Formula Ford is the logical progression from karting, and Xtreme Racing currently have not one, not two, but THREE Formula Ford’s for sale to suit all formula ford series currently running in Australia. State Series is a very cheap step into car racing. It only costs about $1000 plus tyres to run a state formula ford yourself for a race meeting – about the same as a karting state title. National series gets a little dearer, however you can do a national round for about $6-$8k if you run the car yourself. Going with a professional team is more expensive, however you have mechanics, engineers and years of knowledge to makes things easier. Whatever your budget, you can go Formula Ford racing…

XTREME RACING CARS FOR SALE:

Van Diemen RF01 – Kent (State Series) – $25,000 Complete

Van Diemen RF06 Duratec (State or National Series) – $32,000 Complete

Mygale SJ10a Duratec (National Series) – $65,000 Rolling Chassis

So, the V8 Supercar Series wrapped up on the weekend at the Sydney Telstra 500. Formula 1 2011 had the curtain drop on it last weekend in Brazil. Our National Circuit and Kart Racing and all the Karting State Championships are wrapped up – so the off-season blues are about to set-in.

With no motor racing to actually watch, here’s our suggested cures to help you get through to March next year when it all kicks off again!

1. Keep up to date with F1 testing news: Follow @adamcooperf1 on Twitter, visit www.f1live.com  and make sure you get to the 2012 Mebourne GP to see how it all shakes out
2. Keep up to date with the latest in V8 Supercar-land: Visit speedcafe.com to stay up to date with the silly season and all the other goings on in our sport
3. Become a Bookworm: Do some reading, get a hold of ‘Winning is Not Enough’, ‘Flat Out Flat Broke’ and ‘The Edge of Greatness’ for some great reads
4. Get into the Hydundai A-league: OK it’s not racing related – but Harry Kewell is back, Brisbane Roar just lost their 18month winning streak and the action is hotting up
5. If that doesn’t keep you busy enough, get your kart down to the local track and have a run!

Whincup has managed to secure his third title after finishing in eighth place in the season ending race yesterday despite Lowndes’ podium finish.

The drama filled race saw Winterbottoms win overshadowed by the excitement of the championship coming down to a nail biting finish.

With most of the track starting the race from the pit lane, the tricky track conditions saw 9 of the 28 cars unable to finish the race.

Here is a lap by lap recount from the V8 Supercars official page:

End Lap 1 – 6, 888, 1, 88, 55, 49, 19, 34, 16, 11, 4, 21, 15 – then the cars that started from pit lane.

Lap 2 – Davison has Lowndes right on him for the lead – there are still some puddles around for the wet tyres to deal with the track OK without overheating.

Lap 4 – There’s more sprinkles on windscreens – being on wets and staying on them may have been the best bet – this is going to be a yo yo race!

Lap 5 – Davison by 0.54s over Lowndes, Courtney, Dumbrell, Whincup, Webb, Reindler (started on slicks on the grid), Caruso, Owen, Reynolds, Murphy.

Courtney runs off into the wall at turn 9 but gets going – drops back outside the top 10. He’s 14th now.

Lap 6 – 6, 888, 88, 19, 55, 34, 49, 21, 16, 5, 3, 11, 9, 1, 33.

Coulthard and Moffat are both out of the race and in the pits.

Lap 7 – Reports that showers will be around for the next 30 minutes so staying on wets is the best option at the moment.

Lap 9 – Davison just buys himself some breathing space over Lowndes, margin now 2.6s.

Lap 10 – Winterbottom is ninth and best of the cars to start from pit lane. He’s turning fastest sectors of the race so far on slicks.

Frosty runs a new fastest lap – 1m34.3037s, he’s 3 seconds quicker than the leaders on wets and 18.6s behind leader and teammate Davison.

Lap 11 – Webb pits from fourth place and Caruso peels in as well. They have decided to get off their wet tyres.

Lap 12 – Davison and Lowndes pit for slicks from the lead. The leaders on wets are 5 or 6 seconds slower than the guys on slicks behind. Whincup will come in, double stacking won’t hurt him as much as staying out on wets on a drying road.

Lap 13 – D’Alberto becomes the race leader from Murphy, Winterbottom, T.Kelly, Reindler, Holdsworth, van Gisbergen, Dumbrell, Tander, Slade.

Lap 15 – The times are falling at the top, van Gisbergen new fastest lap, 1m30.0535s, slicks definitely the tyre to be on right now. Lowndes is 15th after his stop for slicks, Whincup 20th.

Lap 16 – Order is 3, 5, 11, 7, 33, 9, 55, 2, 47, 17, 21, 39, 8
then 6, best of the cars that have pitted. Changing to slicks also has changed the fuel window for those cars that didnt come to pit lane to start the race.

Winterbottom lunges D’Alberto for the lead at turn 9.

Lap 17 – Title update .. Lowndes 15th, Whincup 20th and just set the fastest lap of the race to this point – 1m29.3524s before lowering it to 1m28.9410s.

Lap 18 – Order is 5, 3, 33, 11, 9, 55, 7, 2, 47, 17.

Lap 21 – Dumbrell has worked his way past van Gisbergen to take fifth place – and no contact between the two after the recent media chat!

Hearing that Michael Caruso will have a 10 second hold at his pit stop for starting from the wrong grid position. He’s 17th on the road at the moment.

Lap 23 – Dumbrell slices past Murphy for fourth spot. Holdsworth has got by D’Alberto for second. Murphy pits – time for fuel and more slicks.

Lap 24 – A.Davison and Luff are both off down the escape road at turn 1 – both are leaving their teams at end of the season. Holdsworth pits from P2, time for more fuel.

Lap 25 – Safety Car is called! Whincup dives into the lane … tyre bundle at turn 6 has been moved onto the apex and needs to be re-positioned after contact from Murphy.

He rejoins 23rd as leader Winterbottom pits and the cars behind him on the road all come in – they are due for fuel.

Davison and Lowndes have decided to come in as well so that returns everyone to the same fuel windows.

Lap 26 – Order under SC is 5, 33, 55, 3, 9, 2, 7, 17, 11, 888.

Lap 27 – Reports of some rain over the back of the track while we are under Safety Car.

Lap 28 – Restart – and we’re hearing Caruso has had his 10 second hold penalty withdrawn too – he’s 17th and right in front of Whincup on the road.

Lap 29 – Tander locks up into turn 1 and D’Alberto turns out of the corner and down the escape road so he didn’t get slammed in the door – he was fourth and drops back to 24th.

Dumbrell lunges Holdsworth at turn 9 to get by for 2nd spot.

Lap 31 – Order is 5, 55, 33, 9, 7, 2, 17, 11, 6, 39. Lowndes has dropped back to 13th, Whincup is now 15th. Replays shows Lowndes was carted wide as Ingall dived up his inside into turn 1.

Courtney pits and rejoins back in 23rd. He’s now the last car on the lead lap.

Lap 32 – D’Alberto hits the wall at turn 7 after steering failure on the exit of the chicane .. looked like another steering drama for an FPR-built car.

Lap 33 – Safety Car is out with order 5, 55, 33, 9, 7, 2, 11, 6, 17, 8, 39, 888, 19, 88, 47, 34, 21, 49, 15, 12, 16, 1. They are the cars on the lead lap.

Lap 34 – R.Kelly, Reynolds and Reindler have all pitted to top up on fuel under the Safety Car – they will have shorter fill times at their next pit stop so should reclaim some of that ground.

Lap 36 – Caruso pits for fuel and a pit stop hold penalty. So clearly it wasn’t withdrawn! Well it was, then was put back into play after the marshal who initially reported the grid error being adamant the penalty was correct.

Lap 37 – Restart with Winterbottom leading away Dumbrell and Holdsworth.

Lap 39 – Lowndes is 10th, Whincup 14th – that would be enough for Jamie to be crowned champ. Not long past the halfway mark now of the race.

Lap 40 – If they finished where they are, Whincup would win the title by 62 points. Lowndes has also now moved past Johnson to ninth.

Lap 41 – Dumbrell is all over Winterbottom – he looks like a man in his last full-time race. Er, that’s right, he is!

Lap 42 – Bargwanna limping a lap down – he’s had a suspension failure.

Whincup lunges Johnson for 12th into turn 9. Lowndes is ahead in ninth.

Lap 45 – 5, 55, 33, 9, 7, 2, 11, 6, 888, 8, 88, 19, 17, 39, 47, 1, 12, 49, 15, 34, 16.

Lap 46 – Both Bargwanna and Reindler in the lane with broken shocks – they are being repaired and will be sent back out into the race once fixed.

Lap 48 – Todd Kelly and Tander both spin at turn 11 after having a bumping match in the previous few corners – Lowndes and Davison and Whincup all made it through OK. Tander will have to pit with rear end damage.

Lap 49 – Order is 5, 55, 33, 9, 11, 6, 888, 8, 88. Tander pits and Safety Car is being deployed, there’s debris – bits of exhaust on the road at turn 12 which has fallen off Tander’s car.

So the pits will become busy now – we’re right on the cusp of the window for pitting for fuel to make it home under dry conditions – and into the lane comes Winterbottom and the rest fire in behind him ….Whincup has to queue behind Lowndes …

Lap 50 – With pit stops done, Winterbottom back out as leader. Whincup is 10 spots behind Lowndes, 18th to Craig’s 8th.

Order is 5, 55, 33, 9, 8, 19, 11, 888, 6, 1, 15, 39, 17, 34, 12, 2, 16, 88, 49, 47.

Lap 52 – Tander back in to patch up the battered #2 Toll HRT Commodore’s rear end. He’s actually still on the lead lap but is 20th but they have to fit a new exhaust system to the car so they’ll lose plenty of time.

Lap 53 – Restart with Winterbottom leading us away. Lowndes passes Murphy at turn 8 to snatch seventh, Will Davison follows him through at the next turn.

Lap 54 – Order is 5, 55, 33, 9, 8, 19, 888, 6, 11, 1. Whincup 16th.

Lap 57 – 18 cars left on the lead lap. Lowndes sixth, Whincup 14th.

Lap 61 – Order 5, 55, 33, 9, 888, 6, 19, 1, 39, 34. Whincup 12th – that would be enough to win the title – still laps to go – pressure, pressure…

Lap 62 – Lowndes goes by van Gisbergen for fourth place. That’s worth 120 points, Whincup would get 69 for 12th … that would be enough for J-Dub …

Lap 63 – Lowndes setting fastest sectors of the race – that time around he’s punched out a 1m28.3839s – it’s a new lap record for the Sydney street circuit.

Lap 64 – Winterbottom leading Dumbrell by 0.8s – if it’s PD’s last race with FPR/Bottle-O, does he play nice?! Whincup gets my Murphy to take 11th place. If Lowndes can get to the lead, that’s still enough for Whincup to win the crown.

Lap 65 – Order 5, 55, 33, 888, 9, 6, 19, 1, 39, 34, 88, 11, 8, 47, 15, 16, 49, 17 – they are the only cars on the lead lap, 18 in total. T.Kelly, Bargwanna, Reindler and Tander all back on track but many laps down.

Lap 67 – Dumbrell trails Winterbottom – the two Ford boys are going blow for blow – they’re unbelievably equal on speed at the moment.

Lap 69 – So many stories here … can Dumbrell get a podium in his last race? Will Holdsworth get a podium in his GRM farewell?

Oh no, PD spins around at turn 11 while second and Holdsworth has smashed into him! They are both out of podium positions and gone – oh no, did we put the jinx on them?? Oh no … terrible .. Lowndes through to second but that will lift Whincup to ninth.

Gutting for Dumbrell ….. lucky for Lowndes to sneak past all of that … !

Lap 70 – Will Davison buried in the tyre wall at turn 8. Safety Car is called. He lunged van Gisbergen but couldn’t make it around the corner.

Lap 72 – Hmm, will this finish under Safety Car or can we fit in a racing lap to finish this thing under green – yep yep!

Lap 73 – Restart! 2 laps to go for season 2011.

Whincup is hanging back in eighth and bringing it home without wanting to get involved in any grief.

Lap 74 – Final lap, Winterbottom, bringing it home in the lead from Lowndes and a rough-sounding van Gisbergen.

Final turn, it’s Frosty’s day – his second of the season, Lowndes is 2nd and was brave all weekend, but Whincup is eighth – he’s the CHAMP!

For the third time in four years, Whincup is the champion … and just the second man in history to have won crowns in Ford and Holden products.

Winterbottom’s win lands him third in the championship, and best-finishing Ford driver.

The first special to be released is if you purchase a new 0.2 Race Suit we will give you a FREE Gearz Bag (normally valued at $59.95).

But you better be quick – this offer is for a limited time only!

Features of the new 0.2 Race Suit:

-  Cordura Fabric
-  Aerodynamic Fit
-  ‘Action’ Shoulders
-  ‘CoolMax’ Towel Lining
-  ‘AeroFit’ Seams
-  ‘Nascar’ Cuffs
-  ‘EasyAccess’ Zip

So Ash Walsh, thanks for joining us, what initially drew you into the world of racing?
Well, I was initially drawn to motor racing when my cousin bought a go kart and started practicing at the local Ipswich go kart track. From there I too bought a kart and started practicing for a year and loved it! From then I decided I wanted to race after seeing the CIK Australian Championship.

Do you have a racing mentor?
I can’t say that I have had one particular mentor throughout my career but I have had different people guiding me in different parts of my career and I have tried to learn as much as I can off all of them.

Do you have a pre-race routine to get you focussed?
I’m not very strict with doing the same thing before every race. I like to roll with however I feel and try to calm myself sometimes with music or just with talking to people in the team.

How does racing influence the rest of your life?
Racing influences my life quite a bit as it requires a big commitment to physical training, trips away from home and finding the necessarybudget required to run. I would say I fit a lot of my life around the racing.

And what are you doing when you’re not racing?
I work full time for my sponsor simPRO, so most of the time I’m working however I spend most of my spare time training and with my girlfriend, Claire.

What are you future ambitions in terms of racing?
My immediate future ambition is to be successful in the Development V8supercar series which will lead into a career in the V8supercar championship. From there I want to be champion.

What is your main tip for young drivers just starting out and hoping to make a career of racing one
day?
My advice to young drivers and their father’s too would be to choose your teams wisely. Most people only get one chance to make it and the race team you choose has a great influence on whether this happens or not.

The video shown at the link below analyses a comment made by Massa to Hamilton while he was being interviewed at the Singapore GP, after the pair clased. A sarcastic ‘good job’ and a thumbs up from Massa was clearly his way of having a go at Hamilton. They also came together at the weekends Indian GP. There have been a war of words between the two, which has been getting more intense.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEUVZXR18_4&feature=player_embedded
Meanwhile, on the V8 front, Paul Dumbrell has been harshly and openly criticising Shane Van Gisbergen on several occasions which have both been in print publications and radio interviews. The criticism comes following Van Gisbergen running into Dumbrell during a practice session at the GC600. Dumbrell said about Van Gisbergen “he is like speaking to a brick wall” and “he knows what everybody up and down pit lanes thinks about him. He doesn’t want to listen, he doesn’t want to learn”, and finally that he is “an oxygen thief.”

During the radio interview (which can be seen at the link below) Dumbrell not only doesn’t deny his comments, he agrees with them and confirms them with going even further be saying ‘he thinks he is above everyone else”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHtLxklA2Tc&feature=player_embedded#

But is this rivalry and criticism of fellow drivers good for the sport? The drivers are certainly a lot more controlled than those who compete in other sports such as rugby, but does it take away from the pureness of racing? Is racing going down the same track as the Rugby where we are ashamed to have those celebrities as role models in our society or is it simply just healthy competition which is bringing more attention to the sport?

Personally, we at XR absolutely LOVE IT! It ads to the show and creates excitement. Keep it up boys, good stuff!!!

The camp is headed by trainers Phil Young and Glenn Lindsey who both have a history of working with Formula One drivers and currently work with leading V8 Supercar drivers.

CIK Stars of Karting Series Coordinator, Peter Galvin, says he hopes this will be the beginning of a more involved relationship between the AMSF and young karting talent.

The camp will take place on the Gold Coast and will also include Australian Formula Ford drivers including Jack le Brocq and Elliot Barbour.

Andre will be racing once again in the Formula Ford class at the Gold Coast 600.

Watch this space for news on how he, and the rest of the weekend goes.

Why not tweet a good luck message to Andre – @andreborell

In other news, the Korean Formula 1 Grand Prix’s main focus was on the Webber/Hamilton battle for second place. After trailing closely behind Hamilton for the last few laps, and even momentarily over taking him, Webber could not manage to hold the lead and finished just 0.4 seconds behind Hamilton. Vettel finished 12 seconds in front of Hamilton taking an unsurprising first place and leading the Red Bull team to their tenth win of the season. Schumacher was unable to finish the race after coming together with Petrov at turn 3 of lap 16.

Despite Jason Pringles win at the final round of the CIK Stars of Karting series in Newcastle last weekend, he was unable to claim the title. Tyler Greenbury was announced the series champion after finishing in third place.

Going into this weekend’s final round at North Shore Kart Club, the top seven drivers are separated by just 10 points. With a potential 85 points up for grabs, no one can predict how this series will end.

The ‘magnificent seven’, as the have been dubbed, is made up of Kel Treseder, last year’s series runner-up, Tyler Greenbury, Jason Pringle, Macauley Jones, Matthew Wall (last year’s winner), Scott Taylor and David Sera.

Be sure to check out the action this weekend. Nothing will be decided until the checkered flag falls.