In Pit Lane

A big weekend for local Drag Racing in Victoria with the reopening of the Heathcote Park Dragway now known as Victoria Motorsport Park.
From the air there's clearly been a lot of much needed work done and finally we will soon have the chance to see top flight Drag Racing here in Victoria.
It's not too far from Melbourne especially if you live in the Northern Suburbs.
Sadly it's still a bit far for me and my car owing to our respective health and old age issues but somehow if I can last that long I'll be up there sometime this summer.
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VMP FROM ABOVE 👀🏁

It’s all coming together🔥

Fresh driveway ✅
New pit areas ✅
Staging lanes ready ✅
Drag strip coming alive ✅

And since this shot was taken, rubber has officially been laid down on the drag strip 💨🔥

A huge amount of work has gone into transforming this place, and we’re getting closer to seeing these lanes packed with cars and the track at full noise! 🚗💨💥

The new era of Victorian Motorsports Park is almost here. 🏁

Who’s ready to roll through those gates this weekend for king of the street ? 👀🔥

More terrible news in a year where things just seem to be getting darker and darker.
Andy was a great supporter and friend of In Pit Lane and all the motosport photographers and trackside workers.
He was always a welcome sight on a hot day bring us cool water and stopping for a chat.
His passing will be deeply felt by the entire Victorian motorsport community.
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VALE Andy Dobbyn
13/04/1962 to 23/09/2026

Our beloved friend Andy passed away surrounded by his loved ones on 23rd September 2026.

Andy was a widely loved Phillip Island Auto Racing Club member for over 30 years and was well respected and admired for his services over the years, in the Recovery team, Services team and more recently in his role in Member services.

Andy's service and devotion to the club and its members was acknowledged by being awarded the Winston Maguire Clubman of the Year 1998, followed in more recent years by a PIARC Life Membership and in 2024 a Motorsport Australia Service Award. All awards so richly deserved.

The President, members of the board, members and friends of PIARC extend our deepest sympathies to Nicki, Jake, Travis, Darcy and families on their loss.

Details for Andy's "First Drinks" a celebration of his life can be found on his page.
Andy’s first drinks
Come celebrate a wonderful life. Bring your stories and “smiles” Andy would not want any sad faces x
Saturday 3rd October 2026 @ 4pm

A more detailed memorial tribute from Geoff Bull will be on the PIARC website shortly.

With the Sydney weather forecast forSunday looking more than just a bit dodgy, the National Drag Racing Championships have decided to try and pack all the action in on Saturday.
This means changes to the planned TV coverage but thankfully they have been able to pull things together remarakablremarkably quickly.
So is your idea of a great day's viewing in not watching Kylie at the G and an all interstate AFL GF then good news you now have a full day of top flight Drag Racing from 8AM right through the evening.
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Watch the Haltech East Coast Nationals live on the NDRC - National Drag Racing Championship YouTube channel from 8:00am to 3:30pm (AEST), then switch over to 7plus from 3:40pm (AEST) for the rest of the action.

Subscribe to NDRC on YouTube now and turn on notifications so you don’t miss the start.

📺 NDRC YouTube
8:00am - 3:30pm (AEST)
• Aeroflow Performance Sportsman Championship - Qualifying + Eliminations
• Blahst Top Fuel, XPRO Nitro Funny Car and Group 1 - Racing Round 1

WATCH: www.youtube.com/

📺 7plus
3:40pm - 10:00pm (AEST)
• Aeroflow Performance Sportsman Championship - Eliminations + Finals
• Blahst Top Fuel, XPRO Nitro Funny Car and Group 1 - Racing Round 2 and Finals

WATCH: 7plus.com.au/

We had local racer Abby Wingett and her brother Jacob (sorry) on Full Course Yellow a few months back talking about her invitation to race an Elfin Formula Junior at the prestigious Goodwood Revival Meeting.
Well tonight the action starts and you can watch it live on the Goodwood YouTube Channel from about 7:00PM.
I'm sure everyone here wishes Abby well in what will be one of the most fiercely contested classes of the weekend.

2026 Goodwood Revival full Live Stream The 2026 Goodwood Revival is upon us. Three days of incredible hist...

Just heard of the passing of Fergus Cameron.
A leading player in the move to revive the Phillip Island circuit and bring the MotoGP to the track he was a leading player not just at the track but in the local community.
He was very much a supporter of our in the early days of In Pit Lane playing a role in our long standing sponsorship with what became The Ramada Resort at the Island.
This allowed us to cover many events there over the years that would have had no media attention at all.
He was of course a man not without some controversy but in my dealings with him he was always very supportive and helpful with a genuine passion for the sport on 2 wheels or 4 and a great love of the Island and it's community.
VALE Fergus Cameron.

So much to chat about. The Bend 500, a success or (very) damp squib?
Why is everybody so mad at the Madring? and Marc Marquez makes a run on another world championship.
Join us live at 8:30PM for our weekly live motorsport forum "FULL COURSE YELLOW"
Watch via the In Pit Lane Youtube Channel for the best result and join the chat live.

DID MADRID GRAND PRIX JUST BORE F1 FANS TO DEATH? Plus Wild Weather Supercars Chaos 🚨 **CIGARETTE LIVERY CRACKDOWN & HISTORIC CAR ERASE!** 🚨Is modern...

The San Francisco 49ers came to Melbourne, embraced the city and its people, and left with a 27–7 win in front of 100,021 people at the MCG.

But the most interesting part of the NFL's Australian debut was happened before the game.

While the Rams took a very different approach, the 49ers spent a week getting involved in Melbourne — meeting fans, visiting local communities, embracing Australian sport and working with local businesses.

It seems to have worked.

So what can motorsport, and other sports learn from the way the 49ers approached a new and very different market?

This is a look at how the 49ers may have won Melbourne — and why simply turning up and putting on a show isn't enough when you're trying to build a new audience.

HOW THE 49ERS WON MELBOURNE | And What Motorsport Can Learn The San Francisco 49ers came to Melbourne, embraced the city and it...

FORD LAUNCH NEW T8 TWEAKED MUSTANG FOR AUSSIE MARKET
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Ford Australia and Triple Eight Race Engineering have worked together on the development of the Mustang Dark Horse T8 Spec package, with Triple Eight involved from initial testing through to final vehicle sign-off.

The package centres on the relationship between tyres, suspension and steering, with Pirelli semi-slick, track-biased tyres combined with revised springs, roll bar, suspension and steering calibration.

Ford Special Vehicles Engineering’s James Holloway says the involvement of Triple Eight was intended to go beyond the application of its name to the car.

“This wasn't a branding exercise,” Holloway said. “This was Jamie Whincup and Mark Dutton sitting in meetings with us, giving their views on what this could be and what it shouldn't be.”

Triple Eight co-owner and seven-time Supercars Champion Jamie Whincup describes the company as “an engineering business that goes racing”. The team has spent 20 years competing in Supercars and has developed extensive experience in vehicle setup and tyre behaviour.

“We've worked out what the key elements are to make a car handle well and be balanced overall,” Whincup said.

That experience was applied to a Mustang Dark Horse supplied by Ford Australia for development work. According to Tom Dohrmann, Supervisor, Special Vehicles Engineering at Ford Australia, Whincup also provided feedback on the car during testing.

“Jamie had a Mustang Dark Horse up in Queensland and provided some very helpful feedback on where the vehicle needed to be to go to the next level,” Dohrmann said.

Tyres were a major focus of the development.

“At the end of the day, the tyre is the only thing that touches the ground,” Whincup said. “You can have the best car and the best driver, but if you've got the wrong tyres, it's not going to be quick.”

The Pirelli tyres form the basis of the package, with changes made to the springs, roll bar, suspension and steering to work with them.

“The Pirellis are basically a semi-slick, track-biased tyre,” Dohrmann said. “Around that, we've made changes to the springs, the roll bar, the ride suspension and the steering rack. It's a whole package that comes together for a big uplift in handling performance.”

Testing has taken place in Queensland, while Ford’s engineering team has continued development at its You Yangs Proving Ground near Geelong.

Triple Eight engineers are also working with Ford in Melbourne as the final steering and handling calibration is completed.

“Their team will also be down here in Melbourne at the Proving Ground,” Dohrmann said, “helping our guys finish off the steering and handling calibration and sign the vehicle off in the next couple of months.”

Whincup says the project is significant for Triple Eight, particularly given the company’s relationship with Ford and the development of the T8 Spec Mustang.

“To me personally, it was a huge moment when we announced the partnership between ourselves and Ford,” he said. “In particular, that we're building a Mustang Dark Horse T8 Spec.”

Dohrmann says the objective throughout development was to ensure the package offered changes that had a functional purpose rather than simply adding T8 branding.

“We didn't want to be cynical or seem to be offering up something like a sticker pack,” he said. “There had to be real content in the vehicle that meant something to people who know about cars. That's what really drove our decisions.”

The Mustang Dark Horse T8 Spec package will be limited to 250 vehicles, combining the Dark Horse platform with the tyre, suspension and steering changes developed by Ford Australia and Triple Eight.

Ford Media Release.