Lakeside International circuit is in the midst of celebrating 50 years stamped proudly on what has become iconic ground for motorsport enthusiasts and competitors around the world.

But for Ash Miller and DHR, their celebration will be one of return – the #94 MX5 will be making a spectacular comeback, to join the burgeoning MX5 field.

In the double header event, the Mazda MX5 class are holding their annual Nationals in line with Lakeside’s celebrations – a chance that Miller could not miss to retain his hard-earned 2010 National crown.

“It was a no brainer – the car’s up for sale, and what better way to put it in front of the right crowd than to have it lap historic Lakeside!” Miller said.

Joining the Spader Clothing – backed Miller on the overflowing grid will be a number of Australia’s top MX5 vanguard, including 2009 National Champion Ash Lowe.

“Ash will be the major assailant, but we’re ready for the challenge. I can’t wait to drive the car in anger once again, and really tackle Lakeside once more.”

Lakeside’s last DHR show saw the North Brisbane team secure its first victory, en route to the 2009 QLD MX5 and Production Sports championships.

Join DHR – and visit Lakeside this weekend, July 22-24, for what will be a titanic event full of magnificent racing.

Saturday $20, Sunday $30, Weekend Pass $40.

Lakeside Raceway is situated in Kurwongbah, north of Brisbane. Check local Google Maps.

Check out the threads that Miller can’t get enough of – SPADER.

Bathurst provides a unique challenge to all who choose to try and tame it’s famous 6.2km stretch of sacred road. Some 2 hours south of Orange and way out west of Sydney, Bathurst’s sleepy little town is rumbled several times a year by both cars and transporters alike, as the air is split by a cochophany of synchronised condensed petrol-and-air explosions.

If the easter bunny was around, he was scared away by the sound of everything from Lambourghini V10s to high-revving Zetecs, as the Bathurst Motor Festival gave Easter Sunday an even holier-than-thou tinge to the Easter holidays. It seemed apt to be blessed with running across one of the world’s most famous motorsporting mountains on such a religiously distinct weekend.

And didn’t we know it.

The #94 DHR machine was in for a treat – however, it promptly added ‘re’ before ‘treat’, as the car hit the track for the first of the weekends practice sessions.

“The excitement is palpable – there’s a huge buzz in the air,” car owner and driver John Prefontaine expressed as the weekend started.

“It’s Bathurst – and I can’t wait to get laps under the belt here. The Lotus will be quick, and we’re looking competitive.”

However, the little Elise had plans of its own, and come the end of Qualifying a recurring Throttle Position Sensor problem had seen clean laps total to just about nil. Hence, the yellow Rover-powered mountain menace ended a lowly 40th on the time sheets – yet within shouting distance of the top Class E runners.

“Despite the dramas the car felt great to drive, and it just rockets down the hill,” co-driver Ash Miller said.

“I can’t wait to really see what this thing has got – coming down the Esses the car was just magic, it eats everything up. We’ll just have to see how the weekend pans out. Starting from 40th means we have some ground to make up, but it also means we have alot of fun ahead tomorrow (Saturday).”

Saturday dawned with a revalation with the wiring – the source of the TPS problems had been located, and with the wiring taped to roughly the thickness of King Kong’s pinky, confidence was boosted.

The first drivers race saw Prefontaine tackle his first racing laps on the mountain, and was performing well, until with 4 laps left to go, a recurring gearbox problem saw the Birkdale native end his race against the Turn 1 barrier. The damage to the right rear of the car meant that his race was over.

“I just got it wrong trying to let a faster Porsche through,” Prefontaine said.

“I went into the corner just slightly offline and the end result meant that the car clipped the wall. It was a disappointing end but I’ve learned alot with every lap.”

The team frantically worked on the car to get it ready in time for the co-drivers race; the toe-link rod had been bent at an odd angle, yet thankfully that was all the damage done, and after some inventive fabrication and some careful re-bending, the part was back in the car just in time to get ready for the next race.

Although Miller lined up on the grid quite confortably, it was minus the alternator – the impact of the clash with the wall had seen the mounting bracket broken, and efforts to fix it in time had lead to a rather comical stop gap measure. For Race 2, the Lotus was powered by a Toyota Land Cruiser battery.

The car was on song for the opening half of the race, as Miller carved his way through the field on the opening lap to pass no less than 9 people on his way up the order, and was challenging for the Class lead until, with half the race still to run, the TPS decided it was tiem to give up the ghost, and Miller coasted to a stop in the pit garage.

“It was a disappointing way to finish – the car was feeling great. But we just want to finish the One Hour,” Miller said.

A long night turned into a long morning, and the DHR boys, along with an assortment of fellow team’s gracious helpers, have the Elise a stern working over, battling to tackle the gremlins that plagued the car for the weekend. With the altenator bracket finally fixed in time for the One Hour feature race, the mood was positive.

The start of the One Hour saw Miller take the reigns; however, while battling for the class lead once again, the TPS decided to get up to no good, and despite a safety car being called on lap 2, the DHR machine limped back to the pits for repairs.

“The car was flying on lap one, but by lap 2 the problem had come back again, and there was no option but to pit.”

After pitting in, however, Miller was embroiled in a spirited battle with Cameron Hein, and despite being a lep down, the pair enjoyed a mighty tussle before the compulsory driver change stops got underway.

Prefontaine leapt in the car at the halfway mark, and although the stop was less than smooth, the car got back out in good time.

From there, the attrition rate rose with alarming effect, as many of the front running cars dropped out towards the closing stages of the race. The #94 did its best to join them, discarding both 3rd and 5th gear and insisting that the TPS gremlin remain a fixture of the car for the remainder of the race. As the laps counted down, the Elise wound past the start finish line with increasingly more smoke billowing from its engine bay, as an alternator belt did its best to burn away. Yet the laps ran out successfully, and as the chequered flag fell, Prefontaine crossed the line to bring the car home, 5th place in Class E and with a nice haul of valuable points towards the championship.

“We’re just so glad to make it!” Prefontaine said afterwards.

“It’s been a tough weekend but all we wanted was to finish.”

Miller was similarly happy with the result.

“After so many problems over the weekend it was really a victory in itself to get the car home. The pace is there, but we’ll have to work hard to make sure the car is really in a position to challenge for the next round. To finish first, you first have to finish!”

The next round of the Championship will bring the Elise to Eastern Creek, scene of DHR’s maiden One Hour win last year. Will the team repeat the feat?

“The car has enough pace to really challenge the front runners – if not the outright class win. It’ll need a bit of work before then, but I’m confident that with the car sorted, it will be formiddable.”

Many thanks to Ron Prefontaine, Graham Miller, Michael Keene, Wayne Davidson, Corey Stevens, Geoff Marsh, Marcel Stawitzcny, Hugh Millear and all at Spader Clothing and Reel Fit for the amazing support.

Don’t forget to check out the brand that wraps driver Ash Miller – www.spaderclothing.com – and get your new season street threads now.

— All photos courtesy of Hugh Millear – (c) Hugh Millear 2011 —

VIEW ALL THE PHOTOS FROM THE WEEKEND HERE

From the start of 2010, DHR set its sights on becoming the country’s most formidable Production Sports Car team, going up against Australia’s most prolific Prodsports talents to wrestle for the CUE One Hour Production Sports championship.

While the overall championship is yet to be decided, class 2F laurels have – and with one round still to go, Ash Miller and Team DHR are CUE One Hour Champions for the class.

Fighting against an incredibly saturated wad of driving talent at Morgan Park last weekend, Ash Miller and co-driver Geoff Marsh faced the most challenging field seen in the championship so far, with 35 entrants vying for class and overall honours. With the drivers races showcasing DHR’s mixed weather pace, signs were good for the One Hour feature.

“We’ve been lucky with the weather here, it played right into our hands,” said Miller.

“But if the race tomorrow is dry, we’ll have more of a fight on our hands. There are one or two guys that we don’t usually have competing in the One Hour championship that I know are lightning quick, and we’ll have to be on our toes to really get the most out of the car.”

Come Sunday the weather indeed fined up, and the temperatures were soaring as the cars lined up for the start of the One Hour spectacle.

Miller was in the drivers seat for the start, tussling with David Barram’s NC MX5 for the first few laps – Barram proving that the latest Mazda incarnation can be a very wide car indeed.

“The opening laps were hectic, and we knew we had the pace to be in front of David – but there’s no denying he knows how to defend his position!”

After managing to find a way around, Miller’s opening stint was spent going blow-for-blow with local boy Russell Schloss, whose pace around the Morgan Park circuit threw down DHR’s biggest challenge of the weekend. Having slipped by after Miller’s tussle with Barram, Miller and Schloss traded quickest laps as the pair raced nose-to-tail, pulling well clear of the other 2F runners.

“I was pushing pretty hard to stay in touch with Russell – the traffic was something that didn’t help, I’d get up to the back of Russell, then get held up.”

Handing over the reigns to Geoff Marsh at the 35 minute mark, a lightning stop and a series of quick laps by Miller before coming in saw Marsh exit the pits on the tail of Schloss once again. With Schloss choosing to complete the One Hour on his own, his pace was hard to match.

“He was comfortable in the car, and for those first few laps while Geoff got settled in, Russell used it to his advantage. Not being in the Championship though, we just needed points, and we weren’t too concerned.”

However, a late-race charge by Ash Lowe in the NC made for a final-lap thriller, as Lowe made up the deficit to pull onto the tail of Marsh as the pair started their final lap. With the final few kilometres fought in Gladiator-like proportions, Lowe just slipped by into 2nd, giving Marsh 3rd place at the chequered flag.

“I struggled with the tyres and ended up having a couple of moments during my stint,” Marsh said afterwards.

“Late in the race, when I saw Ash (Lowe) coming in the mirrors, I pushed as hard as I could, and did everything I knew to keep him behind me, but he found a way past right at the end. We’ve still bagged a handful of points, and it’s been enough to wrap up the series for us, so although I’m a little disappointed at not keeping second, I’m thrilled for us for claiming the 2F crown!”

DHR finished 13th overall, galvanising their giant-killing reputation. With points from the drivers races included, DHR not only seal the 2F category, but they also extend their gap over third place in the overall series standings.

“We’ve had such a great weekend, and I’m stoked at how hard the team have worked this year,” Miller said.

“They really deserve every bit of success coming our way, and where we sit in the overall championship is a reflection of that. I really must thank Errol Davidson, Graham Miller, John, Joey and Kylie Bayly, Gary Stewart, Ray Stewart and everyone else who has been involved in preparing such in an immaculate little MX5. I can’t wait to head down and face off with everyone again at Phillip Island!”

Phillip Island is indeed the scene of the next and final CUE One Hour series race. A circuit notorious with changeable weather and fast, sweeping corners, DHR will no doubt be on form once again.

However, it’s the Mazda MX5 Nationals that calls for DHR’s immediate focus. Taking place at Wakefield park during the last weekend of October, it brings together the cream of Mazda MX5 drivers from around the country for their second annual gathering.

“We’re out to improve on our third place from last year – we know it won’t be easy, seeing the pace of Ash (Lowe) and Russell (Schloss) over the Morgan Park weekend. But I’m ready to tackle the circuit.”

Dark Horse Racing last turned a wheel at Wakefield during the latter stages of 2007, making it quite a while between drinks for the Brisbane squad. On that occasion, Miller scored impressive results against a similar field of entrants for the Festival or Sports Cars gathering. Can he go better in 2010?

“Of course, we have it in us, but everything has to be perfect. Of that, I know we can do,” Miller mused.

With Miller competing in the Australian Irish Dancing Championships as we speak, his focus is shifted from wheels to jigs; but come late October, he and DHR will be back on track.

Morgan Park video highlights to come soon!

Stay tuned.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARSTA PHOTOGRAPHY – www.marsta.com