02/Apr/2008
On-track temperatures among MINI CHALLENGE competitors will rise significantly this weekend, when a storming mid-field battle from the opening round at Eastern Creek resumes at the tight 2.2 kilometre Wakefield Park circuit.
Gary Young (Salta Constructions) and Iain Sherrin (Sherrin Rentals) will lead that charge, along with Michael Stillwell (Bib Stillwell MINI Garage) and Ricky Occhipinti (Formula Uno Racing).
The quartet were the constants in a number of door handle to door handle contests throughout the three races at Eastern Creek.
Adding to the interest in proceedings will be the addition of a troika of debutantes, headed by a pair of Queensland-based GT racers, Kevin Miller (Motorline MINI Garage), and Damien Flack (Nexus Cleaning Professionals), whilst Sydney based journalist, Shaun Cleary, takes over the UBER-STAR CAR hot seat from Jason Bargwanna.
Miller will drive the newly liveried green and black Motorline 'Kermit' car, meantime Flack will compete with current Series leading team, M3 Motorsport, under the Nexus Cleaning Professionals banner.
Sitting seventh and eighth in points respectively, Young and Sherrin started the season in other categories, but will concentrate solely on MINI CHALLENGE this weekend.
Young - who epitomises the term 'Mr. Versatile' on and off the racetrack - has been racing a SuperCheap Auto-supported Aussie racer, but admits doing double duty at Eastern Creek took its toll and impacted on his MINI CHALLENGE efforts.
"Eastern Creek probably wasn't as good as it could have been, backing up between the two categories certainly affected my performance in both," Young reflected. "This weekend, I'm concentrating totally on MINI CHALLENGE to give myself more of a chance. I've won at Wakefield in the past and know the track well, but there's some tough competition, so I hope to be right in there and mixing it up!"
Sherrin steps out of his Sherrin Rentals Porsche Carrera Cup machine for Kiwi, Daniel Gaunt. Whilst he freely admits he would love to pilot the German supercar, there are a number of logical reasons that will see him in the MINI, which is liveried in a colour - Rentals Yellow - devised specifically for the company and applied to its racing activities.
"From a few perspectives, racing in MINI CHALLENGE this weekend makes sense for me and the team," the Brisbane based Managing Director said. "Our sponsors attained some outstanding exposure as a result of racing in the category at Eastern Creek and that is one of the key motivating factors.
"The other factor is the wheel-to-wheel racing that I was involved in. It was a load of fun and looking at it from developing as a racecar driver, driving against the experienced competition that is in MINI CHALLENGE has helped me significantly."
The two battled throughout the weekend with Melbourne-based Michael Stillwell and Geelong's Ricky Occhipinti.
Stillwell, the eldest of the renowned Bib Stillwell's progeny, expects Wakefield will see an advance up the field for the eponymic team - having raced there before in a BMW E30.
Occhipinti, too, believes that with additional preparation time following Eastern Creek, he will be charging toward the lead pack.
The effect 'success ballast' has on the Eastern Creek top three - Neil McFadyen (Doulman Automotive), Paul Stokell (DecoRug Motorsport) and Seven Network personality, Grant Denyer (DecoRug Motorsport) is eagerly anticipated by everyone in the MINI CHALLENGE paddock, with all three expecting it to impact on their weekend somehow.
This weekend's addition to the MINI CHALLENGE UBER-STAR CAR alumni is Shaun Cleary. Cleary is a 24-year-old journalist with MOTOR magazine and a contributor to Auto Action and a number of other publications under the ACP Magazines umbrella.
Although this will be his first circuit race meeting, Cleary has won back to back Club Championships in 2005 and 2006 at the North Shore Kart Club and has recorded a number of podium finishes in State Karting Titles. He has also completed two Dutton Rallies, finishing the 2006 Queensland edition in eighth on handicap.
"I've been racing karts for a few years now and done plenty of track days, but not a race meeting," explains Cleary. "My focus - story-wise - will be on that 'quantum leap' into a full-on national level circuit race meeting, which I have no doubt will be an adventure. I couldn't be more excited about first practice on Friday - it can't come quick enough!"
A large convoy of MINI CHALLENGE supporters from the ACT and NSW chapters of ClubMINI - the official MINI owners and enthusiasts club - will make the trek to Wakefield Park from their respective capital cities on Sunday.
Giving the members something to cheer will be the cars of Paul and Todd Fiore (Shell Helix Ultra/Brisbane MINI Garage) both of which will carry signage for ClubMINI from this weekend.
And if the on-track MINI CHALLENGE action isn't enough for you, highlights from the opening round at Eastern Creek will air on the Seven Network this Saturday at 1:30pm nationally.
MINI CHALLENGE has three sessions on Friday (2 x practice, 1 x qualifying), one race Saturday and then two races Sunday, including the 30 minute race two that features a reversal of the top six finishers from race one.
Television coverage from Wakefield Park will air on Saturday, April 26 at 2:00pm.
Current MINI CHALLENGE Series points (after round 1 of 8):
1.Neil McFadyen - 168
2.Paul Stokell - 162
3.Grant Denyer - 156
4.Nathan Geier - 120
5.Paul Fiore - 114
6.Dave Turner - 81
7.Gary Young - 78
8.Iain Sherrin - 63
9.Chris Oxley - 54
10.Ricky Occhipinti - 54
11.Michael Stillwell - 45
12.Callum Ballinger - 39
13.Tim Poulton - 30
14.Todd Fiore - 27
15.Darren Berry - 21
NB: MINI CHALLENGE UBER-STAR CAR does not score points in any round.
2008 MINI CHALLENGE CALENDAR:
Round 1: March 7-9 - Eastern Creek, Sydney, NSW (Round Winner: Neil McFadyen)
Round 2: April 4-6 - Wakefield Park, Goulburn, NSW*
Round 3: May 9-11 - Barbagallo, Perth, WA
Round 4: June 7-9 - Sandown, Melbourne, Vic
Round 5: September 12-14 - Phillip Island, Vic
Round 6: October 9-12 - Mount Panorama, Bathurst, NSW
Round 7: November 21-23 - Symmons Plains, Tasmania
Round 8: December 4-7 - Oran Park, Sydney, NSW
*Denotes V8 Supercar Development Series round
