Lambos upheld Italian honor at Clipsal. This is Dean Grant's Gallardo.
Story and Photos by Vince Johnson
It was left to Lamborghini to salvage some Italian pride in the Australian GT Championship races held in Adelaide recently. The 3.2 kilometre circuit around the streets of the South Australian capital comes alive each year in the early autumn with two enduro events for five litre Holden and Ford V8 Supercars.
These Aussie favourites hold centre stage in their 250km races on Saturday and Sunday afternoon, but there is plenty of track time for the supporting categories during the four day meeting.
Maserati GT3 of Jim Manolios, coming..
This year Ferrari was noticeably absent from the GT grid as the hoped for F430 GT3 cars didn’t arrive. Keith Wong was in his Porsche GT3 because his Ferrari 360 Challenge wasn’t ready, following its outing in a local meeting the previous week. The sole other Italian among the Porsches, Vipers and Moslers was the Maserati GT3 of Jim Manolios. Italian in name only was the Ascari KZ1 of Darren Berry. Other opposition included Mark O’Connor’s Lotus Exige S, Tony Alford’s Nissan GTR R35, Paul Freestone’s Corvette Z06 and 2009 Lamborghini driver Mark Eddy in an Audi R8 GT3.
and going--
Lamborghini’s fortunes looked promising after qualifying on Friday morning. Peter Hackett took his Gallardo to pole position on the 31 place grid with a 1 minute 24.3872 second lap in front of the Porsche GT3s of Max Twigg and David Wall and Greg Crick’s Dodge Viper. The three other Gallardos of Andrew Taplin, Dean Grant and Peter Hill started race 1 in 11th, 19th and 20th positions.
Peter Hackett's Lamborghini took pole position and two third places.
On the opening lap of Race 1 that afternoon, Hackett slipped to third behind the Viper and Twigg’s Porsche and he was a further place down behind Wall by the end of lap 2. His race view consisted of Viper tail lights for the remaining 9 laps while Wall took the win over Twigg. Taplin improved to a well deserved sixth and Grant made up 8 places to finish eleventh. Manolios’ Maserati and Hill’s Gallardo were classified in 24th and 25th place.
Peter Hill in another Lambo negotiates Turn 2.
In Saturday’s race things looked set for a repeat performance until lap 9 when Twigg’s DNF gave Hackett a place on the podium. Taplin took a consistent 5th with Grant 9th, Hill 15th and Manlios 26th. Race 3 on Sunday was the after lunch curtain raiser to the V8 Supercars race. At the chequered flag, Wall in the Porsche GT3 997 finished the meeting with an impressive hat trick of wins. Hackett picked up another trophy for third behind Crick’s Viper.
Lambo heaven as Taplin and Grant duke it out.
In the Touring Car Masters category, cars of the type that contested the Australian Touring Car Championship during the 60s and early 70s were featured. Tony Karanfilovski, in his 2 litre1968 Alfa Romeo GTAM, had his work cut out racing against the V8 Fords and Chevs, but kept the spectators entertained with his three wheel cornering.
Alfa GTAm participated in 60s and 70s GT race.
Italian road cars had much of the limelight in the Murray Walker Extreme Machines display. Australia’s fastest road-registrable car, a white Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce, sat with a grey Gallardo LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni. Ferraris included the California, 599 GTB Fiorano and 430 Spider alongside Maserati’s Gran Turismo S. In between races they took to the track. When it was Murray’s turn for a ride on Saturday, he naturally chose Italian.
Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce, fastest road-registrable car in Australia.
Gallardo LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni.
New Ferrari California with passenger Murray Walker takes to the track on a demo run.