Adelaide 500 Preview

CENTURY BATTERIES AUSTRALIAN GT PRODUCTION CAR CHAMPIONSHIP

5th APRIL 1999

GTP SET TO LIGHT UP THE STREETS OF ADELAIDE

Bumper to bumper with headlights ablaze - traffic on the streets of Adelaide will look remarkably similar next Friday night.

You will see the usual varied collection of models from manufacturers from Porsche to Suzuki Ð but this week, the traffic will move at a considerably faster rate.

The stars and cars of the Century Batteries Australian GT Production Car Championship are set to light up the streets of Adelaide at the Sensational Adelaide 500.

Sponsored by ETSA Power, these production car heroes will do battle in a unique one-hour night race on the Friday of the three-day program.

The GTP machines will also do battle in two sprint races over the weekend ... one each on Saturday and Sunday.

For GTP star Jim Richards, the battle on the streets of Adelaide marks a return to a happy hunting ground for this unique motorsport all- rounder.

Richards dominated touring car events at Adelaide's Australian Grand Prix circuit for many years, and even captured the only Super Touring event held at the track.

The six-time Bathurst winner has made a full-time return to GTP in 1999, contesting the Championship with a Porsche 911 RSCS

"I used to love racing on the old Grand Prix circuit and I am sure this new event is going to be fantastic," Richards said.

"The one hour night race is going to be a unique challenge for all of us. It is certainly going to be a spectacular sight with headlights ablaze and I am really looking forward to it.

"Our team was quite pleased with our first run at Eastern Creek at the opening round of the Championship and this weekend will give us an opportunity to further develop the car."

The Adelaide event has attracted a strong Class A entry including debut races for Murray Carter's new Chevrolet Corvette C5 V8 Coupe, Peter Gazzard's Subaru WRX STi 2-door Version IV and local Adelaide driver Paul Mitolo aboard a Mazda RX-7 SP Twin Turbo.

Rally star Neal Bates will make a return to GTP aboard a Dodge Viper GTS Coupe while other leading lights of this mobile motorshow include Darren Palmer's Ferrari F355 Challenge, Beric Lynton's BMW M3-R Coupe, Perry Spiridis's Maserati Ghibli Cup Twin Turbo, Paul Stokell's Lotus Esprit Sport 300 and John Teulan's Nissan Skyline GT- R Turbo 4WD.

With five separate classes contesting the event, the ETSA Power GTP races will feature a number of other local Adelaide drivers hoping for strong results on home soil.

Richard Davis will do battle in Class B aboard his HSV GTS-R while fellow GTP regular Robert Chadwick will race the new 3.5 litre Mitsubishi Magna TH Sports V6 in Class C.

Young driver Craig Dontas will also make his GTP debut in Class E aboard a Suzuki Swift Gti.

But as the sun sets on the streets of Adelaide, this will not just be a boys only affair Ð the girls will be out to get their share of the action.

Talented star Paula Elstrek will contest Class B aboard a Mazda RX-7 Twin Turbo while Sue Hughes goes into battle in Class E aboard a Suzuki Swift.

FURTHER NEWS: http://www.gtprod.com.au

ENTRIES CLASS A 5, Jim Richards, Porsche 911 RSCS 8, Ed Aitken, Porsche 911 RSCS 9, Neal Bates, Dodge Viper GTS Coupe 12, Geoff Morgan, Porsche 911 RSCS 18, Murray Carter, Chevrolet Corvette C5 V8 Coupe 23, Beric Lynton, BMW M3-R Coupe 27, Darren Palmer, Ferrari F355 Challenge 30, Perry Spiridis, Maserati Ghibli Cup Twin Turbo 39, Paul Stokell, Lotus Esprit Sport 300 41, Terry Bosnjak, Mazda RX-7 SP Twin-Turbo 43, Peter Gazzard, Subaru WRX STi 2-door Version IV 45, John Teulan, Nissan Skyline GT-R Turbo 4WD 63, Paul Mitolo, Mazda RX-7 SP Twin-Turbo

CLASS B 28, John Cowley, HSV VS GTS-R 215i 6, Geoff Full, Subaru Impreza WRX Turbo 7, Peter Boylan, Subaru Impreza WRX Turbo 14, Clyde Lawrence, Subaru Impreza WRX Turbo 25, Richard Davis, HSV VS GTS-R 215i 66, Paula Elstrek, Mazda RX-7 Twin Turbo 76, Wayne Vinckx, Nissan 200SX Sport Coupe Turbo

CLASS C 20, Robert Chadwick, Mitsubishi Magna TH Sports V6 3.5 33, Denis Cribbin, Holden Commodore VS Exec V8 46, Ryan McLeod, Ford Falcon EL XR8 55, Mark Cohen, Holden Commodore VS SS V8 64, Brian Carr, Ford Falcon 88, David Ratcliff, Toyota Camry Touring V6

CLASS E 21, Kosi Kalatzidis, Proton M21 Coupe 74, Sue Hughes, Suzuki Swift GTi 75, Craig Dontas, Suzuki Swift GTi

CLASS S 32, Michael Simpson, BMW 323i 77, Nicolas Lucas, Toyota MR2 GT

TIMETABLE FRIDAY APRIL 9 12.00-12.25 ETSA Power GT Production Qualifying 6.40-7.40 ETSA Power GT Production Race One

SATURDAY APRIL 10 12.45-13.04 ETSA Power GT Production Race Two

SUNDAY APRIL 11 11.00-11.20 ETSA Power GT Production Race Three

paulryan@camtech.net.au