Round 5 of the 2010 Independent Race Series took place under cloudy skies on Friday at Eastern Creek. Great fields across all categories put on some terrific racing, and as always a great atmosphere and plenty of camaraderie.

In Formula Tasman, Guido Belgiorno-Nettis was expected to be a major force in his 1985 Ferrari F1 car, and he took pole position in Qualifying 2. Guido was destined not to make the grid for the first race though, after the car succumbed to gearbox gremlins. Chris Farrell retained his stranglehold on the front spot, leading the field all the way in his Swift Formula Atlantic in Race 1. Sam Dale slipped into second place in his Reynard 94D and kept it to the chequered flag, Ron Coath was in third. As the field awaited the start of Race 2 the skies darkened, and it seemed inevitable that it would rain at some time during the race. The rain fell as the cars completed their warmup lap, and with all cars on slicks and an extremely slippery surface, it was a steady start to the race. Sam Dale managed to get the power down a little better and took the lead at the start. Despite the treacherous conditions Farrell held second to the finish, with Ron Coath again in third. Farrell and Dale ended the round equal on points, but Dale was awarded the round win due to his higher finishing position in the final race. Ron Coath took third for the round.

LeMans Sports saw it's most impressive grid yet, with a clutch of Radicals joining the series for the first time. Peter Opie was fastest in qualifying, and peerless in both races, taking the top spot for the round. In fact, in the wet Race 2, Opie was able to pass the leading Formula Tasman cars (the categories were running together) and take a strong outright win. Second place in the opening race went to Rowan Ross (Radical), third was Andrew MacPherson (West). The wet conditions in Race 2 changed the order somewhat, with Greg Smith (Radical) second and Andrew MacPherson again third. Peter Opie won the round, with Rowan Ross second and Andrew MacPherson a close third.

The McHitch Touring Car Challenge saw a V8 Supercar in the ranks again, and it was Dean Neville (BA Falcon Supercar) who took pole position by a comfortable margin. Neville took victory in the first race, but suffered a blown tyre at the very high speed turn one in the second race, ruling him out for the remainder of the day. The always consistent Norm Stokes was second in the opening race, first in Race 2 and second in Race 3, giving him enough points to win the day and extend his championship lead. Second for the round went to Barry Jameson who DNF'd the opening race, but finished second and first in Races 2 and 3 respectively.

RocketSports saw the popular Holden Roadsters and Future Racers joined by an extra group of production-based sports cars for this round. The three groups were extremely close, with their different strengths coming to the fore in different sections of the circuit. Jade Barnes took pole position in his Future Racer, ahead of Michael Caine in his twin turbo RX7. Caine turned the tables in the opening race, taking the win ahead of Steve Dascarolis and Kosi Kalaitzidis (both in Future Racers), best of the Holden Roadsters was Rod Moynahan. In Race 2, Caine was again the outright victor, ahead of a recovering Jade Barnes and Stephen Borness in his 911 Carrera, Moynahan was again best of the Holden Roadsters. In the final race Jade Barnes was able to take the win ahead of Caine, and Rodney Barnes was third. Graham Smith was quickest of the Holden Roadsters. For the round, Michael Caine took the outright victory, Jade Barnes won the Future Racer category, and Rod Moynahan took out the Holden Roadsters.

HDT Muscle Division turned on some awesome action, and once again proved that consistency is key, and ultimate pace is not always enough to take victory in the category. Joel Knott (Nissan GTR) won the opening race, but was unable to take the grid for the following races. Stuart Inwood (Nissan GTR) took second in Race 1, with Brian Anderson (BMW E46) third. Anderson took the win in Race 2, the first of the handicap races, ahead of Mark Abnett (EVO 4) and Allan Ross (Cooper S). Race 3 saw Stuart Inwood take the victory ahead of Brian Anderson and Paul Butler (EB Falcon). The outright win for the round went to Brian Anderson, ahead of Stuart Inwood and Mark Abnett. Category winners were: Brian Anderson (Improved Production/Sports Sedans), Robert Marchese (HDT Cup) and Stuart Inwood (Japanese Turbo).

In the very popular Super Hoist Plus Production Racing Cars, pole position went to Franck Donniaux (WRX) by a clear margin. The classes were hotly contested, with Donniaux winning Class X from Mal Smith (WRX) and Leon Black (WRX). The V8 Class saw two different race winners on the day, but was ultimately won by Geoff Kite (Commodore), ahead of Tony Grant (Monaro) and Daniel Flanagan (Commodore Ute). Class A saw Richard Mork back amongst the action, and winning all races to take the class win ahead of Clark Stott (Mazda 3 MPS) and Nick Chambers (Mini). Class B went to Neil Byers (Mitsubishi 380) ahead of Sean Soole, fresh from a massive rebuild after his accident at Lakeside in his Celica, and Carly Black (Peugeot 306). Class C went to John Willmington (Pulsar SSS), ahead of James Flanagan (Hyundai Sonata) who took his first ever race win and Chris Reeves (Proton). BlackBerry Store awarded awesome BlackBerry devices to Richard Mork and James Flanagan.

A successful round in no small part thanks to the awesome volunteer officials (with some great prizes going to a couple of lucky workers thanks to Blue Hills and Fastrack), and the spirit of the iRace competitors and their teams.

Coverage from this round will air on SBS Speedweek Sunday 25 July.

The next round of the series will be held at Queensland Raceway, 14-15 August. Entries are already open. The series returns to Eastern Creek for the season finale in October.

Round 5 for the 2010 Independent Race Series will be held tomorrow at Sydney's fast Eastern Creek circuit, with solid fields across the board.

Formula Tasman and LeMans Sports will field it's most diverse grid yet, with a Ferrari F1 car entered, a number of Formula Atlantics and F3 cars, plus a solid offering of Radical prototype cars. Chris Farrell will return, looking to maintain his series lead.

RocketSports will feature three distinct, yet competitive groups, with the nimble Future Racers, the popular and distinctive Holden Roadsters and the super fast Production-based Sports Cars. Nathan Jess will be looking to defend his 2009 Future Racer championship while Michael Caine is expected to be super fast in his Twin-Turbo RX7.

Super Hoist Plus Production Racing Cars will field another strong grid, with Anthony Soole returning to the group, but in a new car this time - a Mitsubishi EVO8, taking the 4WD turbo fight to Franck Donniaux. Morky is back in Class A, giving Clark Stott a run for his money. Daniel Flanagan and Geoff Kite will be duking it out in the V8 class, while Neil Byers and Carly Black are front runners in Class B. And can anyone break the dominance of John Willmington in Class C?

The HDT Muscle Division and McHitch Touring Car Challenge showcases a huge diversity of production-derived tin tops and touring cars. Norm Stokes will be looking to maintain the upper hand in the Touring Car Challenge ranks, but will have his work cut out for him with Barry Jameson and Dean Neville putting up plenty of competition. The Muscle Division is too close to call, but Rod Gurney leads the championship, and his car is only getting quicker!

Check out the entry list here.

The schedule is available here (on track action kicks off at 9am).

The weather is looking like another variable, with showers predicted, and seeming likely to spice things up even more.

Location:General Holmes Dr,Sydney Domestic Airport,Australia

As we mentioned previously, popular Super Hoist Plus Production Racing Cars driver Mark Bell was injured in a testing accident at Queensland Raceway in late June.

From all reports Mark's recovery is slowly progressing, but it will no doubt be a long haul. To support Mark and his family, iRace will be holding a fundraising raffle.

Tickets will be available at our Eastern Creek round next Friday (9 July), but we'd like you to pledge your support in advance if possible (and if you can't make it to Eastern Creek, and want some tickets, let us know and we'll sort something out). To reserve your tickets, please head to the support form by clicking here and complete your details.

Prizes have been arranged by R & A Mowers, operated by the Gurneys (HDT Muscle Division competitors), and with thanks to Parklands, Karcher and Makita.

First prize:


Parklands DX-250 electric kids bike

Second prize:


Karcher electric pressure water cleaner

Third prize:


Makita cordless drill

Tickets are $10 each or you can get 10 tickets for $50.

If you would like to share a message of support for Mark and his family, you can do it on our Facebook page (click here).

If you want to tell your friends about this, you can use the address: supportmarkbell.irace.net.au

The Marulan Driver Training Centre (MDTC) is a top-class driver training facility just an hour from Sydney. MDTC offers driver training for all levels, and is dedicated to educating and skilling Australian drivers to reduce the likelihood of accidents.

MDTC is owned and operated by members of the iRace family, Garry and Natalie Willmington.

To show your support for this fantastic facility, there is a poll being run by the Marulan Regional Portal - head over by clicking here and vote in the poll.

iRace is a great community of racers, but we couldn't go racing without the fantastic volunteer officials. These guys spend their spare time standing out in all sorts of weather to help make our racing possible. We like to show our thanks whenever we can, and not a trophy presentation goes by without the officials being thanked in a number of speeches. And as we have done in the past, we are now able to offer a little more recognition to our officials.

Thanks to the Gurney family, and Blue Hills Farm Retreat, one randomly selected official will win a fantastic weekend for two at the Blue Hills Farm Retreat, located in the Blue Mountains, near Lithgow.

Situated in the heart of historic Hartley Vale, Blue Hills Farm Retreat offers relaxing country charm for both couples and families providing an ambient, romantic and cosy place to unwind and relax. Surrounded by native Australian bushlands with wild life a plenty, breathtaking mountain escarpments and glorious sunsets, this is a special place.

And thanks to Fastrack, another randomly selected official will win a V8 Super Drive and Ride.

Experience V8 Racing / Driving at its best, with the best, you and a professional race car driver behind the wheel of a V8 Race Car You Drive for 6 (NSW-SA) or 8 (VIC-WA) heart-racing laps. Then be taken for 3 thrilling Hot Laps as a passenger with your pro race car driver.

A huge thank you to our fantastic supporters for helping us recognise the efforts of our volunteer officials! We will have similar rewards on offer for our final round for 2010 at Eastern Creek in October, check out the details closer to the event.

If you are interested in being an official at one of our events, please check out the info and get in touch.

We would like to extend our wishes for a speedy recovery to Mark Bell, a valued member of the iRace family.

Mark was injured in an accident while testing his Falcon at Queensland Raceway on Friday.

Mark joined the series last year, and recently upgraded his car to V8 spec, enjoying at excellent run at Lakeside earlier this month.

We ask everyone to spare a thought for Mark, we are thinking of you, wishing you a speedy and full recovery, and hope to see you soon.

Round 4 of the 2010 iRace series at Lakeside Raceway will see a brand new supporter join the series with GENESIS the fitness club for every body, coming on board.

Genesis is a long established chain of fitness centres serving locations around Australia, and will be title sponsors of the RocketSports category. Genesis will also sponsor Stephen Pocock in his Honda Civic competing in Muscle Division.

Genesis has 40 Fitness centres around Australia staffed with leading professionals to help you achieve your goals. This is very relevant area for the motorsport competitor for trimming kilos and improving cardio fitness for improved race performance. Fitness is a major part of motorsport preparation at any level, so catch up with a Genesis team member at Lakeside or drop into your local centre.

Visit the Genesis website here.

Check out Genesis on Facebook here.

Follow Genesis on Twitter here.

Round 4 of the Independent Race Series heads to Lakeside Raceway 12-13 June 2010. Check out all the event information here.

Every iRace meeting (every race meeting in general) can only happen thanks to the support and effort of our awesome volunteer officials. We are grateful to each and every one, and at our most recent round we were lucky enough to be able to express this gratitude in a unique way.

Thanks to Fastrack Racing, we randomly selected one of our officials to receive a gift certificate for 3 Hot Laps around Eastern Creek with Fastrack. The prize was won by Flaggie Ross King, from Wyong.

A big thank you to Fastrack and all our awesome supporters, and to the great bunch of volunteer officials who help make our racing possible.

The next round of the Independent Race Series will be held at Lakeside, 12-13 June. For more information, click here. We'll be working to offer more prizes to our officials at future events.

To learn more about Fastrack Racing, click here.

And to find out how to get involved in the Independent Race Series as an official, click here.

The Independent Race Series is all about having a great community of racers. We strive to have a relaxed atmosphere at our events, and encourage everyone involved in the series to look after each other. So it was a great honour last week when one of our competitors, Stuart Inwood, requested a digital version of our logo so he could have some signs made for his racecar (you can get the logos yourself by clicking here). Stuart will be competing in some supersprint events in the coming weeks, and wants to encourage his fellow supersprint competitors to join iRace.



Stuart did this at his own expense, and on his own initiative, and it's a great example of someone really getting behind our great series, and understanding that he can help to make it even better.

If you see Stuart at an event in the future, give him a pat on the back for his efforts.

So, what can each of us do? There are a few simple things that can help our series grow, and make it better for all of us:

• You can tell your friends and acquaintances about the series
• If they need more information you could print them a copy of this flyer
• You can put the official iRace sticker (as has been distributed at the rounds this year) on your racecar, tow car, road car (request a sticker here, or ask for one at sign-on at the next round)
• You can join us on Facebook, and share some of our posts with your friends
• You can request some iRace mini cards to hand out to people you think may be interested in joining us
• You could even add a link on your website to www.irace.net.au

Most important of all though, keep doing what you're doing - competing at our great events, and helping maintain the relaxed atmosphere and mate-against-mate racing. The entry form for the next round is available here.

We're into the second quarter of 2010, and we've already seen plenty of action in the 2010 Independent Race Series. Here are some of the highlights since our last update:

• Round 2 took place at Morgan Park: friendly atmosphere, great racing
• Speedweek coverage from Morgan Park available online
• Round 3 was held at Eastern Creek: one day format proved a success
• Speedweek coverage for Eastern Creek scheduled for 6 June
• More onboard footage than you can poke a stick at!
• iPhone application released
• Flag signals feature article
• VHoldR ContourHD Helmet/Onboard camera review
• Basic editing of onboard footage tutorial
• Blackberry Store comes onboard as official communications partner
• Loads of photos in the gallery (mostly from R3)
• iRace Series Rules & Regulations available for download

Our next event is Round Four, to be held at Lakeside in Queensland. Spaces are limited at this event, so if you haven't already, get your entry in asap!

UPDATE: Please note that due to a scheduling change with SBS (as a result of their cycling coverage), the telecast dates have changed by one week. The date shown above is the revised date.