Australia’s fastest race cars return to Morgan Park

After a couple of cool, damp events during the most recent rounds of the Shannons Nationals presented by Hi-Tec Oils, the national motor racing championship series moves to the warmer weather in Queensland for round five at Warwick’s Morgan Park Raceway on August 12-14.
The card is full of competitive classes, from Australia’s fastest open-wheel category (Formula 3), to the country’s fastest tin-tops (Kerrick Sports Sedan Series), the fastest open cockpit prototype sportscars (Radical Australia Cup) and arguably the most iconic sportscars in the world, the Porsche GT3s.
About 12 months ago the Shannons Nationals round at Morgan Park was one of the first events to run on the extended 2.967-kilometre (Track K) layout after it was extended mid-year. Almost without exception the circuit received rave reviews from competitors, many of whom are lining up to compete again in 2011.
Leading the way will be the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, where former champion and the man who dominated the round in 2010, Matt Kingsley (Action Tyres & More Type 996 Porsche GT3), will return to the series after his primary car – the car that took him to the 2009 title – was destroyed during round two at Mallala in May.
Round four of a six-round series, the Morgan Park event, also signals the final round of the ‘Jim Richards Endurance Trophy’ which runs within the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Australia series.
Currently the points leader in the championship – and the man many expect to win the inaugural Jim Richards trophy – is reigning series champion Roger Lago (Falcon Property Group). Lago has been both fast and consistent to the mid-point of the season, and holds a comfortable points buffer over emerging title challengers Jeff Bobik, John Goodacre and Phil Morriss.
From the opening round of the 2011 Shannons Nationals presented by Hi-Tec Oils, the Radical revolution has hit the circuits of Australia, and Morgan Park, too, will play host to a category that has so far taken Australia by storm.
Powered by a modified race-prepped 1500cc 4-cylinder Powertec engine, the Radical SR3 produces about 250bhp (190kW) and weighs about 600kg (with driver), and features aerodynamics normally associated with an open-wheel formula car. What this all means is that the Radical will circulate most Australian circuits faster than a V8 Supercar and cornes with impressive speed and grip. Interestingly, the bulk of the cars are piloted by professional businessmen, who use the Radical Australia Cup series as an outlet to relax!
The series has gained a great deal of attention over the course of the last four rounds and, with few of the series combatants having seen the Warwick-based venue before, the result is by no means a ‘sure thing’.
Leading the championship currently, thanks to victory at the most recent round at Sydney’s Eastern Creek – the home base of Radical – is MPA Project Group’s Ed Singleton. Singleton holds a strong points advantage over rising star Simon Haggarty and arch-rival, 2010 Radical Australia Cup champion Peter Opie who is heading into Morgan Park and looking for his maiden championship victory.
“There are still three competitors in the running for the championship, so it’s certainly not over,” Singleton said.
“The series to date has demonstrated that anything can happen, just look at the results from Eastern Creek,” he said.
“I am approaching it like any other round – I’ll be working towards a podium finish,” Singleton said.
“The team plan is to be conservative, self preservation and all that, however, when I am out there racing, things don’t always go to that plan.”
Sportscars will certainly gain plenty of attention from the motorsport aficionados but, for a lot of local motorsport fans, it will be the thunderous Chev V8s that power the Kerrick Sports Sedans – Australia’s fastest tin-tops – that will attract the most interest.
Last year the battle was between former champion Darren Hossack and rookie sensation James Sera, the Victorians battling hard throughout the weekend before Sera emerged victorious after mechanical failure contained Hossack.
Sera went on to take the title, but neither will be at Morgan Park this year, paving the way for six-time champion Tony Ricciardello in his all-conquering Alfa Romeo GTV/Chev to gain valuable additional points towards his seventh national title.
“I’ve done a little bit of research off the footage from last year and it looks like an interesting layout, a bit like Winton (Victoria) in a lot of ways. This is a new venue for me, I’ve never raced on Morgan Park, so I’m looking forward to it,” Ricciardello said.
“It’s a pity James (Sera) and Darren (Hossack) aren’t there, but they were quick last year and set a pretty high benchmark, so I’ll be going after that lap record!”
It may have been a conservative Formula 3 field at Morgan Park in 2010, but the racing at the front of the field was intense, with an Englishman, a Kiwi and an Australian underdog going at it all weekend. In the end, it was Englishman, Ben Barke,r who came out on top for the round, a result which helped him claim the 2010 Gold Star Australian Drivers Championship title.
This year it is again an Englishman on top, in the form of 2008 Australian F3 champion James Winslow. His closest challenger, though, is a driver who finished on the podium twice last year, Brisbane’s Chris Gilmour.
Gilmour has been consistent this year and is one of few drivers in the field with experience on the demanding Morgan Park layout, so he will be hoping to use that knowledge to reduce the points deficit to Winslow.
Throw in the Australian Manufacturers Championship round where 2010 winner and reigning champion Stuart Kostera (TMR Performance) will be looking for a repeat performance during the twin one-hour endurance races (one each on Saturday and Sunday), a big group of local Saloon Car pilots all looking to take the battle to the established national stars, and the emerging new ‘development’ category, Swift Racing Australia, and there will be something for everyone at Morgan Park this August.
Cars will be on track from 9am Friday morning, August 12, with qualifying and the weekend’s first races underway on Saturday through to the event’s conclusion on Sunday afternoon.