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20/3/06 | Pingel takes maiden F4000 win
2006 Yokohama Australian Formula 4000 Drivers Championship Round 1 – Calder Park Raceway, Victoria
PINGEL TAKES MAIDEN F4000 WIN After 17 years away from national level motor sport prior to last year, Queenslander Derek Pingel has taken a stunning round win in the opening round of the 2006 Yokohama Australian Formula 4000 Drivers Championship at Calder Park in Melbourne today (Sunday).
Pingel headed home a hard-charging Ty Hanger and Mark West in a closely-fought opening race before taking an easy win in the 17-lap ‘Feature’ event after Hanger retired due to mechanical problems.
Pingel now leads the championship after the first round from West and Dale. After a perfect weekend which included pole position, fastest lap in the second race and both race wins, Pingel also made into the record books as the oldest driver to win an F4000/FHolden race at the age of 48 years, 2 months and 4 days.
QUALIFYING (20 minutes): Qualifying for the opening round of the 2006 Yokohama Australian Formula 4000 Drivers Championship at Calder Park Raceway commenced beneath cloud cover at approximately 2:58pm on Saturday afternoon with a 20-minute session to determine the starting grid for Sunday’s opening 15-lap race on the fast 2.28km circuit, located 25 minutes north-west of the Melbourne CBD.
2005 championship runner-up Ty Hanger (#48 Pluim Interiors Reynard 95D) is looking to go one better in 2006 and begun his championship chase in appropriate fashion by setting the fastest lap in Saturday’s session with a time of 56.3547s to take provisional pole position by almost half a second from Derek Pingel (#8 WISC Racing Reynard 95D) who set a 56.8233s.
However, Hanger’s time was soon disallowed after it was discovered that the Hanger Racing team fitted a left-over 2005 specification Avon tyre to the car, contravening Formula 4000 Sporting Rules which dictate that only Yokohama brand tyres are to be used in an official F4000 race or session.
Hanger Racing admitted to an honest mistake and the move was not made with the intention of a performance enhancement. Hanger would be sent to the back of the grid for Sunday’s opening race with Pingel assuming pole position in his first start with the new Holden HFV6 Alloytec engine which the Queenslander applauded after first practice on Friday for its better disposal of mid-range torque.
Sam Dale (#12 Mumbo Racing Reynard 95D) and Les Crampton (#74 Hocking Motorsport Reynard 97D) went onto register their best ever F4000 qualifying performances in 2nd and 3rd places respectively, while Mark West (#50 Just Parts Reynard 97D) qualified a disappointing 4th after encouraging speed in practice.
West’s session ended after two laps when his Reynard 97D bottomed out over the hump on the Bob Jane T-Marts hill exiting Turn 3 and lost traction, sending the Geelong driver careering into the concrete wall on the inside of the track. The Just Parts sponsored car sustained minor damage to the right front corner but would be repaired in time for Sunday’s first race.
Joining Hanger on the final row of the grid would be Matthew Fox (#24 Mumbo Racing Reynard 91D) who managed to whittle his times beneath the 1-minute bracket for the first time in qualifying.
Qualifying Results 1. Derek Pingel - #8 Australian Lifestyle Management Group Reynard 95D (56.8233s) 2. Sam Dale - #12 Mumbo Racing Reynard 94D (57.7186s) 3. Les Crampton - #74 Hocking Motorsport Reynard 97D (57.7525s) 4. Mark West - #50 Just Parts Magazine Reynard 97D (59.4404s) 5. Matthew Fox - #24 Mumbo Racing Reynard 91D (59.6842s) DSQ. Ty Hanger - #48 Pluim Interiors Reynard 95D (56.3547s)
RACE 1 (15 laps): A meagre field of 6 cars took the starter for the opening race of 2006 which marked the first ever Formula 4000 race to begin with a scheduled rolling start. Despite the depleted field, the following 15-lap ‘Sprint’ race was to be one of the best in recent F4000 history.
When the green flag waved, Pingel made the most of the rolling start by maintaining the lead on the run down to Turn 1 with a fast-starting West overtaking Dale for 2nd with Hanger slotting into 4th.
The first four cars all battled in close proximity to one another with Hanger pressuring Dale for 3rd and succeeding on lap 2 to take 3rd place. The Gosford driver who was starting from the back of the grid was now harassing West for 2nd position and got by on lap 4 to set out after Pingel.
Pingel’s minimal wing settings made the WISC Racing Reynard 94D quick on the expansive Calder straights but slow out of corners which was allowing Hanger and West to climb onto the rear of the Queenslander but to no avail, with Pingel using some very defensive driving through the tight and twisty parts of the Calder circuit.
The ongoing scrap between the top three livened up once again on Lap 6 when West managed to repass Hanger and set out after Pingel, while the New South Welshman would later reclaim the position on Lap 10.
The top three battled hard en route to the finish with both Hanger and West having numerous lunges up the inside of Pingel’s car during their respective stints in 2nd position. Dale had dropped off the tail of the leading three but was in safe and lonely 4th place ahead of Les Crampton who was recovering from an early spin.
Out in front however Pingel was too strong and took the chequered flag by a scant 0.403s from Hanger with only 0.368 back to West. In one of the closest ever F4000 finishes, 0.771s separated the first three with Pingel taking his first F4000 race win and first win at a national level since winning a round of the Australian Formula 2 Championship at Lakeside Raceway in 1988.
Race 1 Results; 1. Derek Pingel - #8 Australian Lifestyle Management Group Reynard 95D 2. Ty Hanger - #48 Pluim Interiors Reynard 95D 3. Mark West - #50 Just Parts Magazine Reynard 97D 4. Sam Dale - #12 Mumbo Racing Reynard 94D 5. Les Crampton - #74 Hocking Motorsport Reynard 97D DNF. Matthew Fox - #24 Mumbo Racing Reynard 91D
RACE 2 (17 laps): The 17-lap ‘Feature’ race promised to be an interesting affair with Pingel and Hanger facing off from the front row setting up a battle into the tight Turn 1.
When the lights went green at the more customary standing start for the second race, both Pingel and Hanger made good getaways with both drivers side by side and hard to separate on the run down to the first corner until Pingel was able to use the inside line and take the lead.
Behind the leading two, Les Crampton made a dynamic start to leap into 3rd ahead of West and Dale which would set up an entertaining dice throughout the opening lap between the two identically-liveried Just Parts cars.
As Pingel crossed the start/finish line to end lap 1, West and Crampton went side by side on the front straight with West seemingly extracting more power from his Holden HFV6 Alloytec unit to overtake Crampton and set out after the leading pair.
West’s charge was made easier however after two laps when Hanger’s engine dropped a valve at the end of the main straight which saw the Gosford driver pull off the circuit in a plume of smoke, much to the discontent of the Hanger Racing crew and spectators at the track who were robbed of a potentially exciting Feature race battle between Hanger and race leader Pingel.
Any notions that West had of throwing out a challenge to a swift Pingel were soon spoilt when West’s gear selector had broken off in his hand after coming loose at the start of the race. Left with only a small metal stump to change gears, West drove a steady race to hold off a closing Sam Dale early on despite two sizeable brake lock-ups on the back part of the circuit.
Dale’s Mumbo Racing team-mate Matthew Fox soldiered on at a reduced pace with a slipping clutch throughout the race and sensibly stayed out of the way of the leaders on his way to collecting a swag of points despite finishing 5 laps down.
At the head of the field however, Pingel capped off a brilliant start to the championship by greeting the chequered flag first ahead of a rejuvenated Mark West and Sam Dale who went on to register their first ever F4000 podium finishes.
Race 2 Results; 1. Derek Pingel - #8 Australian Lifestyle Management Group Reynard 95D 2. Mark West - #50 Just Parts Magazine Reynard 97D 3. Sam Dale - #12 Mumbo Racing Reynard 94D 4. Les Crampton - #74 Hocking Motorsport Reynard 97D 5. Matthew Fox - #24 Mumbo Racing Reynard 91D DNF. Ty Hanger - #48 Pluim Interiors Reynard 95D
2006 Yokohama Australian Formula 4000 Drivers Championship Points Standings after Round 1 of 8 1 Pingel 40 2 West 27 3 Dale 22 4 Crampton 18 5 Hanger 15 6 Fox 8
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