FORMULA VEE ASSOCIATION OF QUEENSLAND
NEWS
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Round 1: Running the Gauntlet
Event: FVAQ Round 1 | 13-14 March 2010
Location: Morgan Park Raceway, Warwick | CAMS State Championship
Author: Tim Hamilton | FVAQ Media
26 April 2010 | Press Release
Images by: Shifting Focus | Ian Welsh | www.shiftingfocus.com.au
Image Gallery: Shifting Focus | www.shiftingfocus.zenfolio.com/p1060898044
Tim Hamilton. RennSport Technologies Jacer F2K8 1600cc.
Dawn on the first race day of season 2010 brings excitement, anticipation, eagerness; with the pointscore reset – who will command the early lead in the 2010 Queensland Formula Vee Championship.
Unlike countless previous years where last-minute preparations cause a smaller field, 20 keen competitors fronted on March 13-14 at Morgan Park. Title rivals from 2009, Shane Hart and Paul Manteit, will be mostly absent as they compete in the National Series. Newbies include Ben Beasley & Edward Sibley in 1600cc machines, Luke Battaglia, Brady Nicholls & Peter Fry in 1200cc.
Qualifying was literally a gauntlet with the large field scrapping for space on the tight 2.1km track. Tim Hamilton (RennSport Technologies Jacer F2K8) threw down the challenge to narrowly claim pole by 0.17s from Shane Hart and Mike Smith, and the top eight within 1.8s. Luke Battaglia was a surprise, leading the 1200cc class in his debut and 9th outright, in front of five 1600cc cars.
The opening race of the season began dramatically, Hart leapt into the lead, while Craig Hughes had a self-confessed “ambition exceeding talent” spin at Gum Tree corner. Andrew Moran became the hapless victim, collecting Hughes with both cars sustaining damage to gearboxes. When the Safety Car was deployed to control the race and clear the wreckage, Hart slowed quickly and was illegally passed by Hamilton and Smith. The race restarted, but not before the Safety Car itself spun out causing chaos and collisions for the Vees. Hamilton crossed the chequered flag first but was time penalised (+33 seconds) for the illegal pass on Hart and relegated to 5th, with a similar penalty for Smith dropping to 6th. Hart (Mick Motors Jacer) became the winner, ahead of Robert Thomson and John Doidge, much to their delight.
Race Two started spectacularly. Both Thomson and Doidge missed a gear change off the line, with Paul Kellaway and Hamilton narrowly dodging them and gaining the places. Hamilton hunted down Kellaway and Hart, getting into the lead on lap 4 and driving away to win with a 5 second gap over Hart and Smith. Bruce Acheson was the star improver, racing from rear-of-grid (20th) to 7th, after a sticking clutch pedal in the first race.
Race Three was sedate in comparison… and ultimately settled in the opening four corners. From the start, Hamilton and Hart ran side-by-side through the entire first sector, with Hart eventually powering into the lead on the straight… only for Hamilton to dive under brakes at the very next corner. Hamilton exploited consistency to edge away and win, again from Hart and Smith. Very much a ‘pace’ race, the field spread out and the results mirrored qualifying...
Moran rejoined the grid finally in Race Four, albeit commandeering team-mate Hart’s car, after being unable to repair his own car. Acheson slid wide on the marbles and spun into the path of Mike Russell, sending the later airborne. Russell retired instantly, while Acheson recovered to 7th place. Hamilton again took an unchallenged win, ahead of Mike Smith (Insight Motorsport Gebert) and Paul Kellaway, a worthy reward after ignition problems all weekend. In his debut meeting, Ben Beasley drove to an exceptional 6th place.
In a standout performance, Tim Hamilton takes the round win with a 24-point lead over Smith; with Kellaway, Hart and Doidge further spread by only 6 points.
The action continues on May 29-30 at Morgan Park, and June 12-13 at Lakeside.
HIGHLIGHTS AND LOWLIGHTS FROM ROUND 1:
? FRIDAY PRACTICE: Suspicion levels rose when Ted Sibley skipped the afternoon's practice for a game of Golf, having claimed to be "satisified" with his pace after the mornings session...
+ QUALIFYING: 20 entries! Already above 2009's highest. 1600 Pole: Tim Hamilton. 1200 Pole: Luke Battaglia. Historic Pole: Bob Roberts
- RACE 1: Sticking/Dead clutch pedal for Bruce Acheson.
- RACE 1: Andrew 'Webber' Moran's nightmare run from 2009 continues! With a fresh engine and confidence high after a smooth Friday practice... a spinning Craig Hughes proved an unavoidable obstacle... gearbox destroyed and sidelined yet again. Hopefully not one of those "7-year" bad-luck curses... keep away from ladders, mirrors, black cats... ect.
- RACE 1: Hamilton and Smith pass Hart under SC yellows, earning 33 second penalties.
- RACE 1: Safety Car attempts drifting... and spins out in front of pack! Chaos ensues... even team-mates Thomson/Russell collide (so much for Rule #1: Never hit your team-mate)!
+ RACE 1: Clinton Leibinger scored his best result to date of 9th, showcasing new-found consistency.
- RACE 2: Ben Beasley suffers starting problem on dummy-grid, misses grid, joins laps down... and gets excluded!
+ RACE 4: In a true show of sportsmanship, Shane Hart lends his car to team-mate Andrew Moran. Despite attempting to repair his collision damaged gearbox, then eventually swapping to a spare, the crippled Jabiru still suffered drive issues that curtailed the weekend.
- RACE 4: Aerobatis when Bruce Acheson slides wide into the path of Mike Russell. Both escaped injury, and luckily vehcile damage was minimal.
+ RACE 4: Paul Kellaway takes a deserved podium after a weekend of chasing an intermittent and random mis-fire that restricted his pace.
+ 1200s: Luke Battaglia dominated the 1200cc class in his debut, until an excessive oil leak in Race Four sidelined him, handing the overall victory and points lead to David Boulton. Brady Nicholls made the most of Battaglia's demise to claimed a race win on debut.
+ HISTORIC GROUP V: Graeme Clarke took top honours after dueling with Bob Roberts all weekend, the later succumbing to a broken throttle-cable. Alan Don had a quiet weekend, with Len Don absent, instead racing his historic Bowin Formula Ford.
+ WELCOME BACK: Graeme Clarke returned with the speedy ex-David Harrison Historic Nimbus (formerly Doug Angus' mid 1970's multiple Nationals winning car). After racing for the last few seasons in Aussie Racing Cars and GT Production (Lotus), Robert Thomson returned aboard Scott Andrew's Rapier. Racing for fun, he claimed 2nd in Race One, albeit a bit off the pace he desired.
+ ROOKIES: What a big weekend for Rookies! All stayed out of trouble, kept it clean and had some great dicing together. Luke Battaglia starred, even beating several 1600s, and looks to be a challenger for Kent Cross when he returns! Ben Beasley surprised many with solid pace and maturity earning a 6th place. Ted Sibley gained further pace and confidence, taking his best result of 11th to date. Peter Fry and Brady Nicholls improved each session, the latter taking the final 1200cc class win.
Race Four: Acheson/Russell collision and aerobatics
Event: FVAQ Round 1 | 13-14 March 2010
Location: Morgan Park Raceway, Warwick | CAMS State Championship
Author: Tim Hamilton | FVAQ Media
26 April 2010 | Press Release
Images by: Shifting Focus | Ian Welsh | www.shiftingfocus.com.au
Image Gallery: Shifting Focus | www.shiftingfocus.zenfolio.com/p1060898044
Tim Hamilton. RennSport Technologies Jacer F2K8 1600cc.
Dawn on the first race day of season 2010 brings excitement, anticipation, eagerness; with the pointscore reset – who will command the early lead in the 2010 Queensland Formula Vee Championship.
Unlike countless previous years where last-minute preparations cause a smaller field, 20 keen competitors fronted on March 13-14 at Morgan Park. Title rivals from 2009, Shane Hart and Paul Manteit, will be mostly absent as they compete in the National Series. Newbies include Ben Beasley & Edward Sibley in 1600cc machines, Luke Battaglia, Brady Nicholls & Peter Fry in 1200cc.
Qualifying was literally a gauntlet with the large field scrapping for space on the tight 2.1km track. Tim Hamilton (RennSport Technologies Jacer F2K8) threw down the challenge to narrowly claim pole by 0.17s from Shane Hart and Mike Smith, and the top eight within 1.8s. Luke Battaglia was a surprise, leading the 1200cc class in his debut and 9th outright, in front of five 1600cc cars.
The opening race of the season began dramatically, Hart leapt into the lead, while Craig Hughes had a self-confessed “ambition exceeding talent” spin at Gum Tree corner. Andrew Moran became the hapless victim, collecting Hughes with both cars sustaining damage to gearboxes. When the Safety Car was deployed to control the race and clear the wreckage, Hart slowed quickly and was illegally passed by Hamilton and Smith. The race restarted, but not before the Safety Car itself spun out causing chaos and collisions for the Vees. Hamilton crossed the chequered flag first but was time penalised (+33 seconds) for the illegal pass on Hart and relegated to 5th, with a similar penalty for Smith dropping to 6th. Hart (Mick Motors Jacer) became the winner, ahead of Robert Thomson and John Doidge, much to their delight.
Race Two started spectacularly. Both Thomson and Doidge missed a gear change off the line, with Paul Kellaway and Hamilton narrowly dodging them and gaining the places. Hamilton hunted down Kellaway and Hart, getting into the lead on lap 4 and driving away to win with a 5 second gap over Hart and Smith. Bruce Acheson was the star improver, racing from rear-of-grid (20th) to 7th, after a sticking clutch pedal in the first race.
Race Three was sedate in comparison… and ultimately settled in the opening four corners. From the start, Hamilton and Hart ran side-by-side through the entire first sector, with Hart eventually powering into the lead on the straight… only for Hamilton to dive under brakes at the very next corner. Hamilton exploited consistency to edge away and win, again from Hart and Smith. Very much a ‘pace’ race, the field spread out and the results mirrored qualifying...
Moran rejoined the grid finally in Race Four, albeit commandeering team-mate Hart’s car, after being unable to repair his own car. Acheson slid wide on the marbles and spun into the path of Mike Russell, sending the later airborne. Russell retired instantly, while Acheson recovered to 7th place. Hamilton again took an unchallenged win, ahead of Mike Smith (Insight Motorsport Gebert) and Paul Kellaway, a worthy reward after ignition problems all weekend. In his debut meeting, Ben Beasley drove to an exceptional 6th place.
In a standout performance, Tim Hamilton takes the round win with a 24-point lead over Smith; with Kellaway, Hart and Doidge further spread by only 6 points.
The action continues on May 29-30 at Morgan Park, and June 12-13 at Lakeside.
HIGHLIGHTS AND LOWLIGHTS FROM ROUND 1:
? FRIDAY PRACTICE: Suspicion levels rose when Ted Sibley skipped the afternoon's practice for a game of Golf, having claimed to be "satisified" with his pace after the mornings session...
+ QUALIFYING: 20 entries! Already above 2009's highest. 1600 Pole: Tim Hamilton. 1200 Pole: Luke Battaglia. Historic Pole: Bob Roberts
- RACE 1: Sticking/Dead clutch pedal for Bruce Acheson.
- RACE 1: Andrew 'Webber' Moran's nightmare run from 2009 continues! With a fresh engine and confidence high after a smooth Friday practice... a spinning Craig Hughes proved an unavoidable obstacle... gearbox destroyed and sidelined yet again. Hopefully not one of those "7-year" bad-luck curses... keep away from ladders, mirrors, black cats... ect.
- RACE 1: Hamilton and Smith pass Hart under SC yellows, earning 33 second penalties.
- RACE 1: Safety Car attempts drifting... and spins out in front of pack! Chaos ensues... even team-mates Thomson/Russell collide (so much for Rule #1: Never hit your team-mate)!
+ RACE 1: Clinton Leibinger scored his best result to date of 9th, showcasing new-found consistency.
- RACE 2: Ben Beasley suffers starting problem on dummy-grid, misses grid, joins laps down... and gets excluded!
+ RACE 4: In a true show of sportsmanship, Shane Hart lends his car to team-mate Andrew Moran. Despite attempting to repair his collision damaged gearbox, then eventually swapping to a spare, the crippled Jabiru still suffered drive issues that curtailed the weekend.
- RACE 4: Aerobatis when Bruce Acheson slides wide into the path of Mike Russell. Both escaped injury, and luckily vehcile damage was minimal.
+ RACE 4: Paul Kellaway takes a deserved podium after a weekend of chasing an intermittent and random mis-fire that restricted his pace.
+ 1200s: Luke Battaglia dominated the 1200cc class in his debut, until an excessive oil leak in Race Four sidelined him, handing the overall victory and points lead to David Boulton. Brady Nicholls made the most of Battaglia's demise to claimed a race win on debut.
+ HISTORIC GROUP V: Graeme Clarke took top honours after dueling with Bob Roberts all weekend, the later succumbing to a broken throttle-cable. Alan Don had a quiet weekend, with Len Don absent, instead racing his historic Bowin Formula Ford.
+ WELCOME BACK: Graeme Clarke returned with the speedy ex-David Harrison Historic Nimbus (formerly Doug Angus' mid 1970's multiple Nationals winning car). After racing for the last few seasons in Aussie Racing Cars and GT Production (Lotus), Robert Thomson returned aboard Scott Andrew's Rapier. Racing for fun, he claimed 2nd in Race One, albeit a bit off the pace he desired.
+ ROOKIES: What a big weekend for Rookies! All stayed out of trouble, kept it clean and had some great dicing together. Luke Battaglia starred, even beating several 1600s, and looks to be a challenger for Kent Cross when he returns! Ben Beasley surprised many with solid pace and maturity earning a 6th place. Ted Sibley gained further pace and confidence, taking his best result of 11th to date. Peter Fry and Brady Nicholls improved each session, the latter taking the final 1200cc class win.
Race Four: Acheson/Russell collision and aerobatics
