TOURING CAR MASTERS
Symmons Plains Raceway 12-14 November 2010

As reported from Bathurst, quite a bit of work was required to bring the 95, 1969 Camaro back to its pristine condition.

This included :

Significant body work, changed the diff to suit the Tassie track layout, changed the gearbox to set closer ratio gears to suit the track, re-engineered the Watts linkage to bring it up to same specification as the 1970 camaro to give much quicker adjustment and would prove to be beneficial, brake pads refaced, replaced fuel filter, front end repairs as a result of Bathurst to correct steering damage, wheel alignment, repairs to tail shaft to address a small oil leak and fitted larger front brake ducts.

Meanwhile, work progressed on the back end of the 85 1970 Camaro in preparation for Sandown, but more about that in later report.

With all the jobs done, the camaro and gear were loaded up, so too Amanda Spark’s Porsche which due to the 85 Camaro staying in Adelaide was able to fit into the Whiteline Transporter, as Bob was taking off Monday night to Melbourne to be on the wharf to board the Spirit of Tasmania. Arriving 6 am Tuesday morning as the transporter was last on it was first off and Bob proceeded to the track, but not before a special surprise – Denzil Mead and his wife Mary were there to greet him and they enjoyed a breaky together.

Once at the track, Bob unloaded the cars on Wednesday and the rest of the gear Thursday, then collected a brand new Mercedes Benz, 7 seater 4 wheel drive, GL 350 cdi, which our sponsors Mercedes Benz Corporate Vehicles in Melbourne arranged through Steve Smith, State Manager in Adelaide. Many thanks to Ben in Tassie.

Friday we ran two practice sessions, with the threat of bad weather looming all day, but it didn’t eventuate to anything that caused any issues. A very early morning downpour had dried prior to entry to the track. In the early morning session, we completed 13 laps and we were at the pointy end of the field, travelling 2nd fastest behind John Bowe. After a couple of laps into the session, Andrew called in to Mark and commented his diff was too low, hitting the rev limiter a long way before the end of the straight. Some of our sectors were extremely quick, but where it was apparent was when we came up on traffic.

The diff was changed and on inspection of the brakes found the wear rate to be quite severe so opted to put in a different compound pads for the second session, with minor shocker setting changes in an attempt to enhance the handling.

In the second session we were again hampered by traffic and so found getting a clear run difficult.

During the session we made further shocker and roll centre adjustments but failed to find an ideal balance between over steer and under steer. Whilst we are on the pace we are still not convinced we have the balance right and the hope was the new tyres would see this not such an issue. Late in the 2nd session we had a fuel pick up issue which required us to revise our starting fuel load, resulting in removing a bit of ballast to carry extra fuel.

It was great also, to have the support of Denzil Mead at the track – a very accomplished and successful speedway and nascar champion in his own right.
Saturday the qualifying session and one race was to be held. Qualifying got away at 11.50 in dry, overcast conditions. Not long into the session, it was red flagged when a couple of cars stopped on the circuit, one with a major engine concern, another into the wall. Whilst the red flag was out, Andrew as did most of the field, pitted for their crews to make adjustments and check tyre pressures. The session resumed and Andrew was wanting to get out first for a clear run, when on the final corner going into the straight spun, heading off the track – regaining control re entered the track but such is the tightness of this circuit, even on Andrew’s quickest lap still had other cars to pass.

Completing 10 laps, Andrew would qualify in 4th with Bowe, Mason and Tander 1 – 3. Andrew’s time .5898.

There was still an issue with the ‘balance’ of the car not quite right with Mark and Ron suspecting that the diff might be the culprit. Given there was significant time between qualifying and race 1, they decided to remove the diff to convert it from trutrac to Detroit locker. It wouldn’t be until race one to know if this had assisted. Whilst the were changing the diff they found some metal shavings in the oil.

Race 1 was scheduled for 14 laps at 5.20pm, with Andrew starting out of 4 alongside Leanne Tander on the 2nd line. John Bowe and Steve Mason were one and two off the front of the grid.

By the completion of the first lap, Bowe had settled into the lead followed by Mason, Andrew and Tander. This would remain the status quo although, by the end of lap 5 the front runners would start to embark on lapped traffic. By the completion of laps 6, 7 and 8, they would then again come up on another group of lapped traffic, with Andrew continuing to apply pressure to Steve Mason in 2nd. Andrew sensing that Steve’s brakes were starting to go off slightly. By the end of the 11th lap, Steve would succumb to the pressure and slide off the track, which Andrew immediately pounced upon and would now be in 2nd behind Bowe. Steve would regain his composure still remaining in third with Leanne Tander behind. With the race reduced by 2 laps, the WesTrac supported cars would finish one and two with Bowe and Miedecke in 1 and 2 with Mason and Tander 3rd and 4th, so the call to replace the diff proved successful.

Fellow South Australian entrant Amanda Sparks had the race of her life, finishing in 13th in the Sportsmed Porsche in what was an excellent drive and was completing laps in consistently competitive times. Hubby and racer Greg Keene crewed on the weekend, opting not to race on the Apple Isle and was suitably proud of his girl’s efforts. Bernie Stack also from South Aus was making his presence felt running 7th in his extremely competitive silver Porsche, number 36.

Saturday night when the racing was done for the day, Andrew was interviewed by racing commentary identity Barry Oliver at an officials get together.

That night, we had tea at the Doherty Campbell Town Hotel.

Overnight, there had been a lot of rain and as we ventured from our Fox Hunters Accommodation in Campbelltown, the boys were discussing the set up for the wet.

For Andrew, the Tassie race meet was a family affair with brothers James and John there to offer their support.

With two races Sunday, the first was reverse grid of the first 8, Andrew would sit in 7th alongside Bowe.

A crash in the Formula Ford race prior to our first event caused some significant damage to track fencing. Given the time it took to repair it and the commitments to television the race was cut !! The field headed back to the pit to prepare for their next race at 11.55.

The grid positions for this race would normally have been determined by aggregate points tally from the previous races, but given the reverse grid race had been cut, it was decided to run this way for the next race.

In extremely bleak conditions, the race got underway, with Andrew not getting the best of starts on the tight circuit and found himself in ninth by the completion of lap 1, with the very quick Bernie Stack Porsche from South Australia leading the pack, followed by Stillwell, Mark King, Brett Youlden, Leanne Tander, John Bowe, Steve Mason, Cameron Tilley then Andrew. By the end of lap 4 Bowe had got to the lead with Andrew now in 6th. Sitting behind Leanne Tander in 5th, on the 7th lap, just didn’t quite scrape through when Mark King, in the No. 8 Holden HQ got all untidy and contacted with Andrew damaging the entire right side of the 1969 WesTrac Camaro.

Andrew was forced to pit, because the front right guard was rubbing on the tyre. The boys pulled out the guard on pit lane and he re-entered to finish the race and collect points. The side of the car was pretty badly damaged and with only a week between this event and Sandown the pressure was now on to find a crash shop in Melbourne. Bowe would win the race with Youlden and Stillwell in 2nd and 3rd. Great result also for Bernie Stack from S.A. in his Porsche, coming in 4th despite the damage down the left side as a result of Stillwell making contact with him on a passing move. The wet conditions proved rather tricky with a number of cars sustaining some form of body damage whilst others suffered pretty serious engine concerns.

The job of packing up was ahead of us and in the wet conditions was not a lot of fun – we were sinking up above our ankles in water. Bob was scheduled to board the Spirit of Tasmania for the overnight voyage back to Melbourne.

Needless to say, all got done and on Monday morning the ship docked. The race is now on to get the 1969 Camaro repaired and painted in time for Sandown’s event.

Will talk then.

Kind regards,
Shaz

Media Release
7 November 2010

Launceston’s prodigal son returns to Symmons after 20 years

Tasmanian racing fans will have not one, but two home grown heroes to cheer for when the Touring Car Masters presented by Autobarn takes to the track at Symmons Plains Raceway (TAS) for next week’s V8 Supercar event.

While former Bathurst 1000 winner John Bowe has the spotlight, the series’ other Tasmanian ex-V8 Supercar driver, Andrew Miedecke is flying under the radar as he ends his 20-year hiatus from Symmons Plains.

The last time Miedecke raced at Symmons Plains, Sinead O’Connor and MC Hammer flooded our radios, Charles and Di were still married and Ford Sierras ruled our racetracks.

Campaigning the Peter Brock Sierra in the 1990 Australian Touring Car Championship against current rivals Bowe and Jim Richards, Miedecke’s home round at Symmons Plains was the highlight of his season with a fifth-place finish.

Two decades later, Miedecke finally has the opportunity to race at Symmons Plains again.

After years of regularly commuting to the Apple Isle to visit family and friends, Launceston-born Miedecke is delighted to again compete on home soil.

Joining the Touring Car Masters this season to pilot the 1969 WesTrac Cat Chevrolet Camaro, Miedecke has re-partnered with Whiteline Racing owner Bob Middleton, a union that yielded Miedecke’s two Australian NASCAR Championship crowns (2001, 2002).

Winning on debut in the season’s opening round in Adelaide, Miedecke immediately established his place at the fore of the Touring Car Masters’ field.

A fierce competitor and always entertaining, this season has seen 62-year-old Miedecke enjoy his share of triumph and controversy and, as one of only five race winners this year, he will be hoping to add to his victory tally in front of his home crowd.

Alongside Bowe and a host of fellow Touring Car Masters drivers, fans can meet Miedecke in a public appearance at Autobarn Launceston between 5-6pm on Friday 12 November.

The 2010 Touring Car Masters presented by Autobarn’s sixth round will be held at Tasmania’s Symmons Plains Raceway on 12-14 November.

ANDREW MIEDECKE

“As a kid, I visited Symmons Plains at every opportunity. Although I raced there rarely, there’s always something special about coming home.

“I’ve competed often in Targa, but it’s been a long time since I’ve had the chance to race at Symmons.

“In my early days I raced at Symmons in Formula 2, then in my Sierra in ’89, and I last drove there in the Peter Brock Sierra in 1990.

“I have always liked Symmons Plains - there’s a certain technique and challenge to it. It’s a circuit that breeds close racing and is very hard on brakes.

“It will be an interesting track for our category; I think some will run out of brakes. For me, the main challenge will be John Bowe and Gavin Bullas.”

TCM Media Release
8 November 2010

Miedecke wins at inaugural Targa High Country

Touring Car Masters presented by Autobarn driver Andrew Miedecke scored a satisfying win in the inaugural Targa High Country (VIC) over the weekend.

Tackling some of Victoria’s most challenging roads around Mt Buller, Wangaratta, Jamieson and Eildon, Miedecke won the Shannons Classic Outright class piloting a 1970 Ford Capri Perana with co-driver Daniel Willson.

Contesting the Modern class, fellow Touring Car Masters racer Jim Richards was at the fore of the event’s 200-plus entrants in his Shannons Porsche 911 GT2 with long-time co-driver Barry Oliver; the pair finished third outright.

In winning form, Miedecke will hope to keep the victories coming on his home track at Symmons Plains (TAS) for round six of the 2010 Touring Car Masters presented by Autobarn this coming weekend (12-14 November).

ANDREW MIEDECKE

“This is the Targa equivalent of the Touring Car Masters. Conditions were really good all weekend. There are some great roads through the area.

“In Targa, the Classic category has been basically owned by Rex Broadbent – this is the first time he’s been beaten in years.

“The car was built by Ron Missen and this was a great debut. The speed of our Classic car would have been fifth outright.”

Media Release
14 November 2010

Bowe wins in shortened round at Symmons Plains

Touring Car Masters presented by Autobarn’s Tasmanian hero, John Bowe took outright victory on home soil in a shortened two-race round six at Symmons Plains (TAS), this weekend.

Delighted to be in action back at Symmons Plains for the track’s 50th anniversary, Bowe was immediately at home, topping the timesheets in both of Friday’s practice sessions. Fellow Tasmanian, Andrew Miedecke also quickly reacquainted himself after a 20-year absence from his home track, setting the third and second fastest practice times respectively.

Friday’s practice also reignited the battle between Bernie Stack, Chris Stillwell and Cameron Tilley, with Stack and Stillwell taking turns at the top of the Group 2 leader board.

Phillip Showers and Tony Karanfilovski traded blows in Group 3, each setting fastest practice session times.

Friday also yielded its share of dramas with Gavin Bullas’ Boss Mustang and Cameron Mason’s Datsun 510 suffering engine failures in the opening session. However, both crews’ remarkable efforts changing engines saw both the Mustang and the Datsun ready for action on Saturday morning.

Again heading the 25-strong field of classic muscle cars, Bowe blitzed qualifying to take his fifth pole position of the season ahead of the www.usgmsp.com Camaro of Steve Mason and Wilson Security Falcon XA of Leanne Tander, while electrical troubles in the Rain City Mustang left Bullas languishing in 20th place in qualifying.

Cameron Tilley posted the seventh fastest qualifying time to lead Group 2 in the Tilleys Automotive Valiant Pacer, while Showers’ Northern BM Escort was the quickest Group 3 qualifier.

The Touring Car Masters qualifying was disrupted with a safety car to retrieve the stricken Mick Wilson Treloar Roses / Mick Wilson Plumbing Charger and Garry Treloar’s Treloar Roses Camaro. For Wilson a simple fuel pick up problem was easily rectified, but it was bad news for Treloar as major engine failure ended his weekend. The Karanfilovski TIFS Alfa Romeo GTAM also suffered a terminal engine failure.

RACE ONE

Starting race one from the front row alongside Mason, Bowe and his ’69 WesTrac Cat / Wilson Security Mustang charged off the line and left the field trailing in his rear view mirrors for the entire race distance, twice setting a new lap record along the way.

Behind Bowe, a furious battle between Mason and Miedecke ensued with Leanne Tander also in the mix waiting for any opportunity to pounce. A superb return to form saw Mason secure in second place as the pack rounded the last corner of the last lap, but a slight pinch of brakes forced him wide allowing Miedecke’s WesTrac Cat Camaro room to slip by and steal second place ahead of Mason and Tander, treating local fans to a Tasmanian 1-2 victory with former V8 Supercar stars Bowe and Miedecke first and second across the finish line.

After starting from 20th on the grid, Bullas’ horror weekend continued. After a storming drive up to fifth place, Bullas retired from the race with a split oil line and back to 21st on the grid for race two.

Bernie Stack was back in winning form taking out the Group 2 class, while Phillip Showers’ Ford Escort took an uncontested win in the under two-litre Group 3 class.

RACE TWO

Lining up in full wet conditions for Sunday’s race two, marshals struggled to fix the Armco along John Bowe Straight which was damaged at the end of the previous category’s race, while the Touring Car Masters cars waited in pit lane.

As officials worked frantically to repair the safety barrier, the clock continued to tick away unfortunately forcing the cancellation of the Touring Car Masters race, reducing the weekend’s schedule from three races to two.

Taking to the circuit again at 11.55am, the field lined up for race two with a reverse top-eight grid headed by the smaller capacity Group 2 Stillwell Motorsport Mustang of Chris Stillwell and Porsche 911 of Stack on the front row with Bowe starting back in eighth.

A wet weather master, Stack got the jump off the line and led the field for three laps, stretching a 1.09s margin at the front of the field before being reeled in by a hard charging Bowe on lap four.

As Bowe barged past Stack, Stillwell was quick to follow suit, pushing his way past the Gawler Body Works Porsche 911, followed by Youlden a few corners later on his way up into second place in pursuit of Bowe.

Local hero, Miedecke peeled into the pits on lap six with a flat tyre for a premature end to his home event.

As the pack stabilised at the front of the field, an incident with Ross Almond brought out the safety car to retrieve the Toshiba / Copyworld Porsche 911, and the action-packed race ended under safety car conditions.

While the locals had their eyes on Bowe as he carved his way to the fore of the field once more, defending series champion, Bullas was stellar as he climbed from 21st to eighth and set the fastest lap of the race.

As Bowe and Youlden stretched a gap at the head of the field, the Group 2 cars of Stillwell and Stack drove a brilliant race, respectively finishing third and fourth, holding a gaggle of Group 1 cars at bay. Stillwell took the Group 2 win with Stack second. Showers’ popular purple Escort took the Group 3 honours.

The Touring Car Masters presented by Autobarn now returns to the mainland for back-to-back events with round seven at Sandown Motor
Raceway (VIC) on 19-21 November.

George Miedecke underwent some testing whilst his Dad did battle in the Apple Isle, be sure to check out the next edition of our newsletter to see how he went in the big race scheduled for the weekend we race in Sandown.

The Calendar ahead for 2010