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2010 NEWS
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AUTOHAUS REFLECTS ON A SUPERB YEAR
Autohaus Hamilton is coming to the end of a triumphant year – with AHH prepared cars winning national championships.
Shane Smollen wrapped up the Australian GT Challenge Class in spectacular fashion; winning the final three rounds of the Championship. Smollen also picked up Australian GT Rookie of the Year award after a consistent season in his 997 Cupcar.
Rally driver Jeff David and co-driver Grant Geelan took out the Australian Classic Rally Championship after starting the four round season with first and second places in the opening rounds.
Tarmac Rally campaigns were just as successful for Autohaus Hamilton in 2010. John Ireland and Mike Ribot topped the Australian Tarmac Rally Championship ahead of the second Autohaus entry of Bill Pye and Grant Geelan.
Topping off a remarkable year for Autohaus Hamilton, Steve Borness recorded his first round win in Group S Historics at Eastern Creek. Borness was consistent all weekend - picking up second place in races one, two and three before going on to win the race that counted on Sunday to take out the round win at the Tasman Revival event.
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SMOLLEN SEALS CHAMPIONSHIP WITH SANDOWN ROUND WIN
Shane Smollen has won the Challenge Category of the Australian GT Championship in stunning fashion – taking his third consecutive round win at Sandown Raceway.
After qualifying first in category; Smollen had a hard fight in race one having to work his way back from the rear of the pack after avoiding the Twigg and Hackett accident in the early stages of the race. The accident caused a domino effect as cars ran wide to steer clear of the pandemonium, forcing Smollen to run wide and rejoin the track in third last. He then spent the rest of the 22 lap race working his way to finish second in class, 12 th outright.
Race two was quite the opposite, staying clear of any carnage and slipping into the top 10 for the duration of the race. Smollen managed to stay clear of a 3 car incident at turn 4 and had a clean run to finish 9 th outright and first in category.
"We had a bit of fun in the first race clawing back positions," Smollen said.
He continued, "but race 2 was a highlight. Once we cleared traffic we put in a bunch of solid laps resulting in improving times over the course of the race and an outright top 10 finish. "
Smollen was stoked with the weekend's result – made sweeter by having no experience at Sandown in the Porsche. Like most rounds this year it was a case of learning on the job and making the most of data.
"I'm delighted with the championship win. We had a consistent season, learnt as we went and it all came together to achieve the goal." Smollen continued, "We had no serious mechanical issues through any of the races thanks to the car preparation at Autohaus Hamilton and came on really strong in the second half of the season."
Smollen's season was applauded by team manager Grant Geelan, who has every reason to be proud of the great support provided from engineer Tim Watts and head mechanic Stephen Brooke.
"Shane did a great job all year. He has performed consistently throughout the Championship and deserves the win. All the team at Autohaus Hamilton congratulate Shane on winning the Championship," Geelan remarked.
Shane Smollen wishes to thank McGrath Estate Agents for their continued support in 2010.
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BATHURST CLEAN SWEEP EXTENDS SMOLLEN'S LEAD
Shane Smollen has extended his Australian GT Challenge lead heading into the final round at Sandown next month. Smollen took class victories in both races of round five of the series at Bathurst as well as the round win.
Smollen commented the clean sweep was a great feeling with any win at Bathurst one to savour.
"We will run Sandown on its own merits. If we can bag a championship win – that would be fantastic, but anything can still happen so we are definitely not getting in front of ourselves" said Smollen.
The clean weekend was the perfect present for team manager Grant Geelan, celebrating his birthday on race day.
The Australian GT will wrap up the series November 19 – 21 at Sandown. Smollen heads into the weekend with a 65.5 point lead over fellow Porsche drivers Michael Locissano and Damian Flack who remain firmly in the competition.
Shane Smollen wishes to thank the following:
- McGrath Estate Agents
- Autohaus Hamilton
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ALL HAPPENING AT AUTOHAUS HAMILTON
Autohaus Hamilton has been as busy as ever with cars entering in Motorsport all over the state.
Terry Lawlor has had solid results in Group Sc in his 1974 Carrera over three meetings. Lawlor set the pace in all three races at Winton's Festival of Sports Cars event, picking up second place and the quickest lap in races one and three as well as the victory in race two. Lawlor backed up his Winton round win with a round win at Wakefield just weeks later. Lawlor almost took a clean sweep on his next outing at Wakefield Park winning three of the four races, taking second place in the other.
Porsche Club members Rob Annett and Paul Shacklady represented Autohaus at the Speed on Tweed Festival. Both drivers had an enjoyable weekend and enjoyed taking their pride and joy around the track. Arnette commented on the event, "It was an awesome weekend. It's just like a car show that you can take your car for a run in. The whole experience is just great."
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SHANE SMOLLEN SNAGS MAIDEN ROUND WIN
Shane Smollen has continued his hot form in round four of the Australian GT Series this weekend at Philip Island; taking out the round win in the Challenge category – the first round win since joining the Australian GT Series. After a swing in momentum last round, Smollen went into Philip Island in second place before finishing 12th outright and fourth in class.
“I’m absolutely delighted with the result. Autohaus Hamilton, Grant Geelan, Tim Watts and Stephen Brook have prepared this car fantastically,” commented Smollen. “The win was made sweeter having to come home from Bali a few days early to compete.”
The weekend was not entirely a smooth run for Smollen. After starting 16th an error early in the race saw Smollen run wide in turn one through sand from an earlier oil spin; forcing his 997 to spin. The second half of the race saw an effective recovery effort which saw him muscle his way to 12th - fourth in class.
In race two Smollen dodged the collection of Championship drivers on the first corner. By turn two Smollen had made up two positions in class. Throughout the race he maintained a clean, steady run. Smollen re-joined the race first in class after the mandatory pit stop; where he stayed for the remainder of the race.
Smollen has some time off until the Australian GT Series with the next round conducted at Bathurst’s Mount Panorama – the event which Shane believes will be the pinnacle of the 2010 series.
“Any opportunity to race at Bathurst should be savoured,” explained Smollen. “Bathurst is a great place to race and always a learning experience.”
Shane heads into round five with a narrow lead in the Challenge points. He’s hoping his winning form will continue October 7-10 as he battles it out at Mt Panorama.
Shane Smollen wishes to thank the following:
- McGrath Estate Agents
- Puma
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JEFF DAVID & GRANT GEELAN SOAR THROUGH SOUTH AUSTRALIA
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SMOLLEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP SWING AT EASTERN CREEK
Shane Smollen has returned to winning form at Eastern Creek; taking second in the Challenge Class in round three of the Australian GT Series. Smollen battled the elements in race one to salvage third in class and 12th outright before finishing first in class and 10th outright in a dry race two.
“We didn’t have luck on our side yesterday but today was exciting,” Smollen remarked at the end of the round. “Everything went well; the car was consistent, Autohaus Hamilton have it prepared well and I’m stoked we had a fast consistent round.”
Race one of the weekend was tainted by the changing weather. Rain fell moments before the start of the race with the entire field fitted with slick tyres. Smollen wrestled his 997 GT3 Cup Car around the wet Sydney circuit, including a moment at turn nine, until his mandatory pit stop which was extended due to a misplaced wheel pin. Following his pit stop he closed the considerable gap between him and second placed Paul Tressider to finish a mere six tenths of a second behind him.
The dry race two begun with carnage with Smollen forced to dodge cars left right and centre on the first turn. After jumping two positions before the safety car was deployed, Smollen opted to pit early as other class competitors stayed out. Along with his consistently quick pace this strategy secured him the class win; crossing the line 13 seconds before second place and a top 10 outright result.
With this weekend’s podium result Smollen has jumped in the GT Challenge standings, closing the gap between Challenge leader Ray Angus and him. The next round of the Championship is held at Phillip Island on July 10 – 11.
Shane Smollen wishes to thank the following:
- McGrath Estate Agents
- Puma
 
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AUTOHAUS' ACTION PACKED APRIL
Autohaus Hamilton is in the middle of a month of motorsport, with cars competing all around Australia throughout April.
Group S Historic drivers Terry Lawlor and Steve Borness recorded consistent times at Mount Panorama over Easter, setting times in the top three in all of their sessions. Marque and Productions Sports entrant John Ireland showed improvement throughout his debut event at Bathurst, going from 26th to 15th over the weekend.
Porsche Club members also took to the mountain over Easter, with Autohaus Hamilton represented by Mark Phelan, Daryl Head and Andrew Bursill. All three drivers lowered their times in each outing, keen to get the most out of their three dry sessions.
Jeff David and co-driver Grant Geelan competed in the Rally of Lithgow on April 17th, finishing in seventh place after 11 stage event. The David and Geelan duo were the first of the two-wheel drive entrants after the final stage.
Still to come this month for tarmac rally entrants John Ireland and Bill Pye is the coveted Targa Tasmania. Bill Pye and co-driver Grant Geelan will be out to go one better on last year’s second place in the Classic Outright class while John Ireland and co-driver Mike Ribot will be defending their Outright Handicap victory over the five day event.
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SUCCESS FOR SMOLLEN AT CLIPSAL
Shane Smollen has finished the opening round of the 2010 Australian GT Series with pleasing results in the Autohaus Hamilton prepared 997. The Sydney based driver finished Adelaide’s Clipsal round in 14th overall, placing him third in the GT Challenge points on his debut at the 3.2 km circuit.
Smollen was the second Challenge car home in an eventful race one, but a 22 second penalty relegated him back to fifth for involvement in a slight bingle in the closing laps of the race. The 997 Cupcar suffered radiator damage in the contact and Smollen forfeited a position in order to nurse the car to the finish 14th overall, with the penalty putting him back to 18th.
Race two saw Smollen fight back to second position within the Challenge category, with an overall placing of 13th. In race three, Smollen maintained his Challenge position of second, however three Championship cars passed him, putting him back to 16th overall.
“We’re stoked with the weekend. I came here not knowing the track so we did our homework with a bit of help from Jonathan Webb, then made the most of practice sessions before.”
Round two will be contested in Melbourne in two weeks time at the Australian Grand Prix. Smollen remains confident about the event, despite having never raced the circuit.
“I think it will be a great experience, and personally I can’t wait. We had a good weekend this weekend so we’re excited about the next round and hoping to continue the season like this.”
Shane Smollen thanks:
- McGrath’s Real Estate
- Puma
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SMOLLEN AND FORBES TRIUMPH AT SEASON OPENER
The Autohaus Hamilton team of Shane Smollen and Rodney Forbes have come home from the Bathurst 12 Hour Event with two podium finishes in the GT3 Cup Challenge. The pair managed to avoid the carnage of the weekend to take first and third positions outright, and first and second in the 997 class.
Smollen was one of the few drivers to make up positions in a rain delayed and shortened race one, going from fifth position to third. After the opening laps of the race held under safety car conditions safety car pulling off at the end of lap two, second and third placed drivers Sven Burchartz and Matt Kingsley had heavy contact, putting Burchartz in the wall entering Hell Corner allowing Smollen to sneak past into third.
The safety car was out again while the wreck was cleared, making a third appearance when Jeff Bobik spun multiple times in Hell Corner, before sliding into the wall heading up Mountain Straight and causing the seven lap race to finish under the safety car.
While all this was going on, Rodney Forbes was out in front, safe from the mishaps further back in the pack.
The skies opened up once again before the second and final race, with track receiving 80mm of rain in a five minute period. After a lengthy delay, the decision was made to cancel the race because of excess water on the track, making race ones results the final standings for the round.
“Clearly it was a frustrating weekend,” Smollen commented at the end of the round. “I think any experience in the wet at Bathurst is good for the future. You put it in your back pocket and pull it out when you need it and at the end of the day,third outright at any track is a pleasing result, especially Bathurst.”
Like Smollen, Forbes was also let down by the abridged round and was keen to go racing under green conditions.
“Weather’s obviously been a factor in the whole thing.” Forbes continued, “We were just unlucky to have the two races at the times when the weather was really bad. It’s disappointing. We would have liked to have gotten out there and had a race and have a bit of fun, but it just wasn’t to be.”
After round one Rodney leads the Mission Foods GT3 Cup Challenge, while Shane Smollen sits in third position. In the 997 Class, Autohaus Hamilton sits first and second, with Forbes narrowly leading Smollen.
Shane Smollen thanks:
-McGrath Estate Agents
-Puma
Rodney Forbes thanks:
-Nutella
-MDP Dairy Products
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SMOLLEN AND FORBES PRIMED FOR STRONG SHOWING
Shane Smollen and Rodney Forbes have proven to be the ones to watch in tomorrow’s two GT3 Cup Challenge races. Both drivers have posted top five results in practice and qualifying at Bathurst for round one of the championship in their Autohaus Hamilton prepared 997s.
In just his second outing in the 997 Cup Car, Smollen posted an impressive 2:19.1956 in practice session one, despite having a near miss entering the Chase while on a flying lap. After passing two slower cars down Conrod Straight, Smollen was forced to run wide on the exit of the right hand kink before the Chase. He then took a small detour over the grass before rejoining the track midway through the Chase.
The pace continued for Smollen through qualifying. With limited experience in the wet, he managed to finish in fifth on the time charts with a time of 2:27.8394. With a drying track, the lap times were getting quicker however a slower car held up the Sydney racer towards the end of the session, preventing any improvement on his time.
“Today’s been a patchy day but we’ve been competitive given that it’s our second meeting in the 997 and our first in the wet,” commented Smollen at the conclusion of qualifying. “The car’s great. The new engine seems to be going well and it’s handling really well, so hopefully we can put on a good show tomorrow.”
Rodney Forbes’ day was just as good, claiming third in practice with a 2:19.8733. His day got even better in qualifying with his 2:21.4275 lap, snatching pole position. Forbes is confident about the two races tomorrow, but has some reserve about getting off the line.
“The car feels good, and I suppose that’s the key around here.” Forbes continued, “My biggest problem tomorrow is the fact that I haven’t done a start for a year and a half.”
Shane Smollen wishes to thank the following:
- McGrath Estate Agents
- Puma
Rodney Forbes wishes to thank:
- Nutella
-MDP Dairy Products
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REVO PERFORMANCE TUNING FOR YOUR PORSCHE !
2000+ models
Revo performance software offers the smoothest and most controllable power increase available for the Modern Porsche.
Autohaus Hamilton is now the Sydney agent for Porsche performance software produced in the UK by Revotechnik.
That’s great news if you’d like to give your late-model Porsche an extra sting in the tail without breaking the bank.
How much performance gain for how much money? It varies from model to model, but a reprogram ranges from $950 Ex GST on a 2.7 Boxster up to $4,150 Ex GST for the 997 Turbo. Indicative performance gains are listed for each model at revotechnik.
You will also find other tuning options available such as switchable tuning for different fuel grades, boost settings for Turbo cars and anti theft settings. Without opening the engine. Without making expensive modifications. And for about the same price as an upgraded exhaust system Revo just makes sense.
How do they do it? With a downloadable software remap that’s programmed through your car’s serial port. Revo software is designed to maximise the performance of your Porsche safely, within the tolerances of its engine and hardware.
Revo are constantly developing their products; when each new model Porsche is released, Revo’s team goes to work to make it perform even better.
You might be wondering why the factory doesn’t use the same mapping. The answer is simple; when cars leave Zuffenhausen, they have to be ready to perform in all climatic extremes using different grades of fuel, from an Alaskan winter on 91 octane to a Middle Eastern desert on 98 octane. Revo don’t have that problem!
If you want to experience Revo in your car on our roads, Revo offers a try before you buy program that gives you approximately 4 hours of what Revo has to offer before reverting back to your standard factory map. Come in and try it out, we can have you up and running in 30 minutes.
Want to know more? Call us on 9905 1455 and have a chat to Scott or Grant.
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STEVE WONG - 911 CHIPS BOOST POWER AND TORQUE.
911 Models - 1984 to1998 models (normally aspirated)
For many earlier Porsches, Steve Wong & his 911Chips company offer an effective route to increased performance.
If you’ve cruised any of the Porsche chat forums, you’ll have heard how good they are. Now, Autohaus Hamilton is your local dealer.
Here’s the really amazing thing: although the 911Chips people claim 6% to 8% gains, the increases can be much more than that. Like an ’88 model 911 that dynoed at 213 horsepower before the chip was installed and delivered 243 horsepower with the new chip!
Importantly, 911Chips doesn’t take a “one size fits all” approach. Whether you just want a faster road car or a track day weapon. 911Chips supplies chips for all purposes.
And if, a little later, you want to switch to a different configuration, they offer an economical changeover program.
What’s more, their products are 100% guaranteed with a “no questions asked” refund policy if you return the chip within 30 days.
Go to 911chips and take a look at some of the impressive Dyno charts and testimonials from many happy customers and then give Scott or Grant a call on 99051455 to see what options will work for you.
Exhaust upgrades
To complement the performance gains with a new chip or software remap, a sports exhaust is the answer.
Sourced from local and overseas suppliers, Autohaus Hamilton can recommend an exhaust system designed to increase the output of your standard or enhanced engine.
With all the race car and motorsport development we conduct, we’ve tried literally hundreds of configurations over the years; so if it’s out there we’ve generally tested it and we know what really works.
The horsepower increases vary, but can be as much as 20 horsepower at the rear wheel. Why not talk to us about our experience with your model Porsche? Remember, nobody know more about getting the most from your Porsche than the Autohaus Hamilton team.
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XENON / HID LIGHTS FOR YOUR PORSCHE.
These HID kits are designed using the latest in German Automotive Technology and Engineering.
This is not the basic cheap kit that you may find elsewhere; it utilises the latest in slimline digital ballast technology, less than half the size of other brands. 6000k bulbs are supplied which emit a pure white light.
Main advantages are:
- Vastly longer lasting with the typical HID bulb lasting 2500 to 3000 hours.
- 35 w bulbs draw less current than the traditional 55w halogen bulbs decreasing
the load on the vehicles electrical system.
- Light source is approx 3 x brighter and clearer than normal halogen bulbs
- Added visibility leads to increased driver confidence.
- Gives your car a fresh modern look at night.
Available for 911, 964, 993, 996, Boxster, Cayman & Cayenne.
Allow two hours fitting time by our trained technicians.
* If you are concerned that these lights may not meet your vehicles local or state registration requirements we suggest you contact your local registration authority prior to purchase. They may be deemed for off road use only.
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