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Sizzling Surfers

© Philip Northeast

The action was hot on and off the track when the V8 circus visited Surfers Paradise in adouble header with the Champ cars.

The Gillette V8 Supercar Challenge on the streets of the Gold Coast is famous for its surfboard trophies. The street circuit has been the scene of many major accidents and some exciting close V8 Supercar racing in the past. This circuit is a combination of long and fast straights, slow chicanes and tight hairpin corners, all set on a narrow and extremely unforgiving circuit layout.

Now that the V8s have equal status with the Champ cars for the event they are starting to see some benefits from this upgrade in status. The Queensland State Government and the Gold Coast Motor Events Corporation (GCMEC) have been instrumental in providing a completely new pit lane specifically for V8 Supercar Championship teams. "It has certainly come along way from us being shunted down a back street," said Mark Skaife, owner and lead driver for the Holden Racing Team.

Due to an oversight by AVESCO the new pits were not big enough to allow the tyre changes during the race that were part of the intended race format. "It was our error," said AVESCO chairman Tony Cochrane.

The problems created by the differing behavior of proper open wheel racing cars and touring cars over the corner kerbs have been addressed.

"The officials have done a good job in getting the kerb situation at Indy fixed up. Up until last year, it was a joke and an embarrassment. If we have the same common sense approach this year, the drivers will be able concentrate on driving fast and then the fans will get what they want," said veteran touring car driver John Bowe.

October is Breast Cancer awareness month and all the Ford V8 Supercar teams showed their support by carrying special pink Ford windscreen banners to draw attention to the fight against Breast Cancer.

Following the crash between Jason Plato and John Cleland at the recent Bathurst 1000 both of the cars involved were unable to be repaired in time. Fortunately the teams have old cars in their workshops that could be returned to active service.

will make a surprise comeback for the V8 Supercar Championship Series at Surfers Paradise this weekend.

Holden Racing Team will race one of Australia's most successful racecars known as 'The Golden Child', the VX/VY Chevrolet-powered hybrid Commodore that Mark Skaife used to win two Bathurst 1000s, two Clipsal 500s and two V8 Championships during HRT's stellar seasons of 2001/02.