V8 Supercars: Round 9, Sandown 500

[fpv_gtho]

Its the first of the enduro's already and most of the teams have been busy putting in valuable testing with both co-drivers and practising both brake pad changes and driver swaps. This year shows still a high amount of teams grouping their 2 regular drivers in the same car, with SBR being a notable exception. Both Ambrose and Ingall though should be out to claim what they lost last year, with Ingall spinning out of control through the first corner, after completing the compulsory front brake pad change, and not pumping the brakes enough.


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Sandown International Raceway - facts, figures and track description

Release Date: 07/09/2004

The following is a detailed lap of Sandown International Raceway to be used as the venue for the ninth round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series on September 10-12. Also find following thoughts, results and memorable moments relating to this venue from both Marcos Ambrose and Russell Ingall.

INTERESTING POINTS FOR BETTA ELECTRICAL SANDOWN 500
• Marcos Ambrose will co-drive with Greg Ritter in Pirtek Falcon for this event while Russell Ingall will team up with Cameron McLean in the Caltex Havoline Ford
• Ambrose and Ingall were leading this event last year when Ingall ended up in the sand at turn one after finding himself with a “soft” brake pedal after a brake pad change. The pair fought back from 28th to finish a strong fifth in terrible conditions.
• The Betta Electrical Sandown 500 returned to Melbourne last year after the traditional endurance race was lost to Queensland for several seasons.

SANDOWN INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY – A LAP WITH MARCOS AMBROSE

While Sandown is not necessarily one of the toughest tracks technically, it still takes plenty to milk a good time out of it.
Basically the track is a couple of long straights with a few left and rights at each end.
As you head down the main straight it is great to have a big grandstand on the right-hand side – it really adds to the atmosphere of the place.
The braking zone for the first corner is very bumpy and the smoother entry into the corner is actually off the preferred racing line.
This is a great corner and you can really attack it, but it is slower than you think and you use the kerbs on the inside and outside to balance the car.
You stay in third gear for the short-shoot up to a right-left-left combination – I try and straight line the car through the first part of this section, hitting the kerbs pretty hard.
You then click down to second gear for the left-hander on to the back straight.
There is a small kink as you accelerate up the back straight, but there is nothing in this and you take it flat out.
You hit top gear and about 260kph about half-way up the hill on the back straight – depending on which way the wind is blowing.
As you come up over the hill your brain is telling you to stop, but you need to keep going. There is Armco close to the right-hand side and this part of the track is mentally pretty challenging as you head into the left-hander.
You attack this corner in sixth gear to keep up your momentum for the following chicane – this is my favourite part of the track.
Again, you try and treat this as a straight line before reaching Dandenong Road Corner.
The hardest part of this is getting into the corner and you need to bounce off the kerb on the outside to get the car straight.
It is then down another short shoot which has a slight kink mid-way.
The next part of the track is called turn 11, but really it is a long braking zone rather than a corner.
You can make up a lot of time here by using the left-hand kerb, but you need to be careful not to grab a wheel.
You are then hard on the gas for turn 12 which seems to go on for ever on to the front straight.
This part of the track is pretty bumpy and it is amazing how different cars can look going through this section of the track.
So much depends on how you car is set up and how you have come through the corner before.
If you get everything right you should end up with a lap around the one minute and 11-second mark.

THOUGHTS ON SANDOWN INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY…..

MARCOS AMBROSE – PIRTEK RACING
This is a very exciting track because it creates no shortage of action. There are no high-speed corners. It comes down to 90- degree corners and long straights. I think the return of the 500km race format at Sandown has given us back a little bit of history.

MOST MEMOR ABLE MOMENT
There is no doubt that our performance at Sandown in 2002 was one of the most dominating race weekends I have been a part of. SBR topped the time sheets in every session and we ran away with the races.

THOUGHTS ON SANDOWN INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY…..

RUSSELL INGALL – CALTEX HAVOLINE RACING
Commonly known as the Jon Davison 500, it was great to see a bit of tradition return to the championship last year. Endurance races are always a tough deal, but like Bathurst, the straights here give you a little bit of a rest. As we get to the business end of the season, this race is going to play a vital role in the outcome of the championship.

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT
The year that we won the 500 (1998) I lapped (Mark) Skaife who was in third place. Last year I beached the car after failing to pump the brake pedal enough after the pad change. I managed to make up for it a bit by racing my way back through the field to finish fifth, but we won’t be in that situation again.

A LOOK AT OUR CO-DRIVERS

CAMERON McLEAN
Date of Birth: December 14, 1967
Team: Caltex Havoline Racing
Co-Driver: Russell Ingall
Car: #9 Caltex Havoline Ford
Place of Birth: Brisbane
Lives: Brisbane
Marital Status: Married
Height: 178cm
Weight: 78kg
Children: Georgia (9), Brady (7), Connor (7)
Nickname: Camernator
Hobbies: Jet Skiing, Camping

Cameron McLean has earned an impressive reputation in many categories. In 1995 he was Australian Sports Sedan Champion. He was also Independents' Champion in the Super Touring series of 1997 and 1998. Cameron's 1998 achievements earned him the title of BMW Motorsport's most successful international driver. Cameron joined the V8 Supercar ranks in 1999 racing an ex-Dick Johnson EL Ford Falcon. His impressive and consistent performance gained him that year's Privateer Championship. He debuted at Bathurst in 1997 in a works Volvo, finishing fifth, and has raced at the Mountain many times since. His best results have been fourth outright in 2000 and 2001, driving a Falcon AU for Dick Johnson Racing.

GREG RITTER
Date of Birth: February 02, 1973
Team: Pirtek Racing
Co-Driver: Marcos Ambrose
Car: #1 Pirtek Falcon
Place of Birth: Melbourne
Lives: Melbourne
Marital Status: Partner, Erin
Children: Kye (11 months)
Height: 178cm
Weight: 75kg
Nickname: None
Hobbies: Fishing, Water sports, Golf

Greg Ritter is the son of Graham 'Tubby' Ritter, a spectacular and popular driver of the '60s and 70s who achieved success in a variety of Ford Escort Touring Cars and Sports Sedans. Like so many drivers, Greg started in Go-Karts winning one state and one national title. He went on to compete in Formula Ford for three years winning the national title in 1999 after a hard fought season-long battle. Greg had his debut drive of a V8 Supercar for Garry Rogers Motorsport at the inaugural Queensland 500 in September 1999. Having little test time in the team’s VT Commodore, Ritter and Matthew Coleman finished a creditable 12th place. A questionable Stop-Go penalty robbed them of a possible top 10, finish. That same season Ritter paired with Steve Owen to finish ninth at Bathurst 1000. After some impressive drives GRM he stepped back aboard a privateer Commodore to contest the Shell series Clipsal 500 double-header in Adelaide, finishing 22nd and 23rd in an impressive but under-funded effort. In 2001 Ritter was signed by Dick Johnson Racing, qualified the DJR Falcon in the top-15 at both Queensland and Bathurst, and teamed with Cameron McLean to finish with a fourth placing at Mount Panorama. His talents earned him a place as full-time test driver, as well as endurance driver in 2002. He also contested selected rounds in the #71 DJR Falcon. Ritter gained a full time drive in 00 Motorsport Ford Falcon for season 2003, but has been left without a full-time ride this season. His one V8 Supercar drive this year was in the final round of the Konica Minolta Series at Mallala in August.

[fpv_gtho]

Pos Car Entrant Driver Vehicle Laps Fastest Lap Fastest Lap Time Gap
1 51 Kmart Racing Team Rick Kelly Holden Commodore VY 1 1 1:22.1422
2 1 Pirtek Racing Marcos Ambrose Ford Falcon BA 1 1 1:22.7453 0:00.6031
3 29 Sirromet - Life Style Wine Paul Morris Holden Commodore VY 1 1 1:22.8858 0:00.7436
4 2 Holden Racing Team Mark Skaife Holden Commodore VY 1 1 1:23.2208 0:01.0786
5 6 Ford Performance Racing Craig Lowndes Ford Falcon BA 1 1 1:23.3147 0:01.1725
6 17 Shell Helix Racing Steven Johnson Ford Falcon BA 1 1 1:23.8786 0:01.7364
7 50 PWR Performance Products Jason Bright Holden Commodore VY 1 1 1:24.7091 0:02.5669
8 8 Castrol Perkins Motorsport Paul Dumbrell Holden Commodore VY 1 1 1:25.1486 0:03.0064
9 10 Larkham Orrcon Racing Jason Bargwanna Ford Falcon BA 1 1 1:25.3394 0:03.1972
10 18 Shell Helix Racing Owen Kelly Ford Falcon BA 1 1 1:25.9627 0:03.8205

[fpv_gtho]

Pos Car Entrant Driver Vehicle Laps Fastest Lap Fastest Lap Time Gap
1 29 Sirromet - Life Style Wine Paul Morris Holden Commodore VY 20 20 1:22.8431
2 2 Holden Racing Team Mark Skaife Holden Commodore VY 20 20 1:24.0860 0:01.2429
3 51 Kmart Racing Team Rick Kelly Holden Commodore VY 21 21 1:24.2157 0:01.3726
4 1 Pirtek Racing Marcos Ambrose Ford Falcon BA 16 16 1:24.4910 0:01.6479
5 6 Ford Performance Racing Craig Lowndes Ford Falcon BA 20 20 1:24.6484 0:01.8053
6 17 Shell Helix Racing Steven Johnson Ford Falcon BA 17 17 1:24.7509 0:01.9078
7 18 Shell Helix Racing Owen Kelly Ford Falcon BA 19 19 1:24.7964 0:01.9533
8 10 Larkham Orrcon Racing Jason Bargwanna Ford Falcon BA 19 19 1:25.0367 0:02.1936
9 50 PWR Performance Products Jason Bright Holden Commodore VY 20 20 1:25.0423 0:02.1992
10 8 Castrol Perkins Motorsport Paul Dumbrell Holden Commodore VY 20 20 1:25.1621 0:02.3190
11 31 Super Cheap Auto Racing Steve Ellery Ford Falcon BA 20 20 1:25.1716 0:02.3285
12 11 Castrol Perkins Motorsport Steven Richards Holden Commodore VY 19 19 1:25.2263 0:02.3832
13 15 Kmart Racing Team Steve Owen Holden Commodore VY 20 20 1:25.3246 0:02.4815
14 34 Repco Valvoline Cummins Team Garth Tander Holden Commodore VY 19 18 1:25.4630 0:02.6199
15 9 Caltex Havoline Race Team Russell Ingall Ford Falcon BA 20 19 1:25.5462 0:02.7031
16 05 Holden Racing Team Jason Plato Holden Commodore VY 16 16 1:25.6683 0:02.8252
17 021 Team Kiwi Racing Craig Baird Holden Commodore VY 16 15 1:25.9055 0:03.0624
18 23 WPS David Besnard Ford Falcon BA 19 19 1:25.9827 0:03.1396
19 88 Team Betta Electrical Paul Radisich Ford Falcon BA 19 19 1:26.1164 0:03.2733
20 3 Tasman Motorsport Jason Richards Holden Commodore VY 17 17 1:26.1717 0:03.3286
21 12 OzEmail Racing Team John Bowe Ford Falcon BA 18 16 1:26.1943 0:03.3512
22 48 WPS John McIntyre Ford Falcon BA 19 19 1:26.4247 0:03.5816
23 16 PWR Performance Products Matthew White Holden Commodore VY 20 19 1:26.7128 0:03.8697
24 45 Roadships/Alphawest/World Ind Dale Brede Holden Commodore VY 20 19 1:26.8618 0:04.0187
25 33 Repco Valvoline Cummins Team Nathan Pretty Holden Commodore VY 20 20 1:26.9197 0:04.0766
26 888 Team Betta Electrical Dean Canto Ford Falcon BA 17 17 1:26.9569 0:04.1138
27 44 Roadships/Alphawest/World Ind Simon Wills Holden Commodore VY 19 19 1:26.9775 0:04.1344
28 21 OzEmail Racing Team Andrew Jones Ford Falcon BA 18 17 1:27.2715 0:04.4284
29 20 Larkham Orrcon Racing Mark Larkham Ford Falcon BA 16 14 1:27.3827 0:04.5396
30 75 Toll Racing Anthony Tratt Holden Commodore VY 17 15 1:27.7260 0:04.8829
31 14 Smiths Trucks / IMS Phillip Scifleet Holden Commodore VY 17 17 1:27.8131 0:04.9700
32 7 Castrol Perkins Motorsport J.Wincup/A.Davison Holden Commodore VX 12 12 1:28.6203 0:05.7772
33 24 Romano Racing Grant Elliott Ford Falcon AU 18 18 1:28.7261 0:05.8830
34 5 Ford Performance Racing Adam Macrow Ford Falcon BA 4 3 1:29.4066 0:06.5635
35 43 PWR Performance Products Kurt Wimmer Holden Commodore VX 17 16 1:30.2915 0:07.4484

[motorsportnerd]

Looks like qualifying was held in very wet conditions. As a result, a few times which set fast times in practice on Friday weren't as competitive in the rain. Most notable was the Brad Jones/John Bowe car which was easily in the top 5 on Friday. If its dry watch that car come through the field. Another crew which had a fast car on Friday was Russell Ingall/Cameron McLean. However, they only managed 15th in the wet qualifying conditions. And David Besnard was another to drop back on his Friday times.
Also, Craig Baird was quick in the final practice session on Saturday with the fourth fastest time, but dropped back to 17th in qualifying.
Interesting also to note that former British Touring Car Champion, Jason Plato, seems to have quickly adapted to V8 Supercar and qualified the famous 05 car he is sharing with Peter Brock in 16th. That is a position which is mid field and gives Brock a fighting chance to win his tenth Sandown 500.
It will be an interesting race, especially if it continues to rain.

[fpv_gtho]

Well to say that race was eventful would be an understatement. After a rain soaked qualifying, showers were threatening all day and thankfully never came, but that didnt stop the safety car coming out, for no less than 12 occasions i believe, maybe 5 of those times in the first dozen laps. Out of all this drama, SBR have no doubt silenced the critics over controversially pairing their 2 main drivers together with Ingall grabbing 2nd after a poor qualifying and Ambrose in my opinion bettering his performance of both rnd3 last year where a safety car stole his 40 second lead, he fought back to grab another 20 seconds, and rn7 where a mistake in the pits gave him a drive through penalty, dropping him from 1st to 3rd, he fought back and caught Skaife in 2nd, just for Skaife to come into pits with engine trouble. No doubt this will mean big things next year for Greg Ritter, who despite spun out at the first corner and no doubt gave Ambrose images of last year, was building a gap on Murphy in the later stage of his stint after several safety cars stole the 15 second lead Ambrose left him after his first stint. You cant discourage him for locking the brakes though, from where i was sitting it was simply a mistake based off the lack of a full time V8 drive. It looked as if the brake bias was unsuited to the fuel load, locking the rear brakes just that bit too much.

[motorsportnerd]

I was an interesting, if chaotic race. Ambrose/Ritter deserved the win. Ingall/McLean both drove good races.
Bad luck for Skaife/Kelly - taken out through no fault of their own. Also, bad luck for Lowndes/Seton. Taken out twice - the second time Seton was spun into Skaife's path. Skaife wasn't impressed - but I think he wouldn't have blamed Seton once he saw the footage.
Lucky escape of the day has to go to the Murphy/Kelly car - Bright came very close to t-boning them.
Of the Europeans in the field, Plato impressed the most - keeping out of trouble, doing a double stint towards the end and getting the 05 car into the top 10 before he spun out on his own engine oil.
Menu on the other hand employed BTCC tatics and drove a bit too hard - he took off a couple of drivers - including Seton. He'll need to tone it down just a little I feel.
And the award for the most negative publicity in one day. I'll give that to the WPS team. Both cars spent more time off the track in the mud than on it. And thanks to their black paintwork they looked completed filthy as a result.
Team Dynamic almost deserved the award - first Will Davision caused Bright to have a high speed spin the Stokell turned Seton around into Skaife's path.
So, now for Bathurst - I can't say that Sandown sets a definitive form guide. The conditions at Sandown were too extreme to ack as a form guide, with mud continually being dragged onto the track and too many drivers getting bogged where otherwise they would have driven out.

[fpv_gtho]

Originally Posted by motorsportnerd

I was an interesting, if chaotic race. Ambrose/Ritter deserved the win. Ingall/McLean both drove good races.

It should give them alot of confidence leading into Bathurst, at least as far as trust in their co drivers goes.

Lucky escape of the day has to go to the Murphy/Kelly car - Bright came very close to t-boning them.

That was extremely close on that one, but i think Ambrose deserves a mention for his daring overtaking move on Murph coming down the home straight, and also cleanly sneaking around Bright after he was sorting himself out after that high speed spin.

Of the Europeans in the field, Plato impressed the most - keeping out of trouble, doing a double stint towards the end and getting the 05 car into the top 10 before he spun out on his own engine oil.
Menu on the other hand employed BTCC tatics and drove a bit too hard - he took off a couple of drivers - including Seton. He'll need to tone it down just a little I feel.

I remember last year, John Cleland was doing much the same thing, although he recieved a drive through penalty for his actions

The conditions at Sandown were too extreme to ack as a form guide, with mud continually being dragged onto the track and too many drivers getting bogged where otherwise they would have driven out.

I'd consider both races have a high chance of changing conditions as the race goes on, so as far as strategy goes, theres similarities. Today i wouldnt be surprised if the majority of people were on a 50% rain setup. Ambrose said at the start his car was probably setup 75% in the dry, but after his early pace, he left the implication it could be closer to a full dry setup. Either way, the car speed left Ritter out of Murph's firing line

[Falcon500]

Originally Posted by motorsportnerd

Menu on the other hand employed BTCC tatics and drove a bit too hard - he took off a couple of drivers - including Seton. He'll need to tone it down just a little I feel.
And the award for the most negative publicity in one day. I'll give that to the WPS team. Both cars spent more time off the track in the mud than on it. And thanks to their black paintwork they looked completed filthy as a result.
Team Dynamic almost deserved the award - first Will Davision caused Bright to have a high speed spin the Stokell turned Seton around into Skaife's path.
So, now for Bathurst - I can't say that Sandown sets a definitive form guide. The conditions at Sandown were too extreme to ack as a form guide, with mud continually being dragged onto the track and too many drivers getting bogged where otherwise they would have driven out.

Well my preminition was correct...prodrive think they know it all well just slap a BTCC champion in the car and hell do well....pfffft...Allan Moffatgot bitten a few times with the same thoughts in his ANZ team imo. His agressiveness behind the wheel made mark porter look like he was on valium! (frig someof the moves i saw on mps in car cam where agressuive to the point of being frigtening so its no small statement)

What was with the WPS cars? they should of been sponsored by catipillar withthe ammount of time they spent in the mud...although their mistforuntune was whati thinkone of the best pictures i have seen in ATCC...when Yoong i think speared off the road into a puddle with mud flying everywhere and very generous ammounts of steam comming off the break roatars...awesome footage! and fellow canberran Dale Breede had a bad race and frome one of his co workers who came to pick up a pulley told me he got shunted off a few times....(he owns canberra fleet and whole sale and as it turns out the person i once talked too who looked suspiciously like him was him on a strange but intresting note)

Conditions...i think your overateing them by useing extreme motorsport...adverse...i find more like it...i think (and mant of the drivers too) that some of the displays some people put on didnt reach the mark....manyof the accidents on the road where causeby people doing silly things...and ruined many a goodshowing by many drivers (morris,Seton,Skaife,Ricahrds...all three even the non related one just to name a few) While i try to be even handed i feelbeing criticalhere is important.
But credit where credit is due thetop 10 drove great clean raceing and it payed divit ends and im impressed that Ambroses car seemd to dictate the pace (no mean feat) and i was alsoimpressed by DJRs performance something the team needed...but sadly they may have passed under yellow...time will tellon that one.

[fpv_gtho]

i think theyre still reviewing the flags, from where the camera was showing it, it almost looked as if theyre was both a yellow and green flag getting held by the same marshall. it would be unfair though to strip 3rd from luff and johnson, how i saw it, they genuinely got 3rd position off pace and not the misfortune of others. warren luff was pulling away from tander towards the end, so it was iminent. i might not be the only one to realise this, but it was almost a DJR 1-2-3, considering Ross and Jimmy Stone left DJR in 1995. a bit far fetched, i know

[motorsportnerd]

Originally Posted by Falcon500

Well my preminition was correct...prodrive think they know it all well just slap a BTCC champion in the car and hell do well....pfffft...Allan Moffatgot bitten a few times with the same thoughts in his ANZ team imo. His agressiveness behind the wheel made mark porter look like he was on valium! (frig someof the moves i saw on mps in car cam where agressuive to the point of being frigtening so its no small statement)

A reminder that of the four ex BTCC champions at Sandown, two of them drove well AND kept it clean - Jason Plato and John Cleland. The fourth ex-BTCC champion, Yvan Muller never got a drive...
I think Menu thought he was in the BTCC circa 1996 and could employ the same tactics that were the norm in that series then. The team will probably remind him he's in an endurance race - Menu has driven at Le Mans - so in theory he should be able to tone it down.
Also, Moffat used some excellent Euro drivers - Frank Biela and Klaus Niedzwiedz spring to mind. Second at Bathurst in 1989 - against strong local Sierra drivers. Biela also finished second in 1997 with Brad Jones in the Audi. Then again Biela is now a multi- Le Mans winner and Klaus Niedwiedz also won at Le Mans and Spa 24 hours - so both drivers could keep it clean and out of trouble.
Moff lost the 1988 Bathurst race when the car overheated with Greg Hansford at the wheel. Not that it was Hansford's fault. The CAMS regulations at the time required the engine be shut off during a pit stop. The fatal pit stop occured during a pace car period and the fickle turbo Sierra didn't like being shut off, then having to trundle at low speed behind a pace car. When Hansford poured on the gas after the pace car pulled off he found the temperatures had got to high. So, Moff, rightly layed the blame on CAMS for that loss.
Other than 1988 and 89, Moff's ANZ team was somewhat up against it. Imo, neither the Euro drivers, nor the reliable Hansford, could be blamed for any of those losses. Rather, it was because Moff couldn't find the budget to run the high tech Sierra properly throughout the year, and it tended to arrive at Bathurst down on budget and without the constant development the other Sierras got. Considering that it was amazing what the ANZ Moffat team was able to do with the cars at Bathurst between 1988 and 1992.
Moff then had much the same trouble with finances and development with the Banana Boat Falcon...
Also, overseas drivers have won Bathurst in the past, so we can't dismiss the Euros (or for that matter the Kiwis) as good solid reliable drivers at the mountain. Each driver has to be taken on their individual merits. I still think Menu is fast - just too aggressive. Max Wilson had the same trouble in the past and seems to have toned it down.

[Coventrysucks]

Are there any good sites with race pics apart from v8supercars.com?

They finally showed the race here, V8 Supercar rallycross!
The WPS car seemed to spend a lot of time chasing badgers across the swamps.

[fpv_gtho]

you could check out the major team websites here: http://www.v8supercars.com.au/teams/tmdrvopt.asp?ind=M

I know SBR have a huge archive of round to round pictures, but ive seen a couple of other sites with news feeds for the V8's.

Its a pity though that you get such a delay for the race, even the endurance races. Things like MotoGP, WRC and F1 we get it a matter of hours on delay usually, except WRC

[Coventrysucks]

Originally Posted by fpv_gtho

Its a pity though that you get such a delay for the race, even the endurance races.

Not only that, it is usually on at 2am
Better than not getting it though!

[fpv_gtho]

Thats about the time we got the live F1 races from Montreal and Indianapolis, and probably also about when you get the Australian, Malaysian, Chinese and Japanese GP