Launch Day Update!

The 2009 Independent Race Series Launch is go for liftoff, and there are some exciting additions to help make it an even bigger event.

In addition to the on-track sessions, with some driver tuition available, and the BBQ lunch, the following additional activities will be taking place:

Licence and Logbook Processing

Competitors eager to get a head start on their 2009 administration can get all their paperwork out of the way at the event. iRace HQ staff will be in attendance, and ready to help you with your forms. (Relevant forms are also available for download here.)

Marketplace

Buy, sell, swap your racing gear. If you have a racecar or equipment you are selling, the 2009 iRace Launch Day is the perfect venue to display it to prospective buyers. If you have a larger item, or a car you wish to bring, please get in contact with Garry Willmington on 02 4841 1422 or Fax 02 4841 1017 or click here to email.

Anyone who has an item to sell or lease can list the item on our free Classifieds. Please visit the Classified Submission form here to submit your ad.

Get a head start on the 2009 Independent Race Series, get yourself to the Launch Day - 18 January 2009 at the Marulan Driver Training Centre.

Oran Park - Video Highlights

The video above is a short highlights reel from the coverage of the first ever iRace round from Oran Park. The full package should be available early in the new year.

iRace 2009 Season Launch

The 2009 Independent Race Series is set to take off, with an exciting launch day to be held at the brand new Marulan Driver Training Centre 18 January 2009.

The Independent Race Series is racing for racers. Costs are kept as low as possible, and in the prevailing economic climate, it's expected that this will prove even more important heading into 2009. The Independent Race Series is set for at least five rounds in 2009, Morgan Park 20-22 March, Oran Park (South) 15-16 May, Morgan Park 19-21 June, Oran Park (GP) 14-15 August and Oran Park (South) 13-15 November. More details on the 2009 series will be announced at the Launch Day.

In keeping with the affordable theme for iRace, the Launch Day will be an affordable event, with no racing, but plenty of opportunity for drivers to hone their skills ahead of an exciting season. The day will be an opportunity for competitors, prospective competitors, supporters and suppliers to get together, socialise and network without the pressure of a normal race weekend. Those keen to blow away the holiday cobwebs will have the chance to do some laps too, with the driver training facility open to road or production cars (at a fee of $50 per head for driver or passenger). Driver education will also be available to those who are keen to improve their skills. The day will also be a great opportunity to take some hard-working crewmembers or loyal supporters out for a few laps. There will be kids ride sessions, and iRace licence evaluations for new competitors.

Entry to the Launch Day is free. For those taking part in laps of the facility, the cost is $50 per head, and includes a free BBQ lunch (with soft drink). BBQ lunch is available to everyone else for $5. Soft drinks, tea and coffee will also be available. A 90db noise limit applies to all vehicles at the event.

The Marulan Driver Training Centre is a brand new, state-of-the-art facility, located less than an hour from Sydney. It features a 1km training loop, a short dirt oval, and a skidpan, as well as excellent classrooms and administration buildings. The facility was constructed by Garry and Natalie Willmington, and opened in late 2008.

So, for your chance to be a part of the Launch Day, and get behind the 2009 Independent Race Series, make sure you keep January 18th free, and head to the Marulan Driver Training Centre for a fantastic day. To secure your place now, contact Garry Willmington on 02 4841 1422 or Fax 02 4841 1017 or click here to email.

UPDATE to the Launch Day available here.

Directions to Marulan Driver Training Centre available here.

Wild Thing

Thanks to iRacer Anthony Soole for letting us know about this video!

Important Announcement

It is with regret that the Independent Race Series announces the postponement of the Morgan Park round of the series scheduled for this weekend. The round has been postponed due to circumstances beyond our control.

It will now take place in early 2009, as the first part of a five event schedule which is as follows:

R1 - Morgan Park - 20-22 March
R2 - Oran Park (South) - 15-16 May
R3 - Morgan Park - 19-21 June
R4 - Oran Park (GP) - 14-15 August
R5 - Oran Park (South) - 13-15 November

The debut round of the Independent Race Series was held at Oran Park 11 October, and was a big hit with all the competitors. 2009 is expected to be even better.

The Independent Race Series - racing for racers.

Round Two of the Independent Race Series Rapidly Approaching

The second round of the brand-new Independent Race Series is rapidly approaching, and it looks set to be another ground breaking round for the series.

With less than two weeks until the action happens, entries are due to close shortly, and competitors are reminded to get their entries in as soon as possible.

For anyone from the southern states considering going, but baulking at the distance, you may be interested to know that to reach Warwick from Sydney is actually just under 2 hours quicker than the trip to Queensland Raceway!

The secret to a quick trip to Morgan Park is to avoid the Pacific Highway, and head inland via the New England Highway. For a quick look at some Google Maps directions (from Sydney to Warwick), click here.

Once you reach Warwick, you're in for a treat. In the words of queenslandholidays.com.au Warwick is: "An idyllic country destination, Warwick's cityscape is characterised by lovingly maintained sandstone buildings, countless pubs, restaurants, cafes, B&Bs, and a real sense of country hospitality." Click here for the full rundown on the town and surrounds.

The Morgan Park circuit shares many of the same values that are the hallmark of the Independent Race Series - fun, value-for-money racing, with esprit-de-corps high among those who've made it all happen. The layout is challenging and features racing in a clockwise direction over 2.1km of what is reportedly some of the smoothest bitumen around. Laptimes are around the 1min mark, and speeds are similar to Wakefield Park. For all the details on the circuit, visit the official website here.

There is accommodation in the area to suit a range of budgets, with the Shire of Warwick Tourism offering a full rundown (click here). Remember the circuit is on the southern side of town, about 5km from the Post Office.

So: a great town, full of excellent places to eat, plenty of accommodation, and a terrific race track, and to top it all off the fantastic iRace atmosphere. Where else would you rather be?

For more information on the second round of the Independent Race Series, please contact us via this page.

We've been having a little trouble with our fax machine at iRace HQ, so if you've faxed your entry and you're not sure it got through, please contact Rod: 0412 785 486 (or click here) and double check.

See you all at Morgan Park: 15-16 November 2008.

Round One Photos Now Online

The photo gallery from Round One of the Independent Race Series has now been uploaded, with additional photos to be added shortly.

There are some great shots in the gallery, and photos have been divided into the separate categories that ran at the event. Click here, or the image on the right to view the gallery, or use the individual category links below. The pages are also accessible from the "Multimedia" section of the site, accessible by clicking the appropriate button on the menu to the left.

Formula Tasman & Le Mans Sports

Touring Car Challenge

Production Racing Cars

Muscle Division & Invited Sports

The next round of the Independent Race Series will be held at Queensland's Morgan Park 15-16 November 2008.

Living on the Edge

We have more photos coming soon from Round One of the Independent Race Series, but can whet your appetite with this series taken during Qualifying for the Production Racing Cars on Saturday.

Hans Riehs had been setting the track alight in his Class B Mini Cooper S, setting fastest time in the morning practice session (51.48s), and setting a time good enough for second on the grid before running wide heading towards Suttons. Unfortunately the car dug in as it entered the sand trap and suffered a slow roll onto, coming to a rest on its side.

Hans was uninjured, but took no further part in proceedings. The car suffered fairly minor (mostly cosmetic) damage, and is expected to return to the front of the Production Racing Cars pack in the near future.

First Ever Round Deemed a Success

The first ever round of the Independent Race Series was held at Sydney's Oran Park over the weekend, with a successful meeting and some very exciting on-track action.

Unofficial practice took place on Friday 10 October, and many of the competitors took the opportunity to get familiar with the flowing Oran Park "South Circuit" layout.

Saturday morning brought the official practice sessions for four separate groups: Touring Car Challenge, Formula Tasman/LeMans Sports (combined), Production Racing Cars and Muscle Division. Drivers had little time to relax, with qualifying held mid-morning.

In the Touring Car Challenge field it was Darren Saillard on pole in his BA Falcon V8 Supercar. In the Formula Tasman ranks, Sam Dale dominated in his Reynard 94D, Mark Laucke was quickest of the LeMans Sports in his WEST. Quickest of the Production Racing Cars was Clark Stott in his Mazda 3 MPS. Muscle Division saw Chris Clearihan take pole in his Future Racer.

Racing got underway just after midday, and the first ever race in the Independent Race Series was Production Racing Car driver Clark Stott, putting in a stunning performance in his Mazda 3 MPS. Racing continued into the afternoon, finishing just before 5pm with a sudden downpour drenching the final race.

Over the course of the day the category results were as follows:

Production Racing Cars was taken out by an envigorated Neil Byers. Byers took his Mitsubishi 380 to two race wins (out of four races), ahead of Anthony Soole (Toyota Celica) and Bryan Fitzpatrick (Renault Clio). Class wins went to Clark Stott (Class A), Neil Byers (Class B) and John Willmington (Class C). As part of a bet made with his team, Neil Byers walked the pitlane (after the circuit was closed of course!) in his checkered boxer shorts to celebrate his wins.

Formula Tasman was won by Sam Dale in his Reynard 94D. Dale won all three races, setting the fastest laptimes in each. It didn't go all his way though - a sticking throttle cable on Dale's car saw Bob Muir take the lead in the final race, but some confusion over the safety car saw Muir excluded from the race. Formula Robertson honours went to Glenn Lynch.

In the LeMans Sports stakes, the overall result went to Aaron Steer in his WEST. Mark Laucke looked strong early on (taking two race wins), but was unable to complete the final race, handing the victory to steer, and relegating Laucke to second. Class honours went to Laucke (Oxygen Class), Scott Bingham (Radon Class) and Rick Otten (Neon Class).

The Touring Car Challenge honours went to Darren Saillard in his BF Falcon V8 Supercar. Saillard beat Mark Telfer (VZ Commodore) and Phil Groeneveld (VS Commodore) for outright honours. The ex-V8 Supercar honours went to Saillard, and the V8 Giants to Telfer.

Muscle Division was taken out by Canberran Chris Clearihan in his Future Racer. Second place went to Glen Austin in his EB Falcon, and third was taken by Steve Wild in another Future Racer.

To access the full results from Round One, please click here.

Round Two of the Independent Race Series will be held at Morgan Park (Queensland) 15-16 November. Keep track of all the latest news and information on www.irace.net.au

Round One Schedule Available Now

The event schedule for Round One of the Independent Race Series is now available to download. The schedule (as well as a range of other administrative documents) is available from the "Admin" page of the site. Or you can access the schedule directly by clicking here.

Round One of the 2008 Independent Race Series will be held at Sydney's Oran Park, Saturday 11 October 2008.

Aussie Drewer Wins for WEST in USA

Young rising Australian driver, Tom Drewer has won the 2008 IMSA Lites L2 Championship with a clean sweep at Petit Le Mans, Road Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Click here for the full story.

Important Information - Oran Park Entry Submission

Due to a relocation of the iRace HQ, the Entry Form submission fax number will be inactive for a few days. Please do not attempt to fax your entry forms between now and 26 September.

Post or email is still fine.

Round One of the Independent Race Series will take place at Sydney's Oran Park 11 October 2008.

Forms Available Now

Hot on the heels of the announcement of two events for 2008 for the Independent Race Series, the important documentation and forms are now available.

The Admin section of the Independent Race Series website is the official access point for all documentation. Direct links to the new forms and documents are listed below:

• Entry Form - Round 1 - Oran Park Sat 11 Oct 08
• Entry Form - Round 2 - Morgan Park 15-16 Nov 08
• Supplementary Regulations - Round 1 - Oran Park Sat 11 Oct 08
• Licence Application Form
• Licence Medical Examination Form
• Logbook Application Form
• Driver Profile Submission Form

Please note that many of the forms are in Adobe Acrobat format, and will require the Adobe Acrobat Viewer to view them. The Adobe Acrobat Viewer is a free download, available from THIS SITE.

Inaugural Event Announced for Independent Race Series

Following a great deal of anticipation the Independent Race Series will get underway at Sydney's Oran Park, 11 October 2008.

The Independent Race Series caters for a variety of different racing categories, with cars ranging from production-based cars (Production Racing Cars), to ultra-competitive touring cars (Touring Car Challenge), right through to prototype sports cars, and open-wheeler formula cars (LM Sports and Formula Tasman). Mixed in are the pocket rocket racing cars in RocketSports, and perhaps the most diverse sedan-based category around - Muscle Division, catering for everything from HQ Holdens to Japanese turbos.

The Oran Park event will serve as a great introduction for the Independent Race Series, and is planned to be held on the great "South Circuit" configuration of the challenging Oran Park layout. The meeting will take place over one day (Saturday 11 October), and will conclude in time for competitors, officials and crews to sit back and enjoy the Bathurst event the following day (Sunday 12 October).

Details of the second Independent Race Series event have also been released, and the series is set to travel to Warwick (QLD), to the exciting Morgan Park circuit. The Morgan Park event will be held 14-16 November 2008.

Entry forms for each event will be available very soon, and details of the brand new iRace Club will also be released shortly.

The Independent Race Series - Racing for Racers...

New Car + Super Diesel Backing = Pumped John Willmington

Luddenham driver John Willmington is fired up about the new Production Racing Cars series.

With backing from Sydney-based Super Diesel, Willmington has acquired a new car - a SSS N15 Nissan Pulsar, powered by the popular SR20 engine.

Willmington is relatively new to circuit racing, having made his debut in 2007 at the final round of that season's AMRS. He's certainly not lacking enthusiasm or talent though, and his background in go karts has given him a good starting point.

John's main sponsor is also fairly new on the market. Super Diesel is a revolutionary new fuel with benefits that include:

• Fuel economy improved by 4 to 7%
• Black smoke reduced by up to 24%
• Engine noise reduced by up to 15%

With the rapidly increasing application of diesel engines in passenger cars, Super Diesel is just what the doctor ordered!

Look out for Willmington and the Super Diesel Nissan Pulsar SSS at the first round of the Production Racing Cars, in the Independent Race Series. Keep track of all the latest news and information via the official series website: www.irace.net.au

Subscribe to the Independent Race Series

The internet is a hectic place. New websites spring up every day, and it can be hard to sort the wheat from the chaff. Most internet users have a collection of sites they visit regularly, but no way of knowing in advance if each of their favourite sites has been updated since they last visited. It can be time consuming to open up all your favourites only to find they haven't changed since the last time you looked.

What if there was a way to have any news items delivered automatically to your computer whenever you connected to the internet? Well, there is a way. And the Independent Race Series website (www.irace.net.au) has incorporated the technology in its design. The technology is called RSS (Really Simple Syndication), and it allows you to subscribe to a News "Feed", either through a program you may already be using (usually an email program or web browser), or through a dedicated program. Each time you connect to the internet, the program checks the status of the feed, and if there is a new article it can be automatically downloaded. For a full rundown on how it all works, and how you can subscribe, click HERE.

If you already know how to subscribe, the link you are looking for is: http://www.irace.net.au/news/files/blogRSS.php

There are a number of other little innovations incorporated in this website, and we'll bring you more information on how to get the most out of it soon.

Suggestion Box Now Open

The Independent Race Series is all about offering a better alternative for competitors, fans and teams. The more people that contribute to make the series great, the greater the series will be. If you have a suggestion, an idea, a proposal, a way we can do things better, we want to hear from you. To that end, we have opened a suggestion box, and hope that if you see something that could be improved you will let us know. Click the box on the right to head straight to the suggestion box.

Production Racing Cars competitor John Willmington has gotten the ball rolling, by suggesting the Suggestion Box. Thank you John. Now, let's hear from the rest of you!

Rest in Peace - Stu Wilson

Friend of the Independent Race Series, Stu Wilson passed away last Thursday.

Stu Wilson, an energetic and enthusiastic supporter of the AMRS, and friend of the Independent Race Series, was the founder of SWSports. Stu had a passion for life, and a passion for racing. He supported a long list of competitors in the AMRS, including: Natalie Willmington, Simon Morrison, Sean Holmes, George Miedecke, Daniel Flanagan and Bryan Fitzpatrick. Stu was an extremely popular figure around the paddock, and seemed almost ever present on the pit wall at Wakefield Park events. He was also well known as the coordinator of the 'Grid Guys' that frequently adorned Natalie Willmington's bonnet.

Stu passed away from illness in his home Thursday 19 June. To his friends and family, we would like to offer our sincere condolences. To Stu, you will be missed. We will remember you fondly.

Lady Racer for Formula Tasman

The Formula Tasman ranks are set to be joined by a new outright contender and she means business!

Michele Guyer is relatively new to motorsport, having obtained her licence in late 2006. She cut her teeth shortly thereafter in hillclimbing, competing at a variety of events, and improving with every outing, most recently setting a number of "Fastest Time of Day" (FTD) in her striking 1987 March Formula 4000. Guyer credits Erol Richardson with convincing her to venture into open-wheelers. Richardson is an accomplished engineer, also known as the brains behind Bob Muir's Lexus V8-powered Reynard 94D, and under his tutelage, Michele is expected to perform strongly in Formula Tasman.

Guyer has previously driven at Wakefield Park, Oran Park and Fairbairn (ACT). When she's not setting FTDs, she works as an IT Manager, and she lists her racing highlight (so far) as when:
"SDMA presented me with the “Effort Par Excellence” award for being the only lady to win an event outright, the only lady to get under 50 seconds for this track (44) and the only lady to win FTD in their history with a special mention of consistently achieving a PB at each meeting."

Guyer's car is a 1987 March, powered by a 3800cc Holden V6, and with engineering by Erol Richardson, should prove to be a formidable weapon.

Keep abreast of all the latest news and information at the official website: www.irace.net.au

Independent Race Series Official Website Launched

The official website of the Independent Race Series has been officially launched.

The website will be the central point for disseminating information relating to the brand new series, and will contain information on the calendar, each of the categories, as well as news, results, photos and video, plus feature articles, and of course access to all the paperwork and administration for the series.

The site relies on input from the competitors, and you the reader, so if you have anything you would like to see, please head to the Contact Us page, and let us know. We'll be providing some extra information soon on how you can really get involved, but until then we're always open to great ideas and submissions!