stretched and are quite possibly long time loyal viewers. To lash out on pay TV could be a racing circuit too far for them. Let's see how the viewing figures pan out come season's end.
    See you at Albert Park. Ciao....

    A little under 2 weeks sees V8 Supercars commence hostilities for what we're sure will be another enthralling championship, version 2015. The ledgers are all square, past controversies are vague lamentations. All teams and drivers will be looking to elevate their stock and be talking up their aspirations. One thing's for sure, they'll all be looking to break 6-time champion Jamie Whincup and Red Bull's recent stranglehold on the championship. 
    This is the exciting time of the year where we as fans love to speculate, talking up our favourites and dismissing the also-rans. Towards the end of 2014, HRT with James Courtney and Garth Tander were definitely on the improve. Will this trend continue in 2015 pleasing their legions of Holden fans? Prodrive's Mark Winterbottom and Chaz Mostert will be hoping the new FG X will catapult Ford back to glory, but can they sustain a prolonged challenge to the championship over the course of the season? DJR with Penske backing have put all their eggs in one basket by running a one car team. After nine seasons in NASCAR, will returning former champ Marcos Ambrose be able to mix it with the current crop of V8 pilots? Whilst it's disappointing that Scott Pye has not secured a full time V8 Supercar drive for 2015, he'll be ably supporting Ambrose in the Pirtek Endurance Cup. Mercedes and Erebus Motorsport had a breakthrough victory in 2014, but will they be regular podium contenders in 2015? Kiwi sensation Scott McLaughlin is quite clearly a future champion. Will 2015 be his year? How long before the big hitters of V8 Supercars demand his services? Another Kiwi to watch for is Tekno Autosport's Shane van Gisbergen. A major talent. Whether it's GT racing, drifting or whatever he plonks his backside in, he seems to excel. Then there's perennial crowd favourite Craig Lowndes. Is Lowndesy the one to steal the championship from team mate Whincup? It'll all start to unfold in Adelaide at the Clipsal 500.
    The big question is how is the free-to-air coverage going to unfold now it's moved to Channel 10 (See archives August 2014)? We've no doubt their live coverage coupled with a top commentary team will be excellent. However, remember they're only showing 6 events in entirety. It's the highlights programming for the other events that we're concerned about. They've kept remarkably quiet on that front.
    Ciao....       

    Already it seems like an eternity since V8 Supercars thundered around the Sydney Olympic Park Street Circuit for the Sydney 500. Thank goodness the Australian motorsport off-season is relatively short. We are exhibiting symptoms of motorsport withdrawal as the shutter release trigger finger is getting itchy, and the Nikons must be feeling a little rejected as they too have not shot any motorsport for a spell.
    Patience is a virtue, or so the saying goes, and 2015 is going to be mega. As we approach our 3rd birthday, the excitement towards the impending season is rapidly building. Traditionally at this time of year, we like to inform you of the events we are planning on attending. So here goes.... 
    > February 7-8: Bathurst 12-Hour at Mt Panorama featuring GT and supported by Radical Australia Cup and Formula Ford.
> April 3-5: Bathurst Motor Festival at Mt Panorama featuring Heritage Touring Cars (Groups A + C), Group N and Production Sports Cars.
> April 12: MX Nationals at Appin.
> May 2-3: X Champs at Sydney Dragway featuring all ANDRA classes including Top Fuel, Top Bike, Top Doorslammers and Top Alcohol.
> June 6-7: Sydney Retro Speedfest at Sydney Motorsport Park featuring Historic F1.
> June 21: East Coast MX Series at Wollongong MCC.
> July 4-5: Shannons Nationals at Sydney Motorsport Park featuring Formula 3 and Formula Ford.
> August 2: MX Nationals at Nowra MCC.
> August 22-23: V8 Supercars at Sydney Motorsport Park supported by Australian GT.
> September 6: Australian Kart Championship at Newcastle Kart Club featuring the international CIK classes including KZ2 Pro Gearbox.
> October 18: North Shore Kart Club at Eastern Creek International Karting Raceway.
> November 7-8: Australian Nationals at Sydney Dragway featuring all ANDRA classes.
> November 14-15: Shannons Nationals at Sydney Motorsport Park featuring Radical Australia Cup, Australian Sports Racer Series and the Australian Manufacturers 4-Hour.
> December 5-6: Sydney 500 at Sydney Olympic Park Street Circuit featuring V8 Supercars.
    So there you go. Everything from Moto X to open wheelers to historic muscle cars to karting to production cars to drag racing to exotic marques. If you can't attend an event, we hope you enjoy our images. 
    Anyone notice one glaringly obvious omission? March 12-15 sees us trundling down to Melbourne's picturesque Albert Park precinct for an event we affectionately call The Big One. That's right, the Australian Formula One Grand Prix. Will anyone topple Mercedes? We're unashamedly biased and we certainly hope Aussie Daniel Ricciardo will in his Red Bull.
    After a short break, we'll be back with plenty of images from Mt Panorama of the Bathurst 12-Hour. Thanks for your support and we'll catch you at the track throughout 2015....

    Cast your mind back a year or so ago to when 1997 F1 world champ Jacques Villeneuve came to Oz and had a lash at driving a V8 Supercar. Once his Australian junket finished, he commented that driving a V8 Supercar was about the hardest thing he'd undertaken in all his years in motorsport. These Aussie fan favourite tin-tops require a specific set of skills to muscle them to the front of the grid. Therefore the current crop of V8 pilots must relish the odd chance to thrash the life out of a race car in a different category.
    The 2015 motorsport season is already looming large, commencing with the fantastic Bathurst 12-Hour event for GT cars at iconic Mt Panorama. This is truly an international event with teams coming from New Zealand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, USA, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and the UK accompanying Australian teams. A vast array of exotic marques including Ferrari, Audi, Mercedes, Porsche, Aston Martin, McLaren, Lamborghini and even Bentley are all vying for victory honours. The drivers also come from far and wide, including a number of V8 Supercar drivers.
    However, the Official V8 Supercar Test Day at Sydney Motorsport Park is scheduled for the same weekend. Will this deprive V8 Supercar drivers the opportunity to drive a gripped-up high-end race car, which they hardly ever get the chance to? Remember their local knowledge of Mt Panorama would be invaluable to the GT teams. What about the fans? Whilst the test day is a fan-friendly day with grid walks and the chance to get up close to the cars and have a chat and grab an autograph from the drivers, there would still be a big Sydney contingent heading up the Great Western Highway over the Blue Mountains to catch the 12-hour. Hate to be the one to tell Craig Lowndes or Shane Van Gisbergen they've got to test instead of competing at Mt Panorama.
    For us it's a no-brainer. We'll be heading up the Great Western.


    Many, many thanks to all our friends and surfers who frequent formulafrontrow.com. Your support is greatly appreciated and we wish all of you a happy new year. May the beer be cold and your glass be full. Roll on 2015. Cheers.... 
       
     

    Periodically, Formula One talks that it needs to rein in costs. With the demise of the Marussia F1 team and Caterham's administrator's desperately seeking a buyer to continue their campaign into 2015, we got to thinking how best to reduce burgeoning costs to the teams. Bear in mind only Ferrari have been around since F1's inception in 1950. Manufacturers have come and gone, and will come again when economics suit. Teams have come and gone. This will always happen. It might be motorsport, but business is business. However, if monetary pressures are reduced, then the teams' longevity will be enhanced. So how is this best achieved?
    The development cycle in F1 is unrelenting. Recent years saw teams operating their windtunnels 24/7 utilising staff on a shift basis. The governing body wisely decreed that they shutdown their factories for 8 hours a day in the name of costs. Despite this, the richer F1 teams still upgrade their cars on a race by race basis in the hope of gaining incremental advantages over their opposition. It's at the point of race team members carrying smaller parts in their personal luggage to alleviate freight costs for the flyaway races. Does the governing body need to put their foot down to rein in costs?
    2015 sees F1 embark on their longest championship to date with a potential 21 events. Why doesn't the governing body mandate when upgrades can be fitted to the cars? Instead of teams tweaking their cars on a race by race basis, why not allow them to fit upgrades say every 4 or 5 events? A homologation within a homologation if you will. This could be timed to coincide with the limited in season testing that's still available. The teams would still be free to develop their cars as aggressively as they wish through simulators, CFD and windtunnel testing within their factory enclaves, but only allowed to fit their upgrades for race meets at the mandated time. Sure they'd still be producing bespoke components for their factory models, but not all would end up on the race cars for each and every event, thus reducing their manufacturing costs. Not to mention they'd be manufacturing less spares of their new parts as there's no "racing incidents" in a windtunnel or simulator. 
    From a fan's perspective, this could also be an exciting prospect. What if teams introduce various upgrades on their factory models, but when they fit them to the race cars at the designated time, they find that it doesn't correlate to the actual race car? The time between race car upgrades could possibly cover the last 4 or 5 factory model upgrades.The richer teams may be a number of upgrades down the track on the factory model than when the last real upgrade was fitted to the race car forcing them to play catch up before the next upgrade is allowed. There's also the opposite scenario, whereas a team could make a substantial gain. This could also benefit a mid-field team who get their upgrade spot on. Food for thought isn't it? 
     
                                     Merry Christmas to all our loyal friends and supporters. Ciao....   

    An eventful 2014 V8 Supercar season is nearing completion with just the Sydney 500 still to be contested around the tight, concrete wall lined Homebush street circuit. With little more than one second covering the entire field in qualifying, the racing has been frenetic, resulting in something like fourteen different winners (we've actually lost count) across this season's races. However, as we always say, the cream always rises to the top. Despite not having been officially crowned yet, Red Bull Racing Australia's Jamie Whincup has just captured an unprecedented sixth V8 Supercar championship. An incredible achievement!
    Following on from Whincup attaining an unassailable lead after the penultimate round at Phillip Island, we began to ponder the gravity of winning six titles and his standing in Australia's premier tin-top category. It's beyond debate that he's one of the greats, and whilst it's difficult to compare eras, is Jamie Whincup now our greatest V8 Supercar driver to date?
    Whincup's rise to the top has been somewhat meteoric. Numerous rookie and junior karting state titles through 1991-97 preceded senior titles including FMK Senior International A Karting Series in 1998, prompting Kart Oz Magazine to name him Karter Of The Year. After claiming a 1999 Formula A Series kart championship, he moved on to Formula Ford in 2000, finishing third in his debut season. After demoralising all comers in 2002 in Formula Ford with Sonic Motorsport, he made the big step straight to V8 Supercars in 2002 with Garry Rogers Motorsport. 2005 saw him acquire a full time drive in V8's with Tasman Motorsport and in 2006 moved on to Triple Eight where he remains to this day. 
    V8 Supercar titles driving a Ford in 2008 and 2009 and driving a Holden in 2011, 2012, 2013 and now 2014 makes Whincup the first to win titles for both Ford and Holden since Norm Beechey. Complementing his six titles are three Sandown 500 wins, four Bathurst 1000 wins and the coveted Barry Sheene Award for best and fairest in 2007 and 2008.
    We mentioned that it's difficult to compare eras, but Jamie Whincup's achievements to date are nothing short of remarkable. Can he now be mentioned in the same sentence with similar reverence as three time Australian Touring Car champion, nine time Sandown and Bathurst winner and V8 Supercar Hall Of Famer who was (and still is) hugely popular with the Australian public? His name is Peter Brock. A contentious issue for some, but the scary prospect is, Whincup is still relatively young. How much more will he achieve before he hangs up his racing boots?
    See you at the Sydney 500. Ciao....
    
    
     

    Those of you that frequent this site will undoubtedly know how much we love wings and slicks racing. At the recent Shannons Nationals finale at Sydney Motorsport Park, Formula 3 exhibited some truly mesmerising open wheel racing. A small field of 8 cars certainly didn't detract from some top shelf motorsport action. 
    Series leader Simon Hodge clean swept all three races, but it was by no means easy. The Sunday morning 9 lap race was some of the best F3 racing we've ever witnessed. The Team BRM driver made a sluggish start and after several overtaking attempts, was able to pass McDonalds Gilmour Racing's Ben Gersekowski around the outside of the T8 hairpin on lap 7. Opportunistic yes, but also a marvellous display of controlled aggression and supreme car control. Championship rival Gersekowski pushed Hodge all the way through the year, and Sydney Motorsport Park was no exception. Hodge later passed early leader Garnet Patterson down the main straight with some classic slipstreaming. Congratulations to Simon Hodge and Team BRM for winning the championship and claiming Australia's longest running perpetual motorsport award, the CAMS Gold Star. F3 will be showcased next year as part of the Shannons Nationals, and we urge you to check out Australia's fastest racing cars.
    Next year sees the introduction of the FIA sanctioned Formula 4 series. CAMS are purchasing 20 chassis with the aim of leasing them to participating teams. The formula is designed for up and coming drivers to be an intermediate category between Formula Ford and Formula 3. It's already running in Great Britain and next year sees the Australian version supporting V8 Supercars at seven events, guaranteeing multimedia exposure. 
    So where does this leave Formula 3? The discerning motorsport fan will know the difference, but to the average punter, it may seem like just another bunch of open wheelers trundling around the circuit. Can F4 and F3 co-exist? Australia's land mass is vast, but population wise, we are relatively small. Are there too many motorsport categories? We've mentioned it in previous posts, but to reiterate, F3 needs to intensely lobby the Australian GP Corporation to gain access to the Australian F1 Grand Prix support bill, thus maximising local and international brand exposure. How cool would it be to see Oz's premier tin-tops, V8 Supercars, coupled with worldwide categories Porsche Carrera Cup, F4 and F3 supporting F1 at Albert Park for the Australian Grand Prix? In the meantime, check out SBS's excellent Speedweek programme this weekend to see what we're talking about.
    Here's wishing and hoping. Ciao....
    
    

    Caught your breath yet? This year's Bathurst 1000 had everything a V8 Supercar fan could possibly imagine. The term "endurance racing" took on a new dimension with this year's race being the longest Bathurst ever at a shade short of eight hours. There was scarcely 25 laps of the 161 lap classic without a safety car intervention. Not only did The Mountain bite hard, but so did the track itself with a patched up section at Griffins Bend (T2) breaking up and claiming a number of victims, prompting an unprecedented red flag while track repairs were carried out. 
    Picking a winner as the race unfolded was nigh on impossible. Normally when we watch the race, about half way through, strategies and possible podium contenders begin to emerge. This year, right up to the end, had no idea!
    HRT's Garth Tander and Warren Luff after suffering their second big crash of the weekend, didn't even start the race. Both Volvo entries crashed at the same spot at The Cutting. At one stage FPR's Mark Winterbottom and Steve Owen looked good. The Bottle-O Ford of David Reynolds and Dean Canto sadly retired with victory in sight. But you certainly had to feel for Team Tekno's Shane van Gisbergen and Jonathon Webb who, after being quick all weekend, on pole, fast all race, coupled with great strategy, tragically retired when they seemed bound for an emphatic victory.
    To the victor go the spoils though, as it was FPR's Chaz Mostert and Paul Morris who prevailed in the end. The infamous Turn 2 claimed Morris early on, but they were able to continue. Coming from last in the field and pitting some 13 times, they were able to overhaul the no guts, no glory approach of Red Bull's Jamie Whincup on the last lap as he ran out of fuel. They only led one lap of the race, but it was the one that counts. It was only Mostert's 2nd attempt at the Bathurst 1000 and Morris' 22nd. Incidently, Morris' debut at Bathurst was a year before Mostert was even born. Congrats to Chaz and The Dude. Kudos must also go to the Norton Hornets of James Moffat and Taz Douglas for bagging second for Nissan, and HHA's Nick Percat and Oliver Gavin for securing third. Is the face of V8 Supercars changing? 

    Recent media scrutiny in Formula One has suggested that the extent of information passed on to drivers during a race through radio transmissions has exceeded the accepted level and spirit of the sporting regulation that states that a driver must drive the car alone and unaided. Numerous sensors on the cars relay temperature and performance data to the teams via car to pit telemetry in real time, allowing the teams to constantly inform their drivers about managing their cars to achieve the best race results. Is too much information being passed on to drivers, especially regarding an opponent's performance? 
    This has prompted the governing body to revise this sporting regulation and subsequently introduce rule changes outlining clear boundaries regarding radio transmissions to drivers. Teams can no longer inform their drivers of suggested driving lines, kerbs to avoid, set up parameters for various corners, gear selection, braking points and optimum use of the overtake button. More importantly, drivers compared to another driver can only know their lap times. No more are they allowed to know an opponent's comparable or absolute sector times, their speed in corners, gear selection, throttle and brake applications, use of DRS, and therefore where an opponent may be gaining or where they're losing time themselves. This all came in with immediate effect for the recent Singapore GP. 
    It's the further restrictions to come in next year that we're excited about. The governing body wanted to introduce these in time for Singapore, however the teams all agreed it was too much to adopt in one foul swoop. By the time the lights go out at Albert Park next year there will be a ban on radio messages regarding car performance. The teams can no longer inform their drivers of things such as clutch settings and how many burnouts to do at the end of their warm up lap to bring everything up to temperature for the start, what engine maps to use at various points of a race, when to harvest energy, when to save fuel, various temperatures and overall health of the car. 
    While a lot of this can be negated through pre-race briefings and steering wheel displays, there's always an unknown factor in F1. What happens during a race if the team detect an issue with the car? Drivers may be blissfully unaware of a potential issue and therefore cannot compensate and may suddenly retire. Could we have the situation where a frontrunner makes a poor start, then having to play catch up runs a more aggressive engine map and richer setting for too long, all the time not knowing if they'll run out of fuel or overstress the car and not see the chequered flag? Without the benefit of the team relaying the telemetry back to the driver, will we see drivers who are already good tyre managers and brake manipulators come to the fore? Does this allow a mid-field team to spring a surprise win? 
    Can we expect the unexpected?
                                                        Cheers....
    
     

    Finally the V8 Supercar Pirtek Endurance Cup is here. This stage of the season exposes the unknown elements that comprise endurance racing. Cars, teams and drivers all tested to their limits. It's going to be fascinating.
    Four mandatory pit stops for today's Sandown 500, seven for Bathurst and a minimum fuel drop for the Gold Coast. Will today's V8's stand the stresses of endurance racing? Will the teams optimise their chances and adopt winning strategies, or will some make some tactical blunders? Co-drivers must certainly be champing at the bit, especially after their taste in yesterday's qualifying race. But what contribution will they provide, especially for those main drivers in with an opportunity for championship glory? Who could ever forget former champ Greg Murphy crashing out at last year's Bathurst 1000? They potentially could advance or scupper a main driver's championship. All the championship's main protagonists have qualified in the top ten for today's Sandown 500. If you've got a tip, you're better than us. Remember no one's won Sandown from pole position since 1996. The anticipation's building, as is the uncertainty.
                                           Got to go. Cars are about to line up on the grid. 
                                                                       Ciao....