Successful Wet Practice at Winton Raceway

Australian V8 Supercars, Dunlop Development Series, Film and TV, Todd Hazelwood Racing

Todd Hazelwood after Practice 1

In the challenging Winton conditions and wet weather playing its part, South Australian Todd Hazelwood managed to sneak his way into the top 15, finishing combined practice in position 14 with a lap time of 1:26.1324.

“Really happy with how practice unfolded today, we have good car speed and I’m really enjoying the challenging conditions at Winton,” Hazelwood said.

“In Practice 1 we tried a few things with set-up, but the Winton surface had changed a lot since the team ran here last which also caught out many drivers up-and-down pit lane.

“The second session we had really good car speed, but unfortunately the way the session unfolded caused us to post the two fastest laps when both red flags were out in the session.”

With the teenager finishing inside the top 15, this enables Hazelwood to run in Qualifying with Group 2, being a great advantage for the 18-year-old.

“Really pleased that we are inside the top 15, as this really hurt us for Round 1 at Clipsal.”

“Knowing that we have good car speed and that we are in a good position makes me feel confident that we can be inside the top ten for Race 1.”

The South Australian is currently sitting outside the top ten of the Dunlop Series Championship in 11^th position on 153 championship points.

The Dunlop Series will be running alongside the V8 Supercars this weekend at the Winton 400 as a support category, with the Dunlop Series set to hit the circuit for Qualifying tomorrow morning at 9:55 (Group 2).

Race 1 will also be telecast live tomorrow at 3:15pm (AEST), check your local guide for further details.

Winton 400
Saturday (5 April)
9:30: Qualifying 1 Group 1 (15 minutes)
9:55: Qualifying 1 Group 2 (15 minutes)
15:15: Race 1 (25 laps)

Sunday (6 April)
13:15: Race 2 (25 laps)

An ABC Kids 90s Flashback

Film and TV, Pop Culture, Spultured

It’s all come back, the A for Apple, B for Bee and the C for Carrot… This video has made me realise just how good I had it as a kid.

I’ll just leave these quotes with you.

“And I said HEY! What a wonderful kind of day..”

“Postman Pat, Postman Pat, Postman Pat and his black and white cat…”

“Have you ever, ever felt like this…”

“For your big fat information this is our imagination…”

“We love our bread, we love our butter…”

Gone are the days of watching our koala friend Blinky Bill running a muck.

Gone are the days of Daria reading Sick Sad World.

Gone are the days of those goddamn Bananas in Pajamas chasing teddy bears.

Gone are the days of Fireman Sam saving the day.

Gone are the days of Brum terrorising the streets and sneaking back into the garage.

Oh dear lord, childhood, you were amazing!

How can you forget shows like Trap Door, Babar, Budgie the Little Helicopter, Rocko’s Modern Life,Where’s Wally? and Spot…

Not only has this made me realise I should have never grown-up, but that I have always had a tender love for cars. I mean, how many other girls would love Thomas the Tank Engine, Noddy, Brum and Postman Pat?

Here’s the video folks. Sorry, but we couldn’t embed it. If you’re having a bad day, you’re about to get the biggest grin going on.

Hazelwood Eager for Round Two at Winton

Australian V8 Supercars, Dunlop Development Series, Todd Hazelwood Racing

Todd Hazelwood testing at Queensland Raceway, preparing for Round 2

AFTER having a successful start to the Dunlop Series season at the Clipsal 500 Adelaide, Todd Hazelwood is ready to continue his championship at the second round of the series at Winton Raceway this weekend.

The 18-year-old had a successful test day last Saturday at Queensland Raceway with Matt Stone Racing, with the teenager making the most of the bad weather getting great wet practice.

“The test day was great for the team and myself, at first it didn’t look like we would get any dry running in, but after three sessions the sun was out and the track was in good condition to do some fast laps,” Hazelwood said.

“I learned a lot throughout the day, it was great to understand how the car handles in the damp conditions and to finesse my technique throughout the rest of the day.

“There is still a lot of room for improvement, I need to continue to learn as much as I can to give myself the best opportunity to succeed this year.”

The South Australian is currently sitting outside the top ten of the Dunlop Series Championship in 11^th on 153 championship points.

The Dunlop Series will be running alongside the V8 Supercars this weekend at the Winton 400 as a support category, with the Dunlop Series set to hit the circuit for the first time Friday morning at 10:35am local time for Practice 1.

Winton 400
Friday (4 April)
10:35: Practice 1 (40 minutes)
12:35: Practice 2 (40 minutes)

Saturday (5 April)
9:30: Qualifying 1 Group 1 (15 minutes)
9:55: Qualifying 1 Group 2 (15 minutes)
15:15: Race 1 (25 laps) – telecasted live AEST (Channel 7/7Mate)

Sunday (6 April)
13:15: Race 2 (25 laps)

Red Bull top practice in Tasmania

Australian V8 Supercars, Fiasco Sports

Red Bull Racing Australia drivers Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup managed to blitz the rest and finish the three sessions on top, looking strong for tomorrow.

V8 Supercars are set to rumble for qualifying tomorrow morning. Photo: Ross Marsden

Craig Lowndes and Red Bull teammate Jamie Whincup managed to stay on top throughout the three practice sessions today, looking a competitive force for this weekend’s Tyrepower Tasmania 400 at Symmons Plains Raceway.

Despite Whincup having a power steering pump failure in Practice 1, the champion topped the final session of the day presenting a lap time of 51.33, with Lowndes only .02s off his teammate.

Although Whincup was quickest in the final session, the #888 Commodore of Lowndes was able to top the first two practice sessions, with an overall fastest lap of 51.31.

Whincup wasn’t the only driver to endure power steering issues today, with crowd favourites Volvo, also enduring a power steering “binding” issue, with the team at Garry Rogers spending the whole day trying to resolve the issue, and David Wall was only out in Practice 2 for five laps before his Dick Johnson Racing Falcon suffered from power steering issues.

Other drivers looking strong for the weekend include Ford Performance Racing’s Chaz Mostert, last year’s race winning team Brad Jones Racing, Nick Percat from Walkinshaw Racing and Nissan’s Michael Caruso with all of the drivers sitting within the top three at some time in the sessions today.

The V8 Supercars will hit the Symmons Plains circuit for back-to-back 10 minute qualifying sessions tomorrow morning at 11:30am local time, for the official second round of the 2014 championship.

Written by Loren Hazelwood @LorenHazelwood
– See more at: http://fiascosports.com/red-bull-top-practice-in-tasmania/#sthash.undOxBio.dpuf

New F1 is too quiet according to race goers

Australian V8 Supercars, Formula 1, On The Record

By LOREN HAZELWOOD

Kamui Kobayasi crashing out after a brake-by-wire failure. Photo: AP Photo/Ross Land

Australian Grand Prix organisers claim the new F1 cars may have breached race contracts because they were not loud enough.

Fans have also spoken and agreed that the new V6 turbo-charged powertrain cars sound duller than a lawnmower on a Saturday morning.

The Australian Grand Prix Coordination’s (AGPC) organiser Andrew Westacott said the new cars took away the fascinating spectacle of Formula One racing.

“One aspect of it was just a little bit duller than it’s ever been before and that’s part of the mix and the chemistry that they’re going to have to get right,” Mr Westacott told Fairfax radio.

Westacott also mentioned that AGPC chairman Ron Walker told Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone who said that the quieter sound might have breached the race contract.

“Ron spoke to [Ecclestone] after the race and said fans don’t like it in the venue,” Mr Westacott said.

“We pay for a product, we’ve got contracts in place, we are looking at those very, very seriously because we reckon there has probably been some breaches.”

Not only were the big bosses disappointed with the sound of the new cars—the fans and racing drivers were in disbelief with the V6-turbo sound, including NSW Formula Ford Driver, Daniel Holihan.

“They should definitely bring back the V8 or even the V10 and V12 engine, it’s the fans that come to hear the high pitch roar of a Formula One around the city of Melbourne,” Mr Holihan said.

“I was getting more of a thrill watching the rolling starts of the V8 Supercars.”

Although the cars were not as loud—the racing spoke for itself, with the drivers battling for position throughout the whole race, while trying to not break down.

The competition level was high and it was unpredictable who would win the race before it started, with reliability also playing a big part during the first race in Australia.

“I loved the action, the race was very entertaining because it was a complete fresh start for every team and there was a lot of passing going on,” Mr Holihan said.

Not only did the race deliver great action and unpredictability, it also saw controversy unfold as Australian young gun Daniel Ricciardo was disqualified after a fuel-flow sensor error.

Ricciardo’s team at Red Bull have appealed the decision, with the verdict expected to take a few weeks to be announced.

Nico Rosberg was the eventual winner of the race, with McLaren rookie driver Kevin Magnussen replacing Ricciardo for second on his Formula One debut, with McLaren teammate Jenson Button rounding out the top three.

Formula One management are yet to comment on the hybrid-generation cars.

Why fans should stop the Volvo jokes

Australian V8 Supercars, Fiasco Sports, Film and TV

It’s the age-old joke, calling someone a ‘Volvo driver’ if they couldn’t drive. Well, now we are the ones who should be laughing because Volvo are a dominant force.

Scott McLaughlin racing at the Clipsal 500 Adelaide. Photo: Mark Horsburgh

Volvo is a name synonymous to car manufacturers, and one that has had its fair share of jokes, but this year Volvo has smashed its debut in the V8 Supercars, exceeding everyone’s expectations.

The S60 V8 Supercar was entered this year by Garry Rogers Racing, and developed by World Touring Car team Polestar Racing who have re-created a car suitable for Australian circuits and an engine competitive enough to run at the front of the first race of the season.

It already appears much stronger than last year’s new manufacturers Erebus and Nissan.

Not only have Polestar and Rogers come together to create a blue-montser, but with a team of drivers including superstar rookie Scott McLaughlin and Swedish World Touring Car driver Robert Dahlgren, you have a team ready to smash some records.

At the Clipsal 500 Adelaide, McLaughlin made the crowd roar with his late-race manoeuvre on current V8 Supercar Champion Jamie Whincup, giving Volvo their first ever podium in the category.

And of course for our at-home entertainment, McLaughlin dropped the f-bomb on live television.

As McLaughlin explained, “I just plucked her in first, gave it some jandal and f*ck yeah!”….and to explain what exactly a ‘jandal’ is

Not only did Volvo make history placing on the podium, GRM actually sold out of merchandise at the Clipsal 500 Adelaide round and were automatically on back-order as fans demanded for more Volvo merchandise!

The team continued to power on two weeks later in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix, breaking Shane van Gisbergen’s hat-trick of race wins to take out their first ever V8 Supercars victory.

McLaughlin managed to stay out of trouble, and the car managed to pull-through for history to break, putting the team in an even stronger position for the next round at Symmons Plains Raceway in Tasmania on March 28-30.

Just in case you missed the social media frenzy Volvo and McLaughlin started, you can show your support by using the hashtag #jandalarmy.

Written by Loren Hazelwood @LorenHazelwood

– See more at: http://fiascosports.com/why-fans-should-stop-the-volvo-jokes/#sthash.sOa8qDhZ.dpuf

New F1 Cars Are Too Bloody Quiet

Australian V8 Supercars, Formula 1, Spultured

After never attending a Formula 1 race, I was more than excited to hear the roaring sound and ear-piercing ring of what people had explained a Formula 1 car to be… Unfortunately this year, they sounded flatter than a lawnmower on a Saturday morning.

Not only were fans disappointed with the new V6 Turbo-charged power-train, but so was the Australian Grand Prix Coordination’s (AGPC) organiser Andrew Westacott, who said the new cars took away the fascinating spectacle of Formula 1 racing.

“One aspect of it was just a little bit duller than it’s ever been before and that’s part of the mix and the chemistry that they’re going to have to get right,” Westacott told Fairfax radio.

Westacott also mentioned that AGPC chairman Ron Walker told Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone that the new sound may have breached race contracts with Formula 1 management.

“Ron spoke to [Ecclestone] after the race and said fans don’t like it in the venue.

“We pay for a product, we’ve got contracts in place, we are looking at those very, very seriously because we reckon there has probably been some breaches.”

Not only were the big bosses disappointed with the sound of the new cars—the fans and racing drivers were in disbelief with the V6-turbo sound, including NSW Formula Ford Driver, Daniel Holihan.

“They should definitely bring back the V8 or even the V10 and V12 engine, it’s the fans that come to hear the high pitch roar of a Formula 1 around the city of Melbourne,” Holihan said.

“I was getting more of a thrill watching the rolling starts of the V8 Supercars.”

Although the cars were not as loud — the racing spoke for itself, with the drivers battling for position throughout the whole race, while trying to not break down.

The competition level was high and the winner was unpredictable before the race had even started, with reliability also playing a big part during the first race in Australia.

“I loved the action, the race was very entertaining because it was a complete fresh start for every team and there was a lot of passing going on,” Holihan said.

Not only did the race deliver great action and unpredictability, it also saw controversy unfold as Australian young gun Daniel Ricciardo was disqualified after a fuel-flow sensor error.

Ricciardo’s team at Red Bull have appealed the decision, with the answer expected to take a few weeks to be decided.

Nico Rosberg was the eventual winner of the race, with McLaren rookie driver Kevin Magnussen replacing Ricciardo for second on his Formula 1 debut, with McLaren teammate Jenson Button rounding out the top three.

Formula 1 management are yet to comment on the hybrid-generation cars.

Hear for yourself, what do you think?

Nico Rosberg takes victory at Grand Prix

Formula 1, On The Record

By LOREN HAZELWOOD

Nico Rosberg crossing the line in Melbourne. Credit: AFP

After a strong pre-season testing, Formula One favourite Mercedes proved too strong at the weekend’s Grand Prix with driver Nico Rosberg taking the victory at Melbourne’s Albert Park street circuit.

Rosberg managed to win the first Grand Prix of the season by over 23 seconds, with Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo crossing the line in second place. However, he was later disqualified due to the fuel flow reading after the race.

Because of Ricciardo’s disqualification, McLaren’s rookie driver Kevin Magnussen stole the show, finishing second on the podium for his first ever Formula One race.

Mercedes was the strong favourite to win right from the start with driver Lewis Hamilton putting the car on pole position during qualifying.

The start of the race saw everything unfold, with Rosberg getting the jump and leading into the first corner.

Ricciardo was right behind in second place, making the country proud as he put the new Red Bull on the front row.

Turn one also saw the first crash for the season with Williams driver Felipe Massa being forced off the circuit after Kamui Kobayashi’s car had a rear brake-by-wire failure, causing Kobayashi’s Caterham to crash into the side of Massa.

With Rosberg and Ricciardo leading the pack, Hamilton started to fall backwards with the Mercedes V6 Turbo-charged engine having a failing cylinder, forcing him to retire early.

Reliability issues also saw current world champion Sebastian Vettel having to retire with the car down on power, while the two Lotus cars raced by Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado both stopped on the circuit with few laps to spare.

The battle of the race was further down the field with William’s driver Valtteri Bottas making a great comeback and managing to finish in fifth position after brushing the wall and damaging his rear right tyre.

McLaren’s new car was looking strong, with driver Jenson Button also finishing on the podium due to Ricciardo’s after-race penalty.

Meanwhile Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso finished in fourth place.

German Rosberg currently leads the Formula One Drivers’ Championship, with Round Two of the FIA Formula One Championship being held at Malaysia from 28-30 March.

V8s: van Gisbergen takes double victory at Melbourne

Australian V8 Supercars, Fiasco Sports

Shane van Gisbergen has kicked off a great start to the WSS Security V8 Supercar round at this year’s Australian Grand Prix.

Shane van Gisbergen on fire at Australian Grand Prix. Source: News Limited

Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen has shown-up the locals and taken a double victory during Races 1 and 2 at the Australian Grand Prix.

Even though van Gisbergen qualified second, he managed to drag Michael Caruso off the start line in a close rolling start, driving away from rivals Jamie Whincup and Scott McLaughlin.

Race 1 opened up a battle between Whincup and McLaughlin for second, with Whincup suffering an after-race penalty, forcing McLaughlin wide and on to the grass while racing on the pit straight.

Whincup later suffered a five-place penalty, giving McLaughlin second and Caruso third for Race 1.

Race 2 saw van Gisbergen have another great start, beating McLaughlin off the start line, with the field going three wide into Turns 1 and 2 at the Albert Park circuit.

McLaughlin ran wide at Turn 11, opening up the door for Craig Lowndes and Fabian Coulthard, with the young Volvo driver slipping back to fifth.

The 12-lap race saw a small battle between Lowndes and van Gisbergen, but the Kiwi was proven too strong, taking two wins from two starts.

There will be another two 12-lap WSS Security V8 Supercar races over Saturday and Sunday of the Australian Grand Prix.

Written by Loren Hazelwood. @LorenHazelwood

– See more at: http://fiascosports.com/v8s-van-gisbergen-takes-double-victory-at-melbourne/#sthash.BskCydzH.dpuf

The Vault: Fiasco Sports’ Formula One predictions

Fiasco Sports, Formula 1

With the 2014 Formula 1 season kicking off at the Australian Grand Prix, the Fiasco Sports Motorsport gurus give their thoughts on how it will all unfold.

Andrew Hone – Getty Images

Who will win the first race?

Daniel: With Mercedes getting the most laps in and showing the best speed in testing, it will be hard to look past the Silver Arrow. I’m backing Nico Rosberg to draw first blood in 2014.

Loren: Lewis Hamilton for the first race win, Mercedes were incredibly strong during pre-season testing and is a previous winner, claiming victory in 2008.

Fraser: I’ll be pulling for Daniel Ricciardo but I think Hamilton will take it this year. A dark horse could be Kimi Raikkonen despite concerns over Ferrari’s preseason.

Mark: Mercedes looked good in testing but we all know how little that means once the season starts. That being said I’m still going to pick Lewis Hamilton. But don’t count out the likes of the Ferrari pair Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, two drivers who can make an average car look good.

Who will win the championship?

Daniel: Lewis Hamilton looks the best positioned driver to end the Vettel reign. That said, Fernando Alonso is always at the pointy end when it counts.

Loren: The Championship is a tough one to decide at the moment with cars still in development, but I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the Mercedes drivers came through, so I’ll just say Hamilton!

Fraser: I believe that one of the Mercedes drivers will take it. ‘Winning’ preseason testing doesn’t count in the championship but in regards to form, it’s hard to ignore. Out of the two drivers, I’m feeling Rosberg over Hamilton. I might have to eat my words but we’ll see.

Mark: So much has changed this year that picking a champion is a very difficult task. Can Sebastian Vettel make it five in row? It’s a big ask for Red Bull Racing especially considering their testing woes. It’s hard to bet against Vettel and Adrian Newey and you know Red Bull are going to come on strong in the second half of the season once they sort out their problems. If they don’t, it’s anyone’s championship, if they do, Vettel has title number five. My pick: Vettel.

Who will win the constructors championship?

Daniel: Mercedes look the most likely to take out the constructors championship at the moment. They have two excellent drivers and look like they’re miles ahead in development compared to the other teams.

Loren: Definitely Mercedes.

Fraser: I’m going with Mercedes on this one, they have two really strong drivers in Hamilton and Rosberg and barring catastrophic failure, they have a really strong car.

Mark: Mercedes.

How many races will Sebastian Vettel win this year?

Saeed Kahn – Getty Images

Daniel: Things currently aren’t looking great for Vettel and Red Bull, but you can’t keep a champion team down. I think he will take four victories late in the season.

Loren: Vettel will have a tough year this year with the RB10, I reckon maybe one or two, because Red Bull have good strategies.

Fraser: I don’t think Vettel will take as many races as he did in 2013, I think some teams will really surprise this year (for better or worse) and Red Bull might slip back. Still, I can see Vettel winning four races. The real interesting aspect will be how he places when he doesn’t win.

Mark: Five. I think Red Bull will be strong in the second half of the season which is where Vettel will pick up most of his wins.

How many races before someone is accused of cheating?

Daniel: There has already been controversy surrounding the legality of the Lotus front wing design but I think they will behave until Bahrain.

Loren: I’ll give it one race. I’m sure someone has an unfair aerodynamic advantage or something.

Fraser: I’ll say two, I think Melbourne will be a benchmark and then any basis of cheating will be made on the comparison of Australia and Malaysia.

Mark: At least one team will be unhappy about another team’s performance after Melbourne.

Which car looks the best?

Clive Rose – Getty Images

Daniel: Caterham obviously. Just kidding, even a blind person could sense how ugly those things are. Actually, most of them are pretty ugly this year with their noses but it’s great to see a return of the Martini livery on the Williams car.

Loren: The Williams-Martini car looks absolutely stunning!

Fraser: While I love the Williams-Martini livery, I’ve always really liked Lotus’ design. I really don’t think there is a bad livery this year.

Mark: The Mercedes wins this just because they have a nose that doesn’t look like a vacuum, anteater or as Sky Sports’ Ted Kravitz put it a “gentleman’s appendage”. The Martini livery on the Williams is a great look this year and I’ve always been a fan of Ferrari red.

Who will be the first one to cause a crash?

Daniel: Pastor Crashdonaldo.

Loren: I’ll go Romain Grosjean, based on his past history with crashing and banging into others.

Fraser: I have a feeling that it will be Kamui Kobayashi. After not racing in 2013, I think he’ll have a slight adjustment period and that will cause some incident involving him. Could even be the first corner of the Melbourne GP.

Mark: One of the Lotus drivers. Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado have a bad habit of getting involved in collisions. Outside chance, Kobayashi tries something and punts someone off the road.

Which rookie will score the most points?

Daniel: McLaren’s Father-Son draft pick Kevin Magnussen looks the most likely to score decent points.

Loren: Magnussen, he’s in a great car and a great team with McLaren.

Fraser: I’m going to go with Daniil Kvyat. Toro Rosso signed him after 22 laps at the young drivers test so the team must see some promise and I believe that the team is on the up and could surprise.

Mark: Kevin Magnussen in the McLaren. Being in a better car will put him higher up the order. Daniil Kvyat could have a great season but unless the Toro Rosso is spectacular or McLaren have another shocking season like 2013 then Magnussen has it.

FOLLOW Fiasco Sports on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all of the Formula One and motorsport action throughout the season.

– See more at: http://fiascosports.com/fiasco-sports-forumla-1-predictions/#sthash.6Lhg59fp.dpuf

Media by Loren Hazelwood

Motor sport media, marketing and content specialist