Australian Performance Cars

Robert Ryan · 4 Apr 2006, 21:51 (Ref:1570928)

Any News? The website has been moribund since last year.

RS500 · 9 Apr 2006, 08:40 (Ref:1574352)

what years did those quotes come from? as i don't remember the Golf racing last year.

I don't know what the grids were like at the other rounds but i thought that the Adelaide round was lacking in no's compared to some of the other years. I liked the series but lost interest when it went to trackside as i didn't see any of the races.

marcus · 9 Apr 2006, 08:40 (Ref:1574353)

I have removed your last 2 posts Robert.

Lets not try and start a fight with anyone please.

Robert Ryan · 9 Apr 2006, 09:36 (Ref:1574396)

RS500 from 2004

RS500 · 9 Apr 2006, 10:51 (Ref:1574451)

good i'm not going crazy as didn't think they were driving last year

Robert Ryan · 9 Apr 2006, 10:52 (Ref:1574454)

Stewart MColl unfortunately was tragically killed in one.

RS500 · 9 Apr 2006, 11:22 (Ref:1574479)

yeah i think they pulled them out after the second major incident involving the brakes where stokell t bared Ric shaw very hard at waikfield park in the season final in 2004. did a huge amount of damage to the drivers side of the RX7 Ric was luck not to get badly hurt

pplater · 10 Apr 2006, 00:02 (Ref:1575092)

The Stokell/Shaw accident...
...............................................
Last Saturday, at the PROCAR Wakefield Park event, Ric Shaw had secured second place for his Mazda RX7, when later that session he was shunted by Paul Stokell’s VW Golf R32.

Shaw spoke at length with Crash.net, saying:

“The accident occurred during a qualify session. I had quickest lap. I was about to start another hot lap. I had just passed Bob Hughes Mitsubishi Evo, I passed him, pulled in front of him and got onto the line before braking. Paul flew past Hughes at max speed, heading infield, over the ripple strip, when he hit me.”

“The car T-boned me in the drivers door, I was on the limit of adhesion, so I was pushed sideways, well off the track, where the car stopped. Paul got out of the car to see if I was okay. He was fairly panicked about what happened. He said that the brakes had failed again, and that he did not want to drive the Golf again.”

There does seem to be a serious safety issue with the Volkswagen Golf R32 as competed by Paul Stokell and Tim Leahey, as this was not the first time that a GT-Performance Golf has suffered brake dramas. Shaw mentioned that he had talked to Stokell before the incident about the dangers of the Golf’s braking, and it seems that Paul Stokell, Australian Nations Cup Champion has little faith in the safety of the Volkswagen R32.

Shaw continued, recalling an incident at Philip Island in 2003, where Stuart McColl, at the wheel of an R32, crashed heavily, tragically losing his life.

“McColl went straight into a wall, head on, never looked like stopping”

There does seem to be considerable evidence that the Volkswagen Golf R32 as seen in GT-P racing may have a serious issue within its braking system. The results of a coronial inquest into the death of McColl have not been made public, and when it is considered that the differences between the road and race cars are only minimal, it does ask questions of the safety of thousands of Volkswagen road cars.

Concerned with the track-record of the V6 4WD Golf, Shaw told Crash.net that he would not feel safe returning to competition with them, and neither would the lead Volkswagen driver.

“Paul Stokell won’t drive it again, he said this to my face.”

Steps are being taken towards a long-term remedy of the situation. The Volkswagen team are very professional and a valued part of the GT-Performance family, however, several competitors are not satisfied with the safety of the cars. Aaron Kelly, the series technical director has been approached in this matter, while there could possibly be grounds for a class-action against the governing body of Australian motorsport, C.A.M.S, as they may not have taken every consideration in their duty of care towards the GT-P competitors.

“It’s possible that if enough people are concerned, it may happen. The driver’s representatives presented something in writing presented to the promoter voicing their concerns” Shaw said.

“Considering the circumstances, I am very, very, fortunate. I have some bruising and muscular damage, but nothing’s broken and I have no major injuries, I was cleared by the doctors, and I think I’m pretty good after what happened” he added.

However, the car has not fared so well…

“The car sustained severe structural damage, it’s bent the floor pan like a banana, the car is structurally written off”

Adding further pain Shaw’s accident is the fact that they had been preparing the car for November’s Bathurst 24hr race. With his only race car written off, Shaw faces the daunting task of finding a late-model Mazda RX7, stripping it bare and installing the componentry from the wrecked car.

“It’s a huge task, but we will try to do it especially when you consider that we have had no major financial sponsor, and we are still seeking a financial sponsor”

Although Shaw is undoubtedly a front-running competitor, he is sometimes held back by a tight budget. A key example of this is that at the recent Winton Raceway round, Shaw told Crash.net that he was running a set of tyres for their third meting.

Nevertheless, the Ric Shaw / Mazda RX7 certainly is competitive. They held pole position for the GT-Performance category five times consecutively, and have had several race wins. The car has topped qualifying at every round this year, except for last week’s Wakefield Park, where one driver, Garry Holt, was able to go faster than Shaw, albeit by only five thousandths of a second.

A golden opportunity exists here to invest into a dominant force within Australian production-car racing. Shaw has been the car to beat this season, and he intends to compete in the series next year, though with a totally different platform.

Shaw told Crash.net that he plans to run a turbocharged four-wheel-drive Mazda in GT-Performance next year. Not Familia GTR of the 1990s, but a rumoured performance car based on the Mazda 6 saloon. The Bathurst 24hr will be the final opportunity for the RX7 to compete in formal circuit racing, leaving the coupe with a chance to be specialised for events like the Targa Tasmania, which he has entered for 2005.

Parties interested in sponsoring Ric Shaw Racing for the Bathurst 24hr may communicate this by sending an email to: Info@Crash.net

pplater · 10 Apr 2006, 00:03 (Ref:1575094)

Mods: I'm the author on the above piece, and I didn't actually publish anywhere, so there is no breach of copyright

MG_Midget · 10 Apr 2006, 03:01 (Ref:1575153)

Good and informative piece pplater - perhaps you should edit it and remove the references to another website contained within?

As for GT Performance - the website is 2 weeks past it's proposed launch date - so information on the series is thin to say the least...

Real pity, it was one series I'd hoped was on the road to survival after the PROCAR implosion.

RotorFan · 10 Apr 2006, 03:19 (Ref:1575159)

Why was that the last opportunity to run the RX-7? I think the last production date was 2002 - is there a limit to how old the car can be?

Trevor · 10 Apr 2006, 04:22 (Ref:1575171)

Quote:

Originally Posted by MG_Midget

Good and informative piece pplater - perhaps you should edit it and remove the references to another website contained within?

As for GT Performance - the website is 2 weeks past it's proposed launch date - so information on the series is thin to say the least...

Real pity, it was one series I'd hoped was on the road to survival after the PROCAR implosion.

G'day and welcome MG, it is good to see you have joined us over here.

Robert Ryan · 10 Apr 2006, 06:05 (Ref:1575195)

Quote:

As for GT Performance - the website is 2 weeks past it's proposed launch date - so information on the series is thin to say the least...

The email I got 3 days ago, said they were still working on it.

Robert Ryan · 10 Apr 2006, 06:09 (Ref:1575196)

Shame that GTP is struggling or what ever. As the much derided Utes are the real winners from the PROCAR implosion.

MG_Midget · 10 Apr 2006, 08:20 (Ref:1575269)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big_Trev

G'day and welcome MG, it is good to see you have joined us over here.

I'm always here or thereabouts - whether I say anything or not is another matter...

Hope you and the rest of the crew are well - must visit up Winton way sometime soon. Maybe if Utes or GTP visit? I wish State Race did but alas they do not...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert Ryan

The email I got 3 days ago, said they were still working on it.

"They" (whoever "they" be) have been working on it for a while: It's getting close to the season commencement and nothing to show for it yet.

Either it's amateur hour or the developers are tied up on more lucrative projects...

alfacors · 10 Apr 2006, 10:52 (Ref:1575432)

I'm not sure what the timeframe of the change was, but there is a new photographer and webmaster for the Performance Cars for 2006. It's a shame that so many categories seem to be struggling to get this sort of thing sorted so late