The Racefuels Winter Festival of Speed is a big racing weekend. It’s known for having lots of different race classes and it’s become a major event at Winton.
“Legend touring cars” refers to a specific touring-car category within the event’s class structure, typically aimed at well-known older or classic touring-car machinery. The key is that it’s a named class, so eligibility and rules are defined by the event rather than being a generic description.
Term
heritage touring car banner
The “heritage touring car banner” is a named category for older or period-style touring cars. It helps organize the event so similar cars race under similar rules.
Term
historic touring cars
“Historic touring cars” are older touring cars that race in a dedicated category. The event usually sets rules so cars from the right era compete together.
“Tintops” means closed-roof cars—basically the kind of car body you’d see on the street. It’s a common shorthand in racing for production-style touring cars.
This is the name of the race weekend they’re talking about. They’re saying it’s becoming more than just old cars—it now includes a wider mix, including cars that feel like the V8 Supercars era.
A “super sprint” is a shorter, faster race format—think quick races and lots of track time rather than a long endurance event. It’s meant to be flexible for different types of cars and drivers.
The Ford Sierra is a well-known car that has been used in touring-car racing. Here, they’re pointing out that it’s one of the cars people are excited to see at this event.
“Group A cars” were race cars based on production models, with rules that kept them fairly close to what you could buy. They’re a classic category that many historic racing events still feature.
The Jaguar XJS is a classic Jaguar grand tourer. They’re talking about a version that was prepared to race in “Group A” rules, and it has a known ownership history.
“Group C” is another kind of racing class with its own rules. They’re using it to explain what kind of race-prepped car Tabitha drove before moving up to Group A.
This is a Ford Falcon from the AU generation. They’re saying someone will be running it as a V8 Supercar, meaning it’s set up to race under that series’ rules.
The Nissan Skyline is a performance car from Japan that’s been used in racing for many years. The podcast mentions a specific version, the HR 31, in a Group A racing setup. It’s included because it’s a known racing car in that category.
The Fitzy Cup is a named category within the event. It’s there to honor Peter Fitzgerald and it features cars connected to Porsche one-make racing history.
The Toyota 4Runner is an SUV designed for tough driving, including off-road use. The podcast mentions it because it’s connected to an earlier stage of a racing story or series development. It’s being used as a reference point for how things evolved.
The Porsche 911 is a sports car made by Porsche that’s famous for its rear-engine design. It’s also been used in many types of racing, so you’ll hear about different versions built for the track. That’s why it often shows up when people discuss racing history and competition entries.
Term
GT3 club sport
GT3 Club Sport is a Porsche GT3-related race/track package. In this segment, it’s part of the story of how the Porsche racing cars evolved over time.
“GT3 Cup challenge” is the name of a racing series built around GT3-style race cars. The host is saying it later evolved into a different sprint series format.
A “sprint challenge” is a type of racing where the races are shorter and more focused on each individual race. The host is linking it to how a previous series evolved.
Winton Raceway is a race track in Australia. The hosts are pointing out that it’s been around since the 1960s and has had major changes over the years.
Term
private practice
“Private practice” is when drivers get extra track time to dial in their car before the main racing. It’s usually not the main event itself.
The paddock is the area where teams work on the cars. Getting access means you can see the cars up close and get closer than you normally would from the stands.
A skid pad is a special flat area on a race track where drivers can test how tires behave when traction is limited. It’s usually used for handling tests, not balloons.
“Over 2-liter” is a race class based on engine size. It means the cars have engines bigger than 2.0 liters, so they’re grouped with similar-sized cars.
The Ford Mustang is a sports car made by Ford. It’s known for being a performance car that comes in many versions. It shows up a lot in racing and event lineups, which is why it’s mentioned here.
This means cars with engines smaller than 2.0 liters. Even though they may have less power on paper, the host says they can still be competitive on the track if they’re driven and set up well.
Term
Group S historic sports cars
Group S is a historic racing class for older sports cars. The idea is that cars from that era race under rules that keep them comparable, so a smaller car can still do really well if it’s set up and driven well.
A “shootout” in racing is a short, high-intensity qualifying-style session where drivers push hard for grid position. The host connects it to engine output and pressure on the drivers, saying it will “set the grid for the weekend.”
Term
max horsepower
Max horsepower means the engine’s top power level. In this context, it’s saying the cars will be pushed hard so they can get the best possible results in qualifying.
Group A is a historic touring-car rule set that’s based on cars that started life as production models. In this context, it means the event is racing older cars in a way that tries to keep them true to their original racing rules.
They’re talking about the Nissan GT-R, a fast production car that’s also been used in major Australian endurance racing. In this segment, they mention it’s been involved with Bathurst events, including being used as a safety/pace car in 1992.
A safety car is a special car that comes out to slow everyone down and keep the race controlled when something unsafe is happening. It helps drivers get past the danger safely.
A pace car is used to slow the whole field down when the race needs to be controlled. It helps keep everyone safe and orderly until racing conditions are back to normal.
They’re talking about a Holden Commodore (VL) that’s been set up with Walkinshaw Racing’s fuel-injection approach for competition. The point is that it’s an important early Australian race example of that kind of setup.
The BMW M3 is a stronger, faster version of BMW’s 3 Series. It’s made to handle well and perform better than a regular 3 Series. That’s why it often appears in racing discussions and entry lists.
The Ford Capri is a performance coupe that has been used in racing for a long time. In the podcast, it’s mentioned because a driver regularly competes with one and it helps represent different types of cars in the event. That’s why it’s part of the lineup discussion.
Concept
replica vs original
They’re warning that some cars on the entry list can be copies rather than the original historic car. That affects how much history the car really has.
Group N is a racing class for cars that are closer to stock than in many other categories. The idea is to limit modifications so the competition is more about the car and driver than extreme engineering.
Term
bomber squadron
“Bomber squadron” is just a fun name the organizers use to group the quicker cars together. It helps make it easier to understand who’s racing against whom.
Term
mosquito squadron
“Mosquito squadron” is a fun name for the smaller cars in the field. The idea is that they’re nimbler and can weave around the bigger cars.
The BMW 3 Series is a popular BMW model that comes in different generations. Some versions, like the older E30, are used in racing. The podcast is mentioning it because there are a lot of those cars in the event field.
The Porsche 944 is a sports car made by Porsche. It’s known for being a smaller, more affordable-feeling Porsche option compared to the 911, and it’s also used in racing events. The podcast brings it up because there are multiple 944s in the field.
Formula Ford is a type of open-wheel race series. It’s known for being a great training ground for drivers and for having many older cars that still get raced today.
Jason Wiley is referenced here as the driver/owner connection for an Oscar Commodore race car. The hosts are framing him as a V8 Supercar participant and someone who later didn’t get as much opportunity in road racing as he might have.
The Porsche 968 is a sports car from Porsche that’s related to the 944. The podcast mentions a “Turbo RS,” which is a more performance-focused version made for faster driving. It comes up because it’s part of Porsche’s history leading into later 911-focused discussions.
Concept
professional motor racing event
The host distinguishes a “professional motor racing event” from a more open-access festival-style weekend. The idea is that pro events have stricter access rules and career stakes for drivers and teams, while this event allows more fan interaction. That’s why they emphasize paddock access and owner/driver conversations.
LIVE
The B8 Smooth podcast is back with you as we get ready.
We are on the path this week to the Racefuels Winter Festival of Speed, of course the B8
Smooth podcast.
Powered this year by Paramata Toyota, Sydney's Toyota dealer with a passion for performance
and motorsport.
A man with a passion for performance and motorsport is at the other end of the line.
Mark Walker, hello and welcome for you.
I haven't seen you for a few weeks, it's great to be with you.
We've got a bit to chat about my friend, we've got a big festival coming up.
Happy Race Week to you Nunes, it's been a while, hasn't it?
Oh, too long, too long.
Where do we start?
This is actually now our annual Winter Festival of Speed get together.
We are Race Week for this big event at Winter that is growing year on year and when you
look through the entry list this year, there's kind of a bit of something for everybody
which is kind of what motor racing events need to be.
Yeah, for sure Nunes, 11 categories, 68 sessions from Friday morning, profit practice Thursday,
it's expanded out to a four day meet so it's becoming a rather a major fixture up there
at Winton Motor Raceway and they've really refined the classes again this year, like
each year they just keep adding to it and refining what they're doing.
We've got legend touring cars, we've got group ANC touring cars and the heritage touring
car banner, I guess then there's the historic touring cars with the group ends, so many different
tintops, touring car tributes like the replicas, they're really stepping out into their own
and that's becoming a real draw up there which is something cool that this race meeting's
pioneered and it's really taken off.
Yeah, and this race meeting's really started to evolve away, hasn't it, from being an historic
event which is traditionally connected to older cars to be more of a retro heritage
flavoured event with a very unashamed focus on tintops because at the end of the day that
is what works in Australian motorsport and has for so many years, so it's built its own
identity this Racefuels Winton Festival Speed and Racefuels have got on board this year
which is fantastic and there's a bunch of corporate partners that have seen the benefit
and the value of what this event has become with the team that have put this together
through the VHR R through E and Ross and Brett Florence and the entire organising committee.
They see what they're doing here over the last few years and we were at Winton last year
for this event and it took another step again with just what was there, who was there, there's
just a little bit of everything and it's not just all 70s or 80s, there's 90s, there's
that kind of feeling of some more modern V8 supercars, if you're a historic person that
loves a bit of older metal, that's there for you as well, if you're like racing and if
you're a competitor, you can kind of choose if you want to race your car or hey, I just
want to turn some laps in a super sprint, they've catered pretty well for a wide group of cars,
people, things but I think we probably should start appropriately with touring car legends
Mark because this is the super sprint category that's kind of the licorice all sorts, there's a
bit of everything to wrap your mouth around here, John Bauer and a Ford Sierra at Winton
is not a new thing but John Bauer in a Murray Carter Sierra is a very new thing.
Yeah for sure, it's great to see JB out there, he always gets a gig at these historic mates
somehow, he was racing a Porsche at the Penright 100 Phillip Island Classic earlier in the year
and he's out there in a Sierra which is something just looking at the interest that had drummed up
on the VADSLEATH website last week when we announced it, people are quite interested in that one so
that's cool to see but like you said with this class, it just brings all sorts, there's expert
supercars, there's group A cars, there's production cars, there's just a bit of everything out there
that classes that don't necessarily have something to race in these days but it gets the cars out
of the sheds, it's not a head-to-head race, it's fastest car at the front still so you get a
representation and you know right inadvertent races do break out in these things, I guess another
little subclass that's going to get a really good gig out there is going to be the Oz Cars,
they're a good handful of them coming out of the woodworks which is not something that you expect
but the stock car Australia movement has really been picking up a bit of momentum lately and
when the invite went out there for Oz Cars to attend this year's event, they responded and
it's good to see some of those cool cars out there. Troy Parishon's one of those with that
big still well Falcon Oz car, the XF that we've seen, Jimmy Richard's run over the years around
there, beautifully restored, it's in Great Nick, there's an ex Jason Wiley Commodore there, kind of
a forgotten Tassie racing export from the Thunderdome days that I'm keen to have a look at up there
this weekend, Tabitha Rambro's in a Group A Jag XJS, so that's the car that Roland Dain used to own,
he sold it via an online auction I think it was earlier this year or last year,
so last year Tabitha drove a Group C Tarana, so this year a Group A Jag, so by the years,
as the years go on she'll eventually get to a more current V8 supercar at this rate the way she's
going. It's a bit of a curious car too, that came out in New Zealand didn't it? Yeah, yeah,
the all-white car, yeah it read the Nissan Mobile 500 races over there back in the day and
I'm pretty sure, I'm 99.9% sure we never saw that car in period race on this side of the
Tasman in Australia, so cool to see that one run at Winton which of course is where Group A
Turing Car Racing kicked off in Australia, we'll see the production cars that we saw last year,
the Sport Wagon that you featured so well in V8 Sleuth Magazine in recent times, that will be there,
the Laser TX3 that ran at the 12 hour and 91, that's back again with Rebecca Drummond.
The list is really good here and I'm kind of intrigued by some of the stuff here that I'm
not sure what it is but I'm keen to go and look at it when I get to the track this weekend.
Cain Fitzgerald's going to run an AU Falcon V8 supercar, Rod Templeton's back to run that
future tourer that he's got, the James Brock Bianti Commodore that James drove in the V8
Sleuth revival up at Bathurst a few years ago, Chad Parrish is running, he's Kamatsu X Kevin
Waldoch car, Steve Langley's a bit of a regular at this event now with his super cheap BA Falcon,
Peter Aboud with his super cheap V8 Commodore, Tony Elford's entered here to run to his HR
31 Group A Nissan Skyline in this super sprint category rather than racing it in heritage
touring cars which for me completely underlines why these categories are part of this event
and events like it, not everyone wants to race their car, some people just want to get it out
and have a run and the super sprint format probably opens it up to more cars than would
otherwise be able to run if you were just saying hey look this is a race event and you've got a race.
I guess another of the super sprints that we should look forward to is the Fitzy Cup,
first running the Fitzy Cup which has been designed to celebrate the life of Peter
Fitzgerald and it's drawn a fairly spicy little feel there of different things from the Porsche
Mark Christian Fitzgerald his son would be out there having a run in the car the 996 that
Fitzy ran in the Nations Cup back in the day as a precursor to the Carrera Cup coming on stream.
Yeah and that was the warm-up wasn't it so you know to the Nations Cup GD3 Cup car was the
forerunner to the Carrera Cup that began in you know three and I mean you think of Fitzy and
there were quite a few very memorable cars and liveries but the Falcon tires that green and
blue livery which you know Falcon is a pretty well-known livery in various categories around
the world but you know there was a period there where Fitzy had their support in the the GTP days
with the 911 RSCS and then the the move to the GT3 club sport that then led to the first of those
cup cars in Nations Cup so I think what they've done with this event to A. honour a great of the
Australian motorsport industry who had such a Porsche connection for so long to run a super
sprint event it's it's another reason to get some cars out that otherwise these cars don't run a lot
of these there's no racing category for them to run they're not a sprint challenge car or a Carrera
Cup car they're they're cars that may have competed in Nations Cup back in the day or in
way back when in Carrera Cup or way back when even in Porsche Cup some of these sort of cars that
are eligible so this is a great thing there's a few familiar names on the entry list as well
who are ex Porsche Cup racers who've been around for a while Perry Spiridis is one of those Sven
Burkhards we know so well from his time in the sport and of course he was the guy part of the
group that set up GT3 Cup challenge that became the sprint challenge that we know today he's got a
Cup S that he's running Andy Hall who's an ex Fizzi employee and pit crew member who now runs a
Cup car business with with various cars he's got the ex VIP pet foods car that we saw Tony Quinn
and Jim Richards drive at the Sand Down 500 some years ago so there's a nice blend of Porsches
there for this super sprint to dip the lid to Fizzi and having Christian in the field as well is
is really really cool and I like the way that this event and other events like it are moving
into the the 90s and the 90s because at the end of the day we're 2026 now a 2000 car is 26 years
old I mean time flies but you got to keep moving the window along with this and I think there's a
lot of people who'll say yeah I watched those nations Cup races at the V8 rounds and I saw Fizzi
and Jim Richards and the Ferraris and John Bauer and all that sort of stuff but it's not yesterday
it's actually motorsport history and it's stuff that people would be really keen to go and have a
look at but the same goes to for Winton Raceway you think about it it opened originally in 1961
yeah it's been around a very long time you think oh the new extension that was 1997 it's not you
anymore it's it's been there for half the track's existence it's crazy isn't it you know you sort
of you know you think oh well it came on stream with the Turing Kachai chip in 1985
that was actually a very long time ago Nates it's aging me I don't know how it's aging you but
very old oh if you say you're old that makes me old so don't say that you're old and I'll feel
better about myself uh you mentioned before that the categories and the the lists of cars and we
love to do this podcast to step through some of the stuff that you can see uh up at Winton for
Racefuels Winton Festival of Speed as you mentioned it's a four-day event now but Thursday's sort of
private practice Friday to Sunday is the the time frame that we we would say that if you're going to
be at the track is the time to go but if you can't go as well don't forget the coverage live stream
Saturday and Sunday it's via Blendline TV this year in years gone by you could watch it through
our YouTube watch it through Blendline's YouTube across Saturday and Sunday you won't miss a thing
all the categories will be covered there'll be all sorts of action and Daniel and his team at
Blendline do an awesome job so if you can't get to the track this is your way to really connect
with the event but if you can get to the track I mean when you look at it Mark and you attend a
lot of events and you know what things cost ticket prices for this event I think of some of the best
value for money yes the VHRR is an advertising partner of us here at V8Sleuth we always declare
that at the bottom of all the articles that we write about these events but for a Saturday and
Sunday adult pass it's 50 bucks I mean and that gets you into the paddock gets you in to have a
look at the cars that's pretty hard to beat and I tell you what there's different ways you can attack
I'm sure I talked about this last year but if you drive the back way if you're on the eastern side
of Melbourne you can go up through the back of the Yarra Valley up through a yay and yark and
up that way and this time of the year it is an absolute delight up there and Bonnie doing
starting to fill up with water as well so even better like Eildon's looking a little bit better
than it used to so you think of winter oh it's so far away it's not it's it's pretty close and
great spectating there you know you can set up your little camp track side great sight lines the
whole way around that's something you sort of forget you think of Queensland Raceway oh I can
see everything same guys at winter there's a lot of really good places you can watch the
racing and it all happens in front of you I agree with you completely and it's a longer
it's a track with variety that you can if you want to stand at the straight you can see the
straight if you want to see some some twisty bits you can you can stand there as well the other
thing is too I think they've done well this year the off track side of the offering has grown the
on track's great the race cars and the super sprints and the displays Shannon's insurance are back
to back the show cars that will feature off track and of course as you know you're a you're a regular
here the winter motor racing museum is has also got some interesting cars in it that come and go
all the time but this year hot air ballooning mark literally is part of the winter festival of speed
this is literally a step up or a float up as it were except the problem is that they're launching
from the skid pad and going away from the race track which is I want to watch the cars I want
hot air ballooning deal around that region which is pretty cool that'll be very spectacular and the
the weather should be good for it on the weekend the other thing too is brown brothers they've
gotten behind the trackside lounge I don't know it means if you've ever been a brown brothers but
it's probably about 25 minutes away from the track and it is the place to go wine tasting
they make all of the wine there and you can sit there at your little stool at the bar as you do
your tastings and you can try everyone in the world and they're all amazing and they're going to be
there at winter this weekend so probably hot air balloon out of the track would probably be a decent
idea really what you're thinking about don't have to worry about driving that's one way to do it that's
one way to do it don't know how you get back the next day but that's a problem for future mark
and error and that's for sure official charity for the event this year is the winter fire brigade
cfa so if you see them collecting there at the event get behind them and throw a few coins there
away and tap a card or two if you can as well there's literally I say it all the time but there's
something for everybody but this event one of the really standout features is the group and
historic touring cars and again there's a field made of over 40 cars spread across the the over
and under two liter categories there's some some big ticket stuff Paul Stubbers entered in that
Chevy Camaro that is sideways more often than it's in a straight line there's some really
significant cars Jamie Tilley's entered in a Mustang there's there's a really good lineup
in a mixture but the little cars at Wynton really come to the fore and that's where you see a lot
of these guys decide to run at this event because it's the group and event of events really for the
for the year overall yeah the group and cars do race at Wynton throughout the year but you normally
don't get all the big bangers there and obviously because we've got so many entries we've split them
along over and under two liter lines which is almost a bit of a shame because it's cool when
you see the minis taking it up to the Camaros and the bigger cars but I think you're still going to
get a bit of that because you've got guys out there like Peter McNiven and his RX2 Coupe he's a good
punter and that's the car that suits that racetrack but saying that you know the Tilley brothers are
there and yeah it's a deep field at the front don't discount the under two liter cars because
the minis can absolutely stick it to the Cortenas and the Escorts if you drive your car well
Wynton is one of those tracks where it's not all about horsepower so you see some really cool racing
there and along similar lines too there's two fields of Group S historic sports cars production
sports cars from the similar era and you see the little cars absolutely stick it to the bigger cars
and if you drive it well set your car up well you can have a good result at Wynton
You're also going to get to see something you don't normally see Mark
Group entering cars in shootouts which is kind of cool at the end of Friday
Terrifying yep that would be great it'll be it'll be getting crisp the the engines will be making
max horsepower and all the guys will be under the pump there so that'll set the grid for the weekend
racing of course 11 of the categories we haven't talked about the group season a is the
heritage touring car we love that class here at sluth that's our absolute bread and butter and
a fair few cool cars out of the workshop there Terry Lawler he's continuing his world tour of
Australian motorsport with his ecstic Johnson Sierra debut at the Phillip Island Classic took
it up to Morgan Park and absolutely cleaned up up there so he's starting to get on top of that
machine and it'll be something to see this weekend a couple of interesting ones in the
group A and C heritage touring car field mate there's Peter Schiberis the Premier Racing
team owner he's back to run his Bob Jane team arts group A VK Commodore in terms of Sierras
Chris Stillwell who's this is a little bit of switch up from a NASCAR at Le Mans to a Sierra
at Wynton I don't think that sentence has ever been said in the history of the world but it has
been now he's behind the wheel of his B and H Sierra that he's had but I think this is the
debut race for it because he was intending on running it at Phillip Island earlier in the year
but it was a late minute withdrawal Jacob Curry's going to drive the yellow pages Mazda that Elliot
Barber drove at this event last year and cleaned up Elliot was on fire last year
there is though a Godzilla in the field that never raced in group A but led a group A field
is that puzzling or not yeah good one Nunes you've uh you've done well there you're like
where I went with that you did well good work so Greg Boyle's going to drive the Falcon Tires
Nissan GTR now that was a production car that raced in the Bathurst 12 hour however the previous
year at the Bathurst 1000 in 92 it was the safety car or pace car as it was called back then for
that year's race so it led group A yeah you get it no two tenuous a stretch no I'll give you that
full marks um you're very kind Peter Jensen's old VC Commodore or old Commodore
from group C will be there with Milton Serafus that'll be cool um lots of just great cars you just
love to say it all come out of the woodworks Adrian Allisey has read oh that's good news isn't it
yeah yeah he had a big crash at Phillip Island and that car didn't look very good last time we
saw it in the the back of the paddock there on what Friday night and uh super job by here
and everyone involved to to get that car back on track that's the first Walkinshaw fuel injected
VL Commodore that ever raced in Australia and it's one of those cars you you think of the
privateers back in the day you know it was sort of towards the the mid-pack sort of thing that car
had a bit of a tickle up over the years and Adrian drives he drives well perfectly so yeah
it was one of the early entries on the list so it's great to say that they were able to
rebuild that car for starters like they didn't have to uh uh be parked up you know it had the
fuel tank hanging out of it he backed into the fence at leaky heights and they've done an awesome
job to bring that back another one there Aaron Hodges um with his Mustang the X Peter Clark car
that's a quick car too and I think that'll be at home at winter yeah and that was a car that
returned to racing wasn't it Phillip Island also earlier in the year that um that powder blue Mustang
that not many people would remember that Mustang because everyone thinks Dick Johnson and the
Palmer Tube Mills car and maybe Laurie Nelson's pre-components car pops up there in People's Memory
Bank but that's one that Aaron Hodges is driving that Kevin Clark ran back in the day that has
had a really long restoration period so cool to see that one at Wynton because from memory I don't
think that car raced that Wynton back in the day at all so there's all these cars that they take
time but they eventually make it to some of these tracks over the years Trent Harrison's going to
run again too in the GDV6 Alfa Romeo the X Column Bond car so that's a a bit of a regular there's
a bunch of regulars in A and C that are going to be there this weekend at Wynton Justin Nielsen's
got the Nissan Exeterbo up and running Tony Salford's a regular in the X Grice Craven Mildane on X
Tirana there is a really nice list here of David Toe with that X JPS BMW M3 Ian Ross's XD Falcon
Glenn Gerstle's X Group C Commodore the yellow and black Geislacar Carmulla's a bit of a regular
with the Capri so it's a really nice cross-section of A and C cars not a massive grid for Wynton this
year but the quality is really quite good for for 2026 yeah some some good things there mentioned the
Turing Cart Tributes good feel to those guys that's really coming on strong and a lot of those
cars look really good I remember when we rolled up last year you go through the pattern you go
oh that car's back it's like no no that's a reproduction it's a it's a replica yeah there
was a few that got caught out last year by some of them how how good they were and one of them
that I noted on this entry list I'm pretty sure it's running Turing Cart Tributes but Tony Hubbard
has got entered he's 74 Tirana black and yellow and I remember he running Sportsitans in that car
and I think that restored car was there last year or not I can't remember if it was on the track
if it was on display Sportsitans had a run last year they did yeah so that might be
the opportunity for for him to have a run in that car but there's a nice blend of tributes to
famous cars and not so famous cars that you haven't seen those liveries for a a really long time so
that's Turing Cart Legends and production cars sorry Turing Cart Tributes so there's there's
so many categories here it's actually hard to keep up with after a while but when you go back
through it I mean Formula Ford is always strong from an historic point of view Malcolm Osler is
Andrew McKinnis is always a bit of a gun when it comes to the historic Formula Ford so there's
a nice blend of 80s Van Demens, Lowellers, Raynards, there's a Ren in there, there's an Image as well
Johnny Gregg's got his 89 Raynards to have another run, William Faulkner's a bit of a gore in an 89
Van Demen so there's a nice lineup of of those group N we mentioned is booming as per usual
group S is booming with two fields the bomber squadron and the mosquito squadron which I love
for the smaller cars it's a great way to I think that's more exciting way of splitting these fields
than saying you know under X-Liter and over X-Liter it's nice when you can put a label on some of
these things because they will be mosquitoes zipping around nipping at the heels of the bigger cars
MG's they've got 34 cars for their field and there's a combined Porsche 944 and BMW E30 field
that has at last count 31 so there's plenty of racing to be done the German Cup they're known
yeah it is literally the German Cup it is it's very much the the German Cup there's a bit of
everything in there that a German car will win just a question of which kind of of car
fitzy cup German car will win that too funnily enough and then Turi car legends of course
attributes a super sprint so it's a case of everyone enjoying their cars turning some laps and
having a good old shindig of a time so that's what this event is is all about it's really
growing and and developed over the times and when you look at the schedule for the next few days
at the end of the week first session Friday starts at 8 30 a.m for practice last session of the
day is at 5 0 5 Saturday kicks off at 8 30 with Formula Ford qualifying heritage touring cars are
going to race into sunset 10 past 5 start so that'll be pretty cool to hang around and have a look at
and then Sunday morning Formula Ford race kicks off at 8 30 and the last race of the day is set
to start for Group N for the under two leads at 4 20 they're big days there's plenty of on-track
action there's plenty going on off the track as well you'll probably need all three days mark to
get around everything to know what's going on let alone try to go on a balloon ride and some wine
tasting and all the other things that are there to be done and don't forget Sacho Ali as well
with the little book shops there I love it yep it's dangerous it's going to be just back from a
trip I'm just back from a trip overseas I'm poor I have no money but if there's a bargain or two
to be had it would be wrong to leave it there wouldn't it it would be very rude not to buy
books at the racetrack if you've got the chance I think it takes one to know one doesn't it the
other thing too we should point out for 17 years and under they're free when accompanied by a
paying adult so if you're thinking about taking the youngsters along to enjoy a bit of motor racing
for the day that's good news for concessions it's five dollar discount off each ticket for pensioners
health and student cards only but when you look at it for two adults you can get three days there
for a hundred bucks that's pretty good value single day passes 30 bucks for an adult 50
bucks for two adults and 15 dollars for Friday so I think they've done a really nice job of pricing
this in a really good spot for getting as many people as possible to come along and enjoy race
fuels winter and festival or speed for 2026 is there a particular go-to car that you're looking
forward to going have an up close look at mate that you've seen on the entry list that you might
have thought I haven't seen that before I must go and suss that out way to put me on the spot noons
um sorry as a bit of a stock card tragic I'd have to say something else cars yeah I'm with you
can have a gander yep yep I want to go and have a look I'll get you off the hook here
and you can just say yes me too Brad lightens vs oscar commodore which is the x jason wiley car
I want to go and I want to sleuth that I want to know more where it's been what it's done what it
did in period because um it was a bit of a gun on the dome there in its latter days in oscar racing
and we only saw him once jason wiley in a v8 supercar at sand down one year with doogal mcdougal
in a bit of a one-off so he was kind of a guy that we never saw go on with the road racing stuff and
he might have been a guy that who knows what he could have been had the funding and the
opportunities been there but can you go and have a look at that car well another one um
throw a left field one at you Greg love it with these uh portion 993 gt2 it's one in in
repsall colors it looks mean I saw a photo of this while I was away what's the story with that is
that an overseas car yeah there's a few uh cool bits out of the woodworks there and there's a
968 turbo rs remember they were before the uh nine elevens really sort of took over the
the main sort of circuit racing duties in australia so uh that'll be a car we're seeing green
blue that sounds very falcony doesn't it very fitzy falcony front engine um of course the
968 club sports were the the production cars around the 12 hour but they didn't they take
one of those and soup it up and gave it plenty more oomph and I'm not sure if that's the one on
the same car but that's the cool stuff about this because you look at the entry listing go I'm
interested in that oh I wonder what that is and of course you get to spend your days wandering
around the paddock at winter and everybody at these events is this is not a professional
motor racing event there's no one's going to get a contract with toto wolf next week for however
they go so the the access to cars to the garages if you've got kids there's so many competitors
who if they've got time between races more than happy for you to have a look at their cars
sit your kids in the passenger seat and take a photo that's the beauty of these events because
they remind you about the reasons why you love car racing and a lot of times it gets compared to
super cars on the pro events but they're professional motor racing people's livelihoods are on the
line like there's kind of areas that you can and can't go to but with these events you know pretty
much there's nothing really off limits and the opportunity to have a good up close look at some
of these cars talk to the owners drivers that's just as much the appeal of these
events as it is watching cars go around the track I'll speak for yourself man so I was hoping that
toto wolf would offer me a contract for great content just banging out great content for
does he know what good content looks like or is he just too busy watching race cars go around
I'll come up with another phrase for next time that we we have that sort of situation but
it's going to be a big event it's going to be a big weekend I'm looking forward to getting back up
there to to winter of course because there's not a supercar around at winter there's very little
supercar testing happening at winter in terms of the lack of test days don't start me on that
this is the the opportunity to really get up there to winter and enjoy
the weekend yes there's a lot of other events on there during the year but for me this is the one
that is a must to have on the calendar to make sure you go and have a look at if you've not
been to it before love you to go along and give you give us your impressions in the aftermath
if you see us at the track mark's got the camera he's snapping away for a few days up there
I'm wandering around looking at chassis numbers and whatever else there is to be done
which is going to be a whole pile of fun we'd love to hear your feedback to know what you
enjoy about this event because I've got a feeling that most people will enjoy the same sorts of
things that that we do about this one so it's going to be a ripping weekend have you checked
the weather forecast though dear sir how are we looking for weather it's going to be great
don't worry about it just long johns I'm going to wear shorts and long johns you've got it covered
you've got it covered um camping can you camp at this event absolutely 700 campsites over in the
camp ground there I stayed over there last year a bit fresh in the mornings but
they've got good hot showers there that are absolutely going to be pumping and a lot of
people do go camping it's uh it's very accessible and very convenient you know you could go for a
half hour drive up to Angarata or you can take the 10 second drive from the campground which a lot
of people like to do yeah it's it's a a ripping event if you haven't been hopefully you can come
along and have a look at if you can't get there as I mentioned at the start of the show blend lines
coverage is on youtube I think it kicks off around lunchtime saturday runs right through and then all
day sunday so I was going to say check your local guides but we don't really do that in the world
anymore do we we just tune in and find it wherever we find it but the place to find it is on youtube
if you're keen to have a look at last year's event before you go it is archived on our youtube page
on v8slut so just type in winter festival of speed and you can check out the action from last year
just to get you in the mood you know a little bit of a taste tester and a scene setter for 2026
that's definitely the way to approach this year's race fuels winter festival of speed
I think we're done for our preview I think we've previewed well there's been a lot of previewing
going on here sounds good knowing so I'm looking forward to seeing actual cars go around the race
track enough of us chatting it's it's one thing to chat about it's another thing to go and enjoy it
we will do that private practice Thursday friday is practice qualifying racing and then the shootouts
for group n cars and then two big days of racing across saturday and sunday don't forget to here
on the v8slut podcast power by paramata toyota if you haven't caught up with our recent chats with
Steve Richards and mark scafe do so there's some absolutely cracking stories in a mugget
don't forget the undercut as well jack perkins is back on the next show we've got so much to unpack
from the world of supercars and motorsport on our online show but you can also listen to the podcast
version of it here on the feed that you're listening to right now so in the meantime we'll catch you
here on the v8slut podcast powered by paramata toyota
About this episode
Racefuels Winter Festival of Speed at Winton Motor Raceway is shaping up as a big four-day retro-heritage tin-top meet, with “11 categories, 68 sessions from Friday morning” and a packed touring-car entry list. The show spotlights super sprints that let drivers “turn some laps” instead of committing to a full race, plus Group A/Group C and Group N shootouts. Expect paddock access, Blendline TV coverage, and plenty of standout machinery—from AU Falcons and Group A Jag XJS to a 993 GT2 in “repsall colors.”
IT’S a highlight on the retro motorsport calendar – the RaceFuels Winton Festival of Speed, which launches into action this weekend.
To preview all of the action from 11 categories over 68 sessions, on this episode of the V8 Sleuth Podcast powered by Parramatta Toyota, Aaron Noonan is joined by Mark Walker to look through the on and
off-track entertainment.
Included in the mix will be the Touring Car Legends, Group C and A Heritage Touring Cars, two full fields of Group N Historic Touring Cars, Touring Car Tributes, the Fitzy Cup, and much, much more.
Tickets for the RaceFuels Winton Festival of Speed are currently available online.
The RaceFuels Winton Festival of Speed is a V8 Sleuth advertising partner
The V8 Sleuth Podcast is powered by Parramatta Toyota, Sydney's Toyota dealer with a passion for performance and motorsport. Check them out today >> https://www.parramattatoyota.com.au/
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