"Rain in five minutes." How many times have you heard the pitwall inform their driver of impending rain, only for it to not materialise? All F1 teams run numerous strategy simulations to arrive at the quickest solution from lights out to chequered flag. Majority of the time, utilising all the available data, even factoring in the rate of tyre degradation, they're right on the money. There's no doubt though, that when the precipitation arrives, pre-planned strategies are redundant and only the quickest to adopt new strategies are able to capitalise. Pre-empting rain however can be tempting strategic disaster. You can just hear the commentators on TV say to the boffins on the pitwall, they should listen to the driver and simply turn around, hold their hand out and look up. At these moments, is the driver's feedback as valuable as all the available data?
    It was certainly refreshing to hear Ferrari's Carlos Sainz at the recent Monaco GP insist on staying out on the extreme wet weather tyres  until he could go straight onto slicks thus skipping intermediates and stopping one less time. Barring a slow out lap behind a back marker, he could very well have won his first GP. You may recall McLaren's Lando Norris almost converting a stunning pole position into a maiden win at last year's Russian GP when he resisted the team's calls and persevered with slicks when the rain came with a handful of laps remaining. He ultimately failed as the rain just got too heavy forcing him to pit, but it does demonstrate strong conviction. That experience would surely render him more a formidable competitor. Last weekend's Azerbaijan GP saw Alpine's Fernando Alonso draw on his immense experience to convert his one stop strategy into their optimum result. He questioned whether the team pitted him too early, so to compensate, Alonso suggested he would manage his tyres before pushing on to the end. The great Michael Schumacher didn't win his seven championships by just doing what he was told. He possessed amazing insight in reading an unfolding race, and would often call strategy on the fly. He was largely involved in calling that memorable 5 stint strategy to win the 2004 French GP at Magny Cours for Ferrari. 
    F1 drivers obviously don't have access to all the data available while racing. If drivers simply called strategy in real time, why would the teams have strategists at the track, plus a team back at their factories on hook up? Teams are very adept at changing strategy to accommodate changing conditions or circumstances. How many times have you heard seven time champ Lewis Hamilton question Mercedes about a revised strategy? When hindsight reveals itself, haven't Mercedes been accurate? After a early race incident at this year's Spanish GP, Hamilton was ready to retire after suffering a puncture and dropping to a distant last. The team reassured him that P4 or P5 was possible and guess where he finished? Red Bull are another team that rarely misread strategy. Their masterclass at Monaco confirms that.
    F1 strategy is a meticulous process which requires all team elements operating at their best. Even then, with all the sensors on the car feeding the team data, weather radars, driver telemetry, and other instruments at the team's disposal, it can still be difficult to consistently nail. So, should drivers be encouraged to call strategy from the cockpit or should it be entirely left for the teams to decipher? Additionally, do some teams prefer to take charge of strategy themselves, as they consider their driver not experienced enough to be dictating strategy?  
    
        
        

    Formula One's most historic and grandee team Ferrari are most certainly in the midst of an epic battle to claim both Driver's and Constructor's Championships in 2022. After four races Charles Leclerc and Ferrari are leading both championships with defending champ Max Verstappen and Red Bull hot on their heels.
    When orchestrating a sustained assault on the championship, Ferrari have demonstrated over many past campaigns a very specific modus operandi. Dictated by early season form, Ferrari have traditionally put their collective might behind their higher scoring driver, with the second driver relegated to a diversionary, supporting role in their bid to achieve championship glory. Teams orders reversing driver positions or adopting delaying tactics to other competitors are nothing new to Ferrari or F1 for that matter. All perfectly legal and expected in a team sport where the stakes are high and the rewards immense. 
    With Leclerc leading the championship, team mate Carlos Sainz at present resides in 5th position. After starting the season strongly, he's currently enduring a wretched time DNF'ing in the last two races after crashing out in Australia and being punted on the first lap at Imola by a struggling Daniel Ricciardo. Even at this early stage of the season, is Carlos Sainz at risk of being assigned the subservient role of number 2 to further Charles Leclerc's championship quest? Think Rubens Barrichello to Michael Schumacher, or Felipe Massa to Fernando Alonso, or Clay Regazzoni to Niki Lauda. There's no doubt that Sainz is one of F1's top drivers. He competed strongly with Verstappen when they were both at Toro Rosso. Whether it's changing teams to Renault, McLaren or Ferrari, he's adjusted quickly, proving how versatile and accomplished he is. In fact he outscored team mate Leclerc in his first year at Ferrari in 2021. Ferrari obviously rate him too, as evidenced by his recently announced two year contract extension. 
    One simmering question remains that needs to be extinguished before the number 2 mantra becomes a reality. How many races will Ferrari afford Sainz to produce some podium topping results to avoid having a compliant number 2 status thrust upon him? A good start would be a win at this weekend's GP, guaranteeing Sainz and Ferrari a place in the records as the first winners of the inaugural Miami GP. Remember F1's Jewel In The Crown, the Monaco GP, is also being contested later this month. If Carlos Sainz won those two prestigious races or at least bagged big points, would that then leave Ferrari with no other option but to let their two drivers just simply race? Intriguing times ahead....
                        

    Forza Ferrari! The church bells at Maranello are probably still ringing out in recognition of Ferrari's impressive win at the Australian Grand Prix. After a false start, a couple of failed reschedules, Formula One finally made its triumphant return Down Under to Melbourne's stunning Albert Park. Record AGP crowds in excess of 400,000 over the 4 days were testament to its anticipated return.
    With 3 races consigned to history, the new for 2022 technical regulations governing car design, so far have produced riveting racing. A return to ground effect principles whereas the low air pressure under the floor generates the majority of downforce, coupled with simpler upper body aerodynamics to create higher and wider aero outwash, have appeared to allow the pursuing car to follow closer. To date, drivers are having to defend more vigorously and overtaking more prevalent.  You could conclude that the early signs regarding the new car designs are encouraging toward achieving their desired outcome. There's been closer racing throughout the entire field.
    Having said that though, it was an utterly dominant display from Charles Leclerc and his Ferrari team in claiming their second win in 3 races. They controlled the race from the moment the lights went out. Despite rivals Red Bull having the faster car in a straight line, they were unable to compete with Ferrari at Albert Park. Also concerning for defending champion Max Verstappen is his second retirement in 3 races. Could Red Bull's early season unreliability already be compromising a successful defence of his title? Also, what of world champions Mercedes? They say they have potential in their new car. But can they unlock it in time before the Constructor's Championship slips away? The positive element is they've maximised their results with both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell claiming podiums in the early races.
    With the opening skirmishes falling Ferrari's way, can they mount a successful challenge for both the driver's and constructor's crowns? They have the drivers. They possess the infrastructure and facilities. Could 2022 finally be the year of the Prancing Horse? Perhaps we should ask the punters probably still celebrating at Lygon St in Melbourne's Italian precinct.  
            

    Welcome back. 2022 is shaping up to be an awesome motorsport season. It's that time of year where we outline the motorsport events we envisage attending throughout 2022. We trust you are enjoying the photos from the Sydney SuperNight at Sydney Motorsport Park featuring the opening round of the 2022 Supercars Championship. It's just the beginning.
    
    

​    Below is the list of proposed events for 2022. 
> April 7th - 10th: Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park, Melbourne featuring F1 and supported by Supercars, Porsche Carrera Cup and S5000.
> April 15th - 17th: Bathurst 6 Hour At Mt Panorama, Bathurst featuring the Bathurst 6 Hour for Production Cars and supported by TCR, Trans Am and Historic Touring Cars.
> May 13th - 15th: Bathurst 12 Hour at Mt Panorama, Bathurst featuring the Bathurst 12 Hour for GT cars and supported by Aussie Racing Cars.
> May 27th - 29th: Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships at Sydney Motorsport Park (SMSP) featuring S5000, TCR, Touring Car Masters, Trans Am and Radical Australia Cup.
> June 11th - 12th: Sydney Classic At SMSP featuring Historic Racing.
> September 3rd - 4th: Sydney Masterblast at SMSP featuring the Muscle Car Masters.
> October 1st - 2nd: Australian Motor Racing Series at SMSP featuring Formula 3.
> November 11th - 13th: Bathurst International at Mt Panorama, Bathurst featuring TCR, Touring Car Masters, S5000, Trans Am and GT.
> November 18th - 20th: Tasman Series at SMSP featuring S5000.
> December 3rd - 4th: Summer Festival at SMSP featuring Historic Racing.

    Despite the delayed start to the 2022 season, we should still be able to work the Nikon shutter button pretty hard. Better grab some extra memory cards. The aforementioned programme is of course subject to change. Next stop, F1 at Albert Park. Can Ferrari capitalise on their early season form? God bless and see you in Melbourne....

  
    

    We marvelled at Ayrton Senna's striking yellow helmut menacingly protruding from the stunningly beautiful Lotus resplendent in black and gold livery. That was 1985. Now we're hooked, fast forward to today and we still anticipate with baited breath the latest instalment of each and every race of Formula One. 2021 however, raised the bar to a level that we feel is unprecedented. We simply cannot recall a season that was as compelling and riveting as we just witnessed. From the first race at Bahrain to the very last lap of the last race at Abu Dhabi, Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull's Max Verstappen went toe-to-toe all season with the championship lead changing several times throughout the campaign. In the end Verstappen triumphed over the 7 time champ to win his maiden championship in what some would say controversial circumstances.
    The two championship contenders were equal on points going into the final race. A race start skirmish saw Hamilton take the lead and maintain it from Verstappen until a late crash by Williams' Nicholas Latifi became the catalyst for a Safety Car. When racing resumed with one last flying lap left, Verstappen on fresh soft tyres was able to overtake Hamilton on ageing hard tyres and win the race and therefore the championship. The handling of the Safety Car period by the FIA Race Director is what has divided opinion. To some, this was where the controversy lied. Or was there? 
    The rules state that once a track is deemed safe to continue racing that lapped cars can pass the Safety car and unlap themselves, with the Safety Car leaving the circuit the next lap and racing to resume. What occurred at Abu Dhabi was that only the lapped cars between Hamilton and Verstappen were allowed to unlap themselves and the Safety Car left the circuit on the same lap. This was the basis of Mercedes' subsequent protest. However the very next article in the regulations supercede this by stating that the race director can exercise discretion and call the Safety Car in at any time when the track is deemed safe. No one wants to see a race finish behind the Safety Car. Are the teams the consequent victims of the "just let us race" mantra that they so strenuously lobbied the FIA for? The FIA was remarkably tacit on the fallout after the race. In fact, the incoming president had more to say than the outgoing president. Wouldn't it have been prudent to back their F1 Race Director when punters' discord was directed towards him, or was he effectively thrown under the bus? Also, given that F1 provide approximately 60% of the FIA's total revenue to administer all motorsport under its governance, is it time to have a dedicated department to just focus on F1? Should the same group of stewards be utilised at all events instead of routinely chopping and changing?
    The way the race transpired presents a raft of further questions. A great trivia question is, who finished on the podium in third place? We hate to refer to such a wonderful driver as Ferrari's Carlos Sainz as a trivia question, but why wasn't he afforded an opportunity to win the race by letting the lapped cars in front of him unlap themselves?
    Additionally, this doesn't mean that the regulations don't need some tweaking for the future. Nothing is perfect. To avoid future controversies such as this, should F1 adopt an Indy Car type approach to late race incidents? By this we mean, if an incident occurs within say 5 laps or less remaining that would normally constitute a Safety Car, should F1 red flag the race and have a standing start recommencement when the track is clear? Cast your mind back to this year's Azerbaijan GP. The late race restart was certainly exciting. Conversely, should tyre changing be outlawed in the event of a red flag? Perhaps pitlane should be closed for tyre changing with 5 laps to go?
     Both Verstappen and Hamilton were worthy champions and both should be congratulated. Lewis Hamilton was a class act in defeat. You can understand Mercedes' grievance over missing out on the driver's title. Not sure about boycotting the FIA prize giving gala in Paris though. Motorsport can be a cruel sport. The highs are high, and the lows are low. As a learned associate of ours stated, "somebody has to win and somebody has to lose". Either way, the publicity F1 generated is great for bringing in new fans. We once again wait with baited breath for the next instalment of F1. Bring on 2022. 
    

    All 6.213kms of bumps and turns watched menacing by the encroaching walls pose a challenge. Associate this with 161 laps of intrigue and you have the Bathurst 1000. Supercars' marquee event, the Bathurst 1000 at Mt Panorama is fast approaching. 
    The Mt Panorama circuit started as a tourist scenic drive, but its potential as a racing circuit was soon recognised by local authorities. Racing commenced in 1938 with the Australian Tourist Trophy. The Armstrong 500 (miles) moved from Philip Island to Mt Panorama in 1963. The distance increased to 1000kms in 1973, and thus became known as the Bathurst 1000 and been contested every year since. Now the 23 turns with a 174m elevation disparity between Murray's Corner at the start of pit straight and Skyline at the top of the mountain present the ultimate challenge for Australia's top Supercar drivers. Whether it be the fast evolving weather, the invasive kangaroos, mechanical gremlins, the teams and drivers race the circuit as much as each other, and when the Mountain bites, it bites hard. 
    The Bathurst 1000 presents itself as the only true endurance race for the 2021 Supercars' Championship. All entrants are utilising the services of a co-driver, with teamwork the key for unlocking success in the Great Race. As mentioned, 161 laps with 7 compulsory pit stops and driver changes provide the perfect ingredients for the toughest race to win in Australian motorsport. This year the Bathurst 1000 is being run much later than ever in December. It is also starting at the latest time ever at 12.15pm. Will fading light be an issue if the weather is questionable? Since the Great Race is the culmination of a mammoth 6 day event, will the increased amount of rubber laid down on the circuit translate to quicker lap times? Will the vastly different ambient conditions present new challenges for the teams to negotiate? Already the apprehensive excitement is palpable.
    The 2021 Supercars' Championship has already been decided. Red Bull Racing's Shane van Gisbergen has attained an unassailable lead in the drivers', and Red Bull have done likewise in the teams'. Red Bull's other driver, the 7 time champ Jamie Whincup is retiring from full time competition after Bathurst. We've already seen at the recent Sydney Cup at Sydney Motorsport Park that he is unwilling to acquiesce to team orders and has clearly stated he's out to win. Is there a chance of more paint swapping between the two Red Bull drivers at Bathurst? Perhaps we'll see a complete surprise prevail at the Great Race. We'll know in a week....

    What a riveting season this year's Formula One championship has been. The title quest seems unwilling to attach itself to the two leading championship contenders. Will Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton win an unprecedented 8th title, or will Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen abscond with his first? The so called Mercedes circuits have gone to Red Bull, and the Red Bull strongholds have been opportunistically snatched by Mercedes. This is one of the best seasons that we can ever recall. 
    Many a pundit has previously suggested that Max will succumb to the pressure as Lewis has won the championship multiple times before. We don't subscribe to this ideal. Max is mentally extremely strong, unperturbed by outside influences, and hence unflappable. Remember he started F1 only 2 years after winning the World Karting Championship. Many a karting champion has not been able to cut it in formula categories, but not Verstappen. Besides you don't become world karting champ without withstanding pressure, as it's impossible to control the race and win by 20 seconds or more like you can in other categories. The competition is always right there behind you waiting to pounce on any mistake. With five F1 races left to go, it's refreshing to read that many of these pundits have changed their tune. Hamilton could still very well win this year, and Max will be just as unflappable. He knows he'll have his day. Do you think that Max is a once in a generation driver?
    Tomorrow morning's (Australian time) Mexican Grand Prix could present an intriguing scenario. Mercedes have surprisingly locked out the front row with Red Bull on the second row at a so called Red Bull circuit. Max's team mate Sergio Perez is Mexican and a national superstar. Imagine a situation where Perez could be in a position to win the race, but told to let Verstappen pass for the sake of the championship? Bold and brazen to say the least. But how will the Mexican fans react?

    Have you ever taken a photograph of your daughter on her wedding day, and wondered why her wedding dress looked off white or even grey when reviewing the photo? Or perhaps a holiday snap while skiing in the Snowy Mountains and couldn't quite figure out why the snow looked dirty instead of the unblemished white you remember? Maybe at the other end of the spectrum, you've done some night time photography and the photo looked lighter than it should? Or perhaps photographed a stunning black racing car only for it to turn out a dull dark grey? Well that's because of how your camera's sensor meters the light. This is where overexposure and underexposure enter the equation.
    Remember photography is simply pausing a moment in time by capturing the light. Despite camera technology constantly improving and their sensors becoming more sophisticated by being able to discern colours more discreetly, the sensors still largely see everything between the extremes of white and black. Consequentially, they try to meter every subject as an average of the two or a "middle grey". That's why your daughter's wedding dress or your snow looks off white, or your night time shots look too light, or your black car looks dark grey. To compensate, you need to overexpose your predominantly white subjects and underexpose your dark subjects. But why would I overexpose something white when there's obviously a lot of light reflecting off it you ask? Or why would I underexpose a black car when it's already dark you ask? Remember as previously stated, your camera will try and turn everything into a middle grey. Therefore overexposing your lighter subjects will bring it back to white and underexposing your dark subjects will move them back to black.
    Take a look at the image of the beautiful 1968 Brabham from the recent Sydney Classic attached with this post. We underexposed this shot by only just under a full stop to maintain its wonderful dark colour. If we didn't, it would've looked too light bordering on grey and not been a true representation. The camera settings are in the caption. There is also an artistic reason for underexposing as well. Underexposing is useful for bringing out the riches of colour as well. Handy if photographing flowers, sunsets or motorsport for that matter. 
    While we have never professed to be photographic experts, we hope these tips help and remember, these tips mainly concern DSLR camera users. Check out our Final Sector page, click on the images and you'll see our camera settings to further spark some ideas. Happy shooting....
    

    Since 1957 Motorsport Australia (formerly Confederation of Australian Motorsport or CAMS) have presided over one of Australia's longest running motorsport championships, the Australian Drivers' Championship. This championship is attained by the driver who wins the series of the top complying open wheel category as determined by Motorsport Australia. They are awarded the prestigious Gold Star. In the past the Gold Star has been contested in categories such as  Formula Libre, Australian Formula 1 and Australian Formula 2, Formula Holden and Formula Brabham. Not only international drivers but the best home grown talent have vied  for Gold Star honours. Many have gone on to forge remarkable international careers. Past winners include such illustrious names like Lex Davison, Stan Jones, 4 time winners Bib Stillwell and Alfredo Costanzo, John Bowe, Mark Skaife, Paul Stokell, David Brabham, Will Power and Scott Dixon. From 2005 to 2014 Formula 3 has been the disputed category with drivers like Tim Macrow, Ben Barker and most recently Simon Hodge enjoying the winning spoils.
    Unfortunately dwindling entries in Formula 3 were the catalyst for shelving the Gold Star at the end of 2014. However in 2021, Motorsport Australia have resurrected the Australian Drivers' Championship and deemed the new S5000 series worthy of the Gold Star. S5000 is a modern take of F5000 which ran in the 1970's, attracting the then current F1 drivers "Down Under" in the F1 off season to battle for the coveted Tasman Cup. Big banger 5 litre V8 open wheelers producing around 560bhp with big rubber focussing on mechanical grip with minimal aerodynamics. They look the part. They sound the part and they've got the speed to match. The recent Sydney Motorsport Park round crowned Joey Mawson of Team BRM the latest recipient of the Gold Star. 
​    So where does this leave Formula 3? Coinciding with the cessation of the Gold Star, in 2015, Motorsport Australia commenced with great fanfare the start of the FIA sanctioned Formula 4 championship. A worthy stepping stone for young drivers wishing to progress their burgeoning careers from karting to open wheelers. A fantastic introduction to wings and slicks racing. Despite our best efforts to promote Formula 3, petitioning for a support bill at the Australian F1 Grand Prix or a return to Mt Panorama, we questioned whether both categories could co-exist. Formula 4's entry numbers never quite fulfilled Motorsport Australia's ambitions. Fast forward 5 years and Formula 4 is now defunct in Australia, yet still prominent in Europe, UK, Asia, USA and South America. The knock on effect to Formula 3 in Australia is that numbers dwindled further and the category receives virtually no multimedia exposure.  
    Now with S5000 being the complying category for the Gold Star, will it be endorsed in a fashion that guarantees its longevity? Are we to see these thunderous machines for years to come? Well, they've made an excellent start with a support
card for the Australian F1 GP, supporting some Supercar events and featuring as part of the Motorsport Australia Championships which are streamed live and on free-to-air TV. Now for the 2021-2022 forthcoming season we have a series within a series, the International Triple Header. Desiring to attract some international drivers we have 3 events in 3 weeks, the Australian F1 GP, the inaugural Bathurst International at Mt Panorama and the Gold Coast 500 as part of the Supercars finale. As exciting as this is, has anyone remembered that Formula 3 are still contesting their championship during the Gold Coast weekend at The Bend in South Australia? You see our point?
    We've asked the question before, but we'll ask it again. Are there simply too many different motorsport categories in Australia? With S5000 moving from strength to strength, will the repercussion be that Formula 3 in Australia be no longer seen as a viable stepping stone and be shown the blue flag and lapped into oblivion?
​    Yours with maximum downforce and low drag. Chao....            

    Undoubtedly Netflix's intriguing series "Drive To Survive" covering Formula One's behind the scenes machinations has provided a wider comprehension to us seasoned fans, but also attracted a vast number of new fans to this fascinating sport. People have mentioned to us that they never considered watching F1. Drive To Survive has changed all that. Now they wait with baited breath for the next instalment of F1 racing. Broadening F1's fanbase and keeping them enthralled has prompted the governing body to refresh the weekend's racing format. Introducing  Saturday Sprint Qualifying Races. 
    In 2021, 3 events will have a Saturday 100km sprint race which will determine the starting grid for Sunday's Grand Prix. Two held at European events, mooted at the British and Italian GP's. The third at an overseas event, possibly the Brazilian GP. To summarise, Friday will consist of Free Practise One of 60 minutes duration, followed by Qualifying as we currently know it to set grid positions for Saturday's sprint race. Saturday will comprise Free Practise Two and the 100km Qualifying Sprint Race in the afternoon which sets the grid positions for the Grand Prix itself. Sunday will feature the Grand Prix as always. The Saturday race will have no compulsory pit stop and championship points will be awarded to the top three place getters. 3 points for first, 2 for second and 1 for third. We won't go into the tyre allocation restrictions at this point, but the top 10 qualifiers do not have to start the GP on the tyres with which they qualified on. The cars enter parc ferme conditions before qualifying on Friday.
    The Saturday sprint races could potentially add some favourable or perhaps not so favourable tangents to the weekend. The cars towards the back of the grid will certainly be racing as hard as possible to improve their starting positions for the Grand Prix. But what of the guys in the middle or even the front of the grid? If you're starting in P8, are you liable to send one up the inside of the car in front with two laps to go, knowing in the back of your mind that improving your grid spot by one place will still have you starting on the fourth row for the GP? Would the guys starting on the front row dice just as hard into Turn 1 knowing that if they took each other out, they would be starting at the back of the grid for the GP? While we hope parc ferme conditions after Friday practise will relieve the team's mechanic's workload, a crash in the sprint race will put them back under the pump. Contrarily, would the drivers starting in say P4 or 5 race as hard as they would in the GP knowing that an improvement at the chequered flag would not only move them closer to the front for the GP grid, but also garner them championship points? Or simply, once the lights go out, would racing drivers just be racing drivers and let the red mist descend? The unknown to us humble punters will be fascinating.
    The current knockout qualifying session builds the tension up nicely, so we're pleased that that remains. Now we have extra racing to escalate the excitement. We as fans are the winners. Edge of the chair stuff eh?