Braking News: Inside Walkinshaw racing team, plus the V8 legend who became Michael Masi’s white knight
The owner of a famed racing team has spoken candidly to James Phelps about the bottom line when it comes finances in Supercars. Don’t miss all the latest gossip in Braking News.
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Ryan Walkinshaw has revealed that he had not made a single cent out of his racing team since taking ownership of the famous team that is now Walkinshaw Andretti United.
In a sobering admission for anyone dreaming of owning a race team, the powerful team boss who inherited both his father Tom’s racing team and his passion for motorsport admitted that his team operated on a “break even” model.
“Motorsport for us is not a profit centre,” Walkinshaw said.
“We are just focused on breaking even and that is something we have done for the last four years. Our ambition is to put any money that is made back into the team. We don’t want to lose money but we value performance over profit. We are a break-even business and it has been for a while. This team will never be a profit business.”
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Walkinshaw, who celebrated his 400th Supercars round on the weekend, said Supercars was still a very important part of his businesses, which include HSV, New Age Caravans, Walkinshaw Performance and Walkinshaw Sports.
“The whole concept of win on Sunday and sell on Monday is long over,” Walkinshaw said.
“But having our brands in motorsport is still very important. I have never thought about walking away from the sport. Racing is an important part of my business and also personally important to my family. I grew up in the F1 paddock with my Dad and it is in my blood. It is in my DNA.”
Skaife supports Masi during difficult time
Mark Skaife can be revealed as the white knight that guided Michael Masi through his darkest hour.
Speaking to Braking news following the death threat revelation he made in an exclusive interview with News Corp, the former F1 race director said the Aussie V8 legend was the first person to reach out to him after he made the controversial call that ended up denying Lewis Hamilton last year’s Formula One crown.
“Mark Skaife was actually the first person I spoke to from home,” Masi said.
“He was the first person to call to check on me and I am extremely fortunate and thankful to have him as part of my support network.”
A former Skaife employer, Masi and Skaife remain close and could end up working together again now that Masi’s employment with the FIA has concluded.
Masi said he was overwhelmed by the support he received from within the motorsport industry after he was stood down from his role in February.
“I had access to an amazing professional support network,” Masi said.
“I had a number of people reach out, including teams, drivers, the FIA themselves. Lots of people checking in to say hello and whatever it might be. I am really thankful to those people who did reach out and those relationships will continue in the future.”
MAN OF THE MATCH
Zak Best of course … In one of the great giant-killing performances, Best came from the clouds to announce himself as a future force by beating Shane van Gisbergen to score a qualifying win while driving in a sponsor-less black car.
Best, 20, was almost speechless after he landed the stunning pole in what was just his second round as a solo driver.
The wild card driver, who has been a standout in the support categories, then went on to finish fifth to cap off a name making weekend at the Bend.
Best is hoping to land a full-time drive for next season — and we would be stunned if he didn’t get one given his performance over the weekend.
Tickford boss, the team that put Best in the wildcard entry for both Darwin and The Bend, was obviously impressed with the V8 rookie.
“The instruction we gave him was to go fast and keep it clean,” Edwards said.
“He’s not fighting those guys for a championship. The best way to demonstrate his ability is to be solid and consistent.
“He did everything we asked of him.”
And a little bit more, we would suggest.
SAINTS
The emergency crews and medics that rushed to the scene of the shocking crash between Andre Heimgartner and Thomas Randle.
Led by Supercars doctor Carl Le, both the race officials and volunteers did a five-star job looking after both the drivers and the clean up.
Le, who is the ultimate V8 good guy, praised the “Gen III” changes that prevented the cars from exploding into a Karl Reindler like fireball circa Perth 2011.
The fuel cell of a Supercar was moved from the rear end following the shocking incident.
SINNER
The long line of halfwits that thought it was okay to send personal messages to Micahel Masi’s private Facebook account and his Linkedin following his controversial decision to unlap five cars in last year’s world title deciding race in Abu Dhabi.
We have been shown some of the messages and they are too vile to even repeat.
Frightening 150kmh rear-end collision stalls SvG heroics
Nothing could stop Shane van Gisbergen.
Not the rain. Not Cameron Waters. Not even the horrifying starting crash that saw two drivers sent to hospital for scans.
On a day of high drama in Adelaide caused by wild weather and a start line crash that caused a 30-minute delay, van Gisbergen powered his way to back-to-back wins to move yet another step closer to winning his third V8 crown.
Winning the first race of the day following a crash that stopped the race for 30 minutes, the Red Bull racer beat next best Waters by over eight seconds to extend his championship lead over Anton De Pasquale to more than a full round.
“That was awesome,” van Gisbergen said. “It was just a great weekend. The car was really good. I am sort of speechless. I didn’t expect to go that well here this weekend.”
Van Gisbergen’s heroics were only challenged by the headline-stealing crash that saw both Andrew Heimgartner and Randle taken to Adelaide Hospital for precautionary scans.
Both drivers complained of chest pains after that collided in a jaw-dropping start to the first race.
In an incident that stopped the race for 30 minutes and forced the race to be shortened, Heimgartner ploughed into the back of Randle after the latter failed to get his Mustang off the line.
Leaving debris strewn across the track and both cars ruined, Hemgartner hit Randle square in the back-bumper at over 150kmh.
“They have taken him to hospital,” said Heimgartner’s team owner Brad Jones.
“He’s got tenderness in the low abdomen. The feeling is he’s OK and we are hoping that he just got winded pretty bad.
“But they’re going to do a CT scan and check him out.”
Both cars sustained severe damage in the collision and are likely to be binned following a more thorough inspection.
“It’s got a lot of damage, as you’d expect from that sort of incident,” Jones said.
“We’ll load it up on the truck, get the thing home as quickly as we can, pull it apart and make a decision on what we’re going to do with it.”
Van Gisbergen ran a long strategy when the race finally resumed to run down the field and extend his winning streak to four.
“It was a shame to see that crash at the start,” van Gisbergen said.
“But I am glad to hear those guys are okay. AS far as the race went, I didn’t get a good start at the restart but we had an awesome race to get back through.”
Van Gisbergen admitted he was surprised that more drivers did not choose a long strategy.
“I couldn’t believe it when those guys pitted and got clear air and just pushed off,” Van Gisbergen said.
“We were planning to do the undercut then, but they did it and we got clear air.”
Waters finished second in the final race in front of Brodie Kostecki and Will Davison.
Best yet: Supercars rookie does impossible in naked black car
Shane van Gisbergen’s stunning championship assault has continued in South Australia with a driving masterclass putting the Holden hero another step closer to his third V8 crown.
On a day that began with a shock when wildcard driver Zac Best stunned the sport with a giant killing poll, van Gisbergen restored V8 order when he blitzed his way around the Bend to claim his 12th win of the year.
Beaten by Best in qualifying when the 20-year-old came from the clouds to score pole in just his second solo race, van Gisbergen hit back in emphatic style by beating Will Davison and Chaz Mostert to extend his championship lead over his only title challenger Anton De Pasquale to 321 points.
“The car was magic,” van Gisbergen said.
“Thanks so much to the team because I have been struggling with my driving.
“We ran long to get clear air and it worked. It was a really awesome day that ended with a great result.
“The guys did a great job and the pit stop was great too, so I am really stoked.”
But van Gisbergen, for today at least, will have to share his limelight with an unknown after Best stunned the sport with an against-the-odds qualifying win for the ages.
Parachuted into the series as a wildcard in Darwin earlier this year, Best took down van Gisbergen in just his second ever qualifying session to announce himself as a future star.
Known only to the hardcore fans that have followed his feats in the Super 2 series, Best put his name up in lights by beating down V8 big-guns van Gisbergen and Cameron Waters in one of the great giant killing drivers.
Just 20 and driving a stealth black Mustang after failing to secure a sponsor, Best was as shocked as the rest of the sport after he clocked 1.47.81 to put his Tickford prepared Ford on pole.
“I wasn’t expecting this,” Best said.
“I don’t really know what to say. We did the best we could. I had a big go into Turn 1 and I thought we were losing a bit to Cam Waters but I was able to piece it all together and it was good enough for pole.”
Mobbed by cameras and ecstatic engineers, Best was still struggling to come to terms with the enormity of scoring a pole-position as wildcard in just his second event.
“I feel a little overwhelmed,” Best said.
“I didn’t expect to be standing in front of all those cameras. To be honest it is just all a bit surreal. I don’t really know what to think.
“I didn’t think I would be on pole that is for sure. Racing obviously is completely different. You just have to get off the line first of all and then try and survive the race.’
And while he was not able to convert the pole into a race win, Best feared the admiration of a V8 immortal after he drove his way to fifth.
“That is just a stunning performance,” Mark Skaife said.
“He has come out here against all these heavy hitters and delivered a huge shock. What a fine performance. You just have to tip your hat.”
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Originally published as Braking News: Inside Walkinshaw racing team, plus the V8 legend who became Michael Masi’s white knight
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