2012 Round 7 & 8 TCM

Round 7 Oct 4 - 7 2012

OtherNews German “STUDY’ Tour !!

Drivers Rewarded with 50th Anniversary Coin

Media Releases

Round 7 Oct 4 - 7 20126.213 km

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Bathurst is always the event the drivers and the crew look forward to and this year to be part of an event celebrating its 50th anniversary the atmosphere was always going to be that bit more special.

The official 50th anniversary merchandise sold out early Friday morning - with queues a mile long when replacement similar stock hit the track on the Saturday.

Race fans also can generally tell you from year to year what they did Bathurst weekend. So stooped in tradition, this event usually is the annual BBQ that a group of friends get together, we have other friends that drive from their couch from woe to go with partners race widows as their men have eyes firmly fixed to the tv screen from 7 am until the chequered flag is shown. Conversation is usually sparse with meals and beverages served from a lap tray or stable table !! I know others that scrunch all the pillows up and don’t get out of bed for the entire day, or only when nature calls !!

For our drivers, Andrew and Mark, they shared their memorable Bathurst moment.

Andrew : “I can’t wait for Bathurst ! I remember watching Kevin Bartlett in the Channel 9 Camaro at Bathurst in the 70’s – they were the epic years ! Now I am getting ready to lap my favourite track in an absolutely iconic car the WesTrac Whiteline Racing 1969 Camaro. We have traditionally been very competitive with this car at Bathurst so I am looking forward to a successful weekend.”

Kingy : “Bathurst has to be one of the most exciting places to race. I’ve been racing there every year since 1998, sometimes twice a year with the 12 hour and 24 hour events held in the past. My most memorable moment, other than winning races there in production/gt performance car races, would have to be enjoying an evening stint in a 24 hour race and being able to see some of the world cup football final of Australia vs. Great Britain game results on the big screen as I circulated each lap. Unfortunately Great Britain won but the opportunity was fantastic !”

As with any of the rounds, a lot of work goes on at the workshop prior to the event and this was no different. The quick turnaround from Sandown also placed a fair bit of pressure on Mark Birdman to get the jobs complete. Bob the builder arrived back from Germany the day before his departure to Bathurst in the b double, so it was all systems go.

95 WesTrac Lubrimaxx Camaro – Andrew

A diff ratio change was required to suit Bathurst, extensive rebuild of front body work from Sandown damage, Ballast changed in line with revised parity sheet, oil and filter change as part of routine maintenance, muffler repairs and redesign and suspension repairs carried out at Sandown were rechecked and made permanent.

85 Whiteline King Springs Camaro – Mark

For the 85 Whiteline King Springs Camaro of Mark King it also required the diff ratio change to suit Bathurst, ballast changes in line with new regulations, new front up rights and brake package fitted to improve brake feel, new gear stick to suit Mark, sway bars changed to suit Bathurst and new front shockers fitted.

The transporter, being towed behind the Cavpower sponsored E630 left on Tuesday to meet the bump in requirements at the circuit with the crew van leaving early Wednesday morning with Birdman, Brenton, Mark Haig from Aldom and Tim Ede, Daimler Trucks Adelaide.

Mark King, Paul, Jason and Andrew all arriving Thursday with Tim and JB from Yass in the evening.

As for me, Friday morning departure to be in Bathurst in time for the 2.10pm race – got to say I only just made it with a delayed departure ex Sydney to Bathurst and lets just say with the windy and warm conditions the ride down was a tad bumpy !!

This weekend with three Mark’s in the team, it was always going to be a challenge when you yell out their name !!

Night activities revolved around the Kelso – a local pub in Bathurst. Great atmosphere with the excitement of winning the meat raffle a highlight !!

Shaz trackside

PIC BRENTON MATHESONPIC BRENTON MATHESONPIC BRENTON MATHESON

WHITELINE RACING NEWSLETTERPAGE 2

You may recall me saying from other years, accommodation for us all is a challenge and we are all spread out between three houses and the transporter. The town’s population is flooded Bathurst weekend and every available bed and camping space are taken. Most have annual bookings which they renew on departure each year.

Thursday was the first appearance for the Touring Car Masters with one only practice session in the morning and then a late qualifying session.

Practice

Practice was held at 8.35 am with Andrew completing 6 x laps in the 95 WesTrac Camaro with the quickest on the final lap with a 2.24.12 with Bowe and Bullas the pace makers at this stage. On return to the pit only very minor handling adjustments were made, roll centre, shocks.

For Mark he also completed 6 laps with his fastest time down on the final lap too. Mark was sitting mid field in the 85 Whiteline/King Springs Camaro in 12th with a 2.27.

On return to the pit the crew made set up changes to the front sway bar and shockers in preparation for qualifying.

Qualifying

Qualifying was held at 5.05 pm. For Andrew in the 95 Westrac/Lubrimaxx Camaro 5 laps were completed with the best time achieved on the 4th with a 2.2286. This would put him in 4th with the big powered Fords enjoying the long straights with Bowe out of 1, Richards 2 and Bullas 3rd. As per post practice, no radical work carried out prior to race one, only minor handling adjustments.

As for Kingy in the 85 Whiteline/King Springs Camaro he would qualify 12th with 5 laps completed and the best time clocked on the 3rd with a 2.2634.

WesTrac Camaro with the quickest on the final lap with a 2.24.12 with Bowe and Bullas the pace makers at this stage. On return to the pit only very minor

For Mark he also completed 6 laps with his fastest time down on the final lap too. Mark was sitting mid field in the 85 Whiteline/King Springs Camaro in 12th with a 2.27.

On return to the pit the crew made set up changes to the front sway bar and shockers

Qualifying was held at 5.05 pm. For Andrew in the 95 Westrac/Lubrimaxx Camaro 5 laps were completed with the best time achieved on the 4th with a 2.2286. This would put him in 4th with the big powered Fords enjoying the long straights with Bowe out of 1, Richards 2 and Bullas 3rd. As per post practice, no radical work carried out prior to

Andrew and son Harry (pic courtesy Catherine Miedecke)

PIC ROB LANG

PIC BRENTON MATHESON


The other pre-race issue that had developed was that the 85 Camaro had flooded and resisted to start. The boys removed and replaced spark plugs and Rhonda was able to take her spot on the grid out of 1, given this was a reverse grid race and Kingy finished in 10th in race 1. Andrew in the 95 Camaro would start out of 8.

On cue the cars left the dummy grid and carried out a warm up lap to be placed into the starters hands. With the race away, Kingy and Andrew both got good starts, although for Kingy it wasn’t long before Albenica in 48 drove around the outside to take the lead. Throughout lap 1 Abelnica and Pye would dice for the lead with Pye taking the lead only for Abelnica to regain it, with Crick and the Tilley Boys also joining the fray, meanwhile Andy was on the charge and by the end of the first lap the order was Crick, Abelnica, Brad Tilley, Cameron Tilley, Kingy and Andrew. On the 2nd Abelnica managed to move to the front of the field, with Andy attempt-ing a move for 4th position around Cam Tilley but could not hang onto it, although Andy did peg off team mate Kingy. By the end of the 2nd, it was Abelnica, Brad Tilley, Crick, Cam Tilley, Andy 5th and Mark 6th. On the third, the battle between Cam Tilley and Andrew was on the boil again, this time Andy successfully moved on Cam and was then able to make a brilliant move on Crick and was now in 3rd. Slight ‘puffs’ of rubber smoke was evident over some bumps with the guard rubbing on the rear, so all fingers were crossed the tyre would hang in there.

The guard damage occurred in the early stages of the race when the field was grouped up. Mark was lacking some mumbo and had lost several places now sitting in 9th. Laps 4 and 5 the first three would remain un-changed and in close range of each other until the end of the 5th leading into the 6th, Andrew on the final corner into the straight, under brakes of course, made a great move on Brad Tilley to now be in 2nd and on the chase for Abelnica. Meanwhile, Bowe and Richards were on the charge. Clearly Abelnica was feeling the pressure of Andy behind him and on the final corner, Andy made the pounce with Abelnica giving no racing room at all with Andy on the turf. Losing traction, Tilley was again able to nose past Andy and in extremely exciting circumstances with the roar of the grand stand, Abelnica, followed by Brad Tilley then Andrew went over the line 1 – 3. Kingy finished in the top 10. Behind the first three, Cam Tilley and Jim Richards had a coming together in the final corner, causing both cars to not finish the race sustaining significant damage.

On return to the pit, the crew made further shock adjustments increasing the ‘droop’ to counteract the rear tyres lifting off the track, thus causing the Camaro to go into full revvs on the limiter.

So the stage was set for race one with the boys starting where they quali-fied, Andrew out of 4 and Kingy out of 12.

Conditions were very warm and windy. The green was shown and the first race was underway. Andrew’s start whilst reasonable still cost him a couple of places and was pretty hectic in the initial stages of the race try-ing to round up Abelnica. Jim Richards led the field with Bowe successfully taking the lead, with the order after lap one Bowe, Richards, Seton, Bullas and Andrew. Meanwhile, Kingy got a terrific start off the grid making up 3 possies and by the end of the first lap was in 10th. For Kingy the rest of the 5 lapper would continue to be consistent and remained clear of harms way to finish in 10th. The 2nd lap for Andrew would see the top 5 unchanged in their positions when on the 3rd, Bullas made contact with the wall which allowed Andrew to capitalise and was now in 4th. On the straight completing the 4th lap and the start of the 5th Andrew moved on Seton who had developed mechanical issues and was now in third, with the legends again taking out 1 – 3 Bowe, Richards and Andrew.

On return to the pit Kingy commented that the crew needed to tinker with the brake pedal to improve his ability to heel/toe drive.

The second race for the weekend was held at 9.24 and over 7 laps. Drizzle was about but it didn’t amount to much more than that, al-though prior to the race the team were reviewing the weather patterns on their computers !!

PIC ROB LANG PIC ROB LANGPIC ROB LANG


On return to the pit, Kingy commented he was lacking top end speed and was on the revv limiter 300 – 400 metres before end of the straight, indicating diff selection not ideal.

For Andrew some guard damage to be dealt with to free up space around the tyre – but we were all a buzz – it was a great race !!.

Not really sure what can be said about the third race for the weekend – Andrew was out of 2 and Kingy out of 8. The start was okay, until Abelnica came up through the centre of the pack creating the field to be three wide, placing Andy into third, with Brad Tilley in the lead. The first two laps were full of action and continual contact between Abelnica and Andy and to add additional drama to the race, Youlden went into the wall with Bullas in his fair share of action also. Andy did end up into 2nd by com-pletion of the 2nd lap when Abelnica’s car experienced mechanical issues and did not finish, however on the third Andrew would make contact with oil on the track, sending him into a spin and was forced to wait for the field to go through before he could correct his direction and re join the race to at least collect points at the rear.

As for Kingy, after having lost a couple of placings in the first lap, did make up three placing’s to maintain 6th position for a couple of laps, but dropping back to 7th on the final lap, which was flagged at the comple-tion of the 5th lap instead of the scheduled 7th.

At the time of writing this newsletter, a stewards enquiry was to be held and I hope to be able to advise further in the Sandown newsletter which is the final round for the 2012 series.

Following the racing, the crew got into overdrive to pack up. Bob, An-drew, Mark and myself were expected at Orange for a WesTrac event, but would be using the window of opportunity to depart with the transporter. Bob and I were planning to leave Orange on the Sunday morning, as we had another prime mover to collect that needed to be taken back to Adelaide for Daimler Trucks.

Most of the TCM category all sought the early departure, with no racing Sunday scheduled.

I’m not sure, as a team Bathurst met our expectations, in fact, I know it didn’t, but the focus is now on repairing both cars in readiness for the last round. At this stage Andrew is still sitting in third place in the standings.

There is a bit to be done, but thankfully there is a reasonable break and sufficient time to prepare.

Kind regards,

ShazKind regards,

Shaz

For further information :

Sharon Middleton

0418826272

[email protected]

www.wline.com.au

and I hope to be able to advise further in the Sandown newsletter which is

drew, Mark and myself were expected at Orange for a WesTrac event, but would be using the window of opportunity to depart with the transporter.

we had another prime mover to collect that needed to be taken back to

Most of the TCM category all sought the early departure, with no racing Most of the TCM category all sought the early departure, with no racing

PIC ROB LANG PIC ROB LANG PIC ROB LANG


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Reigning series title holder and dominator of the season so far, John Bowe, has broken through for his maiden Masters pole on Mount Panorama. Having shown prowess and power all season, the Wilson Security/WesTrac CAT Mustang was strong once more, taking Bowe’s fifth pole for the season, but the session was to end early as Wilson’s Charger destroyed the gearbox bringing out the red flag.

Opening the session with a flyer, Bowe would keep to his usual fashion of saving tyres and time, soon back in pit lane to wait out the session and see just what would unfold. With Bullas and Richards looking to close in, and the field striving to push to the limits knowing the fine line between success and heartache at the unforgiving mountain, there was a mid-session flurry in pit lane as the Masters tried to find those valuable tenths.

The times were falling, all entries were running under last season’s lap record times on Mount Panorama showing the changed conditions and development progress through the series, but even with Richards taking the fastest first sector, as the red flag was called, it was Bowe sitting steady at the top of the time sheets, Richards, Bullas, Miedecke and Tilley rounding out the top five, with motor sport legend Seton to go from row three in an impressive sixth position. Bowe was happy to have ticked another achievement off the list, saying,

“I’m very pleased with the car once again – the crew do a great job with preparation and it makes our weekends, well like this, and we’ve got pole.

“It’s good to have the revs back this weekend so that allows the gearing properly and I’m glad to have got a good lap in with the track in great condition.

“Bathurst is always such a pleasure to drive, I love it. These cars are pretty challenging, it’s a real drivers circuit, and we’re so lucky to have it and to be back here.”

On the opposite side of the experience ‘fence’ sits Almond and Makarios, both making their mountain debuts, Almond having never been to the hallowed circuit before, while Makarios’ Synergy Race Engines GTHO has tackled the tarmac, but its driver is learning the ropes. The debutant pair explaining,

Michael Almond #26 Toshiba 1973 Porsche 911 RS

“How exciting so thanks to Dad for the opportunity (Ross) to race here, being that it’s the first time I’ve ever been here so to drive is a real rush.

“In practice I took Bowe’s advice and used the first few laps to look around, get used to the track and then towards the end of the session was creeping up on the times but was a bit taily so I went back for more advice and then we managed to go faster in qualifying and we’re looking ahead to a big first weekend.”

Steve Makarios #99 Synergy Race Engines 1972 Ford Falcon GTHO

“I’ve been dreaming since a young child to come here and race, and now I’ve finally had some laps and it all starts here.

“The car knows the way around here but I’m still learning after taking it slow during practice, getting to know what to expect then went eight seconds quicker in qualifying so I’m getting the hang of it and really enjoying it, so now it’s on to the racing and making sure we’re here at the end of the last race as it’s all about survival.”

Bowe breaks through for a Masters pole at the Mountain while Wilson meets mountain demons 4, Oct, 2012

As the Touring Car Masters took to Mount Panorama for the opening race of their weekend celebrating the biggest Bathurst weekend ever, it was Bowe and Richards, two of the legends of the place off the front row with a full field looking to find success and become part of history, some would tame and some would falter.

As the form up lap came to a close, as did Benson’s race as he retired to the pit for the crew to investigate as just metres away the Masters took flight off the line with a long wait seeing Crick bog down and fall into the pack, but a clean arrival on Mountain Straight had the muscle cars ready to charge up the mountain for the first time. Richards led Bullas, Seton moved into fourth ahead of Miedecke, and Brad Tilley was powering on going side by side with the Abelnica XB Coupe.

The noise up the mountain echoed off the walls and across the valley, Bullas wide letting Miedecke have a look across the top with Abelnica right on him, while the pack were nose to tail with Porsches and Chargers, GTHO’s and HQ’s, the action was only just getting started as Bowe went under Richards through Caltex Chase to claim the lead on the run to start lap two, with another legend, Seton having a look.

Crick had dropped to twelfth, but made a move through under Youdlen into Murrays Corner, heading on to hunt down the King Camaro, while for Edwards and Keene, the Torana was charging through with a new engine roaring, while Keene had overcome the control box errors that had plagued his Porsche since round three, starting to make his move past the muscle swamping the circuit.

Out front, Bowe put in a flyer to try and pull a gap on Richards who was putting the pressure on the leading Mustang. Youlden and Cameron Tilley were fighting over racing room going up the mountain climb, as Crick moved onto the verge of the top ten once more. For Wilson, it was a trip to pit lane to go no further, oil pressure lacking in the #43 Charger, Freestone and Karanfilovski sadly coming to an early end in the lane with oil pressure and gearbox concerns respectively.

There were muscle cars sideways, exotics charging through, the fans filling the fence lines, as Seton moved into third and Bullas stayed right on the bumper of the newly re-numbered #30, the pressure on as the gap closed through Forrest Elbow, with Miedecke ready to pounce on the battling pair. With Richards closing on Bowe, Treloar made the move under Keene across the top, but it was Bullas in the action as he pushed to get through on Seton, too hot and the BOSS stepped wide making contact with the wall.

A weekend of hope and showing good speed had an abrupt interruption as Treloar got hooked on the oil slick across Brock Skyline, the Charger heading sideways and a big hit into the wall at the Esses, the #21 stranded trackside. The Tilley Falcon was sideways pushing hard in true Tilley fashion, and the Stillwell

Mustang was ticking over like clockwork, leading the way around Mount Panorama to keep hold of the Class B title hunt. For Pye, the search for seat time continued as the diff gave in, with Youlden trying on King and Cameron Tilley up into the top eight, back with the series and clearly focused on a good result, while brother Brad was closing in on the leaders, holding strong in fourth.

Richards had closed in on the #18 as the leaders came through the chase for the final time as the race was called early, but Bowe put the power down once more to secure his 14th win of the season, ahead of seven-time Great Race winner Richards, and with Seton dropped to 20th with a water pump failure, Miedecke came home in third, Tilley fourth, with Abelnica rounding out the top five.

Bowe finds the flag, Treloar finds the wall, and Keene found the progress 5, October, 2012

PIC ROB LANG

John Bowe

“It’s really good to have another win, and to have it here is better than a win anywhere else.

“We’re pretty evenly matched now which made for good racing, but the car went off pretty badly being big and heavy, and started with understeer but ended with oversteer all in six laps.

“Mount Panorama is a place where you need to be sensible but tough, there’s just no room for mistakes without big damage, so I’ll need to be a bit more sensible with the reverse grid tomorrow but we’re going to take it on for sure.

“I’m planning on changing a couple of things to try and stop the big balance shift that goes on during the short race, but it’s feeling really good, this place is simply amazing, and it’s an absolute pleasure to race here against Jim Richards who I’ve raced against for many years and when racing against him in touring cars I never told him this, but he was always my hero, so racing here is another part of our lives in motor sport.”

Tony Edwards

“That was good to use for running in the engine, so I took it easy just having a look at it all. There was some oil on track so I had to back out of it a couple of times to avoid going hard into the wall across the top.

“I had a good run though, we’d got as far up as we could so are glad to have had a clean run, made some progress and made it to the line so that we can do it all over with more confidence tomorrow.”


In what could only be described as an epic seven laps of reverse top ten racing as the muscle cars dominated the mountain terrain, Eddie Ablenica has come home with the win, a freight train of muscle cars hot on his bumper as the side by side action continued race long. There was the mix of heartbreak, heart racing moments and almost heroes, with not a moment to look away as the Touring Car Masters completed race two of round seven.

For the second time in the series’ reverse grid setups, Crick would go from the front row in his Mopar Chrysler, with King’s strong Camaro to his side, Cameron Tilley was back and looking very commanding in his BOSS Mustang, with relative series newcomer, Bressington also from the top six as the power of Bowe, Richards, Miedecke and Brad Tilley went from mid pack.

Off the line, Crick bogged down in smoke, while Abelnica took a flyer to the outside to take the lead out of the opening turn. Bowe, Bullas and the Tilley brothers all had good launches, setting each up to push on in the hunt for positions, Bullas determined to recover from the rear of grid and back into the top ten by race end. It was King and Crick, Abelnica and the Tilley Falcon side by side on the first run to climb the mountain, the slippery surface seeing a wheel wide dry line developing. Bowe made the move to edge ahead of Richards, the full field in high pressure mode as they thundered across Skyline, all looking for the line on the entry ahead, while Crick moved to the inside of the Abelnica XB and it was side by side again through the chase.

As Kassulke took to the inside of Bressington’s Bandit, Miedecke found the room to put on the move, with the Tilley brothers in full battle mode, Brad’s Falcon taking position from Cameron’s Mustang to claim third. Bowe was on a charge down Conrod, firing under Bressington as Edwards continued his recovery to slip into 11th. Bullas was determined to come through the field, into 12th and edging closer to the top ten, with Mason, Youlden and the O’Brien HQ armed with its new power plant all following closely.

Abelnica took to the inside at turn two, Miedecke on the hunt and into fifth, with Pye, his third diff for the weekend and Freestone on the run up the Mountain Straight, but soon Freestone’s challenge would come to a close as he dropped through the field, possibly still suffering from oil pressure concerns that have plagued the Camaro’s weekend. As Stillwell’s Mustang continued to run like clockwork, it would be a tougher fight this time out sitting 20th, while Class B title contender Benson had recovered from a misfire from Race 1 to move into 16th.

Brad Tilley always promises action and was sideways venturing down towards Conrod, going side by side with the Crick Chrysler as they pushed for second, not losing sight of Abelnica still leading the way. Bowe put the moves on Kassulke through the chase, Miedecke went to the outside along the straight for a look, but Cameron Tilley held strong, keeping the BOSS on line as they came along the main straight and out of turn one.

As the field barrelled on, Bullas was all over Bressington, the Bandit Camaro spinning as the #16 pushed hard to make up lost ground, Bullas just clipping the rear of the #7 on the run out of the first turn, the field finding their way through cleanly. Edwards had the HDT-backed Torana up into ninth, Kassulke looked to the inside, but the Torana would hold on. As the tough challenge got tougher, it was now Miedecke on a flyer with the fastest lap, while Brad Tilley was again sideways, stepping out the rear of the big Falcon through Forrest Elbow, Crick right on his tail.

Richards was now looking to move towards the helm, putting in some outstanding sector times to make up ground, while O’Brien was continuing his charge forward and was into 14th. Miedecke’s pace made the move on Crick for third, as Richards took over the fastest lap, leading reigning champion, Bowe who was in for the fight of his life to make ground in this reverse grid battle.

Abelnica still held the race lead, but the Tilley Racing Falcon was all there, another side by side run around the mountain, a wild run for the strong field as Almond was fighting through the field with incredible pace for the Porsche, during his first run in the wet in his 1973 911 RS. It was a seven car fight in the tight lead pack, more smoke from the #48 XB showing the pressure was on,but for Wilson it would be an end in pit lane with three laps to go.

Bresington was back in the pack, Karanfilovski putting the pressure on as he looked to overcome clutch concerns after a push start to make the grid. Bowe now had the fastest sector times falling, Crick was all over the #60 BOSS Mustang, seeing Cameron drop wheels on the grass allowing Crick to take a look, but the Tilley entry held on to fourth. Richards and Bowe were now side by side and right on the Tilley and Crick fight, Bowe putting in the fastest lap with a 2:23.7190, as Almond’s Porsche was lapping only five seconds off the pace of the mighty #18 Mustang.

The O’Brien HQ found the wall with a heavy hit at Forrest Elbow, pushing hard and limping home with damaged steering, the diff moving, but you can be assured this won’t be the last of the #8. Richards looked under Crick, Bowe moving

into the fight alongside and going under the Mopar entry to claim fourth, while Bullas was into the top ten as hoped and Edwards had certainly impressed, now into eighth.

Two Aussie muscle cars had control, with the pack not backing off as the race laps fell away. Bowe was now pulling away from Crick’s Charger, the #75 Mopar entry closing the door on Bathurst legend Richards, determined to keep at the fore. Miedecke and Tilley were back at it, door to door racing on the run into Murrays Corner, Miedecke moving into second as they started the final lap blast.

Richards was through for another place, Bowe moved into fourth ahead of Cameron Tilley with Miedecke on the limit to catch Abelnica and try for the win, a big look through the dipper, but Abelnica had the run onto Conrod, just holding out the #95 Camaro to take his second win with the Masters, one to remember at the mountain as he explained,

“It’s great to get one under our belt – we were under pressure all the way there.

“The car’s still not running exactly right, so that makes it even more of an achievement to have held off all the challenges, and especially to do it here at the mountain on the anniversary weekend, it’s something I’ll always remember.

“We had no chance to let up at all, it was on the limit the whole time, and I’m really happy for the team because Marty (Brant) and the boys put a lot of time and effort in. We’ve been there sometimes and not others, and to have this as a time that we’re up there is just great.”

The field fired had continued to fire to the line, the action not letting up as Brad Tilley pushed the racing room with Miedecke, the Camaro wide onto the straight, Tilley taking second, Miedecke home in third, but for the other Tilley, it would all end in heartache as the brakes failed into the final corner, a big hit into the rear of the Richards Javelin, dropping the #60 from a top five result to a DNF. The top ten would round out with Bowe in fourth, Crick, Edwards, Bullas, Kassulke, Youlden and King to close one of the best races the series has seen.

Abelnica takes the mountain victory in an epic seven laps 6, October, 2012

PIC ROB LANG


Media Releases

The final seven laps, the final race of the penultimate round of the Touring Car Masters and after an epic second race, the grid was strong, each muscle machine looking to roar and take it’s driver to the iconic Mount Panorama podium, and it was packed with action and speed, Masters veteran, Brad Tilley bringing it home on the limit to take the outright round, with Mason taking his Shelby all the way to the Class B victory in his mountain debut with the new vehicle.

Lining up in-front of a massive crowd, the Masters fired away from the line, Bowe, Miedecke and Abelnica three wide through the opening turn and onto Mountain Straight, Abelnica’s XB taking command. Crick had bogged down, leaving Bressington with nowhere to go but somehow the #7 Camaro found the room to get through, contact with Mason unavoidable as the pack charged into the opening turn. As the fight commenced, you would’ve been forgiven for thinking it was a one lap sprint, contact between Abelnica and Miedecke sending the #95 Camaro to the grass, but a brilliant save kept the action clean.

Bressington was soon putting the moves on Kassulke’s XB, two wheels on the grass on the run towards the climb, while Cameron Tilley was out wide looking for track room to take his Mustang to the head. Richards was all over the Bullas Mustang, the past champions both on full commitment, while up ahead Brad Tilley was all over the rear of Abelnica’s Coupe still leading the field.

It was a freight train of muscle cars heading through Skyline and down into the Esses, nose to tail, the action was raw, Youlden was running wide and Richards capitalised on the opportunity, but for Crick he was now back in the field, progress afoot as he moved under Benson to rejoin the top 15. Brad Tilley’s Falcon took the lead through the chase, Abelnica smoking but not slowing as he fought hard to stay at the helm.

Bowe was taking it to Miedecke, moving to the outside, Bressington was on the limit, with two wheels off along the straight, Almond also taking the wide line at turn one. Door to door it was for the #48 Coupe and Miedecke’s #95 Camaro, the pair in an on-going dual as they raced over the top of the mountain once more. Abelnica appeared to slow, Youlden roaring over the crest and with no time to react, tagged the rear of the race two winner, waiting for the field to pass before firing back into action from Forrest Elbow.

Having battled from the opening turn, Edwards and Bullas came down the mountain, Edwards braking early and with Bullas hot on his tail, the Mustang pulled out to make the pass but Edwards was back on the power, seeing contact between the pair and a long run across the grass, the Torana rejoining the track in a burst of dirt. No let up for any of the field, the laps were falling away and the carnage wouldn’t end there, with Miedecke under pressure from Bowe and spinning on the climb up to the cutting, stranded facing the oncoming pack, Almond and Keene approaching fast, the nimble Porsches making their way through cleanly.

Richards and Kassulke were hard at it for fourth, Tilley leading from Bowe, Richards taking the position from Kassulke on the run to Conrod, but for Collins it was a trip to the pit lane, a busted radiator looking the cause as liquid spilled from the front of the XA. With three to go, Bowe went fastest, but Richards too was on the hunt, putting in the fastest sector times as the race and the round moved into the final stages. Disappointment once more for Wilson as he took the Charger to the pits early, but out front, it was the Tilley Falcon pulling away on the run to the chase.

Showing his experience and determination, Richards took more than a second out of the gap to his prey ahead in just one lap, going fastest with a 2:23.3611. Karanfilovski was recovering from another challenging weekend with earlier clutch dramas, having moved into 13th, Youlden was looking to regain ground form 20th, and Mason’s Shelby continued to look the dominant Pro-Sportsman entry into the top ten.

As the final lap was called early, Masters entries powering around the mountain at every turn, Richards had his final looks to find the room on Bressington through Forrest Elbow, finding the gap into Murrays to secure third, and with Bowe all over the rear of the Tilley Racing entry, it simply was not enough, Brad Tilley delighting the fans to charge the Falcon past the chequered flag, taking his first win of the season, and what a place to do it, the Masters veteran and crowd favourite saying

“This is great – plenty of sideways action for sure.

“The field were all well and truly into it from the first time up Mountain Straight and all over the mountain, it was serious, but what a feeling to come away with a win, and what a track to do it at! It’s been a while since I’ve had a win, and I think I picked the right race track to do it!

“It’s been a tough year with Cameron (Tilley) sitting out the season so far, and I’ve only had the two rounds, so to come out fighting this weekend was great and we’re here to stay.

“Tilley Racing is such a strong team, with everyone giving their all everytime we come and between the events to make sure that we can put on a great show, with great cars and some great driving – it’s a team unit we’re really proud of.”

Class B Round Winner – Steve Mason #3 Shelby Mustang

“This is my favourite circuit – I pinch myself everytime I come here – it’s absolutely a boys dream to come here, and to have a win is unbelievable.

“I don’t think a Shelby has ever won here, so it could also be an Australian, maybe even a world first.

“I’ve got to thank the Carter brothers, Peter and Phil, who took the car back to Melbourne after the disastrous round at Queensland Raceway, then pulled the front end out and completely re-engineered the front end which is now perfect. It’s not so much my driving, it’s the way the car is setup, it’s awesome and it’ll keep getting better as we’ll be working on the rear end now that the front is right, and the car can only get faster.”

“We’re already looking ahead to Sandown, and while every session is still testing and development, we’re absolutely here to win now so we’re trying to set ourselves up for next year and hoping to get some support for the team. We need the financial support to keep the development going and keep the successes getting better, and we think that we’re a really good chance at the Pro-Sportsman title in 2013 as the first full year with the Shelby.”

Tilley tames for an all-in win as the Masters dominate in epic thriller 6, October, 2012

Round 7, Bathurst, Class A ‘Outright’

Tilley 164

Bowe 164

Kassulke 123

Round 7, Bathurst, Class B ‘Pro-Sportsman’

Mason 176

Stillwell 164

Benson 147

Flying the flag for WesTrac (pic courtesy Catherine Miedecke)


50th Anniversary – Drivers RewardedHow special is this coin and to have a keep

sake as a reminder always that you were part

of the historic 50th anniversary of Bathurst !!

Andrew and Kingy were presented these at

the event and I am sure they will hold pride

of place in their homes !!

Andrews always behind the wheel of

something, shown here in action at

Wakefield Park in a Formula Ford !!

Other News

Wakefield Park in a Formula Ford !!

of the historic 50th anniversary of Bathurst !! of place in their homes !!

Andrew racing Formula Ford


German “STUDY’ Tour !!

TCM TV goes live!

Bob the Builder and Tim Ede General Manager of Daimler Trucks

Adelaide had a pretty ‘stressful’ NOT preparation for Bathurst. A 9 Day

‘Study’ Tour of Germany which included attending the Hannover Truck

Show, Guided Tour of Daimler Hall, Train ride to Manneheim to the

Mercedes Benz Engine Plant, Mercedes Benz Truck Plant, Oetigheim test

track to drive the new Actros, transfer to Molsheim France for a guided

tour of the modification plant then back to Stuttgart for a tour of the

Mercedes Benz Museum, tour of the Sindelfingen car plant, driving on

the German Auto Bahn and through the Black Forrest then hard labour

at the Oktoberfest. I’ve checked the spelling above, it is not me hitting

wrong keys on the keyboard !! A great time was had by the group which

consisted of truck operators Australia wide. Not a bad activity in between

races ?????

From the people that brought you the on-track action

and glamour of your favourite classic muscle car

showcase, comes even more on-demand entertainment

as we bring you Touring Car Masters TV!

visit http://www.touringcarmasters.com.au

for more information

From the people that brought you the on-track action

showcase, comes even more on-demand entertainment showcase, comes even more on-demand entertainment showcase, comes even more on-demand entertainment

Tim Ede & Bobby


Dropped Round

Thursday, 25th October 2012

2012 | 2011 | 2010

2012 Series Standings

OVERALL STANDINGS | CLIPSAL 500 | PHILLIP ISLAND | HIDDEN VALLEY| QLD RACEWAY | EASTERN CREEK | SANDOWN | BATHURST |SANDOWN

Class A 'Outright' **provisional results**

Position Driver RND 1 RND 2 RND 3 RND4 RND 5 RND 6 RND 7 RND 8 Penalties TOTAL

1 John Bowe 176 129 180 180 180 138 164 -60 1087

2 Jim Richards 148 109 157 108 156 168 108 954

3 Andrew Miedecke 164 93 130 108 164 98 122 -30 849

4 Keith Kassulke 111 120 139 138 99 111 123 -39 802

5 Tony Edwards 0 150 152 126 117 132 99 776

6 Mark King 114 122 75 90 57 111 99 -33 668

7 Bill Pye 135 75 78 111 66 117 60 - 642

8 Brett Youlden 105 153 105 90 90 - 81 624

9 Gavin Bullas 133 158 0 - - 164 81 -56 536

=10 Eddie Abelnica 45 30 - 125 139 - 99 438

=10 Brad Tilley - - 142 - 132 - 164 438

12 Greg Crick - - - 75 42 134 78 329

13 Les Walmsley 63 - - 142 120 - - 325

14 Adam Bressington - - - - 78 114 114 306

15 Chris Collins - 111 - - 61 27 48 247

16 Tony Karanfilovski 60 0 45 59 0 21 48 233

17 Michael Wedge - - - 81 66 0 62 209

18 George Nittis 81 75 51 0 - - - 207

18 Garry Treloar - 81 66 - 0 - 0 147

20 Steve Makarios - 42 - - 17 33 0 92

21 Paul Freestone - - - 0 35 54 0 89

22 Bernie Stack 75 - - - - - - 75

=23 Doug Westwood 39 - - - 24 - - 63

=23 Graham Alexander - - 63 - - - - 63 25 Cameron Tilley - - - - - - 60 60

26 Matt O'Brien - 30 - 0 0 - - 30

27 Glenn Seton - - - - - - 0 0

Class B 'Pro-Sportsman' **provisional results**


1 Chris Stillwell 164 168 157 180 112 168 164 1113

2 Nigel Benson 160 164 139 164 0 180 147 954

3 Amanda Sparks 66 139 157 126 152 142 123 905

4 Greg Keene 102 132 134 145 60 100 142 815

5 Wayne Mercer - 117 102 120 139 132 75 685

6 Michael Almond - - 100 153 112 100 139 604

7 Steve Mason - 81 162 138 - - 176 557

8 Tony Hunter 168 159 - - - - - 327

9 John Nelson 138 108 45 - - - - 291

10 Bob Middleton - 135 132 - - - - 267

11 Rory O'Neill 114 30 105 - - - - 249

12 Gary O'Brien 135 - - - - - 96 231

13 Cameron Mason - - - - 105 - - 105

14 Jason Gomersall - - - - 101 - - 101

15 Mick Wilson 78 0 0 - - - 0 78

16 Ross Almond 75 - - - - - - 75

17 Phillip Showers - 0 - - - - - 0

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SERIES RESULTS

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Touring Car Masters | 2010 Overall Series Results http://www.touringcarmasters.com.au/Results/2012/Overall.html

1 of 1 25/10/12 2:30 PM

The Touring Car Masters is proudly supported by Shannons Insurance, Rare Spares and Unique Cars Magazine, with official suppliers Hoosier Tires and Australian Sports Marketing.

www.touringcarmasters.com.au

Dropped Round

Class A 'Outright' **provisional results**

2012 Series Points

Round Event Dates

1 Clipsal 500 Adelaide March 1 – 4

2 Phillip Island (Shannons Nationals) May 25 – 27

3 Hidden Valley, Darwin June 15 – 17

4 Queensland Raceway August 3 – 5

5 Muscle Car Masters, Eastern Creek September 1 & 2

6 Sandown 500 September 14 – 16

7 Bathurst October 4 – 7

8 Sandown (Shannons Nationals) November 23 – 25

75 -75 - - - - - -

- 0 - - - - -

Event Event DatesDates

2012 Calendar

PIC ROB LANGPIC ROB LANG

Round 8 24 -25 Nov 2012

OtherNews Kingy in the EVO 10

Adtrans Golf Day

Media Releases

SEASON FINALEThe season closer would be played out as part of the Shannons Series at Sandown. For Andrew in the 95 Westrac Lubrimaxx Camaro, he would go into this round in third spot, with multiple costly d.n.f’s through the year damaging. But with a round to drop and the final round to be decided would this be enough to secure a podium finish – you will need to read on !!It was just as well there was extended time between Bathurst and Sandown as the body damage to the 95 car was extensive with the 85 car also needing panel work.

In addition, Birdman carried out the following pre event work :

Yellow car #95

Extensive body repairs (carried out by Truck Factory) after bruising Bathurst. Diff ratio changed to suit Sandown. Front and rear brake pad change – routine! Build a new gearbox with ratios in between our wide and close ratio boxes – looking for better acceleration out of slow corners.

Red car #85

Minor body repairs from Bathurst. Diff ratio changed to suit Sandown. Changes to steering geometry to improve steering response. New lightweight door trims made and fitted. Car run on chassis dyno to check engine settings.

Thursday was the travelling day for the crew – with all the boys arriving in the afternoon – Bob the Builder rocked up in the transporter and the unloading was done.

Friday was an unofficial practice day, in which Andrew and Mark took part in three sessions.

Both Mark and Andrew used these sessions to trial various set up modifications – Mark testing a Tru Trax in the hope they would achieve enhanced mid corner speed, but this proved unsuccessful. Chassis changes didn’t produce anything startling, with the rear diff changed at the end of the day for Saturday.

For Andrew in the 95 Camaro, various suspension tuning took place looking for the extra edge on what was a pretty fast car anyway, with the crew deciding at the end of the day to do a gearbox change to utilise different gear ratios.

So for both cars whether the right decisions had been made in changing the diff and gearbox couldn’t be tested until Saturday morning’s practice session.

Practice

The first session was at 9.30 a.m. Andrew in the WesTrac/Lubrimaxx Camaro completed 5 laps with his best on the 5th with a 1.18.1484 which placed him third fastest behind Bowe and Richards but was off the pace. The crew continued suspension adjustments.

For Mark in the 85 Whiteline/King Springs Camaro, the big sway bar fitted was causing him to miss the apex with lousy turning and for this reason, the crew fitted a softer bar. Mark completed 5 laps with the best time achieved on the 2nd with a 1.20.4425.

The second session was held at 11.36 and Andrew completed 9 laps, with his best time for the session the 7th and slightly slower than the first session with a 1.18.52 but on return to the pit attributed that mainly to the tyres which were shot.

Kingy put in 10 laps, the best on the 3rd, with a 1.2033 a smigen improved on the first session, but commented on return to the pit that he still was dissatisfied with the level of drive but also due to position on track amongst traffic found it difficult to get a clear run without being baulked.

Qualifying

The session was held at 2.25 with Andrew completing 3 laps with his best time achieved on the 3rd, placing the 95 Westrac/Lubrimaxx Camaro 2nd

Shaz trackside

Lots to do. PIC ROB LANGAndrew and Bobby. PIC ROB LANGShaz, the voice of Whiteline Racing. PIC ROB LANG

PIC ROB LANG


off the grid for the first race. The time achieved was 1.17.07 much improved from practice and would mean he would start alongside JB.

For Kingy, six laps were completed, however a fouled up plug saw the 85 Whiteline/King Springs Camaro running on 7 cylinders and was an explanation for why the fuel had been vapourising. Best time achieved was a 1.19.65 an improvement on practice.

On return to the pit, the crew went about replacing all the spark plugs on the 85 machine and on the 95 Camaro the clutch was changed, as Andrew reported a ‘dragging’ issue in qualifying – we were taking no risks.

Race 1 – Sunday 10.33 – 8 x laps

Conditions for the three races today were much cooler, but things soon hotted up when race 1 got underway. JB & Andy got very average starts and as such Tilley and Richards split the front runners with Andy and Tilley making contact. Chaos then ensued when Kassulke and Edwards had a coming together with the impact so great the Torana of Edwards rolled over triggering a red flag. There was a significant delay whilst the track crews got the Torana off its roof and back onto its wheels. A complete restart was called and a warm up lap given so the drivers could get some heat into their tyres. With the race recommenced again Tilley and Richards got the jump, however by the end of the first lap it was Richards, Andrew and Tilley 1 – 3. On the second lap Andrew successfully made a move on Richards to take the lead, when disaster struck on the 4th with Andrew suffering serious engine failure and was forced off the track. Meanwhile for Mark, having started out of 13th on laps 1 – 4 made up a position each time round, maintaining 9th for 4 laps then in the final lap managed to move into 8th.

Tony Edwards and Andrew with our dropped round were both in contention for 3rd placing in the series, but as fate would have it, both drivers were out of race 1, Tony with the roll over and Andrew with the engine.

A relaxed Andrew, but not for long! PIC ROB LANG

vapourising. Best time achieved was a 1.19.65 an improvement

On return to the pit, the crew went about replacing all the spark plugs on the 85 machine and on the 95 Camaro the clutch was changed, as Andrew reported a ‘dragging’ issue in qualifying – we

Conditions for the three races today were much cooler, but things soon hotted up when race 1 got underway. JB & Andy got very average starts and as such Tilley and Richards split the front runners with Andy and Tilley making contact. Chaos then ensued when Kassulke and Edwards had a coming together with the impact so great the Torana of Edwards rolled over triggering a red flag. There was a significant delay whilst the track crews got the Torana off its roof and back onto its wheels. A complete restart was called and a warm up lap given so the drivers could get some heat into their tyres. With the race recommenced again Tilley and Richards got the jump, however by the end of the first lap it was Richards, Kingy!

PIC ROB LANG

Final shine before the Race. PIC ROB LANG


alongside battered and bruised Tony Edwards in position 20. The field by this stage was somewhat depleted due to numerous on track incidents and mechanical failures throughout the day.

For Kingy in the 85 Whiteline/King Springs Camaro, the final race for the day and the season would be short lived with the axle repairs failing not before getting up into 9th, but for the 95 Westrac/Lubrimaxx Camaro, it was a different story. Andrew was a man on a mission and out to reward his crew for the amazing effort in changing the engine. By the completion of lap 1, Andrew had gone from 19th to 11 !! Tilley led the charge with some contact with Bowe in the final corner of lap 1, but was unscathed and continued to lead, Bowe was 3rd at this stage. Andrew was like a freight train, by the end of the 2nd had made up another three spots, then from laps 3 – 11 a spot each lap and was now in 2nd behind Tilley, applying plenty of pressure. Tilley made an uncharacteristic error, which Andrew seized the moment and took the lead to win the race !!!! 19th to 1st – what a drive. Tony Edwards also put in a great drive to finish 8th, but the win would secure Andrew’s spot on the series championship and see him finish third behind Bowe 1st and Richards 2nd.

Andrew was so elated by the win, he was relaying through his radio messages to Bob for all the crew, thanking them all. We all had tears of joy and relief in our eyes and we were incredibly proud that Andrew made the most of the opportunity that was given to him. We were disappointed for Kingy, but as a team, their amazing efforts were rewarded.

Andrew also completed the fastest lap of all the field on the 2nd lap with a 1.17.8642, the rest of the field doing 1.18’s.

What was great too, close friends of Andrew’s Bruce & Michelle Blannin, Rick & Mireille Featherstone and Tracy were all there to share in Andrew’s victory.

On return to the pit, the crew went about removing the head to see the extent of the damage – the news was not good. With race 2 at 12.40 there was absolutely no possibility of Andrew being ready in time. The third and final race was scheduled for 3.35. What to do ? A spare motor was in the transporter, with a team meeting held to weigh up do we or don’t we do the engine change ?? Normally an 8 hour job, the crew decided to get stuck into it and have a go !!!!!!! - they had 4 hours, literally half the time in which to do it.

Meanwhile beavering away were the hard working crew of Tony Edwards – they too were acutely aware that to have a chance at third for the year and given Andrew was out of race 2, they also needed to put in a big effort to get the Torana back onto the track – which they did !!!!!!

Just to further add to our woes, Kingy went out to take part in Race 2 at 12.40 and didn’t even get a lap in, breaking a tail shaft !! So now we had the 85 and 95 cars both in the garage, giving the crew plenty of challenges. Tony Edwards Andrew’s biggest threat to third in the series was also a dnf in race 2 completing only 1 lap.

With thanks to Paul Freestone, another tail shaft was sourced for the 85 Whiteline/King Springs Camaro which the crew fitted and the work continued on the WesTrac/Lubrimaxx No. 95 Camaro.

Time was ticking away, but the boys were never going to give up. Just as the TCM cars got called to the dummy grid the final nut went onto the wheel of the 95 car and the tailshaft repair was complete on the 85 machine, so both Mark and Andrew would take their place in the race, albeit, Andrew would be forced to start rear of the field, in position 19

The transporter! PIC ROB LANG

PIC ROB LANG

New engine, no probs! PIC ROB LANG


On return to the pit, once the euphoria settled we went about packing up the road show for the last time this year. The boys cleaned up and put on their glad rags to head to the series presentation dinner being held at the Novotel Glen Waverley. Kat organised a night of special surprises for the teams and a great night was held by all.

Special thanks must go to our sponsors and amazing crew. Without the hard work and support of these people, Whiteline Racing would not be able to produce what it does.

Special congratulations must go to Mark Birdman on a great effort.

Special thanks to Paul Currie, Tim Ede, Brenton Matheson, Mark Haig, Mark King and Jason. Also deserving special recognition is Mon Saunders of Prince Alfred College and her husband David who went into over drive in the pits to assist with the 95 engine change over.

Work will go on now to prepare the cars for season 2013, which looks to be an exciting calendar of events.

Merry xmas to all and best wishes for a safe and happy new year.

Kind regards,

ShazKind regards,

Shaz


Sharon Middleton

0418826272

[email protected]

www.wline.com.au

Mark gaining ground! PIC ROB LANG

PIC Brenton MathesonGetting Busy. PIC ROB LANG

Mark King and Jason. Also deserving special recognition is Mon Saunders of Prince Alfred College and her husband David who went into over drive in the pits to assist with the 95 engine change over.

Work will go on now to prepare the cars for season 2013, which looks to


in the pits to assist with the 95 engine change over.

Work will go on now to prepare the cars for season 2013, which looks to


Mark gaining ground! PIC ROB LANGMark gaining ground! PIC ROB LANGMark gaining ground! PIC ROB LANG

Birdman keeping an eye on things! PIC Brenton Matheson


Sponsor PitstopSupporting the teams that support us


Rare Spares and Shannons Insurance make for a classic Masters finale as Bowe takes pole

24, Nov 2012


Bowe has taken his seventh pole

With merely 36 laps remaining until the sixth season of the showcase that is Australia’s favourite muscle cars comes to a close, the tension is still building as we get set to crown the next Class champions, and it’s thanks to the on-going support of series’ major partners Rare Spares and Shannons Insurance who continue to pledge their support and keep the Masters racing, while Rare Spares Ambassador has opened the last weekend’s account with his seventh pole from the season’s eight rounds.

The weekend started with colour, action and drama as the Masters rolled into Sandown to light up the tarmac one more time. Friday’s private practice sessions could’ve been mistaken for edge of your seat racing as drivers pushed hard, using the full curbs, dropping wheels in the dirt, rear ends sliding sideways, and while Bowe and Miedecke were topping the early timesheets.

Practice 2 was another 20 minute flier with 16 of the entries heading out in the sun to post times, test new setups, again all looking to have a successful end to the year. It was now Miedecke going fastest, with Bowe not far behind as his new team at Maranello Motorsport worked to master the latest machine in their already impressive stable. Bressington and Freestone were surely in control of their Camaros, but Abelnica would draw the attention after his pristine XB Coupe found the wall at high speed coming into Dandenong Road with driver ok but big damage, calling an early end to the session.

Final free practice would see Miedecke at the top of the tables, Bowe, Crick, Stillwell and King rounding out the fastest five, with both Bowe and Stillwell needing consistent finishes in the coming days of racing to secure Bowe’s back-to-back and Stillwell’s maiden Class series championships. Again it would be an early end to the track time, this time with Wilson’s Charger showing its strength while on a good lap, a bang signalled all loss of control of the beast, Wilson a passenger as he headed for the wall on the back straight.

Opening the official first day of the final round of the Touring Car Masters and the Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships, the masters would complete two further timed practice sessions, some completing a further 16 laps as final changes were made to find the ideal qualifying setup this one last time. On contrast to the day before, Practice 4 was a quiet session with teams knowing the importance of a consistent and clean weekend ahead.

After a big night with ongoing engine dramas plaguing Edwards’ Torana, he was back on track, but from fourth he found an early retirement from the session came in Practice 5 with the team continuing to make decisions about the future of the Torana as they wish for lady luck to make an appearance and show their true potential. Having posted the fastest time in final practice, a significant change came from Richards after a blown oil seal put the Sprint back in the garage, the Javelin to return for qualifying. Brad Tilley, Karanfilovski and Kassulke all impressed with consistent top ten times going in the bank from the blue oval trio.

In possibly the strangest of qualifying sessions so far, in the early minutes the track was full of muscle machines and nimble exotics in full flight around the 3.1kilometre circuit, but as the minutes ticked away, pit lane became the place to be, as car after car headed home to its garage, leaving Sparks as the lone vehicle to take the chequered flag at session’s close. The heat clearly getting to the classics, many put in flying laps followed by cooling off periods, but there was no doubt everyone was on the limit, with passing at a premium, Benson, Bressington, Youlden, Crick, the list went on, all using the full curbing in search of the best possible times. There were GTHO Falcon’s dragging along the straight as Mercer, Nittis and Karanfilovski showed the power, Mustangs hunting Porsches, Camaros cruising, and HQ’s hitting the grass, the session closing with Bowe at the top for his seventh pole this season, a great way to start the sessions that count, saying,

“When you go qualifying you always try and be the fastest – that’s what its about and so we’re pretty happy to have done it again.

“We’ve got a whole new team from Maranello Motorsport and to do this for the new guys, it’s quite satisfying even if the gap is quite minute. I’ve know the Maranello boys for quite a while, do a lot of racing with them and I’m very comfortable with them – they’re young blokes and they’ve got great discipline so are doing a great job.

“It’s such a great car and has been very well looked after all year and I hope I can get a good start, but the rest of the weekend will depend a lot on tomorrow’s first result, ready for the reverse top 10 and the finale so anything could happen.”

It’ll be a finish to watch closely as every competitor drops their lowest points round at the completion of the final race tomorrow, so to see just who takes home the silverware of the 2012 Touring Car Masters season, get along to Sandown Raceway as the finale of the Shannons Nationals Motor Racing Championships roars into action, 23 – 25 November, or get onto itvlive.com.au for all the action live streamed from the circuit.

Birdman & Andrew pre race. PIC Brenton Matheson

Team Whiteline! PIC Brenton Matheson


Edwards was the talking point of the opening race

The final round, three races remain and it was on for all in today’s opening race of the Masters, with reigning title holder and champion elect, Bowe, to start from pole, Miedecke, Richards, Tilley and Bressington set to fire from the top five. It would be an early roll over that would see a full restart and the green light action was epic from front to rear of the field on both launches.

Race start had Miedecke and Crick bog down as Bowe smoked away and Richards fired around the front runners to claim an early lead, and it was four wide into the first corner. Tilley moved into second, but contact with Miedecke would send the #95 Camaro off track seeing cars everywhere, and before you could blink Kassulke and Edwards made big contact in the head pack sending the #50 Torana roll, Edwards stranded on his roof as the field raced past. As the action settled under yellow, Bressington made the down change along the back straight, the gearbox blowing to put an end to what was a promising weekend. With Richards in the lead, the safety car was called after just 3 corners of racing but the race would be called with a red flag as support crews worked to assist Edwards who walked away unscathed, but the SL/R suffered heavy damage as he explained,

“Same corner, same track as last time where we had a failure then and ended up in the armco in that corner, now this time I got help that rolled us over – that’s what happens when you get slammed in the door right in front of the back wheel.

“Roll overs are easy, hitting walls is hard but it’s made a hell of a mess, the car is all but a write off, but we’ll get it back out even though the shell is pretty bent, so hopefully we can get back out for races two and three and get some points to at least stay fourth in the championship.

“We’ve had finishes in the last 18 races without losing a lap and had potential to look at third in the title. This is going to make it more difficult, but if we can score points in the next two races we might still be able to gain that third for the year.”

With Edwards safe and cleared, the Masters returned to the circuit to warm up and take on a now eight lap charge and the repeat would be as exciting as the first attempt. The full restart saw Bowe back on P1, bogging down off the line, Richards again started well in the Javelin to take the lead, with Tilley very strong. In the pack, Benson made a big move to the outside and would be side by side with fellow Class B title contender Stillwell, Almond fired the Porsche to the centre but Sparks dropped to the rear.

All clean through the opening turns and it was racing time, but contact in the pack had negated Almonds good start, seeing him wide and dropping into the pack. Miedecke was all over Richards, Benson was on a charge on King, while Collins and Pye went side by side along the main straight, Pye holding on the run into turn 1. Mason and Keene were locked in their own battle, but ahead Miedecke had taken the lead through turn three of lap two.

It was a four way tussle for the race lead, and Freestone and Karanfilovski wanted in, showing strength both inside the top eight with not a moment to breathe as the challenges continued. Benson made the move around Almond showing the HQ’s power on the straight run, but for Nittis, he would soon be looking ahead to the full field, a big task to get back into the pack. Tilley and Bowe were fighting it out, the Falcon already bearing battle scars from the earlier race start, Bowe taking second into turn four of the third pass.

Mercer had his GTHO on rails gaining on Pye, King was onto Karanfilovski while NIttis was continuing his charge to make progress onto Almond along Dandenong Road. Out front, Richards dove under the Miedecke Camaro to re-take the lead of the race, the full field holding close, but for Miedecke the fight would end early as he pulled off on the run onto the back straight with suspected engine issues, moving Bowe to second.

As Kassulke headed to pit lane to serve a drive through penalty, Youlden and O’Brien were hunting down the Makarios Falcon, Mason was putting it all into this charge for Benson, and Kassulke returned to the circuit bouncing the XB Coupe through the final turn, the red eyes on as he looked to keep a gap back to the leaders closing in. Karanfilovski had Pye all over his bumper, Collins was holding off King, and Mason and Keene were putting it all on the line as they went side by side into turn one.

Crick wanted third, closing in with each passing corner, but it was Karanfilovski drawing the eye as he stepped his Falcon sideways onto the main straight while Pye kicked up some dirt through the same corner. King locked a wheel into turn one and it was seven cars nose to tail mid pack with Makarios at the helm as the leaders crossed the line with one lap remaining. Bowe wanted the win, all over Richards ahead, Pye moved to the inside to take turns two and three side on with Karanfilovski, while Nittis moved up again passing the battle scarred Wilson Charger along the straight for the final time.

With close battles stretched across the Masters field, Richards held off Bowe to take his second race win of the season, both at Sandown Raceway, saying,

“It was great to have another win to end the season. It was more that the other guys had bad starts, but we got reasonable starts, so its great for us.

“Our car is a little bit better in some areas and Bowe’s car is better in other areas so it makes for some interesting racing.

“We really wanted to run the Sprint, but the Javelin was great, and it (the Sprint’s oil seal failure) may have done us a favour so we’re looking forward to battling it out in races two and three.”

Coming home with impressive and action packed race memories was Tilley in third, followed by Crick, Freestone with his best result so far in his stunning Camaro, Pye, Karanfilovski, King managed to make the move under Collins and Youlden taking tenth to start from pole in Race 2’s top ten reverse grid coming soon. While in the pack, it’s a hard fight for the Pro-Sportsman honours, O’Brien taking the class race win, with Mercer coming home strong, Class champion elect Stillwell keeping it clean, while Mason, Keene and Benson were locked together as they crossed the line to bring it home. O’Brien was thrilled to be mid-project on the series’ latest SL/R 5000 and still putting in the good miles in his trusty HQ, explaining,

“Wow, that was an action packed race! We knew we had a good car, the boys continue to do really well, but I’ve been a bit rusty because we haven’t had a lot of track time this year, but to perform again is really good for the team and I really appreciate what they do.

“The car is a real race car now, it’s basically our Bathurst car setup, with a couple more Torana test parts in this weekend and we’ve ticked another box, learning a lot that will hopefully transfer into the Torana to make for a good car straight up.”

Watch it all this weekend via itvlive.com.au!

Just when you thought the Masters couldn’t get any more exciting! Race 1… epic! 25, Nov 2012

at the helm as the leaders crossed the line with one lap remaining. Bowe wanted the win, all over Richards ahead, Pye moved to the inside to take turns two and three side on with Karanfilovski, while Nittis moved up again passing the battle scarred Wilson Charger along the straight for the final time.

Its the case of the photograhper be snapped himself PIC Brenton Matheson


Tilley held strong to take the win

The Masters have put in another wild and interrupted nine laps, seeing Tilley take his second win of the season, while Collins has repeated unwanted series history becoming the second vehicle in in the series’ six years to roll on a race weekend, and both have happened in today’s races.

Starting with the top ten in reverse grid order, Youlden and Collins shared the front row, with King and Karanfilovski, Pye and Freestone bearing down ahead of the opening race lead pack buried in the field. Pye and Crick were off the line, but it was O’Brien and Bowe making their way through from the onset, with Karanfilovski taking a great launch to keep strong at the head. For King, the race ended on the starting straight, a broken front universal bolt on the tail shaft sending the Camaro to stop at the inside wall.

Kassulke was keen to regain the positions lost in the first race, while Bowe took a detour, going off through turns seven, eight and nine, dropping back into the pack after moving ahead. Karanfilovski had his Falcon in the lead with smoke from the rear left but it wouldn’t stop him yet. On the front straight, the weekend of woes continued for Edwards, his Torana spluttering on the home straight, but on he drove, only for a loose wire to stop the #50 on the run onto the back straight.

Keene and Almond had their Porsches side by side, Keene taking the position as they continued towards lap three. Freestone was putting maximum pressure on the #88 GTHO, Collins and Tilley, Bowe and Youlden, Pye and Crick, the challenges continued. For Sparks, it was a tough run at the rear of the field after many promising efforts this season, but at the other end of luck, Freestone had big oversteer but held and had taken the lead under brakes at the top of Dandenong Road.

In the ongoing action of the final round, heartbreak was again on the cards as Karanfilovski spun at the final turn, the field splitting to avoid, but for Richards it was a matter of sight unseen, left with nowhere to go, the Javelin slammed into the stranded Falcon leaving big damage on both entries as the field made their way around the heart-breaking scene, Richards saying,

“I didn’t see anything. I was shielded behind all the cars between me and the cars in front so I just didn’t see Tony (Karanfilovski) until the cars in front of me moved over and then it was too late.

“We’ve done a quick assessment and the car is heavily damaged, but you can repair these things even if it will be a long time before the Javelin sees the track again.

“We’ll take it apart slowly to disassembled and review the damage, then we will think about it all and go from there, it’s just that the worst thing is a damaged car, but a lot worse things have happened in the world.”

With the safety car on track to control the field, Bowe, Youlden and Pye were no doubt settling back into a calm after all narrowly missing the Karanfilovski entry. The lights went out and it would be a rolling restart with Tilley all over the Freestone Camaro, moving to the outside and using the power of the mighty Falcon to take the lead on the run to the back straight. Mason used his Shelby’s strength to make the pass on Almond, Bowe finding the gap to take Freestone for second and get all over the rear of Tilley. Crick had charged around Youlden’s HQ, while Mercer and Keene, Benson and Almond went side by side along the front straight.

Youlden was off at turn seven, Pye moved to the outside of Collins on the next run into turn one, while Stillwell wanted another consistent result, having a look under Makarios before hunting down O’Brien, the leading Pro-Sportsman entry. As Freestone’s gearbox failed, he held control of the #25 through Dandenong Road, but the oil slick was all over the circuit, catching out Crick who spun off the tarmac, then seconds later, Collins was out of control, his stunning XA Falcon tagging the wall and rolling.

As the red flag was called, another race would end early but after a hard fought battle out the front, and keeping it clean, Tilley brought home the mighty Falcon to take the race win, saying,

“That was crazy! There was so much going on right from the start and it was great, and maybe lucky to have got through to the front and go racing.

“It feels like I can sit back and let them (the field) do their thing, get out of the way and who knows what else might come to us.

“The car is feeling good after a few adjustments and it was a lot better just now so I’ll do a bit more before the final race and let’s wait and see.”

Right to the end, the challenges continue with the Pro-Sportsman entries taking it all the way, coming home in the heart of the race action, Mason first home for the class race win, O’Brien putting in another great effort, with Stillwell holding strong, Keene, Mercer and Benson taking the pressure all the way to the final moments. The final race of an unforgettable season will hit the track from 1535, and it’s going to be huge so get onto itvlive.com.au to not miss a moment of the live action!

What a way to end the season as Tilley takes the win in another wild race 25, Nov 2012

The crew working tirelessly to get Andrew back on the track. PIC Brenton Matheson


Miedecke shone with a rear of grid charge to take victory

Lining up for the final laps of a season that has so far seen eight rounds, five states, 24 races, 220 laps and 817 kilometres of awesome racing, the remaining 19 Masters took to the grid for the very last time to close the sixth year of a growing and ever popular showcase of muscle. At last it would be a race without carnage, but there was certainly action as Miedecke charged from rear of grid to take the win in the final moments, while for O’Brien and Bowe it would be the final class round wins, with Stillwell strong again to take his maiden Masters title in Pro-Sportsman (Class B), with Bowe sealing back-to-back Outright (Class A) titles.

Tiley had the launch, with Collins and O’Brien making hay from the starting line. Collins was into fourth, Tilley had the lead and was pulling away as an ever hungry pack roared towards turn one. Pye made the move on Youlden’s HQ, going around the outside on the first pass on the back straight, Miedecke already having charged ahead moving from rear of field to jump six places in the first five corners.

Light contact between Bowe and Tilley showed the passion was strong, putting Bowe back into the field, while Pye took second along the straight but eyes moved to Benson as he went side by side with the Wilson Charger. Makarios was making up ground, and Edwards was again one to watch, the SL/R having had a drama fuelled weekend, and once again forcing its way through the pack to be back inside the top ten.

Miedecke was not eighth, Crick and Collins who shared the grass in race two detours, were now fighting hard. O’Brien was pushing for the class win, making it tough for Kassulke to find a way through in the battle scarred XB, with Mercer and Benson side by side as Mason headed to pit lane for a stop/go penalty. Tilley was pulling away at the front, with a freight train of muscle holding strong on his wake, Pye, Bowe, Crick together then Kassulke, Collins and Miedecke all battling on.

An impressive move on the way to turn one saw King split Youlden and Keene, coming through to take both positions and move into ninth. Edwards may have been without windscreens but not without pace as he passed Youlden to go top ten. Stillwell was moving on past Almond, edging closer to the Class title, with Makarios having made his own move on Wilson. Kassulke was in maximum attack mode as he dropped the rears into the dirt at the final turn, moving side by side with Miedecke, but the Camaro had the inside line and held on, while teammate King retired early after a big effort from both sides of the Whiteline Transport Racing garage.

Youlden, Keene and Stillwell were nose to tail with Almond’s exotic hunting them down, while to the front and it was now a Bowe versus Miedecke battle, the Camaro pilot having gained an incredible 16 places from the start of the race, now finding a way past the reigning series champion to secure fourth. Mason had caught up to the Wilson Charger as both looked to regain lost ground to the field ahead.

Crick was the next name on Miedecke’s hit list, the pair side by side on the run to turn one, Miedecke needing third position to keep his outright third for the season alive. Kassulke drove around Bowe along the run into Dandenong Road, Edwards took to the outside of O’Brien’s HQ along the home straight, while Stillwell was all over Youlden, with Mercer ready to follow.

In the closing stages, Tilley, Pye and now Miedecke were close and their commitment unquestionable, the #95 Camaro dropping four wheels over the curb, before charging under Pye for second position. Keene and Almond were doing it for the exotics, their Porsches nose to tail in a tussle for the import honours, but Stillwell was soon on their tails. Benson was now through to take on Youlden, HQ versus HQ along the front straight on the approach to the final lap of the year.

As they crossed the line for the last competitive time, Tilley still led but all his efforts soon evaporated as he over-steered and spun at turn one, the pressure evident, handing the lead and the race win to Miedecke, a rear of grid to victory drive showing he’s still got what it takes to take the glory. The chequered flag was out, the final lap and an epic season came to an end, Miedecke taking the last win, Crick home in second, with Pye, Bowe, Kassulke, Collins into sixth on his return after a huge team effort and lots of race tape, Edwards another huge effort to come home seventh, Tilley back on in eighth and finishing just a nose in front of O’Brien who took the Pro-Sportsman race win, ahead of Keene rounding out the top ten.

It was a race, a weekend and a season to remember for the good, the bad, the heart-breaking and the glory, and it ends with the final round victories going to Bowe (Class A – Outright) and O’Brien (Class B – Pro-Sportsman), while Stillwell takes his first series title (Class B) and Bowe makes it back-to-back series titles (Class A) after a record breaking, and hugely challenging year. One to remember.

Chris Stillwell, 2012 Pro-Sportsman (Class B) Series Champion

“This feels absolutely fantastic!

“The car has been on song all year, and we decided to try and stretch the year so this is the second year on this engine. We weren’t sure if it would make it for the full second season but it did and we have had both Amanda Sparks and Nigel Benson very close so the pressure was on.

“If I didn’t finish a race this weekend Nigel (Benson) would have been receiving and deserved the championship trophy, so we’re thrilled to see the class championship that close and to come out on top.”

John Bowe, Round 8 Class A winner and 2012 Outright (Class A) Series Champion

“I think this year I’ve won more races and had more pole positions, but it’s also been harder, tougher with more depth through the field than ever before, not to mention some pretty good car and driver combinations to need to beat, so it’s very gratifying.

“When you compete you should compete to do your best and to win, and if you don’t win you’ve got to accept it, but it’s nice to win, well, it’s more than nice, it’s fantastic!

“The sponsors always support me and they have been very good, very loyal to me and quite a lot of them are here to celebrate with and thank.

“I won the round more because of the misfortunes of others, but sometimes it’s a good thing, like Alan Jones used to say I’d rather be lucky than good.

“It’s just great, really great, and it’s really nice to get ‘Sally’ home to the end of the year. She has a few battle scars but basically has done a very good job and this weekend with new guys from Maranello Motorsport running the car, it’s been on song again.

“The Maranello boys have done a terrific job to come in and compete at this level, and I would also like to very much thank Savy Motorsport because their team had the car for three years and we had many great successes together and I’m very grateful for that.”

Gary O’Brien, Round 8 Class B winner

“It feels pretty good, to have the car going well and staying out of trouble. It’s really good for the team and the families because everyone gets involved with this and to get these cars to the track is a big effort.

“The team have given me a very nice car and I’m wrapped because there is some stuff in there for our Torana that we have tried and now we have learned again from this weekend which was really positive, so moving forward is exciting and I’m looking forward to getting the Torana going.

“We haven’t run most of this year and it’s one of those things that you get a bit rusty and you’ve got to be in the saddle a fair bit to keep up. We went to Bathurst where the car was quick but I wasn’t 100% comfortable, but coming here, by about race two I was back in the saddle so have really enjoyed the weekend and the team have put together a really fast car – very rewarding.”

3 races, 3 winners, Miedecke charges through and our Champions make history 25, Nov 2012

PIC Brenton Matheson


Top Gear Festival Sydney to display Triple Eight Race Engineering & old school Masters muscle 28, Nov 2012

TOP GEAR FESTIVAL SYDNEY TO DISPLAY TRIPLE EIGHT RACE ENGINEERING & OLD SCHOOL MASTERS MUSCLE PLUS CELEBRITY DRIVERS IN ‘STAR IN A REASONABLY PRICED CAR’ CHALLENGE LIVEIt was announced today that Triple Eight Race Engineering, along with current V8 Supercars champion Jamie Whincup and racing legend Craig Lowndes are to join the stellar line-up of cars and stars in the inaugural Top Gear Festival, Sydney next March.

Festival goers will witness these V8 Supercar champions completing timed laps and attempting Top Gear track challenges. They are just one of the many highlights over Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th March 2013; as Jeremy Clarkson, James May and The Stig take over Sydney Motorsport Park with their brand new motoring event.

The Festival, which is making its debut in Australia, will feature unbelievable track action including popular challenges from the TV show such as, ‘Star in a Reasonably Priced Car’. Matty Johns, Gus Worland and Mark Geyer, radio hosts for The Triple M Grill Team and former Miss Universe Australia Jesinta Campbell have already taken up the challenge which will test their limits behind the wheel on the technical 1.8km circuit.

Triple Eight's Whincup & Lowndes

The 2013 Radical Australia Cup will also be blasting into action as the opening round of the championship takes place at Top Gear Festival Sydney, featuring two sprints and a 50-minute feature race of up to 30 cars. Radical Australia will also make the Australian racing debut of the 2.7litre V8 engined Radical SR8 RX competition car, as it joins the popular 4 cylinder SR3 RS model on the grid.

Those with a passion for Australian Touring Car racing should make sure they get a prime position as the Touring Car Masters showcase a selection of immaculately prepared race cars of the pre-1976 era. The Masters boasts some of motor sport’s most iconic muscle cars including Mustangs, Camaros, Chargers and Monaros.

With 2012 World Champions Red Bull Racing Formula One team leading proceedings with multiple F1 race winner Mark Webber, Sydney’s Top Gear Festival promises to be the most exciting event on any petrolhead’s calendar for 2013. Also at the festival will be jaw-dropping stunts in the Stunts & Jumps Zone; the world’s most expensive and powerful cars in Stig’s Supercar Garage; the Family Zone filled with hands-on fun & entertainment for kids; 4×4 and trial bike riders showcasing their skills on the brutal Off-Road Challenge; a wide range of delicious food and drink experiences, including beer gardens and cider bars all combine to create an unmissable weekend.

Radical Australia Cup

Tickets start from just $29.00 for a child’s General Admission, and $79.00 for an adult’s General Admission. Discounted Family General Admission Packages are also available and start at $180.00 for x2 adults and x2 children (4 – 12 year olds). Tickets are available from Ticketek 132 849 or www.ticketek.com.au

In Australia, Top Gear can be seen first on Foxtel’s BBC Knowledge, and then on the Nine Network and Go!

Top Gear Festival Sydney is proudly supported by the NSW Government, through Destination NSW, and is a key event on the NSW Events Calendar.

Andrew with the win! PIC Brenton Matheson


The calendar for the seventh season of the Touring Car Masters has been announced today, with an exciting eight round program set to keep this showcase of classics as a centrepiece of racing around Australia.

Season 2013 will see the Touring Car Masters alongside the V8 Supercars for six rounds, as a feature category once more at the ever popular mecca of classic motorsport that is the Muscle Car Masters, and will kick start the year as a feature race category in the glamour of Top Gear Festival Sydney.

To open the season, the Masters will hit Sydney Motorsport Park as a feature race series at the inaugural Top Gear Festival Sydney, with a full race weekend adding to the atmosphere and excitement, seeing the strong series supporting a new concept, while the global Top Gear brand recognises the entertainment value, action and colour, bringing the muscle cars to the greater audience. Round 1 will see a full race program for the Masters, with two 20 minute practice sessions, a 20 minute qualifier, and three action packed races taking place on the North Circuit, giving the crowds even more time with the fast-paced glamour and keeping the drivers on their toes on yet another variation of the Park’s circuits.

Round 2 sees a return to Barbagallo, a place where the last event in the west saw unofficial motor sport history with Keene and Sparks crossing the line just 0.03 seconds apart, the closest finish for husband and wife racers, in the same series, in the same cars, on track at the same time, and there’s sure to more challenges ahead come next May.

As the Touring Car Masters strengthens the relationship with major motor sport events, the series will again star at Hidden Valley Raceway for Round 3, heading to the Top End for a sixth visit. A venue known for clean sweep dominance, the new season is bound to another the strong field battle heat of the sun and the heat of the pressure.

Round 4 and it’s back to the east coast and Queensland Raceway, a track that may look simple, but is touted as a true challenge by some of the greats as the drivers maintain focus, calculate the next move, all the while managing big muscled cars in the heat.

Kicking off the second half of the season, it’s another Father’s Day festival as the series heads for Muscle Car Masters, again at Sydney Motorsport Park, but this time it’s the full Brabham Circuit after the series debuted on the newly named tarmac this year. A place where drivers and machines can not only race and be admired, but the competitors can in turn admire the plethora of classics that come together each year to make Muscle Car Masters Australia’s biggest celebration of classic motorsport.

Round 6 will be on to Sandown Raceway, and having shown an almost unbelievable display of track action, along with some of the most impressive displays of team commitment and series camaraderie just a week ago, this place continues to prove that anything can and does happen in motor sport.

Next stop, and the Masters will take the entertainment and excitement to Mount Panorama for the penultimate round as part of the Bathurst 1000 weekend. There couldn’t be a more fitting place to set up for the series’ title decider, than a place steeped in history, heart-break, glamour and glory, this is the place where a win in the cars that made Bathurst, Bathurst, defines you immortal in the prestige that has become from the passion that is Australian racing.

The closing round will then explode in the south as Phillip Island plays host to the series finale, as once more, champions are crowned at one of the country’s greatest motor sport venues.

With another round of new cars, new personalities and more stars, many exciting changes to the already strong series meaning more action for all, season 2013 of the Touring Car Masters will certainly be another fitting celebration as the category moves further into the hearts of motoring enthusiasts now the world over.

The Masters announce 2013 calendar

Round Dates Event1 Mar 9 & 10 Top Gear Festival Sydney, Sydney Motorsport Park NSW

2 May 3 – 5 Barbagallo Raceway, Perth WA

3 Jun 14 – 16 Hidden Valley Raceway, Darwin NT

4 Jul 27 & 28 Queensland Raceway, Ipswich QLD

5 Aug 30 – Sep 1 Muscle Car Masters, Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW

6 Sep 13 – 15 Sandown Raceway, Sandown VIC

7 Oct 10 – 13 Mount Panorama, Bathurst NSW

8 Nov 23 & 24 Phillip Island GP Circuit, Phillip Island VIC

2013

With the 2012 race season over its time to relax and have fun! Pic ROB LANG

Media Releases


Media Releases

Daimler trucks at the Adtrans Golf Day

Other NewsPhoto’s of the Whiteline Transport new truck whilst we were having fun at Sandown.


Special thanks must go to Rob Lang for the amazing action shots all year and Brenton Matheson for the inside crew and pit lane shots.

Kingy campaigns an EVO 10

They say every picture tells a story

Since Bathurst, Kingy competed in the N.S.W. Production Car Championship in an EVO 10 Lancer at Wakefield Park. The results were pretty satisfying seeing the team go from the rear into third, however a technical breach would rain on their parade.


The Touring Car Masters is proudly supported by Shannons Insurance, Rare Spares and Unique Cars Magazine, with official suppliers Hoosier Tires and Australian Sports Marketing.

www.touringcarmasters.com.au

2012 Series PointsThursday, 13th December 2012

2012 | 2011 | 2010

2012 Series Standings

OVERALL STANDINGS | CLIPSAL 500 | PHILLIP ISLAND | HIDDEN VALLEY| QLD RACEWAY | EASTERN CREEK | SANDOWN | BATHURST |SANDOWN

Class A 'Outright'


1 John Bowe 176 129 180 180 180 138 164 160 -60 1118

2 Jim Richards 148 109 157 108 156 168 108 60 954

3 Andrew Miedecke 164 93 130 108 164 98 122 60 -30 849

4 Tony Edwards 0 150 152 126 117 132 99 39 815

5 Keith Kassulke 111 120 139 138 99 111 123 105 -39 808

6 Bill Pye 135 75 78 111 66 117 99 142 757

7 Mark King 114 122 75 90 57 111 99 36 -33 668

8 Brett Youlden 105 153 105 90 90 - 81 105 648

9 Gavin Bullas 133 158 0 - - 164 81 - -56 536

10 Brad Tilley - - 142 - 132 - 164 148 454

11 Eddie Abelnica 45 30 - 125 139 - 99 0 438

12 Greg Crick - - - 75 42 134 78 149 436

13 Chris Collins - 111 - - 61 27 48 127 347

14 Adam Bressington - - - - 78 114 114 0 306

15 Tony Karanfilovski 60 0 45 59 0 21 48 39 272

16 Les Walmsley 63 - - 142 120 - - - 262

17 George Nittis 81 75 51 0 - - - 54 261

18 Michael Wedge - - - 81 66 0 62 - 209

18 Steve Makarios - 42 - - 17 33 0 90 182

20 Paul Freestone - - - 0 35 54 0 81 170

21 Garry Treloar - 81 66 - 0 - 0 0 147

22 Doug Westwood 39 - - - 24 - - - 39

23 Matt O'Brien - 30 - 0 0 - - - 30

24 Graham Alexander - - 63 - - - - 0 25 Cameron Tilley - - - - - - 60 0

26 Bernie Stack 75 - - - - - - 0

27 Glenn Seton - - - - - - 0 0

Class B 'Pro-Sportsman'


1 Chris Stillwell 164 168 157 180 112 168 164 156 1157

2 Nigel Benson 160 164 139 164 0 180 147 126 1080

3 Amanda Sparks 66 139 157 126 152 142 123 111 950

4 Greg Keene 102 132 134 145 60 100 142 149 904

5 Wayne Mercer - 117 102 120 139 132 75 143 753

6 Michael Almond - - 100 153 112 100 139 129 633

7 Steve Mason - 81 162 138 - - 176 108 584

8 Gary O'Brien 135 - - - - - 96 176 311

9 Rory O'Neill 114 30 105 - - - - 0 249

10 John Nelson 138 108 45 - - - - - 246

11 Mick Wilson 78 0 0 - - - 0 102 180

12 Tony Hunter 168 159 - - - - - - 168

13 Bob Middleton - 135 132 - - - - - 135

14 Jason Gomersall - - - - 101 - - 0 13 Cameron Mason - - - - 105 - - 0

16 Ross Almond 75 - - - - - - 0

17 Phillip Showers - 0 - - - - - 0

Dropped round

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SERIES RESULTS

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2012 Round 7 & 8 TCM