Hope this has answered your query.
We spoke to James on the weekend, and he will be in WA with WSS.
The drivers had a lot of voice in bringing this in and it is a rule which is run in Brisbane constantly and they advised us on how to work it. We are glad to hear you appreciate it as well, and as you said it is all about getting the cars back on the track which is better for everyone.
The WSS hasn’t been back to Speedway due to the Management of Sydney Speedway not wishing to take a round of the series for reasons only they can answer. I can assure you though talks are already in place about hopefully getting the series back to Sydney Speedway next season.
We are all excited about the way WSS is going at the moment and we hope it just continues to get stronger. Thanks again Rick and we hope to see you at a WSS round again soon!
Q: I note that Perth Motorplex is the only venue to run a single round, "double header" event, staged
over 2 nights (at double the price to punters). Why is the format not changed to run as 2 "single" rounds of identical format over 2 nights? I believe this unique format is unfair to the punters who in effect need to pay twice to see a one round result. I am also curious as to whether Perth Motorplex pays WSS for one round or two.
- Wade
A: Thanks for taking the time to get in touch with WSS Wade. There are actually 3 x 2 night shows in the WSS schedule, one this weekend in Brisbane, and then in Bunbury and the Perth Motorplex.
A lot of events in motorsport and speedway go over 2 nights and these rounds of WSS are no different. Rounds of V8 Supercars are decided over the 2 days and all the blue ribbon sprintcar events like the Classic, Australian Title and Krikke Boys Shootout (to name a few) are all over 2 nights.
WSS 2 night events are important to the schedule and at this stage will continue.
The agreement with all venues and WSS as I am sure you would understand are confidential between both parties.
Hope this helps Wade.
Q: I Just wanted to say congrats on Speedweek, I had a great time and saw some great racing and have made new friends. Hope all goes well for the rest of the series. See you all on Jan. 14.
- Paul
A: Thanks for your kind words Paul, it was one of the best we can remember as well.
The young Aussie talent that joins us on WSS are really providing some great competition for the regular WSS crew.
Australian Sprintcar racing is in great hands that’s for sure.
Q: Why is the points structure so heavily weighted for hot laps/time trail results?
- Nathan
A: Nathan, the points structure for time trials in WSS was actually changed last year and has been agreed to by the contracted competitors. All elite forms of motor sport have qualifying and that then seeds you for your racing, and WSS is no different. The current format and points structure rewards people that race well in their heats, and gets them through to either being locked in to the ‘A’ Main or front of the ‘B’ main.
Nothing is ever going to be perfect for everyone, but we are comfortable that we have it fairly right at the moment for all competitors.
Q: Something to think about for future series: put a transponder loop on the kerbline of all tracks, with a transponder placed on the r/h chassis rail. Once it is triggered, the offender is disqualified, if it is not triggered can be seen as two wheels infield as I believe is allowed should stop any arguements and greatly improve safety for all involved.
- Alan
A: Alan,
This is certainly a great suggestion and is something we have already looked into.
There are a couple of issues at present with the timing loop idea and the main one with this is the financial side of doing this, but the other is as the V8 supercars have picked up is that if a car is well inside the loop it does not register so they are trialling a few different things at present, and we will wait to see which way they go.
Thanks for your ideas though Alan
Q: If a non World Series contracted driver wins the series, what will they win? Has it ever happened before?
- Cameron
A: Cameron, this is a question on everyones lips at the moment with James McFadden and Ian Madsen doing such a great job as uncontracted drivers. If one of them, or any other non contracted driver won they would certainly be crowned WSS Champion and go down in history as the winner for this series.
All the contracted drivers pay a nomination fee to WSS at the start of the series and only they can compete for that money that they have invested into the series as end of year prize money.
I don’t think this has ever happened before Cameron, so this season is hsaping up as a first at the moment. I wouldn’t write off the contracted guys yet though as they are all slowly getting better results, although James especially is on another level at present.
Q: Just curious why the tyre barriers were removed after the 1st rounds of heats in Adelaide when all teams apparently want them? Also, who controls when the grader comes out? It seems a pointless excercise when the track is back to where it was before the grade after only a few laps. Was a cracking feature all the same!
- Steve
A: WSS has tried a couple of different options with infield markers, and thanks to a kind offer from Monster Energy, we tried their "tuff blocks", which are iued in the supercross.
After the first round of heats we askerd a number of drivers their thoughts, as we had a few stoppages due to them being hit. They asked if we could persevere with them, but we were all concerned about the interruptions with the show so decided to pull them out the way.
What it did show, as they commented, is that they are needed due to people are running too far into the infield. We do admit, however, the method used may not be the correct one.
The grader is controlled by the track and we have little control which can be frustrating at times.
Hope this clears it up for you, and thanks for your comments.
Q: I would like to send out a big thank you to all concerned. I'm from Sydney and couldn't make the trip to Mildura; thanks for the video stream, it was awsome to watch. I will be catching the Brisbane round in the new year. Hope there is more in the future.
- Rick
A: Hi Rick, it was nice to be able to bring the vision of WSS to you all stuck at home. It was certainly an awesome night of racing at the Timmis Speedway in Mildura, glad you got to share in it with us. The WSS live vision feed is something we would like to do more of, but it does need the promoters consent for us to be able to do it, and that sometimes isn’t always available. Look forward to catching you in Brisbane and keep enjoying what is an awesome start to the 2011/12 Hi Tec Oils WSS campaign.
Regards Wade Aunger
Q: What times are you looking at having the pits open to the general public, prior to race time. Espically during Speedweek?
- Rodney
A: Rodney, we are just currently finalising with the venues about the “Pit Party” at all Speedweek tracks, so stay tuned there should be a press release out soon about it.
Q: Are there any plans or possibilities that the Series could ever be telecast on free to air tv?
- Peter
A: World Series Sprintcars are currently in a great position in that the Speed channel on Foxtel is very proactive in wanting our product on their channel.
There are production costs but we are getting a great opportunity in getting the WSS product on National TV at minimal cost. Speed channel are great to work with and a very strong about their commitment to WSS and so are we with them.
To get on to free to air television as we have in the past is very costly. We have priority at Speed channel and there are also multiple replays which is a great thing for the sport too.
At present I would suggest we will continue to work with Speed channel, unless like any business we find a budget or support that takes us to free to air television. Speed Channel has been excellent and we think we have something to grow for the future.
Q: How many shows will James McFadden be competing in this season?
- Robbie
A: Hi Robbie, on Sunday night at Brisbane I asked James what his intentions are with WSS this year, and his response was fairly open ended.
The team are just going to do whatever they can this year, they are spending time working with car owner Scott Milling's son as he starts his Sprintcar career, and will just see how they go. They will be running at Dubbo and definitely Speedweek, and then back to Brisbane after that. They will then look at how they are going and make a decision.
Q: Will there be any cybercast races on the internet? If so, when, and will the cost be? Good luck on your season and hpoe you do have some shows cybercast. Also will we here in the States be able to hear the audio of all the races and what website will it be on?
- Ty
A: Ty, great to hear from you over there in the USA.
We will have our normal live Audio feed through the Website www.worldseriessprintcars.com and click on the Race Night Live icon and all results, grid draws, points and live audio can be found there. But the exciting thing is we are pleased to announce that during Rounds 3 on Dec 10th from Mildura, and Rounds 4-8 (Speedweek) which Runs from 26th of Dec to Jan 1st those 5 nights of racing will be LIVE VISION on the net also. This is something we are very excited about and we hope that we can generate the interest to hopefully one day have all rounds live on the net.
The cost for watching we are currently working out, but we want to keep it as affordable as possible, so we can showcase this wonderful series to as many people all over the world as possible. Thanks again Ty and we really hope you enjoy following Hi-Tec World Series Sprintcars for this exciting year ahead.
Q: Less than 3 weeks to go, so I thought I would ask a question that has me wondering. We all see the Sprintcars being weighed after heat wins, A main wins and placegetters. However, are they done on arrival at the track, prior to competion and drivers told if they are under weight?
- James
A: Hi James. The weighing of cars is done at scrutineering and then again after Time trials before they go racing. The teams also can go to the scales at anytime during the night to check there weight if they wish.
The weight can adjust depending on fuel being carried and things like that, so they prefer to be safe than sorry. In the heat racing it is generally random weighing of cars, and in the feature race it is the top 5 placegetters.
Hope this clears it up for you James, and look forward to seeing you at WSS soon!
Q: With the first round just around the corner, last year there was a chance to see the cars, teams and drivers in the city. Will there be the same chance this year, and if so when and where? Being the 25th year, WSS I'd like to know how much your magazing will be?
- Errol
A: Errol, Great to hear from you and look forward to seeing you at the track soon.
We will certainly be doing a launch event leading into the round 1 in Brisbane. The details on this will be released later this week, but will more than likely be at the track.
Regarding the magazine, it is currently off to the printer and I can tell you its going to be a ripper. Warren King from Speedway Australia has put together a great magazine with some excellent stories around the history of the series and then the current competitor as well.
The programme will be at the same cost as last year (at $8), and will be available at the venues. We will also have some great 25 year Celebration Posters available as well, and these will be launched on the WSS website very soon.
Q: Will we have an open pit session prior to the running of the Speedweek rounds this season?
- Col
A: Thanks for visiting us on Pit Pass Col. We are pleased to announce that we will be doing “WSS PIT PARTIES” at all Speedweek rounds this year. We are currently working out times and details with the venues, but be rest assured you will get the chance to go down and see your favourite drivers and teams before the rounds on Speedweek. We Look forward to seeing you at the track soon.
Q: Just wondering who sets the pace coming up to a green flag be it start or restart? Also, does the whole field have to be in order before the green light is shown? I am doing Speedweek for the first time, hope we get some great racing during that week. Cheers!
- Garry
A: Hi Garry (good name!) and thanks for your question.
Under the SCCA rule book, the pace car sets the pace (usually around 45 km/h). As the pace car comes off the track, the responsibility of both lead cars (Position One and Two) is to ensure they maintain this pace in a side by side formation throughout turns three and four towards the start line/area (normally located at the end of turn four).
Neither car is permitted to accelerate until the green light comes on (usually when the Chief Steward is satisfied the drivers have complied with the start procedure and after entering turn four).
Under the Speedway Australia Rule Book, the pole car (Position One) sets the pace and the rest of the field is required to maintain the formation at that pace. The start procedure thereafter is basically the same as the SCCA requirements.
The whole field should be in it's correct grid formation prior to the yellow light going off and it is each driver's responsibility to ensure they know their starting position.
With regards to restarts, the lead car is required to set a moderate pace which allows the rest of the field to keep pace (similar pace to a start pace). Once the lead driver has entered Turn three, it is the lead driver's choice as to when to accelerate. The green light will be shown once the lead driver accelerates or as the lead car enters the start area at the end of turn four.
The start/restart procedure should be highlighted by the Chief Steward during the driver's briefing to ensure all drivers are aware of the correct procedure.
Gary Pendlebury
WSS Chief Steward
Q: G'days guys again. I have noticed that there is only one American contracted driver; Jason Johnson. Is he the only American to be contracted for this year's series? Is there a reason as to why he is the only one? Also has WSS thought of contracting possibly a Kiwi Sprintcar Team or 2 if they were interested in competing?
- Michael
A: Michael, good to hear from you.
The opportunity to get a contract with WSS is open to anyone and we would love to have more people from around the world involved. The difficulty we have with the American drivers is the timing of it all; their season now goes a lot longer than it used to, and starts earlier, making it difficult for any American driver to be complete the full series. We even had Jason and Brooke miss some rounds last year due to them finishing their season in America.
In saying that our American involvement in WSS continues to grow in the way of part time drivers, we are getting more and more guys coming across and doing certain rounds of the series in there short stay in Australia before they head home to prepare for their American season. Also Michael, a lot of car owners used to always put Americans in their car for a few shows, but are now realising the young talent here in Australia is worth giving a go too. A good thing for Australian Sprint car racing!
Regarding the New Zealand drivers, we think this is a great point and we would love to get them on board. We unfortunately don’t see any kiwi’s here at all just yet, but I’m sure if they start coming for the classic and some shows we can get them on board in the years to come. Maybe we need to take WSS to them first?!
Q: I have noticed that amongst the contracted drivers for 2011/12 it states that Grant Anderson is a "rookie". I maybe wrong, but I thought he was a contracted driver back in 2009/10 when drove for the Horrell Team #83? Hope everybody has a safe & enjoyable series. Catch you all during the action of 2011/12!
- Paul
A: Hi Paul good to hear from you, and thanks for your kind wishes for the series ahead.
When Grant Anderson drove the Dave Horrell car back in 2009/10 he was just a nominated competitor for certain rounds and was not a contracted driver then.
This will be the first year Grant has been officially a contracted driver going for the WSS crown. We are very excited to have him on the WSS tour and with the presentation of his team and outright speed he has, he will be someone to watch out for this season.
See you at the track!
Q: Being that WSS has been running for 25 years, will there be a magazine and if so, what will it look like? Also, Queensland lost many shows and events last year, so my question is: what plans are in place if it was to rain out the first round?
- Errol
A: Errol, we are currently working hard on this year’s official World Series Sprintcars 25th year Anniversary official program, and it promises to be something special. We are focusing a lot of articles around the history of WSS and how it all began, along with the future and all the stars of WSS. It definitely promises to be something that will capture the attention of all speedway lovers.
Regarding the rain out dates, we obviously hope we don’t have to worry about that, but plans are in place that if we happen to lose an event we can re-run it at another time which suits both the track promoter and the drivers.
We try and do everything possible to not loose any rounds of the series and this would be no different. Thanks for taking the time to write to us Errol, and we look forward to seeing you at the track soon.
Q: Is there room in the series 2 include more rounds of heat races? I'm sure fans would like 2 see more heats than just the usual 2 rounds currently held in the series. Also for the 1st time this year as a fan I amm going 2 do the WSS road trip 2 every event.
- Michael
A: Michael great to hear you are coming on the road with WSS, I’m sure you are in for the time of your life! Make sure you come and say hello at the WSS truck after the show, we love to see the fans the support this great series.
On the heat racing, Michael there is a couple of things which mean we can’t have any more events, generally the time. We are very cautious of running to time, and don’t like the WSS shows going past the 10:30pm cut off time limit. In this time we pack a lot into the event, and really can’t put any more racing in there.
Also the costs pile up, as every heat race on the teams motors and gears is a bigger expense. We are very mindful of the costs of running WSS at present and the more racing they do the more they have to spend. In Speedweek we have 4 heats per round, compared to the normal 3 so there is a little more racing there which is good also.
Thanks for your time Michael and look forward to seeing you at the track soon!
Q: Will Wade Aunger commentate WSS this season? Are there any Americans contracted for this years tournament? How much tow money is allocated to each round of WSS?
- Darren
A: Darren, thanks for your enquiry.
We are currently talking to Wade and hope to have some news soon, but are very confident that Wade will be the front man for the 25th Series of World Series Sprintcars. In relation to the Americans being contracted drivers stay tuned as we are still announcing the drivers and will have some news in the next few days.
Regarding the Tow Money for the competitors, this is information is in a confidential contract with all the race teams.
Q: I Have often thought, is there maxinum of enries that WSS acepts for each show, on top of the contracted drivers? Especially during Speedweek? If so, what number would that be and what amount of racing experince do these drivers need to have, so we do not end up with a (near) disaster like Jan. 1 this year at Sungold Stadium?
- Paul
A: Hi Paul and thanks for the question.
The WSS management team have on occasions discussed maximum numbers for each round but setting a number is a difficult proposition. We have instead relied on the the licencing system as to a qualification to nominate for WSS events. The SCCA has introduced a new driver licence system which will assign a P plate for new drivers. Provisional drivers will need to meet a standards test during their provisional period and are not entitled to race at state/national titles or WSS or special events whilst on P plates.
On being assessed as meeting a reasonable race standard, drivers still have to satisfy a Chief Steward as to their race competence before being permitted to take part in a grid draw (designated rear of field until competent).
As the WSS Steward, I rely heavily on advice from local stewards as to the competence of local and new drivers and their eligibility to be placed in the WSS grid system and quite often I will have a ‘chat’ to newish drivers and encourage them to start at the rear for reasons of safety. Most are happy to start at the rear.
The driver standards are continually evaluated with an objective to improve the eligibility of drivers at prestigious events to minimise the issues you are highlighting.
Regards
Gary Pendlebury
World Series Sprintcars Chief Steward
Q: Could you please describe what Contracted Driver Selection is, nomination, contingency money, tow money, prize money & benefits etc?
- Kevin
A: Kevin this a good question which some WSS supporters may not know about.
Speedway Australia at the end of each season calls for expressions of interest from Sprintcars teams nationally on who may want to be in WSS as a contracted driver for the next season. If a team which finishes in the top 8 contracted drivers from the last season, they automatically get offered a contract for the next year.
All other interested parties and contracted teams from the season just finished are analysed and then voted on by the WSS board. They then make a decision and can offer up to another 7 contracts to take the total to 15. WSS contracted teams pay a fee to be contracted which basically covers there nominations etc for the season.
All WSS contracted teams compete for the points fund money which is presented at the end of the season to them depending on where they have finished. Any event prize money and contingency awards are presented to whoever the competitor is who deserves them and are not just for WSS contracted teams.
All WSS contracted teams also get tow money and passes for all rounds and obviously are the centre of all our promotions and marketing for the WSS season.
I hope this gives you an idea on what a contracted team means. Look forward Kevin to catching you this season and enjoy your WSS experience.
Q: We all want to see close, exciting & entertaining racing, so has there been in thoughts double file restarts. Espically in both B & A mains?
- Paul
A: Paul the double file restarts will not be implemented in WSS for season 2011/12, at this stage we are happy with the current racing situation with the series. It may be something that we talk about at the end of the season though, if we feel it will add to the series without the obvious problem of giving us more delays for accidents etc on the small tracks.
We have to be mindful of keeping the costs down for the race teams and with double file starts for races on WSS it certainly will increase the risk of damage to the cars. We also understand the entertainment value for the fans is very important to the show.
Q: Is there any chance of a New Zealand driver being involved in WSS, to really make it WSS?
- Darren
A: Darren thanks for your enquiry, we would love to have a New Zealand driver on WSS but unfortunately we don’t put the drivers in the cars or in fact own any cars at the moment.
If a driver or team was keen to look at this option WSS would obviously fully endorse this and promote it as much as possible as we would from any driver from another country outside Australia. You have touched on something that is very close in our thoughts at present though and who knows what may be in store for the future!
Q: When will the contracted drivers be announced?
- Brad
A: Brad thanks for your enquiry. As you may have seen we have announced a driver today on our website and will be announcing more over the next few days. We hope to have all the contracted drivers announced within the next few weeks!
Q: Why isn't there a round of WSS at Sydney Speedway? Is it because of the financial position the track finds itself in? Will the big screen be back for this season's WSS?
- Darren
A: Darren thanks for your enquiry. WSS had talks with the Management of Tyrepower Sydney Speedway late in proceedings about having a round in Sydney but unfortunately we had already had tracks locked in to the only dates that Sydney could run.
I am extremely confident that WSS and Sydney Speedway will be back together in the future.
The WSS Show wouldn’t be the same without the big screen Darren, so I can assure you it will be back bigger and better than before.
We are working with Martin from Big Screens Australia as we speak about improvements for the upcoming season.
Q: Will National Super Sedan Series have an app for us super sedans fans?
- Marc
A: Thanks for the question Marc. We're working on setting up a mobile web app for the NSSS in the future - at present the resources present at the tracks on race nights make it difficult to provide live updates like the World Series Race Night Live Mobile does. We are however, working on providing something similar for you Super Sedan fans out there, so stay tuned.
Q: Can you confirm or deny that Steve Kinser is competing Speedweek this coming season? All the best for 11/12 is the best show going around.
- Steve
A: Thanks Steve for your kind words we are certainly very excited about the season ahead.
At this stage I would have to deny regarding Steve Kinser as I have not heard anything to confirm that rumour. That would certainly be exciting if it was too happen, but at present I can say we are working hard at getting our contracted drivers finalised.
To have the “King” back involved in a WSS event would be an honour for Speedway in Australia, but unfortunately at this stage I would suggest it may be just a rumour.
Q: How is it that Tasmania missed out this year?
- Paul
A: WSS was very keen to go back to Tasmania for the up coming season Paul, but the promoters of Latrobe and Hobart have unfortunatly decided (due to financial concerns) to decline.
Hopefully we will be back soon!
Q: Hi, is there going to be a Speedweek Tour Bus like last year ?
- Rick
A: Rick at the stage we are about to commence talks with Vin from Vin’s Bus hire, but unfortunately it didn’t end up happening last year due to lack of numbers but we think we will remodel it a little bit and have another go at it.
Expect to hear something in the upcoming weeks.
Q: What will the format be this year? Will there be qualifying, top 8 shootout, etc?
- Aidan
A: Aiden the format for World Series Sprintcars shows will remain the same, we think it’s a great format which provides a lot of diversity and plenty of racing for the fans.
So time trials will kick us off and seed the drivers for their 2 rounds of heat racing before competing in either the “C” or “B” mains the Vortex Top 8 Shootout and then the “A” main for the top 20 cars on the night.
The format for the 2 night shows in Western Australia will be slightly changed, but stay tuned for announcement on this in upcoming weeks.
Q: If you continue to have an open pit prior to the meeting, is it possible to have the drivers (at least the contracted ones) suited up & close to their Sprintcar, so the average spectator know who the driver is? All the best for 2011/12. WOW 25 years.
- Paul
A: Paul you raise a great point, we are putting things in place with the venues as we speak to have more of the “pit party’s” and it’s fair to say they will be a more structured event for the fans. We are working through this at present but I can assure you the “pit party” experience will be a much bigger and better event this upcoming season.
Thanks for your kind words of encouragement, we are very excited about the season ahead and the celebration of 25 years of World Series Sprintcars here on Australia.
Q: How many teams will be contracted this year and who are they so far?
- Aaron
A: Aaron the release of drivers can be expected within the next couple of weeks. All teams that expressed interest have until close of business on Fri the 1st of July to lodge there contract back to Speedway Australia, and it’s fair to say the driver list looks real exciting at present and will be announced shortly. Aaron we can take a Maximum of 15 teams as contracted drivers for the series.
Q: How many corporate partners, major or minor has WSS got so far for season 2011/12? How many rounds of WSS is there going to be this season?
- Darren
A: Darren the corporate side of WSS is being worked on as we speak, it’s fair to say it’s a major agenda item for Speedway Australia and WSS to get some solid corporate support for the future.
All avenues are being looked at presently and we hope to have some exciting news soon. As for the schedule we are literally minutes away from announcing the 15 Rounds for the 25th Year of WSS in Australia.
