Adelaide V8 Supercars turncoat Shane Van Gisbergen "could face a legal bid to stop him racing in this weekend's season-opening Adelaide 500," according to Mark Fogarty of THE AGE. Speculation is rife that Van Gisbergen's former team "is planning to launch a race-eve court challenge to his switch to a rival squad, claiming his move contravenes the terms of his release." For at least the past two weeks, Van Gisbergen and his new team "have been bracing for an injunction seeking to enforce a one-year non-compete clause" (THE AGE, 2/28). In Sydney, James Phelps reported the Holden Racing Team is set to take another A$1M ($1.03M) a year gamble on James Courtney with the famous V8 outfit "preparing to table a new offer to lock down the former champion for another year." Courtney's future "has been the subject of much debate with many expecting him to flee the underperforming stable following two difficult years that have seen the 2010 champion win only one race" (DAILY TELEGRAPH, 2/27). APNZ reported the Pukekohe 500, the season finale for the V8 SuperTourers, "has been brought forward a week to avoid a date clash with the V8 Supercars, which involves a lot of the same drivers." It will now be raced over the weekend of Nov. 29-Dec. 1. The original date "clashed with the the Sydney 500" (APNZ, 2/27).
