Iconic Motorsport Adventures Newsletter

Hi all,

Well all the international motorsport championships are underway and by the looks we are in for a great year!

Formula 1 - It looks as though we will see a close fought battle for the championship.... no longer have Red Bull got it all their own way, and the first two races have shown a few surprises in car and driver performances which is great!!! Jensen Button gave his team mate Lewis Hamilton, and the rest of the field, a driving lesson in Australia and Fernando Alonso was a surprise winner in Malaysia.

Indycar - It may not be the prettiest race car I've ever seen, but the new DW12 (named after the late Dan Weldon), has provided some entertaining racing at the first two races. Scott Dixon's season is off to a great start with two 2nd place finishes in the first two races, although he was pretty disappointed not to have won at Barber Motorsport Park where he had the car speed to win. He has led the most laps at both races and sits 2nd in the standings, only 2 points behind Helio Castroneves.

WRC - This looked like it was all going Sebastian Loeb's way until he retired in Portugal. It's a shame Latvala cant stay on the road, as he has the speed to take it to Loeb. Hayden Paddon did an amazing job winning the S2000 class. He led the class on the first day and ran ninth overall, and even beat Sebastian Ogier in a similar car, on some stages. Unfortunately an electrical problem forced him out on day 2, but what a comeback under Rally 2 rules to work his way up to 2nd in class, and then win it, when class leader Al Rajhi broke a cross member in his Ford Fiesta and was forced to retire. Well done Hayden and roll on Rally NZ which is the next event on the calendar.

Nascar - After six races we have five different winners, with last year's champion Tony Stewart having two wins to his name. There have also been five different pole sitters, out of those six races, and Denny Hamlin is the only driver to record a pole and a win this year so far. It would have to be the most competitive motorsport series there is.!!!! Cant wait for Talladega!!!

V8 Supercars
Ford Performance Racing have got their cars right up to speed this year, with Will Davison and Mark Winterbottom sitting 1st and 3rd in the championship respectively. Along with the Vodafone Holdens they were the cars to beat in Adelaide and Tasmania, and Winterbottom won 3 of the non championship races held at the Melbourne GP meeting. Shane Van Gisbergen sits forth in the standings and has been at the sharp end in all of the races so far. He had a great win at Melbourne in the last race, along with a 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. His 2nd place at Tasmania gives him good momentum for the next round.....Roll on Hamilton and hopefully he can repeat his performance of last year.

Graeme Fraser finished an excellent 3rd in Class B of the BMW Open Series, which had it's last round at Pukekohe a few weeks back. Driving his Iconic Motorsport Adventures sponsored M3, he maintained 3rd spot in the championship despite quite a few, new left hand drive, ex works cars joining the series. The class was won by Todd Pelham, a good friend of Scott Dixon.
Graeme Fraser's M3 BMW at Taupo


Talladega Nascar Tour
It's now only 4 weeks until we head off to the fastest and steepest superspeedway there is. We'll be camping on the infield between turns 3 and 4, and experiencing the full buzz that only Nascar can provide. This tour has now closed off, so apart from those already coming, you'll have to wait until next year.

Indianapolis 500 Tour
This tour is shaping up really well with a good number all set to experience the 101st running of the 500, with a brand new car. Rubens Barrichello has joined the series and will be having his first oval race at the brickyard. Scott Dixon will be looking to make amends for "the one that got away" last year. We'll be camped up right across the road from the speedway and there'll be plenty of motorsport action to take in.

Bonneville Speed Week
It's not too late to join this tour but you'd better be quick. We have a great group of mainly couples going on this one, and a number of them are coming from across the ditch. It may have something to do with the value of their dollar, or maybe they prefer hot desert conditions. Bonneville is a fabulous place to experience and the only time to be there is during Speed Week.

Circuit of the Americas
This is the new circuit being built at Austin, Texas which will host Formula 1 in November this year, and the V8 Supercars next year. I will be visiting this circuit prior to the Bonneville tour with the possibility of offering a tour to each of these events. If you are interested in either of these events, drop me an e-mail and I'll keep you posted.

I think we have to be very proud of the kiwi drivers competing in all forms of motorsport at an international level. Along with the above mentioned ones, Mitch Evans and Ritchie Stanaway are yet to get their championships underway, but we can expect great things from them this year!

Enjoy your motorsport!!!

Regards,
Wayne & Janet

Wayne Palleson
Iconic Motorsport Adventures Ltd
Ph +64 6 8774427
Fax +64 6 8774491
Mobile 021 0755340
Mobile 027 2800975
www.iconicmsport.co.nz