Paul Morris Motorsport (Astro) ?

[thunderbolt]

was this the car that crashed in to mark larkin

http://www.ashleycooper.com.au/index...d=65&Itemid=76

Raced by Matt Neal and Paul Morris in 2001; before being converted to VY-spec before the 2003 season.
Craig Baird ran in this car for TKR in 2004; while Fabian Coulthard and Owen Kelly campaigned "Astro" in it's final year of "Main Game" competition in 2007.

[ford boy]

No was'nt the car crashed when Larkham and Morris collided at Oran Park that was a HRT chassis im sure. I think Astro was the car debuted by Matt Neal at Oran Park when he fenced it in Practice and caused signifigant damage. I could be wrong though.

[WebberForWDC]

I think Morris crashed in a VS.

[carbontub]

I think your spot on ford boy it was Matt Neil. I reckon that car was jinxed from start to finish!!!

[aussieracer]

the car that hit larko was a vs and the remains of the car is sitting up at the holden performance driving centre where morris's workshop is. its just a smashed up bare shell.

[Buckshot]

Yeah, it was definitely an ex HRT Chassis and a VS. I was there when it happened and as much as I don't like Paul Morris is still makes me sick to my stomach seeing the footage of him trying to pull himself out of that car.

[Sweet Corn]

Correction
Morris was hit by Larkham ,he did not hit Larkham ,
Stick to the facts Larry stalled Morris hit Larry ,Larkham hit Morris and a life threatining accident occured

[pascofi m-sport]

Snake straightener

Paul Morris ran up the rear of Larry Perkins, then was rear-ended by Mark Larkham, this car was an ex HRT, Young Lions VS

The car he used after that was another ex HRT car (HRT 031...i think), this beacme #67 for Bathurst (Owen Kelly / Aaron McGill) when he bought HRT 037 (the first VT) from Mark Poole, to use as #29 with 'the black cat' Matt Neal (remember the moment at Hell Corner with Skaife, Tander, Seton...i think on lap 118)

This was used until he actually got his new car for him to drive (at Bathurst 2001 with the late Ashley Stitchbury. This one is Astro). It was debuted by Matt Neal (him again!!!) at Oran Park as #67, but he walled it in practice. If you also notice, he ran #67 at Pukekohe.

Does that make a lot more sense...

[Wood-duck]

pasco... was HRT 031 the Lowndes 'petty bar' car (The 1996 Grand slam car)??? I had a feeling that Morris had acquired this car at some point...

Crying shame if it was, as this car would be worth a quiet mint now if it was...

[888_Fan]

Wasn't the #67 kelly/mcgill car a VS? I remember they broke an axle on the start line and for some reason it wasn't fixed for them to continue in the race....

[pete60]

The #67 Kelly/McGill car was a VS.

That car also was qualified at Bathurst the next year by Stichbury in the Konica race but didn't run

I think the 2 Morris ex HRT VS were chassis #31 and #32.

The Lowndes VS Petty bar car was #33 and was last seen in a corner of the WP workshop.

[Buckshot]

Sorry but what's this Petty Bar you speak of ? Never heard of it.

[NAC]

Originally Posted by Buckshot

Sorry but what's this Petty Bar you speak of ? Never heard of it.

See here

[Buckshot]

That article mentions the Petty Bar car but doesn't say what it was ?

[pete60]

The Petty Bar, I recall, was a NASCAR inspired bar, which braced the roll cage form behind the driver's head diagonally down to the passenger footwell. It was a forerunner of the Larry Bar, which is less intrusive.

Only chassis #33 was built like this. Due to concerns about driver extraction, it was banned.

[anthony81901]

Paul Morris purchased 2 HRT built VS at the beginning of 2000. HRT031 was purchased from Garry Rogers having been built by HRT in 95 for Tomas Mezera. The 2nd car was either HRT034 the car built for Brock in 96 and used by Skaife in 98, or HRT035 the car built for Murphy in 97 and used by Lowndes in 98, both being raced in 99 by Todd Kelly & Mark Noske under the Holden Young Lions banner.

Morris used HRT034/5 until it was destroyed at Oran Park, moving to HRT031 for Calder, before HRT037 debuted at the Queensland 500. HRT031 was the 67 car for Bathurst. Morris actually drove HRT037 at Bathurst in 01, not moving to the rebuilt Astro until Indy.

And as Pete60 correctly point out, the Petty Bar was a controversial modification to the rollcage, HRT going to great lengths to conceal it by covering all of the windows when it was on the grid or in pit lane, a practice which I think was hastily banned. HRT033 was debuted by Lowndes a couple of rounds into the ATCC in 96 and destroyed by Greg Murphy at Phillip Island in 97, it was eventually rebuilt and used by Lowndes a few times in 99 after his VT was destoyed at Calder, I think it was badly damaged again at Indy.

[pete60]

Anthony, to get slightly off topic, which was the HRT chassis which Jason Bargwanna walled at Bathurst in 1998 (?) when part of the Young Lions?

I am trying to piece togehter the fate of HRT#32, #35 and #36.

[Buckshot]

Originally Posted by pete60

The Petty Bar, I recall, was a NASCAR inspired bar, which braced the roll cage form behind the driver's head diagonally down to the passenger footwell. It was a forerunner of the Larry Bar, which is less intrusive.

Only chassis #33 was built like this. Due to concerns about driver extraction, it was banned.

Thanks for clearing that up fellas, that was about a year or so before I started following them.

[Datto1600]

Ouch

[888_1]

Originally Posted by pete60

Only chassis #33 was built like this. Due to concerns about driver extraction, it was banned.

Pete, this staement is not true. HRT034 (PBs car debuted at Bathurst 96) & HRT033 (CL debut at Eastern Creek 96) were of the same spec iwth the aforementioned "Petty bar". The bar was banned before #34's completion. However, seeing as how CAMS approved the build of #33 and approved the build progress of #34 and also the fact that they would need to completely "re-design & build" the rollcage, it was rubber stamped & debuted by Brock & Mezera at the mountain in 96. They are the only two with the "Petty bar" in place.

As it turns out, it would seem that # 33 is just one of those freak chassis, much like the SBR BA of Ambrose for 03,04 & 05 and HRT#043. Just a freak. #34 never lived up to the hype of its big sister & faded away.... As i understand it, HRT intend to keep #33 for historical purposes indefinetly.

As for "ASTRO", that car should be put in a crusher after it is used to show the cause of Ashley's injuries and hold anyone responsible accountable. If it were to be repaired( apossibility i believe) who in their right mind would put there bum in it??

[anthony81901]

033 was debuted at round 6 at Calder in April and 034 at round 10 at Oran Park in June, so the construction of 034 would have been at a fairly advanced state when CAMS changed their mind. There had been a precedent set in 95 when Ford had produced body shells that were underweight. CAMS allowed Tony Longhurst to finish a car that was nearly complete when this came to light, provided that it carried a lead plate on the floor to make the difference.

Don't think 033 was a freak chassis, just a well built one by the best team of the day, the car that won the 95 championship had also won Bathurst 94 and would have won that year's Sandown 500 had it not been rested.

[pascofi m-sport]

888_1

We could do one of two things to "Astro':

A. Your suggestion, and send it to the crusher. So it can join every other great car that has met it's maker!

or

B. Someone repairs the car, painted in the livery that Ashley Cooper ran at Adelaide, then put it in a museum somewhere. At least then we can honour the memory of a late, potential future star.

[Pro Racer]

maybe have it repaired and auctioned off with proceeds to the Ashley Cooper Foundation???

[aussieracer]

does anyone know what it happening to the car?? is it going to be rebuilt or retired out of respect??

[Just Do It!]

Originally Posted by Pro Racer

maybe have it repaired and auctioned off with proceeds to the Ashley Cooper Foundation???

That's your best statement all year, or certainly of the last 1500 posts

Let's get that to happen!!!