Round 1

AMRS Kicks off for 2007 this weekend at Wakefield Park:

Goulburn’s Wakefield Park Raceway (NSW) is this weekend (February 24 – 25) set to play host to the opening round of the Australian Motor Racing Series (AMRS) for 2007 and a total of seven categories are primed to excite and start the year in the strongest possible fashion around the 2.2km circuit.

Headlining the AMRS at Wakefield Park Raceway is the Australian Touring Car Challenge (ATCC) and Oz BOSS (which includes F3000V6), and they are to be supported by the Production Touring Cars, Thunder Sports, Super TT, 3.3 Litre Holdens and the V8 Giants for their very first event (where they will join the ATCC field).

Wakefield Park Raceway track manager and AMRS director Garry Willmington, feels that 2007 is going to be a wonderful year for the AMRS, and encourages everyone to get out to the opening round of the AMRS at the Wakefield Park circuit and sample some highly competitive cost-effective motor racing.

“The interest this year has grown and with the introduction of some new categories (Oz BOSS, Formula Kent and V8 Giants) 2007 promises to be a very entertaining and promising year,” Willmington enthused.

“The AMRS provides motor racing at a cost-effective level, and offers spectators plenty of variety in terms of closely fought race action, and a fulfilled weekend out for the family as the AMRS has something for everyone’s liking.”

In the ATCC action, which features a mixture of V8 Supercars, Super Tourers, Future Tourers and Group A all into one race under an exciting handicap format, sees early contenders like Luke Searle (BMW 318i Super Tourer), Bruce Oaklands (VS Commodore V8 Supercar), John Vergotis (AU Falcon V8 Supercar) and Phillip Groeneveld (VS Commodore Future Tourer), whilst newcomers to keep an eye will be Darren Saillard (EL Falcon V8 Supercar) and Darren Formosa (VX Commodore V8 Supercar).

Oz BOSS (including F3000V6) is the fastest category in Australia, and leading drivers looking to kick start the year on a winning note include Ty Hanger, Sam Dale, Italian driver Davide Amaduzzi and newcomer Adam Proctor.

Strong fields have nominated in the Thunder Sports, Production Touring Cars and 3.3 Litre Holdens categories, and competitive field are set to burn up the circuit in Super TT and V8 Giants.

Luke Searle and Peter Kelly (BMW 130) are early favourites in the Production Touring Cars, whilst Natalie Willmington and Neil Byers amongst others are aiming to keep them honest. Over 20 nominations have been received for the Thunder Sports and leading drivers include Tom Drewer and Robert Townsend, along with Future Racer entrants Chris Clearihan, Geoff Leeds, Jeff Davey and V8 Supercar racer Tim Monte.

The V8 Giants, running in with the ATCC, will make their debut and drivers such as Brad Lowe (AU Falcon), Sam Dale (Ford Mustang) and Shelton Loughrey (EL Falcon) are looking to get their campaigns off to a winning start in 2007. In the 3.3 Litre Holdens and Super TT categories the action is bound to be closely fought throughout the AMRS weekend at Wakefield Park.

Saturday will see qualifying, whilst on Sunday all the race action will take place.

All the action on Saturday and Sunday will commence at 9.00am.

Saturday entry will be $10 for adults and children 13 and under are free. Entry for Sunday is $25 and children aged 13 and under are also free of charge. Entry to the pit and paddock area is no extra charge, and will give fans the chance to get up close to the race cars and their drivers.

Wakefield Park is located 10 km south of Goulburn on the Braidwood Road, approximately 2 hours drive from Sydney and less than 1 hour from Canberra. It is unique among Australian circuits in offering spectators a ‘view from the comfort of your car’ facility on its hillside spectator area, with FM radio broadcasting of trackside commentary available through the car radio.

For further details please contact the Wakefield Park office on 02 4822 2811 during business hours, or visit their official website: www.WakefieldPark.com.au

The official AMRS website can be viewed at: www.amrs.net.au

Click here for more information on the Wakefield Park circuit.

Click here to download the ENTRY FORM for Round 1.

Tickets are available by contacting the circuit, or at the gate.

For further information on the circuit, click here or visit their website: Wakefield Park

FULL EVENT SCHEDULE NOW AVAILABLE. Download by clicking here.

Formula Kent will no longer be featured on the Round 1 schedule. Click here for more info.

The TV coverage from this round will be screened on SBS Speedweek over two episodes.

Production Touring Cars, Thunder Sports and Australian Sports & GT Inter Marque Championship (IMC) will screen at 12 noon, Sunday 4 March.

V8 Giants, Australian Touring Car Challenge, Oz BOSS, 3.3 Litre Holdens and Super TT will screen at 12 noon, Sunday 11 March.

The same categories will be shown on Fox Sports Inside Speed the Wednesday evening following the Speedweek episode.

As always, check your local guides for details.

Excitement Plus in AMRS 2007 Season Opener:

The Australian Motor Racing Series (AMRS) blasted into action last weekend (February 24 – 25) at Goulburn’s Wakefield Park Raceway (NSW) and the on-track battles certainly set the tone for what is going to be fantastic spectacle for the fastest growing level of motor racing within Australia.

With a total of eight classes contesting the opening round of the AMRS, such as the Australian Touring Car Challenge (including the newly formed V8 Giants), OZ Boss (including F3000 V6), Thunder Sports, Production Touring Cars, Australian Sports and GT Inter Marque Challenge, Super TT, and the 3.3 Litre Holdens, there was plenty of action throughout the weekend around the 2.2k m Wakefield Park Raceway circuit.

Headlining classes, the Australian Touring Car Challenge (ATCC) and the OZ Boss, saw round victories claimed by Brad Lowe (AU Falcon V8 Supercar) and Central Coast based Ty Hanger (Reynard 95D) respectively.

In the ATCC, that is a class that brings V8 Giants, ex V8 Supercars, Super Tourers, Future Tourers and Group A into one, it was Brad Lowe that took all before him in what was a dominant performance in the Garry Willmington owned AU Falcon V8 Supercar that saw him take pole position, race one and the two reserves grid races, which gave him the overall rounds honours. Over the three races outright wins went to Lowe on all three occasions. Other strong performers in the ATCC were the returning Darren Saillard (EL Falcon V8 Supercar), John Vergotis (AU Falcon V8 Supercar), rookie Darren Formosa (VX Commodore V8 Supercar), Philip Groeneveld (VS Commodore Future Tourer) and Peter Vicary (EL Falcon V8 Supercar). Overall round honours went to Lowe ahead of Saillard and Kelly. Class wins went to Lowe (V8 Giants), Saillard (V8 Supercars), Kelly (Super Tourers), Chahda (Future Tourers) and David Gardner (Group A).

Ty Hanger proved too strong for his opposition in the OZ Boss by dominating qualifying and both 12 and 18 lap races over the weekend and never put a wheel wrong. In qualifying Hanger posted an 0:56.5512 second lap to take pole position ahead of Chris Farrell (Ralt RT4) and Adam Proctor (Reynard 95D), whilst in race one (12 laps) Hanger defeated Farrell and Italian driver Davide Amaduzzi (Reynard 91D), and in the second and final race Hanger comfortably won the 18-lap event ahead of Proctor and Sam Dale (Reynard 94D). Both Proctor and Dale enjoyed pleasing ends to their weekends after encountering mechanical woes earlier in the event.

Over the three races in the Thunder Sports wins were shared between Phil Whishaw (Prosport Mulsanne), Geoff Boyd (Rilstone Clubman) and Jeff Davey (Future Racer), and it was Dennis Holland (Radical Prosport) that was the fastest in qualifying. The racing throughout the three races was very exciting and the highlight of the three was without the battle between Davey and ex V8 Supercar racer Tim Monte (Future Racer) in race three with only centimetre’s separating the pair at the fall of the chequered flag. Holland was quickest in qualifying ahead of Whishaw and Robert Townsend (Minetti ZZI), but it was Whishaw that claimed race one honours ahead of pole sitter Holland and Boyd. In race two and three winners were Boyd (2 nd Monte and 3 rd Davey) and Davey (2 nd Monte and 3 rd Chris Clearihan in his Future Racer). After setting the pace in qualifying and race one, Holland found the going a little tougher in race two and three finishing fourth and fifth respectively.

The battle that raged fierce throughout 2006 continued between BWM 130 drivers Luke Searle and Peter Kelly in the Production Touring Cars. After finishing second behind Searle in the last year’s championship, Kelly was able to start 2007 off on the right foot by taking the round victory ahead of teammate and arch rival Searle, and in third was Natalie Willmington debuting her newly purchased class A Ford Falcon XR8. Kelly scored two out of the three race wins, whilst Searle won race two and qualified on pole position earlier in the weekend. Willmington made a solid debut in class A by qualifying and placing third in all three races. Kosi Kalaitzidis (VW Golf GTI) took out the class B honours, and Peter Erler (Proton Satria GTI) was the pick of the bunch in class C.

In the other classes Paul Whitmarsh (Porsche 993 GT2) proved the strongest in the Australian Sports and GT Inter Marque Championship, as was Michael Ballentyne (Holden Commodore) in Super TT and John Predl in the 3.3 Litre Holdens.

The AMRS now makes its way to Calder Park Raceway (Melbourne, VIC) for the running of the second round on the weekend of March 24 and 25.

For further AMRS information visit their official website: www.amrs.net.au

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