The extremely popular Joe McGinnes has taken the Super TT Round win in his XY Falcon GT at Melbourne's Calder Park, with the other two podium places occupied by a Holden and another Ford.

The first practice session on Saturday morning was delayed at the circuit was extremely slippery after an overnight deluge. The tricky conditions were no obstacle to McGinnes though, as he headed the timesheets, over a second quicker than anyone else. Next up was Dean Orr in a Commodore Cup car, followed by Stephen Anslow in his 'Lightning McQueen' liveried Mazda. Gary Carson was quickest of the Utes (4th outright), and Tony Moloney was the sole 3.3 Litre Holden (9th outright).

The circuit had dried for the afternoon qualifying session, and McGinnes increased his advantage even further, stretching the legs of the big Falcon to set a 1m04.9, over one and a half seconds quicker than second placed Orr. Keith Linnell was next up, and would be joined by Carson on the second row of the grid. Anslow had problems in the session, and could only manage 9th fastest.

As the cars gridded up on Sunday morning for Race One (scratch race), the circuit was very greasy (after another overnight downpour). The starting grid at Calder lies on the extremely slick drag racing surface, and traction off the line was virtually non-existent. McGinnes was somehow able to tame the awesome power of his XY Falcon GT, and lead the field from start to finish. Behind him, Dean Orr maintained his 2nd position throughout the race, but the big mover was Anslow, making his way through the field from 9th to be 3rd by the finish. Carson was the highest placed Ute (4th outright), and Moloney took the 3.3 Litre Holden honours (7th outright).

The rain stayed away during the day, and by the time Race Two rolled around, the circuit was completely dry. Despite quite a sizeable handicap, McGinnes was able to carve his way through the field to take the win, setting a 1m04.9 lap on the way! Dean Orr made his way through to 2nd, and Keith Linnell finished 3rd. Todd Betland drove a strong race to place 4th. Carson was again the leading Ute (5th outright), and Moloney top 3.3 Litre Holden (8th outright).

For the third and final race, Tony Moloney (HQ Holden) enjoyed a fairly good head start, enough to see him maintain the lead for the first four laps. Gary Carson (BA XR8 Ute) slipped through on the 5th lap, and was looking like a good bet to take the win, until the final lap. Again it was McGinnes powersliding his XY Falcon GT through to the lead to take the win. Linnell made it through for third, and Carson dropped from the lead to 4th on the final lap! Moloney finished the race in 8th place outright.

McGinnes clean sweep gave him the outright win for the meeting, and the top spot in the Sports Sedan/Improved Production class. Dean Orr was second outright, and top Commodore Cup, while Keith Linnell was third outright. Gary Carson took the honours in the Ute class, while 3.3 Litre Holdens went to Tony Moloney and the Japanese Turbo class was won by Stephen Anslow.

The next outing for the Super TT cars will be at Queensland Raceway, 17-18 May.

The presentation of teams racing in the 2008 Australian Motor Racing Championships is set to be raised to a new level, with support and prizes from Super Hoist Plus.

The presentation of the cars and teams will be judged by scrutineers at each race weekend. The best three cars will be announced at each event, and will then gain points that will be added to a tally to determine the top three cars at the end of the year. The top three cars in the final tally will be eligible for the following fantastic prizes:

First Place: Tyre Changer and Wheel Balancer Package. The fantastic NHT-821 Tyre Changer makes changing tyres a breeze. Adjustable for wheel diameters from 12" to 23", and widths upto 13", with a bead breaker force of 2500kg, this tyre changer makes a welcome addition to any workshop. And it is complemented perfectly by the NHT-251 Wheel Balancer. Suitable for wheel diameters from 10" to 24", and widths up to 20", and with an amazing accuracy of +/- 1g, the tyre changer will help you totally eliminate vibrations.

Second Place: Two Post Hoist. The Super Hoist Plus YSJ-3000 is the perfect two post hoist for any workshop. With a lifting capacity of 3000kg, and capable of lifting to a height of 1.8 metres, this two post hoist will help the second best presented competitor to be even better presented and prepared.

Third Place: Moveable Hoist. The Super Hoist Plus YYJ-2800 is the ideal solution for lifting cars where space or installation is limited. The moveable hoist can be used on any flat (and hard) surface, and has a lifting capacity of 2800kg, and can lift to a height of 1.2 metres. This hoist will be awarded to third placegetter in the Super Hoist Plus Best Presented competition.

A fantastic prize pool from the terrific guys at Super Hoist Plus, valued at over $10,000, this provides even more incentive to turn out a well presented car and team.

In addition, Super Hoist Plus are offering a 10% discount to all AMRC competitors. Just quote this article when discussing your purchase.

Super Hoist Plus P/L is a national company with distributors in all states of Australia. They offer a great range of top quality, Australian Standards compliant workshop equipment at very competitive prices. For more information on the company, check out their website: www.superhoistplus.com

The Super Hoist Plus Best Presented Competition will be judged at each round of the Australian Motor Racing Championships, with the scrutineers nominating the top three cars at each event. Judging criteria will include the presentation and preparation of the car, as well as the preparation of the team. First place at each round will be awarded 10 points. Second place will be awarded 5 points, and Third will be awarded 3 points.

The next round of the Australian Motor Racing Championships will be held at Melbourne's Calder Park, 26-27 April. Keep track of all the latest news via the official website: www.amrc.net.au

Melbourne's Calder Park Raceway will host the second round of the Bob Jane T-Marts Australian Motor Racing Championships (AMRC) on April 26 and 27.

Calder Park has thrown in a couple of major competitor incentives to further promote the fact that the AMRC has been designed to provide low cost, highly enjoyable motor racing competition for all entrants.

Calder Park will provide FREE private practice for all AMRC round entered competitors on Friday April 25 and in an added value incentive, the popular Melbourne motor racing complex will also supply pit garages (until all available garages are allocated on a first in, first served basis) to all AMRC competitors at no further cost throughout the weekend of April 26 and 27.

The venue will also host a free barbecue for all entrants and officials on Saturday evening, April 26 to further enhance the social interaction that is enjoyed at all AMRC rounds.

According to Calder Park Raceway CEO Bryan Nokes, "The main aim of the Australian Motorsport Club and the AMRC is to provide an affordable and enjoyable national motor racing alternative for everyone from the grass roots levels of the sport to the professional competitor. By providing free private practice and garage use until they are all taken up, we are delivering on our promise to make the 2008 Bob Jane T-Marts AMRC the most affordable and enjoyable national motor racing series in the country. We are expecting a bumper number of entries for our first Victorian round of the year."

Calder Park's AMRC round on April 25 and 26 is the first of two AMRC rounds to be held at Melbourne's traditional home of motorsport. Categories that will be competing over the weekend include:

AASA Australian Touring Car Championship - highly competitive racing with fields containing V8 Giants (V8-powered sedans from all major manufacturers, with older 5 litre V8 Supercar specification cars, 4-litre, quad-cam cars, all the way up to 7-litre pushrod engines, plus the newly introduced 3 litre turbo Giant Killer class.

AASA Production Touring Car Championship - any street legal sedan, fitted with roll-over protection, fire extinguisher and racing seat belt is eligible.

OzBoss ("Big Open Single Seaters") such as F4000, F3000, F/Atlantic and ANF2 cars, plus Prototype Sports Cars - with makes such as Saker (NZ), Minetti, Radicals and West in these fields this year.

Thundersports - Motorcycle engined cars with a fiberglass body, super-fast high power to weight designed cars that allow for extremely low cost racing.

Super TT - Utes, Commodore Cup, Sports Sedans and 3.3 Litre Holdens - popular old classic Touring Cars, also including HQ Holdens.

Of course, the all new 2008 Pirelli Gran Turismo Championship returns to Calder Park at Round 2, with a number of exotic Maserati, Porsche and Dodge sportscars taking part.

Gary Carson of Wollongong Performance Racing dominated the V8 Ute class of the Super TT last weekend at Wakefield Park Goulburn, for Round 1 of the Australian Motor Racing Championships.

Gary’s weekend got off to a good start and he was on the pace early in the Selectv #13 Ute. After a good result in Race 1, Carson made a bad choice to change tyres for the first handicapped race of the day. Gary explains “we have always run on Yokohama tyres as we have an abundance of these left over from the V8 Utes that we run, but at this round I was given a new set of Bridgestone’s to try and I liked them. In race 1, I had a small coming together with ‘Pullen’ and I locked up a tyre, so I thought I would swap back to the Yokohama’s but I really struggled with grip and I was about 2 seconds slower. In race 3 I bolted the Bridgestone’s back on and I did my quickest time of the weekend and I drove hard to win the race – needless to say I think the Yokies will be getting sent to the rubbish dump”

Wakefield is the local track for Gary and he was happy he could get such a good result in front of his home crowd and on his home track. “I really love this circuit and since the resurfacing I’ve been going quicker and quicker which is awesome. Race 3 was my first ever win in a championship race so I’m so glad I could do it at home. And to finished 3rd outright is an awesome start to the season” says Gary.

The next round of the Australian Motor Racing Championships will be held at Calder Park Raceway, Victoria on the 26th & 27th April. “I’m already counting down the days until we race again.

"In the break the Selectv Ute will have a good freshen up of the motor thanks to the guys at Southern Engine reconditioners and then hopefully we can get some more horsepower for that long Calder Park straight” notes Carson.

For more information on Gary Carson or AMRC please log onto www.amrc.net.au or contact Jaimie Dyer at WPR Racing jaimie@wprracing.com.au

Sydney driver George Anslow has enjoyed a stunning debut run at Goulburn's Wakefield Park to take a race win, plus the overall round win at the weekend.

Anslow was driving his Mazda RX7, in his first ever circuit racing event. He had previously driven the car during a Track Day at Wakefield Park, and managed to improve his time from that day by three seconds during qualifying for Round One of the 2008 Super TT Championship. Anslow's 1m08.6s wasn't quite quick enough for pole though, that honour going to Paul Harper in his Nissan FJ20 powered Torana XU1. Next up was Wagga driver Hayden Pullen in his mighty quick AU Falcon XR8 Ute, ahead of Troy Harrison (Corolla), Carey McCormack (Commodore), Gary Carson (Falcon Ute), Scott Forrester (Falcon Ute), Todd Betland (EA Falcon), Mathew Fox (HQ) and Don Dimitriadis (HQ).

The first race was a scratch affair, with Paul Harper striding away to the win. George Anslow set the fastest lap though, improving further on his previous time to set a 1m07.58s lap - a new record for the Super TT category. In third place was Troy Harrison. Top Commodore Cup competitor was Carey McCormack (4th outright), and first of the Utes was Hayden Pullen (in 5th overall). Lead 3.3 Litre Holden was Mathew Fox (9th outright).

Race Two was the first handicap start - the first time many of the competitors had seen this type of race, which makes for maximum overtaking, and allows all drivers a great chance to work on their racecraft and strategy. Anslow, took to it well, carving past the slower cars to make his way to the front just in time for the chequered flag. Mathew Fox had led for the opening laps, but dropped down the order with a blow head gasket. V8 Ute driver Scott Forrester took up the top spot at mid-distance, and was only passed by Anslow on the final lap. Forrester was able to hold onto second place at the finish. Third home was Commodore Cup driver Carey McCormack, showcasing excellent consistency, with a string of well-paced laps, and a cool head in the traffic as he made his way through. Todd Betland was next up, in his near-standard EA Falcon Saloon. Top of the 3.3 Litre Holdens was Don Dimitriadis, who passed Mathew Fox on the final lap.

Race Three was another handicapped affair, with the fastest of the cars leaving the grid a full 50 seconds later than the HQs of Dimitriadis and Fox (the latter having managed to replace his head gasket between the races). Fox took the early lead, and held it for the first 5 laps. He succumbed to Scott Forrester who enjoyed a race-long battle with fellow Wollongong Performace Racing driver Gary Carson. Carson ultimately gained the upper hand, and held on to win the race. George Anslow had steadily made his way forward through the field, and only managed to pass Forrester for second on the final lap. Try as he might, he finished just 2 tenths of a second behind Carson. Forrester held on for third, Todd Betland was fourth, Carey McCormack fifth, Pullen, Harper, Dimitriadis, Fox and Harrison rounded out the placings.

Overall, it was Anslow who gathered enough points to take the round win, Carey McCormack took a second place on the back of his excellent consistency, and Gary Carson finished third. In the Class stakes, Anslow won Sports Sedans/Improved Production, Carson took the honours from the Utes, McCormack won Commodore Cup and Don Dimitriadis wrapped up the 3.3 Litre Holdens. Todd Betland was awarded the Kumho Tyres encouragement award, after a superb debut performance, and will receive a set of Kumho tyres to the value of $1,500 for the next round.

Round Two of the Super TT Championship will be held at Melbourne's Calder Park 26-27 April.

Newcomer to Super TT, and the AMRC, and circuit racing, George Anslow has driven his Mazda RX7 to round victory at Wakefield Park today. In a dream run, Anslow enjoyed a near perfect run in the car, and took home what he hopes is the first of many trophies.

Check back tomorrow (Monday) for a full report and full results from the round.

WPR Racing’s Gary Carson returns to Wakefield Park Raceway, Goulburn this weekend to start the 2008 Australian Motor Racing Championships.

"It was this time last year that I had butterflies in my stomach ready to start my first year of racing and we packed up the Ute and unloaded it at Wakefield; I jumped in and did 3 laps in practice and BANG! There goes the engine! After that the Ute went back in truck we drove back home and started focusing on round 2. It was definitely a tough introduction to racing but I became more determined and we finished up having a great season” admitted Gary.

Last season saw Gary become an established member of the Super TT category. After finishing regularly at the top of the time sheets, Gary’s intention this year is to be consistent and grab a good amount of points at each round. Gary explains “we had a great first season last year and we finished 3rd outright which was a good achievement considering we missed the first round altogether, this year I really want to grab that first placed trophy and that’s what I’ll be fighting for”. “We have a new naming rights sponsor for the #13 Ute this year in Selectv and I have continued support again from Le Mans Kart Racing, John Carson Homes, Mongrel Boots and Fuel 2 Race. So i really think 2008 will be our year.”

Carson will also be joined in the WPR Racing team by Scott Forrester. Scott competed in his first round at Oran Park in 2007 in Gary’s old Ute and like Gary is counting down the days until the first round. “I had a great time at Oran Park and I did really well for my first hit out, I’m looking forward to doing the full season of racing in my Ute” says Scott.

Gary & Scott will jump behind the wheels of their Utes on Friday for 2 practice sessions, followed by another practice on Saturday morning and Qualifying in the afternoon, all 3 races will be held on Sunday with race 2 & 3 being a handicapped start.

From its very first days as the AMRS, the Australian Motor Racing Championships has been about innovation and pioneering new paths in Australian Motorsport. And in 2008, the tradition continues - the latest development is about recognising the often overlooked efforts of the officials that make our events possible.

Every race meeting has an army of officials working behind the scenes, working in race control, working on the circuit, manning flagpoints and recovery vehicles, driving the course car, and keeping things in order in pitlane. Without these hardworking, and for the most part volunteer, people, there could be no racing.

Quite frequently, drivers will thank the officials when accepting awards, and give them a wave on the slow down lap, but now, in 2008, the AMRC, in conjunction with V8RACE Experience and QR Raceway RACE Experience, officials at Australian Motor Racing Championships events will have the chance to enjoy one of the fantastic experiences on offer from V8RACE Experience and QR Raceway RACE Experience.

The experience includes Pre-Drive Tuition, Use of Race Suit and Helmet, a Personal in-car coach, and the chance to drive a V8RACE car, at one of Australia's premier circuits. One experience will be up for grabs at each AMRC round by way of a raffle draw.

For more information on V8RACE Experience, head to the official website: www.v8race.com.au
For information on QR Raceway RACE Experience, head to the official website: www.qldraceways.com.au

For information on how you can become an official, head to the AASA Contact Us page, and get in touch with the AASA staff.

To our officials we say THANK YOU, and good luck in the next draw to win a V8RACE Experience!

Kumho has announced it's support for the 2008 Super TT Championship today, in an exciting coup for the category. In the spirit of the Championship (pitting various types of Tin Tops each other) and in order to allow competitors continued freedom of choice, Kumho has come on board not as a control tyre for the category, but as a supporter nonetheless - so confident are Kumho in their product, that they are prepared to let results speak for themselves.

The support from Kumho comes in the form of a free set of Kumho tyres (to the value of $1,500) awarded to one competitor per round (for use at the following round).

The criteria for awarding the tyres will be the "Kumho Top Gun" award, where the tyres will be awarded to the competitor who is judged to have demonstrated the most consistent performance, and who has maximised their machinery to the highest level.

In order to be eligible for the awards indicated above, competitors will display Kumho Tyres logos below their side number panels.

The 2008 Super TT Championship will bring massive Tin Top diversity to four different circuits during 2008, between March and November, and travelling between New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. The Championship will be televised on Fox Sports Inside Speed.

Round One is set to take place at Goulburn's Wakefield Park, in two weeks time - 1-2 March. If you can't make it to the circuit you can keep track of all the action via the official website: www.supertt.net.au

After many hours of work and review, and plenty of anticipation from the competitors, the 2008 Super TT Championship Sporting and Technical Rules are now available for download.

For those who just want to go to the download, click on the image to the right. To save, right click and select "Save file/target as".

For a brief rundown of the highlights, please read on.

• Expansion of sub categories
• Provision for two divisions dependent on competitor numbers

The rules are available by clicking here, or clicking the image on the right. They are also available from the "Admin" page, by clicking on the "Regulations" section.

In other news, the Round One entry form is now available to download from the "Forms" section of the "Admin" page. To access the form directly, click here.

The entry fee for Super TT competitors is $680. This includes a TV levy for 20 minutes of exposure on Fox Sports Inside Speed.

Meeting Rules for Round One are expected to be available in the next couple of days. The schedule is available now though. Click here, or access it through the Admin page.