Formula Classic, Big Pond 300, V8 Supercar weekend
The 2009 V8 Supercar Bigpond 300 capped off a huge growth year for Formula Classic. Our team spent many months of campaigning, promoting & putting together a final presentation in our quest for being included in this major event. There was some very tough competition from our fellow classes so to be given the go ahead was a bold move by the WASCC organising committee and we are certainly grateful for their faith when given the opportunity to join in at this event .
This was the fist time in Australia that a CAMS 5th Category group consisting of open wheelers & sports car’s has run at a V8 Supercar event. In the spirit of friendly competition it was great to be ahead of our eastern states cousins who we know have also been trying to achieve this.
Several car owners needed assistance in having permits to run their cars at this event as their Historic Log books were still being completed by CAMS. We must thank the CAMS Historic people who helping in making these permits happen in the very short time frame that was provided.
We had expected an oversubscribed grid and based on the list of cars and drivers who committed early on, a full grid looked certain. We were all a little disappointed that a few of our group couldn’t enter or withdrew for various reasons largely due to issues beyond their control.
In the fortnight before the meeting two cars blew engines, one car’s engine builder missed due completion date, one driver had to go overseas on business and one of our eastern states guest’s came down very ill. However knowing that we had 3 Ralt RT4’s, Paul Stubber’ amazing Lola Chevrolet, Russell’s ex Indy car & several other new additions and rarely seen cars we knew we would make this work.
I learnt that it is not a good idea to change a thing to a car that has performed all year when preparing for a event like this. I put in my new engine & had a carburetion issue I still never quite solved plus broke two axles. One of these was at the last tuning day and a brand new one broke in race three. This is after four years and not one problem with them previously.
Come the week of the event there was an odd feeling amongst all our competitors. Many of us felt that by now we were all well and truly over preparing our race cars but with the excitement of being included in the biggest motorsport event that gets held in our state we kept pushing. If we’re fortunate enough to get another chance in the future we will all be better prepared.
I would say one of the highlights of the weekend was the fact that as most of us were grouped in and around the grassed area of the scrutineering area and here we made a live museum out of the cars. The very large number of spectators engaged us and talked openly about the cars, They mentioned how they had only really seen them in books and that they were all very surprised and glad of our groups inclusion during the event. Surprisingly many of the Red & Blue only brigade did stop for just long enough to take a look and read the display boards , ask questions as to the cars history as well as take the odd photograph.
For me personally, discussing our inclusion with V8 boss Tim Schenken and him giving us his support was very satisfying. Finding out that one of his right hand men used to drive my car back in 1983 was also an interesting piece of added history . My highlight was when I allowed some kids to sit in my car to allow their Dads to take their photographs. There is something about kids and their delight and smiles when they can get into the cockpit of a racing car in front of their Dad’s.
At the drivers briefing you could feel the excitement building as we prepared for the weekend’s events. Just to spice things up, it was determined that we would be doing rolling starts for this event. At race one on Saturday you would never have believed that this was the first rolling start that most of the guys would have experienced as it was carried out near perfectly. It is intended that we will be continuing the rolling start format in 2010. One of the comments that we received from those who watched these rolling starts was that this was interesting and so different to what we have all been used to.
Of the cars & drivers present . Paul Stubber’s Lola GTP, well what can you say about him and that car? Awesome….. about sums it up!
Tim Davies had to work for it up the front of the field due to Michael Henderson having his Ralt flying. Tim said that he had no answer for Hendo on the weekend and he was thoroughly beaten. It was also good to see David Reynolds get his Ralt out for the first time. A big ask to make this type of event your first race meeting.
Rob Jordan’s of S-Cargo Racing’s effort was huge with his three immaculately prepared cars being the Lola T492 driven by the hard charging Dave Turner who tried in vain break the 60 second lap barrier but never quite got there, the Tiga SC80 which was well driven by NSW’s John Pagonas and his Brabham BT41 driving by state champion Formula Vee driver Myles Lockett. Myles found out on the weekend that a performance racing car took a bit more to drive quickly than just jumping in it from straight out of the under powered Vee’s. However by the end of the weekend he had that Brabham motoring.
The W.A. Racing Museum of Neil McCrudden was represented by no less than 6 cars, some performed better than others but that sort of effort deserves applause. Neil blew a head gasket in the Macon which was repaired for Sunday but this was nothing as Jamie Kerkhoff felt he could go one better by dropping a valve which we all know what happens next.
Race one finished with a win for Michael Henderson followed by Tim Davies & then Dick Ward in third.
Race two was much the same but with Paul Stubber taking out third position.
Race three on Sunday was the most notorious and this was due the high attrition rate mostly at Kolb corner. I destroyed an axle on lap 3 & then on lap 5 Dick Ward in his Chevron B29 did what we all dread. His newly build BDA motor let a rod go at the start of the corner, as I was able to observe there appeared to be some oil present on the track but not enough to force a safety period . The next lap saw Shane Gifford in the Fielding F2 run out of fuel, with the power coming off just prior to hitting the oil he was O.K. (his pit crew wasn’t after an ear full later) but Martin Bullock in his Chevron B17c was entering the corner behind the Fielding, driving hard Marty hit the oil slick and came off the track in a big way at near 100mph. After 10 laps Hendo won again from Tim Davies, Dave Turner & John Pagonas in fourth.
Race 4 at the front was again the same result with Martin Bullock in third & Dave Turner fourth.
One of the issues we face as a group is the CAMS regulated 130% lap time rule. While we stay within this time frame some of the cars do get lapped over the course of each event. The way the leading drivers navigated this & how the lapped drivers kept clear and allowed these drivers to pass should also be noted and commended.
I do not recall single serious incident all weekend, bar a few spins in practice when a lot of drivers were on green tyres.
To sum up the three days events most competitors went home satisfied despite some of the disappointments they may have endured.
The V8 Supercar event became a fine way to finish off our 2009 Watchtower Property competitive season, so now roll on 2010 where we are expecting even more growth in our ranks. Watch out!
Report by Andrew Gifford.
Paul Stubbers Lola GTP
Michael Henderson #3 Ralt RT4 , Tim Davies #48 Ralt RT4 followed by Dick Ward’s Chevron B29 #8
Elliot Sewell in the Tiga FA82 with David Watkins #50, Allan Beats #46
