LOWNDES THE VICTOR: RIVERS OF JOY AT THE
ISLAND
Here we are again …
back at Phillip Island for yet another blinder! The action has never ceased to amaze me
from the island. And this year was
to be another reminder of weather changes on small islands.
Friday qualifying saw
plenty of rain and Greg Murphy emerging as the fastest of the pack. Saturday qualifying and top ten shoot
out saw Mark Skaife emerge the victor.
He was followed closely by his team mate, Todd Kelly, then Ambrose,
Bright, Murphy, Lowndes, Bowe, Steven Richards, Weel and
Tander.
Before I tell you about
the race I feel it is important to address a few errors which have been
publicised throughout the racing world.
The first is the acronym HRT.
Many have been fooled by the elusive stance of this team in stating that
it stands for Holden Racing Team.
Those of us who are closer to the action and are better informed realise
that it refers to Hormone Replacement Therapy, and also indicates that the older
drivers who seem to stay with HRT, like Mark Skaife, actually only perform well
as they are ‘pumped’ each day. The
second error I have come across in the V8 Supercar World is one of a perception
rather than a truth. It has been
publicised that HRT owns three teams: HRT, Team Brock, and Kmart Racing. This is simply not the truth. What is true, is that each of these
teams share some data and information, but that is the extent of it. HRT is not a company who owns three
racing teams! Instead, it is Holden
who are storming the V8 Supercar World, and so Ford teams need to make
unjustified stories to keep the pressure on them, giving them a small bite at
the cherry.
We know that Ford have
improved this year. But what hasn’t
been well presented is the fact that many Ford’s are now being driven by the
better Holden drivers of last year.
Another oversight is that restrictions have been placed on the Holden
teams this year to make the traditional battle a closer and more exciting
one. The unfortunate result of this
is that some drivers feel it is best after a change from Holden to Ford to take
out a Holden to make their way ahead and into Ford fans’ hearts. This has led to several misdemeanours by
more experienced drivers.
We saw the new and
improved ‘enforcer’ on a charge early in the race, after bush-bashing in
qualifying on Saturday. He was able
to turn his luck around, charging from 33rd position at the start of
the race to finish in 10th position at the closure of the race. Ingall had made his way from
33rd to 11th in 27 laps, then needing fuel, dropped a
couple, only to make them up again.
The first compulsory
stop came on lap 22 from Bright and he chose fuel. This took him from 2nd to
24th, perhaps giving him an early advantage over the rest of the pack
(a lighter load towards the end of the race). Following this, Ambrose, Murphy and
Skaife pitted in for similar stops on laps 25 and 26. On lap 29, Skaife was given a black flag
‘drive-through penalty’ for speeding in pit lane. He then, on lap 34, drove into the side
of Greg Murphy spinning him off the track, obviously in the wrong again, but NO
PENALTY???!!! Maybe the officials
have a soft spot for drivers in need of Hormone Replacement Therapy, as they too
are no doubt worthy contenders.
The race was fairly
ordinary for a while there, with only minor scrambling for places taking place
until lap 46 when it started to rain, and boy did it pour. The heaven’s opened and the drivers took
for the pits and the ‘green’ tyres (wets).
Most drivers pitted in the three laps following this, offering great
confusion as to who was really the
leader.
On lap 49, Bright
pushed, shunted and finally spun Ambrose as he tried to enter pit lane for his
tyre stop (these were the two leaders at the time). The next lap, Rick Kelly found it hard
to steer in the wet, sliding off the track as he tried to enter pit
lane.
Lap 51 saw lots of spins
and the safety car out on the track.
This was quite entertaining to watch but obviously also quite dangerous
for the drivers. The red flag was
shown on lap 56, still under the safety car, and the race was awarded to Craig
Lowndes, 2nd: Jason Bright, 3rd: Greg
Murphy.
The race ended quite
suddenly but with nothing less than drama.
The comments following the decision to end were mainly in agreement,
however, the ever-so-bold Greg Murphy stated that he was looking forward to the
chance to win this one in the wet, as he has proven to be the best wet-weather
driver on this track this year (Friday
Practice).
Once again, Murphy was
unfairly treated. He was spun by
Skaife with no penalty being dealt to Skaife for his careless and illegal
attempted manoeuvre. In saying
this, if it had of been Murphy spinning Skaife, there is no doubt that a harsh
penalty would have been the result.
This was not just a racing incident, this was a deliberate lunge by
Skaife into Murphy to regain a position he lost by speeding in the pits. What a sad sack of a driver! I do not believe I have ever seen such a
bad sport as Mark Skaife. After
every race he doesn’t win he blames his car or the stewards. It is never his fault he didn’t
win!
Anyway, an interesting
race in the end, with many changes in the lead and a few incidents for the
stewards to have a look at during the up-coming week. So that’s another wrap from the
Legend.
‘Til next time, burn
that rubber!!!
Lee
Imola, A Tribute to Mrs
Schumacher
Undoubtedly this season has been one of great
controversy, change and misfortune. Many teams have struggled this year in
different areas. Ferrari has struggled on race day - something that we
haven't really witnessed in this form of motor racing. That is
of course until Imola, which will go down in history as a tribute to Michael and
Ralf's mother who sadly passed away the morning of the race. Both drivers
performed extremely well on the day with Michael taking the honours and
Ralf finishing in 4th position. His finishing position didn't
display his superb driving on the day, instead indicated the poor ability of the
Michelin tyres and the miscalculation by Williams Benetton. By far Ralf
was tyhe quickest driver on the day, however, his tyres and pit stops played a
crucial role in the race, as they quite often do.
Michael never really looked back in the race,
although there were several changes at the front, he seemed in control
throughout the entire race. The form of old seemed to return to Michael on
this heart-felt day. It seems that the recent misfortune for Ferrari
and Schumacher may have come to pass. If this is the case, Raikkonen will
have to watch out, as will the ever elusive Coulthard. The battle is now
on for championship points, both driver and constructor. With Ferrari and
Schumacher back to his best, the rest of the field will have to drive even
harder to keep up with the 'King of the Sport'.
The carnage was kept to a minimum in this race,
unlike that of the previous round at Brazil. Yet the racing was much more
intense with some terrific battles occurring throughout the field. The
best battle from the onset of the race was between the two Schumacher brothers
at the front, followed closely by Raikkonen and Montoya. Battles occurred
further in the back between Sauber drivers, Jordan drivers, and the new
Jaguar driver, Mark Webber. This was for the minor placings, until the
continuing misfortune of Jaguar continued ... another break-down!!! I
realise that many people believe that Mark Webber is over-rated, but
realistically folks, how many drivers do you know can keep up with the best,
qualify in the top ten consistently, and race consistently in the top ten (prior
to break-down, not driver error) in their second year of Formula One??!!
Webber may not be a Schumacher, or a Senna, but he is without a doubt on his way
to great success in this elite form of motor sport.
The pit stops began early in the race, with the
new rules contributing greatly (no-one knows which cars and teams have what
strategies - fuel loads, number of pit stops, true car speed). Many
believed that the quicker qualifying cars of the less popular teams most have
had low fuel loads, however, it seemed that Williams Benetton and Ferrari had
the lowest amounts of fuel in their tanks from the onset of the race.
This was evident when the top drivers from each team pitted early for fuel
bringing the first major jumble of placings. The team which benefitted the
most from these strategies was that of McLaren-Mercedes, boosting both Coulthard
and Raikkonen. The most surprising turn of events in this race was the
mysterious strategy from the Ferrari team, who unexpectedly planned for three
stops. This took its toll on Barrichello but did not effect the brilliance of
Michael Schumacher.
Michael Schumacher has been criticised lately for
his seeming lack of form this year. This is mainly due to him showing that
he is human and can make mistakes (something none of us is used to seeing from
the great man). Another great sign for motor racing and its fans was the
show of emotions that Michael displayed upon winning the race. This is
again something we are not used to seeing. Usually it is his kid brother,
Ralf, who is full of emotions and cannot help but show them. This race
marked the brilliance of Michael for 2003 and enabled him to honour his mother
in an extremely rare, yet fulfilling way. For Ralf, 4th place was
well-earned, though I am sure he would have liked to finish a little higher,
perhaps even 1st.
The hussle and extreme competition of Formula
One has taken its toll on many teams, as it usually does, resulting in many
break-downs and DNF's. This is a shame, as there are many drivers who are
extremely talented that either aren't up to speed due to their car, or cannot
finish in the points (again due to their car). I am a strong believer that
if Jaguar improve their machinery and its faults, Mark Webber will finish in the
top five consistently. I realise that this is a 'big call', but on his
form and speed he has shown this year, there is no doubt in my mind that this is
a realistic expectation to have. Unfortunately, we are unlikely to see
this happen, as we all know how far from perfect the Jaguar cars are.
As they say in Formula One, "anything can
happen and it usually does". This is why it is the greatest form
of sport in the world. With the closest battles, fastest times, high
adrenalin, enormous crowds and top television coverage throughout the world,
motor racing stands on its own as the 'top dog'.
So that's my line for this race, one which is
usually kept for the V8's, but I couldn't help myself this week (as my
tachometer red-lined).
Lee
