 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(June 2012) |
Team Australia was an auto racing team competing in the V8 Supercars and Champ Car World Series. It was created in early 2005 when two Australian businessmen Craig Gore and John Fish bought into Derrick Walker's Walker Racing operation. After the 2007 the operation was scaled back to just Will Power who joined KV Racing, before ending entirely a year later.
After sponsoring young Australian driver Josh Hunt in the Toyota Atlantic Championship, Australian millionaire Craig Gore began to investigate fielding a Champ Car team. His empire already included a V8 Supercar team competing in Australia, and at the 2004 Surfers Paradise round of the CCWS, on the Gold Coast, Australia, Gore's V8 driver David Besnard made his debut with a WPS sponsored Walker Racing Champ Car. He finished a creditable 7th place, and the seeds were sewn for Gore's assault on the Champ Car series.
In late 2004 and early 2005 Gore, his associate John Fish and long time Champ Car World Series team owner Derrick Walker, created the Team Australia race program. Obsolete Reynard chassis were replaced with bespoke Lola units, and the team signed Canadian Champ Car veteran Alex Tagliani and Australian Formula 3 driver Marcus Marshall for the 2005 season.
With a new chassis to learn, Team Australia was hardly going to upset the establishment in 2005. However, Tagliani's consistent, solid drives took the team to many top-ten finishes and several podiums through the year. Tagliani finished the season in seventh place, equaling his career best finish. Marshall, by contrast, was unspectacular, struggling to break the top ten. By Team Australia's homecoming at the 2005 Surfer's Paradise race, they had announced that a third car would be run for Australian international driver Will Power. Power outpaced both teammates before a collision with Tagliani took him out of the race. Amongst some controversy it was announced that Marshall's contract had been cut, and he was to leave the team. His attempt to appeal this in court was unsuccessful, and he was dropped in favour of Power, who signed a three-year contract. The team ran their third car again in the season finale at Mexico, where newly crowned Atlantics champion Dutchman Charles Zwolsman made his debut.
Rumours that Ryan Briscoe would be taking the #15 car were crushed when Tagliani re-signed prior to Long Beach. In 2006, Team Australia's commitment extended not only to two Champ Cars, but a two-car Atlantic squad, all aimed at fostering young talent. The team showed fantastic pace at the opening round at Long Beach, with Tagliani and Power running third and fourth respectively before a forced error dropped him down the order. He then suffered from brake problems but finished a competitive 9th, while Tagliani took a podium.
The team had consistent top-ten finishes, never really achieving more until Will Power took a pole position at his home race at Surfer's Paradise. He led the race comfortably until Sébastien Bourdais made a move on Power which damaged both cars. Power finished well down the order, but made up for it with a podium at the season finale in Mexico. He also won the Roshfrans Rookie of the Year title, as well as the Bridgestone Passion for Excellence award, the first driver other than Bourdais to win it.
Craig Gore expanded the Team Australia stable of global motorsport interests with a partnership with Wood Brothers/JTG Racing that included the naming-rights sponsorship of Marcos Ambrose's entry in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2006.
The sponsorship was weaved into a nationwide marketing campaign designed to promote quality Australian and Australian-themed products and Australia as a tourism destination. The new green and gold Ford F-150 truck carried Team Australia, Aussie Vineyards and R. M. Williams signage.
Driving the #20 Aussie Vineyards Ford F-150, Ambrose had best finishes of 3rd in Kansas and Nashville and took the pole position in Kentucky.
In their first year of Atlantic, the team won their first title, with young French driver Simon Pagenaud. He was partnered by James Davison initially, until the underperforming Australian was dropped in favour of countrymate Michael Patrizi.
The team gained most of its sponsorship from the businesses of Gore and Fish. Gore's financial company, Wright Patton Shakespeare, features on the sides and nosecone of the cars, Fish Liquor are sponsors and their wine business Aussie Vineyards was the title sponsor. The team was also sponsored by the Queensland State Government, Visa credit cards, R. M. Williams, and Qantas. The relationship ended in early 2008 and Gore, Fish and Walker are no longer directly involved, with Walker announcing that Walker Racing will not contest the unified 2008 IRL season. [1] Gore has taken driver Will Power and the Team Australia name to KV Racing.
Will Power (2008) David Besnard (2004)
Alex Tagliani (2005–2006) Marcus Marshall (2005) Will Power (2005–2007)
Charles Zwolsman (2005)
Simon Pagenaud (2007) David Besnard (2004–2006) Mark Noske (2004) Owen Kelly (2004)
Alex Yoong (2004) Charlie O'Brien (2004) Neil McFadyen (2004)
John McIntyre (2004) Marcus Marshall (2005) Alex Tagliani (2005) Craig Baird (2005–2006)
Max Wilson (2006–2007) Jason Bargwanna (2006–2007) Michael Caruso (2007) Grant Denyer (2007) Simon Pagenaud (2006) James Davison (2006) Michael Patrizi (2006)
Ryan Lewis (2007)
Simona de Silvestro (2007) Marcos Ambrose (2006) Marcos Ambrose (2007)to be completed (key)
| Year | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Pos | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | ADL | ECR | PUK | HDV | BAR | QUE | WIN | ORP | SAN | BAT | SUR | SYP | ECR | ||||
| Besnard | 13 | 17 | 25 | 29 | 30 | 19 | 32 | 31 | 16 | Ret | 12 | 13 | 30th | 790 | |||
| Noske | 28 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 30 | 35th | 304 | ||||||||||
| O'Brien | 16 | 60th | 132 | ||||||||||||||
| McIntyre | 21 | Ret | 18 | 46th | 199 | ||||||||||||
| Yoong | 21 | 15 | 28 | 36th | 278 | ||||||||||||
| McFadyen | 15 | 43rd | 226 | ||||||||||||||
| Kelly | 21 | 33 | 44th | 214 | |||||||||||||
| 2005 | ADL | PUK | BAR | ECR |  SHA | HDV | QUE | ORP | SAN | BAT | SUR | SYP | PHI | ||||
| Besnard | 23 | 32 | 16 | 29 | 32 | 32 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 8 | 21 | 29 | 27 | 25th | 904 | ||
| Baird | 28 | 28 | 19 | 15 | 20 | 23 | 16 | 33 | 19 | 8 | 14 | 23 | 31 | 23rd | 980 | ||
| Tagliani | 22 | 13 | 54th | 144 | |||||||||||||
| Marshall | 22 | 13 | 53rd | 144 | |||||||||||||
| 2006 | ADL | PUK | BAR | WIN | HDV | QUE | ORP | SAN | BAT | SUR | SYP |  BAH | PHI | ||||
| Wilson | 9 | 22 | 23 | 10 | 17 | 12 | 29 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 15th | 2038 | ||
| Bargwanna | 25 | 14 | 17 | 24 | 10 | 26 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 15 | 22 | 10 | 14th | 2053 | ||
| Besnard | 11 | 14 | 45th | 220 | |||||||||||||
| Baird | 7 | 10 | 38th | 287 | |||||||||||||
| 2007 | ADL | BAR | PUK | WIN | ECR | HDV | QUE | ORP | SAN | BAT | SUR | BAH | SYP | PHI | |||
| Wilson | 26 | 18 | 15 | 18 | 23 | 13 | 19 | 13 | Ret | 7 | 10 | 25 | 24 | 19 | 17th | 110 | |
| Bargwanna | 19 | 25 | 30 | 20 | 15 | 18 | 22 | 21 | Ret | 7 | 11 | 10 | 29 | 21 | 18th | 109 | |
| Caruso | Ret | 15 | 49th* | 6 | |||||||||||||
| Denyer | Ret | 15 | 50th | 6 | |||||||||||||
(key) (results in bold indicate pole position) (results in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Car | Drivers | No. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | D.C. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Swift-Mazda Cosworth | LBH | HOU | MTY | POR | CLE1 | CLE2 | TOR | EDM | SJO | DEN | MTL | ROA | ||||
| James Davison | 5 | 13 | 10 | 21 | 25 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 7 | 22 | 17th | 69 | ||||
| Michael Patrizi | 8 | 15 | 25th | 21 | |||||||||||||
| Simon Pagenaud | 15 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 23 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 1st | 258 | ||
| 2007 | Swift-Mazda Cosworth | LVG | LBH | HOU | POR1 | POR2 | CLE | MTT | TOR | EDM1 | EDM2 | SJO | ROA | ||||
| Simona de Silvestro | 5 | 17 | 28 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 11 | 7 | 18 | 13 | 22 | 10 | 22 | 19th | 69 | ||
| Ryan Lewis | 15 | Wth | 25 | 27 | 3 | 5 | 21 | 13 | 5 | 9 | 13 | 23 | 10 | 12th | 107 |
(key) (results in bold indicate pole position) (results in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Drivers | No. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | D.C. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | LBH | MTY | MIL | POR | CLE | TOR | EDM | SJO | DEN | MTL | LSV | SRF | MXC | |||||||
| Lola B02/00 | Ford XFE V8 t | Alex Tagliani | 15 | 15 | 3 | 10 | 18 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 7th | 207 | ||
| Marcus Marshall | 5 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 9 | 11 | 16th | 104 | |||||
| Will Power | 10 | 22nd | 17 | |||||||||||||||||
| 25 | 15 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Charles Zwolsman Jr. | 13 | 27th | 8 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | LBH | HOU | MTY | MIL | POR | CLE | TOR | EDM | SJO | DEN | MTL | ROA | SRF | MXC | ||||||
| Lola B02/00 | Ford XFE V8 t | Will Power | 5 | 9 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 18 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 12 | 3 | 6th | 213 | |
| Alex Tagliani | 15 | 3 | 11 | 5 | Wth | 11 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 7 | 11 | 3 | 5 | 8th | 205 | |||
| 2007 | LSV | LBH | HOU | POR | CLE | MTT | TOR | EDM | SJO | ROA | ZOL | ASN | SFR | MXC | ||||||
| Panoz DP01 | Cosworth XFE V8 t | Will Power | 5 | 1* | 3 | 11 | 4 | 10* | 3 | 1 | 15 | 4 | 16 | 4 | 14 | 16 | 2 | 4th | 262 | |
| Simon Pagenaud | 15 | 12 | 14 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 8th | 232 | |||
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Driver | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | NCTC | Pts | ||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Ambrose | 20 | Ford | DAY | CAL | ATL | MAR 33 | GTY 34 | CLT 36 | MFD 23 | DOV 26 | TEX 27 | MCH 26 | MLW 18 | KAN 3 | KEN 19 | MEM 34 | IRP 22 | NSH 3 | BRI 26 | NHA 23 | LVS 7 | TAL 17 | MAR 25 | ATL 16 | TEX 10 | PHO 15 | HOM 27 | 21st | 2228 | ||||||||||||||
| NASCAR Busch Series results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Driver | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | NBSC | Pts | |
| 2007 | Ambrose | 59 | Ford | DAY 16 | CAL 25 | MXC 8 | LVS 10 | ATL 28 | BRI 28 | NSH 17 | TEX 31 | PHO 22 | TAL 25 | RCH 26 | DAR 19 | CLT 20 | DOV 6 | NSH 36 | KEN 11 | MLW 15 | NHA 30 | DAY 35 | CHI 37 | GTY 18 | IRP 32 | CGV 7 | GLN 13 | MCH 19 | BRI 37 | CAL 13 | RCH 15 | DOV 20 | KAN 39 | CLT 40 | MEM 4 | TEX 30 | PHO 15 | HOM 10 | 8th | 3477 | |
| Series | Seasons | Races | Poles | Wins | Podiums (Non-win) | Point Finishes (Non-podium) | Total points | Championships | Best finish (Championship) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champ Car | 4 | 69 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 47 | 1,054 | 0 | 6th (2006) |
| Champ Car Atlantic | 2 | 35 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 473 | 1 | 1st (2006) |
| NASCAR Truck | 1 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 2,228 | 0 | 21st (2006) |
| NASCAR Busch | 1 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 1,939 | 0 | N/A |
Marcos Ross Ambrose is an Australian former racing driver and current Garry Rogers Motorsport competition director. He won the Australian V8 Supercar series' championship in 2003 and 2004.
Jason Eric Bargwanna is an Australian motor racing driver. Best known as a Supercars Championship competitor, Bargwanna raced in the series for 25 years, the pinnacle of which was winning, with Garth Tander, the 2000 Bathurst 1000 in a Garry Rogers Motorsport prepared Holden Commodore. Bargwanna was the Driving Standards Observer for the Supercars Championship from 2014 until 2016.
The Atlantic Championship Series is an American open-wheel racing series with races throughout North America. It has previously been called Champ Car Atlantics, Toyota Atlantics, or just Atlantics.
Team Penske is an American professional auto racing organization, competing in the IndyCar Series, NASCAR Cup Series, IMSA SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship. Debuting at the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona, the organization has also competed in various other types of professional racing such as Formula One, Can-Am, Trans Am, and Australia's Supercars Championship. Altogether, Team Penske has earned over 500 victories and over 40 championships in all of auto racing. Team Penske is a division of Penske Corporation, and is owned and chaired by Roger Penske. The team president is Tim Cindric.
Alexandre Tagliani, nicknamed "Tag", is a Canadian professional racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Canada Series, driving the No. 18 Chevrolet Camaro for 22 Racing.
William Steven Power is an Australian racing driver who competes in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 12 Dallara-Chevrolet for Team Penske. He won the 2018 Indianapolis 500 and has won the IndyCar Championship twice, in 2014 and 2022. Power is one of the most successful drivers in Indy car racing history, currently tied for fourth all-time in wins (42), first all-time in poles (70), and fourth all-time in podiums (102).
Marcus John Marshall is a former Champ Car driver from Australia.
Derrick Walker is a former British auto racing team owner. In May 2013 Walker became President of operations and competition of IndyCar until the finalization of the 2015 Indycar season.
Max Wilson is a racing driver of Brazilian parentage.
The 2006 Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford season was the 28th overall and the third and penultimate season of the Champ Car World Series era of American open wheel racing. It began on April 9, 2006 in Long Beach, California and ended on November 12 in Mexico City, Mexico after 14 races. The Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford Drivers' Champion was Sébastien Bourdais, his third consecutive championship. He was the first driver to win three American open wheel National Championships in a row since Ted Horn in 1948. The Rookie of the Year was Will Power.
Stone Brothers Racing (SBR) was an Australian motor racing team that competed in the International V8 Supercars Championship between 1998 and 2012. The team was formed in 1998 when Ross and Jim Stone bought Alan Jones's shares in Alan Jones Racing and renamed it Stone Brothers Racing.
The 2005 Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford season was the 27th overall and the second season of the Champ Car World Series era of American open-wheel racing. It began on April 10, 2005 in Long Beach, California and ended on November 6 in Mexico City, Mexico after 13 races. The Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford Drivers' Champion was Sébastien Bourdais, his second consecutive championship. The Rookie of the Year was Timo Glock.
WPS Racing was an Australian motor racing team that competed in Australian V8 Supercar racing between 2004 and 2007. It was owned by Queensland businessman Craig Gore and sponsored by his Wright Patton Shakespeare company.
Anthony Lawrence Longhurst is an Australian racing driver and former Australian Champion water skier. He is most noted for his career in the Australian Touring Car Championship and V8 Supercar series. Longhurst is a two-time winner of the Bathurst 1000, winning the event in 1988 with Tomas Mezera and in 2001 with Mark Skaife, and is one of only five drivers to win Bathurst in both a Ford and a Holden.
The Tasmania SuperSprint is an annual motor racing event for Supercars, held at Symmons Plains Raceway in Launceston, Tasmania. The event has been a regular part of the Supercars Championship—and its previous incarnations, the Australian Touring Car Championship, Shell Championship Series and V8 Supercars Championship—since 1969.
David John Besnard is a retired professional racing driver.
The 2008 V8 Supercar Championship Series was the tenth V8 Supercar Championship Series and the twelfth series in which V8 Supercars contested the premier Australian touring car title. The championship began on 21 February at the Clipsal 500 on the streets of Adelaide and concluded on 7 December at Oran Park Raceway. It consisted of 14 rounds covering all states and the Northern Territory of Australia as well as rounds in New Zealand and Bahrain.
Walker Racing was a racing team founded by Derrick Walker in 1991 racing originally in the CART Championship Car series. It last competed in the United SportsCar Championship under the name of Team Falken Tire until Falken Tire pulled out of not only the series but the team in general at the conclusion of the 2015 United SportsCar Championship season.
John Donald McIntyre is a New Zealand racecar driver who competes in the V8SuperTourer championship and is a co-driver for Ford Performance Racing in the V8 Supercar Series at Sandown and Bathurst.
The 2007 V8 Supercar season featured the ninth V8 Supercar Championship Series which began on 1 March and concluded on 2 December. This championship consisted of 14 rounds covering all states and the Northern Territory of Australia as well as rounds in New Zealand and Bahrain. The series also carried the Australian Touring Car Championship title, which was awarded by CAMS for the 48th time in 2007.