Grid Lines....
14/5/2000 1:20 (Jason Whittaker) - V8s to race at Adelaide Le Mans? Weel teaming with Jones? Gardner back in a V8? Supercars defeat the Footy? That and more are all in this week's bumper edition of Grid Lines....
**Rumours of a second Supercar visit to the City of Churches to play support to the American Le Mans event later this year have been categorically denied by race organisers this week. It was believed organisers were keen to entice the V8s to Adelaide for the New Year's Eve event, but organisers have since told us no such "showcase" event will take place. "Having the V8s on New Year's Eve would have a major impact on the Clipsal 500. We are very keen to ensure both events are successful," Adelaide Le Mans Media Manager, Paul Ryan, said.
**Queensland Raceway's two Supercar events appear in safe hands, with the announcement that Robyn Darben, instrumental in the success of the Hidden Valley experiment, will head East to assist in the running of both Supercar events this year. Darben's work in the Territory has received wide-spread acclaim, and it is believed Chairman Cochrane head-hunted Darben for the position. It was only recently announced that Queensland Raceway would retain the Round 7 sprint-race fixture as well as the Queensland 500, after financial troubles put both races in jeopardy late last year.
**That well-oiled AVESCO publicity machine kept churning out the good news this week, with AVESCO glowing over recent TV numbers which placed the Eastern Creek coverage ahead of Nine's Rugby League coverage in Sydney markets. AC Nielsen figures showed the Ten Network's Creek package ahead of Nine's Sunday Football in the majority of demographics during the 3-5pm slot. A record crowd was also in attendance at the outer-Sydney circuit on the Sunday.
**AVESCO must also be welcoming the V8 fever infection which has hit the land of the long white cloud recently. With AVESCO announcing a New Zealand Shell Series event early next year, the hype surrounding the V8 circus has intensified. This week, the people behind the planned Kiwi Supercar team announced they will campaign three cars next year, two Level 1 Shell Series cars, and one V8 Lites machine. The Kiwi invasion is expected to make its debut at Bathurst in November.
**Reports that Paul Weel was set to defect from his Ford-supported operation in favour of an enduro drive with Brad Jones have been denied by the team this week. Paul will remain with the K & J Thermal Products Racing team for the rest of the year, and will campaign both endurance events.
**Also on enduro-driver news, it now appears Wayne Gardner has the most wanted signature in the V8 world, after top draft pick Jason Bright signed with Dick Johnson Racing last week. Gardner has said he would be keen to drive in the endurance events as part of another team, however no announcements have yet been made. With Gardner most likely to stick with a Commodore team, perhaps Dumbrell, Rogers or even Grech could be set to snare the former 500cc champ.
**Construction has begun this week on one of the most ambitious motorsport projects ever - building a street circuit around the streets of Canberra. The first of the 8kms of concrete barriers were moved into place along Flynn Drive last week, and will continue right around the street circuit over the coming weeks. Grandstand construction began this week, while the over-track bridges will be installed towards the end of May. Demand for tickets has forced organisers to build extra grandstands for the June long-weekend event.
**Before the V8s Supercars storm the National Capital they will head North to Hidden Valley next weekend, and preparations are almost complete for the Territory's biggest sporting event. Recent rain, we are told, has Hidden Valley looking better than ever, and is expected to draw a record crowd to the Darwin circuit this Sunday. The stars and cars will be welcomed to the city on Thursday, with a massive convoy, including 30 transporters, rumbling into Darwin at around midday to be greeted by thousands of fans lining the streets.
**John Faulkner Racing has relaunched on the net in brand-new Asia Online livery this week. Their new-look online home is certainly easy on the eye, and has plenty of content to keep you busy as well. Asia Online Racing can be found, online, at www.jfr.com.au.
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