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00:00It's an all-forward front row for Round 1 of the Privateers Cup for 1998.
00:05Let's check how they line up on the grid.
00:07Danny Osborne and Paul Wheel side-by-side on Row 1.
00:10Mal Rose and Greg Crick will start out on Row 2.
00:13We then go back to Row 3, Richard Moore and John Briggs.
00:16Now, Richard Moore may not start.
00:18He has been having some problems with that car.
00:20Michael Donoher and Melinda Price.
00:23Gary Wilmington and Chris Smerton start out at 9 and 10.
00:26Adam 12, Ray Hislop from Tasmania and Trevor Ashby will start off the back.
00:30They've got the green flag.
00:32They should be moments away from the start of Privateers Cup Round 1 for 1998.
00:35Look at that. A big field of Privateers.
00:3712 in all. They get the green light.
00:39And they blast off for Round 1.
00:42Mal Rose making a great start from the second row in the Commodore.
00:45He's going to put the squeeze on the two Fords.
00:47He'll actually take the lead into Turn 1.
00:49Keep your eyes on the young guy who's gone back.
00:51He's gone back to third, fourth and fifth now.
00:53That's young Paul Wheel, just 18 years of age.
00:55But it's Mal Rose from John Briggs.
00:57Oh, and Osborne. They squeeze in. Osborne's gone onto the grass.
01:00He manages to hang on to it. So it's Rose, Osborne and Briggs.
01:03Then it looks like Paul Wheel has got himself back up.
01:05Or is it Chris Smerton? They're going all over the place.
01:08Yeah, wild endings at those first few corners.
01:10It always is a sand down. Very narrow part of the circuit.
01:13Big field trying to shuffle the way through.
01:15Mal Rose has got a great leap out of Repco Corner.
01:18He flies up over Holden Hill, 260 kilometres an hour as he brakes hard
01:21for this daunting part of the Esses
01:23as he sweeps down toward Exar Falcon Corner for the first time.
01:25Big gaggle of privateers cars. You can see Greg Crick. He's in there too.
01:29Greg Crick, yeah, he was getting a little caught up.
01:31Good to see Mal Rose part of the Shell Australian Touring Car Championship this year.
01:34Let's hope that he can put a deal together to do a lot of the rounds.
01:38Good to see so many privateers. Just got a quick glimpse there of Melinda Price.
01:42The Castrol Cougars entry back and there's a challenge on here.
01:44Briggs goes through. Danny Osborne.
01:46They've been fighting it out right since the opening corner.
01:48John Briggs in the Super Cheap Autos Falcon.
01:50Another new entry to the Shell Australian Touring Car Championship.
01:53And away we go. There's lap one of four down and it's all Mal Rose.
01:57Yeah, great run from the Sydney privateer Mal Rose.
02:00Leads him across the start-finish line for the first time.
02:02Osborne, Smerdon.
02:04All there as they brake hard for turn one.
02:07And a big challenge on the inside too.
02:08Monomyn Smerdon having a look down the inside at Shell MasterCard Turn.
02:12So there's a real battle on here amongst the privateers.
02:15Greg Crick and Paul Wheel were battling it out there.
02:17Chris Smerton's got up amongst the front runners.
02:19Danny Osborne just sitting there.
02:21There looked like a little bit of contact between Greg Crick and Chris Smerdon.
02:24Paul Wheel hanging in off the back.
02:26It's very good racing in the opening couple of laps.
02:29John Briggs in second position for Super Cheap Autos Falcon.
02:31Former sports sedan racer.
02:33Used to cars with a lot of horsepower.
02:35Really enjoying his V8 supercar outings in 1998.
02:38There he is there as he tries to close the gap to our race leader Mal Rose.
02:41Osborne in third.
02:42Smerdon really having a great fight with Crick in the Ericsson Commodore.
02:47Well it's very encouraging Mark to see so many new sponsors are involved with the privateers.
02:51There's one for example on screen.
02:53John Briggs with the Super Cheap Autos car.
02:55Greg Crick has got TrustBank on board now along with his existing sponsor Ericsson.
02:59So it's looking bright for the privateers in 1998.
03:02Yeah and a new format too for the Privateers Cup battle.
03:05From round three at Lakeside they'll switch to a Yokohama control tyre.
03:09Every car running for the Privateers Cup honours will have to be on that control tyre.
03:12Then they'll be able to nominate eight point scoring rounds.
03:15And the top six point scoring rounds will be their total.
03:19Look at this look up the inside by John Briggs.
03:21He's getting very very close to Mal Rose.
03:23We've just gone half distance.
03:25He's got two more laps left.
03:26And by the speed shown in the Super Cheap Autos Ford he may well be able to close the gap.
03:31Well Briggs is the quickest out there on the track by a mile.
03:34He's in the 1.14s.
03:35Everybody else is in the 1.15s and above.
03:38So John Briggs in his opening race for this 1998 season is doing very well.
03:43A lot of people, a lot of sports sedans, supporters will remember John Briggs from the Honda Prelude days.
03:48Now running a Ford Falcon.
03:50Chasing hard after Mal Rose in the Fairfax Community Classifieds Commodore.
03:54Doing a good job.
03:55He got the jump.
03:56I caught a quick glimpse before Mark of Trevor Ashby who started right from the back.
03:59Keep in mind folks too that these aren't their qualifying positions.
04:02They draw out of a hat.
04:03And poor old Trevor Ashby drew the last grid.
04:06And he's worked very hard to come up on through.
04:08In fact he's in position number 7.
04:10So not a bad job.
04:11Yeah, closing the gap all the time.
04:13John Briggs, very aggressive run in the Super Cheap Autos Falcon.
04:17And Mal Rose hanging on, former Australian production car champion.
04:20Here's the battle further back in the field.
04:23Between Trevor Ashby and Ray Hislop.
04:25This is the battle for 7th and 8th positions.
04:29So good battles right up and down this big field of privateers in the Privateers Cup dash.
04:33Trevor coming up on the rear of a young guy who we really should give a rap to.
04:37He is just 18 years of age in the Trade Link Falcon.
04:40There he is there, the green and yellow one going through just ahead of Trevor.
04:43We're on our final lap.
04:4418 years of age from Supercross and Motocross to Stadium Off-Road
04:48to now in the V8 Supercar category at just 18 years of age.
04:52Keep a close eye on this young Queenslander.
04:54He's got a big future ahead of him.
04:55Yeah, quite a transition.
04:56Oh, Danny Osborne!
04:57Thought I could hear some tyres squealing there.
04:59Osborne spun the colour scan Falcon Fuller.
05:01Taking off, discarded by Stephen Ellery.
05:03He's got a few miles up on it now, but still a competitive machine.
05:07And Danny Osborne will try and flick that back around.
05:10Stay out of the kitty litter.
05:11And meanwhile, in all that drama, John Briggs has snuck up the inside or the outside of Malrose.
05:17So he takes the lead.
05:18He certainly had plenty of pace aboard that Ford.
05:20It was always on.
05:21So he's going to try and hold Malrose out for the final quarter of this lap.
05:25And he'll take the victory.
05:26Disappointing there for Danny Osborne.
05:27He was up in 3rd place.
05:30But great for John Briggs.
05:32The opening round of the 98 Shell Series.
05:34And he's going to be very happy.
05:35It's a great way to start the year.
05:37He's got ahead of Malrose.
05:38He's bringing it down the Brock Strait.
05:40And John Briggs will take out the Privateers Cup for Round 1 of the 98 Shell Australian Touring Car Championship.
05:47Well done, Briggsie.
05:48A good drive.
05:49Malrose will pick up 2nd.
05:50And it should be Greg Crick that comes across to pick up 3rd.
05:54Indeed it is.
05:55They are very close.
05:56Back to those minor placings.
05:57Smerdon, Wheel, Ashby.
05:59Not quite sure who finished the better there.
06:01But a good race, Mark, to start off the year.
06:03Yeah, it just shows the depth.
06:05The strength of numbers in Privateers in 1998.
06:08It's only going to get better.
06:10Here are the final placings for you on the Shell Helix Racecourse.
06:13John Briggs in for a great win.
06:14Malrose 2nd ahead of Greg Crick and Chris Smerdon.
06:17Looking back at the other placings.
06:19The youngster, Paul Wheel, in for 5th.
06:20Trevor Ashby worked his way up to 6th.
06:22That's a great effort ahead of Ray Hislop and Gary Wilmington.
06:25Stay with us after the break.
06:26Race 2 of the championship.