Shane van Gisbergen returns to rallying
The Australian Rally Championship announced this morning that it has landed a big fish for its season-opener in Queensland – SVG!
A not-entirely-unbelievable premise, given van Gisbergen is a lifelong rally fan and someone who has competed at both domestic and international level alongside his circuit racing commitments.
Less believable is that he would currently have time amid the busy NASCAR schedule.
Still, the ARC is on a mission to rebuild itself; perhaps it should see luring SVG back as an aspirational pursuit…
Tickford’s embarrassing shipping blunder
For the second April 1 running, Tickford has lost its Ford Mustangs at sea.
Last year, its container fell into the ocean en route to New Zealand. This time, apparently CEO Simon Brookhouse and logistics manager Ben Milton managed to fumble the pre-NZ plans to the point that the cars ended up bound for Oakland, California, rather than Auckland.
Tim Blanchard’s big comeback
Blanchard Racing Team has made a fast start to the new season and the upturn in car speed has prompted team owner and former racer Tim Blanchard out of a retirement for a wildcard start in Adelaide.
The cameo from Aaron Cameron alone makes this worth a watch.
The Taupo Tarpaulin
Perhaps that will be the nickname for the all-new, completely covered version of the Taupo International Motorsport Park circuit across the ditch.
The idea of not wanting wet racing, the most entertaining of all racing, is certainly a joke.
New meaning of a drive-through at Hampton Downs
Meanwhile, Taupo’s sister circuit is apparently getting a drive-through McDonalds, complete with motorsport-themed menu items.
The tricky thing about these Tony Quinn-owned circuits is that things like this, and the Taupo roof, never seem entirely out of the question… because TQ is slightly mad, in the best possible way.
This one got dark…
April Fools’ jokes are meant to be fun, not sad. But in this case, the premise was that the great Highlands Motorsport Park will be torn up and turned into a gold mine.
Thankfully that is not the case. But the idea of a circuit owner taking a big cheque and a track getting turned into a more profitable commercial venture cuts a little close to the bone for our liking.
Perth Motorplex’s 400 laps of racing
Perth Motorplex genuinely broke new ground by holding a 100-lap feature for the Late Model Nationals this season.
It was such a success, that it’s now apparently planning 100-lap races across four divisions – Sprintcars, Speedcars, Wingless Sprintcars and Late Models – in one night.
Venue boss Gav Migro might need to work on the 11pm curfew for that one.
Mallala’s retro pace car
There’s a certain retro theme to Mallala Motorsport Park, so this April Fools’ effort is quite fitting.
According to the classic South Aussie circuit, a locally-built Toyota Lexcen will take over as the regular pace car, complete with delightful steel rims. This is one of those jokes that makes you sad that it’s not actually happening.
Another Ambrose hits the track
We know there is a very real Ambrose family legacy in motorsport. Ross Ambrose founded the famous Van Diemen Formula Ford chassis company. Marcos Ambrose, a Supercars champion that went on to have a groundbreaking NASCAR career. And his daughter Tabitha Ambrose, now a Formula Ford racer in her own right.
As of April 1, there’s another Ambrose ready to hit the track. According to the Australian Formula Ford Championship, Tabitha will be joined by her mother Sonya at the Sydney Motorsport Park round of the AASA Short Track Nationals.
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