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Peter's Perfect Ten
The Garry Rogers Motorsport-run operation were in cruise mode throughout the event, their pair of Holden Monaros untroubled, even when just before 8pm the BE Racing Ferrari 360GT climbed back onto the lead lap.
Brock started the race from second position and held it in the opening laps behind the sister car of Nathan Pretty. The former ALMS BMW M3 GTR driven by John Bowe took up third place initially before falling gradually back through the field. Last year's runner-up Martin Short (Mosler MT900R) took up the running before being passed by Paul Stokell in the Lamborghini Diablo GTR. On lap 17 Stokell had a tyre failure, the first of many, dropping him from the lead lap and handing third to the Cirtek Porsche 996 GT3-RS of Tim Harvey.
Heavy rain made the first of several visits shotly afterwards as the BMW M3 that finished third in 2002 crashed at the Cutting after a clash with the VIP Porsche 996, bringing out the first of over a dozen safety car periods. The rain intensified to the point where the field was temporarily halted behind the safety car. As the rain eased the field was restarted.
Shortly afterwards the official Morgan Aero 8 entry retired with a failed piston. An hour later the PHR Scuderia entered BMW M3 GTR retired after crashing at the Cutting after contact between Maher Algadri and the Monaro of Peter Brock. When rain returned shortly before midnight, so did the safety car for the crashed Graham Nash Motorsport Porsche GT3 RS of Mike Newton.
Now two laps down, David Brabham had only recently handed the BE Ferrari to Klaus Engelhorn when the engine failed. Engelhorn spun on his oil, hitting the wall at Forrest's Elbow. This brought the John Teulan-led Porsche GT3 into third place ahead of the class B Porsche GT3 S of Jurgen Alzen. With the Ferrari out, so was any effective opposition to the Monaros.
In the middle of the night a differential pump problem briefly slowed the defending champions Monaro of Pretty/Tander/Richards/McConville, but the team kept the two cars together, quickly bringing the two cars back together.
There was little change in the morning as the Mosler and the Lamborghini continued the climb back up the order.
In the closing minutes the duo picked up the pace and while the team insisted there was no team orders, the two cars were pushing the pace, but weren't about to risk a collision with each other. To the adulation of Brock's legion of fans, Greg Murphy won his second Bathurst endurance race in a month with Tander following on his heels.
Twelve laps behind was the Porsche 996 GT3 of John Teulan, Peter Fitzgerald, Paul Morris and Scott Shearman. Another lap behind was the first Class B entry, the Alzen brothers run Porsche which took the class lead from the VIP Porsche early in the running. Third in class was the BMW Z3 M Coupe of VJ Angelo, Ric Shaw and Mark Williamson.
Behind the Alzen Porsche was the Rollcentre Racing Mosler, then the VIP Porsche with the Paul Stokell Lamborghini taking eighth from the PHR Scuderia Porsche GT3 RS late in the race as the Porsche slowed to retirement in the final hour.
The former Future Touring Commodore of Steve Williams, Graham Moore and Terry Bosnjak claim Class F after running behind first the Super Touring BMW 318i of SAE Motorsport and then BMW M3-R of Bruce Lynton, Beric Lynton, Jamie Cartwright and Matthew Jackson finished third in class behind the Holden Commodore of Geoff Parker, Peter Gazzard, Jeff Watters and David Sala.
Sixteenth was the first Class E car, the Toyota Celica of Colin Osborne, Stephen Grocl, John Roecken and Trevor Keene, while the second Osborne Celica was third in class behind the new Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo.
Result of Bathurst 24 Hour, Mount Panorama, Australia:
Yamaha Team Manager Departs As Rossi Moves In
By Greg Buckle
Italian MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi will bring his Honda crew with him when he moves to Yamaha next year and several Yamaha staff, including factory team manager Geoff Crust, will depart.
"It is true that we have not renewed a number of staff agreements that expire at the end of 2003," Yamaha factory team director Davide Brivio said in a statement. "In order ... to integrate him as smoothly as possible into the all-new Yamaha set-up we have built a team around him that includes some of his 2003 staff.
"The final support staff will be a mix of existing Yamaha technical staff with some members of Valentino's 2003 crew."
Brivio said Yamaha would require team management staff to be based in Italy at team headquarters next year.
"Geoff has always been based in the UK and it would not have been practical for him to make the move," Brivio said. "Geoff and Yamaha are discussing future options."
Rossi announced at the season-ending Valencia Grand Prix on November 2 he would be leaving Honda, where he had won three consecutive World Championships. Rossi won nine of 16 races this year in MotoGP, the premier class of grand prix motorcycling that replaced the 500cc category from the 2002 season.
American Wayne Rainey was Japanese manufacturer Yamaha's most recent World Champion in the top class of motorcycling when he won the third of his 500cc world titles in 1992.
Brivio also said Yamaha would make Rossi their lead rider next year in a change to their previous policy of not having a clear number one.
Rossi Gamble Opens Up MotoGP Title Race
By Nick Mulvenney
If Valentino Rossi had not decided to part company with Honda there can be little doubt that the Italian would have claimed a fourth straight MotoGP world title next year. The 24-year-old has taken the biggest gamble of his career by ditching the all-conquering Honda in favour of a Yamaha - and there will be plenty of riders out to make him rue that decision by beating him to the 2004 title.
At the front of the queue is his arch-rival Max Biaggi, who has never hidden his dislike of his younger compatriot. "Now Rossi will discover how difficult it is to challenge Honda," said Biaggi after Rossi's move was announced at the Valencia GP earlier this month.
"I didn't think he would go and I am surprised, but he has made his choice and I respect that because everybody is free to do what they want. The championship will definitely be nicer for it."
Biaggi rode a Yamaha to a distant second place behind Rossi in the 2002 championship and took third place this year on a Honda - a non-factory bike about which he made constant complaints.
Spain's Sete Gibernau, who was Rossi's closest competitor last season and finished second in the championship with four grand prix wins, will also be back on the Honda and must fancy his chances. The genial Catalan will be partnered by twice World Superbike champion Colin Edwards, who moved to Honda after a miserable first year in MotoGP with Aprilia and has already set some impressive test times on his new bike.
"I am looking forward to working together -- I'm sure having Colin in the team will make me go faster," said Gibernau.
Ducati's first season back in grand prix racing after three decades away was a revelation and they will have four of their super-quick Desmosedici bikes on the grid next season. Italian Loris Capirossi and Australian Troy Bayliss will again be the fastest riders down the straights on the new factory bike, while this year's world superbike champion Neil Hodgson and Spain's Ruben Xaus will be on the 2003 machines.
Rossi's Honda teammate from last season, 22-year-old American Nicky Hayden, was also starting to shape up as a challenger towards the end of the 2003 season. "I know I will be at least on the same bike as the number one, that's if I'm not number one myself, and I should have a decent shot at the title," said Hayden.
Hayden is likely to be partnered by another threat to Rossi, the experienced Brazilian Alex Barros, who is expected to move back to Honda from Yamaha.
Rossi said he made his "crazy" decision to move because he no longer found it challenging to win with Honda and if it's a challenge he wants, then winning on a Yamaha will certainly provide him with it. But Rossi's signing indicates that Yamaha are finally getting serious about reclaiming the world title they last won back in 1992 with American Wayne Rainey.
Five-times 500cc world champion Mick Doohan thinks that Rossi's contribution goes beyond his performances on the track and that he could make all the difference to the Yamaha challenge.
"Valentino is still going to be the guy to beat for next year's championship," said the Australian, now retired.
Whatever the outcome of Rossi's move, it certainly has not diminished the feeling that, with burgeoning crowds, sponsorship and interest around the world, grand prix motorcycle racing is entering something of a golden era.
Reports provided by Reuters
Brit Hancock Floats Himself On Stock Exchange
Hancock is attempting to raise two million pounds to guarantee his place in Formula 3000 for the next two seasons and is offering shares in his future earnings.
Hancock, who cut his teeth racing in the United States, made his Formula 3000 debut last season with Super Nova and is now attempting to put together the funds to join Arden International.
Wilson floated himself at the start of this year in order to raise to funds to join the back-of-the-grid Minardi team before switching to join Jaguar in the middle of the season.
Sportscars
Ever since 1987, Australian race fans have hoped and wondered about Peter Brock's tenth Bathurst victory. While the Bathurst 1000 is now behind 58 year old Brock, the new GT event of the Bathurst 24 Hour appealed to Australia's most popular driver. After 24 hours behind the wheel together, Brock, 2003 Bathurst 1000 victor Greg Murphy, early season V8 Supercar series leader Jason Bright and Todd Kelly claimed victory in the second Bathurst 24 Hour driving the seven litre V8 Holden Monaro.
Into the night and Andrea Montermini forced the pace in the BE Racing Ferrari, pushing back onto the lead lap after the Monaros had quickly lapped the field after the safety car restart. Lapping five seconds faster than the cruising Monaros, Montermini pitted behind the next safety car but after the safety car picked up the wrong car, the Ferrari dropped back off the lead lap again.
The battle between the two Monaros gradually picked up pace, Garth Tander leading by over 90 seconds when a late race pitstop, again to fix the suspect differential problem, put Greg Murphy back into the lead, the two cars having swapped the lead several times during the race. Tander quickly caught Murphy and settled in behind for a 1-2 finish.
Class D saw the BMW M3 led by Peter Boylan finish ninth outright, some ten laps ahead of the BMW M Coupe of Wayne Russell, Steve Cramp, Mark King and Paul Stubber which led the class for most of the race. Third in class was the Subaru Impreza STi of Wayne Boatright, Rod Salmon, Glen Hastings and Neil Caswell.
Pos Drivers Car
1. Peter Brock/Greg Murphy/ Holden Monaro 427
Jason Bright/Todd Kelly
2. Nathan Pretty/Garth Tander/ Holden Monaro 427
Steven Richards/Cameron McConville
3. Peter Fitzgerald/Paul Morris/ Porsche 996 GT3 RC
John Teulan/Scott Shearman
4. Jurgen Alzen/Uwe Alzen/ Porsche 996 GT3 S Cup
Michael Bartels/Arno Klasen (1st Class B)
5. Martin Short/Charles Lamb/ Mosler MT900R
Heather Spurle/Patrick Pearce
6. Tony Quinn/Klark Quinn/ Porsche 996 GT3 Carrera Cup
Marcus Marshall/Grant Denyer (2nd Class B)
7. Peter Floyd/Andrew Donaldson/ Porsche 996 GT3 RS
Liz Halliday/Ian Donaldson
8. Paul Stokell/Luke Youlden/ Lamborghini Diablo GTR
Allan Simonsen/Peter Hackett
9. Peter Boylan/Peter Hansen/ BMW M3
Geoff Morgan/Rick Bates (1st Class D)
10. Steve Williams/Graham Moore/ Holden Commodore VX
Terry Bosnjak (1st Class F)
MotoGP
Rossi has signed a two-year deal with Yamaha. The 24-year-old will start testing with the team at Sepang in Malaysia on January 20, Yamaha said on Monday.
"At the start of the year my bike was not one of the fastest but next season I will be on a factory machine from race one and I have a high chance of winning the title -- but I am not saying that I will," said the Roman.
Formula 3000
British Formula One hopeful Sam Hancock on Monday followed in the footsteps of compatriot Justin Wilson by floating himself on the stock exchange as a limited company.
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Volume 9, Issue 48
Articles
F1 at a Crossroad
Should Engine Specs be Changed?
Sixteen Sundays, Part II
2004 Countdown Facts & Stats
Columns
On the Road
Elsewhere in Racing
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