RALT Australia

Press Release
April 6, 2006

WELCOME PODIUM RETURN FOR REID IN JAPAN

Young New Zealand racing driver Jonny Reid was back on the podium on his return to the All-Japan Formula 3 Championship at Fuji Speedway over the April 1 & 2 weekend.

The 22-year-old Aucklander qualified fifth and finished sixth in the first race and qualified seventh but finished an outstanding second in the second, the latter in torrential rain which saw only nine of the 14 starters finish. It was a confidence-boosting start for the young kart-turned-car star, who for the past six months has been one of the New Zealand A1 GP team's two drivers.

Reid is a former New Zealand Formula Ford champion and race-winner in both the 2004 Superfund Euro F3000 and 2005 All-Japan Formula 3 Championship. This year he tried hard to land a drive in the revamped Formula Nippon Championship back in Japan, but fell short of budget. Formula Nippon having the rivalry of Toyota and Honda ex-IRL engines for 2006. Reid was therefore delighted to be able to return to Japan and try and win the 2006 All-Japan Formula 3 Championship with Inging, the team he raced with last year.

The opportunity to return to the All-Japan series with the Inging team came when the team promoted Japanese driver Naoki Yokomizo, who finished fourth overall for the Three Bond Team in last year's All-Japan Formula 3 Championship, to its Formula Nippon squad.

Reid says he is thoroughly enjoying being back behind the wheel of a competitive car and that he has his eye firmly on the 2006 All-Japan title. "For sure," he said from his new base in Yamaguchi, south of Osaka, yesterday. "Last year was like a learning year, learning the car and the circuits, getting to know and work with the team, and learning to live in a new country. This year is the year to go for the title."

"Looking back on the weekend I was very happy with the results as we were unable to do pre-season testing and due to this I can confidently say there is more time to come from the car because in each session this weekend we improved the chassis more and more. The Inging team have done a fantastic job to put everything together at such short notice. A big thanks to Inging because without them I would not have been here this weekend, thank you."

Reid had to work hard for his sixth place in the first race, held on a dry track, spending most of it battling fiery young Brazilian driver Fabio Carbone for the position. "Fabio and I had a good, close, hard battle, and we were respecting each other to the point where he was pushing me and I was pushing him. But to finish these races you have to use your head and when he served me off and got in front he tried to battle with the other driver and I think he may have pushed it a bit too far!"

In the monsoon-like conditions the second race was held in Reid worked his way up from seventh place on the grid to second behind race winner Kazuya Oshima. Of the conditions Reid says: "Seriously, if anyone says to me they have raced in rain as heavy as that I simply won't believe them. At the start of the race the cars were lifting so much water that I couldn't even see their rain lights. And a couple of times I actually missed a corner, a really simple right-hander, and went off the circuit, because I was completely blinded by the jetwash off the cars around me." Despite that, Reid worked hard to move forward to be third after 11 laps and second at the flag.

The races were won by German driver Adrian Sutil (Race 1) and pole sitter Kazuya Oshima (Race 2).

The All-Japan Formula 3 Championship now heads to the Suzuka circuit for Rnds 3 & 4 over the April 15/16 (Easter weekend).

Press Release

November 17, 2005

HACKET CROWNED F4000 CHAMPION

Peter Hackett’s classy final round performance at Wakefield Park Raceway this weekend saw him wrap up the 2005 Australian F4000 Championship title to become the first driver in history to win both an Australian Formula 4000 and Formula 3 Championship.

Driving the N#1 Reynard faultlessly all year for RALT Australia, Hackett drove his team to their fourth consecutive F4000 Championship victory by securing pole, winning both races, clocking three fastest lap times and setting a new lap record of .56.30 seconds, breaking the lap record previously set by Johnny Reid in the same car and team.

All year he clearly demonstrated he is a leader not a follower. Winning nine out of 10 F4000 races and 10 out of 12 GT races in 2005 Hackett has established himself as one of Australia’s top drivers, totalling 19 races wins from 22 starts which earned him the lead in the F4000 and GT Championships simultaneously.

Click on the picture for a larger view.

Hackett, who is also Team Lamborghini Australia’s number one driver, lead the GT Championship by 54 points going into the final round. His success in the “Black Bull” has not been easy, the result of the team incurring strict parity regulations after each race win. This eventually took its toll on the Diablo (8000/6300 revs) when it counted most and the Lamborghini was sidelined this weekend as a result of mechanical problems. Hackett’s DNF resulting in the Championship points being awarded to a rival team.

“Motor sport can be cruel at times,” states Hackett who now has his sights set on taking his career to the next level.

Hackett, the newly crowned F4000 Champion, maintains that “Focus” has been the key to his success this year.

“I’m well on my way to taking the next step in my career. Earlier this year I tested with the Australian A1GP Team and Team Australia Champ Car Atlantic Team and achieved great results. I have been approached by teams and am currently in negotiations to take a partnership to the next stage and am seeking external, combined with long standing current sponsorship.

“It has been a big year for me, the highly professional Team at RALT Australia have done an outstanding job on the Reynard all year, the car has been faultless and I couldn’t have won the Championship without them.

“A special thank you to Marco Caputo (The Benchmark Property Group) for directing and promoting my career and to all my sponsors and supporters, I can’t thank them enough for their continuing support. The next few months are going to be very exciting,” said Hackett.

Press Release
October 10, 2005

REID IMPRESSIVE IN A1 GP DEBUT

New Zealand racer Jonny Reid has impressed in his first race in the A1 Grand Prix of Nations at the EuroSpeedway in Germany overnight, collecting a pair of 4^th placings en route to elevating A1 Team.NZL to 3^rd place in the overall standings.

Reid, who turns 22 next Tuesday, took over the driving duties for A1 Team.NZL in Germany from team-mate Matthew Halliday, who was absent from the round due to his commitment to Orrcon Racing to compete in the Bathurst 1000 touring car race.

After an excellent showing in Saturday mornings final practice session to clock the 3^rd fastest time, Reid was disappointed to be 14^th fastest in Saturday afternoons novel series of 4 x 15-minute segmented qualifying sessions, clocking an aggregate lap time of 3m7.679s.

Reid later said, “I made a few minor mistakes and couldn’t recover. It’s a superb qualifying format and really exciting for the spectators, but it’s pressure-packed for the teams and you just can’t afford to slip up at any stage.”

For Sundays opening 18-lap Sprint race, Reid made a phenomenal start to propel from 14^th on the grid to 4^th by the opening corner and avoid a first corner collision involving the front row-starting A1 Team.USA entry of Scott Speed and A1.Team GB’s Robbie Kerr.

Withstanding pressure from local favourite Timo Scheider, Reid held onto finish the Sprint race in 4^th place behind GP2 regulars Nicolas Lapierre, Neel Jani and Nelson Piquet Jr, who won the opening A1 Grand Prix of Nations at Brands Hatch in England a fortnight ago.

The 36-lap Feature race got off to an inauspicious start for Reid, who failed to leave the field for the formation lap after stalling in a similar fashion to team-mate Halliday at Brands Hatch.

Luckily for Reid, the start was aborted following his problems and those of Piquet, who also stalled alongside the Aucklander, with a restart set to take place and the race length being reduced from 36 to 35 laps.

Battling wheelspin off the line, Reid managed to fight from 7^th position to take 2^nd place prior to his compulsory pitstop before rejoining in 4^th position behind Canadian Sean McIntosh, who Reid would harass until the end of the race to take a solid 4^th position and accruing enough points to haul New Zealand into 3^rd place in the overall standings, equal on 29 points with France and only one point behind series overall leaders Brazil on 30.

The Feature race was again won by Lapierre, with Kerr battling from the rear of the grid to finish 2^nd ahead of McIntosh.

The next round of the A1 Grand Prix of Nations will be held at the Circuito do Estoril in Portugal on October 23-24.

The Australian leg of the A1 Grand Prix of Nations will be held at Eastern Creek International Raceway in Sydney from November 4-6 and the series can be followed at www.a1gp.com.

A1 Grand Prix of Nations - Results

Results after 38 dramatic laps with three safety car periods. Matt Halliday had to start from pitlane after stalling on the warmup lap and did a fantastic job to get to 4th (of 25 starters).

Will Power led after pistops but Nelson Piquet Jnr had a very well set up car and Will had to give way to a very dominant Piquet.

Once again New Zealand and Australian (Ralt Racing) drivers have done an excellent job.

Matt will be at Bathurst during the next A1 race in Germany and Jonny Reid will be the New Zealand driver for the races in Germany and Portugal.

In other news, Scott Dixon (ex-Ralt driver) has won the IRL Race at the Watkins Glen Road course and Wade Cunningham has finished third in the Infinity Pro Series to further extend his lead in the Championship.

I am leaving today for a test at Firebird Raceway, Arizona, with Peter Hackett in the Australian Champ Car Teams Formula Atlantic Car.

A1 Grand Prix of Nations - Qualifying

Past Ralt Australia Formula 4000 drivers have qualified second & fourth for the inaugural A1 Grand of Nations at Brands Hatch UK

This proves that Australia & New Zealand CAN produce the best race drivers in the world and I am proud to have assisted both Matt & Will with their careers.

Press Release
September 13, 2005

REID SCORES VICTORY IN JAPANESE FORMULA 3

Young Kiwi also stars in A1 Team New Zealand test in France

NEW Zealand racing ace Jonny Reid has broken through for his first victory in the Japanese Formula 3 Championship in his final appearance in the category.

Driving at the Mine circuit, Reid won the first race on the weekend from fourth on the grid and started from pole position for the second. However, he was adjudged to have jumped the start and was given a drive-through penalty that dropped him out of the lead.

“The weekend was a great way to finish my year in Japanese Formula 3,” said the 22-year-old Aucklander.

“Even though there are two rounds left at Motegi in October, there’s a clash with the Portugal A1 Grand Prix event and that’s where my focus is for the rest of 2005.

“But the weekend was great. We had changed out front suspension setup on our Dome chassis to something similar to the Dallara and it changed the car radically to make it competitive.

“The first qualifying was damp and we were fourth quickest but the next one was dry and I poled it by 0.15s.

“Race one we managed to work our way through to win but on the grid for the second I had too much heat in the clutch, which forced me to creep and I copped a drive-through penalty while leading.

“We had clear pace over the field and had the lead by 40 or 50 metres. But it was a good way to end my year with the INGING team. As much as I’d love to do the Motegi round, A1 is where I want to be and that’s where the opportunities to further my career are.”

Click on the picture for a larger view.

His Japanese success came hot on the heels of a brilliant three days of testing with A1 Team New Zealand at the official A1 Grand Prix test at Paul Ricard in France.

Despite having to head back to Japan after just one a half days of the test, Reid set the fifth fastest time overall, out-pacing established stars including former Formula 1 racer Jos Verstappen, British Formula 3 Champion Alvaro Parente and Aussie Will Power.

“The A1 car is really good. It’s an awesome championship. The testing has now been done, so I’m waiting by to see whether Matt (Halliday, fellow A1 Team NZL driver) or I race the car at the opening event in England.

“It’s up to the engineers and management as to who they want to put in the car. There’s nothing more I can do at this stage but sit and wait!

“Either way, I want to keep performing well and the opportunities will open up for me. Everyone at A1 Team New Zealand was pleased with the testing and how it went.”

Paul Ricard test

Click on the picture for a larger view.

After flying around the globe of late, Reid has settled back into England for the next six weeks before he heads to New Zealand on his way to the Australian A1 round at Eastern Creek in Sydney.

A1 Team New Zealand is being run by noted race preparation company West Surrey Racing, which is run by expatriate Kiwi Dick Bennetts from its English base.

The new open-wheeler category has proven to be a success, with all drivers using Lola chassis powered by Zytek V8 engines and running on Cooper tyres, creating the emphasis of the category being on driver talent rather than technological advances.

The first A1 Grand Prix of Nations event will be held at Brands Hatch in England on September 25.

Press Release
August 21, 2005

HACKETT TAKES LEAD IN F4000 CHAMPIONSHIP

Peter Hollywood Hackett showed exactly why he has been named as a possible seat holder for the Australian A1GP Team and will be making his way to the Paul Ricard track in France for his test with the Team at the end of this week.

Hackett, a former Australian Formula 3 Champion joined the F4000 Championship Team of Ralt Australia three rounds ago when he learnt of his possible seat in the A1GP Australian Team. Hackett using the F4000 drive in preparation for his test is in outstanding form at the moment. Hackett put on a great show this weekend not only for his sponsors but also for the spectators as he took the gruelling 4.6km Phillip Island Circuit for the forth round of the 2005 Australian F4000 Championship.

Hackett needing only five points to take the championship lead, walked away from the weekend with both race wins under his belt to finish on the podium and collect the points needed to take him to the top of the leaders board F4000 Championship.

Suffering technical problems in his Herman backed N#1 Reynard during Fridays practice Hackett was back in the drivers seat and eager to get going for Saturday qualifying session. In cold and windy conditions Hackett first out on track used the first three laps to warm his tyres before pitting for a routine tyre pressure check and front wing adjustment before making a charge for his qualifying lap only to beaten by a red flag. Unable to finish his lap Hackett in his best time of 1.26.49 was pipped by 5 hundredths of a second for first place. “I was beaten by the red flag. Tyres are at there best on the 2rd lap and I was out on my qualifying lap when the red flag came out said Hackett.”

Race one Sunday and Hackett starting from second place where he quickly managed to open a two second gap off the line and was leading the race by turn one. Remaining out front all race Hackett crossed the line 3.8 seconds ahead of the rest of the field to take the first race win. “I got a great start off the line, managed to make a two second lead on the out lap and just cruised from there. I had to remind myself to keep focused – one more to go” said a contented Hackett.

Race two and it was 110 % Hackett all the way, a lights to flag finish Hackett dominated the race out front. The second place challenger doing all he could to keep with the inform Hackett but Hackett continued to pulled away he crossed the line nine seconds ahead of the field to take race win for the second time. “I wish the race was another 30 laps longer because I could have driven like that all day” said and elated Hackett accepting his trophy from Ray Borrett, Director of Holden Motorsport..

Hackett also undertaking double duties for the third time this year took two convincing race wins in the Australian Speed Energy Drink GT Championship and now respectively leads both Championships will be eager to take both GT & F4000 titles at the conclusion of the AMRS Series. Hackett’s next challenge will be at Oran Park Raceway on the 16-17 September.

Press Release
July 25, 2005

F1 PERFORMANCE BY HOLLYWOOD HACKETT

Continuing to work his magic in F4000, former Australian Formula 3 Champion Peter “Hollywood” Hackett in the N#1 Reynard of Ralt Australia took the outright win in the Australian F4000 Championship at Eastern Creek Raceway this weekend in his second time racing the category this year.

In a repeat performance of QLD last month, Hackett again spread himself between the garage of F4000 Team Ralt Australia and GT Team Lamborghini Australia and in true “Hollywood” style he put on a great display of racing for his sponsor and race spectators.

With track conditions perfect, Hackett put in a qualifying session that closely resembled that of F1. Hackett completing only three laps for the session recorded a time of 1'23.74 on his second lap out which was enough to put the N#1 Reynard on pole 1.5 seconds ahead of second place getter. "Our aim was to set a quick time early, come in an see how the rest of qualifying went in an effort to preserve the tyres” said Hackett.

Feeling good going into race one, Hackett got a good start off the line in to turn one to take the race lead where he remained for the duration of the race. Second place challenger putting pressure on Hackett under brakes managed to close the gap slightly and a spin by another competitor on turn three threatened Hacketts race lead but fortunately Hackett unaffected was able to maintain his half second lead to cross the line for a convincing first race win.

"I got a good start off the line and was able to make one second gap over my challenger but with him on my tail all race I was working hard not to make mistakes" said Hackett. “Going into the next race I'll have to switch the brain on again and be conscious under brakes, I know where his strengths and weakness of my challengers are now so it should be a good race”.

Race two and Hackett able to get a good start off the line in the N#1 Reynard had by lap three Hackett made a convincing lead over the field until lap seven when second place challenger closed the gap over the back getting Hackett under brakes. The battle continued between Hackett and his challenger until the final lap when Hackett with more straight line speed managed to hold onto his lead to cross the line for his second convincing win for the day and claim the outright win in the F4000 Championship for the weekend.

“Perfect, it’s my best start in F4000 yet. I needed to make a break early to build up a buffer zone; the car was good on the exits I didn't need to worry about the guy in the car behind me. The car got a bit loose toward the end of the race due to tyre wear, but it was a perfect race" said an elated Hackett. Graham Watson, team manager of Ralt Australia was also a very happy man after the conclusion of the race. "Peter did a great job, to go between two garages all weekend; it's a real credit to him, a fantastic drive and a great result for Ralt Australia” said a grinning Watson.

Hackett also currently leads the Australian GT Championship and in his double effort this weekend the talented Team Lamborghini Australia driver took all three race wins in the 2005 Australian GT Championship to wrap up with a total of five race wins for the weekend.

Press Release
June 6, 2005

TOUGH WEEKEND FOR JONNY REID IN JAPANESE FORMULA 3

KIWI Jonny Reid has experienced a difficult weekend in the seventh and eighth rounds of the Japanese Formula 3 Championship at Fuji Speedway in Japan.

Reid finished fourth and ninth in the two races held on the weekend, and now sits sixth in the championship. He was frustrated by the lack of outright pace his INGING team cars were able to generate, which will force them to go back to the drawing board prior to the next round.

“I don’t know where to start to find the good things that happened on the weekend!” said Reid. “We tried just about everything with the setups of our car and we just couldn’t find a decent grip balance, which put us off the pace all weekend.

“In Race 1 I think I was kind of lucky to finish fourth. The car wasn’t competitive enough to win but that made me more determined to push on."

“In the second race I got a clean start and made up a few spots at the first corner but it all came undone at the second corner. I was defending and just lost the rear of the car. The spin dropped me back so I had to get moving again and I ended up ninth. We had better pace than the three cars in front of me but once you get up behind the car in front, there’s no real chance because you lose too much front end downforce."

‘It’s highly frustrating but we’re just going to have to go and test and try and come up with a solution.”

The series will reconvene at the TI Circuit Aida on June 18-19. The venue hosted Formula 1 in 1994 and 1995.

The Japanese Formula 3 Championship was won by Australian James Courtney in 2003 and has been a successful launching pad for future Formula 1 talent. There are a total of 20 rounds of the series over 10 race weekends and the category runs alongside the well-known Formula Nippon category.

Press Release
May 16, 2005

JONNY REID ON PODIUM IN JAPANESE FORMULA 3

New Zealand racer Jonny Reid has enjoyed a strong weekend in the latest rounds of the Japanese Formula 3 Championship at Sugo in the far north of Japan with a second-place in one of the races.

Reid, who raced last year in the Euro 3000 championship, made the move to Japan at the last moment before the 2005 season commenced and the Aucklander has already been setting some impressive results.

In the fifth and sixth rounds held on the weekend, Reid took his new Dome chassis powered by a Toyota engine to pole position for the first race only to have the time taken away due to a yellow flag infringement.

He still was able to start from second place, a position he held to the finish of race 1, setting a lap record on the way in his INGING team machine.

In the second race he led for the first seven laps before being nudged from behind and dropping to 10th. He charged back through the field to take sixth position.

“It’s only our first race with the new car so we learnt plenty of things on the weekend,” said Reid.

“We’re on a big learning curve to get the results we did, I was pretty stoked about. We don’t have the knowledge of the setups for the newer car so the more time we have the better we’ll get.

“I took pole for the first race but the officials said I’d set the time on a lap when there were yellow flags out for a car that had crashed. I didn’t see any flags to be honest, but I had to take their decision, which put me onto the other side of the front row because they took my best lap time away.

“The incident in race two was really what you would put down to a racing incident. I got touched into a gradual spin rather than just plain crashed into. It shouldn’t have happened but I can’t change it now.”

The weekend’s results vault Reid up the order in the championship chase. He now sits in the top six in the championship.

After a season racing in Europe, Reid had hoped to contest either the Renault World Series or GP2 though a sponsor that didn’t eventuate in time meant a change of plans and Jonny’s mentor Graham Watson was able to arrange a test with INGING, last year’s Japanese F3 championship-winning team.

Reid is teammates in a three-car team with Brazilian Roberto Streit and Japanese driver Hideto Yasuoka. The three share an apartment in Tokuyama at the lower end of Japan. Last year’s champion, Ronnie Quintarelli, acts as driver coach for the trio.

The Kiwi began the series in a 2003-model Dallara chassis and finished seventh and sixth in the first two races at Motegi in April.

He backed this up with a seventh and fifth at Suzuka’s next race weekend before heading to Sugo much happier by having a newer car and more experience under his belt.

The Japanese Formula 3 Championship was won by Australian James Courtney in 2003 and has been a successful launching pad for future Formula 1 talent.

The next race weekend, which each constitute two rounds, will be on June 4-5 at Fuji Speedway. There are a total of 20 rounds of the series over 10 race weekends and the category runs alongside the well-known Formula Nippon category.

A Busy Three Months

December
Went to Italy and the South of France with Jonny Reid to test with Draco in the World Series Nissan Dallara.
Started the process of Sponsorship hunting for the Renault World Series 2005.

January
Worked with Wade Cunningham in the New Zealand Formula Toyota as engineer and advisor.

In the first round at Timaru, we had lots of problems with the new car but managed to finish both races in the top six.

The second round at Teretonga was much better when we sorted the car. Wade qualified on Pole and won the Saturday race.
On Sunday it rained. Wade was running second in Race 2 but faulty brakes??? caused him to go off part way through.
In Race 3 we were again in the top 6.

Round 4 at Manfield was good. Qualifying third and finishing second in Race 1, only to be taken out by a back marker in Race 2. The Chief Mechanic, Ben, and I managed to get the car ready for Race 3 where Wade started 17th & finished fifth with the fastest lap.

February / March
Things were not looking good re our prospective sponsor in UK so I called my friend, Hiroshi Fushida, Team Manager of Ing Ing (2004 Champion Formula 3 Japan team).

I was able to arrange a test at Suzuka on 23-24-25 March. This test was very successful and Jonny was offered a deal for the Japan Formula 3 Series.

Wade Cunningham went to the USA to begin his Infinity Pro Series and is now in second place after three rounds with two Podium finishes.

April
After attending the Tests with Jonny at Suzuka in late March, I returned home to Sydney for a few days to attend the launch of the Australian A1 GP Team signing. After meeting various dignitaries including Tony Teixeira (Chief Executive Officer) and having a long phone call to Colin Giltrap in New Zealand we were able to convince Colin to take the plunge and become the New Zealand Franchise Holder for A1 GP - exciting times ahead for New Zealand Motorsport!

Back to Motegi to meet up with Jonny and the Team for the race on 3rd April. Jonny qualfied P8 for Race 1 and finished 7th. He qualified P7 for Race 2 finished 6th - a good start considering he was new to the circuit and car.

Back to Australia to assist Ritchie with fitting the new Formula 4000 engine from Holden.

Upon my return, I was told of the untimely passing away of John Porter. He will be sadly missed.

April 13th, I was back to New Zealand for the Final Round of Formula Toyota with Wade at Pukekohe. After meeting Colin to sort a few A1 GP things, I caught up with Wade, Ben and the crew. With only 20 minutes practice on Friday, we did not have much time to set up car but we were on Pole for most of Qualifing until 3 minutes to go - Wade got behind a slower car on his final flying lap - to be beaten by Daniel Gaunt (ex-Ralt driver). However, he finished 2nd in Race 1 and got a lap record in Race 2.

We tested the new Holden engine at Wakefield Park on Wenesday and Friday last week and, despite a few minor problems, the engine has shown very good potential. We expect to be at Oran Park on Friday 29th for another shakedown. Niel McFadyen was the driver on both occasions and is suitably impressed.

Jonny had a race the same weekend that I was in NZ, at Suzuka. He qualified in Race 1 P7 and finished 7th; qualified in Race 2 P5 finished 5th. He is testing a new Dome, powered by Toyota this week at Fuji.

Our 1st race with the Formula 4000 is at Phillip Island 22nd May. Drivers should be Niel McFadyen and Brendon Hartley (NZ). I intend to test Andy Knight and Chris Pither (NZ) also.

Press Release
November 3, 2004

REID TAKES FOURTH IN SUPERFUND EURO 3000 TITLE
Tests for Draco and in F3000 await New Zealander

NEW Zealand racing export Jonny Reid has rounded out his first season of racing in Europe with a mixed weekend in the final two rounds of the Superfund Euro 3000 Championship at Nurburgring in Germany on the weekend.

The John Village Automotive driver raced in a double-header weekend, with two separate qualifying sessions determining the grids for rounds nine and 10 of the single-seater racing championship.

In the first race, the 21-year-old finished a gritty second to Norbert Siedler after starting in third position. Reid made a cracking start, passing team-mate Alex Lloyd and settling into a tough race behind Austrian Siedler.

After shadowing Siedler, Reid was unable to find a hole and get by, finishing half a second behind when the chequered flag flew at the end of the Saturday event.

“Race one was an awesome race, I really enjoyed it,” said Reid.

“I definitely had the quicker car. At the start there was no dry line to pass Norbert and throughout the race he did a good job of leaving me no space to get through. It was tough in the latter part of the race with Nicky (Pastorelli, third placed driver) permanently in my rear view mirrors, but I kept my position.”

The second event, which constituted the final round of the 10-round series, didn’t go to plan for the Kiwi. Siedler clashed with Luca Filippi at the first corner and Siedler clipped Reid, knocking the latter’s front wing and necessitating a replacement nosecone.

Reid was able to return to the race after the Safety Car period allowed him to pit, repair his damage, and remain on the lead lap.

He pressed on, carving his way back through the field to take fifth position and round out his 2004 season with a spirited comeback. The result was good enough to seal fourth place in the championship for Reid and round out six straight finishes in the points.

With the season now over, Reid will now turn his attention to testing for Superfund Euro 3000 team Draco Racing on November 5 in Italy and for the Supernova International Formula 3000 squad at Jerez in Spain on November 11.

Draco will be competing in the new GP2 category that will support Formula 1 next year after racing in the Euro 3000 category this year.

The series that Reid has raced in this season will be known as Formula Superfund in 2005, featuring all new cars that are powered by four-litre Judd engines. Reid has already sampled the new car during straight-line testing in England and says the 600-horsepower machine is quite a beast.

Final championship positions:

Nicky Pastorelli, 46 pts
Fabrizio Del Monte, 45 pts
Norbert Siedler, 37 pts
Jonny Reid, 35 pts
Bernhard Auinger, 26 pts

2004 Superfund Euro 3000 Championship – Jonny Reid Results

Round 1	Brno, Czech Republic	7^th
Round 2	Estoril, Portugal	DNF
Round 3	Jerez, Spain	3^rd
Round 4	Monza, Italy	DNF
Round 5	Spa, Belgium	6^th
Round 6	Donington, England	1^st
Round 7	Dijon, France	2^nd
Round 8	Zolder, Belgium	2^nd
Round 9	Nurburgring, Germany	2^nd
Round 10	Nurburgring, Germany	5^th

New Euro Superfund Car

This is the new Euro Superfund car. Jonny Reid tested it at an airfield near London last Tuesday (October 5).

Press Release
September 22, 2004

THIRD PODIUM IN A ROW FOR REID

New Zealander Jonny Reid has continued his strong form in the Superfund Euro 3000 Championship by taking second place in the weekend’s round at Zolder in Belgium.

It’s the third visit the John Village Automotive driver has had to the podium in as many consecutive starts, and has put him equal third in the championship with just a handful of rounds remaining.

“The race may have looked easy with the big margins between the cars but believe me it was a tough one!” said Jonny.

“I opted for a slightly different set-up for the race as the conditions have been changing all weekend but unfortunately it didn’t work in my favour.

“That’s the gamble you have to take if you want to win races and it’s a shame it didn’t pay off today. Norbert (Siedler) was incredibly quick off the start and even after the restart he was very confident and just too fast for me.”

Reid started from the front row of the grid after qualifying second, and was pushing so hard that he ended up in the gravel trap thanks to a spin while trying to score pole position.

“I was going for pole or nothing out there so I’m slightly frustrated!” said Reid.

“I made a mistake but I’ll walk away from my spin a more experienced driver. Qualifying’s not my strongest point but I’m definitely learning rapidly!”

In the race, he simply couldn’t run with pole-sitter Norbert Siedler, who scored a six-second victory over Reid.

The first corner was dramatic, as Reid’s team-mate, Brit Alex Lloyd, made a flying start and pushed his way into second. Behind them, Nicky Pastorelli and Bernhard Auinger were charging and they took out Lloyd on the second corner.

Through all of the carnage, Reid was in a comfortable second spot and, while not quite able to get up and run with race leader Siedler, the young Kiwi did everything he needed to do to hold down a strong second spot.

After a slow start to the season, his first racing away from Australia/New Zealand, Reid now sits equal third in points and remains a mathematical chance for the championship.

The Superfund Euro 3000 Championship is a Formula 1 driving breeding ground, having developed the talents of current F1 drivers Felipe Massa (Sauber) and Gianmaria Bruni (Minardi). Drivers all use identical Lola chassis and Zytek engines with a control tyre.

The winner will score a Formula 1 Super Licence and also test a Formula 1 machine.

There are two rounds of the series remaining. The next will be at Cagliari in Italy on October 31, giving the teams over a month’s break before their next race.

The final race is due to be in Dubai on November 28.

Points: Del Monte 44, Pastorelli 32, Siedler/Reid 27, Auinger 21.

Press Release
September 12, 2004

REID FLIES TO SECOND IN DIJON

New Zealand racing speedstar Jonny Reid has backed up his first win in the Superfund Euro 3000 Championship with a second place finish in the latest round at Dijon in France on the weekend.

Only weeks after his first win at Donington, the John Village Automotive driver was strong all weekend, running towards the front in practice before qualifying second, assuming the front row with team-mate Alex Lloyd.

Lloyd proved a bit too strong in the race, but Reid following him home, picking up another good haul of championship points.

Reid dropped to third at the first corner, having been passed by Fabrizio Del Monte for second spot. The 21-year-old got back in front on lap seven, firing past down the front straight and beginning his pursuit of Lloyd, who proved to have too great a gap and he finished just over 10 seconds ahead.

“The start was a real challenge!” said Reid.

“I paused off the line as Pastorelli didn’t get off as quickly as I anticipated so I got bogged down slightly. I managed to pass Nicky (Pastorelli) going into the first corner but Del Monte came flying past from behind and from there on, it was a case of catching him up.

“It took a few laps for the car to take the bumps especially in the early corners but once I got alongside him on the straight, he ran slightly wide and I got the power down and went through. It’s been an awesome weekend for the team and I and I’m looking forward to celebrating with Alex who did a fabulous job here.

“Zolder is this weekend for the next round so there’s no rest. But I’m really starting to get on top of how you setup and drive these cars and the results are reflecting that. We just need to keep the momentum rolling and see where we end up.”

The result now moves Reid into equal third in the series, a fantastic performance given the fact that 2004 is his first year racing overseas at this level.

He raced last year in the Australian Formula 4000 Championship and was the pace-setter before finishing second in the championship.

The winner will score a Formula 1 Super Licence and also test a Formula 1 machine.

There’s not much time for the teams to catch their breath either, as Zolder in Belgium is the site of the next round to be run this weekend.

Points: Del Monte 42, Pastorelli 32, Auinger/Reid 21, Siedler 17, Lloyd 13.

Press Release
September 9, 2004

REID TASTES VICTORY AT DONINGTON

It has been a case of not ‘if’ but ‘when’ Jonny Reid stood on the top step of the Superfund Euro 3000 Championship podium and that’s exactly what he did overnight in the United Kingdom.

The young New Zealander took the chequered flag at Donington Park to claim his first win in the open-wheeler category in a race that was full of action.

From the front row of the grid, Reid took off into the lead before a heavy rain downpour forced officials to stop the race after 21 laps.

It was re-started after a break of 15 minutes with a restart distance of 24 laps, and Reid made a cracking restart to build an advantage over Nicky Pastorelli.

Norbert Siedler quickly worked his way through the field and actually caught and passed Reid, though the latter still maintained the race lead as the race was being run as an aggregate of two parts.

The skies cleared in the race’s latter stages, though Reid had a massive 10.922-second margin on aggregate to score the victory over Siedler.

“I’m totally wrapped with this result!” said the former Australian Formula 4000 flyer.

“It was a really challenging race with everything going on: rain, shine and everything in between! The weather was always going to be a huge factor here at Donington so the rain break wasn’t too much of a surprise.

“Norbert was looking really strong in the second half so I was relieved to hear he had to beat me by 14 seconds to win the race.

“I had mixed emotions crossing the line as I wasn’t totally sure if I had won or not, but now I’ve got the trophy, I’m ecstatic and can’t wait to celebrate with the team.

“It was such a good weekend. It’s given me the motivation to really kickstart my season. I was able to jump well off the line and gain a comfortable gap in the dry before it rained.

“I knew that Pastorelli was dropping back every time I was able to run a good consistent lap, so I was really trying to look after the tyres. I could see the clouds rolling in so I got on the radio to make sure we were on the ball with our moves to combat the weather arriving.

“I didn’t want to make a mistake and then the rain really started pelting down. I did my tyre change and was just leaving the pits when the race was red-flagged.

“When the race restarted I just didn’t want to make any mistakes. The car was 100 percent on the money in both the dry and the wet. The team actually got on the radio and told me that I had Siedler behind me.

“He caught up with 10 laps to go and was having some pretty vicious lunges at getting past me. I’ve let my pride get in the way before but not today, so I let him past, knowing the whole time I just had to stay within 14 seconds of him, which I did.”

Reid collects €10 000 for his first race win, a result that boosts him in the championship chase to fifth position.

The Superfund Euro 3000 series is an international series that uses a control Lola chassis and Zytek engine. It has been the development ground for two current Formula 1 drivers in the form of Felipe Massa (Sauber), who finished a career-best fourth in the weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, and Gianmaria Bruni (Minardi).

The winner of the series will be awarded a Formula 1 Super Licence and an F1 test driver. There are four rounds to run in the series, with Dijon in France hosting the next one on September 12.

Points: del Monte 38, Pastorelli 29, Auinger 20, Siedler 17, Reid 15.

Neil McFadyen has won the Australian Drivers Championship and the CAMS Gold Star!

My personal thanks go to my No. 1 Mechanic, Ritchie Kearney, who has maintained our cars perfectly for three seasons now and will soon be of back home to the UK for a well earned break. Also to Dave Jay who started as our truckie and has become an intrinsic part of our engineering group. Also to Brett Campbell, Sam Diasnos and Gary Jole, who have helped at various meetings.

Special thanks to John Hermann (owner of Car 12) who now has a Championship with his car and Vivian King who has been very helpful in the finance department.

The races were an anticlimax with Neil on pole for Race 1. P2 was Robert Nguyen with another front runner, Ty Hanger, having to start from the rear of the grid after a wheel hub failure in qualifying.

Robert got the jump at the start and, with a shuey chop. stopped Neil from coming back at him into Turn 2. Neil trailed for most of the fifteen lap race with Ty Hangar moving through the field. With about four laps to go, the Hocking car of Rob Nguyen developed a miss and allowed Neil to take a win from Ty Hangar with Rob finishing third.

Race 2 saw Neil get a great start to lead from Rob with the unfortunate Ty Hanger stalling and having to do it all over again from the rear of the grid. A close battle was fought with Neil and Rob for six laps, when finally Rob found a way past into Turn 2. Neil was never more than a second away until, again with a few laps to go, the same miss slowed Rob.

Neil first; Ty second; Rob third. It seems Car 12 loves Eastern Creek. It has now won the last six races there.

Michael Joannou drove our second car but we had a problem with the gearbox in the warmup and missed the first race. He started rear of grid for Race 2 and finished a good sixth.

We have a break from racing now until January next year but we will be busy fitting the new Holden 4-valve engine and, also, I will be attending the remaining five Superfund rounds with Jonny.

British F1 GP and Jonny Reid's Race at Spa

Well, I have returned from a great trip to the British F1 GP and Jonny Reid's race at Spa.

First the GP: Silverstone is one of the great events on the F1 calendar. The weather was okay, the crowd was huge: 45,000 on Friday, 60,000 on Saturday and capacity 101,000 on Sunday. I was fortunate enough to have organised BRDC VIP passes for the weekend through JVA (Jonny's Team). Jonnys lives not too far from the circuit, so a bus trip was the order of the day.

Pre-qualifying on Saturday was a joke. Most of the top drivers were trying to do the slowest time, so they could go first for the main Qualifying. (Rain was forecast.) Both Mclarens slowed on their final corner, Shuey spun, other drivers were slow all lap. Jenson Button was the only one to go for it and the parochial crowd loved it. Kimi Raikonen got a huge round of applause when he pipped Shuey for pole, but we all know, come race day, Ferrari are up for it no matter what.

The FIA Formula 3000 race was quite good with a good race for third between Enge & Friesacher. The other support race for Lambos was a crash fest with about four cars written off and the race red flagged. It was good to catch up with some friends and introduce Jonny to some good contacts.

The best display on Sunday was the Red Arrows air display. We were positioned just after Copse with a large TV screen in front, so we got all the action.

On to Spa for Jonny's race: This would be the best circuit in the world, just under 7km and with steep hills and valleys and Eau Rouge, the fastest corner in F1 - this is where Jonny was at his best. In Friday practice, he was fastest in the wet first half of the session but changed to slicks a bit early and ended up fifth. Session 2 was dry. Jonny was third. In the final 30 minute session, Jonny was fastest by 2-tenths with a 2 minute 5.999 - this is the fastest an F3000 car has gone on this circuit with an average of 199.316 KLM lap.

Unfortunately, Qualifying on Saturday was a different story. Jonny has to work on getting the best from his tyres over one lap. He ended up fifth, just in front of his team mate, Alex Lloyd. But with six drivers covered by 3-tenths, we looked for a good race.

Jonny got a reasonable start, dropping one place to Alex, but passed on the outside of Eau Rouge to be in fifth. He held this for three laps but then locked a right front going into the busstop chicane, losing the place again to Alex. This was to cause him problems with locking for the rest of the race but he held on to sixth place fighting off the advances of Mathias Lauda. This was probably the best race so far for Jonny - he had to fight the whole way with a bad car and he has now learned a lot from the last five races.

This is the halfway mark, with Donington Park in the UK next. So now Jonny has to put all the things he has learned to good use and come up with a Win. His speed says he can do it - he just has to work on the luck (and Qualifying).

I also had dinner with Will and Kerry in Milton Keynes. Will also needs to work harder on his luck - with another bad run at Croft. It looks like Mark Webber will be with Williams next year, so his first win is on the cards.

Round 3 - Oran Park

Round 3 of the Holden Australian Drivers Championship was held at Oran Park (Sydney) on Sunday 27th June. Ralt Drivers were first and third in Race 1, with Neil McFadyen taking a dominant win over Ty Hangar. The threat from Rob Nyugen in the Hocking Motorsport entry did not eventuate due to electrical problems in qualifying. Neil qualified on Pole just 3/100ths in front of Ty.

The times this year were slower than last time we ran with Will Power but the very windy conditions and truck racing on the same program made the circuit difficult

Neil won Race 2 as well, with Ty second again, but not before Rob Nyugen had made a brilliant pass on him only to lose out with a spin on the next corner. He did well to fight back to third.

Paul Trengove was unlucky not to finish Race 2. After making a bad start he dropped to sixth. By halfway through the race he was up to fourth behind Terry Clearihan but made a mistake whilst attempting a pass and ended in the gravel trap.

The next race, on 1st August, is at Eastern Creek where we hope to continue our good results from the last two years when we finished first and second in both years.

Jonny Reid had a rotten weekend at Monza (see press release below) and Will Power had a DNF and P10 at a wet and miserable Donnington Park.

Press Release
29 June, 2004

FIRST CORNER CHAOS CLAIMS REID AT MONZA

Kiwi Superfund Euro 3000 Series driver Jonny Reid has been eliminated from the fourth round of the series at Monza in Italy at only the second chicane.

The John Village Automotive driver was an innocent by-stander in the first lap accident and was eliminated from the race on the spot after starting from fifth on the grid. His new team-mate, Brit Alex Lloyd, spun at the second chicane, hitting Tor Graves’ GP Racing car and then bouncing into the hapless Reid. Such was the impact that it actually punctured a hole in the tub of Reid’s Lola! Reid was uninjured in the accident.

The result was a major disappointment for the 20-year-old, who was feeling confident after qualifying fifth in his first time on the fast Italian GP layout.

“I haven’t seen the video footage of the accident to be able to make much of a judgment on it,” said Reid, who raced last season in the Australian Formula 4000 category and won the most races of any driver for Ralt Australia. “I had someone run up the back of me and one minute I’m facing forward, then next minute I’m facing the other way with a massive crack in the side of the tub from where Alex’s exhaust hit my car. I’d almost made it through to the first kerb at the chicane and was 90 degrees on to him when he hit. It was pretty lucky I’ve only got a few bruises and feel a little sore.”

The lack of a point scoring result has dropped the rookie from seventh to ninth in the Superfund Euro 3000 Championship, however he has shown race-winning speed and was confident at Monza of his race-pace.

“Qualifying was quite reasonable. The tyres have a real three-lap performance window and on the first set I was focused on banking a time. Everyone waits until the last 10 minutes of the session to use their last set of tyres and generally there’s a lot of red flags because of cars spinning off trying too hard. That’s exactly what happened at Monza. I was on provisional pole but got bumped by two cars in one go and then another two at the end of the session. But I was definitely happy with the car. The team has done a great job and it’s full of great guys who work hard. We’ve definitely got the speed but we just need the luck to fall our way.”

Such was Reid’s competitiveness over the course of the Monza weekend, he was second quickest in the Saturday practice session, only two-thousandths of a second slower than eventually race winner Nicky Pastorelli.

“The car was really good in the warm-up too and I had a spin running on full fuel tanks as I was finding where the limit was,” added Jonny. “I made a change on the setup after the spin and the chequered flag came out before I could set another flying time, but it definitely felt strong for the race.”

Reid, who has already raced in the Czech Republic, Spain and Portugal in the previous three Superfund Euro 3000 rounds, was particularly impressed with the fast Monza layout.

“It’s a top circuit. The Parabolica is a corner and a half! I spent a bit of time on Grand Prix 4 on the PC before I went to Italy and it’s amazing, but I drove the race car pretty much exactly as I’d driven it on the computer. Amazing!"

The next round of the Superfund Euro 3000 Championship will be held at another famous circuit – Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium on July 18. The home of the Belgian GP, the circuit also hosts the classic 24-Hour GT race and it’s one that Reid has set his sights on since beginning in Europe at the start of the year.

“Spa was the goal I set myself at the start of the year. We can win there and I don’t race to finish second. You have to set yourself realistic goals and this is a realistic one. There’s still a bit of work to do but it’s been a great year so far. The learning curve has been big but we’ve within sight of a really good result.”

The Superfund Euro 3000 Championship is held over 10 rounds and has produced current Formula 1 drivers Felipe Massa (Sauber) and Gianmaria Bruni (Minardi). It is a control formula with Lola chassis and Zytek engines with the winner to receive a Super Licence that enables a driver to be eligible to compete in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

Another Good Weekend for Ralt Australia Drivers

After arriving back from Estoril (Portugal) on Wednesday, I drove to Winton for the second round of the Gold Star Series.

Neil McFadyen was on the pace straight away but so was Robert Nguyen in Chris Hockings 98D Reynard. With Rob on Pole and Neil second - three-tenths off. Robert's Formula 3000 experience showed in the race where he did a very fast first lap. Neil was able to stay close all race but finished second in both races.

Michael Joannou drove a second car as a one-off and acquitted himself well to finish in the top six in both races. Oran Park is next.

The reps from China were also present at Winton and were pleased with what they saw. Unlike other people, they can see a big future for Formula 4000 in the Asia Pacific region.

Will Power scored two third places at Snetterton UK F3 to keep within sight of the championship.

Scott Dixon, after showing early test speed at the Indy 500, could not keep up with the Honda powered cars and finished 10th.

After being in the top five in practice, he qualified seventh at Jerez (Spain). The Superfund Euro Formula 3000 is very close with nine cars within one second. Jonny finally got a reasonable start and finished third behind Del-Monte and Mathias Lauda. (See the Press Release at jonnyreid.com.)

He also won some prize money, so we might be able to do another test before Spa.

His next race is Monza - same weekend as our Oran Park Round - so I will not make that one either but I will be at all the remaining six starting with Spa. (This is the one to win.)

Ritchie also had a good weekend before Winton when he helped Christian Jones in the Asian F3 race at Subic (Phillipines) to win and his team-mate, in an older car, to a podium.

Press Release
31 May, 2004

REID SHOWS SPEED IN PORTUGAL
BUT LUCK DOESN’T FOLLOW

New Zealand racing sensation Jonny Reid has been the victim of bad luck in the second round of the Superfund Euro 3000 Championship at Estoril in Portugal on the weekend.

After qualifying a brilliant fourth in only his second appearance in the 400-odd horsepower open wheeler machines, Reid was confident of a strong race result, particularly after missing pole position by just half a second.

Jonny Reid at Estoril

But it all turned to disaster on race day. The young gun stalled heading off on the warm-up lap and was forced to start from the rear of the grid at the former home of the Portuguese F1 Grand Prix.

“It was a shocking weekend really,” surmised Reid. “I took to the line and stalled getting away on the warm-up lap like I did at Brno in round one. I got going and there was a car behind me so I thought I was entitled to get back to my original grid position.

“I formed back up in fourth spot on the grid but the officials pushed me to the back. “So I just had to get going from the rear and I passed five cars on the first lap.”

Race day featured warmer weather and it quickly became apparent that the setup that the young Kiwi had opted for wasn’t the one required.

“That made my job a lot more difficult,” said Jonny. “I was really struggling in the race and it all ended in tears a bit later on.”

He charged through the field, just as he did in the opening round at Brno a few weeks ago, working his John Village Automotive team Lola into eighth place.

But a holed radiator prompted Reid to spin in his own fluid and the former New Zealand Grand Prix winner was forced to retire from the 150-kilometre event.

“I’m not sure how the radiator was punctured. I’ve only got myself to blame with the setup problems. The car works a lot differently to the Formula 4000 car I raced in Australia last year.”

What also didn’t help Reid was that he was the sole JVA team car for the weekend. Without a team-mate to compare setups and data with, the New Zealander was at a disadvantage to his Euro 3000 rivals.

“We couldn’t overlay setups and the rest of guys got an advantage in that over us,” said Jonny. “None of the teams have been to Estoril before, so it was all a bit unfamiliar for everyone. It would definitely have been an advantage to have a team-mate to throw ideas around with.”

The Superfund Euro 3000 Championship is held over 10 rounds and has produced current Formula 1 drivers Felipe Massa (Sauber) and Gianmaria Bruni (Minardi).

It is a control formula with Lola chassis and Zytek engines with the winner to receive a Super Licence that enables a driver to be eligible to compete in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

Round three of the series will be held next weekend at Jerez in Spain.

Brno and Mallala

Well, I have had a busy month with Jonny Reid's first race at Brno (Czech Republic) and our first meeting at Mallala.

Jonny is determined to make up for his mistake at Brno when he is at the next round at Estoril in Portugal on 30th May. He has been busy training. With Will Power and Jonny winding each other up, they are both set for good things. (Will has qualified second for each race at Knockhill in Scotland for Sunday 16th).

I am going to Europe again on the 25th for Jonnys race at Estoril; then back for our races at Winton on the 6th June.

Richie is also travelling. He is on loan to Christian Jones at Subic Park in the Philippines for an F3 race. He is leaving on 24th and back on 1st ready to go to Winton.

I arrived back on Wednesday before Mallala and then flew straight to Adelaide. Dave, Richie and Brett were as usual set up and ready to go.

Neil McFadyen did a great job to qualify on Pole for his first race with us - and to also win both races was really good. The potential of a good dice for the lead did not eventuate when Rob Nugyen's car had a mechanical problem. Rob says that it would have been easy for him - but we will see at Winton!

Paul Trengrove was a last minute driver in the 11 car and, only doing half a practice session, also drove well to get two second places. Whilst Neil is locked in for the remaining rounds, Paul is still trying to find funding to complete the series.

The races in China are all GO! I intend to run three cars and hope to have the third car at Eastern Creek.

I have had enquiries from two teams in the Superfund Euro Series to send young drivers to us to learn more about powerful cars. (The cost to race in Australia is supercheap compared with Europe) This will probably happen for next year.

I am very sorry to hear Bruce Carey passed away after a long battle with cancer. Bruce was one of the unsung heroes of Australian motorsport, A great engineer who was always a hands-on person. I have very fond memories of Bruce when, in 1981, I stayed with him for four weeks in Woking, UK, when I helped build the first batch of Ralts for the AGP at Calder Park in November 1981.

He was also our main engineer with Larry Perkins and Greg Siddle in my first involvement as a Team Owner/Manager in New Zealand, December 1977 - January 1978, where we finished 2nd to Keke Rosberg in the Formula Pacific Series.

Update 2 May 2004

Jonny Reid had his first race in Europe in the Euro 3000 Championship at Brno (Czech Republic) today. Jonny was fourth on the grid but fell to 16th by the first corner with a problematic start. He had pulled back to seventh by lap 24 when rain became very heavy. With the drivers on slick tyres, the Race Director red flagged the race on lap 27 and declared it over. Fabrizio del Monte of GP Racing was the winner.

Update 15 April 2004

Jonny Reid and I met up with Will Power and Will Davison at a F3 test day at Croft (UK) and also went to a couple of test days with the JVA team who also run four Formula Renault cars.

Jonny and I took a day trip to Spa in Belgium to check out the circuit. It has to be the best in the world. The Circuit Manager took us for a few laps. Fantastic!

We went Vallellunga (near Rome) for the first official Euro F3000 test over two days. Jonny's first run in the car was good without any dramas except he started to get a sore neck with the G-forces. We decided to let him rest that night and be better prepared for the next day - only to find it was raining. However, all the 15 cars eventually went out. Jonny was very good, heading the time sheets for about 25 minutes until it started to dry. Jonny went to change to dry tyres but the clutch started to give a problem. The crew changed it at lunchtime but by this time the rain had set in.

I returned to Australia on April 3rd to set about with my team. Ritchie, my main man once again has held the fort well, and has done a great job preparing the cars in between organising a wheel changing competition at the AGP with our corporate show car. He and Truckie Dave are a tremendous help to me when I'm away.

Jonny did another test at Valencia (Spain) on Tuesday and Wenesday this week. There were four teams (eight cars) testing. He ended up third fastest over the two days, which looks good for the series which starts at Brno (Czech Republic) on 2nd May. I will be there and will keep you informed

Other News:
With the F4000 series this year, we are doing two races in China sometime around November. I have Neil McFadyen signed to do the series with us and believe we have a field of 16 cars for the first race. I still have the second seat available. I am talking to third drivers but as yet nothing is decided.

Scott Dixon had a very good test with Williams and according to my contacts the deal is done for F1 next year and even maybe some Friday running this year.

Will Power had a reasonable first meeting at Donington Park (UK) F3 finishing fourth. He had some bad test days but it seems the Team is now supporting him to their best.

Mark Webber is also doing well again. Let's hope Jaguar sort out the reliability of the cars

Alan Gurr and Lee Holdsworth had a bad weekend at the Clipsal Konica Minolta races with crashed cars. Alan hurt his neck quite badly and appears to be out for some months.

Matt Halliday also did well at the AGP in Colin Giltrap's Porsche, winning one race.

Update 17 March 2004

Scott Dixon will test a Williams Formula 1 car at the Paul Ricard circuit in France next week. Apparently Frank Williams is quite "keen on the lad".

Jonny Reid will be contesting this years European Formula 3000 Championship - see the press release below. Jonny also has just launched his own web site: www.jonnyreid.com.

A Great Start to the 2004 Series

Yet another former RALT Australia driver has continued the trend of winning races.

Alan Gurr, who finished third in the Gold Star Formula 4000 Series in 2000 driving for us, has won the first round of the 2004 Konica Minolta V8 Series at Wakefield Park on Sunday.

Myself & Ritchie, my main engineer, assisted the Smiths Truck crew with their second entry for Lee Holdsworth who tested for us last September. Lee also had a great debut by out-classing a lot of fancied, experienced drivers to finish in sixth place.

We have again won the Australian Drivers Championship
with our Driver Daniel Gaunt.

Jonny Reid (20 years old) won both races at Eastern Creek on the weekend to finish the Series in second place and Daniel Gaunt finished second in both races to clinch the Series.

In qualifying, we had some tough competition from returnee Peter Hill who qualified second to Jonny, albeit 0.4 seconds behind. Daniel was third. The expected competition from Nelson Hartly did not materialise, so we really had a dream run.

This season has been one of the most frustrating for us with three different drivers in the 11 car and with having an engine problem at two of the meetings when Jonny was leading.

Even though Daniel won the series with two wins and consistent driving, Jonny was the stand-out driver of the Series and, like Will Power last year, was always the pace setter. He qualified on Pole four times out of the six events and started from the front row eight times from twelve races. He won five races and had the fastest lap at every race - usually on the second lap.

Daniel did not do any testing until the last race meeting and, at only 18 years old, did not always have the outright speed until we did two test days before the last event. His mature approach to his driving and his natural ability won through. Next year, with some testing time, will see him as the pace setter.

Next year begins a new era for the Drivers Championship, with our series breaking away from the V8s. We need to get our own identity back if we are to grow. We have a series put together with the help of C.A.M.S. and the circuit owners.

There will be two races per meeting and possibly three at Phillip Island and Eastern Creek. The format of the races may change to one shorter race and one longer race.

Interest is high for the support categories, with the new Toyota Sports cars, Sports Sedans and Porsche Cup all negotiating.

I have already had strong interest from three New Zealand and two Australian drivers to compete next year.

There is also considerably interest from car owners to bring out the cars that have not been used for some years. (There are a total of 28 cars in the country.) Cost to compete is not as much as some people think with a Silver Star car at about $75,000 to $120,000 and Gold Star at $125,000 to $200,000.

Overseas drivers should take note that the cost over a period of only six months is the best place to hone a driver's skills. Our cars are the best tool for driver training in the world - just ask:

Speaking of Will Power (Ralt Australia Driver & Gold Star Champion 2002), Australian Paul Stoddart, owner of Minardi, has offered him a FORMULA 1 test sometime next year provided Will continues his overseas race program. If this eventuates, I am sure Will's talents will be noticed. It would at least give him something to attack corporate Australia to get behind him to reach his goals.

Meanwhile, I am well down the road to securing a test and possible drive in a European series for Jonny Reid and I also expect to see Daniel Gaunt in a test with the HRT young lions.

Update (14 October)

Scott Dixon (Ralt Australia driver in 1997) is IRL Champion after finishing second in the last race in Texas. Gil De Ferran won the race after it was cut short by five laps because of a huge accident between Thomas Schecter and Kenny Brack. Brack is in critical but stable condition.

Congratulations also to Mark Webber (Ralt Australia driver in 1996) for finishing in the Formula 1 top ten with 17 points.

Will Power will return to Australia on October 18th to seek assistance to compete next year.

I arrived on Tuesday morning to find that the second driver to Alan Gurr had not fronted with the correct requirements to drive, so I was handed the task to find a replacement.

Will was still in the UK, so the only other quick solution was to bring over Jonny Reid from New Zealand. Jonny arrived on Wednesday at 3pm. We fitted him in the car and then Alan took him for a few laps of the daunting 6.5k circuit in a road car.

Thursday First Session: we sent Alan out first to check the car setup. (He had raced last year.) After about six laps, we put Jonny in for his first time in a V8 and also first time at the Mountain. To our delight, he managed to do a mid-17 second lap. (Alan did mid-14s.)

Session 3: We gave Jonny a bit extra time to make sure he qualified and he responded with mid-14s to safely make the 107% cut.

Friday was Qualifing. Alan drove and recorded a 2 min 11.55 to be 31st in the forty car field.

In the Saturday session, we spent time on practice pad changes and driver changes ready for the race.

By Sunday, Jonny had completed 46 laps and Alan 45 laps. We thought the car was going to be very reliable for the race but then our luck turned to s_ _ _

Alan Started the race but, on the warm-up lap going to the grid, the clutch started to play up. He managed to start the race by pumping the pedal.

He made up five places in four laps and was now 26th but on the sixth lap the diff. blew apart just after the start line. He coasted to the pit exit road but we were unable to get the car down pit lane; so had to retire the car.

I have resolved not to be beaten by the event and will be endeavouring to compete again next year with the same two drivers with the definite prospect of a podium finish.

Update (1 October)

Although our final Championship race is not until the 30th November at Eastern Creek, we have been kept busy.

Jonny & Daniel tested at an open day at Eastern Creek on Friday 26th. Jonny did manage to put in some sub-26 second laps but with about thirty other cars on the track, including FVee, FFord and sports cars, it was very difficult for all the drivers to put in any significant lap times. Daniel and Ricci Occippinti were about the same, with low 29s.

We tested Neil McFadyen (2003 Australian Formula Ford Champion) and Lee Holdsworth (currently 3rd in Commodore Cup) at Wakefield Park yesterday (30th September). They each did about 20 laps in our corporate car (90D Reynard) and about 20 laps each in the No. 11 96D Reynard (the winner at Mallala). Both drivers did very well with Neil getting down to a 56.7 (good for third at the last meeting) and Lee doing a 57.6. Lee's time was very good considering he had not driven an open wheel car before.

After watching the TV Coverage of Mallala, I can see why some drivers were critical of the driving standards of two of the competitors but I guess that is up to the Stewards at the next meeting to discuss. Chris Hocking (F4000 President) has been very busy negotiating with various bodies re our Series for next year. I think we are in for a very good season, especially with the number of enquiries I have had from local and overseas drivers.

Ex-Ralt Drivers Update
Will Power (UKF3) had a bad shunt in qualifying at Brands Hatch and, although he spent some time in hospital for a check-up, he still raced - going from last to 17th. Not the best way to end a season but lets hope he gets something together for next year. Scott Dixon is now joint leader of the IRL series with one round to go. We wish him all the best. Mark Webber started off well at the US GP at Indy with third in First Qualifying but it went downhill from there - with a bad starting position he still ended up leading at one stage but got caught out with the rain and went off. Lets hope he has some luck in Japan in two weeks.

I'm off to Bathurst next week to manage and engineer the VT Commodore for the Smiths Trucks Team with Alan Gurr and Christian DeGostin driving. Ritchie is in Melbourne helping and learning about the car. I am busy reading all the rules and regulations regarding the "Great Race". Although I have

17 November 2005	Hackett Crowned F4000 Champion
10 October 2005	Reid Impressive at A1 Grand Prix Debut
25 September 2005	A1 Grand Prix of Nations - Results
24 September 2005	A1 Grand Prix of Nations - Qualifying
13 September 2005	Reid Scores Victory in Japanese Formula 3
21 August 2005	Hackett Takes Lead in F4000
25 July 2005	F1 Performance by Hollywood Hackett
6 June 2005	Tough Weekend for Jonny Reid in Japanese F3
16 May 2005	Jonny Reid on Podium in Japanese Formula 3
25 April 2005	A Busy Three Months
11 October 2004	Fourth in Superfund Euro 3000 Title
22 September 2004	Third Podium in a Row for Reid
12 September 2004	Reid Flies to Second at Dijon
9 September 2004	Reid Tastes Victory at Donnington
2 August 2004	Another Championship
26 July 2004	British GP & Jonny Reid's Race at Spa
19 July 2004	Reid Makes a Point in Belgium
30 June 2004	Round 3 - Oran Park
29 June 2004	Reid at Monza
7 June 2004	Another Good Weekend for Ralt Drivers
31 May 2004	Reid Shows Speed in Portugal
16 May 2004	Brno and Mallala
14 March 2004	Jonny Reid Joins Euro F3000 Team and Updates
23 February 2004	A Great Start to the 2004 Series
30 January 2004	F4000 front runner in new series
2 December 2003	We Have Won Again!
2 September 2003	Good and Bad at Mallala and Updates
7 August 2003	Stewart McColl
7 August 2003	Back on Track and Update
28 May to 15 June 2003	Winton and Updates
7 April 2003	A Mixed Weekend
27 February 2003	A Good Start for 2003
29 December 2002	Roll on 2003!
20 August 2002	We Are the Champion Team!
4 August 2002	Mallala
16 June 2002	Oran Park
3 June 2002:	Darwin and the Indy 500
10 May 2002:	Will Power Wins 1st Round

16th May	Will Power Knockhill Scotland British F3
23rd May	Mark Webber Monaco F1
30th May	Scott Dixon Indy 500 IRL
	Jonny Reid Estoril Superfund Euro F 3000
6th June	Ralt Racing Winton Premier Race Series Gold Star Drivers Championship (Neil McFadyen & TBA)

A1 Grand Prix of Nations - Results

A1 Grand Prix of Nations - Qualifying

A Busy Three Months

New Euro Superfund Car

Another Championship!

British F1 GP and Jonny Reid's Race at Spa

Round 3 - Oran Park

Another Good Weekend for Ralt Australia Drivers

Brno and Mallala

Update 2 May 2004

Update 15 April 2004

Update 17 March 2004

A Great Start to the 2004 Series

We have won again!

We have again won the Australian Drivers Championship
with our Driver Daniel Gaunt.

Update (14 October)

Update (1 October)

Daniel Gaunt at Eastern Creek
Click for a larger view	Click for a larger view

A Busy Three Months

New Euro Superfund Car

Update 15 April 2004

Update 17 March 2004

We have again won the Australian Drivers Championship with our Driver Daniel Gaunt.

Update (1 October)

We have again won the Australian Drivers Championship
with our Driver Daniel Gaunt.