Race 1
Race 2
Race 3
Race 4
Race 5
Race 6
Race 7
Points Table
Round 1 - Stratton Valley - 3/9/24
1st - John Batich
2nd - Dave Bantoft
3rd - Adrian Gray
1st - John Batich
2nd - Dave Bantoft
3rd - Adrian Gray
Racing Report - Round 1
Another class, another low powered, low grip, touring car series…..
Well, OK that’s not entirely fair. History has shown that the V8 Supercars are among the most closely fought series, with most very few huge winning margins & a close spread of laps over the entire field.
Which is exactly what happened again in round 1 of the 2024 series this week at the lovely Stratton Valley circuit. There were, however, two stand out driver & car combinations this week and with both drawn next to each other for 2 of their heats, this confrontation was a highlight of the nights racing. JB & DB put on a titanic battle for lap after lap, with both cars very evenly matched. In the end it was probably JBs local experience that won through & his lap total of 75 gave him a great first round win in the series. DBs valiant struggle ended eventually just 2 laps short on 73, but it was a very strong first up showing from Dave & was enough to grab him 2nd this week with the promise of better things to come.
Adrian Gray took off like a bullet, and was looking like the man to beat for most of his 1st heat, but the black arts that encompass tyres had their way with his car immediately he moved to lane 2 & from then on it was a battle for him to maintain the same ace as his car got more & more undrivable. It was a testament to his skill that it was still enough to push him up into 3rd place on 70 laps overall.
1 lap back on 69, and in 4th this week was Rhys Filbee in 1 of 2 cars he had running in this weeks round. Both look to be very well setup. More on his 2nd car later. 2 drivers fought over 5th & 6th just 1 more lap back on 68 laps each. Phil eventually took the position in the generic Swedish liveried supercar from Dave Schofield in 6th. One thing Phil might think about implementing before next week though is a slight change of livery. After heat 1 he had switched to lane 2 & was plugged in & about to head off on his 2nd heat……which would have been a slight problem. While his car had indeed been switched to the correct lane, it was sadly facing the wrong direction back the way it came……
Pundits were suggesting this as an alternative livery to assist the Marshall in question overcome any similar problems going forward…..
Another class, another low powered, low grip, touring car series…..
Well, OK that’s not entirely fair. History has shown that the V8 Supercars are among the most closely fought series, with most very few huge winning margins & a close spread of laps over the entire field.
Which is exactly what happened again in round 1 of the 2024 series this week at the lovely Stratton Valley circuit. There were, however, two stand out driver & car combinations this week and with both drawn next to each other for 2 of their heats, this confrontation was a highlight of the nights racing. JB & DB put on a titanic battle for lap after lap, with both cars very evenly matched. In the end it was probably JBs local experience that won through & his lap total of 75 gave him a great first round win in the series. DBs valiant struggle ended eventually just 2 laps short on 73, but it was a very strong first up showing from Dave & was enough to grab him 2nd this week with the promise of better things to come.
Adrian Gray took off like a bullet, and was looking like the man to beat for most of his 1st heat, but the black arts that encompass tyres had their way with his car immediately he moved to lane 2 & from then on it was a battle for him to maintain the same ace as his car got more & more undrivable. It was a testament to his skill that it was still enough to push him up into 3rd place on 70 laps overall.
1 lap back on 69, and in 4th this week was Rhys Filbee in 1 of 2 cars he had running in this weeks round. Both look to be very well setup. More on his 2nd car later. 2 drivers fought over 5th & 6th just 1 more lap back on 68 laps each. Phil eventually took the position in the generic Swedish liveried supercar from Dave Schofield in 6th. One thing Phil might think about implementing before next week though is a slight change of livery. After heat 1 he had switched to lane 2 & was plugged in & about to head off on his 2nd heat……which would have been a slight problem. While his car had indeed been switched to the correct lane, it was sadly facing the wrong direction back the way it came……
Pundits were suggesting this as an alternative livery to assist the Marshall in question overcome any similar problems going forward…..
1 more lap back on 67 was the writer in 7th, and despite a clear run in all lanes, the car just does not have the pace to be a competitive unit this series. In 8th spot this week, running Rhys’s 2nd car, was Tom Males in a great result. Toms 65 laps were also mostly clear on all lanes, and pushed him up into his best result for some time. Also on 65 laps, but suffering from some in race marshalling incidents & a disastrous loss of drive as the heats went on was Rob Golley in 9th. Again, just 1 more lap back on 64 was Dave Gray in 10th.
So, apart from the top 2, just 7 laps covered the entire field form 3rd to 10th, which despite the class being a slow, low grip, touring car series, is really all we can ask for.
So, apart from the top 2, just 7 laps covered the entire field form 3rd to 10th, which despite the class being a slow, low grip, touring car series, is really all we can ask for.
Round 2 - Mornington Park - 7/9/24
1st - Adrian Gray
2nd - Dave Schofield
3rd - Dave Bantoft
1st - Adrian Gray
2nd - Dave Schofield
3rd - Dave Bantoft
Racing Report - Round 2
The legendary Ronnie Barker used to kick off every episode of “The Two Ronnies with the – famous quote – “and in a packed program tonight” ………and this line could most certainly be used to describe the evenings racing this week at Dave Grays Mornington Park circuit.
First up were the V8 Supercars, and during warm up, Schoee very observantly pointed out that it seemed that some laps were not being recorded on lane 3 (blue). After a quick investigation & some rudimentary cleaning it was decided that all was well & the racing commenced……
Which was a mistake, as almost immediately (inside the first rotation) blue lane obstinately refused to count any laps at all thus bringing the entire evening to a screeching halt. This also had the potential to be a huge disappointment for the many extra guest drivers (all of whom were called Nick) who had made a special effort to be here this week & all the other interested spectators, some of whom had travelled from far flung parts of South-East Tasmania to watch the racing unfold.
Some more hasty troubleshooting seemed to have no effect, until Phil very cleverly decided that the MacGyver approach would be way to go & so with the addition of a jury-rigged lap counting system (a torch gaff taped over lane 3) the racing was able to re-commence with all lanes operating perfectly.
Once racing got underway it was typical Supercar racing, noisy, slow, but also close with plenty of panel rubbing & more than a few cars being punted off onto the verges. Happily though, with none of the fisticuffs & aggro resulting from similar incidents in actual 1:1 Supercar racing over the years.
Drivers in the top 3 placings came & went over the round, and it wasn’t until the very final heat of the nights racing that the top 3 were sorted out. In fact all 3 drivers in the last heat leapfrogged every other driver in a perfect example of come from behind pressure driving.
Adrian was the first of these drivers to jump into top spot, and there he stayed. His total of 108 laps, was just 1 clear of 2nd place driver Schoee on 107. Schoees drive was made all the more impressive given that his heats were spread out over the whole round., from heat 1 to heat 10. In 3rd place this week with another great last bracket drive, was DB on 106 laps.
The battle for 4th & 5th was a close one & separated by half the length of the pit straight. In the end it was Phil who nabbed 4th from JB in 5th both ending up on 105 laps.
In 6th, all alone on 104 laps, was the writer, and just 2 laps back in an excellent 7th was Dave Gray on 102 laps. Daves result was very well deserved & shows that his car setup is still one of the best going around.
In 8th on 99 laps, Rhys Filbee who in turn was 4 laps clear of the first of the Nicks (Nick G) in 9th on 96 laps. Rounding out the top 10 after a car failure for the 2nd week running was the elder Golley (Rob) in 10th on 90 laps for the night.
Caine Kalbfell had his driving stint interrupted by the lap timing issues early on but pushed on and eventually finished 11th on 83, which was 3 laps clear of 12th placegetter Tom Males on 80 laps. 2nd guest Nick (Nick R) had a great introduction to the world of slot car racing, and hopefully had some enjoyment in it as he notched up 70 laps for 13th place on the night.
The legendary Ronnie Barker used to kick off every episode of “The Two Ronnies with the – famous quote – “and in a packed program tonight” ………and this line could most certainly be used to describe the evenings racing this week at Dave Grays Mornington Park circuit.
First up were the V8 Supercars, and during warm up, Schoee very observantly pointed out that it seemed that some laps were not being recorded on lane 3 (blue). After a quick investigation & some rudimentary cleaning it was decided that all was well & the racing commenced……
Which was a mistake, as almost immediately (inside the first rotation) blue lane obstinately refused to count any laps at all thus bringing the entire evening to a screeching halt. This also had the potential to be a huge disappointment for the many extra guest drivers (all of whom were called Nick) who had made a special effort to be here this week & all the other interested spectators, some of whom had travelled from far flung parts of South-East Tasmania to watch the racing unfold.
Some more hasty troubleshooting seemed to have no effect, until Phil very cleverly decided that the MacGyver approach would be way to go & so with the addition of a jury-rigged lap counting system (a torch gaff taped over lane 3) the racing was able to re-commence with all lanes operating perfectly.
Once racing got underway it was typical Supercar racing, noisy, slow, but also close with plenty of panel rubbing & more than a few cars being punted off onto the verges. Happily though, with none of the fisticuffs & aggro resulting from similar incidents in actual 1:1 Supercar racing over the years.
Drivers in the top 3 placings came & went over the round, and it wasn’t until the very final heat of the nights racing that the top 3 were sorted out. In fact all 3 drivers in the last heat leapfrogged every other driver in a perfect example of come from behind pressure driving.
Adrian was the first of these drivers to jump into top spot, and there he stayed. His total of 108 laps, was just 1 clear of 2nd place driver Schoee on 107. Schoees drive was made all the more impressive given that his heats were spread out over the whole round., from heat 1 to heat 10. In 3rd place this week with another great last bracket drive, was DB on 106 laps.
The battle for 4th & 5th was a close one & separated by half the length of the pit straight. In the end it was Phil who nabbed 4th from JB in 5th both ending up on 105 laps.
In 6th, all alone on 104 laps, was the writer, and just 2 laps back in an excellent 7th was Dave Gray on 102 laps. Daves result was very well deserved & shows that his car setup is still one of the best going around.
In 8th on 99 laps, Rhys Filbee who in turn was 4 laps clear of the first of the Nicks (Nick G) in 9th on 96 laps. Rounding out the top 10 after a car failure for the 2nd week running was the elder Golley (Rob) in 10th on 90 laps for the night.
Caine Kalbfell had his driving stint interrupted by the lap timing issues early on but pushed on and eventually finished 11th on 83, which was 3 laps clear of 12th placegetter Tom Males on 80 laps. 2nd guest Nick (Nick R) had a great introduction to the world of slot car racing, and hopefully had some enjoyment in it as he notched up 70 laps for 13th place on the night.
Round 3 - Stratton Valley - 24/9/24
1st - Rhys Filbee (Ford))
2nd - John Batich
3rd - Phil Kalbfell
1st - Rhys Filbee (Ford))
2nd - John Batich
3rd - Phil Kalbfell
Round 4 - Gotham Park - 241/10/24
1st - John Batich
2nd - Adrian Gray
3rd - Phil Kalbfell
1st - John Batich
2nd - Adrian Gray
3rd - Phil Kalbfell
Round 5 - Mornington Park - 8/10/24
1st - Adrian Gray
2nd - Rhys Filbee
3rd - Phil Kalbfell
1st - Adrian Gray
2nd - Rhys Filbee
3rd - Phil Kalbfell
Racing Report - Round 5
Getting towards the business end of racing in the V8 Supercars, and it was moving day (to use golf terminology) which saw a big shakeup at the top of the series leaderboard.
With series leader JB having a rare off day outside the top 3 it left the door slightly ajar for main challenger Adrian Gray to leapfrog John up into top spot on the points. Adrian grabbed the opportunity with both hands & his 113 lap night saw him take thew win by 3 laps. In 2nd this week, in his much improved Ford option, Rhys Filbee drove a very good consisting lot of heats & ended up on 110 laps. The final podium went to Phil in a very tight battle with JB. Both ended up on 108 laps for the night, but Phil grabbed that vital 3rd spot by approximately 1 car length. How serious the implications of that result will be for JB will have to be seen, but it does mean that Adrian has the series lead by a single point from JB at this stage going into the final 2 rounds.
In 5th & 2 laps back on 106 was Callan Thomas, and with an apparent best lap time in the 3.7 range he should have had the pace to take down everybody in the field……..of course a more likely explanation is a timing glitch. The chances of seeing a Scalex V8 Supercar doing this sort of lap time is about as likely as Callan finishing a heat with the spoiler still attached.
Also on 106 laps, and in a huge result, Rob Golley managed to complete all 3 heats tonight without a breakdown and this breakthrough gave him a 6th place finish this week.
In 7th all alone on 104 laps, DB managed to avoid being involved in a 3 way battle for the place by 1 lap, instead leaving it for Bruce & myself to share the 103 lap total. It was Bruce who took the place in this case however and so ended up 8th with myself in 9th.
A good start over the first two heats meant that Dave Gray pushed for a high place finish, but a couple of de-slots in the final heat meant he had to settle for 98 laps & the final spot in the top 10.
In 11th it was impossible to separate the young guns Caine & Ben who finished on the same corner of the same lap (96).
Rounding out the field after a mid heat car swap, Tom ended up in 13th on 84 laps.
Getting towards the business end of racing in the V8 Supercars, and it was moving day (to use golf terminology) which saw a big shakeup at the top of the series leaderboard.
With series leader JB having a rare off day outside the top 3 it left the door slightly ajar for main challenger Adrian Gray to leapfrog John up into top spot on the points. Adrian grabbed the opportunity with both hands & his 113 lap night saw him take thew win by 3 laps. In 2nd this week, in his much improved Ford option, Rhys Filbee drove a very good consisting lot of heats & ended up on 110 laps. The final podium went to Phil in a very tight battle with JB. Both ended up on 108 laps for the night, but Phil grabbed that vital 3rd spot by approximately 1 car length. How serious the implications of that result will be for JB will have to be seen, but it does mean that Adrian has the series lead by a single point from JB at this stage going into the final 2 rounds.
In 5th & 2 laps back on 106 was Callan Thomas, and with an apparent best lap time in the 3.7 range he should have had the pace to take down everybody in the field……..of course a more likely explanation is a timing glitch. The chances of seeing a Scalex V8 Supercar doing this sort of lap time is about as likely as Callan finishing a heat with the spoiler still attached.
Also on 106 laps, and in a huge result, Rob Golley managed to complete all 3 heats tonight without a breakdown and this breakthrough gave him a 6th place finish this week.
In 7th all alone on 104 laps, DB managed to avoid being involved in a 3 way battle for the place by 1 lap, instead leaving it for Bruce & myself to share the 103 lap total. It was Bruce who took the place in this case however and so ended up 8th with myself in 9th.
A good start over the first two heats meant that Dave Gray pushed for a high place finish, but a couple of de-slots in the final heat meant he had to settle for 98 laps & the final spot in the top 10.
In 11th it was impossible to separate the young guns Caine & Ben who finished on the same corner of the same lap (96).
Rounding out the field after a mid heat car swap, Tom ended up in 13th on 84 laps.
Round 6 - Stratton Valley - 15/10/24
1st - Phil Kalbfell
2nd - John Batich
3rd - Adrian Gray
1st - Phil Kalbfell
2nd - John Batich
3rd - Adrian Gray
Racing Report - Round 6
One thing about the V8 Supercars is that the results from week to week certainly keep you on your toes as far as the overall series goes. There has been no real standout driver the entire series, in fact we have seen 4 different winners in the first 6 rounds so far. Even the 2 clear series leaders currently haven’t been dominant either with their results spreading from 1st to 6th over the course of the 6 rounds so far.
The two drivers in question, Adrian Gray & John Batich fought out another battle today to gain the upper hand in the series with just 1 round to go. However, both were foiled this week for the win by Phil whose 1st place was well overdue judging on his consistent pace so far. His total of 74 laps was 1 clear of 2nd place, which was JB this week with his 73 lap total.
Just 1 lap back, and having to overcome a huge 3 way tie on 72 laps, Adrian Gray took the final podium position & gained that vital 1 extra point. This 3rd place finish ensured that going into the final round we have JB & Adrian both tied on 120 points for the overall lead. Another cliffhanger !
Beaten into 4th & 5th this week, also on 72 laps was Rob & Rhys with Rob taking the higher place finish. 3 laps back in 6th was the writer on 69 laps, with Bruce on 67 laps in 7th & Dave Gray in 8th on his 65 lap total this week. Maintaining the 2 lap gap back to 9th was DB on 63 with 10th placegetter, Caine, only 1 lap back on 62.
Thomas Males, grabbed 11th, again only 1 more lap back (61), and in 12th with a very even spread of 3x20 lap heats, Ben Lewis.
One thing about the V8 Supercars is that the results from week to week certainly keep you on your toes as far as the overall series goes. There has been no real standout driver the entire series, in fact we have seen 4 different winners in the first 6 rounds so far. Even the 2 clear series leaders currently haven’t been dominant either with their results spreading from 1st to 6th over the course of the 6 rounds so far.
The two drivers in question, Adrian Gray & John Batich fought out another battle today to gain the upper hand in the series with just 1 round to go. However, both were foiled this week for the win by Phil whose 1st place was well overdue judging on his consistent pace so far. His total of 74 laps was 1 clear of 2nd place, which was JB this week with his 73 lap total.
Just 1 lap back, and having to overcome a huge 3 way tie on 72 laps, Adrian Gray took the final podium position & gained that vital 1 extra point. This 3rd place finish ensured that going into the final round we have JB & Adrian both tied on 120 points for the overall lead. Another cliffhanger !
Beaten into 4th & 5th this week, also on 72 laps was Rob & Rhys with Rob taking the higher place finish. 3 laps back in 6th was the writer on 69 laps, with Bruce on 67 laps in 7th & Dave Gray in 8th on his 65 lap total this week. Maintaining the 2 lap gap back to 9th was DB on 63 with 10th placegetter, Caine, only 1 lap back on 62.
Thomas Males, grabbed 11th, again only 1 more lap back (61), and in 12th with a very even spread of 3x20 lap heats, Ben Lewis.
Round 7 - Sorell Creeek - 15/10/24 (*1st Official Race on re-located Track)
1st - John Batich
2nd - Dave Bantoft
3rd - Adrian Gray
1st - John Batich
2nd - Dave Bantoft
3rd - Adrian Gray
Final Series - Top 3
1st - John Batich
2nd - Adrian Gray
3rd - Phil Kalbfell
1st - John Batich
2nd - Adrian Gray
3rd - Phil Kalbfell
Racing Report - Round 7
A momentous occasion greeted drivers this week with the final round of V8 Supercars coinciding with the first race on the newly located & restored former Shelmore Park circuit. Now named Sorell Creek, it’s been a slow process getting it back up &^ running for acing, but finally the day had arrived.
And what a round to start with. For the 2nd week in a row, going into the final round of a series, there were 2 drivers locked together on points in the series lead. JB & Adrian were the main combatants, with the rest of us acting as the supporting cast & playing various other roles within the plot of the final round.
Early rounds were quiet but with Adrian the first major player on track and with 2 heats in the bag early, he would then have a long wait to get back on track & run his final 2 heats. Coincidentally Adrians final 2 heats ‘happened” to be drawn to run against JBs final two heats as well, so all was looking good for a grandstand finish. In fact, if I hadn’t known better it had the look of a typical V8 Supercar “staged” Bathurst finish about it…..I wonder who managed the heat list this week ?
Anyway, to cut a long story short, by the time Adrian came back for his final 2 heats, JB had run his first 2. Then with 1 heat to go there was 1 lap difference between the 2 with JB having an ever so slight advantage. It all came down to the final heat of the night & the series to see if Adrian could grab back that 1 lap deficit or if JB could deal with the pressure & hang on.
The final result in the end was that both happened. Adrians final heat of 24 laps dragged back 1 lap on JB, but JB held firm & saw off the challenge with his own 23 lap total & on the barest of margins (track position) held on for the final round win on 94 laps & therefore an overall series win as well.
What a finish!
Adrians heroics though still weren’t enough for him to grab 2nd this week, as the performance of a mid-round smokie Dave Bantoft saw him rack up the same number of laps as Adrian & JB (94) and managed to squeak into 2nd on his own track position. Adrians 3rd place finish saw him lock up 2nd place in the series, just 2 points behind JB.
The unlucky 4th place finisher, Rhys, was overlooked somewhat in all the drama involving the series results, however he also added up 94 laps to finish just out of the placings on track position once more.
In 5th & 6th both on 93 laps, Phil & Rob fought out a close battle, with Phil taking he place ahead of Rob. This finish was well & truly enough for Phil to lock up the final spot in the top 3 for the series.
The 92 lap total was also shared, this time between 3 drivers & it was once again track position that sorted out the placings from 7th to 9th. It was the writer who managed to take 7th this week on sheer consistency, with Bruce in 8th & Ben Lewis in probably the quickest car of the 3 by a long way in 9th.
Rounding out the top 10 , and no doubt glad to put this car away for 2 years, was Caine on 89 laps with last weeks stunt man Dave Gray in 11th on 85.
Much has been made of the slow, ill-handling cars that make up the v8 supercar series, however it continues to be a very close series & a quick look at this weeks results say it all. A total of 2 laps separating 1st from 9th……Hard to argue with that.
A momentous occasion greeted drivers this week with the final round of V8 Supercars coinciding with the first race on the newly located & restored former Shelmore Park circuit. Now named Sorell Creek, it’s been a slow process getting it back up &^ running for acing, but finally the day had arrived.
And what a round to start with. For the 2nd week in a row, going into the final round of a series, there were 2 drivers locked together on points in the series lead. JB & Adrian were the main combatants, with the rest of us acting as the supporting cast & playing various other roles within the plot of the final round.
Early rounds were quiet but with Adrian the first major player on track and with 2 heats in the bag early, he would then have a long wait to get back on track & run his final 2 heats. Coincidentally Adrians final 2 heats ‘happened” to be drawn to run against JBs final two heats as well, so all was looking good for a grandstand finish. In fact, if I hadn’t known better it had the look of a typical V8 Supercar “staged” Bathurst finish about it…..I wonder who managed the heat list this week ?
Anyway, to cut a long story short, by the time Adrian came back for his final 2 heats, JB had run his first 2. Then with 1 heat to go there was 1 lap difference between the 2 with JB having an ever so slight advantage. It all came down to the final heat of the night & the series to see if Adrian could grab back that 1 lap deficit or if JB could deal with the pressure & hang on.
The final result in the end was that both happened. Adrians final heat of 24 laps dragged back 1 lap on JB, but JB held firm & saw off the challenge with his own 23 lap total & on the barest of margins (track position) held on for the final round win on 94 laps & therefore an overall series win as well.
What a finish!
Adrians heroics though still weren’t enough for him to grab 2nd this week, as the performance of a mid-round smokie Dave Bantoft saw him rack up the same number of laps as Adrian & JB (94) and managed to squeak into 2nd on his own track position. Adrians 3rd place finish saw him lock up 2nd place in the series, just 2 points behind JB.
The unlucky 4th place finisher, Rhys, was overlooked somewhat in all the drama involving the series results, however he also added up 94 laps to finish just out of the placings on track position once more.
In 5th & 6th both on 93 laps, Phil & Rob fought out a close battle, with Phil taking he place ahead of Rob. This finish was well & truly enough for Phil to lock up the final spot in the top 3 for the series.
The 92 lap total was also shared, this time between 3 drivers & it was once again track position that sorted out the placings from 7th to 9th. It was the writer who managed to take 7th this week on sheer consistency, with Bruce in 8th & Ben Lewis in probably the quickest car of the 3 by a long way in 9th.
Rounding out the top 10 , and no doubt glad to put this car away for 2 years, was Caine on 89 laps with last weeks stunt man Dave Gray in 11th on 85.
Much has been made of the slow, ill-handling cars that make up the v8 supercar series, however it continues to be a very close series & a quick look at this weeks results say it all. A total of 2 laps separating 1st from 9th……Hard to argue with that.
