Skaife to race his former Nissan Skyline at Phillip Island

[DAVID PATERSON]

Five times Australian Touring Car Championship winner Mark Skaife will be reunited with the Gibson Motorsport team and his former Nissan Skyline at this year’s Phillip Island Classic Festival of Motorsport from March 8-10.

Skaife, who retired from full-time touring car racing in 2008, but has since been a driving force behind the V8 Supercars ‘Car of the Future’ program, will drive the HR 31 GTS-R sedan in which he contested much of the 1990 Australian Touring Car Championship.

He will be the third Australian Champion making their Historic Racing debut at the 2013 'Classic. Fellow six-time Bathurst winner Larry Perkins will return to racing after a 10-year absence to drive the ex-Kevin Bartlett 1985 'Pantera Bianca' coupe in the meeting's International Sports car Challenge, while four-time Australian Driving Champion Alfredo Costanzo will race the ex-Bartlett 1971 McLaren M10B Formula 5000 in open wheeler events.
Mark Skaife drove the Nissan Skyline HR 31 into fourth place in the final round of the 1990 ATCC at Oran Park, with the race won by his teammate Jim Richards in the team's then-new, four wheel drive Skyline GT-R. Their combined performances secured the first of Nissan’s landmark three consecutive Australian Touring Car Championship titles.

The two wheel drive, 440HP, turbocharged six cylinder 2.0-litre HR 31 was acquired recently by Richards, but a clash of dates with the Touring Car Masters in Sydney means he is unable to drive it at the Phillip Island Classic.

Although disappointed at not being with the team at the ‘Classic, Richards said he was delighted that he and Skaife were again working with Fred Gibson. “However I have told Mark to look after the car and if he breaks it, he owns it!” he added dryly.

Skaife was recruited to Fred Gibson’s Gibson Motorsport in the mid-1980s, spending his early days as a mechanic for the team before winning the 1987 Australian 2.0 Litre Touring Car Championship with a Gibson Motorsport- prepared Nissan Gazelle.

He and Gibson together won Bathurst as driver and manager three times during a long and successful touring car and open wheel racing relationship.

Skaife said he was excited to be reunited with his old Skyline racing car.

“This is a unique opportunity – one I just couldn't pass up,” he said. “The combination of driving for Fred, in Jim's Skyline, at one of the world’s most decorated Historic meetings, held at Australia’s best permanent race circuit, is something that will bring back many great memories for me.

“I hope that seeing Gibson Motorsport again running one of the great cars of Australian motorsport history will inspire the fans there to experience all the old touring cars".

Gibson Motorsport has recently been reborn and is currently responsible for the maintenance and development of several historic racing cars as well as many classic road cars.

The HR31 that Skaife will drive is one of three Nissans that Gibson Motorsport will field at this year’s Phillip Island Classic.

Skaife’s ‘teammates’ are the similar former Nissan team HR31 owned and driven by Robert Marshall and the ex George Fury DR30 RS-2000, owned by Carolyn Kruger and to be driven at Phillip Island by fellow Victorian Luke Ellery. The DR30 was raced in 1986-87 and still carries all the battle scars from its last ATCC outing.

The Gibson Motorsport garage will be prominent in the pit paddock at Phillip Island, with cars and team history on display for all spectators, who are encouraged to visit and chat with team personnel.

[billybanana]

That's great news. I'm so looking forward to that weekend.

[formerf1champ]

It's a nice bonus. But I really can't wait to see David Paterson and David Towe hammer around the Island!

[Sultan]

Originally Posted by formerf1champ

It's a nice bonus. But I really can't wait to see David Paterson and David Towe hammer around the Island!

And surely David if your second car's ready you'll need a driver...

[STEALTHY]

FAS33 will be excited to see this 'godzilla' in action

[FAS33]

Originally Posted by STEALTHY

FAS33 will be excited to see this 'godzilla' in action

who wouldn't? they are one of the most iconic cars in aus motorsport, and they were heckled for being too good, all I need now is some money to get me down there, want my bank account details? hehe

[Tourer]

Originally Posted by FAS33

who wouldn't? they are one of the most iconic cars in aus motorsport, and they were heckled for being too good, all I need now is some money to get me down there, want my bank account details? hehe

Ahhh - you do get Stealthy's point that this car ain't the Godzilla don't you?

The Godzilla came after this car.

[David Towe]

Originally Posted by STEALTHY

FAS33 will be excited to see this 'godzilla' in action

Should be a great weekend. drop in and say hello.

[DAVID PATERSON]

40 Entries have been received for the Group C & Group A Touring car races! Skaifey is driving one of three GMS HR31s, there is also a PJ DR30 and the GIO GT-R, plus three M3s, one Schnitzer, one JPS & one Mobil. There are two RS500s, two Walkinshaw VLs, a Greens-Tuf Mustang, a JPS 635 and a Volvo turbo, plus two Bob Holden Corollas and two Bob Holden Escorts. There are five Group C Commodores, three Group C Falcons, an A9X, two L34s, two RX-7s, a Bluebird turbo, the Nissan EXA turbo, a Capri, an Alfa and a Gemini.

[formerf1champ]

Instead of starting new thread, I'll just use this one for talk about PI classic. Is anybody going? Any news? Anything to keep an eye out, other than Skaife? I loved seeing both Indycars, will they be back?

[bortall]

Entry List & Event Schedule PI 2013 Details

[johnh875]

Originally Posted by formerf1champ

Instead of starting new thread, I'll just use this one for talk about PI classic. Is anybody going? Any news? Anything to keep an eye out, other than Skaife? I loved seeing both Indycars, will they be back?

The Can-Am cars should be a highlight, one is listed as 9000cc. Larry Perkins in a De Tomaso Pantera, presumably the sports sedan raced ~25 yrs ago? Not sure what a 1969 MRC Repco Brabham at 6500cc is, surely not a Repco engine.

I'll have to get down there as early as I can on Sat to have more time to find out!

[Samwhk]

Here's an interesting little read if you haven't seen it already.

http://www.gibsonmotorsport.com.au/a...sland-classic/

[face_plant]

I scanned this in today. One of those handout promotional flyer things given away at the track. Would have been at Wanneroo Raceway.

[alfacors]

Shame it clashes with Top Gear Festival this weekend, I would have gone down for it and stayed on for the F1. Maybe next year..... good luck to all competing!

[formerf1champ]

Originally Posted by Samwhk

Here's an interesting little read if you haven't seen it already.

http://www.gibsonmotorsport.com.au/a...sland-classic/

To add to the retro theme, maybe Skaife could wear hs old helmet colours. With the white instead of the black.

[formerf1champ]

Originally Posted by johnh875

The Can-Am cars should be a highlight, one is listed as 9000cc.

Don't know if Can-Am gets me going tbh. Hopefully I'll be surprised.

Originally Posted by johnh875

Larry Perkins in a De Tomaso Pantera, presumably the sports sedan raced ~25 yrs ago? Not sure what a 1969 MRC Repco Brabham at 6500cc is, surely not a Repco engine.

I'll have to get down there as early as I can on Sat to have more time to find out!

Are we talking about the same one Kevin Bartlett raced in sportscars?

[formerf1champ]

Looks like I've completely underestimated the popularity of the event. I thought I might go for both sat and sun if I could find accomodation. I've found nothing! Looks like it's be just sunday for me then.

[Tourer]

Originally Posted by formerf1champ

Don't know if Can-Am gets me going tbh. Hopefully I'll be surprised.

Are we talking about the same one Kevin Bartlett raced in sportscars?

Hopefully you'll enjoy the Can-Am cars - don't know how many are going to be at the island but i've seen big fields of them in Europe and they're good - just grunty old girls with the big blocks - special cars.

There were a couple of production based Group 4 style Panteras from memory racing in sports cars then that white one was built for KB as a full on racer. Remember it being revealed at the Sydney Motor Show and Peter Wherrett telling everyone within earshot that it was a show car, not a race car and that it'd never see a race track etc etc. I was looking at the Hewland and fabricated rear end and didn't agree with him - it was of course on track racing only a few months later.

[Oldtony]

Originally Posted by formerf1champ

Looks like I've completely underestimated the popularity of the event. I thought I might go for both sat and sun if I could find accomodation. I've found nothing! Looks like it's be just sunday for me then.

In terms of quality events I understand Bernie only brings out his little show as a support for PI.

[alfacors]

Originally Posted by formerf1champ

Don't know if Can-Am gets me going tbh. Hopefully I'll be surprised.

Are we talking about the same one Kevin Bartlett raced in sportscars?

Yep, here's an email I received earlier this week

================================
The story so far:

In 1983, having sold out of Adaps, I became the importer and assembler of DeTomaso Cars in Australia. The cars were built and sold in my Sydney business called the Toy Shop. Because we exported the Australian V8 Ford engines for DeTomaso's production for the rest of the World, we could apply our export credits to the parts we imported which lowered our Duty from 85% to just 25%. This made our Pantera's relatively inexpensive and also quite profitable for us.

As part of promoting both the cars and our engineering ability, we decided to build a racing version. Barry Lock, formerly a senior design engineer with McLaren F1, took my concept plans and designed and subsequently built a race car that was absolutely state of the art using parts from the worlds best suppliers. Our plan was to test in 4 or 5 races in 1985 and then commit to a full GT Championship season in 1986.

I approached a good friend of mine who ran NatWest Bank and suggested that they might like to be our major sponsor only to be told to get stuffed! So I said OK how about for free then and I was welcomed with open arms.

When we arrived at our first race looking beautiful and resplendent in NatWest livery, our competitors were "spooked" as in those days the likely sponsorship was Joe's workshop or something similar. No one had seen the likes of an International Bank sponsoring a local racing car! Well we subsequently won that and our next four races with Kevin Bartlett who drove the car magnificently.

In our championship race at Winton, Kevin lapped the entire field. Our competitors started to grumble!

I guess I was too clever for my own good with my pretense of huge sponsorship but we certainly were having fun at the expense of our competitors.
Inevitably there were calls to ban the "ground effects" design which was a considerable benefit in making our car so quick and in 1986 this was what happened. Rather that dumb down this beautiful car, I carefully put it away in a container.

Now, 27 years later, it is eligible to compete as a historic race car in all of its 1985 "ground effects" glory. We are participating by invitation at the Phillip Island Classics next week-end and then the following week we have been invited to participate in two races at the Australian Grand Prix. Our competitors are the best historic race cars from around the world, from CanAm cars from America, to Le Mans cars from Europe. 21 of our competitors are from overseas.

Normally we would not race against these cars as they are in a different and in theory, quicker class, but because of our previous giant killing efforts we are in!

Believe me we have had lots of problems which at this moment are still to be resolved but in just 4 laps at Winton (then the car had to retire with overheating problems) Larry Perkins did a 1.25m which was a second faster than the V8 Supercars that had practiced the day before. Larry, who is a good mate of mine, came out of 10 years of retirement to drive our car just for a bit of fun but make no mistake, the Old Larry is back, and while he has a grin from ear to ear, he is very competitive and still as blinding fast as ever. You don't get to drive in F1 and then win 6 Bathursts without huge talent!

Barry Lock, the original Designer and engineer is back and while we are both not quite as agile as we were 27 years ago, we have hired two absolute "guns" from MKAL engineering in Steve and David.

Please feel free to come and see us at Phillip Island, at garage 16 and bring your kids and partners along. For those who are interested I will send out an email on Monday morning to let you know our progress this week-end. I will also keep you all informed as our two weeks progress. Our first serious practice will be this Wednesday at the Island. I have enclosed a couple of photo's of the car, which is not even a metre tall. It has 612 BHP, and sorry I don't know what that is in Kilowatts!

If you have any questions, again just email me and if we are relatively successful, Larry will sign photo's of the DeTomaso after the events, which can be in your name, our your kids name.

If you have any friends or associates who you would like to include, just send through their email addresses.

Wish us luck, I'm nervous already and there's less than two weeks to go!

Regards,


PAUL HALSTEAD
MANAGING DIRECTOR
===========================

[bortall]

Even the hares were racing at the Island:

[billybanana]

Originally Posted by formerf1champ

Looks like I've completely underestimated the popularity of the event. I thought I might go for both sat and sun if I could find accomodation. I've found nothing!

More to do with the long weekend than anything else. It's always like that at Phillip Island on holiday weekends.

[rich07]

Great to see Larry back on the track again, I bet he'll enjoy himself in the DeTomaso

[formerf1champ]

Jealous of bortall for being able to be there for 3 or 4 days. Hopefully Larry hasn't wrecked the De Tomaso by the time I get there tomorrow morning. Would love it if Skaife destroyed the Skyline!