Konica Series 2003

[Neil]

After Winning round one of the Konica series at Wakefield Park,,,,Mark Winterbottom wins Round 2 in Adelaide.

I'm a happy little vegemite.

Neil.

[Shell]

he won again Neil? awesome stuff...he looks like one to watch definately...I can't believe how much he kicked arse when we saw him at Wakefield.

[Duncan]

Yeah, he's doing very well for someone new to touring cars!

I wonder how much of it is having top level workshop support....its an interesting thing for the konica series...as more top level teams use it to get hopefuls up to speed, I think its really pushing out smaller teams who don't have the same level of budget and particularly data.

[S4PLAY]

It's a little sad when good friends of mine such as Paul Dumbrell who drove an Ex Larry Perkins car last year and then Mark this year drive basically or fully level 1 prepped cars in a series that was made for the everyday guy ot get some sponsors together to go race a V8, not for level one teams to come in and win.

As far as i'm concerned, V8's is now about car speed rather than driver talent.... sad but afaic true.

I'll stick to F3 and open wheelers.

Well done to Mark anyway, he's a talent and a lucky guy to be where he is.

Later

[Duncan]

Yeah, Dumbrell's car from last year was clearly the class of the field...not to downplay his ability either, but the level 1 supported drivers have a big advantage.

Still, both top level and konica series are very strong for competitor numbers, and more and more top level cars will be available with the wholesale changes to VY and BA cars in the main series.

[S4PLAY]

still level one cars are being sold for hideous amounts of money....

i've seen some go for up to $250000.

How is the very day person going to affor that next year? when SBR or any level one team can just run their test car as the Konica car which is basically what their doing this year.

I still see it as a category that no Level 1 based team should be allowed to be affiliated with.

To Pauls crdeit, there were other Level 1 cars last year that he beat, which was good to see as Paul and I have raced together all the way through.

Honestly i haven't seen the results from KV8 series this year to see who has Level 1 cars, but i'm sure there wouldn't be too many as there were a lot of complaints about it last year.

[Neil]

Um,,,where should I start,,,,Mark and Jim did all of Marks karting on a very and I mean very limited budget. Mark is where he is NOW because of driver talent,,,nothing more nothing less.

Can't quite understand how SBR is using Marks car as a test bed,,,it's not a BA. Granted SBR is spannering for him,,,maybe we should put some balast in the car,,,then again whats Tod Wanless doing running a EL Konica car in sports sedans and now has it up for sale for $77000,,,just another loop-hole.

Marks never driven a race car with more than 110HP in his life,,,(shit he owns a GSR Lancer),,,nice work jumping up to 600hp on a full fuel load and having to use his left hand to shift gears.

Dumbrell,,,,pfff ask Paul Morris and Dean Canto about him sometime.

Neil.

[Duncan]

Well, he did it again at EC, I'm beginning to think he can drive a bit. Fastest in qualifying by.4s, pretty big gap.

Neil, I think there's 2 main benefits from being supported by 1 L1 team - setup data for all the tracks (except Wakefield) from their previous years, and better engineered cars (compared to the low budget, single car teams).

Still he's doing a great job, its hard to dominate such a close series.

[Neil]

Yep,,,he did excellent again Duncan,,,,The Kid needs launching help though,,,he just can't seem to convert front row starts into 1st corner leads.

Set-ups are really helping Mark get the Car sorted straight out of the transporter,,,,So where does that leave the likes of Dale Brede,,Paul Riciadello and a few others???.

Marks just simply a better driver.

Bring on the enduros.

Neil.

[Neil]

Mark wrapped up the Konica series this last weekend at Winton (with a round to go),his qual time would have put him 10th in the main game....WOW he would have been in the shoot-out (for the 2nd time).

Now bring on the enduro's,,,,hmmm Sandown and Bathurst.

Ambrose/Ingall in Marco's car & Winterbottom/Noske in Russell's car.

Neil.

[Bleach1]

I know of a guy who drives in the konica series. He has an ex ozemail car and apparently he paid in the $250,000 region but gets support from ozemail. No motor racing is cheap. Id love to get involved in a F3 team one of these days but it seems very limmited here in Sydney. The national open wheeler series seem to be in a bit of a state at the moment here in australia. Look at the f3 Euroseries, that is some of the best racing in the world. Anyway, sorry to stray off the subject.

[Duncan]

amazing eh, who has $250k to blow just on a race car? if you're running konica you're on the stay in Aus and race supercars plan not the doing openwheelers and gunna race F1 plan, so future earning potential is not outrageous.

Speaking of which, I was going to say in the F1 thread, but more appropriate here, I'm sick of racers making it to supercars coz dad the mildly successful racer bought the team for their son.

Good to see Winterbottom win without daddy owning the team.

[Bleach1]

I think having a dad who races and has money is the best way to get into the sport. Paul Morris's dad owns his team, the kelly brothers have very weatlhy parents who now own a team, that rodney forbes guy. I think there is a few others. Then again if it wasnt for parents like them who have the money to spend on motorsport alot of racing in Australia racing might not exist or be anywhere near as strong.

[Clint32]

To go places you need either money or a bit of skill combines with luck. There are good drivers who needed money to get there and there are very adverage drivers use there money to get there. Mark did it working hard in karts and getting a break through the kartstars series. So he will be succesfull but im not sure what stone brothers are going to do next year. Three good drivers, hopefully they will either run three cars which i doubt or loan him to another team to use.

[Neil]

Well nobodies really sure what Mark will be doing next year,,,there has been talk about Konica's again,,,but his car is/was sold,,,maybe Porsche cup on a lease plan and nothing about the Big Taxi's. Stone bros wouldn't won't a 3rd car in their team because that would mean 3 cars using the same gantrey in the longer races,,,Not good. So we will have to wait and see. What I do know though is Mark will be doing Sandown with Noske in Russell's car and then Konica's at Bathurst and also the big one with Noske again on Sunday. No quessing where I'll be that weekend.

Neil.

[Neil]

Just a small note,,,Mark has been told to take no shiit off anybody at Malalla this weekend. Stone Bros haven't had to replace any panels while Mark's been driving so theres plenty of spares. If that means leaning on somone then so be it. He's never been a dirty racer,,but did cop a bit at Winton.

Neil.