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The 2006 Supaloc Australian Saloon Car Championship was a hard fought one, alive to the last round where South Australian Bruce Heinrich took his fourth title. Throughout the year he had some of the most amazing ontrack battles with Queenslander Kris Walton and it is all set to happen again in 2007 - starting with round one at Oran Park this weekend.
However it certainly will not be a two horse race for these Ford Falcon drivers as Scott Nicolas, Clint Harvey, Steve Kwaitkowski, Peter Dane, Matt Lovell, Brett Carrington, Malcolm and Brett Niall among others, join the charge for Blue Oval honours. But they will have to also contend with a rejuvenated Holden Commodore attack.
While the General’s numbers may be down for the opening round, the quality is strong with John Goodacre, Jake Camilleri, Shawn Jamieson and Tim Rouse now with a season of development under their belts in their VT’s and joined by VN top runner Pual Fiore making the transition to VT.
The popular six cylinder Holden verse Ford category is supported by Supaloc Steel Building Systems, Pedders Suspension, Bridgestone Tyres, Xtreme Clutch, EMS Fuel Injection, Cebco Brakes and CSA Alloy Wheels.
2006 was also the first year that the new generation Holden Commodore VT and Ford Falcon AU Saloon Cars were eligible to compete. Only a handful of new models were ready for round one, but as the season rolled on, competitors were readily making the switch from their Commodore VN’s and Falcon EA’s.
Several aspects of Saloon Car racing changed last year. The category was granted CAMS Australian Championship status and the Australian Saloon Car Company (TASCCO) also entered into a category management agreement with CAMS.
TASCCO was a foundation member of the CAMS National Racing Championship, one of the five core categories (Production Cars, F3, Saloon Cars, Commodore Cup and GT/Porsche) in partnership with CAMS.
Another feature of the season was television with edited highlights of every round on the Speedweek and Inside Speed programs and also aired in Europe, Asia and New Zealand. State level racing known as the TASCCO Challenge and invitation events which included late additions to two V8 Supercar meetings were other highlights.
“A very important component of the success of our category in 2006, was the professionalism and support of the competitors and teams. We certainly raised the bar last year, and in my totally biased opinion we are setting a benchmark for others to follow,” said a proud series administrator Les Morrall. “All in all it was a fantastic year for Saloon Car racing, and the future looks even better.”
Supaloc Australian Saloon Car Championship Round 1 Entry List
1 Bruce Heinrich (SA) Ford Falcon AU
6 John Goodacre (SA) Holden Commodore VT
7 Scott Nicholas (QLD) Ford Falcon AU
9 Duane Wilson (NSW) Ford Falcon AU
13 Troy Hoey (QLD) Ford Falcon AU
14 Paul King (NSW) Ford Falcon AU
15 Shawn Jamieson (SA) Holden Commodore VT
17 Matt Lovell (SA) Ford Falcon AU
28 David Mitchell (NSW) Ford Falcon AU
30 Pual Fiore (WA) Holden Commodore VT
34 Steve Kwiatkowski (SA) Ford Falcon AU
36 Jake Camilleri (QLD) Holden Commodore VT
44 Mark Sutherland (VIC) Holden Commodore VN
46 Paul Pennisi (VIC) Holden Commodore VT
47 Brett Carrington (VIC) Ford Falcon AU
54 Malcolm Niall (WA) Ford Falcon AU
55 Brett Niall (WA) Ford Falcon AU
56 Shane Smollen (NSW) Ford Falcon AU
60 Peter Dane (NSW) Ford Falcon AU
68 Kris Walton (QLD) Ford Falcon AU
72 Clint Harvey (WA) Ford Falcon AU
74 Brenton Burr (SA) Ford Falcon AU
81 Tim Rowse (VIC) Holden Commodore VT
82 Geoff Brown (VIC) Ford Falcon AU
98 Bradly Piggott (NSW) Ford Falcon AU
Supaloc Australian Saloon Car Championship Round 1 Schedule
FRIDAY April 20
1015 Private Practice Supaloc Australian Saloon Cars
1145 Private Practice Supaloc Australian Saloon Cars
1400 Private Practice Supaloc Australian Saloon Cars
1540 Sponsor Rides Supaloc Australian Saloon Cars
SATURDAY April 21
0950 Qualifying 1 Supaloc Australian Saloon Cars
1230 Qualifying 2 Supaloc Australian Saloon Cars
1640 Race 1 Supaloc Australian Saloon Car Championship10 laps
SUNDAY April 22
0935 Race 2 Supaloc Australian Saloon Car Championship 10 laps
1230 Race 3 Supaloc Australian Saloon Car Championship 10 laps
Supaloc Australian Saloon Car Championship Calendar
Round 1 April 21/22 Oran Park (NSW)
Round 2 May 5/6 Phillip Island (VIC)
Round 3 May 26/27 Queensland Raceway (QLD)
Round 4 June 30/July 1 Mallala (SA)
Round 5 July 14/15 Eastern Creek (NSW)
Round 6 August 11/12 Phillip Island (VIC)
Round 7 October 13/14 Mallala (SA)
Round 8 December 8/9 Sandown (VIC)
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