The way it should be????

[Dick Elliott]

Go to http://ipravic.com.au/frames.htm to see how it could be here in the states. Enjoy.

[Knestis]

What is it about this is it that we should all obviously see as so wonderful? The 20-car grids? Less than one event per month? Fender flares on a Mazda RX4?

K

[Dick Elliott]

90% of the prople in AU live on 10% of the land. How many races do you need. These monthly races are on the television both there and here (fox-sw). I was only pointing out how well the down under races are promoted. And if you don't like this web site, don't look at it.

[Ron Earp]

I have a buddy who races in Australia and it is quite neat. He races a GT40 replica and within that class they have Porsche GT3s, Vipers, down to Falcons with 600hp motors. Neat thing is, he has a place to race his car, as do all the other folks in a mixed grid. Not saying it is right, wrong, better or worse, but that ain't going to happen in the SCCA.

Some really nice racing they have down there is that V8 Supercar stuff - http://www.v8supercar.com.au/ - V8s, Ford vs. Holden (GM), and it ISN'T roundy round racing like NASCAR, it is on road courses.

------------------
Ron Earp
NC Region
Ford Lightning
RF GT40 Replica
White Jensen-Healey ITS
Silver "Skull" 260Z ITS
Email: "rlearp at gt40s.com"

[Knestis]

Originally posted by Dick Elliott:
... I was only pointing out how well the down under races are promoted. And if you don't like this web site, don't look at it.

Relax, Dick. Until I look, I don't know if I "like it" or not, do I?

Besides, how was I do know that you were speaking specifically of promotion? I don't get Fox SW and there's absolutely no indication on the site that they get television coverage.

Sheesh.

K



[This message has been edited by Knestis (edited July 05, 2005).]

[Dave Burchfield]

Two weeks ago, at the SVRA event at Mid-O, there were a couple dozen Aussies who brought their cars over to match race the Americans. While most of them were Austin Healey Rally cars, there was one "bloke" who brought his V-8 Holden, and did it ever fly! It kind of looked like a late 70's early 80's GM midsize coupe.

They were all really enjoyable people to be around, and were traveling with families and all.

If anyone was wondering, the Aussies spanked the American purpose built race cars with their rally cars.

db

[Robert Ryan]

Dave,
I am from Australia and going from this thread there is a lot of misconceptions:
(1) The Austin-Healeys were not Rally cars but Historic racers like , the historic US Healeys.
(2) The car was a series production Holden Torana(very little modifications allowed when it was racing).raced by Historic Touring Car racer Paul Stubber It was powered by a 5 Litre Holden V8 NOT a Chevy V8. The Holden V8 was designed locally in the early 1970's in Australia, the last one was produced in 2000 in a 355 cu in 380hp guise. Holden engineers wanted to redesign it to make it a "Gen IV" but were stopped in their tracks by GM Detroit.
Stubber's car orginally was raced in Australian in 1975, by a Wayne Negus and was a mid pack runner.
(3) IPRA is one of many roadracing club level series availiable. The racing scene in Australia is now quite large. Even roadracing will get about 400 entries on a particular weekend. This does not include beginner stuff like Autocrossing, Hillclimbing etc.
(4) V8Supercars are not like Trans Am(should be the now deceased Trans Am) they are a roadracing NASCAR with a Craftsman Truck budget needed to compete.
Most teams spend roughly $US 8-10 Million, the series has raced in Shanghai on the F1 circuit and will be racing in Dubai this year as well.
Anymore questions please ask.
(5) V8Supercar is the top dog, it dominates all racing local and overseas in Australia; their used to be a level too series called PROCAR for roadracing. Bigger than Speed World Challenge with aspects of ALMS(it ran the Bathurst 24hr Sportscar race NOT to be confused with the Bathurst 1000 V8Supercar race)
The webiste still exists and has photos of the classes, just keep on clicking onto a photo to get more sequences.
PROCAR site.. At its height 125 cars would race in various classes at a race meeting.
Out of the PROCAR breakup, the V8utes have so far been the most successful.Having a Race in New Zealand soon and 15 hours of TV coverage
V8utes website
Level 2 in Australia is being rebuilt by CAMS. Porsche Carerra Cup and the HPDC V8Supercars are not included as Level 2, but as training divsions for V8Supercar.Level 3 is a new Touring series developed by CAMS(like the SCCA) Level 4 is catergories like the IPRA(Improved Production Racing)

[Robert Ryan]

Photo of a Historic Touring Car race. As a support for the last Bathurst 1000 race, they had 86 cars nominated for a 55 car grid.
Australian Historic Touring Cars 86 cars qualified for 55 car grid.
They average over 40 cars for most races as this shot shows at a Sandown Park race.

[Andy Bettencourt]

The 5th car from the bottom looks like what they used as a base for Mad Max's car!

AB

[Robert Ryan]

It is actually a Valiant Charger, a vehicle unique to Australia. In 1972 Chrysler Australia(does not know exist) got Lamboghini in Italy to hop up a truck engine, that was not released by Chrysler US. The 265 cu in straight six(no nothing to do with the slant six) put out 320hp. It was installed into the Valiant Charger E38 Touring car. Racing for sedans in Australia was divided between the series production stock vehicles and highly modiified ones.
Well it would have been boring,if the cars were not hopped up by the factory. So you had the Chrysler Valiant Charger, a stock car that could run a low 14-high 13 second quarter miles, straight off the showroom floor. do 140 mph and race as an endurance racing sedan.

[Bill Miller]

Originally posted by Andy Bettencourt@Dec 31 2005, 03:01 PM
The 5th car from the bottom looks like what they used as a base for Mad Max's car!

AB

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Andy,

IIRC, that car was a Ford Falcon XR. I remember a friend of mine thinking it was an AMC Hornet, when we went to see the movie.

[Robert Ryan]

Originally posted by Bill Miller@Jan 1 2006, 09:57 PM
Andy,

IIRC, that car was a Ford Falcon XR. I remember a friend of mine thinking it was an AMC Hornet, when we went to see the movie.

[snapback]69738[/snapback]

It was a '74 XB Falcon GT with the 351 Australian built Cleveland. The Australian built blocks were used by a lot of NASCAR teams, because of their extra thickness.

[charrbq]

What's the guy in the little "Vauxhall looking" car towards the back doing in the middle of all those blast wagons?

[Bill Miller]

Originally posted by Robert Ryan@Jan 1 2006, 04:53 PM
It was a '74 XB Falcon GT with the 351 Australian built Cleveland. The Australian built blocks were used by a lot of NASCAR teams, because of their extra thickness.

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Thanks Robert, I knew it was something like that.

[its66]

Hijack...for those interested.

http://www.madmaxmovies.com/cars/int.../history1.html

Quite a following for this car. Anyone on this board involved with this??

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/crime/sto...ax.d76f585.html

[benspeed]

I remember when Speed used to broadcast the V8Supercars from Australia. Just some of the best road racing I've ever watched with some seriously fast cars. Kills me that Speed has become the NASCAR channel and doesn't show it anymore. And I love NASCAR - but the Supercars made for even better entertainment.

Gordon, Stewart and Earnhardt should go down for some off season fun!

[Robert Ryan]

Originally posted by benspeed@Jan 3 2006, 04:00 AM
I remember when Speed used to broadcast the V8Supercars from Australia. Just some of the best road racing I've ever watched with some seriously fast cars. Kills me that Speed has become the NASCAR channel and doesn't show it anymore. And I love NASCAR - but the Supercars made for even better entertainment.

Gordon, Stewart and Earnhardt should go down for some off season fun!

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They still do...through the Winter Months.

[Robert Ryan]

Originally posted by charrbq@Jan 2 2006, 09:59 PM
What's the guy in the little "Vauxhall looking" car towards the back doing in the middle of all those blast wagons?

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I think you mean the Ford Cortina? The white one. The rest of the field is made up of Holden Toranas 1969(six cylinder cars) ;Ford Falcons 1975(351 Clevelands), A Valiant Charger; a Holden HQ Model, 1970 Model; Ford Cortina; Mustangs and Paul Stubber in one of two Camaros(He drove a 1975 Torana V8 at Watkins Glen)

[Robert Ryan]

Originally posted by benspeed@Jan 3 2006, 04:00 AM
I remember when Speed used to broadcast the V8Supercars from Australia. Just some of the best road racing I've ever watched with some seriously fast cars. Kills me that Speed has become the NASCAR channel and doesn't show it anymore. And I love NASCAR - but the Supercars made for even better entertainment.

Gordon, Stewart and Earnhardt should go down for some off season fun!

[snapback]69832[/snapback]

Gordon, Stewart and Earnhardt should go down for some off season fun!
The series is so professional now, that drivers like Tommy Kendall and Scott Pruett and John Andretti barely caused a ripple amongst the local drivers when they ran here. You would need to run several seasons in V8Supercars to get on the pace. It is as hard as NASCAR to do well in i.e.David Brabham well known as a very good Sportscar driver and a Aussie, qualified 23rd and finished 29th out of a 32 car field , in a recent race he ran here. He was running for a top team. He has been trying for four years to do well here in the V8Supercar series. He did a lot better in a 2 litre Super Touring. As he has said on a Crash Net interview, the cars are unlike anything else he has driven and the series is probably one of the most competitive in the world. When you get 32 cars qualifying in less than a second between them on some tracks here, he is proabably right.

[Jiveslug]

Just fyi, Speed Channel has been showing some of the Aussie V8 Supercar races late at night, like 2AM. I have them all set to record on my DVR. Hehe. Anyway, I was just telling my wife a couple of days ago that V8 super car is what NASCAR SHOULD be. I love the way they race Down Under. Racing is huge there and the public is enthusiastic. Ive been joking, telling my wife that we are moving to Australia so that I can have more people to race with. I personally think that SCCA and other US road-racing groups really need to do a better job marketing their product... Maybe take a lesson or two from the Aussies.....

Oh, and I personally think most NASCAR drivers would get spanked in a Supercar or sportscar race because they would actually have to turn RIGHT!