….everyone has to grab a seat. Yes, V8 Supercar aficionados, it’s that time of year again when the music of the season has ended and it’s ‘all change’ for 2008.
As early as last Sunday’s podium presentation, we saw and heard Todd Kelly say that he’d enjoyed (past tense) the last 10 years with HRT and thanked them all for their help ‘over the years’. Seems he’s been offered the seat occupied by Larry Perkin’s son, Jack, in the Jack Daniels Holden team. Jack Perkins has contracted type one diabetes and can’t drive full time anymore together with on-going treatment for his ailment.
In the domino effect which often follows one drive move, it’s heavily rumoured that Garth Tander, 2007 series champion, is to take Kelly’s place at HRT in 2008, alongside Mark Skaife. One wonders just how that pairing will perform. Skaife’s inate arrogance against Tander’s growing self-opinion AND a championship crown? Should be interesting.
Russell Ingall has been ‘released’ from his Stone Brothers Racing contract one year early, which tends to indicate that all’s not well between SBR & Ingall. Ingall is still a Ford contracted driver until the end of 2008, but scuttlebutt says he’s about to make the jump back to Holden. Of course, contracts being contracts, we’re unlikely to know for sure & certain just what ‘The Enforcer’ is doing until after midnight 1 January 2008. Again, dominos and someone will be slotted into SBR to replace Ingall, but who?
My favourite Fujitsu Series driver, Tony D’Alberto, managed to take out that championship for 2007, which is a big relief for him. I’m lucky in that I’m close friends with someone who works for D’Alberto’s major sponsor, and she gives me some pretty good goss from time to time. I know Tony’s team is reducing to one car next year which he prefers. Not exactly a two car team, his facilities have been shared with Mark McNally this year and while McNally does his own thing, the presence of what amounts to another entity in the garage has detracted from team performances to certain degrees.
And not to forget my Formula Ford interest, Ashley Walsh, sadly Ash didn’t have the killer end to his season he’d have wanted, but did manage to bring home a solid second spot after some mechanical woes in the final few races. Ashley is now back off to the UK for more testing and competition in Formula Renault. Good luck to him and let’s hope he takes out next years FF title.
There’s still plenty of silliness left to play in the Supercar circus and while the music plays, competitors will circle those chairs warily. More from me as it comes to hand.