Team Australia is an Auto racing team competing in the Champ Car World Series. It was created in early 2005 when two Australian businessmen bought into Derrick Walker's operation. Auto racing (also known as automobile racing, autosport or motorsport) is a sport involving racing automobiles. ... Champ Car, a shortened form of Championship Car, has been the name for a class of cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Derrick Walker (born April 8, 1945 in Levin, Scotland) is a British auto racing team owner. ...

Origins

After sponsoring young Australian driver Josh Hunt in the Toyota Atlantic championship, Australian millionaire Craig Gore began to investigate fielding a Champ Car team. His empire already included a V8 Supercar team competing in Australia, and at the 2004 Surfer's Paradise round of the CCWS, on the Gold Coast, Australia, Gore's V8 driver David Besnard made his debut with Walker Racing. He finished a creditable 7th place, and the seeds were sewn for Gore's assault on the Champ Car series. The Toyota Atlantic Championship is an auto racing series with races throughout North America. ... A millionaire is a person who has a net worth or wealth of more than one million United States dollars, euros, UK pounds or units of a comparably valued currency. ... Greg Murphy in a Holden Commodore leads 3 other cars at Bathurst V8 Supercar is the most popular category of domestic motorsport in Australia, and one of the worlds biggest and most professional racing championships. ... It has been designated the: International Year of Rice (by the United Nations) International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO) 2004 World Health Day topic was Road Safety (by World Health Organization) Year of the Monkey (by the Chinese calendar) See the world in... Surfers Paradise by day during Schoolies Week, in Cavill Mall. ... For other places with the same name, see Gold Coast. ...

In late 2004 and early 2005 Gore and his associate John Fish began negotiations with Derrick Walker. The two Australians bought the team and facilities, with Walker remaining as Team Manager. Obsolete Reynard chassis were replaced with bespoke Lola units, and the team signed Canadian Champ Car veteran Alex Tagliani and Australian Formula 3 driver Marcus Marshall for the 2005 season. Reynard the Fox, also known as Renard, Renart, Reinard, Reinecke, Reinhardus, and by many other spelling variations, is a trickster figure whose tale is told in a number of anthropomorphic fables from medieval Europe. ... A chassis (plural: chassis) consists of a framework which supports an inanimate object, analogous to an animals skeleton; for example in the construction of an automobile or of a firearm. ... Lola Racing Cars (also Lola Cars International) is a racing car engineering company founded in 1961 by Eric Broadley and based in Huntingdon, United Kingdom. ... Alex Tagliani is a Canadian auto racing driver from Quebec, born on October 18, 1972. ... Formula Three is a class of auto racing. ... Marcus Marshall was a Champ Car driver from Australia. ...

A Learning Year

With a new chassis to learn, Team Australia was hardly going to upset the establishment in 2005. However, Tagliani's consistent, solid drives took the team to many top-ten finishes and several podiums through the year. Marshall, by contrast, was unspectacular, struggling to break the top ten. In all fairness, the jump from a Formula Three car to a Champ Car is a huge one that was exacerbated by Marshall's inexperience on the American circuits. By Team Australia's homecoming at the 2005 Surfer's Paradise race, they had announced that a third car would be run for Australian international driver Will Power. Power outpaced both teammates before a collision with Tagliani took him out of the race. Amongst some controversy it was announced that Marshall's contract had been cut, and he was to leave the team. His attempt to appeal this in court was unsuccessful, and he was dropped in favour of Power, who signed a three year contract. The team ran their third car again in the season finale at Mexico, where newly crowned Atlantics champion Charles Zwolsman made his debut. Will Power (born March 1, 1981) is a motorsport driver from Australia. ... Charles Zwolsman (July 15, 1979, Lelystad, Netherlands) is a race car driver from The Netherlands. ...

2006

Rumours that Ryan Briscoe would be taking the #15 car were crushed when Tagliani re-signed prior to Long Beach. In 2006, Team Australia's commitment extended not only to two Champ Cars, but a two-car Atlantic squad and a two-car Formula BMW squad, all aimed at fostering young talent. The team showed fantastic pace at the opening round at Long Beach, with Tagliani and Power running third and fourth respectively before a forced error dropped him down the order. He then suffered from brake problems but finished a competitive 9th, while Tagliani took a podium. Ryan Briscoe (born September 24, 1981) is an Australian auto racing driver. ... Long Beach is the name of several places: Long Beach, British Columbia, Canada Long Beach, California, United States of America Long Beach, Mississippi, United States of America Long Beach, New York, United States of America Long Beach, Washington, United States of America Long Beach Township, New Jersey, United States of...

Team Details

The team gains most of its sponsorship from the businesses of Gore and Fish. Gore's financial company, Wright Patton Shakespeare, features on the sides and nosecone of the cars, Fish Liquor are sponsors and their wine business Aussie Vineyards is the title sponsor. The team is also sponsored by the Queensland State Government, Visa credit cards, R.M. Williams, and Qantas. Emblems: ? (please edit) Motto: Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Slogan or Nickname: Sunshine State/Smart State Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Governor Premier Const. ... Visa or VISA has several meanings: Look up visa in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Visa (document) — a document required to enter a specific country. ... Qantas (pronounced — IPA) is the name and callsign of the oldest and largest airline of Australia. ...

Drivers who have driven for Team Australia

Alex Tagliani (#15) Will Power (#5, formerly #25) Marcus Marshall (formerly #5) Charles Zwolsman (formerly #25) Alex Tagliani is a Canadian auto racing driver from Quebec, born on October 18, 1972. ... Will Power (born March 1, 1981) is a motorsport driver from Australia. ... Marcus Marshall was a Champ Car driver from Australia. ... Charles Zwolsman (July 15, 1979, Lelystad, Netherlands) is a race car driver from The Netherlands. ...

James Davison (Atlantics) Simon Pagenaud (Atlantics)

External Links

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