Greetings motorsport fans. At last the green flag has dropped and we're back to track action for 2021. We hope you are all enduring and caring for each other while the global pandemic changes the way that we live. In Australia we've been blessed by being minimally impacted compared to the majority of the world. Our prayers are still going out to you.
    With a delayed start Down Under to the motorsport season, we are finally underway. We trust you are enjoying Part 1 of our 2 part special of the Bathurst 6 Hour supported by Motorsport Australia Championships from Mt Panorama, Bathurst. Part 1 covers the Saturday of the event, while Part 2 will feature Sunday, largely focussing on the 6 Hour race for Production Cars. 
    Now it's time to outline the rest of the 2021 motorsport season's events we hope to attend and share with you.       
    1-2nd May - Motorsport Australia Championships at Sydney Motorsport Park (SMSP), featuring TCR Australia Series, S5000, Touring Car Masters, Radical Australia Cup and Trans Am.
    12-13th June - Sydney Classic at SMSP featuring historic racing.
    1st August - NSW Motor Race Championships at SMSP featuring Formula Ford.
    21-22nd August - Sydney SuperNight at SMSP featuring Supercars.
    4-5th September - Sydney Masterblast at SMSP featuring Muscle Car Masters and Radical Australia Cup.
    18-21st November - Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park, Melbourne.
   26-28th November - Bathurst International at Mt Panorama, Bathurst featuring TCR Bathurst 500, S5000, Trans Am, Touring Car Masters and GT World Challenge 3 Hour Endurance Race.
    While we will endeavour to attend the aforementioned events, they are subject to change. Stay safe, look out for each other, and we'll be back with Part 2 of our 2 part special of the Bathurst 6 Hour. Cheers and God bless.... 

    We are in the midst of Formula One history being made and unprecedented dominance. Mercedes have now compiled 7 Constructor's Championships on the trot. Their star driver, Lewis Hamilton has now accumulated 7 Driver's Championships equalling the great Michael Schumacher and in the process become F1's most winningest driver which currently sits on 95 victories. Now it's been announced that he is set to be honoured with a knighthood. Is the Mercedes/ Hamilton juggernaut to be stopped?
    With the New Year commencing and another F1 season beckoning, we found ourselves in a moment of reflection. Who are the greatest F1 drivers of all time? Afterall, F1's inception dates back to 1950. Many a F1 pundit much more learned than us has stated that it's nigh on impossible to compare eras in Grand Prix racing considering differences in machinery, type of circuits raced and number of GP's contested each season and so on. However, we think otherwise.
    When assembling our top 10 greatest F1 drivers list, some drivers simply make the list through sheer weight of numbers. Number of wins, number of championships for instance. We also considered their winning percentage against number of GP's entered which does stand the test of time. Lastly, we took into account their ability to develop their car and extract the maximum performance. 
    So here is our list of top 10 F1 drivers of all time in no particular order....
    - Lewis Hamilton.
    - Michael Schumacher.
    - Juan Manuel Fangio.
    - Ayrton Senna.
    - Jim Clark.
    - Jackie Stewart.
    - Niki Lauda.
    - Alain Prost.
    - Fernando Alonso.
    - Jack Brabham.
    It would be remiss of us not to mention a few drivers who just missed out on our list. Alberto Ascari, Stirling Moss, Nelson Piquet, Graham Hill, Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi, Ronnie Petersen and Sebastian Vettel.
    There you have it. Predictable? Possibly. Controversial? Maybe. Debatable? Definitely. Let us know what you think by leaving a comment.
​    May you all have a wonderful New Year and we'll be back as soon as possible. Cheers....
    
    
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    The world is currently facing uncertain times with a global pandemic infecting the planet. A consequence of this is that motorsport is facing unprecedented circumstances which are constantly evolving and rapidly changing. While it was disappointing to only see Thursday of the Australian Formula One Grand Prix due to its cancellation, the right decision was made. There are much more important, prevailing issues at hand. 
    The Australian Grand Prix (AGP) isn't the only cancellation. Subsequent GP's have been cancelled or postponed. F1, optimistically, is delaying the start of the season until early June. They have moved the traditional August Summer break forward and have enforced a mandatory 3 week shutdown. Nevertheless, they are instigating a virtual series to help fill the void. The series will feature a number of F1 drivers plus some celebrities, based on the official 2019 PC game and be contested from the comfort of each combatant's home. The first event, the Bahrain Virtual GP is tomorrow morning Australian time.
    Australia's premier category, Supercars is also enduring a hiatus from track action. Supercars have also launched an eSeries which they hope will feature a full grid with all the current drivers. Interesting thing is, not all the drivers have embraced the world of simulators. Intriguing to see who'll come out on top. 
    With all that is going on, has anyone remembered that Holden are ceasing production of right hand driven vehicles at end of financial year? Holden ceased local production years ago, therefore late model Holdens are imported from Asia. Citing plummeting sales figures because of a trend towards compact SUV's, parent company General Motors just couldn't justify continuing to supply a small, fractured market. What does this mean for Supercars? We thought when Ford launched the Mustang to replace the Falcon, that soon we would soon see General Motors launch Chevrolet Camaro's to Supercars to replace the Holden Commodore. However, a telling factor which dispels that theory is that General Motors are also pulling Chevrolet out of Thailand by selling one of Asia's biggest car manufacturing facility's to Great Wall. 
    There's currently speculation that some of this year's Supercar Holden teams may run their current car next year unbadged.  Surely this is only a short term solution. Is there now a window of opportunity for new manufacturer/s to enter Supercars? One prominent team principle has already stated that they are already talking to a number of manufacturers, as they don't want to be seen to be promoting a brand that can't be purchased and is effectively obsolete.
    With racing currently suspended, we certainly hope some normality returns before October's Bathurst 1000. Punters deserve a final showdown of the Ford vs Holden rivalry across Mt Panorama and give Holden a fitting farewell. Then sadly, the Holden lion roars no more. Holden fans really do bleed red.
        

    A year from now we'll be marvelling at the new Formula One cars and debating the new rules and regulations.  Modern, sleek charges with a return to ground effect principles, low profile tyres hugging 18" rims and optimised aerodynamics with a view to enabling a pursuing car to follow closer to a rival. Launch season and pre-season testing will be consigned to history. The cost cap will be in operation coupled with a more equitable distribution of prize money. We may also be about to savour a new weekend format. 
    Wait a moment! Time to wave the red flag. There's the little business of the 2020 Formula One season to navigate first. Largely unchanged, stable rules from last year usually results in the gaps between the teams narrowing. The law of diminishing returns, especially on the power unit side, normally fosters closer racing. Most cars are evolution's from the previous year. While it's difficult to draw conclusions from pre-season testing, we did notice, minus a few hiccups, that reliability was high as all teams completed a lot of laps, and that the times weren't that extreme from each other.
    So what does this mean as the 2020 season commences in a week at photogenic Albert Park in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix (AGP)? Will Mercedes waltz away with another victory en route to another championship, or are we in for a classic season where any number of combatants can frequent the top step of the podium? The younger generation of drivers coming through are exciting to say the least. Can Red Bull's Max Verstappen or Ferrari's Charles Le Clerc mount a serious title challenge? Will we see McLaren through their young chargers of Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris continue to improve in their quest to get back to the front of the grid? Will exciting hotshoe George Russell propel Williams back into the midfield? We'll certainly be hopeful of a Renault resurgence to put Australian Daniel Ricciardo back on the podium. Last year's AGP for Ricciardo was inauspicious to say the least. 
    F1 is ably supported at the AGP by Supercars and Porsche Carrera Cup, both contesting championship rounds. The global category for touring cars, TCR, is making its Albert Park debut. Finally, but certainly not least, S5000 is commencing its first championship round. S5000 is a modern day twist on the old F5000 open wheel category of the 1970's. Retired F1 legends and fan faves Rubens Barrichello and Giancarlo Fisichella are returning to Albert Park to contest the S5000's. There's a massive music festival in the park precinct to delight the punters, a Speed Comparison featuring a 2-Seater Minardi F1 car, and as usual the Royal Australian Air Force will take to the skies overhead.
    Let's hope this year's AGP yields the start of a closely fought F1 campaign. See you at Albert Park....
     
    

    Welcome back motorsport friends, fans and punters. 2020 has arrived. For those of you that may have just joined us, at this time of year we traditionally like to outline which events we intend on frequenting throughout the forthcoming months. 
    We hope you are enjoying Part 1 of our 2 part special on the Bathurst 12 Hour at Mt Panorama. The images we've posted in this edition covers the Saturday of the event, namely final practise and qualifying for the 12 Hour race, plus the support categories. Part 2 will be posted shortly and will cover the 12 Hour race itself on the Sunday. 
    The rest of the year is as follows.
    March 12th-15th - Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park, Melbourne. Supported by Supercars, Porsche Carrera Cup, S5000 and TCR.
    April 11th-12th - Bathurst 6 Hour at Mt Panorama, Bathurst. Supported by The Nationals featuring TCR, Australian GT and Radical Australia Cup.
    May 2nd - 400 Thunder at Sydney Dragway in an All Run format featuring Top Fuel and Pro Slammers.
    June 7th - Sydney Classic at Sydney Motorsport Park (SMSP) featuring historic racing.
    July 19th - Rotax Pro Tour at Eastern Creek International Karting Raceway.
    August 2nd - NSW Motor Race Championships (MRC) at SMSP.
    August 29th-30th - Sydney SuperNight at SMSP featuring Supercars.
    September 5th-6th - Sydney Masterblast featuring Muscle Car Masters at SMSP.
    September 26th-27th - Australian Motor Racing Series featuring Formula 3 at SMSP.
    November 14th-15th - NSW MRC featuring Formula Ford at SMSP.
    While we will endeavour to attend the above listed events, it is subject to change. So charge up your batteries, grab some extra memory cards and we'll see you in Melbourne....
    
     

    That is the question. Formula One teams are meticulous beasts. They plan and orchestrate the most minute detail to the enth degree. They devise contingencies for all scenarios. They are able to push the scope of the rules to the limits of legality. Their problem solving and communication skills are an example for a wide range of businesses. 
    Yet cast your mind back to the last race at Abu Dhabi. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc failed to start his final qualifying run before the chequered flag. How can this happen? The Chinese GP also saw a few timed out shall we say. Also what about the Italian GP at Monza? It wasn't just Ferrari who dropped the ball, but virtually all runners. With the Alfa Romeo of Kimi Raikkonen already crashed out, of the remaining nine, seven didn't start their final lap by the chequered. What a farce! In their efforts to find clear space, each car was going too slow and backing up the car behind. No one wanted to be the first to jump. Are they that paranoid of giving their rivals an advantage by way of a slipstream or tow, that they simply prefer to shoot themselves in the foot? The drivers are meant to complete their outlaps equivalent to a safety car delta time. At Monza, they weren't even close. Several were reprimanded by the stewards. 
    With the rules changing for 2021 and the weekend format being reviewed, qualifying is one element up for discussion. Rumours of qualifying to set the grid for a Saturday sprint race to determine the grid for Sunday's GP is one option. Should they use this chance to mandate that all drivers must drive their outlaps during qualifying at a consistent speed on a par to a Virtual Safety Car lap time, ie, 40 % slower than a racing lap perhaps? This is still faster than a Safety Car lap and possibly easier to police. The paying punters at the track and at home deserve better. Qualifying reaching its peak is one of the weekend's highlights. 
    Congratulations to Mercedes F1 Team for winning an unprecedented 6 consecutive Driver's and Constructor's title double.  Kudos to Lewis Hamilton winning his 6th title. Only Schumi left to eclipse now.

    Merry Christmas to all our friends and surfers. God bless and see you in 2020. 

    Finally, after exhaustive and extensive collaboration, Formula One and the FIA  has finally released its blueprint for the F1 regulations commencing in 2021. The overriding premise is to improve the racing by enabling F1 cars to follow and therefore overtake another car with greater ease. The other main consideration is to rein in costs.
    A cost cap is to be enforced by an external authority. This is set at $175 million/year. This figure does not include driver salaries, the top three team personnel salaries, and marketing. This is less than the top teams currently spend but more than the majority of teams spend. We mooted the idea quite a while ago, but there is a limit to the number of updates per season a team can bring to the car. The list of standardised parts has expanded and a more equitable distribution of prize money.   
    Aerodynamics have been simplified. Currently it's touted a F1 car loses 40-50% of its downforce when following another car, rendering it unable to punch through the dirty air of the leading car's wake to obtain the necessary slipstream to overtake. The new rules and regulations look to address this. They claim after significant testing, that the pursuing car will only forfeit 10%. This is theoretically achieved through a combination of variables. Bargeboards which are the aero devices in front of the sidepods serve multiple purposes. They split the air into three. The first to keep the air attached to the bodywork to channel it down to the rear wing. The second to channel the air to the underfloor. The third to send the dirty unwanted air from predominantly the front wheels outwards away from the car. This was an area that was open for development this year and quite frankly have been become intricate, convoluted, complex abominations. They have been outlawed under the new regs with a return to the ground effect principle, whereas air is fed under the floor via a series of channels or tunnels to create a low pressure area that consequentially creates downforce by sucking the car down to the surface. Front wings and suspension elements are more generic coupled with a rear wing that is virtually "endplateless". The airflow impeding front wheels have wheel wake control devices fitted to limit the outwash from  the troublesome front wheels. Aesthetics have also been considered with smoother flowing bodywork lines and low profile tyres fitted to 18" wheels in keeping with the trend of today. All to achieve a cleaner, higher wash or airwake for the chasing car.  
    The race weekend is to be shortened with the official press conference and scrutineering moved to Friday. There are also proposed tweaks to the weekend format. 
    To date, F1 commentators, pundits, so called experts, even the teams themselves have expressed positive responses to the new regs. But where do you stand? Are these regs a step in the right direction to bridge the competitive gap between the "haves" and "have nots", or could more have been done? Can the cost cap be effectively policed? Changes to the weekend format? Please tell us they are still not considering reverse grids? Rules and regulations have always been modifyied since F1's inception in 1950 to try and level the competitive field. We found ourselves trawling through various archives to note significant changes to F1 cars. Wings first appeared on late 1960's cars and it was still hard to overtake. Ground effect was from 1977-1982 and it was still hard to overtake. Bargeboards first appeared in 1994 and it was still hard to overtake. Cars were stripped of aero add-ons in 2009 and it was still hard to overtake. Hasn't F1 always been hard to overtake? Or have F1 possibly, quite possibly, finally found the panacea they seek?

    We love to speculate. However, we tend to steer clear of driver predictions, especially Formula One. F1 is notoriously unpredictable, and attempting to foresee who'll drive for who, or who's out, who's in, is fraught with surprise and/or disappointment.
    Having stated all that, we can't help but notice that Renault incumbent, Nico Hulkenberg, may be without a drive in 2020. We'll make no apologies for it, but unashamedly we are a bit of a fan of The Hulk. A German karting champ, Formula BMW champ in 2005, Formula 3 Euro champ in 2008, GP2 champ in 2009. We can remember seeing Nico destroy the opposition in Sydney winning in the one make A1GP. He won nearly half of the races for Team Germany en route to the 2006-07 title. He graduates to F1 for Williams and makes the progression from test and reserve driver to race driver in 2010, bagging a pole position in his first year in variable conditions at Brazil. In 2015 he drove a factory Porsche in the Le Mans 24 Hour and won on debut. His pedigree is unquestionable. 
    Now at the time of writing his options for 2020 are limited, as he's lost his seat at Renault to Mercedes backed Esteban Ocon. Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, Renault, Racing Point and Haas have all settled on their 2020 lineups. This only leaves Alfa Romeo and Williams as possibilities, as Red Bull and Toro Rosso tend to employ their own sponsored drivers. The last time Red Bull hired outside their stable was Mark Webber from 2007-2013. So, has Hulkenberg missed his chance of a drive at a top team? Is he a case of unfulfilled potential? After nearly 10 years in F1, he still hasn't stood on the podium. Could F1 still spring a surprise? Perhaps a certain Ferrari driver retires freeing up a seat, or Red Bull buck their own tradition and snap up Nico? Ferrari and Red Bull could do a lot worse. Simply put, will we see The Hulk on the 2020 F1 grid? We hope so....   

    Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Anthoine Hubert who tragically lost his life in a horrific crash at the Belgium GP. A star of F2 and destined for F1. Rest In Peace.
    We'd also like to wish Juan Manuel Correa a speedy recovery after sustaining extensive injuries in the same incident. Best wishes.  
     

    There's a freshness of all things new in the air. The season's changing. The flowers are blooming. The birds are chirping. Spring has sprung Down Under. The September winds herald another new season. Endurance Season and The Mountain looms large at this time of year. Bathurst's imposing Mt Panorama summons the Supercar fraternity to its fabled circuit for the start of this year's Pirtek Endurance Cup. 161 laps of the toughest assignment for Australia's premier "tin-top" category. 
    This year's Bathurst 1000 starts 20 minutes later than last year's race at 11.30am, but never fear. As you are probably aware, the race is not time certain and even if it runs a record length, last light is after 7.30pm. So who will conquer The Mountain? A previous winner or perhaps a fresh face? Who's your tip?
    As we get revved up for Bathurst, we noticed Supercars recently released the calendar for 2020. 14 events down from 15. As per usual, the championship kicks off around the streets of Adelaide followed by an event every 3 weeks to maintain uniformity for the fans with the exception of the penultimate round at Sandown and the finale at Newcastle which is separated by 2 weeks. Speaking of Sandown, it now becomes a SuperSprint round with The Bend opening The Pirtek Endurance Cup. The notable absentees off the calendar are Phillip Island and Queensland Raceway. There's a winter break in July and August which coincides with the Tokyo Olympics. 3 night events adorn the calendar with the Perth SuperNight, Sydney Motorsport Park returning to its traditional date in late August racing under their new permanent lighting, and the Gold Coast 600 Saturday enduro. The Auckland SuperSprint fittingly moves to the Anzac weekend in April. Supporting Formula One on the world stage at Melbourne's Albert Park, Supercars will utilise both hard and soft compound tyres in their 4 x 100km races. Fan favourite Stadium Super Trucks return and Australian Superbikes join the support cast at selected events.
    Recognising that not all fans can attend events on Sunday, the big news is that all SuperSprint rounds are now 400 km events (up from 300km). This brings Saturday in line with Sunday with both days featuring 200km sprints.
    We'll definitely be at the Australian F1GP at Melbourne and Sydney Motorsport Park. So charge up your camera and we hope to see you there. Chao....

​    Unequivocally race drivers have astounding reflexes. They can react to situations instantaneously. The very best can envision scenarios before they even occur and methodically devise contingencies all within milliseconds. Whether it be through the hands, arms, feet, their backsides, or the sum thereof, they also possess an innate touch or intrinsic feel for what’s happening. They constantly adjust their points of focus. This heightened sensory awareness gels to form a potent combination in their quest to be the fastest.
    But what is their point of focus? What is commanding their attention? As they’re hurtling down the straight at breakneck speeds, do you think they’re fixated on their braking point? As they approach the apex of a corner, do they stay focussed on it until the apex is passed? Do you simply stare at your rival in front and follow their lines? Have you ever seen someone spin, only for the driver behind to spin in sympathy? Any aspiring driver who adopts these traits is destined to be at the back of the grid and is an accident waiting to happen.
    Adjusting your points of focus is paramount. Don’t be misled. A driver definitely spots their braking point when travelling down the straight by way of a landmark, bump or crack in the track surface, fence line or advertising, whatever. The point is, once that’s found, they’re looking for the apex. Once the apex is spotted, they’re looking for the corner exit. This all occurs before they reach said point. Sounds obvious right? But do you get the point? You drive to where you look. Hence why you look for the corner exit as soon as practical. But here’s the best bit. If you have a bit of a moment through the corner, like the back stepping out potentially about to cause a spin, you correct it instinctively without consciously endeavouring to do so. Why? You’re already focussed on the corner exit. You drive to where you look.
    Focussing so far ahead while constantly adjusting your points of focus, therefore driving to where you look, is something that doesn’t always come naturally. You have to train yourself to do so. If you want to drive fast, you have to resist the temptation to watch each point as you pass it. If you can do that, then maybe, just maybe, the best race drivers may not be passing you. Cheers….