Adelaide ALMS 31/12/2000   Saturday 2 The Aussie's View   Michael Olsson Track images from the www.americanlemans.com sitelink I must confess that exhaustion set in last night and I wimped on covering night practice… [Note to self: avoid driving 1400 kms to a race. Australia is a big place & planes are a wonderful invention.] Anyone who thinks this reporting game is cushy should try it and see! Today promises to be hotter than yesterday - in every sense of the word! The temperature doesn't seem to have deterred the crowd however, whom even on qualifying day are streaming into the circuit. Don Panoz must be grinning. He was certainly a happy man during today's press conference. He announced that, according to projected figures, Adelaide will be the 3rd largest sports car race in the world – ever - and may knock Sebring out of 2nd spot. Le Mans, look to your laurels! On the subject of series amalgamation, Panoz takes a 'Field of Dreams' approach, hoping that if he builds a fair, successful series, then it will come The morning's first confirmed disappointment: the #67 Pilbeam, which didn't run yesterday, has been withdrawn. What a blow for this enthusiastic little team, I will endeavour to find out more. Apparently the car failed to pass scrutineering due to a "miscommunication" between the team and the series organisers. I know rules are rules but surely some slack could have been cut this team of enthusiasts, given the car was the only car in its class? [The plot thickens and grows positively surreal: despite the fact that the car has been FIA crash-tested and homologated, the ACO refuse to recognise this, demanding separate homologation by them! Surely this should have been resolved before the team travelled half way around the world!] GT/GTS Qualifying The Chamberlain Viper was the first car out on the circuit - obviously the team are keen to improve on yesterday's pace and get Watson right up at the front. The BMWs are quick all session, especially Boris Said, but spend a lot of time in the pits with their bonnets open, apparently overheating is definitely a concern for the PTG cars. It is a reasonably open secret here, as reported, that PTG will be running V8s in the M3s next year. The ORECA Vipers also seemed to spend a lot of time with their bonnets open, especially the 91 car. Nonetheless, it was an ORECA 1-2 in GTS at the end of qualifying. Beretta was again on pole, despite having previously only done a single lap "in the day". When asked what he thought 6 hours around Adelaide would be like, he replied "Ask me after the race! I have never driven on a street circuit in the dark." He emphasised how much the team wanted to go out on a high by winning here. This afternoon the team will concentrate on set-up for the race. In the dying seconds of the session, Stephen Watson, who had been 2nd for much of the session, was absolutely wringing the Chamberlain Viper's neck, yumping the kerbs in an effort to match the factory team's times. Unfortunately, a locked brake marrred his last flyer, but nonetheless took 3rd in GTS. This was without doubt the drive of the session. The South African was realistic about the team's chances of beating ORECA and diplomatic about his inexperienced co-drivers: "When you look at ORECA, you have really fast professional drivers - which is not to say that they won't stick it in the wall! Then again, we could stick it in the wall! … They (his co-drivers) should however be quicker than the Roock Porsche and it’s my job to help them do that." He was confident that Lintott in particular, who so far has only had 5 laps in the car, will get significantly quicker. Stephen seems to have his own fan club here. Is Milka being mobbed by (male) Australians too? Lucas Luhr, who took GT pole in the 5 Barbour Porsche had a classic racing driver's reaction to the Adelaide circuit: 'Yesterday I did not like the circuit because the car was bad … Today … I like this track. Really it’s a nice, fast track and I hope for a good race". Prototype Qualifying The story here is that Allan McNish did not qualify the 77 Audi and may be in trouble for tomorrow's race. McNish has strained his back, apparently lifting his luggage at the airport (trust a Scot to overdo the duty-free!). It is alleged that he then aggravated the problem putting on a kilt for a photo-shoot yesterday. Australian former Audi Super Touring driver Brad Jones has been called in should McNish be unable to drive or have to limit his wheel-time, but it is hard to see Jones being able to set competitive times with almost no time in the car. Of course, if McNish should not start, his co-driver, Capello could steal the driver's title. A stiffish breeze has kept the temperature tolerable but conditions are still a long way from a White Christmas! Tomorrow is expected to reach a high in the mid-to-low 30s. Johny O'Connell was the early pace setter and did an unusually large number of laps for a qualifying session. On the day, however 4th was the best the American could do. The Konrad Lola was having a particularly torrid time of it. Adding to their woes, a front brake locked solid. Konrad was able to get back out towards the end of the session but ended 9 seconds off the pole time. You have to feel sorry for David Brabham. After waiting, Schumacher-like, until the second half of the session, he came out and proved he inherited more than a surname from Black Jack. Flinging the car around the circuit, he managed to shave 2 seconds from his best time yesterday. Unfortunately, Capello and Pirro then managed to find another second! Brabham's efforts reminded me of his efforts in the Panoz coupe against the Mercedes CLK-GTRs at Donington in ‘98 (my last big sports car event – we Aussies are starved out here). The Audi R8s seem to me to have a lot in common with those CLK-GTRs, models of Teutonic efficiency, sophisticated, precise and quieter than their rivals. Such cars may lack the visceral appeal of the big, bad Panoz but they also win races. Despite McNish's absence, the Audi's nonetheless will monopolise the front row tomorrow. Capello was more than up to the task of taking pole describing his best time as "an 80% perfect lap". He also clarified the McNish situation - "I have spoken to him this afternoon and he is feeling much better. He will definitely race, I think. Maybe Jones will also drive." He ascribed McNish's problem as being due to advancing age! I now understand the enthusiasm that surrounds Mimmo Schiattarella. The Rafanelli Lola was clearly an evil device here, the back stepping out at every opportunity and wheelspin apparent out of every slow corner. Mimmo was nonetheless clearly giving it ten-tenths. The man clearly has talent as well as Latin good looks (don't you just HATE him?). Panoz must be encouraged by Magnussen's 5th place in the new car, despite electrical and gearbox problems this morning. The car makes the Batmobile look like a Trabant but it is also now clear that this car will be seriously quick once it is developed. Audi will therefore start 1-2 tomorrow but the chances of their finishing that way will now depend on McNish's being able to pull (should that be lift?) his weight. [Late development: McNish has been officially nominated to start the race in the 77 Audi.] Copyright ©2000-©2023 TotalMotorSport