Maximum Impact from the lense of Bob Taylor
Story by Vince Johnson
The V8 supercars were back in town for the Clipsal meeting on South Australia’s Adelaide street circuit in March. While the home-grown Holdens and Fords had the track to themselves for two 250km races over the weekend, the GTs had centre stage on Friday evening. The first round of the 2011 Vodka O Australian GT Championship kicked off with a one-hour race into the sunset following Thursday’s practice and qualifying.
The hour-long race had a compulsory one-minute pit stop and an optional driver change written into the regulations but the Nick O’Halloran/Allan Simonsen Ferrari managed just one lap before retiring. Hackett fared little better, the Gallardo sidelined after 7 laps with broken front suspension.
The Richards/Peter Edwards 430 had dropped to 13th at the end of the first lap but was back up to 10th by lap 14. A lap later, after the pit stop it, too, was out with a failed wheel speed sensor. Kevin Weeks had moved up to 3rd but his progress was also to be short lived. He decided to shut down the Lamborghini after lap 15 rather than risk damage to its off song engine.
As the sun dropped the headlights came on. 13 of the 21 starters saw the chequered flag. Klark Quinn led from the start and held on narrowly to win from Eddy’s Audi with Crick 3rd in the Viper.
The twilight race had been named the ‘Murray Walker Tourist Trophy’ in honour of the UK motor sport commentator, a regular visitor to Adelaide since the Formula 1 races in the 1980’s. Close to the GT paddock area was the ‘Murray Walker Extreme Machines’ display. Ferrari’s 458 Italia, Maserati’s Quattroporte and Lamborghini’s Gallardo LP550-2 and Murcielago LP670-4 SV shared marquee space with other European exotics and the 320kph 6.2 litre V8 Alan Jones Fusion.
The GTs raced again on Sunday with Kevin Weeks a spectator. Peter Hackett worked his way through the field from 11th at the end of the first lap to finish 6th. The Richards-O’Halloran Ferrari lasted 4 laps but its sister car made up for Friday finishing 10th. Quinn made it 2 from 2 in the Mosler, with Crick and Eddy swapping steps on the podium.
In the Touring Car Masters races it was left to Tony Karanfilovski to fly the flag for Italy. What his 1968 Alfa Romeo GTAm gave away to the Camaros, Mustangs and Falcons in cubic inches and horsepower it certainly made up for in agility. The crowd’s view of it clawing its way on three, and sometimes two, wheels around the kerbs showed that not all the race action happens at the front.
The cars in Bob’s photos in order of appearance:
#88 Tony Karanfilovski 1968 Alfa Romeo GTAm (top)
#5 Supaloc Racing Kevin Weeks (SA) Lamborghini Gallardo 5000
#27 Maranello Motorsport N.O’Halloran/A.Simonsen Ferrari 430 GT3 followed by
# 17 Il Bella Rosso P.Edwards/J.Richards Ferrari 430 GT3
# 17 Il Bella Rosso P.Edwards/J.Richards Ferrari 430 GT3 followed by Hallmarc Marc Cini (VIC) Porsche GT3 997
#4 Vodka O/Rocking Angel Racing Peter Hackett (VIC) Lamborghini Gallardo followed by #2 Vodka O/Procon Developments D.Grant/D.Gaunt Porsche GT3 997
#4 Vodka O/Rocking Angel Racing Peter Hackett (VIC) Lamborghini Gallardo followed by #7 VIP Petfoods Tony Quinn (QLD) Aston Martin DBRS9
#88 Tony Karanfilovski 1968 Alfa Romeo GTAm (bottom)
