McConville, who pulled back from fulltime V8 Supercar competition at the end of last season to operate his own JAXQuickfit Tyres store, is contracted with Walkinshaw Racing to compete in this season’s long-distance races at Phillip Island and Bathurst.

To ensure McConville was up for the challenge, he was scheduled to contest two rounds of the second-tier Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series, at Winton and Townsville, earlier this year.

His experience outclassed the competition and McConville dominated at Winton, impressing industry heavyweights and resulting in a call-up to compete in the main Championship Series at the Sucrogen Townsville 400.

“Everything I have done this year has been in anticipation of the next three races, so I am really looking forward to making a solid contribution to the team’s success,” Cameron McConville explained.

“I’m ecstatic, to be driving with Garth and for the factory Toll Holden Racing Team it is a wonderful opportunity and one I’m not taking lightly,” McConville said.

This will be the second time Tander and McConville have teamed up, having contested the 2004 enduros together when they drove for Garry Rogers Motorsport.

Tander said the Toll HRT’s decision to sign McConville for this year’s enduro campaign was an easy one.

“Cameron was the obvious choice to me, he’s a great guy, we have been team-mates and driven together [at GRM] before, and we have exactly the same seating position,” Tander said.

“He’s got a lot of experience and even though Cam’s retired from fulltime driving he has plenty of miles under his belt this year.

“Cameron finished second at Bathurst last year, so it’s a strong combination whenever you can pair the first and second place finishers together.”

This will also be McConville’s second enduro campaign with HRT, the 36 year old having partnered Craig Lowndes in 1999, earning a pair of podium finishes – their second place finish at Mount Panorama securing Lowndes and HRT their third Australian Touring Car/V8 Supercar Championship.

“It’s ironic that the last time I drove only in the enduros in a season I drove for HRT, so I’m back to where I started – I guess it’s just meant to be!” McConville said.

To prepare for the grueling endure conditions, Cameron has kept himself extremely busy, maintaining a strict training regime whilst still coping with the challenges of running a tyre retail store.

The next round of the V8 Supercars Championship Series is the L&H 500 at Phillip Island from 10-12 September, 2010.

Australian-owned JAXQuickfit Tyres is unique in representing the top five global manufacturing giants of the tyre industry, including quality and high performance passenger car, light truck and four-wheel-drive tyre brands … BFGoodrich, Bridgestone,Continental, Dunlop, Goodyear, Michelin and Pirelli together with value for money brand options.

This enables it to offer customers a mix of brands that span the premium, major and budget market sectors.

In 2009 JAXQuickfit celebrated its 60th year in business. Nationally, the network serves more than 42,000 customers per month through its approaching 80 stores along the eastern seaboard.

JAXQuickfit Tyres’ (www.jaxquickfit.com.au) Moorabbin store is located at: 15 Taylor Street, Moorabbin. Phone 9532 2811.

For further information:

Jeff Board
CEO
JAXQuickfit Tyres
(02) 8801 3001

Official VFACTS data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) showed that 82,122 passenger cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles were sold in August, up 12.1 per cent (or 8,835 vehicles) on the same month in 2009.

“This is a strong August result with sales of SUVs showing a particularly healthy increase,” FCAI Chief Executive Andrew McKellar said.

“The figures show sales to private buyers remain solid (up 20.9%) and there has been a lift in new car purchases by government fleets (up 21.7%),” Mr McKellar said.

“There is no evident in the August data to suggest customers were distracted from their normal buying habits due to the election and the current political uncertainty,” he said.

The SUV segment was the strongest performer during August, recording an increase of 32.5 per cent; followed by light commercials (up 22.6 per cent) and then passenger cars (up 3.5 per cent).

Toyota was the strongest selling marque in August with 16,633 sales; followed by Holden with 11,146 and Ford with 8,212 units.

Year-to-date, 695,666 vehicles have been sold, an increase of 15.2 per cent compared to the same period in 2009.

SOURCE: FCAI

Pirelli has recently signed a three-year agreement to supply Formula One, GP2 and GP3 with control tyres, but remains fully committed to rallying at both national and international level.

Kubica, who won the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix, is a big rally fan – and he claimed two-wheel drive victory with Pirelli on the Rally d’Alpi Orientali last weekend, a round of the Italian championship, at the wheel of a Renault Clio Super 1600.

It was the 25-year-old Pole’s first class victory in rallying, achieved over the course of a 14-stage, three-day event featuring more than 167 competitive kilometres. Kubica’s car was equipped with Pirelli’s PZero asphalt tyres, which proved to be both fast and reliable.

“I just came here to have fun really,” said the 25-year-old Kubica, who was placed 13th overall. “I have to be careful not to risk too much, as Formula One is my real job. But I love the challenge of adapting to rallying.”

The Rally d’Alpi Orientali, held in difficult mixed conditions in the northeast of Italy, proved to be an extremely successful weekend for Pirelli. As well as Kubica’s Super 1600 and two-wheel drive victory, Pirelli also won the rally overall with Paolo Andreucci in a Peugeot 207 S2000, Group N4 with Andrea Perego in a Mitsubishi, and Group R3 with Pierre Campana in another Renault Clio.

Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery commented: “It’s great that we’ve got our Formula One campaign off to such a successful early start by taking this class win with Robert Kubica! The performance of our PZero tyres in difficult conditions enabled a driver who is still finding his feet in rallying to take this very satisfying result and we look forward once again to making our presence felt strongly in both racing and rallying in the future.”

With GP3 heralding Pirelli’s return to Formula One next year, the legendary Monza circuit close to Pirelli’s headquarters in Milan is a fitting venue to conclude the first season of the championship. The GP3 Series is designed as a feeder formula for GP2, which will also be supplied by Pirelli from 2011 onwards in a three-year deal.

Monza is steeped in history, having first hosted the Italian Grand Prix in 1922. Now the track will write another fresh chapter in motorsport by setting the scene for the conclusion of the inaugural drivers’ and teams’ titles in GP3. Once again, 30 ambitious drivers in identical 280-horsepower cars will do battle for supremacy on one of the most prestigious circuits on the calendar, in front of the most influential people in motorsport.

The characteristics of Monza reward bravery and commitment, as so much of the 5.993-kilometre lap is spent at full throttle. Because of the long straights, the cars run with low downforce, meaning that grip is at a premium in the corners and drivers frequently experience understeer.

Once again Pirelli will use its medium-compound 13-inch PZero tyre at Monza, just as was the case at the last round in Spa two weeks ago. This tyre has proved its performance and adaptability under a wide range of conditions, from hot weather to heavy rain. In early September, most conditions are possible in Monza although the weather is expected to remain dry and warm.

For Pirelli, the Monza races represent a triumphant homecoming that celebrates the Italian company’s return to the top level of single-seater racing for the first time in 20 years. Mexican driver Esteban Gutierrez is favourite to lift the GP3 title in Italy, together with his ART team, bringing the series to an exciting conclius.

Pirelli’s Racing Manager Mario Isola commented: “It’s obviously a huge pleasure and privilege for us to be racing at home, particularly after such a successful debut season for the GP3 Series. The fact that the championship is still up for grabs on the final round just goes to show how competitive it has been. Our medium-compound PZero tyres have demonstrated their versatility in the past, and with Monza taking in quite a wide variety of parameters and possible weather conditions, we’re confident that it is the best choice.”

Practice for GP3 takes place on Friday 10 September at 1650 with qualifying and race one at 0845 and 1720 respectively on Saturday 11 September. The second race takes place at 0925 on Sunday 12 September, with both races lasting half an hour.

However, with Citroen pilot Loeb already planning to drive with the title in mind rather than gun for his sixth win of the campaign when the rally gets underway with two passes through the Sapporo Dome’s superspecial stage on Thursday evening (September 9), Ford’s Mikko Hirvonen will be a firm favourite to bag his ninth victory at world championship level using Pirelli tyres, which are supplied as standard to the WRC under a three-year agreement with motorsport’s world governing body, the FIA.

“I want to finish the season as well as I can so for sure I will try everything to win Rally Japan,” said the 30-year-old from Finland. “The world championship title is not possible anymore but with four rallies to go there are two events where I really think I can challenge for the victory, starting with Japan. While it is over for me for the drivers’ title, Ford can still win the manufacturers’ title and to do that getting wins is vitally important.”

Hirvonen has triumphed on the WRC’s last two visits to Japan, taking victory in 2007 and 2008. “It’s a rally I really like,” said Hirvonen. “It’s similar to Finland, Great Britain and Australia in that you have fast and flowing stages through forests. But it’s so unique in other ways because of the culture and the incredible history. Rallying might not be known in the whole country but the fans that come to the event are so fanatical and enthusiastic. For drivers it makes it very enjoyable and gives you a good feeling.”

Rally Japan first joined the world championship in 2004 when Petter Solberg swept to victory in a Subaru Impreza WRC using Pirelli tyre.  Marcus Gronholm, driving a Peugeot 307 WRC, made it two wins out of two for Pirelli the following season before Hirvonen added a third victory in 2008.

Pirelli will supply its soft compound Scorpion gravel tyre to the 55 crews taking part in four-wheel drive machinery in Japan. The compound type is designed to provide increased grip in cooler temperatures and in damp conditions, which have been a factor on the event in the past.

Priority 1 and 2 drivers will receive an allowance of 30 Scorpion tyres plus six for the pre-event shakedown, while other crews in four-wheel drive cars get 20 Scorpion tyres for the rally and five for shakedown. The tyres were transported by boat from Italy to Japan during the summer.

“Rally Japan is not one of the most demanding on tyres because the surface is not abrasive like on some other gravel rallies,” said Pirelli’s senior WRC tyre engineer Matteo Braga. “Cold temperatures and rain are always a possibility in Japan and with rain you can get some mud and it’s possible some ruts can form. There can also be a problem of rocks being pulled onto the road for the second pass, which creates a risk of tyre damage because wheel rims can get broken, but it is not a big risk.”

While the stages on Friday and Saturday will be familiar to the bulk of the competitors, Sunday’s gravel stages are all new. To add to the challenge, there is no midday service on day three of the rally, meaning competitors will have to adopt a degree of caution through the six forest stages before they return to Sapporo for the final two runs through the Sapporo Dome superspecial.

Rally Japan is round seven of the of the Production Car World Rally Championship, for two-litre turbocharged Group N cars, and round eight of the Super 2000 World Rally Championship, which uses normally aspirated two-litre cars. Pirelli will supply its soft compound Scorpion tyres to both support championships, thereby underlining the performance and efficiency of the Italian rubber on a wide range of machinery.

Although Rally Japan is not part of the Pirelli Star Driver programme’s six-event schedule, Hayden Paddon, one of the training scheme’s five young talents, will be competing in Japan as part of his individual PWRC effort. Rather than using his familiar Pirelli-liveried Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, Paddon will switch to his privately-run Lancer Evolution IX for his first appearance on the event.

Rally Japan is one of the shortest events on the WRC schedule with a competitive distance of 303.54 kilometres over 26 special stages. Action gets underway at 1840hrs local time on Thursday September 9 with the ceremonial finish taking place at the Tsukisamu Dome in Sapporo at 1500hrs on Sunday September 12.

Pirelli’s Rally Japan in numbers
3: Pirelli victories on Rally Japan
36: number of Scorpion soft compound tyres available for use by P1 and P2 drivers
25: number of Scorpion soft compound tyres available for use by all other 4WD crews
6: World titles won by Sebastien Loeb
2: Production Car world titles won by Japan’s Toshi Arai
6852: number of islands making up the archipelago of Japan
127 million: Japan’s population
540,000: number of fans who attended Rally Japan in 2008
43,000: capacity of the Sapporo Dome, venue of the rally’s superspecial stage

The Italian firm won the tender to supply tyres exclusively to the FIA Formula One World Championship from 2011-2013 earlier this year, and since then a concentrated campaign of research and development has been ongoing to prepare for Pirelli’s first Formula One season in 20 years.

With the initial shakedown work at Mugello from August 17-18 proving to be extremely successful, Pirelli continued its development programme at Paul Ricard for two days, working on both constructions and compounds as per the planned schedule.

At the same time, Italian driver Giorgio Pantano continued to test Pirelli’s GP2 tyres, which will also make their debut next season as part of a three-year tyre supply agreement that takes in the entry-level GP3 series as well.

Temperatures in the south of France remained warm throughout both test days, with an average ambient temperature of 24 degrees Centigrade and average track temperature of 28 degrees Centigrade.

The Le Castellet circuit, which has recently been developed into a high-tech test facility, can be driven in a number of different configurations. Pirelli’s test team made full use of the circuit to run a high-speed configuration, enabling the engineers to assess the performance of the tyres under extreme loading as well as through slower and more technical sections.

Throughout both days of the test, the car and the tyres performed perfectly. The performance of the new rubber, as well as its consistency and reliability, fully matched Pirelli’s expectations – as motorsport director Paul Hembery explained.

“We’re very happy with the progress we’ve made so far, which actually puts us slightly ahead of where we expected to be at this point in time,” pointed out Hembery. “We worked through an initial development programme that has given us a useful insight into the performance of our prototype tyres under a wide range of conditions, corners and speeds. We’ve been hugely encouraged by what we’ve seen up to now, and that’s been helped by both Nick’s clear and precise feedback, as well as all the different possibilities afforded to us by the Paul Ricard circuit.”

Pirelli’s test programme will continue in Spain in two weeks’ time. In the meantime, the company will take to the track at Monza for the finale of this year’s GP3 Series from September 11-12, which is exclusively supplied by Pirelli in its inaugural season.

Alajajian’s racer will wear prominent JAXQuickfit branding to the end of this year, as a result of an existing relationship with the leading tyre retailer’s Artarmon (NSW) store.

“Chris has been a front runner in the series for some time, he’s a spectacular and aggressive racer, and with his strong links to our Artarmon store, we thought the opportunity to get on board too good to pass up,” JAXQuickfit Tyres’ CEO Jeff Board said.

JAXQuickfit Tyres’ Artarmon store owner Scott Downey explained the connection.

“We have a long-standing partnership with Chris’ father, who runs the local panel shop, so when they approached us about sponsorship, we thought it would be good to get the whole brand involved.

“Chris is a great bloke and an immensely talented driver and we love that JAXQuickfit is in the position to be able to support him in his motorsport endeavors.”

Alajajian’s support is the second time the JAXQuickfit Tyres branding has been seen on the racetracks of Australia this year.

JAXQuickfit Tyres also sponsors professional V8 Supercar driver and Moorabbin (Victoria) franchisee, Cameron McConville, who returned to the track this year.

McConville will partner Garth Tander in next weekend’s Phillip Island 500 and earlier this year, he won the Winton round of the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series aboard his JAXQuickfit Commodore and also contested the Sucrogen Townsville 400 for Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport.

Alajajian’s Mini will run the JAX livery at the L&H Phillip Island 500 in Victoria on September 10-12, followed by the Gold Coast 600 in Queensland in October and finally the Sydney Telstra 300 season finale in December.

Australian-owned JAXQuickfit Tyres is unique in representing the top five global manufacturing giants of the tyre industry, including quality and high performance passenger car, light truck and four-wheel-drive tyre brands … BFGoodrich, Bridgestone,Continental, Dunlop, Goodyear, Michelin and Pirelli, together with value for money brand options.

This enables it to offer customers a mix of brands that span the premium, major and budget market sectors.

JAXQuickfit has just celebrated its 60th year in business and nationally serves more than 42,000 customers per month through what is now approaching 80 stores along the eastern seaboard.

JAXQuickfit Tyres’ (www.jaxquickfit.com.au) Artarmon store is located at: 105-107 Reserve Road, Artarmon, NSW. Phone: 02 9437 0433.

For further information:

Jeff Board
CEO
JAXQuickfit Tyres
(02) 8801 3001

The GP3 Series exists to train young drivers for the demands they will face at the pinnacle of single-seater racing in the future, such as Formula One, which will be supplied by Pirelli from 2011. At Spa, the champions of tomorrow learned some hard lessons.

One of the defining characteristics of Spa is variable weather, and this was very much in evidence throughout qualifying and both races. Pirelli came to Spa – the seventh and penultimate round of the GP3 Series – with the medium compound PZero 13-inch tyre, designed to cope with a wide range of weather conditions.

However, the rain tyre also played a starring role during the weekend at Spa, whose iconic corners such as Eau Rouge and Blanchimont have defined motorsport history.

Qualifying on Saturday morning provided a taste of what was to come, as it was held on a wet track that progressively dried out. Consequently, drivers started the session on rain tyres before coming in to switch to slick tyres as a dry line emerged.

“From a technical point of view it was a very interesting session, as it allowed us to evaluate the performance of our tyres on a drying track, and assess at which point slick tyres became quicker,” commented Mario Isola, Pirelli’s Racing Manager.

The first race on Saturday afternoon was interrupted by safety cars and torrential rain. When the rain hit, nearly all the competitors dived into the pits to change to wet tyres.

But pole-sitter Robert Wickens stayed out on slicks to take the lead and because of a safety car, none of the other competitors were allowed to overtake him. The Status Grand Prix driver judged his pace to ensure that the maximum permitted time limit for the race would be reached, so that it could end under the safety car and give him victory.

The second race on Sunday morning was won by Adrien Tambay, the son of ex-Formula One driver Patrick Tambay. The Frenchman was quickest in Friday practice but started Sunday’s race from 27th on the grid: co-incidentally the race number that his father was most famous for.

Again, the race was hit by rain halfway through but Tambay managed to drive through the shower and then take advantage of his PZero slick tyres when the track dried out again. With most other drivers having chosen to pit for rain tyres, Tambay claimed a brilliant tactical victory for Manor Motorsport.

“Our tyres were at the centre of the action this weekend, which featured two of the most unusual and entertaining races that we have seen so far this GP3 season,” added Isola. “The performance of Robert Wickens on Saturday and Adrien Tambay on Sunday proved that our medium compound PZero slick tyres were able to stay on the road even in mixed conditions. Both drivers managed to use the rain to their advantage even while running on our slick tyres. We are delighted to see that GP3 is fulfilling its role of teaching drivers not only about close competition but also about racecraft in challenging conditions.”

The final two races of the eight-round GP3 series take place on home territory for Pirelli at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza from September 11-12. With the championship leader Esteban Gutierrez failing to score this weekend, Wickens still stands a chance of claiming the inaugural GP3 drivers’ title in Italy.

In the past, most teams put their full time racers in one car and ran the second car essentially as a support act. This move will really open up the list of possible winners, it has also placed a premium on the experienced and reliable co-drivers.

Since the long distance opener moved to Phillip Island there has been much more strategy involved, mainly because of the island’s inclement weather. The addition of non regular co-drivers will add to the tactics as well because obviously the best person to have in the car at the end will be the regular ace!

Some teams have picked wisely, some not so in my opinion. My pick of the top chances is divided between Courtney-luff in the DJR Ford, Winterbottom-Youlden in the FPR Ford, Tander-McConville in the HRT Holden, Whincup-Owen in the 888 Holden and Lowndes-Skaife in the other 888 Holden. That’s about it I reckon, for the top step of the podium anyway.

Throw in some bad weather, a safety car or two and the inevitable fuel consumption dramas that comes with the use of Ethanol E85 fuel and I can realistically see another 15 cars with a chance of a podium finish.

One thing all the teams can be sure of though is the strength and reliability of the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx ‘Control’ tyre. Be it wet or dry, the Dunlop control tyre is totally dependable. From the heat of Darwin to the freezing cold of Phillip Island, Dunlop has given teams the consistent performance they need since 2002.

The Phillip Island race is a great prelude to the big one at Bathurst and is a chance for the drivers and teams to sharpen and hone their game. I would not miss it for quids!

BRYAN STARING STRETCHED HIS WIN STREAK TO FOUR AS HE DOMINATED PROCEEDINGS AT THE FIFTH ROUND OF THE VIKING GROUP AUSTRALIAN SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP AT QUEENSLAND RACEWAY FROM AUGUST 20-22.

The 23-year-old Cougar Bourbon Honda Racing rider proved unstoppable from pole position in race one, despite coming under fire from Jamie Stauffer, starting from 8th on the grid, who zeroed in on board the Ducati Motologic 1198R.

Stauffer, a two-time Superbike titleholder, looked menacing but ran out of laps to attack, finishing 1.525 seconds adrift of Staring.

In race two, Valvoline Superbike Team rider Glenn Allerton and Demolition Plus Gas Honda frontrunner Wayne Maxwell took turns out in front, but once again Staring stole the lead in lap 6 and never looked back to take a clean sweep of the weekend.

“It’s great to take away two more race victories. In terms of the championship, Queensland Raceway has been vital for us,” said Staring.

“The bike was strong all weekend long, and was quick over race distance without sacrificing grip.

“This sets us up for a strong run home at Phillip Island and Symmon’s Plains, but I know Wayne will be strong and guys like Josh (Waters) and Glenn will be eager to win races too.”

Positions 1 and 2 in the Championship remain unchanged, but the fight for third place is now wide open with less than 10 points separating four riders.

The next round of the Viking Group Australian Superbike Championship will be held at Phillip Island, September 10-12, alongside the L&H V8 Supercar endurance race.

QUEENSLAND RACEWAY
Round 5 – Australian Superbike Championship
1 Cougar Bourbon Bryan Staring Honda Racing
2 Ducati Motologic Jamie Stauffer
3 Demolition Wayne Maxwell Plus GAS Honda