it’s our best oil yet... www.castroledge.com.au 20th February 2013Volume 3 - issue 3

2013 V8 Championship Calendar

Date Event Location

Feb 28-Mar 3 Clipsal 500 Adelaide Adelaide Parklands

Mar 14-17 Australian Grand Prix Albert Park, Melbourne

April 5-7 Tasmania Challenge Symmons Plains, Tasmania

April 12-14 ITM 400 Auckland Pukekohe, New Zealand

May 3-5 Perth Barbagallo Raceway, Western Australia

May 17-19 Texas 400 Austin, Texas

June 14-16 SKYCITY Triple Crown Hidden Valley, Darwin

July 5-7 Sucrogen Townsville 400 Reid Park, Townsville

July 27-28 Coates Hire Ipswich Queensland Raceway, Ipswich

August 23-25 Winton Winton Motor Raceway, Victoria

September 13-15 Sandown 500 Sandown, Melbourne

October 10-13 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 Mount Panorama, Bathurst

October 25-27 ARMOR ALL Gold Coast 600 Surfers Paradise, Queensland

November 23-24 Phillip Island 400 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Victoria

November 29-December 1 Sydney 500 Sydney Olympic Park

the castrol edge V8 Predictor has arriVed! Castrol EDGE Australia is excited to announce the launch of an all-new online fantasy game, which is sure to have motorsport fans on the EDGE of their seats for the entire 2013 season.

V8 fans can put their knowledge to the test with the Castrol EDGE V8 Predictor in 2013. The Predictor kicks off with the first round in Adelaide on February 28 and runs through to the final race of the season in Sydney on 29 November. The Castrol EDGE V8 Predictor is Australia’s version of the hugely popular Castrol EDGE Grand Prix Predictor and, like it’s global counterpart, will be completely FREE to play with some amazing prizes on offer.

Players will score points for their predictions at every round with Castrol EDGE offering great prizes for round wins. The major prize for the ultimate winner is a VIP trip for two, to the 2014 Clipsal 500 including a hot lap of the track.A panel of experts will register their predictions for each round giving

players the chance to predict against the best in the business.

Castrol EDGE is proud to announce it’s four experts for the inaugural Castrol EDGE V8 Predictor : Russell Ingall (V8 Supercars champion), Oliver Gavin ( 2012 American Le Mans Series GT Champion), James O’Connor (Wallabies rugby superstar) and the Speedcafe Team.

Play against your mates, colleagues and family in V8 Predictor mini- leagues, tip the winners and have the chance at winning some amazing prizes. It takes strength to be number one – if you top the overall league table of the Castrol EDGE V8 Predictor you could experience an unforgettable V8 experience to enjoy in 2014.

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Sebastien Ogier has claimed the first World Championship rally victory for the Castrol-EDGE backed Volkswagen Motorsport following a faultless performance on Rally Sweden. The Frenchman secured a maiden win for Volkswagen’s new Polo R World Rally Car on only the German manufacturer’s second event, three weeks after finishing runner-up on Rallye Monte-Carlo.

Ogier dominated the snow and ice event after snatching the lead from nine-time world champion Sebastien Loeb on Friday morning. He ended the rally with a flourish, going fastest through the final Power Stage to bag three extra drivers’ championship points and beat Loeb’s

Citroen DS3 by a margin of 41.8 seconds.The victory for Ogier is the eighth at World Championship level for put him in the lead of the drivers’ standings.

Ogier was quick to pay tribute to his team. “I must thank them because they have given me a perfect car all weekend. I’ve never had a car like that. Unbelievable,” he said. “The win here was amazing but also a big surprise. We have spent so much time and effort with the team in preparation - all of last year - but we never expected to have this performance so soon. It couldn’t be better. This morning Sebastien (Loeb) was putting a lot of pressure on. He was flying into the stages. We tried to follow him

without maximum risk but we had to push because he was so fast. To win like that is amazing,” he added.

Loeb made it a French one-two but was left ruing a poor result on the pre-rally Qualifying Stage on Thursday that determined the early running order.

“We lost a lot because of that I think,” said Loeb. “We didn’t get a good road position, then we changed the car set-up to try and improve things but that led to two mistakes on the first day and the loss of about 30-seconds. Okay, Sebastien Ogier didn’t make any mistakes. He has done the perfect rally. There was nothing more I could do.”

ogier briNgs First wrc wiN For castrol-backed Vw at rally swedeN

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ogier briNgs First wrc wiN For castrol-backed Vw at rally swedeN

RESULTS: Rally Sweden

Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap

1 Sebastien Ogier Volkswagen 3:11:41.9

2 Sebastien Loeb Citroen +0:41.8

3 Mads Ostberg Qatar M-Sport Ford +1:24.5

4 Jari-Matti Latvala Volkswagen +1:30.6

5 Thierry Neuville Qatar M-Sport Ford +5:06.4

6 Juho Hanninen Qatar M-Sport Ford +5:43.1

7 Martin Prokop Czech Ford +11:25.4

8 Henning Solberg M-Sport Ford +11:42.7

9 Evgeny Novikov Qatar M-Sport Ford +13:04.7

10 Yazeed Al Rahji Yazeed Ford +16:27.0

Drivers’ Standings

Pos Driver Team/Car Points

1 Sebastien Ogier Volkswagen 46

2 Sebastien Loeb Citroen 43

3 Mads Ostberg Qatar M-Sport Ford 24

4 Dani Sordo Citroen 15

5 Jari-Matti Latvala Volkswagen 14

6 Mikko Hirvonen Citroen 12

Castrol EDGE backed Qatar World Rally Team driver Mads Ostberg equalled his 2012 Sweden result with third, 42.7sec behind Loeb. The Norwegian’s rally looked to be over on Friday morning when the fluid in his Fiesta’s cooling system drained into the snow. But the 25-year-old survived the scare and went on to beat Latvala in a tense battle for third.

“I understood quite early that a win wasn’t going to be possible, and since then it’s been a big fight for third,” said Ostberg. “It’s been a very up and down rally but I’m pleased to have won the fight with Jari-Matti (Latvala). It’s a great feeling.”

After crashing out of Rallye Monte-Carlo, Latvala scored his first points of the year for fourth, a slender 6.1sec adrift of Ostberg. A two-time winner of Rally Sweden, Latvala endured a difficult event as he struggled to get comfortable with the handling of his Polo R. Dani Sordo failed to finish what had been a tough rally for the Spaniard, after he crashed into a snow bank on the final stages.

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The Castrol EDGE-clad Race Industries Holden Astra HSV VXR has finished 18th outright and first in the class E (Production Performance) category at the weekend’s Bathurst 12 Hour. Ivo Breukers, Morgan Haber and Damien Ward drove a superb race to capture the class win despite treacherous weather conditions in the closing hour.

Erebus Motorsport took overall victory in the 2013 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour with its #36 Mercedes of Alex Roloff, Bernd Schneider and Thomas Jaeger. There was heartbreak during the final laps of the race for Castrol-backed United Autosports, whose Audi had been set for a sixth place finish until an otherwise outstanding Brendon Hartley was caught out by the conditions at the top of the Mountain in the final minutes.

Contact with the wall at the inside of Sulman Park damaged the rear-suspension of the R8, rendering it a non-finisher. The second Castrol-backed Holden Astra HSV VRX was not as fortunate as it’s Racer Industries teammates with Ryan McLeod, Keith Kassulke and Castrol dealer from Grand Prix Mazda, Jake Camilleri, falling victim to a gearbox failure.

castrol edge-backed astra claims class wiN at bathurst 12hr

2013 Bathurst 12hr Results

Pos. No. Team Car Cls Laps

1 36 Erebus Motorsport Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 A 268

2 33 Clearwater Racing Ferrari F458 GT3 A 267

3 5 VIP Petfoods Porsche 911 GT3 R A 267

4 1 Phoenix Racing Audi R8 LMS Ultra GT A 266

5 9 Network Clothing / Hallmarc Audi R8 LMS Ultra GT A 263

6 63 Erebus Motorsport Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 A 263

7 58 AF Corse SRL Ferrari F458 GT3 A 261

8 14 Peter Conroy Motorsport Audi R8 LMS GT A 260

9 30 Hunter Sports Group Porsche 997 GT3 Cup B 257

10 71 Equity-One Mortgage Fund Audi R8 LMS Ultra GT A 255

11 4 Grove Group Porsche 997 GT3 Cup B 251

12 44 Mal Rose Racing Holden VY Commodore I3 248

13 48 GB Galvanizing Lamborghini GT3 LP56 A 247

14 69 Motorsport Services Porsche 997 GT3 Cup B 244

15 8 We Are Legend Porsche 997 GT3 Cup B 236

16 21 Team Peugeot RCZ Peugeot RCZ Cup I1 233

17 81 DragonSpeed Audi R8 LMS Ultra GT A 233

18 3 Racer Industries Holden Astra HSV VXR E 229

19 62 nurburgring.com.au Lotus Exige S C 228

20 55 Motorsport Services Seat Leon Supercopa I2 225

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In a momentous day for women in motorsport, Castrol-backed Courtney Force has started the 2013 Mello Yello NHRA Drag Racing Series in best possible fashion, defeating Ron Capps in the Funny Car Final of the Winternationals at Pomona, being joined in victory lane by Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel) and Vincent Nobile (Pro Stock Car).

On a day where the NASCAR world was celebrating Danica Patrick’s historic pole position for the Daytona 500, top qualifier Force carved her way through to the final by eliminating Phil Burkhart and Matt Hagan. She got to the final when Bob Tasca III broke out too quickly and was red-lighted. Capps - the form man at the back end of 2012 - forced Courtney’s dad, John out of proceedings before

taking out Garry Densham and Johnny Gray. Defending Champion, Jack Beckman was eliminated in the first round by Todd Lesenko.

The big talk of the Top Fuel race was the qualifying crash by Tony Schumacher - when his parachute failed, sending him into the sandtrap at the end of the track and the huge explosion that put Antron Brown out of proceedings in the second round. The Sarge was able to strike back in the US Army machine, getting through to the final, however he would have to play second fiddle to Shawn Langdon who tore down the strip in 3.721 seconds at 521.61kph (324.11mph) over Schumacher’s 3.747 at 518.64 kph (322.27mph).

Langdon eliminated Clay Millican,

Brandon Bernstein and Khalid AlBalooshi on his way to the finale, whilst top qualifier Schumacher overcame Sidnei Frigo and Steve Torrence. He had a free run in the semi-final as Brown was unable to make the final due to his round two crash after defeating Australian, Dave Grubnic. Brown escaped the spectacular incident with nothing more than a few minor burns.

Australian team, Rapisarda Autosport International with former Champion Larry Dixon behind the wheel qualified 13th fastest for the first event of the season. They could not advance from round one, being taken out by Brown.

Youngster, Vincent Nobile won the Pro Stock division at Pomona having come up against Jeg Coughlin in

courtNey Force wiNs oPeNiNg Nhra rouNd

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the final. Coughlin red-lighted off the startline, but it wouldn’t have mattered as Nobile’s 6.584 second run was well in advance of his more experienced counterpart.

Nobile arrived at the final having qualified fifth and eliminating Matt Hartford, Shane Gray and Greg Stanfield. Whilst Coughlin faced off for the first Wally trophy of 2013 by taking out Steve Kent, Kurt Johnson and V. Gaines. A notable early round casualty was Erica Enders-Stevens, taken out in round one by Kurt Johnson after she was the third quickest runner in qualifying. The second round of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series is next weekend in Phoenix, Arizona.

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Castrol-backed Ford Performance Racing drivers Mark Winterbottom and Will Davison have taken the wraps off their factory Ford Falcons, complete with new sponsorship from Pepsi Max with blue and yellow schemes reversed on the #5 and #6 factory Fords.

The colour choice of the cars are said to take after the drivers, with the blue ‘ice’ representing ‘Frosty’ Winterbottom and the yellow ‘fire’ for Davison. The art creation was penned by ‘Hooks,’ a graffiti artist and member of the worldwide graffiti crew, in conjunction with FPR’s graphic designer Nick Moss. Winterbottom and Davison are said to have also had a hand in the creation of the design.

Castrol-backed Nissan Motorsport unveiled its four Nissan Altima V8 Supercars ahead of the 2013 V8 Supercars Championship. The newest factory team in the V8 field will be spearheaded by Todd and Rick Kelly

castrol-backed team liVeries uNVeiled The launch of Ingall’s new car took place at the Supercheap Auto distribution centre in Altona, Melbourne. The two-time Bathurst 1000 winner )(in Castrol commodores) says he’s hoping his experience will pay-off this year in the category’s first season with the new Car of the Future technical regulations.

“Being completely new and different from the way V8s have always been built, COTF is quite a departure from the norm,” he said. “Because I spent the early years of my career jumping

in Jack Daniel’s Racing colours, while Michael Caruso and James Moffat have been confirmed as the drivers of the two Norton 360-backed Altima L33s. Todd and Rick Kelly will remain in their traditional #7 and #15 entries, while Caruso will drive the #36 car and Moffat the #360 Altima.

The cars and drivers were revealed at Melbourne Showgrounds in Flemington, Victoria. It is the first time in 20 years that Nissan has competed as a factory outfit in Australian motorsport, and leading driver Rick Kelly said he is looking forward to the new challenges his team will face in 2013.

Russell Ingall has taken the wraps off of the 2013 Castrol EDGE-backed Supercheap Auto Racing Commodore VF ahead of his final year of full-time V8 Supercars competition. Ingall, the 2005 V8 champion, will retire from the sport at the end of the year, which marks his 18th consecutive as a full-time driver.

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castrol-backed team liVeries uNVeiled between different categories, I believe I’ll be able to adapt to the new car quite quickly. I’m not going into this season thinking about my last year, I’m just going into it as another year of racing. I’m probably more determined this year because of opportunities with new

car. If I can come out of the first three rounds with a good bundle of points, I think I’ll be able to have one of the best years I’ve had for a long time.”

Walkinshaw Racing also also built a fourth COTF Commodore for Castrol-

backed Tony D’Alberto Racing, which will be run out of TDR’s own Melbourne workshop. Team’s tested last Saturday at Sydney Motorsport Park as the 2013 V8 Supercars Championship is set to kick off next weekend on the streets of Adelaide.

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The Castrol EDGE-backed BMW Motorsport and BMW Team RLL have unveiled the car and drivers which will challenge this year’s American Le Mans Championship. Guests from around the world gathered at Daytona International Speedway and were given the opportunity to inspect the BMW Z4 GTE at close hand, talk to those responsible for the team, and experience the iconic racetrack in Florida from the cockpit, courtesy of taxi rides with the BMW ALMS drivers.

Car number 55 will be driven by Bill Auberlen and ALMS rookie Maxime Martin. Dirk Müller will contest all the races in the number 56 car. Joey Hand and John Edwards will alternate as the two-time ALMS GT champion’s driving partner. Edwards will stand in for Hand when he is unavailable due to his parallel commitment in the DTM. Jörg Müller (#55) and Uwe Alzen (#56) will bolster the

squad at the endurance races at Sebring and Road Atlanta.

“As we approach the start of the ALMS season in mid-March, so the anticipation is gradually rising,” said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt. “All of us at BMW Motorsport and BMW Team RLL are very curious to see how the first few races pan out with the new BMW Z4 GTE. We are setting out on a development year, but are very confident we have once again developed a car that has the potential to win races and titles in the form of the BMW Z4 GTE. Seeing our drivers at this event, you could tell how much they are looking forward to the first race in Sebring. I would also like to say a big thank you to our Premium Partner Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts for its fantastic support here in Daytona.”

The BMW Z4 GTE will contest its first season in 2013. In July 2012, BMW

Motorsport engineers in Munich began work on developing a GTE version of the BMW Z4 GT3, which would comply with ACO regulations. The BMW Z4 GT3 itself has enjoyed many years of success in high-class GT series around the world. The regulations stipulate that electronic aids that may be used on the BMW Z4 GT3, such as ABS and DSC, are not permitted on a GTE car.

The BMW Z4 GTE is considerably more compact than its successful predecessor, the BMW M3 GT. All the dimensions of the BMW Z4 GTE have been modified to comply with ACO regulations. The new car took to the racetrack for its maiden test outing in the second half of January. BMW Team RLL was integrated in the process throughout the entire development period. Engineers from the USA travelled to Munich in December to play their part in the assembly of the BMW Z4 GTE.

castrol edge-backed bmw motorsPort uNVeils Z4 gte For 2013 alms

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castrol edge-backed bmw motorsPort uNVeils Z4 gte For 2013 alms

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THE

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