2010 Muscle Car Masters
Tourers make fathers' day
September 4-5 2010
Pics courtesy James Smith Words Darren Knight
Over 100 Historic Tourers rolled up to the Creek to join in the celebrations for 50 years of Touring Car racing in Australia. The sixth AMC Masters would again provide some spectacular action. Intermittent rain played havoc with many competitors set ups on Saturday with some gambling on wets which soon burnt up. The greasy track was still not to be taken lightly. In contrast Sunday was fine and dry and attracted a big Fathers Day crowd.
Nb
Greg Toepfer (Mustang) and Scott Fleming (Lotus Cortina) picked up where they left off last year by engaging in a great dice for the lead. Chris Strode found out the wet grass offered no help after coming off the circuit. The big Galaxie thumped one of the Creeks unforgiving concrete walls at undiminished pace, sending Chris to the Medical Centre for observation. Fleming was the first recipient of numerous black flags for moving before the start lights were extinguished but stayed out (as some others would also do). A time penalty post race gave the win to Toepfer with John Bryant a strong second in his just purchased ex Roger Oliver/Tony Parkinson/Alan Heath Falcon Sprint. Ben Wilkinson (the fastest EH in the land?) was third from Andy Clempson (Mustang) and the awesome Mk.II Jag of Vic Warterhouse.
The Mini trio of Darren Burnes, Ian Pringle and Santino Di Carlo were next then Will Colton (Lotus) and Mathew Windsor (Cortina) rounding out the top ten. Race two saw Toepfer fall foul of the black flag which allowed Fleming a slightly easier run at the front to eventually take the win. Bryant pushed hard to take second from Wilkinson and the Mustangs of Max Ullrich, David Moran, Clempson and Bill Trengrove who carved right through the field. Waterhouse was eighth then Colton and Burnes with Toepfer rejoining to finish 11th. Fleming zoomed to an early lead in race three but then retired with an engine drama, leaving Trengrove and Bryant to stage a great dice for the win.
The `Stang just beat the Sprint at the line with Ulrich next then Toepfer and Waterhouse. Wilkinson posted a DNF after running in the top five on the penultimate lap while Greg Tkacz pushed the Studebaker up to eighth after starting 15th. In the feature race Bryant was a little slow off the line with Trengrove taking advantage to slip into the lead. Toepfer climbed up to second then retired as Bryant took up the fight for the lead, setting the fastest lap on the final tour. Trengrove just managed to hold on from Bryant with Ullrich close behind in third followed by Clempson and Waterhouse. Burnes had crossed the line in fifth but copped a time penalty for staying out after receiving a black flag for – you guessed it – moving before the start.
Nc Division One
Rob Burns (Charger) made a great start to lead the early laps before Russell Wright (Mustang) and Glenn Seton (Capri) squeezed past. Paul Stubber (Camaro) moved up the order after tyre issues thwarted his qualifying attempts as Andrew Williams (Torana) and Cam Worner (Falcon) had a big dice. Wright took the win from Seton who was later relegated to 26th after not coming in after being the shown the black flag. Burns therefore grabbed second from Wayne Seabrook (Porsche), Mick Donaher (Camaro), Stubber, Williams, Worner, Chris O`Brien (Falcon), Cameron Tilley (Pacer) and Michael Hibbert (Charger). In the fading light Donaher and Stubber quickly moved to the front in race two while Burns relinquished third place after coming in for a drive through penalty after yet another black flag.
Wright retired the `68 Mustang as Stubber grabbed the lead only to have a half spin at the hair pin on the final lap, letting Donaher through to take the win. Chris O`Brien held out Seton for second with Des Wall (Geoghegan Mustang) fourth then the recovering Stubber, Fraser Ross (ex Marget `68 Mustang), Vince Macri (Torana), Jason Humble (RX-2), Hibbert and Harry Bargwanna (Mustang). Stubber and Donaher again led the field in race three with Seton out early, soon to be joined by O`Brien, Bargwanna and Humble. Stubber took a relatively easy win while second and third across the line, Donaher and Wall, copped time penalties post race which elevated Macri and Ross onto the podium. Wright was fourth from Williams, Steve Land (Capri), Darryl Hansen (Mustang), Burns, Ron Moller (Camaro) and Hibbert.
Nc Division Two
Queenslander Ethan Lind (Torana) led all the way to take a comfortable race one win from Les Walmsley (Charger) and Alan Burke (Falcon). Early pacesetter John Wilcox had the Torana up to second before retiring while Dennis O`Brien had a fantastic run in his gorgeous `63 (and a half) 427 Galaxie to finish fourth in front of Mark Forgie (Porsche) who just held off John Harrison (Torana). David Noakes (BDA Escort), Adam John (Capri), Stuart Young (Torana) and Paul Cameron (Torana) completed the top ten. O`Brien pushed the big Gal into second behind Lind in the early stages of race two as Walmsley slowed then retired with a dud alternator.
Lind took another comfortable win from Burke and Peter O`Brien (Falcon), then Harrison and a close following Alan Lewis (Capri) who had stormed up from 19th on the grid. Cameron, Young and Fred Brain (Monaro) were next then Dennis O`Brien and John. Lind would not start race three after moving up to Division one. Peter O`Brien was never headed with Harrison second and Walmsley third from rear of grid. Cameron and Grahame Hill (Mustang) were next after Lewis gave up fifth place after receiving a drive through. Graham Jarrett (Camaro) was sixth from Brain, Young, Shane Wilson (Mustang) and Michael Anderson (Falcon).
Peter O`Brien disappeared behind the hill and retired whilst leading the feature race. Walmsley went on to take the victory with Harrison second and Cameron third from Hill and Lewis. ATCC 50th Anniversary Handicap An assortment of cars of the same type that had won the ATCC from the `60s to the `90s put on a unique comparison between the decades. Des Wall in the `67/`68/`69 ATCC winning Mustang won comfortably but from second back the field finished incredibly closely. Rod Markland (ex Bob Forbes Racing GTR) just beat Max Ullrich (Mustang) for second with Glenn Seton (Ford Credit EL Supercar) almost alongside.
Match Races
This year the Masters also recreated the popular match races held in the early `70s at Amaroo Park. Two cars each from Ford, Holden and Chrysler would score points over three two lap sprints. Each marque took a win with Chris O`Brien (Falcon), Paul Cameron (Torana) and Michael Hibbert (Charger) all greeting the chequer. In the end Holden and Chrysler were joint winners after finishing equal on points.
Group C&A Race One (C&A)
David Holc (VL Walkinshaw) made a great start to lead until Glenn Seton (M3 Evo) squeezed through on a very greasy track. As the track dried V8 Supercar star Jason Richards (A9X) moved past Bob Tweedie (Sierra) and Chris Collins (VH Commodore) to grab third. Bill Cutler (M3) dropped out of the top ten with electrical gremlins as recent Lakeside race winner Brett Maddren (Mustang) and Gary Collins (VL Walky) climbed the order. Veteran Don Holland was back behind the wheel of the first RX-3 to reappear in Group C ranks as Richards steered the Paul Stubber owned ex-HDT machine to the win in front of Chris Collins with Holc and Seton next, after going the wrong way with tyre selection. Maddren was fifth then Gary Collins, Terry Ashwood (GTR), Jervis Ward (M3), David Towe (M3) and Norm Mogg (VL Walky) rounding out the top ten.
Trophy Races
Seton led all the way to notch up the Group A win with Ashwood just beating Holc to second after the Commodore held the Nissan out for most of the race. Gary Collins was fourth from Rod Markland (GTR) who along with Seton and Ashwood all went under Holc`s lap record from 2008. Chris Collins took out the Group C event with his job made slightly easier (but only just thanks to the strong field) by the retirement of Richards after the A9X broke a diff.
Group A Race three
Sunday’s dry track was no help to Maddren who was out early with Ashwood just holding out Gary Collins for the win by .0001 of a second (!) after some great racing. Holc was less than a second back in third with Rod Markland only inches behind. Seton was next then Cutler who just beat Carey McMahon (HR31 Skyline) and Ross Donnelley (Sierra), followed by Mogg and Towe.
Group C Race three
Chris Dubois (VH Commodore) made a great start as did Lindsay Woollard (A9X) and Dean How (L34) though Richards was slicing through from the back and into the lead into double quick time. Chris Collins came in for a drive through after receiving one of the 4000 black flags handed out for start line infringements over the weekend. Ed Singleton (VH Commodore) pushed hard but could not catch race winner Richards with Dubois third then Howe, Collins, Woollard, Michael Turner (A9X), Justin Nilsson (Nissan EXA), Chad Parrish (XE) and John Mina (XD).
Feature Race
Incredibly, Richards’ diff let go again and put him out on the first lap. Ashwood and Holc then engaged in a massive dice for the win with Holc grabbing the victory by just .001 of a second. Seton was third from Markland who just beat McMahon then Chris Collins, Singleton, Mark Taylor (VL Gp.A) then Towe just inches in front of Ward.