iRace R1 2014 from Sam Dale on Vimeo.

Use this viewer to watch all three films in order. Try watching in , then click the  to watch in fullscreen, and turn your volume up . Enjoy!

iRace TV Round 1 Part 2 - THE RACE from Sam Dale on Vimeo.

iRace TV Round 1 Part 1 - RACE DAY from Sam Dale on Vimeo.

iRace Round 1 - Muscle Division Touring Car Challenge Highlights from Sam Dale on Vimeo.

iRace Round 1 - PRC and RocketSports Highlights from Sam Dale on Vimeo.

iRace Round 1 - LeMans Sports Highlights from Sam Dale on Vimeo.

Replay XD Hot Lap - Round 1 - Norm Stokes from Sam Dale on Vimeo.

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Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia

As you know the weather has been unbelievably wet in the past few months. This has had a real impact on the track works at Eastern Creek, putting the construction of the new South Circuit layout well behind schedule. So far behind that all events scheduled at the circuit between now and the end of July have been cancelled. This includes our scheduled Round 2. All of our remaining rounds are set to go ahead as scheduled.

All of this means its now only three weeks until Round 1 at Queensland Raceway! A reminder that this opening round is for Muscle Division, Production Racing Cars and Touring Car Challenge. The round itself will be held Saturday 31 March and Sunday 1 April. Friday practice is also available on Friday 30 March. Entries for this round are open, you can use the button below to choose your preferred method to enter.

You can also get a nice discount if you would like to enter for multiple rounds.

The remaining rounds of the series will be open to all categories, with Round 3 at Morgan Park 16-17 June, Round 4 at Eastern Creek North 5 August, Round 5 at Eastern Creek North 27 October and Round 6 at Eastern Creek North 30 November.

Entries are now open for our first round of 2012. As with previous years, you have a number of options for submitting entries - the old fashioned paper entry (you can download a PDF, print it out and post or fax it in), the even more old fashioned paper entry (where you can request us to send you a paper form so you can fill it out and send it in), or the all-singing, all-dancing online entry system. The one link below will take you to a page where you have all three options. We're also rewarding those who enter for multiple rounds with a discount system - the more rounds you enter, the bigger the discount.

Round 1 will be held at Queensland Raceway, 31 March - 1 April (with Friday practice available 30 March). Entries are open to Production Racing Cars, Muscle Division and Touring Car Challenge.

 

Those of you who are eagle eyed or subscribe to our newsletter (or both) will already know about the 2012 iRace calendar. Six rounds at Queensland Raceway, Eastern Creek and Morgan Park between March and November.

The 2012 Independent Race Series calendar is now available to download in two convenient formats:

• Click here to download and print a PDF calendar
• Click here to subscribe to the iCal format calendar

Entries for Round 1 will open very soon. Competitors, please note that Round 1 is open to Production Racing Cars, Touring Car Challenge and Muscle Division only. All other rounds will be open to all categories.

iRace competitors are getting ready for the season ahead, with some sporting revamped cars, and some with brand new machines.

Acuform Muscle Division regular, Matt Veal, has updated his awesome Volvo 242 GT-T with a terrific period livery.

And another Acuform Muscle Division regular, volunteer scrutineer, and unofficial iRace representative, Stuart Inwood has ramped up his commitment, with the acquisition of an AU Falcon V8 Supercar to race in the Touring Car Challenge.

We can't wait to see these, and all the other new and updated cars on track in 2011!

The first round of the Independent Race Series for 2011 will be held at Queensland Raceway, 5-6 March. You can learn more about the event here, and entries can be submitted by clicking here.

UPDATE: Another great looking new car for the series from Troy Harrison, an awesome VT Commodore for Production Racing Cars.

If you have a new car or livery and would like to let everyone know, click here to send in the details.

The first round of the Independent Race Series will be held at Queensland Raceway 5-6 March. Entries for that round are now open. Click the button below to access the entry form.

As part of our push to make racing as affordable and accessible as possible. We are also keen to reward those who make the effort to support our series. To that end, we have created a discounted pricing structure for those wishing to enter and pay for multiple rounds simultaneously. The fee structure is as follows:

• 1 Round: $395
• 2 Rounds: $750
• 3 Rounds: $1100
• 4 Rounds: $1440
• 5 Rounds: $1775
• 6 Rounds: $2100

Click the button below the access the multi-round entry form.

Attention competitors! We would like to feature your onboard videos on www.irace.net.au

We know a number of you have your own onboard cameras, and no doubt there's plenty of great footage from Round 1 - the last EVER race meeting at Oran Park. So if you're willing to share it, we'd love to feature it.

If you've already uploaded your video to a video sharing website, we just need the link (send it in here). If you haven't uploaded any video yet, then we're recommending Vimeo. Follow the simple procedure below to add your video to the Independent Race Series group on Vimeo:

1. Create a free Vimeo account (if you already have one, you can skip this step). Just go to www.vimeo.com and select "Join vimeo". Or we've made it easy for you, just click the button below!

2. Go the Independent Race Series Vimeo group page: www.vimeo.com/groups/irace, click on "Join this group".

3. Then on the Independent Race Series group click on the "Upload Video" button. Again, we've made it easy for you, just click on the button below!

4. Click "Choose a file to upload", and then find the video on your hard drive (or you can even upload it straight from your camera if it's plugged in!), and then fill in some information about it. Don't close your browser or leave the Vimeo page until the video has finished uploading. Once it's complete, it will automatically appear in the iRace Vimeo group, and once we see it, we'll embed it on "User Videos".

We selected Vimeo because of the very high quality playback, and the fact that our competitors can upload video for free, and automatically add it to the Independent Race Series group.

We look forward to seeing all your great videos!

If you don't have a camera yet, consider our Official Onboard and Helmet Camera Partner - Launch Helmet Cams.

See below for a selection of the videos uploaded so far! To see the videos in all their high def glory, go to onboard.irace.net.au or check out the Vimeo group by clicking here.

The TV coverage from Round One is set to go to air as follows:

• SBS Speedweek - 31 Jan - 1pm
• FOX InsideSpeed - 3 Feb
• FOX Full Noise - 4 Feb
• FOX Speedweek - 10 Feb

Please note that all FOX dates are subject to change, and as always, check your local guides to confirm air times in your area.

Thank you to Super Hoist Plus, HDT and McHitch, who help make the TV possible.

Round Two of the Independent Race Series will be held at Morgan Park, 20-21 March. The entry form is available here.

The Independent Race Series gave Oran Park a fitting send off over the weekend, in what is expected to be the final race meeting ever for the popular Sydney circuit. The meeting was also an excellent opener for the 2010 iRace season, highlighting that the tradition of family-friendly, mate-against-mate racing that was such a big part of Oran Park's history will live on in the Independent Race Series.

Activities got underway on Friday morning, with official practice sessions, and then qualifying in the afternoon. Despite the threatening skies, the weather stayed dry for the whole meeting. Strong fields turned out across the board, with the most impressive in RocketSports, HDT Muscle Division and Super Hoist Plus Production Racing Cars.

Competition was fierce in qualifying, with pole positions taken as follows:

Super Hoist Plus Production Racing Cars - Franck Donniaux (D. Flanagan V8 Class, Richard Mork Class A, Bryan Fitzpatrick Class B, John Willmington Class C
HDT Muscle Division - Greg Boyle - Nissan Silvia
Formula Tasman - Sam Dale - Reynard 94D (Neil Kenny LeMans Sports)
RocketSports - Jade Barnes - Future Racer
McHitch Touring Car Challenge - Barry Jameson - Jaguar

Racing got underway on Saturday morning, and right from the driver's briefing it was clear that mixed emotions were the order of the day - happiness at having a chance to race at Oran Park one last time, and a tinge of sadness that it would be the last time.

In the Super Hoist Plus Production Racing Cars, competition within the classes was very strong. Class X saw Franck Donniaux (Subaru WRX) fighting it out with Anthony Soole (Lotus Exige). Donniaux made the most of his 4WD to take the early lead. The two drivers traded fastest laps, and Donniaux too the win in Races 1 & 2, with Soole getting the upper hand in Race 3. In the brand new V8 Class, Daniel Flanagan was dominant in Race 1 & 3, but had an off-track excursion in Race 2, and was forced to retire from that race - Geoff Kite didn't need an invitation, and capitalised to take V8 Class in Race 2. Class A belonged to Richard Mork in his Honda Integra - Morky enjoying some great battles, and relishing the chance to reminisce about all the laps he's done at Oran Park. Bryan Fitzpatrick took three class wins in Class B, making a welcome (and successful!) return to the series. And in Class C, John Willmington started 2010 the way he finished 2009, with a dominant class win. Full results available here.

HDT Muscle Division boasted a bumper field, and the racing was fantastic. Greg Boyle took the win in the scratch race, holding out Adam Lloyd and Mick Duff. Race 2 was the first of the handicap races, and a red flag after 9 laps saw the fastest cars unable to overcome their handicap. Rod Gurney took advantage though, driving a smooth race to take the win ahead of Paul Axiak and Alan Walls. Race 3 ran the full distance, and on the final lap almost the whole field was separated by only a couple of hundred metres. Paul Leabeater took the race win, also handing him the outright round win. Darren Gillis scorched through from a full lap handicap to take second, and Adam Lloyd was third. Full results available here.

Formula Tasman and LeMans Sports started with a promising field, with a couple of cars dropping out during the day. Sam Dale led the early running, but succumbed to gearbox failure dropping him from the lead of Race One, and ruling him out for the weekend. The Choon F3 cars wasted no time in taking over the lead though, and battling it out through all three races. David Choon took Race 1, but son Robert took the wins in Races 2 & 3. Robert took the round win, ahead of David, with Glenn Lynch putting in a solid performance to finish third. In the LeMans Sports stakes, Neil Kenny performed strongly, winning Race 1, but suffering a mechanical problem in the process, ruling him out of the remaining races. Andrew MacPherson put in a strong performance in his West (which he hadn't sat in until arriving at the circuit!), and took the wins in Races 2 & 3, and the LeMans Sports round win. Full results available here and here.

RocketSports put on some of the closest racing of the weekend, with the three different groups of cars in the field proving to be surprisingly evenly matched, with the Future Racers, the MX5s and the Holden Roadsters providing an excellent spectacle. Jade Barnes (Future Racer) had his eye on a clean sweep of wins, and after winning Race 1 & 2, was looking set to do so. 2009 Future Racer champion, Nathan Jess had other ideas though, securing the win in Race 3. Robert Free and Terry Clearihan continued their ongoing rivalry. Top of the MX5s was Chris Tonna, and the best of the Holden Roadsters was Terry Mayfield. Full results available here.

The McHitch Touring Car Challenge saw the inclusion of the new Gran Turismo class, opening the door for a more diverse field. In Race One, Barry Jameson had the upper hand in his Jaguar, ahead of Darren Saillard (Falcon Supercar) and Norm Stokes (Mazda RX7). In the first of the handicap races, Darren Saillard was a man on a mission, carving through the field to take the win. Grant Wilson in his awesome 1969 Chev Camaro V8 Giant held on for second place, and Andrew MacPherson was impressive in his Mosler to take third. In the finale, Saillard again blitzed through the field to take the win. Chad Parish in his debut in the ex-Perkins VX Commodore Supercar drove a solid race to finish second, and Norm Stokes was third. Saillard took the outright win, ahead of Parish in an impressive debut and a great showing from Grant Wilson. Full results available here.

A selection of onboard video from this event is available here, thanks to Launch Helmet Cams.

Look out for a gallery of photos soon.

The next round of the Independent Race Series will be held a Morgan Park, 20-21 March. For competitors, head to the online entry form to get your entry in. The Morgan Park circuit is fantastic, and really worth the journey for all those competitors from the southern states.

In continuing it’s support of the iRace series Kumho Tyres has some special offers for competitors for Round 1 of the 2010 series.

Special Offer:

225/50R16 V70A K90 tyres – Normal Price $420 per tyre - Special Price $225 per tyre
245/40R17 V70A K90 tyres – Normal Price $470 per tyre - Special Price $270 per tyre

All other Kumho Motorsport Tyres:

10% discount for tyre supplied and fitted for competitors at Round 1 PLUS and additional 5% discount if preordered and paid for before Round 1.

Kumho KU36:

Free fitting for all Kumho KU 36 tyres pre ordered for Round 1.

To preorder your tyres, please let John Mills of Kumho know asap so he can make sure the right tyres get on the truck, and so you can take advantage of these special offers. Contact John either via email: fsport@bigpond.net.au or phone: 0418 404 945

UPDATE: The competition has now finished, and Tony Bannano will carry the Launch Helmet Cams VIO POV1.5 in his Turbo Mazda MX5 at Oran Park.

We look forward to posting some great footage on onboard.irace.net.au after the event.

If you use Facebook, and aren't a fan of iRace yet, head over now (link below) as we'll probably be offering more competitions throughout the year. And if you get the chance, join the Launch Helmet Cams group (click to view), and thank them for their support of our series.

There's been plenty of action for the Independent Race Series in the past few weeks, as everyone gets ready for the new season. In case you missed it, here is a summary of what's been happening (click any of these to read the relevant article):

• Super Hoist Plus became the naming rights sponsor of Production Racing Cars
• HDT became the naming rights sponsor of Muscle Division and HDT Cup
• McHitch Uniglide Trailer Couplings became the naming rights sponsor of the Touring Car Challenge
• Launch Helmet Cams became the Official Onboard and Helmet Camera Partner
• Toranas are now eligible for HDT Cup
• Super Hoist Plus now features a dedicated class for V8s
• Our 2009 Presentation Night was held at Marulan Driver Training Centre
• A new section was added to the website to showcase onboard camera footage
• We learned how to make our racecars a little safer
• We offered up some New Years Resolutions for racers
• Updated category regulations are now available

2010 is going to be a busy year! Strap in for an exciting ride...

Round 1 is just a week away. If you haven't gotten your entry in yet, don't delay - head to the entry form now, and don't miss your last chance to race with iRace at Oran Park!

Joe McGinness, a founding member of the iRace family, and popular Touring Car Challenge competitor, had a great idea. He turned that idea into an amazing invention - the McHitch Uniglide Trailer Coupling.

The McHitch product is set to revolutionise towing. And in 2010, to promote the product, McHitch will be the naming rights sponsor of the Touring Car Challenge. The category will be known as the McHitch Touring Car Challenge, and all racecars will bear a McHitch.com.au windscreen banner.

The McHitch really is an amazing product. It offers triple-locking safety, greater than 90 degree flexibility, and extremely quiet and smooth operation. If you spend any amount of time towing, the McHitch can make it a much more pleasurable (and safer) experience. Head over to www.mchitch.com.au to learn all about this revolutionary product, and support the company supporting our series.

The McHitch Touring Car Challenge showcases the past 20 years of Australian Touring Car history. Featuring ex-V8 Supercars, Super Tourers, V8 Giants and the more recent "Giant Killers", cars such as the Mitsubushi Evo and Subaru WRX, as well as a contingent of invited "Muscle Cars" to put the odd cat amongst the pigeons.

The first round for 2010 will be held at Sydney's Oran Park GP, 15-16 Jan 2010. Click here for more information.

HDT have enjoyed a brief but fruitful relationship with the Independent Race Series with the inception of the HDT Cup in mid 2009, and that relationship is set to grow in 2010.

HDT have now taken on naming rights sponsorship of the very popular Muscle Division, in addition to sponsoring the HDT Cup. The categories will be known as The HDT Muscle Division, and HDT Cup respectively. Vehicles in both categories will display HDT windscreen banners, and HDT will also supply a $50 gift voucher to one prizewinner per category at each round of the Independent Race Series. These vouchers will not be transferrable, but may be used cumulatively if a competitor wins more than one during the season.

HDT has a rich history in Australian motor racing, starting in 1969, competing at Bathurst and beyond. The brand is closely linked to Peter Brock, the champion racer enjoying many successes with HDT. More recently HDT have launched the amazing Blue Meanie, a fearsome Commodore, with 350kW and a specification list to match it's stunning heritage. Only 250 of each model will be available - all featuring a numbered chassis plate, and paperwork. Click here to watch a short interview with Darren Gillis regarding the Blue Meanie. Head over to the HDT website to see what they have to offer, and support that company that supports our series. www.hdt.com.au

The HDT Muscle Division caters for all types of production-based racing cars. From the venerable HQ Holdens, to V8-powered Ford and Holden Utes, to ex-Commodore Cup cars, Improved Production, Sports Sedans (non-spaceframe) and Japanese Turbos, as well as Classic Touring Cars and more. The HDT Cup offers racing for a variety of V8 and 6 cylinder Commodores, and in 2010, Toranas.

The first round of the Independent Race Series for 2010 will be held at Oran Park GP, 15-16 Jan. Click here for more information.

Holden Toranas are now eligible for the very popular HDT Cup.

The HDT Cup started in mid-2009 as part of the Independent Race Series, and quickly gained popularity and strength as an affordable way to go racing in a Commodore. With this latest announcement, Toranas including: GTR XU1, A9X, L34, and SLR5000 will all be eligible to join the fun.

The Independent Race Series offers a unique mate-againt-mate brand of fun, affordable motor racing. In 2010 the series will expand to visit more circuits, and offer even more bang for your buck. The first round will be held at Sydney's Oran Park GP circuit, 15-16 January.

For more information on the series, and the HDT Cup, visit www.irace.net.au

Super Hoist Plus have long been supporters of the Independent Race Series (since the very beginning in fact). In 2009 Super Hoist Plus awarded a 2-post hoist to the overall Series Champion (John Willmington) and a Resto-Roller rotisserie to Series Runner Up (Neil Byers).

Heading into 2010, Super Hoist Plus are ramping up their support, and taking on naming rights of the Production Racing Cars category. The category will be known as the Super Hoist Plus Production Racing Cars, and all cars will bear Super Hoist Plus windscreen banners.

As part of the deal, Super Hoist Plus will also provide a $200 voucher towards Super Hoist Plus products as a prize for one competitor in each category at each round. These vouchers may be used cumulatively (if a competitor wins more than one, they will be able to use the total value towards a Super Hoist Plus product), but they not be transferred or exchanged for cash.

Super Hoist Plus are a family-owned and -operated company who supply quality products at everyday affordable prices, making it possible for anyone to own their own Super Hoist product. The range of hoists and other workshop equipment is very impressive, and offers something to improve just about any workshop.

Check out their extensive website, and support the company that supports our series, or contact Super Hoist Plus on 1800 71 72 73. www.superhoistplus.com

The Super Hoist Plus Production Racing Cars follow the true tradition of Australian motorsport - cars that can be bought from the dealer, made safe for racing with minor modifications and then raced hard - just like they used to do at Bathurst. The category features very close racing between cars from a huge variety of manufacturers.

The first outing of the Super Hoist Plus Production Racing Cars will be at Oran Park GP, 15-16 Jan 2010. Click here for all the details.

The Production Racing Cars category has displayed excellent growth and fantastic racing in 2009. The class system within the category allowed competitors to race in a quality field, and also receive recognition and results for their performance relative to equivalent cars. It compared apples with apples. In fact, it meant that John Willmington in a Class C car was able to take out the overall Series Champion title (and a shiny Super Hoist Plus 2-post hoist with it!).

Heading into 2010, we see the announcement of a new class within the Production Racing Cars category. The new class will be known as V8 Class, and will offer competition for a variety of naturally aspirated, V8-powered production cars. (Forced-induction production V8s will be eligible to compete in Class X.)

The first round of the 2010 Independent Race Series, featuring Production Racing Cars, will be held at Sydney's Oran Park, 15-16 January.

To access the 2010 Production Racing Cars Sporting and Technical regulations, please click here.

Speedweek has put the World Wide Web on the rev limiter with the launch of the new Speedweek Internet site.

The solid alliance between SBS and Speedweek has taken yet another step forward with the launch of what both groups feel will be one of the bench mark internet sites in this country for motor sport fans.

The site at Speedweek.com.au includes full Speedweek program replays as well as segment highlights and bonus footage not aired in the program, which gives Web surfers the ability to view a replay of the program at their leisure.

The first installment of Independent Race Series coverage is already available on the new site, click here to view.

The next installment of the Independent Race Series will screen this Sunday on SBS Speedweek. Check your local guides for details, and check the new website: www.speedweek.com.au for the online version in the near future.

Darin Mandy of Digital Realism has posted some great photos from Morgan Park over on his website.

Click here to visit the gallery. There are links to purchase images at the top of the gallery page.

Darren offers prints in various sizes, as well as the popular images on CD option.

UPDATE: Darren has now finished uploading the photos for this gallery - check out the links above, and if you find some photos you like, support Darren by making a purchase!

The opening round of the 2009 Independent Race Series has been run and won at Queensland's Morgan Park circuit.

The meeting took place under clear skies and warm weather, and was for many competitors (and the iRace Series) their first visit to the technical circuit.

Friday saw unofficial practice, and the first chance for the competitors to get to know the layout. There were no major occurrences during the day, other than an oil line coming lose on Robert Townsend's Minetti, leading to a fire, and Robert's unfortunate retirement from the meeting.

Saturday morning saw official practice, again held in fine conditions. Darren Saillard was the early pacesetter in the Touring Car Challenge field, lapping in 1m04s. Quickest in the RocketSports field was Robert Free (1m10s). Sam Dale was the sole Formula Tasman entrant, lapping in 1m04s. The Production Racing Cars boasted the most competitive field, led by Anthony Soole in his Class X Lotus Exige (1m12s), but the middle part of the field spread by just a couple of seconds.

In qualifying, the leaders remained unchanged - Saillard took pole for the Touring Car Challenge, Soole for Production Racing Cars, Dale for Formula Tasman/Le Mans Sports and Robert Free in the RocketSports. In each case the midfield groups were tightly grouped, promising some great racing come Sunday.

Sunday morning was again fine, and the first event was the RocketSports, featuring Future Cars. Robert Free led from pole, with John Biddlecombe settling into second place. It was the Holden Roadsters of Graham Smith and Clive O'Connor in third and fourth respectively.

For the second RocketSports race, Robert Free led from start to finish again, but John Biddlecombe succumbed to a fuel problem, and was forced to retire from the rest of the meeting. Smith again got the better of O'Connor in the Holden Roadsters.

In the third RocketSports event, Graham Smith delivered a wakeup call to Robert Free, taking the lead at the start. The two tussled for a couple of laps before Free used the nimble handling of the Future Racer to open up a gap. Smith came home in second, with O'Connor third.

In the RocketSports finale, Robert Free led all the way, but O'Connor managed to get the better of Smith in the early stages, running in second place. Smith got the upperhand at half-distance, and held second to the finish.

Robert Free took the overall win for the round, and Smith took the Holden Roadster honours.

In the Formula Tasman and Le Mans Sports category, Sam Dale was the sole survivor come Sunday, with the other cars not making it to the first race. Dale used the event as a test session, and was clearly not content to slow down, improving his laptime with each session.

The Production Racing Cars proved to be highly competitive, with some very close racing. Anthony Soole dominated, in his Class X Lotus Exige. Behind Soole was a mix of Class A, B and C cars.

In the first of the Production Racing Cars races, it was Clark Stott second overall, and first of the Class A cars. Behind him it was Richard Mork, in his Class A Honda Integra. John Willmington was punching above his weight, first of the Class C cars, and fourth overall! Best of Class B was Malcolm Rea.

Production Racing Cars Race Two saw a reverse grid start shakeup the order a little, Soole needing to push his way through from the rear. He managed it fairly comfortably, taking the lead on the seventh lap (of 10). Nick Chambers took second place, top of the Class A cars. Hans Riehs led much of the race, but a slip saw him drop back to third at the finish. John Willmington again topped the Class C cars, finishing 6th outright, and ahead of ALL the Class B cars. Debutante Carly Black was the first Class B car home, in 8th outright.

The third Production Racing Cars race reverted to a normal grid, and Anthony Soole took another win. Again it was Nick Chambers putting in a strong performance in Class A, taking the class win and second outright. John Willmington was top Class C, 6th outright, and Neil Byers won Class B in his first finish for the weekend.

For the final Production Racing Cars race, Anthony Soole elected to start rear-of-grid, and drove an epic race to come through for the win. Clark Stott took second outright, and top spot in Class A. John Willmington did it again in Class C (6th outright), and Neil Byers took Class B.

In the final standings for Production Racing Cars, Anthony Soole took the Class X victory, young-gun Nick Chambers won Class A, James Flanagan was victorious in Class B and John Willmington was dominant in Class C.

Darren Saillard dominated qualifying for the Touring Car Challenge, but he gave his pole position away for the opening scratch race - electing to start from the rear-of-grid. He made up places quickly though, making his way halfway through the field by the first corner. He picked off the rest by the second lap, and led for the remainder. Behind Saillard the action was hot, with a number of battles evolving. Dave Gardner retired with throttle problems, and Gary Leaton with driveline issues. Richard Mork and Phil Groeneveld had an epic, racelong battle, Mork ultimately getting the upper hand and taking second overall. Joe McGinnes (XY Falcon Muscle Division car) and local-boy Matthew Clift (Mazda RX2) also had a nail-biting battle - the two swapping places a number of times, with McGinnes leading at the flag. Merrick Malouf (BA Falcon V8 Ute) and Paul Bruce (Mazda RX2) also enjoyed a racelong battle, with Bruce coming out on top.

Race Two of Touring Car Challenge was a handicap affair, and Darren Saillard tried his heart out to take the win. He didn't quite make it though. Local driver Matthew Clift pedaled his Mazda RX2 to a handy lead and held it to the finish. Saillard make quick progress through the field, but found a wide Commodore at the hands of Richard Mork, and had his progressed delayed just enough to hand Clift the win. Merrick Malouf drove a strong race to third place.

In the third race - another handicap, Saillard again did his level best to make up the deficit, but this time he was beaten by Dave Gardner. Gardner had suffered a terrible run of luck - alternating between a throttle stuck wide open, and no throttle at all! It all turned around for him in this race though, he took a popular win. Merrick Malouf again took a strong third place.

In the final, Darren Saillard turned the tables, and took a dominant victory. Gardner took second place, with local driver Matthew Clift in third.

Overall results saw Saillard take the outright victory, ahead of Merrick Malouf and Dave Gardner. Saillard took the V8 Supercar honours, Phil Groeneveld the V8 Giants honours and Merrick Malouf took out Muscle Division.

A solid weekend of racing at Morgan Park revealed what a great driver's circuit it is. The challenging layout proved popular amongst competitors, and is expected to draw larger fields at the next event held at the track in June.

The next round of the Independent Race Series will be held at Sydney's Oran Park, 15-16 May, when they host the SuperTrucks for their farewell from Oran Park. All the details are available on the official website: www.irace.net.au

The first round of the 2009 Independent Race Series from Morgan Park will go to air in April 2009.

The program will be broadcast via two channels:

SBS Speedweek - Sunday 12 April at 1pm

Fox Sports - Wednesday 29 April

As always, check your local guides for details.

The TV coverage for this round is supported by Marulan Driver Training Centre - visit the official website: www.mdtc.com.au

Anthony Soole - Lotus Exige - Production Racing Cars


Dave Gardner - VS Commodore - Touring Car Challenge

Kumho Tyres are supporting competitors and officials associated with the Independent Race Series. Competitors are in the running to win a pair of Kumho race tyres, and one volunteer official per round will win a set of four Kumho road tyres.

At Round One, the winners were as follows:

Marulan Driver Training Centre Production Racing Cars - Class C: John Willmington

RocketSports - Future Car Division: Robert Free

Marulan Driver Training Centre Touring Car Challenge - V8 Giants Division: Phil Groeneveld

Volunteer Official: Rex Jolly, Scrutineer

The prize awarded to the racing categories will rotate between subcategories at each round. For Round One, the prize went to Class C for Production Racing Cars, Future Cars for RocketSports and V8 Giants for Touring Car Challenge. The next round will see the prize awarded to a driver from a different subcategory.

The Independent Race Series first visit to Morgan Park has come to a close, and some great racing took place over the course of the day. A full round report will follow, but the results from the round were as follows:

Touring Car Challenge & Muscle Division

1. Darren Saillard - BA Falcon V8 Supercar
2. Merrick Malouf - BA Falcon V8 Ute
3. Dave Gardner - VS Commodore V8 Supercar

V8 Supercar - Darren Saillard
V8 Giant - Philip Groeneveld
Muscle Division - Merrick Malouf

Production Racing Cars

Class X - Anthony Soole

Class A
1. Nicholas Chambers - Mini Cooper S
2. Clark Stott - Mazda 3 MPS
3. Richard Mork - Honda Integra

Class B
1. James Flanagan - Hyundai Sonata
2. Carly Black - Peugeot 206
3. Malcolm Rea - Toyota Celica

Class C
1. John Willmington - Nissan Pulsar
2. Candace Shafell - Toyota Corolla
3. Joshua Riehs - Proton GTi

RocketSports & Future Racers

Future Racer - Robert Free

Holden Roadster - Graham Smith

Formula Tasman & Le Mans Sports

1. Sam Dale - Reynard 94D

Conditions at Morgan Park were ideal for most of Saturday for Independent Race Series practice and qualifying. A little bit of wind and a few drops of rain made way for fine conditions in the afternoon.

The action on the circuit was mixed. The Formula Tasman and Le Mans Sports field was quite small, and Sam Dale set the fastest time in his Reynard 94D, with a 1m04.9s lap. John Biddlecombe in his Saker clocked a 1m13.4s lap.

In the RocketSports and Future Racers, local star Robert Free set the pace, with a 1m10.4s lap, holding out the Holden Roadster-mounted Graham Smith. Biddlecombe in the Saker was next fastest, with Clive O'Connor taking fourth in another Holden Roadster (1m16.6s).

The categories with the greatest amount of jostling were Production Racing Cars and Touring Car Challenge.

In the Production Racing Cars, most of the field is covered by just 6 seconds, and there are 8 cars covered by just 3 seconds - the action should be hot on Sunday! Anthony Soole took pole in his Lotus Elise (1m12.4s), Hans Riehs got his Mini Cooper S really moving to take second (1m14.1s), just edging out Clark Stott in his Mazda 3 MPS (1m14.9s). Richard Mork took 4th, John Willmington 5th, Neil Byers 6th, newcomer Josh Riehs 7th, Malcolm Rea 8th, James Flanagan 9th, Nick Chambers 10th, and newcomers Carly Black and Candace Shafell filled 11th and 12th.

In the Touring Car Challenge and Muscle Division, Darren Saillard set the fastest time, but it almost didn't happen - Saillard was fighting a gearbox problem which forced him to drive with one hand while he used the other to hold the car in gear! Saillard still managed a blistering 1m04.4s lap. Richard Mork was next quickest, with a 1m08.0s lap, Gary Leaton in 3rd, Phil Groeneveld 4th, and a relieved David Gardner in 5th. Gardner had his throttle jam wide open at the end of the straight, and his quick reactions saw him pull up just short of contact with the tyre barrier. Next up was the two-wheeling Joe McGinnes in his XY Falcon, followed by Merrick Malouf in his V8 Falcon Ute.

Onboard video from Dave Gardner's V8 Supercar will be available shortly on the iRace Blip TV page - click here to view.

A live gallery of photos from the event is available. Visit the iRace gallery here. Or you can access the images directly through the iRace Flickr gallery, where you can download the full resolution versions for printing or reproduction.

The weather looks good again for tomorrow, when all the action is scheduled to happen at the exciting Morgan Park circuit.

With apologies for the delay in getting this online (somebody dug through the iRace HQ phone/internet lines!), the Round One schedule is now available for download.

Click here to download the PDF schedule for Round One.

The Independent Race Series is always working to serve our competitors and fans in the most effective way possible. We try to innovate and capitalise on useful advances in technology that can make everyone's lives a little more streamlined.

When the site launched, we offered our news as a RSS Feed (click here for more information on how you can have every articled delivered to your email program or other RSS reader).

We've started a mailing list and send regular updates to all our subscribers (subscribe here if you haven't been receiving the emails).

We've launched a fully featured Online Entry System that makes it easier for competitors to submit their entries, and makes life a little easier at our end by automatically putting all the entry information into a handy spreadsheet.

And now, in the leadup to Round One, we're ready to launch something else new. Live Updates. The iRace website has always been kept pretty well up-to-date, but race weekends are always a challenge to get new information on the site. This is a problem, because race weekends are what we are all about. Well, now we've introduced two ways to overcome this.

We now feature a live "photostream" on the front page of the site. There is only one photo there now, but that will change once the round gets underway. The most recent photos from the current round will appear in this section. And to view all the photos from the current round, go via the Multimedia page to the round in question and select the Live Photo Feed. The link for Round 1 is here.

We'll also be adding short live news updates to the front page. We can send these in from a mobile phone, so trackside news should appear fairly regularly. The most recent items will appear on the front page, and to view them all, you can check out this link. If you already have a Twitter account, you can 'follow' iraceupdates and receive the news in your 'tweets'.

Bottom of site front page

And if all this sounds like too much for you, you can relax, because all the regular news and updates will still happen. Round reports, and post-event news items will be available in the normal way.

So, get ready for the year ahead. And if there's anything else you'd like to see on iRace.net.au, you can always provide feedback through the Contact Us page, or in the Suggestion Box.

A special notice to competitors

To ensure the Kumho Tyres truck at Morgan Park is carrying the tyres you need, competitors are asked to preorder their tyres using this form. Orders should be placed by opening of business Mon 16 Mar to ensure the correct tyres are onboard the truck.

There are still a few days left to get your entries in for Round One, at Warwick's Morgan Park.

The Independent Race Series will visit the Morgan Park circuit for the very first time 20-22 March. Entry fees are set at an affordable $395, including TV coverage on Fox Sports. As well as a great weekends racing, competitors put themselves in the running for a pair of Kumho tyres, and the great Super Hoist Plus prizes at the end of the year.

To submit your Round 1 entry via the online system, click here.

To access the old-school mail/fax-in entry form, click here.

For more information on Morgan Park, and the first round of the Independent Race Series, click here.

Entries are open for Round One of the 2009 Independent Race Series.
Entrants who use the online system will have the option of paying by cheque/money order (by post), credit card (by fax, telephone or post) or via the secure online PayPal system.

The Online Entry Form for Round One is available by clicking here.

The old-school PDF for printing and posting/faxing is available here.

As always, all of our forms and administration are available from the Admin page of the site - irace.net.au/admin

Rewards Available

As a celebration of our brand new sytem, and to encourage competitors to get their entries in early, we also have another exciting announcement: the person who submits the first paid entry for each round will receive half price entry for the following round. (There are a couple of conditions: 1) each competitor may only win once during the year, 2) the half price entry is only available at the following round - ie; the first paid entrant for round 1 will be eligible for entry at half price for round 2 only.)

Round One of the Independent Race Series for 2009 will be held at Queensland's Morgan Park.