2016 Motorsport Season Wrap Up 10 January 2017 09:41 Rare Spares General, Rare Spares (0) ShareWhen it comes to the automotive world, it definitely goes without saying that we at Rare Spares are suckers for Motorsport. Whether it be the iconic Supercars (formally V8 Supercars) or the Touring Car Masters, we can’t get enough of fast and furious four wheeled action. Here we will take a look back at some of the series my exciting moments and how they finished up. Last year the Supercar series went through, some big changes, one of which was dropping the V8 name from the series to make way for turbo charged vehicles. However, the year was not without incident. Who could forgot the Red Bull poster boys Jamie Whincup and Shane van Gisbergen fighting at the front throughout the season, until the second last round in New Zealand where one punted the other, sending Van Gisbergen sliding off the road. This Supercars season also saw the first full-time female racer in decades enter the series. Simona De Silvestro was a former Indy Car racer and with her impressive wild card entry in the 2015 Bathurst, she was locked into a three year deal in the Australian category. Some other big moments saw HRT move to Triple Eight with Holden choosing the team over Walkinshaw Racing, ahead of the development of their new 2nd generation Supercar. The biggest story would have to go to the events that took place at the Bathurst 1000. Will Davison and Jonathon Webb were named the Bathurst champions after a dramatic end to the race in October. Whincup was stripped of his first place result due to a 15 second time penalty that was applied post-race. The series ended up being taken out by Van Gisbergen after an extraordinary display of skill and ability throughout the year. The Touring Car Masters also provided nothing short of a thrilling series once again, with high horse power and classic metal never failing to impress. One of the most memorable moments would go to the man Glenn Seton taking out the title for the first Trans-Tasman challenge. The Touring Car Masters and Central Muscle Cars went head to head at Mount Panorama for an incredibly exciting race which saw the Thunder Road Racing Team Australia driver claim his third TCM race win at Bathurst and fourth of the season. The series also provided some valiant efforts with Eddie Abelnica ending a 64 race streak without a Touring Car Masters race victory, thanks to a brilliant performance at the stunning Phillip Island GP Circuit. Abelnica powered his Melbourne’s Cheapest Cars XB Falcon hardtop to the win from fourth on the grid, passing Glenn Seton, Jason Gomersall and John Bowe in an outstanding display of steering. The Touring Car Master season title went to none other than Rare Spares ambassador, John Bowe, after he recorded his eighth race win of the year with an 80 point lead ahead of second place winner, Eddie Abelnica. With such an exciting season of Motorsport behind us, we are lucky to have such a vibrant and passionate automotive scene and with 2017 in full swing, we cannot wait to see what this year will bring!
Phillip Island Classic Festival of Motorsport 28 March 2015 12:06 Rare Spares Rare Spares (0) ShareThe Phillip Island Classic Festival of Motorsport is the largest historic automotive meeting of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere and provided a thrilling weekend of sights and sounds for entrants and enthusiasts alike. The annual event took place March 5-8 at its home, the iconic Phillip Island circuit, about 90 minutes south of Melbourne and was the 26th instalment of the now famous festival. Every year the event attracts many of the most awe-inspiring, collectable and historic cars from around the world and in 2015, over 500 entries were received for the three day festival, including 17 cars and drivers from overseas. Crowds were slightly down on last year, due to the wet conditions on Friday and cold temperatures on Saturday, however that didn’t affect the quality of the weekend. Over the three days, 49 races were scheduled to cater to the various categories and classes of vehicles present, including open wheelers, sports and touring cars. “Overall everyone enjoyed the weekend, despite some trying conditions on the Friday with some harsh weather and rain. Driver behaviour was fantastic and very few incidents on track,” said event organiser Ian Tate. “One of the special cars attending was a 1936 ERA, built in England. The car won the 1938 Australian GP with Peter Whitehead.” The fiftieth anniversary of the Ford Mustang also coincided with event, providing the opportunity for celebrations around the milestone, which included Allan Moffat’s game changing Coca-Cola Mustang Trans-Am, a huge turnout of Mustangs and celebrity drivers. There was also a Mustang Parade on Saturday and Sunday. Brian Thomson was the patron of the meeting this year. “We also want to thank Rare Spares for their support they provided to the event, it was appreciated.” Rare Spares is a proud supporter of the event, and had a marquee with staff on hand to field enquiries from enthusiasts about parts throughout the weekend. Rare Spares also ran a $200 voucher promotion and hundreds of attendees entered for the chance to win. For more information on upcoming Rare Spares supported events head to www.rarespres.net.au