Heading to Calder Park, it was Kerran Dal Maso lining up as the favourite, with two race wins and a round win under his belt. Round victory for Dal Maso wasn't to be though, as one driver demonstrated that consistency can win through.

Jade Barnes gave the 2008 model of the Future Racer a strong debut at the previous round, and he looked set to raise the bar even higher at Calder, with a blistering time in qualifying to take pole position. Jade's 1m04.9 was over six tenths faster than anyone else could manage, and was the fastest lap for a Future Racer all weekend. The next fastest was Jade's Dad - Rodney, making it a father and son front row. Robert Free didn't let history keep him from a good performance, with his 1m05.6 giving him the final place in the top three. Round One winner, Dal Maso was down in fifth.

For Race One, Jade Barnes dropped back at the start, allowing Free through to take the lead and Dal Maso surging through to sit second. A lap later, Dal Maso made his way through to take the lead, and he held it for the rest of the race. Behind him Barnes (Jade) and Free spent the race swapping places, with Barnes eventually getting the upper hand, and throwing out a late race challenge to Dal Maso. Rodney Barnes failed to capitalise on his front row start, and dropped to 10th by the end of the first lap. Other strong performances came from rookie Nathan Jess (4th), and debutant Scott Lyddiard (6th).

For Race Two, Jade Barnes was fired up. After losing out in the rolling start of race one, he was determined to make the standing start work in his favour. And so it was, Barnes blitzed into the lead, and held it for the entire race. Dal Maso slotted in behind him and ran strongly until forced out on lap 6. Robert Free was elevated to second with Dal Maso's retirement, and he held the position ahead of Nathan Jess. Free was handed a penalty after the race, dropping him to third, and meaning Jess nabbed second place. Rodney Barnes was in impressive fourth, setting a new lap record on the way, at 1m05.18.

Race Three saw another strong performance from Jade Barnes, as he pushed hard and took the win. Behind him, it was his father, Rodney Barnes, and in third it was Robert Free (his third 3rd placing for the weekend!). Kerran Dal Maso drove well to take 4th.

Heading into the final race, the points were very close at the front, with Jade Barnes on top. Jade was beaten away by his father though, as Rodney Barnes moved into the early lead. Jade held 2nd briefly, but soon started falling back as it became clear all was not well with his car. Robert Free saw his chance and moved into the lead in the middle part of the race. Chris Clearihan, who had so far been having a quiet (if frustrating) weekend, burst onto the scene, and took the lead late in the race. He and Free fought tooth-and-nail in the final laps, with Clearihan ending up the victor, with Free in second. Behind them it was Dal Maso and Rodney Barnes.

Through his consistency and strong performances in all of the races, Robert Free ended up as the round winner despite not having won a race. Jade Barnes DNF in the final race cost him the round win, but his two wins and a 2nd were enough to give him second place for the round. Third was Rodney Barnes.

The result saw Robert Free move to the top of the championship, with Jade Barnes second and Kerran Dal Maso third. The points are very tight, and Robert Free has shown just how important consistency is.

The next round of the Thunder Sports Championship will take place at Queensland Raceway, 17-18 May.

The first round of the 2008 Thunder Sports Championship is set to go to air on SBS Speedweek THIS SUNDAY - 30 March 2008. Speedweek screens at 1pm, but as always, check your local guide to make sure you don't miss the action.

All the latest news and information on the Thunder Sports Championship can be found on the Thunder Sports website (www.thundersports.net.au).

The next round of the Thunder Sports Championship will be held at Melbourne's Calder Park, 26-27 April.

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

The thundersports.net.au Spy is back in action, and he's snapped some more pics of the new Zedtec race car.

The Zedtec guys made the mistake of leaving one of the bodies of their new car outside the workshop, and the Spy took these photos with his long-range lens.

He also heard that there should be three cars completed very soon, and that there may be an opening for drivers (anyone interested should call the number that appears on the car). He wasn't able to get his camera inside the workshop, but indicated that there was an engine waiting to go into the car pictured, and that the chassis was all but complete.

The next round of the Thunder Sports Championship is at Calder Park, Melbourne, 26-27 April. It is not known at this point whether these cars will make an appearance at that round, but either way there will be plenty of action-packed racing!

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.

Kerran Dal-Maso has opened his championship account for 2008, with a Round victory at Goulburn's Wakefield Park in Round One of the Thunder Sports Championship.

The Thunder Sports were the first category to hit the circuit for official practice for the first round of the 2008 Australian Motor Racing Championships, and Kerran Dal-Maso stamped his authority right from the outset, setting the fastest time on only his third lap of the freshly resurfaced circuit, with a 1m07.5s lap. Dal-Maso carried that form into qualifying, setting a scorching 1m06.5s lap to take pole. Jade Barnes was close behind, taking second spot with a 1m06.9, and Chris Clearihan and Robert Free would take up the second row. Free in the quickest of the new-bodied cars - a stunning design that really puts the Future Racing Cars at the cutting edge. A strong field of 13 cars qualified for the event.

For race one, it was the first ever rolling start for the Thunder Sports contingent - an initiative introduced to further enhance the driver development prospects for the category, exposing young drivers to a variety of racing situations to give them the experience to excel and progress their careers. Dal-Maso was in control for the start, and led all the way. Chris Clearihan slotted into second place, and threw some strong challenges to Dal-Maso, but couldn't upset the Queanbeyan-based driver. Jade Barnes held on for third place. With the change in format for the Thunder Sports, the lap record was reset to the previous best by a Future Racing car. The top three drivers all broke that record, with Chris Clearihan setting the fastest time of 1m06.6s.

Clearihan's quick lap put him in good stead for the second race, giving him pole, as the grid positions for races two and three are now based on laptimes from the earlier races. Clearihan got jumped at the start though, by Kerran Dal-Maso. Dal-Maso led for the early laps, with Clearihan, Robert Free and Jade Barnes close behind. Dal-Maso and Clearihan fought a classic ding-dong battle at the front, with the lead swapped a number of times. Their antics almost ended in tears though, allowing Robert Free through to take the lead, and Jade Barnes to take second. Dal-Maso recovered for third, with Clearihan in fourth. Clearihan again lowered the lap record to 1m06.3, again giving him pole for the next race.

The final saw Robert Free take the early lead, holding position for the first five laps, when Dal-Maso managed to muscle his way through. For the final podium position, it was Clearihan who held onto it in the early stages, only to be shuffled aside by Jade Barnes. There were many position changes down the order, with Matt Hughes ultimately taking 5th, Hall, Rodney Barnes, newcomers Nathan Jess and Scott Arthur, and Mark Brzezowski filling the rest of the top ten.

Overall for the day, Kerran Dal-Maso's two wins and a third gave him the points to win the round, with Robert Free taking second place and Jade Barnes third. It's early days yet, but all three of these drivers look like strong contenders to take home some of the great Kumho Tyres prizemoney at the end of the year.

The next appearance for the Thunder Sports will be at Melbourne's Calder Park, 26-27 April.

Kerran Dal-Maso has taken out the opening round of the 2008 Thunder Sports Championship after a thrilling battle that sees the top four in the championship covered by only ten points.

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

The 2008 Thunder Sports Championship is about to roar into life at Goulburn's Wakefield Park circuit.

Unless there are plans for some kind of last minute sneak attack, it appears that the field will be totally comprised of Future Racers. It was initially though the brand new Zedtec would debut at this round, but the finishing touches are still being put on the cars, and they will not quite be ready in time for the weekend.

The action should be spectacular nonetheless, as the Future Racers proved in 2007, some of their best races were when they had the chance to race on their own. The field is a strong one, with 2007 2nd and 3rd placegetters both making an appearance. Jade Barnes wound up second in 2007, and will be looking to go one better in 2008, and the perfect time to stamp his authority is right at the start - look out for a strong performance from Jade. And of course, third place man in 2007, Kerran Dal-Maso is never happy with anything other than first place - he should also be happy with the smoothness of the newly resurfaced Wakefield Park...

Other strong contenders will be Chris Clearihan, Rodney Barnes, Mark Brzezowski, Robert Free as well as newcomers Scott Arthur, Matt Hughes and Nathan Jess.

It's not yet known if the brand new Future Racer body shape will make it's first appearance at this round, but you can rest assured if it does, and you're not able to be at the track to see it, you can head to the new Live Gallery section for photos direct from the circuit. You can also keep up-to-date with all the latest goings on via the News page.

The cars will hit the track on Friday for unofficial practice, then official practice and qualifying will take place on Saturday (1 March), one race will be held on Saturday afternoon and the remainder on Sunday (2 March). Make the trip to Goulburn and you're sure to see some of the best action you've seen in a long time, but if you can't make it, keep track via the official website: www.thundersports.net.au

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 tyres have today announced their support for the 2008 Thunder Sports Championship.

Kumho will be the official control tyre for the Thunder Sports category, with all vehicles using the excellent Kumho V70A. The tyre has undergone a rigorous evaluation process, and is the perfect fit for this high energy, high excitement category of Pocket-Rocket racers.

In addition, Kumho will support the Championship Prize Pool for the top three finishers in the 2008 Thunder Sports Championship. First place will receive $2,500 in prize money, second will take home $1,500, and third place will be awarded $1,000. Competitors in the category will wear Kumho logos below their side number-panels.

After catering for a variety of Sports cars in 2007, for 2008 Thunder Sports moves to solely motorcyle engined, reduced scale full-bodied cars. In a number of exhibition races in 2007, the Future Racers proved they were more than capable of putting on an amazing spectacle, and in 2008 the Future Racers are set to be joined by a number of other manufacturers of similar vehicles.

Thunder Sports has come up with an affordable formula for outstanding racing, where drivers can develop and showcase their skill, and in 2008 they will visit five different circuits, over the course of nine rounds. They will travel to New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, between March and November, wowing spectators as they go. They'll also receive television coverage on Free-to-air (SBS Speedweek) and Pay TV (Fox Sports Inside Speed).

Round One of the 2008 Thunder Sports Championship will take place in two weeks time at Goulburn's Wakefield Park circuit. If you can't make it to the circuit you can keep track of all the action at the official website: www.thundersports.net.au