Australian Sports & GT IMC News Australian Sports & GT IMC News
| 6 October 2007 |
MASERATI BACK ON TOP OF THE PODIUM IN AUSTRALIA AS WILSON SCOOPS SPORTS/GT INTERMARQUE TITLE
TROFEO Motorsport team driver Rod Wilson has returned Maserati to the winner's circle in Australian motor racing by clinching the inaugural Australian Sports/GT Intermarque Championship.
Driving an ex-works Maserati GT3 coupe, Wilson secured the win in the seventh and final round at the Australian Motor Racing Series (AMRS) event at Melbourne's Calder Park Raceway last weekend.
He also won the Class A title in the championship, while teammate Jim Manolios was fourth outright and third in Class A, driving a Maserati Trofeo.
The result was a triumph for the Melbourne-based team, which was formed only at the beginning of 2007 and has been assisted during the season by Maserati Australia, Pirelli and Iveco trucks.
While Maserati recently moved to an unassailable lead with its MC12 in the European-based FIA GT World Championship, the Sports/GT Intermarque is the first major Down Under win for the iconic Italian marque in many years.
The team also delivered a significant world first with its championship win - the first race victory anywhere for a car fitted with Dymag ultra-lightweight carbonfibre composite wheels.
Trofeo is the exclusive Australian distributor for the British-made wheels and the centre-lock versions fitted to the winning Maserati are the first in Australian competition.
"It has been a thrill to bring Maserati back to prominence on Australian circuits this season," Wilson said.
"Trofeo Motorsport started the season with two V8-powered Trofeo coupes and mid-year was able to upgrade the lead car to an ex-factory GT3. With its yellow and red livery in tribute to Pirelli the GT3 has been a real head-turner at tracks, as well as a formidable competition machine.
"The team is also extremely pleased with the result for Jim Manolios, who began racing only this year but has quickly learned the necessary skills and racecraft."
Both cars raced on Pirelli competition slick tyres, for which Trofeo Motorsport is the exclusive Australian distributor.
Rod Wilson is one of Australia's most experienced drivers in a wide range of single-seaters, GT cars and touring cars. This is the second championship he's won in its inaugural season, the other being the 2001 V8 BRutes ute racing series.
Future racing plans for the Trofeo Motorsport Maseratis will be announced later, but meanwhile the team's transporter and Iveco Power Star prime mover will embark on a major roadshow next month to display the new Maserati Granturismo coupe to enthusiasts around the country.
The racing Maseratis will continue to be the star attractions at Trofeo's Ultimate Drive Days, where owners and enthusiasts are able to drive the current road going Maserati GranSport coupes and Quattroporte Sport GT sedan on a racing circuit and enjoy some thrilling "race" laps alongside Wilson or Manolios.
For more information about Trofeo Motorsport, the Sports/GT Intermarque Championship and the AMRS, visit:
www.trofeomotorsport.com
www.intermarque.net
www.amrs.net.au
| 31 August 2007 |
Viper For Lyddiard
Scott Lyddiard, currently holding second place outright in his A Class XCARZ/Q Trading/Capital Corp Finance/Hydraulink/Just Nice Cars Porsche 911 , has announced his intention to move up to Open Class with the acquisition of the 2006 GT Championship winning Dodge Viper of Greg Crick. The deal includes a complete spares inventory and assistance with engineering and set-up from Crick.
Scott and his team make the trek to Winton Raceway this weekend looking to consolidate his position on the Sports & GT Intermarque Championship ladder. “The main aim will be to qualify well and race consistently near the front of the field again,” said Scott.
Australian Sports & GT Intermarque Championship Pointscore (Top 10)
- Rod Wilson Maserati Trofeo Class A 344 points
- Scott Lyddiard Porsche 911 Class A 245 points
- Paul Whitmarsh Porsche 993 GT2 Open 216 points
- Jim Manolios Maserati Trofeo Class A 205 points
- Steve Cooper Porsche 911 GT2 Open 182 points
- Wayne Henning Porsche 996 GT2 Open 176 points
- Frank Marchese Maserati Trofeo Class A 121 points
- Ted Huglin Ferrari 360GT Open 117 points
- Lee Cooper Porsche 993 GT2 Open 112 points
- Mal Lynn Porsche GT3 Open 110 points
| 31 August 2007 |
Character Building Weekend for XCARZ Team
The XCARZ/Q Trading/Capital Corp Finance/Hydraulink/Just Nice Cars Porsche race team, including driver Scott Lyddiard, were looking forward to the 1 hour enduro event after recording a podium finish at the previous round of the series at Queensland Raceway.
Practice
Scott ran free practice on Friday on used tyres using the time to familiarize himself with the testing Winton layout. The decision was made to continue with used tyres for Saturday’s official practice preferring to save the new tyres for qualifying, although Scott was certainly looking forward to getting on to the new rubber and setting some competitive times.
Qualifying
The car was fitted with new Pirellis for the qualifying session and, this being the first time Pirellis had been used by the team, expectations were high. Unfortunately a deflating tyre compromised the performance of the car and Scott was forced to return to the pits early in the session having completed only 5 laps. The team was unable to rectify the problem within the time remaining in the session and Scott was left with 12 th place after qualifying.
Race 1
Race 1, a short 5 lapper on Sunday morning, was another chance to put the Pirellis to the test. A good start from the 12 th grid spot saw Scott climbing up to 10 th on the first lap before finishing the race in 11 th, the 1 st A Class car home.
Race 2
Race 2 was a 1 hour enduro with a compulsory pit stop, and once again Scott was electing to complete the journey solo. Starting from position 11, another good start had Scott as high as 9 th place on the opening lap, then on the second lap 8 th before contact with another competitor damaged the left front corner of the car and cut the tyre. A quick visit to the pits for a replacement tyre and Scott was back on the track only to return one later complaining of a brake problem. While the team could find no obvious fault, and with the car now exhibiting a full brake pedal it was decided to send the car out again. But it was not to be. After 1 more lap Scott pitted again and the cause of the problem was now obvious. The left front wheel bearing had collapsed, no doubt as a result from the earlier contact, allowing the disc rotor to push the brake pads back into the caliper. Without enough time to effect repairs the car was parked.
Summary
Points-wise the weekend was not good at all, Scott earning only 10 points, which drops him to 3 rd outright in the championship, although he remains at 2 nd in the Class A standings. The entire table is however subject to review, as some controversy has erupted over the way points have been awarded to second drivers during the enduro rounds. Any adjustment will however not adversely affect Scott, as he has completed these rounds as a sole driver.
Scott and the entire XCARZ/Q Trading/Capital Corp Finance/Hydraulink/Just Nice Cars team are now eager to get to round 6 at Calder Park, where Scott has proven to be competitive in the past.
| 11 August 2007 |
General Announcement to www.amrs.net.au Visitors
Since January 2007, the Australian Motor Racing Series website has had over 4 million hits. 226,000 pages on the AMRS site have been viewed in that period. Over 40 gigabytes of data have been downloaded from the site in that time.
There is a new and improved look planned for the site in the near future, but the thing that keeps visitors coming back is content. And largely, www.amrs.net.au relies on you for that content.
Results, championship standings, event details and entry forms are taken care of internally, we upload photos when they are available, but with just under 200 competitors having taken part in the AMRS so far in 2007, it is simply not possible for www.amrs.net.au to write stories on each and every competitor.
So, what does all of this mean to you?
For the competitors, it means that we're relying on you to provide press releases or content you would like included on the site. To get your message across to the plentiful visitors to the site, you need to supply information and photos to the site - you have the opportunity to get additional exposure for your sponsors, and potentially catch the eye of new sponsors who might be visiting the site.
For the fans, if you have a story you'd like to share about your experience at an Australian Motor Racing Series round, send it in, and we'll include suitable stories on the site. If you have photos you'd like to see on the site, send them too, and if you have your own online photo album you'd like us to link to we can add it to the links page.
For everyone, if you have suggestions for the site, or something new you would like to see included, send it through. Now is the time for innovations to be incorporated into the next generation of www.amrs.net.au
To all those competitors who have been supplying content for the site, we thank you, and look forward to receiving more. To those planning to submit more content to the site, thank you.
All submissions to the site should be sent via email to: webmaster@amrs.net.au
And to everyone else, keep enjoying www.amrs.net.au!
| 23 July 2007 |
Consistency Pays Off For Lyddiard - Queensland Raceway Team Report
Scott Lyddiard drove the Xcarz racing Porsche (sponsored by Hydraulink QLD, Qtec Fire Services, Capitalcorp Finance and Just Nice Cars ) to an impressive podium finish with a consistent performance in round 4 of the series at Queensland Raceway on the weekend of June 16-17.
Practice
Free practice on Friday which saw Scott running on used tyres but still lapping some 2 seconds quicker than his previous best at the circuit brought smiles all round and had the team looking forward to the weekend. Unfortunately gear failure on the out-lap of official practice on Saturday morning caused the bonnet the bonnet to fly up breaking the windscreen, severely damaging the bonnet, ending the session for Scott and leaving the crew with little more than an hour to effect repairs.
Qualifying
Looking only a little worse-for-wear the car was out for qualifying; wearing new tyres and hopes were high … until a failed weld in the exhaust system allowed part of the exhaust to part company with the car resulting in a loss off performance. None-the less Scott pressed on, qualifying a creditable 9 th and before bringing the car back to the crew who with the help of the ever present TAFE team repaired the damage (and then went looking for the black cat).
Race 1
Race 1 was a short 5 lap event held on Saturday afternoon. A brilliant start from the 9 th grid spot saw Scott holding 4 th spot for 2 laps before a couple of the faster Open Class cars found their way back past. Scott held on for 6 th place outright and was the 2 nd A Class car home.
Race 2
Race 2 was to be a 1 hour enduro with a compulsory pit stop. While many cars used 2 drivers Scott elected to complete the distance solo, which meant at the pit-stop he was required to exit the car, complete an entire circuit of the car, get back in and refasten his safety belts before moving off. Another good start had Scott holding 5 th place up until his pit stop. Rejoining in 8 th place after his stop, Scott gradually moved up and after all cars had completed their compulsory stops was holding 4 th. From there to race end Scott skillfully maintained his lead over the cars behind without unnecessarily risking an “off” or overstressing the car and was rewarded by gaining another position when the Open Class Porsche GT3RS of Holzberger suffered an engine failure on lap 40.
Scott took third outright for event, second in Class A and so earned another swag of valuable championship points. Championship standings now show him at second outright as well as second inclass. An outstanding effort in this category for exotic sports cars from a young driver in only his second season of competitive motor sport, using a car first built 30 years ago.
| 18 June 2007 |
SUCCESSFUL DEBUT FOR TROFEO MOTORSPORT’S NEW MASERATI GT3
THE latest exotic to join the growing ranks of GT sports car racing in Australia, Trofeo Motorsport’s ex-works Maserati GT3 coupe, made a successful debut last weekend at Queensland Raceway.
Barely a week after its arrival from Modena, Italy, the V8-powered Maserati driven by Rod Wilson and Jim Manolios finished second in a one-hour race for round four of the Australian Sports/GT Intermarque Championship yesterday during the Australian Motor Racing Series (AMRS) meeting.
The result for the Pirelli Australia-sponsored car consolidated Wilson’s lead in the Outright and Class A points standings. Manolios is fourth outright and third in class.
Importers Maserati Australia assisted in flying the GT3 out to Trofeo’s Melbourne headquarters, where it was sent straight to the paint shop.
Sporting striking yellow-and-red Pirelli livery and entered by The Ultimate Drive Day, the Maserati ran strongly after some initial set-up problems were sorted in practice and during two five-lap races on Saturday afternoon.
“We’re very pleased with car for a first outing, especially since Jim and I had not even sat in it until Friday practice,” Wilson said.
“It has lots more potential and when we get our second car, which is coming from Italy by sea, Trofeo Motorsport should be in a very strong position for the remaining two rounds of the championship.”
The Maserati GT3s contested last year’s FIA GT3 Championship in Europe for the factory-backed team and are significant developments of the two Trofeo GT coupes Trofeo Motorsport has campaigned in the first rounds of the season at Wakefield Park, Calder and Winton.
They run exclusively on Pirelli race tyres, for which Trofeo Motorsport is the Australian importer and distributor.
Entrant “The Ultimate Drive Day” is Trofeo Motorsport’s program of exclusive Maserati track-experience days.
The all-day events put enthusiasts behind the wheel of the roadgoing Maserati GranSport coupe and Quattroporte sedan and give them some hot passenger laps in the race cars.
The next round of the 2007 Sport/GT Intermarque Championship will be another one-hour race at Winton, Victoria, on 25-26 August. For more information about Trofeo Motorsport, the Sports/GT Intermarque Championship and the AMRS, visit:
| 10 June 2007 |
EX-WORKS MASERATI GT3BOOSTS TROFEO MOTORSPORT’S CHAMPIONSHIP CHASE
AUSTRALIA
The car arrived in
It will be shared by Trofeo Motorsport drivers Rod Wilson, who is leading the series Outright pointscore, and Jim Manolios.
Flown to
Two more identical cars, plus spares, are on the way from
“These are the latest factory cars, so they’re the fastest GT3 Maseratis you can get anywhere,”
“This will really up the ante in the Sports/GT Intermarque Championship when we get to
“The GT3s have pretty much the same 4.2 litre V8 engine and horsepower as the current cars, but there are a lot of other differences. For a start, they’re about 200 kgs lighter and have much better aerodynamics.
“They’re stiffer and better braked and have the latest software for the Cambiocorsa gearbox. We’ll have some work to do in setting them up for the rougher Australian tracks, but I’m sure they’ll be a really good weapon against the Porsches, Ferraris and Viper over the rest of the season.”
The current Trofeo GTs, built originally for a European one-make series, have proved highly effective but are now for sale as interest in GT-style racing in
Manolios, in his first season of driving, is sixth Outright and third in class.
The cars are entered under the name “The Ultimate Drive Day”, which is Trofeo Motorsport’s program of exclusive Maserati track-experience days.
The all-day events get enthusiasts behind the wheel of the roadgoing Maserati GranSport coupe and Quattroporte sedan and some hot passenger laps in the race cars.
Trofeo Motorsport is contesting the entire six-round 2007 Sport/GT Intermarque Championship, which will see the cars run at events throughout
| 7 June 2007 |
500KM SHAKEDOWN
Local Queensland competitor Stephen Pocock is all set for his debut in the AMRS, IMC 1 Hour Championship event at his home circuit of Queensland Raceway on 16-17 June. Using his 2nd running at the Queensland 500 Enduro as a very long extended test session in the CBC Honda, Pocock is ready for a big weekend of exciting motor sport.
Both the QLD 500 and the IMC have a similar grid make up and the secret in a small capacity race car such as the CBC Honda is to maintain a high corner speed while allowing racing room for the outright competitors, which will be encountered over an hour of action motor sport. The Team feels the advantage of the light weight CBC Honda is that it maintains a consistent lap time over extended periods and does not suffer from overheating tyres or suffer brake fade making it ideally suited for this mini endurance event.
Pocock will be competing in more rounds of the AMRS, AASA events in 2007 with a goal to upgrading in a new Honda for the 2008 Production Car Championship.
| 22 April 2007 |
Record Field For Inter Marque Championship
Round three of the 2007 Australian Sports & GT Intermarque Championship (IMC) heads to Winton Raceway this weekend, and it does so with its largest entry list to date.
Since its inception in February this year, the IMC has steadily grown, with quality fields at Wakefield Park for R1 and Calder Park for R2. In the opening rounds, Paul Whitmarsh (Porsche 993 GT2) has proven the man to beat, taking round honours at both outings. Hot on his heels though, have been Wayne Hennig (Porsche 996 GT2), Rod Wilson (Maserati Trofeo), Darcy Russell (Dodge Viper), Scott Lyddiard (Porsche 911 RSR) and many others, driving some of the most exotic machinery around.
And the established order is set to be thrown into a little disarray at Round three, with the addition of some fantastic new cars. Peter Fitzgerald will join the field in his Porsche GT3, Ted Huglin will return with his Ferrari 360GT, young gun Kane Rose will make his first appearance in a Porsche 993 RSR, and perhaps most exciting of all will be the appearance of John Kaias in his newly acquired V12 Aston Martin DBSR9. Kaias car having just come from the British GT championship where it took out the 2006 title.
With so many new faces on the scene, there is guaranteed to be plenty of action and excitement, and more exotic supercars than you can poke a stick at. Catch all the action at Benalla's Winton Raceway 27-29 April. Unofficial practice kicks off Friday, qualifying Saturday and racing Sunday.
Visit the official Australian Motor Racing Series website: www.amrs.net.au for all the information on the round.
| 19 March 2007 |
Media Awareness Seminar to be held at Round Two
One part of racing that many drivers don't enjoy is interviews. It's easy to get nervous, or forget what you wanted to say (or which sponsors you wanted to mention), or give less than eloquent responses to some of the interviewer's questions. But if you can get it right, an interview will mean better exposure for you as a driver, for your team and for your sponsors. As many drivers in the top echelons of motorsport will attest, training in how to deal with the media is an important and valuable process.
As part of the Australian Motor Racing Series' ongoing committment to driver development, there will be a Media Awareness Seminar held at Round Two at Calder Park. Attendance at the seminar is not compulsory (although encouraged), and is free to all competitors (and team members) for the round. Simon Latchford, AMRS competitor and accomplished public speaker will deliver his thoughts on dealing with the media - how to plan for an interview, what to do during an interview, and how to keep the media on-side and assist you with promotion of yourself and your sponsors.
This is an outstanding opportunity for competitors to develop their professional knowledge and skills and an excellent selling point for future sponsors ("I have completed media awareness training to ensure I present your company in the best possible light.") The seminar will be conducted at Calder Park, 1630 Saturday afternoon.
Round Two of the Australian Motor Racing Series will be held at Calder Park, 24-25 March.
| 3 March 2007 |
Maserati on Top
Trofeo Motorsport made their debut run in a pair of recently-upgraded Maserati Trofeo GranSports in round one of the Australian Sports/GT Intermarque Championship at the AMRS (Australian Motor Racing Series) meeting at Wakefield Park, Goulburn, last weekend (24-25 February).
In a field mostly consisting of open-class GT2 Porches at the tight, twisty Wakefield track, the Class ‘A’ Trofeo returned some impressive results and is now leading the class points table.
Rod Wilson took his No. 28 Trofeo to an Impressive second outright and first in class for qualifying and backed up the performance with three class wins. This gave him third outright for the weekend.
“This is the car that I debuted at the Australian Formula 1 GP back in 2003 where it won the class,” Wilson said. “It’s an awesome car and performed better than expected among some much faster cars on a short circuit that would not normally suit our car’s set-up.”
Jim Manolios, in his first-ever race event, managed an impressive second in class and fifth overall for the weekend in the No. 29 car. “With Rod in the other car training me and the aid of valuable track data, I was able to get up to speed earlier than expected. The cars ran faultlessly all weekend and the racing experience was invaluable,” said an ecstatic Manolios.
The Maserati Trofeo cars run exclusively on Pirelli tyres, for which Trofeo Motorsport is the national distributor. The V8 coupes also feature in “The Ultimate Drive Day”, Trofeo’s program of exclusive Maserati track experiences, which start at Sandown International circuit in Melbourne next Friday.
Trofeo Motorsport will be competing in the entire six-round 2007 Sport/GT Intermarque Championship, which will see the cars run at events throughout Australia at the AMRS rounds. For complete details of the AMRS and the Sports/GT Intermarque Championship, visit:
To watch all the action from Round One, tune into SPEEDWEEK on SBS at midday tomorrow Saturday 4 March.
| 14 January 2007 |
New Edition: 2007 AMRS Season Booklet In Distribution
The Australian Motor Racing Series is all about making racing exciting, affordable and accessible. To simplify the paperwork and documentation procedures associated with racing the AMRS introduced the Season Booklet for the 2006 season. Now the new and improved Season Booklet for the 2007 season has left the printers and is on it's way to competitors.
The 2007 Season Booklet contains:
Look out for your copy in the post this week. If you have not received a copy by the end of the week, or if you have not been in touch with the AMRS previously to supply your postal details, request a copy by contacting AMRS management via email by clicking here.
If you'd like an electronic version of the booklet, you can download it by clicking here. (It is 60 pages, and an 8mb download so recommended only for high speed internet connections.) The electronic version will remain available via the brand new "Downloads" page accessible via the main menu on the left of the screen.
Entries open tomorrow (15 January) for Round One of the 2007 Australian Motor Racing Series to be held at Wakefield Park, 24-25 February.
| 6 January 2007 |
The AMRS Lowering the Cost of Racing
As the start of the 2007 Australian Motor Racing Series approaches, the AMRS management have delivered some great New Years news to competitors - Entry and Series registration fees have been lowered by 6% for 2007.
Competitors who register for the entire 2007 series, or for the total number of rounds they wish to compete at in 2007 will be eligible for the discounted rate.
AMRS directors Garry Willmington and Rod Dale say it is all a part of their ongoing plan to reduce costs to competitors and encourage exciting, accessible and AFFORDABLE racing.
In addition to the discounted fees, registered competitors receive product discounts from a number of suppliers, guaranteed entry and are eligible for points and other incentives in their respective category.
The AMRS is set for a big year in 2007, with 11 categories competing at up to 9 rounds at 6 different venues. To read more about the 2007 Australian Motor Racing Series, visit www.amrs.net.au - Australian Motor Racing Series. Racing the way it's meant to be. Exciting. Affordable. Accessible.
| 18 December 2006 |
Coming hot on the heels of the AMRS Expo is the announcement of the Category Calendars for the 2007 Australian Motor Racing Series. The 2007 AMRS Calendar was finalised some months ago, but the distribution of rounds to the various categories has just recently been completed, and with the announcement of several new categories for the 2007 AMRS comes the calendar for each category.
The Australian Sports & GT IMC Calendar for 2007 is as follows:
| Round | Circuit | Date |
1 |
Wakefield Park, NSW | February 24 - 25 |
2 |
Calder Park, VIC | March 24 - 25 |
3 |
Winton Raceway, VIC | April 28 - 29 |
4 |
Queensland Raceway, QLD | June 16 - 17 |
5 |
Winton Raceway, VIC | August 25 - 26 |
6 |
Wakefield Park, NSW | October 27 - 28 |
Click here to download a printable version of this calendar.
©
AMRS 2005