 |
|
| Home | Features | Records | Online Store | Media | Careers | Contact Us |
Back to October 2012 Motorsports News Archive
| 15-10-2012 at 01:00: The Lure of the Mountain Attracts Anslow | |
|
A seasoned Sydney race driver, Steve Anslow will be in the Over 3000cc Sports Sedans class in his Quality Racing Mazda RX-7, a car that is a real wolf in sheep’s clothing, as it is powered by a 6 litre V8. The Quality Racing Mazda came about in 2007 when on the advice of his youthful grandson Jack Edward Smith; Anslow purchased a vehicle to build as a race car, an FD RX-7 due to its superb chassis and great handling. “Alas, its (RX-7) quirky rotary engine soon proved to be a weak point when subjected to the rigors of endurance racing, which was our main focus, and eventually we chose to transplant a lightweight Chevrolet LS2 6.0 litre V8, which surprisingly maintained the beautiful balance of the car and made it a rocket,” Anslow said. “It’s a perfect combination of chassis and power-plant and such a buzz to steer. Even though it has been built to be a fast but no fuss endurance car with lots of extra weight in extra roll cage, a large battery, heavy endurance seat, truck air conditioning, diff cooler, transmission cooler, extra-large radiator, 13 litre engine oil capacity and 100 litre fuel cell it should still be awesome fun and should be fairly fast up the hill if I’m brave enough to plant it. I am really looking forward to it, I can tell you. “To be able to participate in the Bathurst Real Estate Australian Hillclimb Championships at Bathurst is beyond a dream. I never thought for one minute that I would ever do such a thing but when the opportunity came along I grabbed it and I heartily thank the organisers. They have given me a dream that I never even dared to dream,” he said. “We only live once; anyone can compete in grass roots motorsports and you just never know where that will take you. It is taking me to Bathurst and I am already buzzing.” Anslow and the RX-7 have a good record in endurance racing, having won the Wakefield 300 in 2011, finished third in 2010, fourth in 2009. In sprint racing, Anslow won the inaugural AASA State Championship at Wakefield Park in July of this year. Another Winton 300 is on the program this year, a week after the Bathurst Real Estate hillclimb, and the Bathurst 12 Hour in February remains a possibility. A comparatively late starter in motor sport, he has however been a long time racing tragic, and attended his first Bathurst in 1970 just after his 18th birthday. After growing up as a racing cyclist he knew the adrenaline buzz of being right on the edge of grip at speed. That feeling of knowing that one little bit faster and it’s all over. “The next year I was there when Bill Brown rolled the GTHO along the Armco right in front of me at Skyline. Another time someone (Tony Roberts) drove a car straight off Skyline – no fences then – these guys were nuts. “My Dad was car crazy and worked for Brian Byrt Ford. When he brought the actual Bathurst race GTHO to the Corrimal Caravan Park at Christmas it was pretty cool. Imagine your dad turning up at Christmas for a week with Jamie Whincup’s actual V8 Supercar to drive around – in those days it was considered fairly normal. “I think these experiences instilled in me a love of cool cars and my Mazda RX7 V8 is right up there on my list of desirable cars – I love it. There are already in excess of 110 entries for the event, which will be run on the 1.7km Mountain Straight course, ensuring it will be the fastest championship of all time. The Bathurst real Estate 2012 Australian Hillclimb Championship is also supported by the Bathurst RSL Club, Rydges and Repco.
|
The lure of competing on the world famous Mount Panorama racing circuit will see a rookie hillclimb racer fighting for fastest ‘tin top’ honours in the Bathurst Real Estate 2012 Australian Hillclimb Championship to be conducted at the iconic circuit from November 2-4 by the Bathurst Light Car Club.^ Back to top ^
|
Login
 Forgot my password! |
|
Copyright © All Vic Pty. Ltd. 2007-2024 |
Terms of Use | Home | Features | Records | Online Store | Media | Careers | Contact Us |