MOTORSPORT: Pall over Gold Coast 600

Many thoughts at the Gold Coast 600 will be on Dan Wheldon, but tribute also is due to the contribution to motor sport in the tourist mecca of Keith Williams, who also has died this week

28 internationals primed for Surfers' Paradise
Just days after the Dan Wheldon tragedy in Las Vegas cast a pall over this weekend's Gold Coast 600, the man who effectively started motor racing on Australia's most famous tourist strip has died. Keith Williams was better known in the past 30 years for battles with bureaucrats and environmentalists over his tourism developments. But Williams, who was 82, will be remembered in motor racing circles as the man who built and ran the Surfers' Paradise International Raceway (SPIR).

The track, near the Nerang River and just a few kilometres inland from the Gold Coast's beaches, hosted rounds of the Tasman Series for openwheelers driven by many of the world's greats, touring cars, sports car enduros, international motorcycle racing and drags. Long ago swallowed by real estate development, SPIR was the kind of all-purpose motorsport facility that the Gold Coast desperately needs now.

Williams also built Adelaide International Raceway, subsequently sold to his mate Bob Jane, and for some years ran Brisbane's Lakeside. But he was better known to the broader public as the creator of the Gold Coast's Sea World and the developer of Hamilton and Daydream islands further north in the Whitsundays. More recently and most controversially he established Port Hinchinbrook at Cardwell between Townsville and Cairns.

Williams was labelled one of the original members of Queensland's "white shoe brigade" who backed -- and were supported by -- then National Party premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen.

While it was mega tourism developments that made Williams the bulk of his fortune, the former water ski champion always remained enormously proud of the Gold Coast racetrack across the road from his Surfers' Paradise Ski Gardens. "I loved building the racing circuit at Carrara," he often said. It was through that circuit that Williams forged enduring friendships with the likes of triple Formula One world champion Sir Jackie Stewart as well as Australia's greatest racers.

Dan Wheldon's death last Monday deprived the American-based Brit of partnering V8 Supercar champion James Courtney in a Holden Racing Team Commodore on the streets of Surfers' Paradise this weekend. Wheldon drove for Panther Racing in the final Indy on the Gold Coast in 2008, finishing 11th. He was famous for winning two Indianapolis 500s (including this year's in sensational circumstances), an Indy Racing League title and losing another on a countback, and as a charismatic extrovert.

Wheldon will be suitably mourned at the Gold Coast over the next few days, including a ceremony at the circuit on Saturday morning. Those gathered there ought also to remember the enormous part Keith Williams played in the history of Australian motor racing.


Final driver line-ups for Gold Coast 600
Only three changes were made to the line-up of 28 international co-drivers for the Gold Coast 600 in the wake of Wheldon's death. As we forecast on Monday, Brit Darren Turner -- an Aston Martin sportscar and GT driver and former McLaren Formula One tester -- has replaced Wheldon as James Courtney's partner in his HRT Commodore.

Northern Irishman Richard Lyons filled the vacancy with Mark Winterbottom in his Ford Performance Racing Falcon after Will Power's withdrawal because of a back injury he suffered in the 15-car Las Vegas pile-up. And fresh from his Bathurst podium alongside Greg Murphy, Dane Allan Simonsen has slotted into Jason Bargwanna's Commodore in place of Brazilian Tony Kanaan.

Three drivers from Monday's tragic IndyCar finale in Las Vegas -- Sydneysider Ryan Briscoe, Brazilian Helio Castroneves and Canadian Alex Tagliani -- have taken their places on the Gold Coast. Most of the 28 cars and driver combinations tested at Queensland Raceway on Wednesday.

The weekend's two 300km (102-lap) races will both be run on Dunlop's soft tyres for the first time. International co-drivers are required to drive at least one-third the distance in each.

Seventeen drivers in the field are making their first start on the Gold Coast, never having raced a V8 Supercar or Indy car on the temporary street circuit. Nine of the 18 international drivers who competed last year have returned.

Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi is the first active F1 driver to compete at the Gold Coast (he races for small Spanish team HRT as young Australian Daniel Ricciardo's teammate) but the weekend's field includes seven others with F1 experience.

Italian Emanuele Pirro is the only driver in the field to have won the Le Mans 24-Hour outright, and at 49 is the oldest racer in the 600, but several others have been class winners at the classic French sportscar race.

James Moffat is the only full-time V8 Supercars driver having his first start on the Gold Coast in the category, although he raced -- and won - on the circuit in the Porsche Carrera Cup in 2008.

HRT's Garth Tander has an outstanding record on the streets of Surfers' Paradise -- he has had seven wins and finished second three other times in his past 13 starts there.

Tander is now fourth in this season's V8 Supercars Championship; just 47 points behind third-placed Stone Brothers/Ford's Shane van Gisbergen, after his recent Bathurst 1000 victory with young Nick Percat.

While Holden has dominated this year's championship with 18 wins to Ford's two, Ford has won 21 of the 39 V8 Supercar races on the Gold Coast.

Final driver pairings - Gold Coast 600
1 James Courtney-Darren Turner (England) Toll HRT Holden Commodore
2 Garth Tander-Ryan Briscoe (Australia) Toll HRT Holden Commodore
3 Tony D'Alberto-Vitantonio Liuzzi (Italy) Wilson Security Ford Falcon
4 Alex Davison-Marc Lieb (Germany) Irwin Ford Falcon
5 Mark Winterbottom-Richard Lyons (Northern Ireland) Orrcon Steel FPR Ford Falcon
6 Will Davison-Mika Salo (Finland) Trading Post Ford Falcon
7 Todd Kelly-Richard Westbrook (England) Jack Daniel's Holden Commodore
8 Jason Bright-Stephane Sarrazin (France) Team BOC Holden Commodore
9 Shane van Gisbergen-Emanuele Pirro (Italy) SP Tools Ford Falcon
11 Greg Murphy-Oliver Gavin (England) Pepsi Max Holden Commodore
12 Dean Fiore-Gianni Morbidelli (Italy) WesTrac Ford Falcon
14 Jason Bargwanna-Allan Simonsen (Denmark) Jana Living Holden Commodore
15 Rick Kelly-Jorg Bergmeister (Germany) Jack Daniel's Holden Commodore
16 David Reynolds-Alex Tagliani (Canada) Stratco Holden Commodore
17 Steven Johnson-Dirk Mueller (Germany) Jim Beam Ford Falcon
18 James Moffat-Joey Hand (US) Jim Beam Ford Falcon
19 Jonathon Webb-Gil de Ferran (Brazil) Mother Ford Falcon
21 Karl Reindler-Fabrizio Giovanardi (Italy) Fair Dinkum Sheds Holden Commodore
30 Warren Luff-Marino Franchitti (Scotland) Gulf Western Oil Holden Commodore
33 Lee Holdsworth-Simon Pagenaud (France) Fujitsu Holden Commodore
34 Michael Caruso-Augusto Farfus (Brazil) Fujitsu Holden Commodore
39 Russell Ingall-Jan Magnussen (Denmark) Supercheap Auto Holden Commodore
47 Tim Slade-Helio Castroneves (Brazil) Lucky 7 Ford Falcon
49 Steve Owen-Boris Said (US) VIP Petfoods Holden Commodore
55 Paul Dumbrell-Christian Klien (Austria) Bottle-O Ford Falcon
61 Fabian Coulthard-Patrick Long (US) Bundaberg Holden Commodore
88 Jamie Whincup-Sebastien Bourdais (France) TeamVodafone Holden Commodore
888 Craig Lowndes-Andy Priaulx (Guernsey) TeamVodafone Holden Commodore



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