Market Relevance. It’s become a buzz-phrase in the motorsport industry for racing categories trying to justify making certain decisions, mainly in terms of structuring technical regulations in a way that encourages manufacturer involvement. Indeed, market relevance has long been a core component of motor racing, because manufacturers feel that if they are to derive value [...]
The opening round of the brand-new Australian Motor Racing Series was run at Winton last weekend and by every objective measure it was a success, with 180 entries across 10 different categories, and more than 20,000 viewers on the live stream. Here are five things we learned from the weekend. 1. New categories [...]
23 February 2008 started out as just a normal Saturday at Charles Sturt University. I was chilling in my dorm room, no doubt recovering from a hangover sustained at uni bar the night before, attempting to work on assignments but procrastinating by browsing through Facebook (which was still very much in its infancy in 2008). But what happened that [...]
Are Safety Cars actually that safe? Or are there alternatives that are both safer and fairer? It’s a topic I’ve written about before, but after watching a total of 47 laps under Safety Car conditions during this year’s Bathurst 12 Hour, witnessing a workable alternative (the Code 60 system) at the recent Dubai 24 Hour [...]
PHOTO: Insyde Media For something a bit different on Chequered Flag Chat, we decided to have... an actual chat! Join commentators Lachlan Mansell and Dave Stillwell as they provide a comprehensive preview for the 2018 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.
It's early Thursday morning at the Dubai Autodrome, and the back of the pits is buzzing with activity. Crew members are scurrying backwards and forwards between the freight containers and the garages, carrying equipment here and there and completing final preparations before the cars hit the track for official practice. A total of 91 cars [...]
So it's the motorsport off-season and you've finally managed to nail down that special motor-racing announcer you've been chasing all year, and convinced him to take you on a date. It feels like it's going well and might lead to something... but before you commit to anything too serious, there are some things you need [...]
PHOTO: Insyde Media It may have been a tough initiation for Simona De Silvestro in her first full season as a Virgin Australia Supercars Championship driver, but by the final event of the season at the Newcastle 500, the 29-year-old Swiss pilot’s talent was starting to shine through. De Silvestro’s achievements this season are not [...]
There are quite a few retired professional racing drivers who have subsequently enjoyed careers as motorsport commentators (think Neil Crompton, Mark Skaife, Mark Larkham) but not many who have started out as commentators and then become drivers – in fact, I struggle to think of many at all. Indeed, until Emily Duggan gave me a [...]
“AMBROSE HAS HAD A MASSIVE SHUNT! AMBROSE HAS HAD A MASSIVE SHUNT! SO GREG MURPHY’S INVOLVED, MORE CARS, THE TRACK IS JAMMED! THE TRACK IS JAMMED!!!” “HUGE, HUGE, HUGE MOMENT THROUGH THE CHASE, 300 KILOMETRES AN HOUR, SURFS OUT THE OTHER SIDE, ALMOST ROLLS THE CASTROL FORD, GATHERS IT UP, DROPS A BUNCH OF SPOTS, [...]
