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News Archive February 2009 mail your news to editorthegrid@yahoo.co.uk 07/06/2009 IF RACE REPORTS LINKS REMOVED - FOLLOW 'Reports' LINK ON THE GRID above 28-02-09 Tim Harvey plans to win back-to-back Porsche Carrera Cup GB titles with Red Line Racing. He intends defending his crown with the same team along with sponsorship from Nationwide Accident Repair Services, Loctite and Interactive Worldwide. AR Motorsport will take part in next week's official Formula Master test in Valencia, Spain, with drivers Kelvin Snoeks and Mihai Marinescu. The team joins the Formula Master Series from the Netherlands and will be running one car over the two days on 1-2 March. Driving duties will be shared between Dutch driver Snoeks and Romanian Marinescu. Marinescu drove for Italian team Pro Motorsport in 2008, gaining Formula Master race experience at the last rounds in Monza where he claimed a podium finish with a third place. "We are proud to welcome a Dutch outfit to the Series in the shape of AR Motorsport," said Formula Master General Manager Alessandro Alunni Bravi. "This underlines once again the international reach of our Series. "We're looking forward to another great Formula Master season, with improved TV coverage and event format as well as two events with the Formula 1 Championship, and which starts next week with our first official test." The Valencia test marks the beginning of the 2009 Formula Master season, which sees teams gather for four official two-day tests throughout March and April, before the racing begins in Pau, France, on 16-17 May. Next week's test will see the Formula Master teams run with 2009 update kits for the first time. Jean Alesi held off a charging Christopher Zoechling to win a close race in the opening Speedcar Series race at Dubai Autodrome on Friday afternoon. JDC Motorsports have added Alex Ardoin to it’s team for the 2009 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear, The former series race winner joins the '07 Star Mazda Champions following discussions during the off-season. With the addition of Ardoin, JDC MotorSports now has two experienced drivers, having signed Brazilian Caio Lara earlier in the year, and they appear poised to not only win races but to challenge for a second series crown. Ardoin previously competed in the pro Star Mazda Championship in 2007, scoring one win and one pole en route to sixth place in thechampionship. Returning to the series last year he stood on the podium four times and had one pole, finishing fourth the championship battle. "I am excited about signing Alex," commented JDC MotorSports co-owner John Church. "We have watched him race in the series the past two years and have been impressed with both his skill and commitment. I think the addition of Alex to our 2009 line-up gives us another driver capable of challenging for both wins and the series title." "I am thrilled to be joining JDC for the 2009 season," added Ardoin. "I have very high expectations for myself this year, and an organization such as JDC will complement my efforts very nicely. My goal this year is nothing short of a championship, and the impressive personnel at JDC will be key in helping me achieve this. It will also be great to join Caio once again this year. He and I worked very well together last year, and hope to continue that chemistry into this year. This year is shaping up to be great and I'm really excited." 27-02-09
Stakka Racing have had their entry for the 2009 Le Mans 24 Hours accepted by the ACO. After a promsing test in the Algarve last week with their new LMP1 Ginetta-Zytek GZ09S the news of their successful entry has brought both delight and relief to the Silverstone-based team..r
The start of the 2009 FIA World Touring Car Championship is just one week away. The season will get underway at the Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba, Brazil next weekend. This is the fourth time the 3.7 km circuit hosts the WTCC. The championship visited Curitiba for the first time in 2006 where a crowd of 34,000 saw races won by Jordi Gené (SEAT León) and Andy Priaulx (BMW 320si). From 2007 the Brazilian event was moved to March and given the honour to open the season. BMW Team Germany fellow drivers Jörg Müller and Augusto Farfus shared victories and the attendance was even larger, with 45,000 spectators. Last year SEAT won both races with Yvan Muller and Gabriele Tarquini, again with 45000 people in attendance. Eight full-season competitors have been admitted to Independents' Trophy with a prize of 384,000-euros. Among them are former champions Tom Coronel and Stefano D'Aste, as well as double WTCC race winner Félix Porteiro. The points for the Trophy remains unchanged, with double points awarded in the final meeting at Macau. However, one additional point will be allocated for setting the Independents' pole position and the races' fastest lap at each event. Furthermore, Independent drivers who will manage to finish races in the top-eight of the overall results, will be rewarded by three extra points per each WTCC point scored (i.e.: an Independent who classifies third overall will score 18 points for the Trophy). For the third consecutive year the WTCC Race of Brazil will give an aid to the starving people of Brazil. Together KSO (championship promoter), HSBC (partner of the event), and the City Hall of Curitiba, repeated the initiative of offering free tickets to the public in exchange for two kilograms of food. Fans wishing to attend the races on Sunday may collect their tickets by delivering the food to 14 different collection points scattered over the city, or at the racetrack on Sunday morning. The food collected will be donated to the charity society Instituto Pró-Cidadania de Curitiba, which will distribute it to those in need. In 2007 this humanitarian initiative resulted in the collection of 24 tonnes of food, that became 52 last year. Alessandro Zanardi will become BMW's first works driver to use a sequential gearbox. The Italian decided to switch from the 5-speed "H" pattern gearbox to a 6-speed Xtrack after testing it during the winter. This will make his own car 30 kilos heavier than the other BMWs because of the handicap provided by the Technical Regulations. "In spite of the weight, the car is well balanced and lap times are already close compared to the old gearbox that sometimes made my life harder. One good example is the Melco hairpin at Macau, where BMW drivers use the clutch to get around quicker. I cannot use the clutch pedal and have a lot of other things to do with my hand controls, and this cost me three or four tenths in that corner only. With the sequential gearbox this issue will be solved," said Zanardi.
Dean Stoneman, driving for Alpine Motorsport’s , was the quickest runner in the first official Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship pre-season test at Rockingham on 24th/25th February. Stoneman , who won the Graduate Cup last year, did a 1min 14.837s (93.32mph average), the fastest time over the two days and 0.201s ahead of his closest rival Fortec Motorsport’s James Calado .
Formula Renault UK Championship team Hillspeed has made good progress at this week’s Official Formula Renault UK 2009 pre-season test at Rockingham.The team is running two cars in this year’s championship for Menasheh Idafar and Michael Lyons.
24 Heures du Mans 2009 - The 55 entrants have been invited, including 3 manufacturers, Aston Martin, Audi and Peugeot, entering a total of 12 cars all looking for overall victory In addition to contesting the Euro Series and the German ATS Cup in 2009, the two-litre engine from VW will enter its first season in the British F3. Carlin Motorsport with four and T-Sport with two drivers, have taken Volkswagen Power in the UK. "With Carlin Motorsport and T-Sport we've secured two promising teams in the UK," said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. "Our strategy of systematically and carefully extending our commitment now includes the British Formula 3 Championship, which is ultra-competitive and has been enjoying a high reputation in Europe for decades." Team Principal Trevor Carlin is entering four Dallara F309-VW cars with drivers Australian Daniel Ricciardo ,who is part of the Red Bull Junior Team and won the Western European Formula Reanult title in 2008 and finished the Formula Renault Euro Cup as the runner-up. Britain’s Max Chilton is contesting his second full F3 season with compatriot Henry Arundell. Oliver Oakes from Norwich, is the fourth driver. Team T-Sport, based in Brackley in Northamptonshire, won 4 races in 2008 an achievement Team Principal Russell Eacott wants to build on this season with two drivers and the Volkswagen engines. His line-up is Brazilian Adriano Buzaid who finished last year's British Formula Renault Championship in third place and Wayne Boyd from Northern Ireland who won the 2008 British Formula Ford. Prema Powerteam F3 Team has signed Francesco Castellacci to drive a Fiat FTP-powered Dallara F308 in the Italian Formula 3 Championship, where the team will be back to repeat the titles won in 1990, 1998 and 1999. Castellacci, b is coming back for a second season in the series after taking 4th place in 2008 with 6 podium finishes. He started racing in 2006 in Formula Azzurra, where he was 8th at the end of the season before moving to British F3 in 2007. Bridgestone e-reporter: Students studying part-time courses can now enter the 2009 e-reporter contest Just over four weeks to go until the deadline for entries Bridgestone is delighted to announce that students from within Europe studying any part-time course are now eligible to enter the 2009 Bridgestone e-reporter* competition. Designed to help talented young writers develop careers in journalism, this year’s Bridgestone e- reporter initiative offers 11 finalists the opportunity to attend a round of the FIA F1 World Championship to follow the GP2 Series, or a round of the FIM MotoGP World. Finalists will be chosen by an international panel of judges and given the chance to write race reports and features for the Bridgestone e-reporter website ‘live’ from a race weekend. Students can submit their e-reporter entry online at www.bridgestone.eu/e-reporter anytime before Tuesday 31 March 2009. As part of their entry, candidates will need to demonstrate that they have the journalistic flair required to write a story and develop creative interview questions. Opening the competition up to even more students in 2009, this year’s entries can be submitted in English, Dutch, French, German, Polish, Spanish or Portuguese visit www.bridgestone.eu/e-reporter. Visit the Bridgestone e-reporter website to join a ‘live chat session’ with Sky Sports presenter Tony Jardine on Monday 16 March at 17:00hrs (UK time). 26-02-09
Defending Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge champion Craig Baird has a formidable foe in Aussie David Reynolds. And this weekend's round of the 2008/09 Porsche GT3 Cup series at Manfeild could well be the crucial one for the 23-year-old from Melbourne. , Reynolds has truly taken the battle to Triple X teammate Baird this season. However a DNF in the final race at Pukekohe at the start of the season means he remains in catchup mode, Baird's consistency as impressive as his outright speed. Heading into this weekend's penultimate Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge points round Baird, who has six wins to date, has 845 points, 68 more than Reynolds who has five wins. With 75 points for a race win, 67 for second and 60 for third, the next six races - three at Manfeild this weekend and three at the national championship final at Pukekohe in a fortnight's time - are going to be crucial for both drivers. For Baird finishing races is going to be as important as winning them. And for Reynolds finishing them in front of Baird is going to be the key. Both drivers are also going to have to factor in local series young guns Jono Lester and Daniel Gaunt. You can never discount Jody Vincent either, the Pukekohe racer another to shine at the A1GP meeting where he led the early stages of the second mini-enduro confidently, withstanding huge pressure from series guest driver Shane van Gisbergen. Dark horse for an upset at Manfeild, however, will be young Mark Russ, fresh from a learning season in a 996 GT3 last year and now running the Giltrap Group team car. This weekend, surely, will mark a turning point for Ant Pedersen too. The Palmerston North-based son of NZV8 driver Paul Pedersen, he has shown flashes of speed but has struggled to turn it into the podiums everyone involved in the Battery Town series knows he is capable of. The Manfeild round will also see the resumption of a battle for the honours in the 996 GT3 Cup Car class-within-a-class between experienced Battery Town series racer Rob Steele and former kart and Formula Ford front runner Hugh Gardiner. The Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Car Challenge championship cars will be on the track on Saturday morning to qualify, Saturday afternoon for the first of two sprint races, and Sunday for a second sprint race in the morning and a longer top six reverse grid feature race in the afternoon. Frankie Muniz and Simona De Silvestro will race in the 2009 Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda as part of Team Stargate Worlds. The team will be run by US RaceTronics under the banner of Team Stargate Worlds and features sponsorship from Stargate Worlds developer Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment and publisher FireSky. The sponsorship is unique in that Muniz and De Silvestro will be featured in the upcoming Stargate Worlds massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). Based on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's (MGM) very sucessfull Stargate franchise, Stargate Worlds features tactical modern combat vs. science-fiction weapons and instant travel across the galaxy in a story-driven MMO. With a 12-race schedule and a $1 million prize for the champion, Muniz returns to the Atlantic series after a solid season in 2008 in which he earned three top-10 race results. De Silvestro made history last year by becoming the second woman in the Atlantic Championship to win a race, taking victory at Long Beach. In addition she took eight top-10 finishes and eighth-place in the final standings. Day two of Formula Renault UK testing at Rockingham came to an early conclusion for Menasheh Idafar on Wednesday afternoon when an accident ended his test. Idafar made good progress throughout the morning session to lap within 0.1sec of the best time he has managed at the track. Wednesday’s time of 1m 16.027 secs (91.86mph) put him 15th overall and 7th fastest of the 'Graduate Cup' runners. Just three laps into the second session though, the 17-year-old had an accident which resulted in damage to the nose of his car and the steering rack. Disappointed to end his day's running that way, Menasheh was nonetheless pleased with the progress the team made with the feel and handling of his FR 2.0 single-seater. "Everything was well placed for Menasheh to improve his times nicely this afternoon but the accident meant an early end to the day", explained Hillspeed driver coach Matt Shawyer, "In the first session he performed well and was just a 10th of a second outside the best time he'd previously done at Rockingham and just over a second slower than (Dean) Stoneman. Menasheh was happy with the feel of the car. This morning he was seven 10ths of a second quicker than his Tuesday time and confident of closing the gap to the front quite a bit this afternoon. It's a shame to end the test with a small accident but we're looking forward to Brands Hatch now next week." The second officially timed test of the Formula Renault UK pre-season takes place on Tuesday, 3rd March, and Wednesday, 4th March, at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit in Kent. 25-02-09 20-year-old Queenslander, Chris Wootton has been announced as one of just three drivers to be granted a $100,000-plus (AUD) scholarship to compete in the Formula BMW Pacific Series that runs throughout Asia. Fortec’s Riki Christodoulou capped his F3 debut by topping the timesheets at Snetterton yesterday (Tuesday) in the first official test session of the 2009 Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series. Carlin’s Max Chilton was second.
TanderSport has hit the track for the first time in 2009 - and it has been a positive start to the year for the team. TanderSport tested 2009 driver Ben Crighton, from New Zealand, at Winton Raceway in Victoria earlier this week and came away from the test feeling more positive than ever about the season ahead. After ending 2008 with a win in the F3 SuperPrix, TanderSport will this year be led by Crighton who takes over the (now) #52 Dallara F307 Mercedes Benz chassis that finished second in last years series. It was the first time behind the wheel for Crighton since a Mallala (SA) test last late in 2008, and the first opportunity for the team to run the rebuilt and re-liveried car this year. In a highly productive day the team completed several runs designed not only to ease the New Zealander back into the hot seat but also to accumulate data for F3’s return to the track this June. In an exceptionally positive day Crighton returned to the car driving better than ever before and the team came away with a solid bank of setup data for the tight and twisty circuit in Victoria’s north. The team will unveil a brand new livery ahead of the season – opening Clipsal 500 Adelaide in March this year. pic By Richard Craill THE 2009 FORMULA 3 AUSTRALIAN DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP was already set to be a stunning battle on and off the circuit , but the off-track battle has suddenly taken a big step- thanks to a new series partner.. The series has confirmed Meguiar’s as a presenting sponsor of the ‘Meguiar’s Best Presented’ award, to be held at each round. The Award winner will be the team judged to have taken the biggest step forwards in professionalism and presentation on a round by round basis, and has been designed to give teams and drivers further incentive to lift the level of appearance and professionalism within the championship. All aspects of presentation –team uniforms, and pit area, fan friendliness and especially vehicle presentation, will be taken into account. Meguiar’s was founded in 1901 as a simple furniture polish laboratory in the garage of founder Frank Maguiar, Jr. The company now spans four generations of family stewardship and follows its founder’s dictate of never selling a product until it was the very best of its kind on the market. In Australia, Meguiar’s is distributed by MotorActive Distribution. “Meguiar’s are thrilled to establish the ‘Meguiar’s Best Presented Award’ with Formula 3 in 2009,” said MotorActive General Manager Andrew Spira. “This is a great way of extending our passion for vehicle appearance into the motor racing arena and we look forward to encouraging team rivalry on the shine as well as the finish line.” An all new North American stockcar series is to run in Europe this year. The new oval-based Late Model Series is set to launch in the coming weeks. Eric Van de Vyver kicks off the new season determined to follow his policy of helping competitors race under the best possible conditions while keeping coss in check. The first major test sessions get underway this weekend at Magny Cours in France for all then major French V de V series. The FIA WTCC have released the entry list for this year’s championship. Matt Kenseth won his second straight race in the Nascar Sprint Cup at the weekend at Fontana, California, holding off Jeff Gordon to win by just under 1.5 seconds. Third went to Kyle Busch. 24-02-09 Full Speed Racing plans to contest a thel FIA GT Championship in 2009, with Belgian Stephane Lemeret (pictured) as part of its two-car driver line up. The team also plans to race in both the Le Mans Series and, subject to the ACO, the Le Mans 24 Hours with American racer Emerson Newton-John. Ryan Kingshott is the latest motorsport student to be awarded a work placement with the Porsche Cars GB race team. Kingshott will spend Carrera Cup GB race weekends working on the VIP car entered by Porsche Cars GB. The work placement has been made available by Porsche Cars GB for the fifth year running in support of its membership of the Automotive Manufacturers' Racing Association Ltd. “We are pleased to again support motorsport education and give Ryan the chance to spend the race weekends working with the team,” says Marion Barnaby, motorsport co-ordinator for Porsche Cars GB. Kingshott(18), from West Sussex, is studying motorsport engineering at Northbrook College, and already has some experience of a race team. "I've done some work on the single-seater that the college team runs and I've also worked as a scrutineer and a marshal as a way of getting some experience of the sport. I just want to get out there and learn more in the Carrera Cup." Adam Pearson, the student who took the place in 2005, later joined leading Carrera Cup team Red Line Racing in a fulltime position. Meanwhile, 2006 student Ross Clements now has a fulltime role as motorsport co-ordinator at Porsche Cars GB.
New LMS entrant Team ECOSpeed, based in Lugano, Switzerland, is ready to take on the established competitors in Le Mans Series, Asian Le Mans Series, selected events of American Le Mans Series, and, if the entry is accepted, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. ECOSpeed will race a Dome S102, thanks to an agreement with Dome Co. Ltd. Team Principal Frank Van Nunen, has put together a first class Technical Team, headed by Chief Engineer Steve Nichols. The driver line up, team composition, livery etc will be announced soon. New Zytek customer Strakka Racing took delivery of the latest Ginetta-Zytek GZ09S/1 at Portugal's new Algarve circuit last week. Their latest driver Danny Watts did most of the driving on Tuesday while the team’s regular drivers, Peter Hardman and Nick Leventis each did around 20 laps . All in all they managed about 1000km of trouble free running
Vision Racing will run a Firestone Indy Lights entry for 2009 with series James Davison as driver. Both Davison and the Vision Racing Lights team will have a partner in the paddock with which to size up the strong Firestone Indy Lights competition. Just last month, the newly formed Bryan Herta Autosport announced it would enter the Firestone Indy Lights with driver Daniel Herrington via a technical partnership with Vision Racing. Now that partnership has been further extended with Vision Racing's own entry and both teams will operate in cooperation out of Vision Racing's facility in Indianapolis. "The challenge of the 2009 season has created some new opportunities at Vision Racing," explains Vision Racing Team Owner, Tony George. "While we continue to pursue a second entry for our IndyCar Series program, we are planning to take full advantage of our relationship with Bryan Herta and BHA. I have always been a proponent of supporting the development of the Firestone Indy Lights and in particular young drivers. Bryan and I share a desire to establish his program on a firm footing and Vision working with BHA will help accelerate the results we are all looking to achieve." Davison will drive the team's No. 21 Dallara/Firestone machine for his and the team’s second season in Firestone Indy Lights. The native Australian is coming off a rookie season that produced one win (Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course), one pole (Nashville Superspeedway), a second place finish (Kentucky Speedway), three top-five drives, five top-10 finishes and 34 laps led in 15 starts with Sam Schmidt Motorsports. The Speedcar Series will run it’s fourth round of the season at the Dubai this weekend(Feb 27-28). MotoGP rider Marco Melandri will return for the race to try and repeat his excellent performance in Qatar, only with better results. After the first three rounds, the Championship is close, ex-F1 drivers Gianni Morbidelli, Johnny Herbert and Vitantonio Liuzzi currently head the table with just 8 points between first and third while Jean Alesi lies fourth. Marco Melandri made his racing debut at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar and lead for almost the entire second race after finished in 8th place in Race 1. However, four laps short of the chequered flag he suffered a broken gear box and gifted the lead to Vitantonio Liuzzi. Sheikh Hasher Al Maktoum, the only UAE driver currently in seventh place in the Drivers' Championship Standings in the Series is holding his own against the more experienced international drivers.
The winner of the 2009 Caterham Superlight R400 Championship will win a test in a Porsche 911GT3 Cup car as a result of a unique tie-up between Caterham Motorsport and Porsche Carrera Cup GB team champions, Team Parker Racing. The pace-setting Carrera Cup team will run the test at Silverstone, home of the Porsche Driving Experience Centre. Simon Lambert, Caterham’s Motorsport Manager explained the logic behind the new relationship. "In addition to those that race Caterhams for pleasure, the five championship steps of our 'racing ladder' are ideally suited to aspiring career drivers looking to progress into sports car racing. It will benefit us and our drivers to have a clear vision of the best way forward, and the Carrera Cup GB is undeniably the most logical step."
23-02-09
Tony Gilham has unveiled plans to return to the Porsche Carrera Cup GB for a second season and is aiming for overall podium finishes as well as victory in the pro-am1 title. Gilham, of ReDesign Racing, has teamed up with Red Line Racing for 2009. Gilham joined the Carrera Cup GB for the 2008 and now plans to build on that experience. Last season he came very close to beating Nigel Rice to the pro-am1 title and believes that moving to Red Line Racing will give him the best chance of championship success. "I want to be able to run a proper test programme," said Gilham, the former VW Racing Cup champion. "I want to mix it more at the front and I'm targeting overall podiums this year; that's certainly what I'd like to achieve." Gilham had his first test with the team at Thruxton on Friday (20 February) and was immediately confident in the car. "There's more time to come from me, but I had a time that I wanted to achieve and I did that," said Gilham after a productive test session. Further backing for Gilham's programme will come from Design 911, Regal Autosport, Itchy Feet American Motorhomes and Mansfield Property Maintenance.
Hillspeed enjoyed several tests last week, starting at Rockingham they then moved to Silverstone before winding things up at Thruxton. Four of their five drivers ran at Rockingham on Wednesday and Thruxton on Friday, with Formula Renault UK graduates Menasheh Idafar and Michael Lyons joining the the squad’s Formula Renault BARC runners, James Theodore and Ahmad Al Harthy. Daniel Lloyd got back behind the wheel of his Team Pyro-run ELF Renault Clio Cup car for the first time in three months on Friday during an unofficial test session at Thruxton. Daniel produced a best time of the day of 1m 24.7 seconds during session two,the quickest lap of any of the category newcomers Working on some set-up variations during the third of the day’s four 55-minute runs he ended the test with a time of 1m 24.9 seconds during the fourth and final session. “It was a good day, great to be back in the car after such a long time out of it and nice to have a full day’s running at Thruxton as testing there is very limited”, said Daniel, “I familiarised myself with the track in session one and then in session two we produced a lap of 1m 24.7 seconds. We know where we can improve and gain time but we were significantly quicker than the other drivers who are new to the championship. The team did a great job all day and I’m really enjoying working with them. I can’t wait now for the next test in a couple of weeks.” Backed by Propack, The Workplace, Hoyer (UK) and NW Print for his debut season in the British Touring Car Championship-supporting ELF Renault Clio Cup, Daniel is still working hard to expand his 2009 sponsorship portfolio. His next outing is 3rd March at Oulton Park Island Circuit The Australian MINI Challenge will will be even bigger in 2009 when the series joins up with several major events. These include the Formula 1™ ING Australian Grand Prix, Gold Coast A1 ‘SuperGP’, Townsville 400 and the Sydney 400 Grand Finale. With street circuits as well as the normal tracks like Phillip Island for the L&H 500 and Sandownthis season could throw up some seriously good races.. Andrew Herron is eyeing a return to the ELF Renault Clio Cup in 2009 after a great performance during general testing at Thruxton on Friday. Damien White took a second successive win in the WPS Bathurst 12 Hour Showroom Enduro after he took his Mitsubishi Evo X trifecta across the line in this year's race at Mount Panorama. White was partenered in the Team Austalia car by owner Rod Salmon and double Bathurst 1000 winner Tony Longhurst. 22-02-09 Narain Karthiykeyan and A1 Team India added to their championship points tally, with a 6th place finish in the Sprint Race at Kyalami in South Africa. Sunday morning broke with warm and sunny weather, almost ideal racing weather. A1 Team India started the sprint race from 5th position on the grid. . Tony Quinn has won the opening round of the GT3 Cup challenge Australia series at Mount Panorama this weekend. The Team VIP Petfoods driver won all three races despite the safety car interrupting all the races.
Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing (NHLR) have signe Robert Doornbos for the 2009 IndyCar Series (ICS). The Dutchman previously rraced against NHLR in the Champ Car World Series in 2007 winning the race at Mont Tremblant, Canada. He went on to finish third in championship behind Sebastien Bourdais, who took his fourth series title, and second placed Justin Wilson. Most recently Doornbos competed in the China and New Zealand rounds of the 2008/2009 A1GP series. "I'm veryhappy and proud to get this chance to race with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing," said Doornbos. "Racing in the IndyCar Series has been my biggest dream and especially to do it with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. The history of the team and the big success they have had in the past really attracted me and it makes me proud to become part of this winning team. Racing on the ovals should be very exciting. It will be tough, but I'm training as much as possible and am in good condition and ready to achieve results.I'm also excited to race in thelegendary Indy 500.I really want to thank Mr. Haas and Mr. Lanigan for giving me this chance. I'm looking forward to the first race." 21-02-09 The Netherlands and Monaco were the toast of Kyalami today as their respective drivers, Jeroen Bleekemolen and Clivio Piccione, claimed the coveted pole position spots for the Sprint and Feature races of round Five of the 2008/09 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport season, Go-GP.Org A1GP Gauteng, South Africa. While it was pole number four for the Dutch driver it was the first ever for Monaco. Tony Quinn won the first of three races in the 2009 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Australia Series at Bathurst today(Saturday) a race long battle with the 997 Trophy Class car of Nathan Caratti . Tom Gladdis will race in the 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship and becomes the series' youngest driver. British driver Gladdis will be 18 next week, and he joins F2 after finishing sixth in the Star Mazda Championship in North America last year. Gladdis took one victory, two poles and three podiums in just 10 races, having skipped two rounds of the championship through being too young to compete. Tom Gladdis said: "F2 is just so appealing, it's cost effective, high profile and a high level of commitment has been shown by both the FIA and MotorSport Vision. The level of driver talent is huge and it is going to be a challenging campaign, but you can learn so much by racing against tough opposition. This may well be a two year programme for me but the thought of winning a Formula One test will only make me push harder! I'm particularly looking forward to competing at Spa-Francorchamps for the first time as it is a circuit at which I have always dreamt of racing."
Round Five of the 2008/09 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport season got underway in Gauteng, South Africa on Friday with A1 Team France setting the early pace in the rookie session before A1 Team Lebanon’s Daniel Morad posted a 1-minute 30.816-seconds lap to end the day quickest overall in the hot Kyalami sunshine. Sixteen-years after his father won in Kyalami, Nicolas Prost was the first to turn a wheel kicking off the weekend’s action in Gauteng, South Africa. The 27-year-old was the first to go faster than the lap record set by Mauro Baldi in a Ferrari 3338 SP in 1998 and over 3-seconds quicker than the time, 1m 36.390s, set by Nigel Mansell in an ‘old’ Formula 1 car in 1993. The second car out on track was A1 Team Germany getting its first running of the season with Michael Ammermüller behind the wheel, but it was Prost who ended the rookie session quickest with a time of 1m 33.149s: “ “The track is very nice,” said Prost. “It’s pretty hilly and it’s a bit old – style, which is nice, with quick corners. It’s going to be tough with a lot of competition here, but in the rookie session the car was very good. We made a few bad changes let’s say, and I was not that good, but I’m sure it will be ok tomorrow.” Reigning champion Switzerland was first out on track in the final practice of the day, but it was Lebanon’s Daniel Morad who emerged quickest, recording a 1m 30.816s, 0.496-seconds faster than anyone else in the final minutes of the session. 20-02-09 Strawberry Racing and Joseph Reilly were the winners in the Senior Class in last weekend’s Rotax Winter Cup Proteam
Motorsport is eager to defend their 2008 title in the WTCC Independent
Team's Trophy. With this goal in mind, the outfit run by Valmiro Presenzini has signed
two newdrivers for the 2009, Félix Porteiro and George Tanev. Porteiro,
25-year old from Spain, faces his
third year in the World Touring Car Championship having driven for BMW
Team Italy-Spain for the past 2 years, collecting two race wins (Brno
2007 and Oschersleben 2008) and being classified 12th and 10th
respectively in the Drivers' Championship. Tanev, 25-year old Bulgarian,
made his first appearances in the series last year, taking part in a few
events at the wheel of a BMW car run by the Petrol GT Racing Team,
before joining Proteam Motorsport for the final race meeting in Macau. The Liqui Moly Team Engstler have launched their second season in the FIA WTCC. Team owner Franz Engstler, runner up in last year's WTCC Independents' Trophy, was joined by Kristian Poulsen who took part in some selected events during the 2008 season. "I am glad that Kristian joined us. We understand each other very well and I'm sure we can mutually support ourselves," said Engstler. After a successful maiden season, the team is now aiming for claiming the Independents' crown: "The pressure is growing after the good results we achieved in 2008. However, there are so many factors which make a team successful, and the field of the competitors is so strong that we know we'll have to fight hard to succeed," team manager Kurt Treml commented.
A1GP World Cup of Motorsport gave its drivers the opportunity to take in some of the local cultures including a guided tour around the south western Johannesburg township of Soweto this morning ahead of Go-GP.Org A1GP Gauteng, South Africa this coming weekend. read more Coles Racing’s Ed Brand scored his first international victory in last Sunday’s (15 February) Rotax Winter Cup after a nail-biting Junior final in Spain
Yokohama V8 Ute Racing Series drivers, Greg "Freddy" Willis and Grove Fruit Juice Racing team mate, Grant "Grunta" Johnson will take to the track in the #47 Holden VE SS Commodore as the only Ute in the WPS Bathurst 12 hour Endurance race this weekend.. This is the first time in the history of the event that a V8 Ute has entered and Johnson's VE will be driven in Class K for Sports Utility Vehicles. Johnson should find the 12 hour classic a walk in the park having competed in endurance races in Malaysia and most recently the Dubai 24 hour race where he returned to Australia with a class victory. "I always really enjoy these endurance events and seem to do well in them," said Johnson. "It's nice to be racing in an endurance event in my own country for a start but to do it with a team that I know so well, and with co-drivers that I know and trust is very, very exciting." Johnson's team mate Greg "Freddy" Willis will make his second attempt at the Bathurst 12 hour event after finishing in 17th place in 2008 driving a Lotus Exige. "Last year was a fantastic experience but to be lining up in a V8 Ute is a dream come true," he said. "In 2008 I didn't know what to expect from the Lotus but the V8 Ute is something I race throughout the year, so I feel comfortable in the car and know how much I can push it." he Hi-Tech Motorsport team that will be responsible for running the V8 Ute around the mountain this weekend will be lead by Johnson's crew chief from the Yokohama V8 Ute Racing Series, John Pachos. The man everyone affectionately calls "Barrel" said he has complete faith in his drivers and expects that if the car is as reliable as they hope, they may be in with a chance for an outright victory. Jarek Janis will share the Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2R with Tom Coronel for the Spyker factory team in both the Le Mans Series and Le Mans 24 Hours. Although both have raced the Spyker GT2 cars before they have never shared a car. "I am really pleased to be back with the team,” said Jarek, “ After the accident at Spa in 2007 my first priority was to fully recover and get fit to be able race again. Fortunately Peter van Erp gave me a chance to test with the team last week at Vallelunga, Italy, and everything went really well. We successfully completed over 200 laps in two days and the car felt great. Both the aerodynamics and the engine have been improved a lot compared to the Spyker C8 that I raced in 2007". Tom Coronel: "Last week it was the first time I met with Jarek. He is a great guy to work with and although he is young, he is very bright and, most important, quick. If you look at his resume it is easy to understand why Spyker Squadron has chosen for Jarek". Atari have announced that RACE Pro for XBOX 360 has reached the retail stores.Developed by renowned award-winning game developer SimBin, a leading creator of PC racing simulators, RACE Pro brings SimBin's formidable skill and know-how exclusively to the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for the very first time. "Atari is committed to working with the industry's finest developers, and SimBin is at the top of the game when it comes to racing simulations. RACE Pro is the first time SimBin has brought its incredible expertise to console and we're proud to be launching it with them," said Phil Harrison, President of Infogrames, the parent company of Atari. "RACE Pro is the most realistic racing game available on console, and is accessible to newcomers while having the depth to satisfy the most demanding petrol-head." RACE Pro is exclusively bringing all the WTCC cars from manufacturers BMW, Chevrolet and SEAT to Xbox 360 for the very first time. Gamers and racing fans will experience the thrill of racing these powerful cars on 13 real life tracks covering all continents. 19-02-09
Menasheh Idafar made his first on-track appearance of 2009 earlier on Wednesday at Rockingham in Northamptonshire as he p;repares for his first season in the Formula Renault UK Championship. The Hillspeed driver who has moved up from the club-level Formula Renault BARC series, spent the entire day 'running-in' his new FR 2.0 car in the wet. The British-born Bahraini was delighted to be back on track for the first time this year. "Menasheh was very happy to be back behind the wheel, it was a good day", said Hillspeed team principal Richard Ollerenshaw, "Psychologically, Menasheh was very strong and focused and we couldn't have hoped for more from him. The day was all about running-in the new car and everything went very well." Menasheh and the team now travel to Silverstone where they will test on the Grand Prix Circuit today(Thursday). From there, the squad will make the journey south to test at Thruxton tomorrow(Friday) Andersen Racing held another test of two of its Star Mazda cars at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida this week, some 153 miles from the site of the Star Mazda season opener March 20 at Sebring. After Adam Christodoulou and Conor Daly set the two fastest times at the series' test in January at Sebring the team turned to Richard Kent and Denis Navarro to handle the driving duties for the Homestead test. "We ran just two of our Star Mazda cars at Homestead yesterday, as the other two are in the final stages of winter rebuilds," explained team co-owner Dan Andersen. "Richard Kent, who competed with us last year and dominated the season finale, shook down his rebuilt race car and worked on a program involving the series' new aero and suspension components," Andersen continued. "Richard is a terrific driver, and his value as a test driver for the benefit of the entire team was excellent. We learned a lot. Denis tested with us for the first time," Andersen said of Navarro. "He's a product of Brazilian F3. He got up to speed quickly and demonstrated obvious talent by posting times by the end of the day that matched Richard's. With more time in the car he will not only be a front-runner, but he'll contend for victories all season.." Andersen Racing also tested its two Firestone Indy Lights cars at Homestead yesterday, with Jonathan Summerton and Mario Romancini behind the steering wheels of those Dallaras. "Following our complete rebuilds of our two cars and with the new-for-2009 flat-crank engines, we came to Homestead to both shake the cars down and continue to test drivers for the upcoming season," said team co-owner Dan Andersen. " The test ran flawlessly, with over 300 miles being logged and much learned." Andersen said he hopes a deal can be put together so Summerton can race full-time in the Firestone Indy Lights Series with his team. "He is clearly one of the most talented drivers America has produced in recent years, and we know we can win immediately with him," Andersen said of the 20-year-old. "He turned consistently fast lap times, getting into the high 1:16-second area early in the day." He was also impressed with Romancini, 21. "Mario comes to us with an impressive resume from Brazilian F3," Andersen said. "He adapted very quickly and posted very competitive times that were only one-tenth of a second off Jonathan's times. We will continue testing him this Friday on the oval at Homestead, and then next week at the series' open test there. Mario impressed me with his focus and of course his obvious talent, and we are discussing the 2009 season." The 2009 Firestone Indy Lights season opener is April 4-5 on the street circuit at St. Petersburg, Fla. Primetime Racing's Chris Hall will have a little busier schedule for the 2009 season than he previously thought. Hall, co-driver of the Primetime Dodge Viper Competition Coupe in the American Le Mans Series, has partnered with Jamie Rand to form a team in the IMSA-sanctioned Cooper Tires presents the Atlantic Championship powered by Mazda. Hall will drive the Viper with Joel Feinberg for the full 2009 American Le Mans Series schedule. They will start the season with the 57th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida with an attempt to follow up on their fifth-place GT2 finish in last year's race. More than 200 racing drivers will converge on Australia’s most famous circuit, Mount Panorama, for the WPS Bathurst 12 Hour Showroom Enduro this weekend. Along with the 48 entries for the once around the clock encounter, more than 260 other drivers will accompany them to the circuit for the support races. With the classes of Improved Production, Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, Saloon cars, Formula Vee and Holden HQs bringing 56, 47, 55, 55 and 50 entries respectively for round one of the Shannons Nationals, there is sure to be plenty of competitive spirit on track this weekend. Director James O'Brien said he was pleased to be able to welcome so many of Australia’s fans to the Event. "With five race categories supporting the WPS Bathurst 12 Hour race for 2009 the fans at this weekend's Event are sure to see something they can really enjoy," said O'Brien. "No matter what your interest, background or where you hail from, you are sure to find a category and a competitor that you can follow this weekend. The 2008 WPS 12 Hour Showroom Enduro was won by the Mitsubishi Evo 9 of Damien White, Graham Alexander and Rod Salmon.
18-02-09 Last season’s Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship title winners are among a recent burst of entries for the 2009 championship. CRS Racing won the Drivers’ crown with Adam Christodoulou and has confirmed three of its expected four-car line-up. Fortec Motorsport, Entrants’ champion for the last three successive seasons, has registered two of its planned four drivers. Meanwhile, Hitech Junior Team has registered three drivers as it prepares for its debut season in the Formula Renault UK Championship. Driving for CRS Racing, formerly known as CR Scuderia, will be Harry Tincknell, Matias Laine and Lewis Williamson, all of whom raced for the team in the 2008 Formula Renault UK Winter Cup. Tincknell, who will carry the number one earned by Christodoulou’s title win, finished seventh in the Winter Cup, with Williamson sixth and Laine in ninth. All three drivers have impressive karting credentials both in the UK and Europe and will expect to challenge for race wins.
Hitech Junior Team makes its debut in the summer Formula Renault UK Championship, having competed in the 2007 Winter Cup with Jon Lancaster and Marc Murray. For the 2009 season it has registered Nick Yelloly, Hungarian Tamas Pal Kiss and Marlon Stockinger of the Philippines. Yelloly raced in the 2008 Formula Renault UK Winter Cup, finishing 14th overall having raced to 8th place in KF1 Class of the MSA Renault Super One karting series. Pal Kiss finished as runner-up in the 2008 Hungarian Formula Renault Championship, while Stockinger was eighth overall, third in the Rookie Cup, in the 2008 Formula BMW Pacific Championship. The first official Formula Renault UK Championship collective test takes place at Rockingham on 24th/25th February. Dave Freitas Racing’s Chuck Hulse won the opening two races of the 2009 MOLECULE Formula Mazda Challenge. The first, run in changing conditions saw Hulse win after gambling on dry tyres while in race two in Sunday in heavy rain he took his second win of the weekend. In the Standard Formula Mazda class champion, Bill Weaver won on Saturday before Sunday’s race was cancelled diue to the conditions. Team Goddard has signed Japanese driver Sho Hanawa for a full campaign in the Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship. 20-year-old Hanawa will drive a Dallara F307 Mercedes entry for the full Australian championship this year. Yokohama-based Hanawa tested with Team Goddard at Mallala Raceway near Adelaide in January and set times favourable to the benchmark set in qualifying last year. He has also tested at the teams’ home base of Sepang, in Malaysia, lapping within Asian F3 record pace. Team Goddard will test further at Mallala ahead of the first round, to be held at the Clipsal 500 Adelaide between March 19 – 22. The team has indicated a desire to run a multi-car program this year and are currently working on adding a teammate for Hanawa this season. “We know it is going to be challenge to win in Australia because it is a very hard fought championship but we are confident we will be competitive this season with Sho behind the wheel” said Team boss, Mark Goddard. “Ideally we would like to run two drivers and we hope that we can sign up a team mate for Sho prior to the first event.” Team Goddard has entered into an agreement with Adelaide-based Team BRM, who will house the teams’ Australian operations and provide transport and pit facilities this season. Team Goddard crew, including Team Owner Mark Goddard and experienced engineer Roberto Bautista, will fly in for each round of the championship to prepare and run the car as an independent Team Goddard entry. The championship begins at the Clipsal 500 Adelaide on arch 19 – 22.
The sixth season
FBMW Americas got underway
Monday and Tuesday as the Championship held its first official test at
Florida's Palm Beach International Raceway. The driver lineup featured
a good mix of returnees and rookies making their first steps into
Formula BMW competition. Returning driver Gaby Chaves (EuroInternational)
set the fastest time of the final day with a best lap of 1:16.232, while
his teammate Michael Lewis was second-quickest, and fastest in the
morning session, in what was his first-ever outing in the Formula BMW
FB02. "I think the car is quite well built. It's stiff, it has a lot to
it and it really gives the driver a lot to do," Lewis said. "You can
feel the way the changes affect the car, the chassis package is
well-balanced, I really like driving the car." Chaves led a Tuesday
afternoon sweep of the top-four spots by the EuroInternational team,
The new Ginetta-Zytek GZ09S proved quick in the second round of testing at the Autodromo do Estoril in Portugal last week. During three days of trials, Zytek Motorsport and the Quifel-ASM team worked on the development of the LMP2 version. The result, after over 2,000kms, seem to indicate that despite the new ACO regs, the latest Ginetta-Zytek could be a more potent car than it’s predecessor. Quifel-ASM's drivers, Olivier Pla and Miquel Amaral both took turns at the wheel. Olivier said, "At the end of the three days I was very happy with the balance of the car. We tried a number of changes and it’s even better than I had expected. Despite the extra drag and decrease in power caused by the new regulations the team was still achieved a faster lap time with the Ginetta-Zytek than the car that it used last year. I am now looking forward to the season and showing everyone its potential." According to Zytek Engineering operations director John Manchester, the primary function of the trial was to test the Dunlop tyres, which are to be used by the Quifel-ASM team. However, Zytek Motorsport also used the event to evaluate various aero packages and different engine configurations. Quifel-ASM will compete in LMS with Amaral and Pla plus they have submitted an entry for Le Mans 24-hour with Guy Smith joining the team. Ginetta-Zytek GZ09S and Zytek 07S cars will also be run in the LMS by Strakka Racing (LMP1), Barazi-Epsilon (LMP2) and GAC Racing (LMP2). Audi starts the 2009 DTM season at the Hockenheimring on 17 May without a single change to the driving squad from 2008. "2008 was the most successful year in the motorsport history of AUDI AG," explains Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. "The drivers were also a major factor in this, which is why we saw no reason to change anything on our proven driver squad." As in 2007 and 2008, Mattias Ekstrom (Sweden), Tom Kristensen (Denmark), Timo Scheider (Germany) and Martin Tomczyk (Germany) will drive the four latest generation Audi A4 DTM cars, which are once again fielded by Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline. Mike Rockenfeller and Markus Winkelhock compete with year old cars again for Audi Sport Team Rosberg, plus Oliver Jarvis (Great Britain) and Alexandre Premat (France) for Audi Sport Team Phoenix. The only change concerns Katherine Legge, who ran in 2008 with a two-year old A4. She moves from team Futurecom TME to Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline where she will drive a year-old car for the first time. "We decided to concentrate on our three factory teams Abt Sportsline, Phoenix and Rosberg," explains Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. "It's a great opportunity for Katherine to start for the defending DTM championship winning team." For the 2009 Audi has further developed last year's car with detail improvements. The Audi A4 DTM, known as the "R14 plus" internally, meets the competition for the first time at the official DTM test at Dijon between 14 and 16 April. With six Australian Rally and three Australian Production car Championships within the team, the pair of Colin Osborne Motorsport entries for this weekend's WPS Bathurst 12 Hour Showroom Enduro are considered to be two of the best drives. The winners of the past three successive Australian Rally Championships - Neal Bates and Simon Evans - will join long-time Production car competitor and reigning National Champion, Colin Osborne, along with John Roeken, Stuart Jones and Trevor Keene in the six driver line-up aboard a pair of Toyota Celicas for the 12 hour race. "As a team we've enjoyed a lot of success in Production car racing, six class championships, two class wins in the last two 12 hour races and a win in the Production Car class at the 2003 12 hour. Then when you add in two drivers of the caliber of Neal and Simon along with the talent and experience of John, Stuart and Trevor, on paper it all looks promising," said Osborne. "I'm very proud to have compiled such a talented pool of drivers but the thing now is to ensure that we run two cars that are capable of battling it out for the class victory." Australia's A1GP race on the streets of Surfers Paradise in October, will now be known as the SuperGP. Sport Minister, Judy Spence, officially announced the new name, logo and website in Brisbane on Tuesday for the event which will be one of the highlights of Queensland's 150th birthday celebrations. "2009 is a significant turning point in both the history of Queensland and for this fantastic event and the new SuperGP name is a combination of both the V8 SuperCars and A1GP," said Ms Spence. "The Queensland Government continues to support this iconic event and we know that not only is the SuperGP a fantastic spectacle of the World's best drivers, whether they are A1GP or V8Supercars, it also attracts crowds of 300,000 people each year and provides a $60 million boost to the State's economy.” Formerly known as the Gold Coast Indy 300, when IndyCars raced there, the ichange to A1GP World Cup of Motorsport Powered by Ferrari, plus Australia's homegrown V8 Supercar Championship Series, encouraged the name change. This year's SuperGP from October 22-25 will be one of the first rounds of the 2009/10 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport and round 11 of the V8 Supercar Championship Series. Finnish driver Henri Karjalainen has become the latest name to sign up for the 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship. The 22-year-old previously competed in the F3 Asia Pacific Championship in 2007 before moving to Formula Atlantic in 2008. Karjalainen said: "Formula Two is a fantastic opportunity for me, and I'm delighted to have signed up to compete in 2009. F2 has a great history, and now the 2009 championship has the backing of the FIA, so it has real pedigree. For me F2 represents the best chance to progress into Formula One, which has always been my ambition. Keke Rosberg graduated from Formula Two into F1, and I will be trying my utmost to follow in his tracks.." 17-02-09 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport will be in South Africa this weekend at the Kyalami circuit for the series’ first visit to the country. Round 5 of the Championship, the Go-GP.Org A1GP Gauteng, South Africa gets underway on Friday Brands Hatch
will host its annual season launch on Monday 2 March,
and spectators are invited to the
Kent circuit to watch some of the vehicles that will be racing in 2009
completely free of charge. This year’s launch will incorporate a
significant moment in the history of motor racing: the official
unveiling of the new FIA Formula Two Championship car. The Williams
F1-designed vehicle will be revealed to the public for the first time
and will also perform some demonstration laps around the Brands Hatch
Indy circuit. Drivers and riders from major championships visiting
Brands Hatch in 2009 will also be present at the event including triple
World Touring Car champion
In 2009, Volkswagen will again demonstrate its commitment to promoting young talent, by supplying engines to both Van Amersfoort Racing and Performance Racing in the ATS Formula 3 Cup. The first event of which is at Oschersleben on 13 April. "The support of young talent traditionally has a very high priority at Volkswagen," says Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. "We're pleased to now have two strong partners at our side, Van Amersfoort and our new partner Performance Racing. What's more, both teams are bringing promising drivers to the Volkswagen family." The Dutch racing team of Frits van Amersfoort has leased engines for the Dallaras of Laurens Vanthoor (B) and Stef Dusseldorp (NL). The Performance Racing team based in the UK will compete in all 18 races with Adderly Fong (CN) and Rafael Suzuki (BR). The QUIFEL-ASM Team, which will compete in the LMP2 class, is the only Portuguese team taking part in the Le Mans Series championship The first race is scheduled for 4th April on the Catalonia circuit in Barcelona and the Quifel ASM Team is optimistic about its performance. "Within the LMP2 class, the aim is to attack the podium on all the racetracks and, for the first time put a Portuguese team on the podium at the Le Mans 24 Hours," these were the word of Quifel ASM driver Miguel Pais do Amaral at the official presentation at the Estoril Autodrome, Portugal. The team's presentation took place yesterday(Monday) and was attended by drivers Miguel Pais do Amaral and Olivier Pla, and the team's director Antonio Simões. The event also served to officially present the Ginnetta-Zytek 09s, the Quifel ASM Team's new single-seat car bought this year to replace the Lola B04/AER. According to the team's director, Antonio Simões, "The change of car will certainly make the team more competitive in a championship where excellence and precision are the watchwords. The Lola B04/AER brought significant success to the Quifel ASM Team, especially when we won several Le Mans Series races in our class in 2006, and for the first time last year we earned a 4th place in the LMP2, in the Le Mans 24 Hours." The first official tests are scheduled for 8th and 9th March at Paul Ricard Circuit, France. 16-02-09 Nick Padmore and Belgian team mate Jean-Lou Rihon look set to make an impact on the 2009 French V de V Championship with the pair signing for Norma UK. The duo decided to jump aboard the French prototype anufacturer's UK flagship after a strong, yet frustrating, debut season in the series last year and will also compete in selected rounds of the new Speed Series, formerly known as the UK V de V Championship. Norma UK will run Padmore and Rihon in the marques M20F after successful tests at Brands Hatch and Snetterton over the winter. Their 2009 gets underway with the opening round of the French V de V Championship at Jarama, Spain on 20th - 22nd March and Padmore feels he has unfinished business after last season's woes, "Last year was good but we just didn't finish as many races as we would have wanted to due to the fact the cars arrived late and we did most of our testing in the races themselves. But this year the car is ready to go and the first two tests ran very well. We are both very confident of some strong, consistent finishes this year." Alongside his already hectic schedule, Padmore's own team, NPR, will enter a jet-black BMW 320 as an arrive-and-drive package in the thrilling and ever-popular Production BMW Championship. YourRacingCar.com is a new membership club which invites British race fans to get actively involved with a high-profile racing car and benefit from exclusive team experiences and motorsport offers along the way. Collectively, club members will be the driving force behind a Ginetta G50 Cup car, which will be driven in the 2009 HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship support race series by Fulvio Mussi. So what makes YourRacingCar.com different? A simple idea from a young racing outfit with the chance to get involved with an aspiring team. For the average price of a British Touring Car entry ticket, YourRacingCar.com (YRC) offers discounts and freebies from various motorsport brands, including cut-price race tickets, race merchandise and track days to experiences and special club offers. For a season subscription of £25, each member will get the chance to see their name and a logo of their choosing on the YRC Ginetta, various perks, and opportunities to meet the car and driver in the paddock. Fulvio Musso from Colchester is the youngest ever winner of a SEAT Cupra Championship race and has shown promise in this sports car. “The idea was to offer something tangible to our supporters” says Hannah James, manager of the YRC team. “Motorsport fans are wise to the new sponsorship concepts coming out so we needed our club to represent their interests as much as ours. Getting on the grid is everyone’s target and we’ve loved pulling this idea together – it’s not a one-off attempt to get some cash in, it’s a lot more work than that! We will look after our members and this team is going to go from strength to strength. With the focus being on delivering on and off the track, I know we will make an impact in British motorsport”.
Matt Kenseth claimed the lead in his No. 17 for Roush Fenway Racing DEWALT Ford just as the rain-shortened Daytona 500 was brought to a close. Second was Kevin Harvick driving the No. 29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet with A.J. Allmendinger third, Clint Bowyer fourth and Elliot Sadler fifth. "It's going to be really wet out here because I'm crying like a baby," an emotional Kenseth said. "If anybody's leading the Daytona 500 and tells you they want it to restart, they're lying to you. Just to win a race after our [winless] year last year. I didn't know if I was ever going to [win] again and then to pull off the Daytona 500--it's just unbelievable. I'm just unbelievably thankful and humbled right now for all the opportunities I've had." Defending WPS Bathurst 12 Hour Showroom Enduro Champions, Rod Salmon and Damien White, are heading back to Mount Panorama with one goal in mind this weekend, to defend their title. The pair will be joined in their quest for back-to-back victories by dual Bathurst Champion, Tony Longhurst, aboard a brand new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X. "We are coming back to Mt Panorama for only one reason -- to win," said team owner and driver Rod Salmon. "Last year we went there with the thought of a top 10 finish. We only decided to enter five weeks beforehand, and the Evo IX was a hard-lived tarmac rally car. There was a lot of last-minute preparation; even our practice time was spent reconfiguring the entire set-up of the car. But this year, the preparations started in July 2008 when the new Evo X was ordered, and it has been engineered from front to back for circuit racing." The 2009 WPS Bathurst 12 Hour Showroom Enduro will be held at Mount Panorama on February 20-22 with an excess of 140 drivers across 48 entries set to take to the track. In addition to the 12 Hour race the Event will also incorporate the opening round of the 2009 Shannon's Nationals which will feature the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, Saloon Cars, Formula Vee, HQ Holden's and Improved Production 15-02-09 MotoGP star Marco Melandri came very close to winning only his second ever car race on Friday night at Losail in Qatar. In the Speedcar series night race he got to within four laps of the flag before mechanical problems intervened and handed the win to Vitantonio Liuzzi. Team Modena took possession of their new Ferrari 430GT racecar yesterday when it was handed over at Ferrari's Fiorano test track and immediately put through a shake-down by the team. Entered for the 2009 Le Mans Series, the red GT2-specification car was driven by Antonio Garcia and Leo Mansell - the 2009 LMS drivers - and the day also saw Nigel Mansell, a Formula One World Champion and ex-Ferrari driver, return to the Ferrari facility for the first time in 19 years. "The whole day went very well," said Team Manager Hans Muelhbauer. "The Ferrari test driver took the car out, then handed it over to us and Antonio had the first run. Leo then went out and was impressive, he was in a new car on a new circuit and put in a very strong performance - he will be the perfect partner for Antonio. The car now goes to Jerez in Spain for two days of tyre testing next week." The team are running the full season of Le Mans Series races in the GT2 category - numerically the largest in the series with 17 cars entered. The LMS season commences in Barcelona at the beginning of April. Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg took a win a-piece in GP2 Asia in Qatar at this weekend’s night races at the Losial Circuit on Friday.. 14-02-09 The Competition Car Insurance Ford Fiesta Championship will be the name featured on the top of the windscreens for the 2009 season and carried by the three classes in the Ford Fiesta Championship. Paul Harris, Director of Competition Car Insurance said, "We are delighted Competition Car Insurance will be the title sponsor for the Ford Fiesta Championship. The profile of the championship makes it an ideal partner to extend our brand name in the marketplace". Championship organiser Kevin Shortis said, "We are very pleased to secure such a superb sponsorship deal with Competition Car Insurance, such a well known name in the industry. This is particularly well timed as it coincides with a surge of interest in racing Fiestas with many new drivers joining".The Competition Car Insurance Ford Fiesta Championship consists of Si, Zetec & ST classes and will race over fourteen rounds visiting Silverstone, Snetterton, Brands Hatch, Oulton Park , Castle Combe and Lydden Hill. For information about the services offered by Competition Car Insurance visit COMPETITION CAR INSURANCE The opening two events of the new Open Sports Car Series will be broadcast on Motors TV. The races at Silverstone on 11/12th April and Brands Hatch on 9/10th May will be aired in two 30 minute slots and in return the series will be officially called the ‘Race Television Open Sports Car Series’. Nick Barnett, director of the TV production specialists said “We like to work with new series and the people behind it are very enthusiastic. The cars look great so it should come across well on the box”. Series co-ordinator, Alan Jenkins is equally enthusiastic “This is a great boost to OSS . The TV coverage will really help raise our profile and get the series off the ground” Such is the interest already generated by OSS that a class for “closed cars” has been added to the format. “Following some very serious enquiries, including one from a 2008 Le Mans Series Class winner, we have decided to add the class to give such cars as Prosport LM 3000, Harriers, GT1, GT2, GT3 and GT4 the opportunity to join the party. These cars will add variety to the grid and make for some very interesting racing and a great spectacle for the spectators” added Alan. For more information about the Race Television Open Sports Car Series visit OSS The BRSCC’s Ma5da MX5 Championship, which has been granted outline championship status by the MSA, has received over 50 registrations in advance of the new season which starts at Silverstone on the 28th March. Entry forms for all rounds of the ONLY one make, single class Mazda MX5 Championship in the UK are now available from the championship website MA5DA MX5 and the advise is to submit them as soon as possible. Championship Director Jonathan Blake commented “Interest has been phenomenal since an MX5 featured on the BRSCC stand at Autosport International and we are set for a great first season with the BRSCC” The Annual General Meeting of the BRSCC Northern Centre will take place on Tuesday 7th April at the regular venue of The Crown Hotel, Market Place, Bawtry, near Doncaster commencing at 8.00pm. Admission is via a current Club membership card. Formal questions and/or nominations for the Committee (duly proposed and seconded, and including the consent of the nominee) should be received by the Centre Secretary, Mrs Jo Coote, Wisteria Cottage, 19 Ermine Street, Broughton, Brigg, North Lincolnshire DN20 0AH, no later than seven clears days before the meeting. The BRSCC Northern Centre’s annual dinner dance & awards presentation will take place at Artie’s Mill, Brigg, North Lincolnshire , on Saturday 14th March. Tickets priced at £18 are available from Tracey Coe on 01535 652691. Rooms are available at the hotel at a special rate of £44.95 including breakfast. Please call the hotel directly on 01652 652094. The guest speaker will be Deputy Clerk of the Course for F1 and GP2, and Race Operations Manager for MSVR, David Scott. An important function of the dinner is to raise funds via a raffle for two very worthy causes: The Centre’s own Rescue Units and the Lincolnshire & Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance – both of which support the Centre’s Cadwell Park race meetings.
The LADA Sport team have confirmed their three drivers for the 2009 FIA World Touring Car Championship. Jaap van Lagen, 32-year old from the Netherlands and the Russians Kirill Ladygin (30) and Viktor Shapovalov (44), who took part in last year's championship, will start the new season in Curitiba at the wheel of the same LADA 110 cars they drove in 2008. The team, which is backed by LADA Avtovaz - the first Russian car manufacturer to commit to an FIA world championship - plan to switch to the new Priora car halfway through the season. Two units of LADA's new model are due to make their first appearance in Brno (June 21st) or Porto (July 5th). Yvan Muller and SEAT Sport are ready to defend the World Touring Car Championship Drivers' and Manufacturers' titles they have claimed in 2008. The team recently completed their testing programme for the season's opening meeting at Curitiba. After having tested at Estoril and Valencia, SEAT Sport spent two days at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya, where the new livery of the León TDI cars was also unveiled. During this last test the team paid special attention to the suspension setting and adjustments. Xavi Serra, SEAT Sport's head engineer commented: "Test sessions give us the chance to try out technical solutions that can't be tested on a race weekend. The work and information shared by the drivers are vital for the first races, as they help us to decide the basic set-up we will use in Brazil”. Yvan Muller's Croatian youngster Marin Colak will compete in the FIA WTCC in a petrol-engined SEAT León run by the Colak Racing Team. The 24-year old from Zagreb is not a new face in the WTCC paddock; last year he was a regular competitor in the SEAT León Eurocup and, following his victory in the Brands Hatch, he was awarded with races in the WTCC event at Oschersleben. Driving a SUNRED-run León, Colak put in a consistent performance finishing the first race in 13th position overall and third in the Independents' Trophy. At the end of the season he classified second in the SEAT Eurocup with two race wins.After Tom Boardman, Colak is the second SEAT Eurocup driver who decided to move to WTCC. 13-02-09 Amery Motorsport begins its third season in ELF Renault Clio Cup with a three-car team, setting its sights on a first race win in the summer championship and a title challenge. David Shepherd remains with the team for a third year and is joined by Darren Wilson and Dave Newsham, both of whom raced with the team in the 2008 ELF Renault Clio Winter Cup. Shepherd is established in the team, having raced alongside his dad, Jonathan, in the last two seasons. He has had top-six finishes in both of his Clio Cup seasons to date, finishing 18th overall in 2007 and 22nd last season. Dave Newsham, 41, made an immediate impact with Amery Motorsport when he made the switch from Legends to race in the final two rounds in 2008 at Brands Hatch. Qualifying third, he took a podium in round 19, the team’s first in Clio Cup racing. He went on to win the fourth round of the 2008 Clio Winter Cup at Rockingham. Darren Wilson is the least experienced racer of the trio, having begun racing in 2004 in 750MC Stock Hatch series. He has Clio Cup experience after competing in the 2008 Clio Winter Cup. The ELF Renault Clio Cup supports the BTCC on 4th/5th April at Brands Hatch Indy circuit.
Silverstone has donated £4,500 through monies raised from parking fines at the British Grand Prix to four local charities. Brickle Pocket Park, Chackmore Junior School, Whittlebury Primary School and the Silverstone Women’s Institute were all successful in their application to receive a share of funds from a parking fine operation at the region’s biggest sporting event of the year. Parking regulations are implemented at the event to enable the circuit to manage traffic flow on the highway, and in and out of the car parks. Following last year’s Silverstone announced the community initiative, inviting individuals to nominate local charities for consideration. Details of each charity, including the sum of money required and how the money would be put to use, were considered by a charity committee, After deliberating, and in line with the circuit’s strategy to support local educational and environmental issues, the four successful charities were: Whittlebury Primary School £3,000 donation to help fund the purchase of laptop computers. Chackmore Junior School £1,000 donation to help fund the purchase of books and seating for a new library at Chackmore Junior School. Brickle Pocket Park £350 donation to fund the purchase of a brushwood cutter, which will aid a Silverstone-based volunteer group in its efforts to maintain an area of local land that has been transformed from a rubbish tip into a ‘Haven of Tranquility’. The site is now managed as a wild life sanctuary. Silverstone Women’s Institute £150 donation to help fund a bursary for one member of the Institute to attend a residential course at Denman College to further their education. The 17th annual Festival of Speed will be held within Goodwood Park from 3-5 July, reflecting the 2009 event theme of ‘True Grit – Epic Feats of Endurance.’ This theme celebrates the drive and determination of motor racing’s heroes, who overcame huge physical, mental and mechanical barriers in their quest for glory and their unrelenting true grit. In action, on two wheels and four, will be everything from early Grand Prix and endurance machines, to off-road legends and the most popular contemporary racers. Also featuring will be the centenaries of Bugatti, Audi and Morgan, 50 years of both the Mini and the Daytona Speedway, 40 years since Jackie Stewart and Matra’s dominance in Formula One, plus 60 continuous years of both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Motorcycle World Championship – Goodwood will celebrate the huge and lasting influence of these marques, circuits and championships. Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch shared the spoils in Thursday’s Gatorade Duels at Daytona, each winning a race. Their victories also secured second row starting positions for Sunday’s Daytona 500. The 2009 Formula Renault 3.5 series is shaping nicely with 13 two car teams commited s to the series. Three F1 Driver Development programmes are supporting drivers, Charles Pic has Renault vbacking at Tech 1 Racing while the Red Bull Junior Team sponsors Jaime Alguersuari at Carlin Motorsport and Force India has teamed-up wiuth Draco Racing. Vitantonio Liuzzi set the quickest time at practice yesterday at Losail in Doha for the first ever Speedcar Series night event this weekend. He was followed by Jean Alesi and Gianni Morbidelli. Alesi was ahead of the pack for the most of the session before Liuzzi clocked a 2:04.818 in the final minutes, beating Alesi’s time by .049s. The surprise of the day was from MotoGP driver Marco Melandri, who finished an impressive fifth place, just 0.025 slower than Johnny Herbert. Qualifying is this evening(Friday) followed by Race 1 later on at 21:40. ART Grand Prix’s Nico Hulkenberg took his second pole in a row at Doha for this evening’s GP2Asia race. The young German was followed by Campos' Sergio Perez and Vitaly Petrov. .Behind the Top 3, Championship leader Kamui Kobayashi took fourth place while Piquet's Roldan Rodriguez finished fifth. Sakon Yamamoto, Javier Villa, Davide Valsecchi, Edoardo Mortara and Jerome d'Ambrosio rounded out the Top 10. The feature race is tonight at 7pm, local time. 12-02-09
Sir Jackie Stewart will give a masterclass at Glasgow Caledonian University on Wednesday February 18 at 6pm. The three-times winner of the World Championship will give an inspirational talk entitled Make it Happen, focusing on his experiences as an international sportsman and businessman. An honorary graduate of Glasgow Caledonian University, Sir Jackie's F1 achievements place him among the top five drivers of all time and, as well as dominating the international racing circuit from 1965 to 1973, he has developed commercial relationships with companies such as Goodyear, Bridgestone, Elf and ABC Sports and campaigned on behalf of governments across the world on road safety, driver education, compulsory seat belt wearing and crash helmet legislation. Sir Jackie was awarded an OBE in 1972 and was knighted in 2001.Said Sir Jackie: “I am looking forward to returning to Glasgow Caledonian University and working with its students. In Make it Happen, I’ll be drawing on my experiences of being a professional sportsman and businessman; the lessons I learned from my sporting career had a great deal to do with the success I have enjoyed in business.” Professor Robert Pyper, Acting Dean of Caledonian Business School, said: “Caledonian Business School is honoured to welcome such an inspirational speaker." Sir Jackie’s masterclass is the first of 2009 run by the university’s business school, Scotland’s largest. Previous speakers include Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Anita Roddick and Charan Gill.To attend the master class, which is open to everyone, please e-mail: cbs@gcal.ac.uk.
Following last week’s cancellation of the 2009 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Championship, Type-997 GT3 Cup cars will now be eligible for the 2009 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Australia series. Speedcar Series is at Losail International Circuit for its first night race this weekend on 12-14 February, 2009. Running its third round of the season, this will also be the first time that Speedcar Series has raced in Qatar. Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Attiyah, Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) President, welcomed participants of the Grand Racing Qatar event saying, "Our strategy has to always bring a top quality race to the circuit. We have been approached by several organisations to run races here. After long discussions leading up to this weekend, we are indeed lucky and proud to have two good Series racing this weekend as well as some famous drivers like Jean Alesi ." A sand storm in Doha yesterday reduced visibility prompting Gianni Morbidelli to comment "I hope the sand storm clears up by tomorrow when we go out. It's a new circuit and we're racing at night, the sand could make the track very slippery but we will all have the same conditions out there of course." Fourteen driver including MotoGP Champion Marco Melandri and over 7 teams are expected to compete over the two-day race weekend on the 5.4 kilometre long track and the largest permanent venue sports lighting project in the world. Ralf Schumacher has extended his contract and will start again in the DTM in 2009. After his learning year with a 2007 car, he will now race the new 2009 Trilux AMG Mercedes C-Class. The season will start in in Hockenheim on 17th May 2009. The way in which the 2009 Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda champion will be determined has been reconfigured this year. Drivers will count their best 11 finishes from the 12 races in 2009, thereby eliminating their worst result. The number of points and the number of points-paying positions has also changed. A win is now worth 20 points, as opposed to the 31 in previous years. Second place now gets 16 points, with 14 for third, 12 for fourth and 10 for fifth. Sixth nets 8 points, with 7 for seventh, 6 for eighth, 5 for ninth, 4 for 10th, 3 for 11th, 2 for12th and 1 for 13th place. Previously, points were awarded for all finishers in the top-20 positions. The fastest driver in each qualifying session will earn a bonus point, with a "Hard Charger Bonus" of one point going to the driver who improves the most positions from start to finish in each race. In the 10 races with two qualifying sessions, the fastest driver in each session is guaranteed a front-row starting spot and the driver with the fastest overall speed from the two sessions will start from pole. The remaining spots in the field will be filled by in order of the drivers' best speed from the two sessions. Atlantic officials also announced a series-sanctioned testat Palm Beach International Raceway on March 10-11 with the season getting underway on March 20 at Sebring. 11-02-09
Dutchman Carlo van Dam will race in this year’s F3 Euro Series with Kolles & Heinz Union and Volkswagen. Van Dam won the 2007 German F3 title before dominating last year's Japanese Formula 3 series. In 2009, the Euro Series, will hold 20 races over 10 events, often alongside teh DTM. Carlo will also race in the Masters of Formula 3 at Zandvoort. "I look forward to contribute to the success of this new team and working with Volkswagen", Carlo says. "I had a fantastic season in Japan in 2008 and last autumn I had several offers from teams in Formula Nippon and the Japanese GT championship. Then Japanese motor racing was hit hard by the financial crisis, however, so I very much welcomed the offer from Kolles & Heinz Union and Volkswagen. As a driver, to be asked to help achieve the ambitions of a works supported team is very rewarding and of course it represents a great challenge." The new, Luxembourg based team is headed by Werner Heinz and his partner Colin Kolles, Mike Krack, formerly with the BMW Sauber F1-team, is in charge at Kolles & Heinz Union. Kris Nissen, Volkswagen's motor sports director: "Kolles & Heinz Union proves with its drivers choice that they aim to race at the front: with Carlo van Dam they bring an experienced and fast guy to our driver squad." The first two rounds of the 2009 F3 Euro Series are on May 17 at the Hockenheim. Austrian driver Philipp Eng has signed up for the 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship. Eng took part in a test with the BMW Sauber F1 Team in December last year after competing in selected rounds of the 2008 Formula BMW Europe Championship. He also raced in the German Formula 3 Cup during the same season, taking a pole position and podium finish in just four races. The 18-year-old's F1 experience was a reward for his successful 2007 campaign where he finished third in the Formula BMW ADAC series before winning the FBMW World Final at Valencia. Eng said: "In my opinion Formula Two is a great opportunity for young drivers because the costs are not as high as other racing series and everybody has the same vehicles - it is up to the driver to show their ability, which is great. I am really pleased to be joining this championship but I also know that it will be very tough as there are some very experienced and successful drivers in the line-up." Aussie F3 has a new name, a new image and a commitment to developing young driving talent . After ten years of competition major changesd have been annouced beginning with the name. From 2009 the series will be called the Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship. . Team 3G Kester Racing will run a four-car team in the 2009 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear . The Texas-based team has collaborated with IndyCar's Team 3G to create a development program that will help drivers move up the ladder via the Star Mazda Championship, Firestone Indy Lights to the IndyCar Series. The 2009 Star Mazda Championship drivers will include Chris Cumming, the 2008 Star Mazda Championship Expert Series Champion, Taylor Hacquard, from British Columbia and J.C. and Kristy Kester, racing's only professional brother and sister teammates. For J.C. and Kristy, the addition of two former competitors as new teammates shows a promising growth for the team. "I am excited to take on the 2009 season of Star Mazda", J.C. says. "I feel like last year was only a warm up, both for the team and me. So bring on 2009, I'm ready." Kirsty said, "I am really excited about the 2009 season. We really had a growing experience last year, being new to the series as well as being a new team in the series. Chris and Taylor will make a great addition to the team. Last year they were some of my biggest competitors. We were constantly switching positions in the top ten points throughout the year. It will be great to work with and learn from them." The team will have their first test together at the Texas World Speedway in College Station on February 25 and 26. The Championship kicks-off at Sebring on March 20. For JDC MotorSports, the 2009 season is already off to a good start. The 2007 Star Mazda Championship were at Sebring on January 27-28 for the two day official test. As part of the IMSA "Spring Training", the Minnesota-based team not only worked out assorted kinks for the 2009 campaign, but it also showcased why it will be one of the favorites for top honors this coming season. With 2008 series runner-up Joel Miller, Masters Series runner-up Gerry Kraut, Brazilian Caio Lara and Venezuelan Gustavo Linares getting behind the wheel, JDC Motorsports was regularly among the top-five during the five hour-long test sessions, leading the way on two occasions. Further indicating that JDC MotorSports is once again poised to challenge in 2009, the final test session ended on a high note. Lara had been among the top-five in each session before leading the way in the fifth and final session. Miller continued his strong showing on used tyres, posting the fourth fastest time. "I'm very pleased with how the two-day test went at Sebring," stated JDC MotorSports owner John Church. "We had a plan going in and we stuck to it, steadily learning how the new upgrades affect the car. To do that and still be among the quickest in every session, particularly when we did not run new tyres, I think shows we are ready to challenge for the title in 2009. "I really enjoyed working Joel again," added Church. "I'm hopeful he will find the funding and will be back behind the wheel shortly. I think both Caio and Gerry showed that they have the skill and speed to challenge for their respective class titles this coming season and I'm confident that we can give them tools to win races. I also believe that as Gustavo gets more seat time he will be a driver worth watching. Add in the fact that we still in talks with one very talented driver and I believe we are set to regain the championship crown this coming season." Formula Master team Cram Competition took to the track last week in Misano, with two cars driven by 2008 Italian Formula 3 runner-up Edoardo Piscopo, who set the fastest lap of the day, and 16-year-old Alessandro Vita Kouzkin. Piscopo's best time of 1:31.18 was closely matched by Kouzkin who set a fastest lap of 1:31.80 on the Thursday. Completing 70 laps each on the day for Cram Competition, both drivers ran without problems and were only hindered by the lack of grip on the track, as Cram Competition Team Principal Marcello Rosei explains: "We had a very good test but it was the first time that cars took to the track after the winter break, so there was little grip to begin with. It was quite hard to drive to start with, however conditions improved throughout the day. "Piscopo set a good time but could have been even better; we had the potential to set a lap in the 1:28.00 easily but had already used our tyre allocation by the time the track came into its own. Edoardo gave really good feedback; he particularly liked the gearbox on the Formula Master car, whilst Kouzkin did a great job keeping up with Piscopo's times considering how much younger he is." Formula BMW Americas season will start next week as the Championship holds it’s first official test at Florida's Palm Beach International Raceway. Interest in the Formula BMW Americas continues to grow and 15 drivers are expected to take part in the test. Last year's Rookie champion Gianmarco Raimondo will return for with Team Autotecnica, alongside Atlantic Racing Team, three-time team champion Eurointernational, Jensen Motorsport, and Team Apex, as well as new squads Andersen Racing, OS Racing and Robali Motorsports. The 2009 season also begins a new partnership with Rahal Letterman Ventures, as the championship-winning race team assumes the stewardship of the Formula BMW Americas Championship."We are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to get out to the first test of the year and see the next generation of open-wheel drivers getting ready for the season," said Rahal. "This will be an exciting season for us at Rahal Letterman Ventures and we anticipate a great start with this opening round of testing." Next week's test will be followed by the Introductory Test at Carolina Motorsports Park on March 2 and 3. The 2009 Formula BMW Americas Championship will open with Rounds 1 and 2 at Puebla in Mexico on March 20 - 22. 10-02-09
David Brabham will be back at Le Mans in 2009 driving for Peugeot. The double GT1 winner will run in the P1 category in the new-liveried Peugeot 908 HDi FAP cars..
As reported yesterday Daniel Erickson, 2008 CAMS Rising Star and Australian Formula Ford Rookie of the Year, has confirmed that he will compete in the 2009 UK Formula Ford Championship. Daniel has been selected for the AMSF International Rising Star program and will drive an Australian designed and built Spectrum chassis with Kevin Mills Racing. “It’s fantastic to be able to confirm my 2009 plans and to take the next step in my career,” said Erickson. “When I tested the Spectrum with Kevin late last year, I knew that was what I wanted to do. There has been a lot of hard work by everyone since then to put the deal together. I couldn’t have done this without the support of the AMSF, my family, Kevin Mills Racing and Borland Racing Developments,” he added. In preparation for the UK season, Kevin Mills travelled to Australia in January for an intensive ten day, six test program taking in Wakefield Park, Eastern Creek and Winton Raceway. “That was quite an experience,” commented Kevin. “It was minus eight when I left London and we haven’t had a day under 36 degrees since I arrived. It was 46 at Winton on the last day!” he said. With regard to the testing, Kevin stated “Everything went very well. We were able to try a range of set up changes and configurations. Daniel drove extremely well and we learned a lot which we can take back with us.” Daniel will be joined at KMR by Alex Jones, who drove with the team in the 2008 Scholarship Class. With Alex’s circuit knowledge and Daniel’s experience with the Spectrum chassis, it looks set to be a strong year for the KMR Spectrum team.
09-02-09
A1 Teams Switzerland has announced a new commercial partner ahead of A1GP Gauteng, South Africa on 20 - 22 February. Reigning champion Switzerland has confirmed that FORDAHL-FOQ Group, involved in the timing components for telecommunication systems, and cp eyewear and helmets will join its team. “As a leading company in its business area, FORDAHL-FOQ aims at communicating at the highest level,” said a team statement. “For two years, the group’s advertising strategy is based on motorsport sponsoring. The synergies are obvious: in both fields, speed and accuracy are key elements. “Swiss brand cp stands for trendy, innovative and at the same time highly professional manufacturing of sun glasses, goggles and sports helmets. Behind the trend-setting collection is a young design team that has its background in fun sports, fashion and music.” A1 Team Monaco has alkso signed up with a new partner priot to the next race. ProTech of Monte Carlo has signed a three-year partnership agreement, to make an active commitment to become the first racing team in the world to embark on a 'Zero Carbon' programme. The company’s waterless washing product, developed by the ProTech research and development saves 200 litres of water for every car washed. “By adopting the eco-technological aesthetic measures normally used in the context of everyday driving, developed in the ProTech research and development laboratory, to today's competitive scene, we have just taken a step in the right direction,” said Clivio Piccione, A1GP seat holder and A1 Team Monaco racer. Wayne Boyd, the 2008 British Formula Ford Champion has signed up with VW powered team T-Sport, backed by DHL , to race in this season’s British Formula 3 International Championship. Current championship leader A1 Team Ireland has hailed www.A1GP.com’s new facility, A1GP Dashboard. A1 Team Ireland’s Mark Gallagher, David Kennedy and Teddy Yip were not travelling to the races in New Zealand but were able to enjoy enhanced coverage of their team’s successes in Taupo where Ireland extended its lead at the top of the championship table. A1GP Dashboard, available on www.A1GP.com, allows users to watch a car’s progress around the track, together with that of its competitors, and to see speed, g-force, throttle, braking, gears and number of Powerboosts available for a driver to use. In effect, when combined with A1GP’s Live Timing facility, the user has the same information available to the drivers and teams. “Since I was not travelling to New Zealand I used the Dashboard and Live Timing services on A1GP to see how the Team Ireland car was performing and it added a fascinating dimension to following the team,” said A1 Team Ireland Team Principal, Mark Gallagher. “It means that you can see what’s happening on your favourite car and those of its rivals, and when added to the TV coverage on race day it gives motorsport viewers an unparalleled experience. It shows once again A1GP’s commitment to innovation in making the series truly inclusive and accessible to fans all over the world.” A1 Team Malaysia fans have always been known for their enthusiasm since helping the team win the A1GP.com Favourite A1 Team award which was presented at last season’s Gala Awards. A recent online competition on www.A1GP.com has again cemented the loyalty the team has from its fans. Malaysia fans won three of the nine prizes on offer in an exclusive competition featured on the website in December. In a new series of exclusive competitions this season, a host of A1 Team Malaysia goodies were on offer and all of them were very special “money-can’t-buy” prizes. All the prizes, including 'Hear me Roar' exclusive T-Shirts and A1 Team Malaysia caps, were signed by Zandvoort Sprint race winner Fairuz Fauzy, and rookie driver Aaron Lim. A1 Team Malaysia also features unique prize competitions in the Fanzone section of the team’s website. One of the team’s partners, JobStreet.com, is also running an exclusive competition with the ultimate prize for A1 Team Malaysia fans, a trip to the UK to watch the British round of the A1GP Series and join the team trackside. Fans can enter the A1 Team Malaysia JobStreet challenge at www.JobStreet.com . The latest edition of the A1GP RACETALK Podcast is now ready to download. A1GP’s regular free audio podcast dissects all the action from A1GP Taupo with a panel of experts producing a lively debate on all the hot A1GP topics. Recorded after the dust had settled on the latest round of the series in New Zealand, the panel didn’t shy away from any of the big issues, ranging from what happened with some of the cars’ anti-stall devices to New Zealand’s driver-choice and the qualifying format. Current leader, A1 Team Ireland’s Adam Carroll and A1 Team Great Britain’s Dan Clarke were among those giving their opinions on the latest podcast which can be downloaded free from www.A1GP.com or iTunes now. A1 Team South Africa has also come up with a different way of deciding which of its rookies will have the honour of representing his nation at the team’s home event later this month.The three contenders for the position of A1 Team South Africa rookie driver in the fifth round of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport at Kyalami on 22 February are to undergo comprehensive assessments at the Discovery High Performance Centre of the Sports Science Institute in Cape Town on today and tomorrow (9 and 10 February). Racing drivers Gavin Cronje (29), Cristiano Morgado (29) and Wesleigh Orr (20) – all former Rotax Max world karting champions – will undergo aerobic, strength, stamina, visual skill and mental assessments over the two days. “The information gained from these professional physical assessments will assist in the decision as to which of the three talented young drivers will represent their country in Friday’s (20 February) rookie practice session before A1GP Gauteng on Sunday (22 February),” said Mike Carroll, general manager, A1 Team South Africa. 2008 THP Spider Cup Champion Simon Moulton thad qa test drive in the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP at a special test at Barcelona, Spain, on Saturday, February 7. Two wins and a particularly consistent season took Great Britain's Simon Moulton to the top prize in last year's THP Spider Cup in what was 36-year old Simon Moulton's second campaign in the series. As the first part of his reward for winning the 2008 THP Spider Cup, Simon was invited to join the regular 908 HDi FAP drivers for a fitness training session in December at the French National football team’s facilities in Clairefontaine, near Paris, with a view to evaluating his physical ability. Next came a visit to Peugeot Sport's workshops to view the 908 at close quarters and to have a seat made in readiness for this weekend's trip to Barcelona where he was at last able to savour his recompense: a test drive at the wheel of a genuine endurance prototype..., Simon Moulton began with some exploratory laps of the Catalonian track on Friday, before getting down to serious business the following day with an initial sequence of three runs of five laps each. That was followed by two stints of 10 laps, to which the team added a third, bonus 10-lap run. In all, Simon completed 50 laps at the wheel of the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP, covering a total distance of slightly more than 232 kilometres! His fastest lap was approximately five seconds off the best times posted by the 908's usual drivers. Serge Saulnier (Team Manager): "Simon approached the day with great humility. At the same time, he was very attentive and extremely focused, and that immediately put us at ease. He put in a good drive inasmuch as he didn't make any mistakes and did exactly what was asked of him. He took his time to familiarise himself with the 908 HDi FAP before gradually upping his pace, step by step. Seeing that, we decided to give him a few more laps than the originally scheduled number, and that gave us a chance to validate something we were trying on the car." The French circuit Magny Cours will hold the first meeting of Superleague Formula in 2009. Belgian and Dutch fans will have the opportunity to cheer on the colours of their team in the second round at Zolder July 18th while Donington will host round 3 1st August. Estoril gets round 4 in early Septmebr followed by Monza a month later on October 3-4. The final round will be a Jarama in Spoin on Oct 17-18. Formula Master team Iris Project will run 2008 Formula Renault Switzerland runner-up Simon Trummer in this year’s championship. The 20-year-old got his first taste of Formula Master last year when he raced in the last race at Monza, with Iris Project. Trummer went on to test for the team last November in Imola and Valencia where he set fifth fastest times on both days. "I have had the chance to try out Formula Master already in racing and in testing and I think the car’s really good," said Trummer. "I really like the team and it's great to drive with Andreas Jenzer again. It's the perfect step up from Formula Renault for me and I'm looking forward to learning as much as possible this year." After focusing on one driver each season to date, Iris Project will run two entries for 2009 with Trummer's team-mate to be announced shortly. Kevin Harvick, driving the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Impala SS won the 31st running of the Budweiser Shootout. Jamie McMurray was second with Tony Stewart third. 07-02-09 Andersen Racing tested the new car upgrades for the forthcoming Star Mazda Championship at Sebring last month and came out on top with their new drivers Adam Chritoloudou and Conor Daly. In 2009, the WTCC gives a further contribution to make motor sport more eco-friendly by starting the season in Brazil with the whole field powered by second generation bio-fuel. SEAT, Chevrolet and BMW were all testing at Valencia's Ricardo Tormo circuit this week for the 2009 WTCC. SEAT Sport tested on Monday and Tuesday with 4 of the team's 5 drivers - Yvan Muller, Gabriele Tarquini, Jordi Gené and Rickard Rydell all having stints stints at the wheel of the SEAT León TDI cars; 2008 machines updated to 2009 specifications. Jaime Puig, SEAT Sport director, explained: "We have worked on the general set up, with the aim of adapting our cars to the new regulations adopted for the 2009 season. Currently one of our main objectives is to ensure the car's maximum reliability."SEAT Sport will test again on February 11th and 12th at Barcelona's Catalunya Circuit.
BMW remained for three days, from Wednesday to Friday, with Augusto Farfus, Jörg Müller, Andy Priaulx, Alessandro Zanardi and Sergio Hernández along with five 320si cars in 2009 spec. Hernández was impressively quick and consistent. "I'm pleased with his approach. He is very professional in spite of his young age and the fact that he was not used to such long test sessions. He has a great potential and I'm sure he will be able to show it from the start," BMW Team Italy-Spain's principal Roberto Ravaglia said. Tom Boardman will compete in the 2009 FIA WTCC in a petrol-engined SEAT León run by the SUNRED team. During the past season Boardman raced in both the Spanish SEAT León Supercópa and the SEAT León Eurocup, winning 8 times and clinching the Supercópa title. His Eurocup victory in Pau gave him the opportunity to make his maiden WTCC appearance at Estoril, where he finished 3rd in the Independents' class at the wheel of a SUNRED car. "It all feels like a bit of a dream at the moment - I feel like the luckiest man alive. I've watched the WTCC on television for several years and always dreamt of competing in it. Now I have this great opportunity, I'm going to give it one hundred percent," said Boardman. His team-mate at SUNRED will be Tom Coronel. "He did really well in the last year. I think together we'll make a very strong team and be able to challenge for the Independents' titles." 06-02-09
British Formula Ford team JTR have signed Dutchman Liroy Stuart as the first of it’s drivers for 2009JTR boss Joe Tandy, who guided his younger brother Nick to nine race wins in British Formula Ford and to Formula Ford Festival glory, believes Stuart has the potential to bid for wins this season and move on to British Formula 3 in 2010: "We tested Liroy late last year in Spain and he was quick. He has the benefit of loads of Formula Ford experience and he's going to be a serious contender. JTR is in the unique position of being able to take a driver all the way from Formula Ford to Formula 3, and we are looking seriously at making this progression with Liroy." JTR plans to run two Mygale chassis in British Formula Ford in 2009 alongside the recently established Formula 3 operation which brought podium results for Nick Tandy and his Mygale last year. Stuart is relishing his UK challenge after five seasons of Dutch and Benelux Formula Ford experience: "My ambition is to make it to Formula 3 and I think that Formula Ford in Britain will give me a better chance to move up. The championship format is perfect for me: eight different circuits and two or three races at each. I am looking forward to it." Although championship entries have yet officially to open, the top teams have already declared many of their runners for the coming season pic Kakob Ebrey Photography Multiple champions Jamun Racing have named three stars for its all-Mygale line-up: James Cole, who cut his teeth in British Formula Ford last year, Patrick McKenna, one of the stars of October's Formula Ford Festival, and Josh Hill, son of World Champion Damon. The works Van Diemen team has three also: 17-year-old kart star Ben Barker, rapid Brazilian Fabio Gamberini and multiple club Formula Ford race winner Peter Barrable. Welsh driver Alex Jones is to lead the KMR team into battle at the wheel of one of the squad's two Australian-built Spectrum chassis, with the works Ray team returning to the championship to field a car for Indian driver Zaamin Jaffer. A works Juno team is also expected, bringing to five the number of different chassis expected on the grid. The opening British Formula Ford rounds take place at Easter (11-13 April) at the Oulton Park circuit in Cheshire. Seven of the championship's nine 2009 meetings support British F3. The cold weather and the recent snow falls may have stopped half the country from functioning but it didn't stop the RML AD Group from carrying out it's first shakedown of their new Mazda-powered Lola B08/80 LMP2 Coupé. It was also an opportunity for the team to show off the team's new 2009 livery.
2008 Formula Renault Italy Champion Pal Varhaug will graduate to Formula Master this season to partner Fabio Leimer in the Jenzer Motorsport team. Varhaug, from Norway, has been racing with the team for the past two years in the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup, NEC, Italy and Suisse series. The 18-year-old claimed the runner-up title in the Formula Renault 2.0 Suisse series in 2007, before becoming the 2008 Formula Renault 2.0 Italy Champion. "It was important for me to come to Formula Master because the Series is in such good shape," said Varhaug. "Their TV coverage is really important, especially with the current situation, and I really liked the car when I tested it last year; it fitted me very well. "The competition will be hard though, I know my team-mate Fabio and he's very good. But I'm glad I'll be in the same team as him so that I can learn from him." The Porsche Carrera Cup Australia(PCA) Championship has been withdrawn for 2009. The Confederation of Australian Motor Sport(CAMS) has had a strong and open working relationship with PCA since the inception of Porsche Carrera Cup Australia in 2003 and will respond to the withdrawal. CAMS CEO Graham Fountain said the decision was disappointing but understandable. "While this announcement is extremely disappointing, we understand that the harsh economic climate has had a major influence on the ability for Carrera Cup teams to commit to the series and we extend our full support on what would have been a difficult decision for PCA to reach," said Fountain. "CAMS remains committed to supporting the category moving forward and is hopeful that the Championship will return in the near future. "In the interim we will work with the relevant categories in an endeavour to secure an opportunity for the existing owners of 997 GT3 Cup Cars to run in other categories."
05-02-09
Total Control Racing has confirmed the return of Alex MacDowall (Carlisle) to its team for a third season. The 18-year-old finished seventh overall in 2008 after a string of good performances, including a podium at Thruxton. He also had two fastest laps and finished just 13 points behind Mike Robinson (Effingham), with whom he will reignite an inter-team rivalry in 2009. Former karting champion Sam Tordoff (Leeds) is the third member of the team confirmed so far, with more additions expected. Mitsubishi have withdrawn from the Dakar and Cross Country Rallying, In its 26 entries in the Dakar, Mitsubishi Motors have won 12 times, including seven consecutive victories. In addition to this unparalleled record the company also gained 4WD technology to improve its production vehicles. The sudden deterioration of the global economy made it necessary for the company to focus its resources, leading to today's announcement. The 2009 V de V season will get underway soon and V de V Sports have released their calendars, entry fees, etc for their various Championships.As ever they have tried to keep the costs down and maintain friendly atmosphere for all the series. An all Porsche Grid of 47 cars will line-up at Mount Panorama later this month for the first round of the Australian Porsche GT3 Cup. The race , part of the Bathurst 12 hour meeting will see the largest all Porsche grid ever assembled in Australia, The 2009 Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda will feature a $1 million prize to the series champion as part of $3 million in prize money. The $1 million champion's prize is the most lucrative championship payout in a North American open-wheel driver development series. The driver who finishes second in the 2009 Atlantic Championship will receive $500,000, with the remaining $1.5 million to be paid out in per-event race purses. "This is a significant prize package that should attract top drivers from all over the world to the Atlantic Championship this season," said Atlantic Championship President Ben Johnston. "The $1 million champion's prize is not a scholarship. This is $1 million in cold hard cash that the champion may use in whatever way he or she sees fit. Likewise, the $500,000 prize for the driver who finishes second in the championship far exceeds what most other driver development series pay out to their champions, while the $1.5 million in per-race purses makes every race an opportunity for the drivers to win big money." GP2 Asia Team My Qi-Meritus.Mahara drivers Marco Bonanomi (23) and rookie Earl Bamber (18), are both looking forward to making history at the Losail International Circuit, Qatar when they participate in their first ever night race next weekend. Marco Bonanomi will drive for My Qi-Meritus.Mahara for the second time this season while Earl Bamber, will line up for his fourth GP2 Asia race weekend with the team on 13 -14 February. Marco Bonanomi commented, "I expect to show the same potential as in Bahrain but fight for my first points and even a podium. The Losail International Circuit is a new track for all drivers. A night race has different characteristics, but I am confident, especially with the good job that our mechanics will do to prepare the car. I have watched some videos from the Motorcycle GP race at the Losail track and have taken notes. A night race will be much more exciting for sure. " Earl Bamber commented, "the team definitely has good potential. We can be one of the top teams in the points with both cars. I feel prepared for the upcoming race after having completed a 12 day training program in the UK. The Losail International Circuit looks like it will make for a very competitive weekend.!" 04-02-09 DR Racing Kart UK Open Day cancelled due to the snow - After the recent severe weather and further heavy snowfall predicted for the next two days, DR Racing Kart has reluctantly taken the decision to postpone their launch event, originally scheduled to run on Thursday 5 February between 4-9pm. Managing Director, Steve Green says, “Surrey was one of the areas hardest hit by the snow, and we are being consistently told that more of the same is on the way. For our customer’s safety and to make sure that they’re able to get the most out of the Open Day, we have decided to put it back to Thursday 26th February, again between 4-9pm.” Steve admitted that he was doubly-disappointed as interest in the event had been extremely positive. “We’ve had a tremendous response, and I feel very sorry that we’ve had to make this decision. However, I believe some good will come from this postponement - Danilo Rossi will be able to make an appearance. If you’ve not already booked, then I’d urge people to reserve their place. It’s not every day you get to meet a five-time World Champion and get some advice from him.” He added, “Our special guests George Robinson and Adam Jones have again confirmed they will be there, so I think the new date offers a unique opportunity to meet one of the sport’s true legends, get some practical and informed advice plus of course, see our fantastic product range and have a really enjoyable time.” To reserve your place for the new date, simply go to www.drracingkartuk.com and fill in the on-line form. JD Motorsport, winners of the 2008 Formula Master team title, have confirmed Bulgarian driver Vladimir Arabadzhiev as one of three drivers for their 2009 campaign. Having raced with the team in 2008, winning a race at Estoril in Portugal, Arabadzhiev will return to JD Motorsport for a second season. The 24-year-old scored a further two podiums last year and looks forward to improving his winning score in 2009. "I'm very happy with the team; 2008 was my first year with them and with Formula Master and I'm glad to be coming back," said Arabadzhiev. "This year, I hope for better results; I have a good training plan in place to make sure we have a strong campaign and then we'll see from then onwards." Arabadzhiev drove for the team throughout the Series' winter testing and will return to the Formula Master car for the first 2009 official testing session in Valencia, Spain, on 1-2 March. Fiskens to debut a remarkable collection at Retromobile, Paris. London’s leading historic automobile dealership, Fiskens, will this week be displaying seven motor cars - some of which have never been offered for sale publicly before - at Retromobile, one of the world’s most prestigious historic motor shows. The 43rd edition of the ten-day, Paris-based show is set to attract over 300 exhibitors from all over Europe with Fiskens’ setting the standard, displaying an impressive and eclectic selection of machinery from their current stock list. Jake Rosenzweig has signed with Carlin Motorsport for the 2009 Formula 3 Euro Series. The Massachusetts resident has progressed throughvarious series to reach this level in motorsport. Bck in 2006 and 2007 he raced Karts with a CRG chassis, scoring multiple podiums throughout the two seasons in the Snap-on Stars of Karting Series. Aftert aking eighth in the overall national title chase in 2006, Rosenzweig focused on the Intercontinental A (ICA) national championship in 2007, competing in both the East and West divisions of Stars of Karting. The East division championship brought him his best results taking second in the championship. In the West, some strong runs mixed with bad luck would see the CRG pilot claim the fifth. At the National Finals Rosenzweig claimed two fourth place. The now 19-year-old Formula Renault graduate will partner with British F3 race-winner Brendon Hartley in Europe as Carlin Motorsports adopts Volkswagen power in the series this year. 03-02-09
Photographer Bob Bull has a large number of
photo albums on a free to view/download website, which may be of
interest to Race fans and drivers alike. There are no commercial
implications and all pics are free to use.www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/rbmapics
JDC MotorSports have signed Brazilian Caio Lara for the team in the 2009 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear. Seeking to build on a championship-winning effort in 2007 and a runner-up finish in the driver championship last year, JDC Motorsports have signed Lara who joins the team having just completed his debut season in the series, finishing eighth in the points. As part of multi-car effort, Lara will partner one or two yet-to-be-named drivers in the 13-race campaign. The team also ran Lara last week at the first official test in Sebring. A native of Sao Paulo, Lara first got behind the wheel via karting, racing in his homeland from 2004 to 2006, regularly challenging for title in both the junior and senior classes. Lara made the switch to Formula Ford at 16, becoming one of the drivers to beat, setting a series record by finishing on the podium in all 10 rounds as a rookie on his way to third in the championship. IN 2008 Lara moved to Star Mazda, earning six top-10 finishes. "We are very excited to have added Caio to our 2009 driver lineup," stated JDC MotorSports co-owner John Church. "He showed great potential in his rookie season and we plan to have him challenging for race wins each weekend." Masters Announces Private Test Day at Donington Park ! Masters have been able to secure a ‘noisy’ Test Day at Donington Park on Thursday April 2nd 2009, useful preparation for the Festival there on May 9th/10th. Please book your space today using the attached booking form. In response to feedback from last year’s Test Day, they have split the day into one fewer groups, to ensure more track time and less waiting around between your sessions. The Test Day will run between 09.00 and 17.00 with a one-hour lunch break, catering for 3 groups: - Single-seaters, Sportscar and GT/Saloons. The Test Day is open to Masters Members and Non-Members alike. Included in the fee for the day is a bacon sandwich & coffee from the Donington Diner to start your day off. The Masters Technical Team will also be on hand throughout the day to help or advise you with any queries, in advance of your first race. Anyone who would like to have a space in a pit garage, these are available on a first-come-first-served basis at a cost of £25.00 per car. You may have additional drivers in your car on the day, but there is an extra charge of £50.00 per person for these drivers. Please note that all drivers must possess a current racing licence which should be presented at Signing On prior to taking to the track. T-Sport have announced that Adriano Buzaid will race for the team in the 2009 British F3 International Series. The 20 year-old Brazilian will drive one of T-Sport's Dallara-VWs in the British F3 Championship Class. Adriano finished third in the 2008 Formula Renault UK Championship, taking five victories and six pole positions along the way. His goal for 2009 is to run at the front in British F3 and challenge for race wins. "As this is my first year in F3 it is very hard to predict what will happen," said Adriano. "But I know with the right equipment I can challenge for the championship. My plan is to work hard, win races and fight for the title. I have been hard at work in Brazil over the winter finalising sponsorship deals and I intend to make sure I make the most of this opportunity as I have had to push hard to get it. I am very happy with the testing I have done so far with T-Sport; I have already settled in well with the team and, if I can continue where Sergio Perez left off, it will be a good year.” T-Sport Team Principal, Russell Eacott, is keen to get the 2009 season underway. "Sergio (Perez) did a fantastic job for us last year and only just missed out on the F3 title. It's good to see he has gone on to win in GP2 as we always knew he could go all the way. Adriano (Buzaid) is going to be a fantastic addition to the T-Sport team as we enter an exciting new era with a new engine partner and a renewed optimism. I think Adriano can challenge for wins and play a big part in producing another great year of racing for T-Sport." T-Sport's complete driver line-up will be announced in due course. Zytek will shakedown Strakka Racing's Ginetta-Zytek GZ09S/1 LMP1 this month. Strakka will be heading to The Autodromo Internacional do Algarve on the 18th-19th February where Zytek will hand the car over and regular drivers Peter Hardman and Nick Leventis will give the new Ginetta-Zytek GZ09S/1 its maiden outing. Strakka will be anouncing a third driver within the next few weeks. Quifel-ASM took delivery of its new Ginetta-Zytek GZ09S/2 LMP2 last week. The Portuguese team successfully completed a shakedown of its new car at the Estoril. The Ginetta-Zytek ran faultlessly for 78 laps of the Portugeuse track, completing over 320km. Although the weather was far from ideal, the shakedown provided an opportunity for Miguel Amaral to experience the Ginetta-Zytek for the first time and allowed Olivier Pla to renew his acquaintance with the machinery. The Frenchman previously tested an LMP2 Ginetta-Zytek at Snetterton and raced an LMP1 version at Petit Le Mans in 2008. Quifel-ASM driver Olivier Pla enthused "The car felt very good, there are some differences between the GZ09S/2 we were testing this week and the 07S/2 I drove last year, but the car feels very familiar, the balance is still very good. We had a very productive test until the bad weather set in. We completed a lot of miles and the car was very reliable which is a good sign. Obviously I know the quality of the Ginetta-Zytek chassis from my previous experience, but the GZ09S/2 is another step forward." In 2009, Quifel-ASM will compete in the Le Mans Series with Miguel Amaral and Oliver Pla at the wheel, it has also submitted an entry for the Le Mans 24 Hours. Quifel-ASM will complete further testing of their new Ginetta-Zytek during February again at the Estoril circuit. Also present during the test was a Ginetta G50Z continuing the development of the 3.4 Litre Zytek ZG348 housed in a Ginetta G50 chassis. The G50Z, driven by Danny Watts, was as reliable as its prototype cousin, completing the test without any significant issues and providing valuable data for the progression of this exciting project. Ginetta Cars Richard Dean commented "the G50Z was faultless; we are delighted with the test and certainly very pleased with the pace of the car. This car can win races in GT championships; it is a serious piece of kit". Ginetta received its first customer order for the new GT specification G50 at Estoril. Completing a busy few weeks for While the 2009 Atlantic Championship schedule was announced last autumn, both the Hutchinson Island road circuit in Savannah, Ga. and Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Ill. were subject to circuit homologation. While the Atlantic Championship has approved Autobahn Country Club for use, the homologation process revealed that the safety systems currently in place in Savannah are not adequate for Atlantic competition. As a result, the race in Savannah has been postponed until 2010. With the postponement of Savannah, it was decided during the meeting that doubleheader races would be contested at New Jersey Motorsports Park and Autobahn Country Club in order to arrive at the desired 12 races for 2009. The full 2009 Atlantic schedule is as follows: The new ATS Formula 3 Cup calendar has been announced, 18 sprint races held on nine race weekends. Over the course of this season, Germany's fastest single-seater series is going to race at every permanent German racetrack plus the TT Circuit in Assen, Netherlands. The new event package called 'ADAC Masters Weekend' will include the ATS Formula 3 Cup, GTs and close-to-production touring cars, a mix that should be attractive for all motor-racing enthusiasts. From this season, the ATS Formula 3 Cup teams an drivers will not only have the chance of preparing for the remainder of the weekend in a 60-minute practice session, while race distances has been extended to 30 minutes. While the two qualifying sessions for race one and two remained the same at 30 minutes. Lola Cars International Ltd have revealled the 2009 development updates to its LMP2 vCoupe sportscar, which will see significant performance gains this year. For 2009 the Lola LMP2 will see major revisions to the rear bodywork and undertray, developments that will give its customers significant performance gains. Lola engineers have also exploited a recent upgrade in its CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) capabilities, contributing greatly to the new look cars. Commenting on the changes to the LMP2 design, Lola Managing Director, Robin Brundle said: "Our engineers in Huntingdon have been working tirelessly in the on-site 50% scale windtunnel, honing new and innovative aerodynamic designs for the LMP2. As a company we are determined to prove that our customer sportscars are the fastest and most reliable cars on the grid. 2009 will see the hard work come to fruition and add more success to the Lola brand's rich heritage of winning in endurance racing." In the American Le Mans Series, Lola are supplying two cars to Dyson Racing who will compete for the LMP2 crown with Mazda power. This combination got off to a flying start during the official pre season test at Sebring in Florida last week. Chris Dyson, driver and Team Principal for the Dyson Racing team said: "I could not be happier to be behind the wheel of the latest Lola. The car is fundamentally very good and has a huge amount of potential. The engine is strong and the car's feedback gives the driver a lot of confidence." In Europe, Paul Ricard will be the venue for the traditional pre-season Le Mans Series test on March 8-9. Lola are set to have 8 LMP cars in action this season in the 5 round series, three in LMP1 (2 x Aston Martin Racing entries as well as the Speedy Sebah B08/60 car) and five in LMP2 (2 for Racing Box and one entry each for RML, Kruse-Schiller and Speedy Sebah). Lola will supply LMP1 sportscars to Aston Martin Racing for the 2009 Le Mans 24 Hours and Le Mans Series. The Huntingdon cars will be powered by a production based V12 Aston Martin engine and race in the evocative blue and orange livery of Gulf Oil. Martin Birrane, Executive Chairman of Lola Group commented: "Lola's first collaboration with Aston Martin was 40 years ago with John Surtees racing the iconic Lola T70 MkIIIB with an Aston Martin engine. I am very pleased that Lola and Aston Martin Racing are competing together again, as the joining of these two great brands in 2008 proved to be very effective. I am hopeful that this partnership will be even more successful during the 2009 season". The 77th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours take place over the weekend of 13- 14 June. 02-02-09
Manor Competition, have announced 3 of it’s drivers for the 2009 Formula Renault UK team. They are Thomas Hylkema, David McDonald and Alice Powell The winner of the 2009 Caterham Superlight R400 Championship will win a test in a Porsche 911GT3 Cup car as a result of a unique tie-up between Caterham Motorsport and Porsche Carrera Cup GB team champions, Team Parker Racing. The pace-setting Carrera Cup team will run the test at Silverstone, home of the Porsche Driving Experience Centre. "We’ve taken drivers such as Barry Horne straight from Caterham racing to championship victory in the Carrera Cup GB," said team boss Stuart Parker. "The racecraft and car control skills that develop exceptionally quickly behind the wheel of a Caterham are the perfect grounding for a potential Porsche driver." Simon Lambert, Caterham’s Motorsport Manager explained the logic behind the new relationship. "In addition to those that race Caterhams for pleasure, the five championship steps of our 'racing ladder' are ideally suited to aspiring career drivers looking to progress into sports car racing. It will benefit us and our drivers to have a clear vision of the best way forward, and the Carrera Cup GB is undeniably the most logical step." One of the two winners of this year’s £50,000 Carrera Cup GB Scholarship Programme is former Caterham Roadsport-A front-runner Lewis Hopkins. He will join former Caterham R400 racers Ollie Jackson and Charles Bateman on the Carrera Cup grid in 2009.
The return of Minister engines to British Formula Ford in 2009, plus the expansion of Premier Power's campaign to supply the works Van Diemen team presents the biggest-yet threat to the dominance of Scholar Engines who have enjoyed a near monopoly of the wins in the series for the past few year,
Regular British
GT 2008 podium finishers Aaron Scott and Craig Wilkins The Provision of a Safety Car is being introduced into the Formula Renault BARC Championship regulations for the 2009 season. Discussions between Renault Sport UK and the BARC have resulted in favour of the move, which brings the club-level championship in line with the national-level Formula Renault UK series. It is hoped the move will lead to less interruption of races, in cases where a red flag has been necessary in the past.The introduction of a Safety Car procedure adds to the educational element of the low-cost Formula Renault BARC Championship. Safety Car regulations in all UK registered domestic, national and international level championships have been revised by the MSA, requiring drivers to cease racing as soon as they are notified of a Safety Car period by waved yellow flags and ‘SC’ boards. Formula Renault BARC Championship drivers will be required to follow the same regulations. Series Organisers plan to incorporate a briefing on Safety Car procedure during the official Formula Renault BARC Championship test day at Rockingham on Wednesday, 29th April. Last Monday (26 Jan) following the A1GP race at Taupo, Ferrari and A1 Teams Ireland and New Zealand completed some testing to try out a version of the pressurised fuel collector at high ambient temperatures. The data collected will be validated by A1GP Technology in further factory tests to produce a modification for all team cars prior to the A1GP Gauteng event in three weeks’ time. Team Principal Mark Gallagher: "We were asked to help out with the test and were happy to oblige. Naturally for reasons of fairness we could not use Adam Carroll for this test, nor carry out any performance testing of benefit to the team, but it was very useful for Niall Quinn to get some decent running in the car. It was nice as championship leaders to be asked to assist A1GP and Ferrari with this test and to help them ensure that the superb new A1GP Powered by Ferrari car continues to provide the teams with a strong, reliable package. We’ll focus all our energies on the next race in Gauteng, South Africa. Kyalami is a new track for everyone in A1GP and will be another leap into the unknown.” A1 Team New Zealand also ran its car in the test, and worked with Ferrari and Magneti Marelli so they could gain a better understanding as to why a small number of cars – including the New Zealand car – were affected by problems during the Taupo event with the drivers’ application of the anti-stall system. Further details have been revealed of the fabulous prize on offer to British GT drivers in the Rolex 24 at Daytona Driver Challenge presented by Sunoco. The highest point-scorer in a series of Sunoco-fuelled European championships, including the Avon Tyres British GT Championship, the Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series, Radical UK Cup and SPEED Sports Prototype Series, will win a seat in a Daytona Prototype for the 2010 Rolex 24 at Daytona. Not only that, but the winning driver will also get flights to and from Florida, accommodation, testing and free fuel for the legendary 24-hour race. The competition is sponsored by the International Speedway Corporation and Sunoco. The Anglo American Oil Company, Sunoco's European and Middle East distributor, will administer the programme. Anders Hildebrand, Anglo American's managing director, said: "This is an amazing prize that every sports car racer in Europe will be keen to win. The Rolex 24 at Daytona is one of the iconic races, and we are delighted to be involved in this programme to increase interest in the Rolex 24 among European racers and fans." The Avon Tyres British GT Championship will be contested over eight meetings, commencing at Oulton Park over the Easter weekend (11-13 April). Six of the meetings - including May's visit to Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium - will feature twin one-hour races, with those at Donington Park and Silverstone playing host to two-hour endurance classics. British GT is sponsored by Avon Tyres and is further supported by motorsport insurance specialist AON, by Sunoco Racing Fuels and by Anglo American Oil Company. 01-02-09 Former McLaren boss Teddy Mayer has died. Mayer led the team when founder Bruce McLaren died in 1970 taking two world Championships, the first with Emerson Fittipaldi in 1974 and the second with James Hunt in 1976.He left McLaren when Ron Dennis took over in 1982. He made a brief return to F1 in 1985 and 86 with the Haas Lola team before returning to the US to work with Penske. Three drivers from the Raptor Racing CAMSO V8 team took part in the 2009 Dakar Rally. Jos Jansen retired early but Kurt Dujardyn and Anton Gonnissen went on to complete the event finishing 11th and 12th respectively in the Quad class. They were not the only stockcar drivers there, NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Robby Gordon took third position in the car class in a modified Hummer. The three Raptor drivers are now getting some well earned rest ahead of the 2009 CAMSO V8 season. CAMSO has released dates for the 2009 CAMSO V8 Schedule. 10 Rounds and approximately 31 races, it is going to be a busy year! Rookie training for interested parties will start next month. Completing their test plan early, Genoa Lights leaves Homestead-Miami Speedway with the top time of the day. As things were progressing so well that Genoa decided to trim out the car, install new tyres and run a qualifying simulation. Driver Richard Philippe, in his first experience with this qualifying format, put in a 2-lap average that was faster than the 2008 pole speed. Richard relayed to the team that it, "... seemed easy". This performance on the oval capped a near perfect week for Genoa and drivers Richard Philippe and Charlie Kimball. On Monday Philippe set a new lap record at the Palm Beach International Raceway road course. While on Tuesday Kimball had the fast time of the day right up to the last lap of the test. Then onThursday, Richard Philippe setthe fastest time, under the 2008 pole, on the Miami-Homestead oval. Italian F3 champion Mirko Bortolotti joins Red Bull as their third driver in Formula Two Red Bull has signed Italian F3 champion Mirko Bortlotti as part of its junior driver programme, and placed him in the FIA Formula Two Championship for the 2009 season. Bortolotti has recently tested a Ferrari F2008 F1 car as part of his F3 title prize. This came after his 2008 Italian F3 Championship, where he took nine wins and a 15 podiums in just 16 races. A run in the new A1GP car and the F1 test with Ferrari followed, before Red Bull asked Bortolotti to join its Junior Team. To celebrate the successful launch of DR Racing Kart UK, Steve Green and his team have an Open Day on Thursday 5 February, between 4-9pm. It’s your chance to see the exciting new chassis range, meet the DR Kart team and get some expert advice from two special guests. DR Kart UK boss Steve Green says, “Come and join us! We’ve got Rotax guru George Robinson, and 100c PR’s Adam Jones dropping in. George will be discussing the finer points of getting the most out of your Rotax motor and Adam will talk about the importance of driver PR and marketing. We’re also laying on some delicious food and some very nice wine – Italian, of course – so we’d be delighted to welcome you.” To reserve your place, simply go to www.drracingkartuk.com and fill in the on-line form.Whilst on the website, you’ll also be able to learn more about the range of complete karts, chassis, parts, accessories and clothing. And don’t forget to read Karting Magazine’s DR Kart track test in the latest issue. Ollie Millroy completed his first 2009 test session with Kent based Motaworld Racing and set a time 0.6secs quicker than the pole time set at last year's Asian Pacific Formula BMW race. The 2008 BMW junior development driver completed two very constructive days of testing on the Sepang Grand Prix circuit, in temperatures of 38C and declared the two days 'very solid'. "The team and I work very well together and considering I haven't been in a Formula BMW car since the world final in Mexico, at the beginning of December, we were more than happy with the lap times," said Ollie. "Although I was quick when we put new tyres on, we know where we can still find a bit more time, so if I race here in April I should be mega quick. "The team start building the new cars up when they get back to the UK next week and as soon as they are finished we will shake them down on a UK circuit before we start the official testing in March. It's never easy to win when you're racing against some of the best young racing drivers in the world but I know what I have to do and I intend doing it. It's a good feeling to start the season in a good car and we will be ready for the first race of Formula BMW Europe, which takes place alongside the Spanish Grand Prix, in Barcelona on 9th and 10th May 2009." Ollie's next outing will be some unofficial testing in the UK in February before the first official test on 2-3 March in Barcelona.
The opinions expressed on this site are not necessarily shared by 11/56 MotorSport or any of theGrid team
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The
British Formula Ford Championship
Barwoman
Motorsport MINI Challenge team
Daniel
McKenzie will race in the Cooper Tires British Formula 3 Championship
The
Heritage Grand Touring Car Challenge
Thomas
Hylkema
Hillspeed’s
leading Formula Renault BARC contender Ahmad Al Harthy
American
Josef Newgarden
In addition to the full Formula Ford campaign, Newgarden test the team's
F3 Mygale. The 2009 British Formula Ford Championship commences on
Easter weekend (April 12-13), with the opening rounds at the Oulton Park
Circuit in Cheshire
Full
Speed Racing has signed Christophe Bouchut
Hillspeed’s
Menasheh Idafar made a good start to official pre-season Formula
Renault UK testing at Rockingham yesterday, Tuesday, 24th February,
during the first of two days of at the track. He was joined by over 20
other competitors for the first time this year as Renault Sport UK’s
officially sanctioned test got underway. Setting a best time of 1m
16.748 secs (90.99mph) during the morning’s opening session, Menasheh
was a respectable ninth overall and fourth fastest of the championship
newcomers. He also ran well in the afternoon but couldn’t quite match
his best from the morning. At the conclusion of the first day, Menasheh
was just over a second off pace-setter Dean Stoneman on combined
times. “We were fairly happy with the ninth fastest time
yesterday morning”, commented Hillspeed’s Matt Shawyer, “Unfortunately
in the afternoon Menasheh wasn’t able to improve his time but we know
where we need to make some changes. It was a good day but we’re aiming
to be faster during today's runs." 
AIM
Autosport have signed Candian David Ostella and
Jorge
Goncalvez
Formula
Renault racer Kieren Clark
JHR,
one of the most respected teams in the BTCC support race paddock
Track
modifications at Silverstone Circuit look set to make it one of the
fastest circuits on the MotoGP calendar
RML
AD Group were at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve
Tom
Bradshaw and Lewis Hopkins, the Porsche Carrera Cup GB Scholarship
Switzerland
Jeroen Bleekemolen took the Netherlands’ first victory 
Menace
Idafar
Larbre
Competition will race in the Le Mans Series in 2009
Menasheh
Idafar
Michael
Caine 
Silverstone
has revealed plans to make several modifications to the track and
spectator viewing areas at the Northhamptonshire venue The most
significant alteration is a new section of track running from the
approach at Abbey corner to a spectacular 'Arrowhead' at the inside of
Becketts. The Arrowhead will then join up with the existing National
Straight. 
ELF
Renault Clio Cup rookie Daniel Lloyd
Fortec
Motorsport
Texas-based
team Mundill
Andy
Priaulx(left), who will be performing some high-speed laps in his
BMW 3-Series. British Touring Car driver Tom Chilton will be taking to
the track in his new 
Strakka
Racing have confirmed Danny
The
work at the Marrakech street circuit that will host the third WTCC
meeting
Tim
Bridgman will return to the Porsche Carrera Cup GB this year
SG
Formula will enter eight Formula Renault 2.0 cars
The
Historic Sports Car Club
British
fans have been snapping up tickets for the 2009 FORMULA 1 SANTANDER
BRITISH GRAND PRIX
The
Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series is shaping up well
Enigma
Motorsport has signed Jason Mills and Archie Hamilton
as their drivers for their first season of competition in the British
Formula Ford championship. Enigma Motorsport is the new racing team
founded by race-winning driver turned team manager; Linton Stutely and
chief engineer Thomas Farquhar, will enter both cars in the Scholarship
class of the series. 19-year old Jason Mills, will make his debut in
the championship driving the teams Mygale 06 chassis with a Premier
Power prepared engine. Jason, a former karter and Formula Vee racer
said: “I feel Enigma Motorsport is the best choice for me as a driver
in my first year of Formula Ford and having Linton as my team manager
and driver coach is going to help me really improve my performance”
Joining Jason at Enigma Motorsport in a Mygale 07 chassis, again powered
by Premier Power will be 17-year old Archie Hamilton, grandson of 1953
Le-Mans winner Duncan Hamilton. Having previously sampled a Formula Ford
Duratec at the 2008 Formula Ford Festival, Archie is looking forward to
joining Enigma: “I am delighted to sign with Enigma Motorsport. My
main aim is to win the Scholarship Class, and I am confident I can put
up a good fight after my strong performance at the Formula Ford Festival
last season in a Mygale. I am sure we can be a front running team and
can't wait for the season to start!” Co-founder of Enigma Motorsport,
Linton Stutely, is happy to have captured the signings of two
up-and-coming drivers to join the new team: “I’m pleased to have signed
both Archie and Jason to join our team and hope together we can achieve
some good results in the first season for Enigma” pics
- 
Manor
Motorsport has signed up Brazilian pairing Cesar Ramos and Pedro Nunes
for the 2009 F3 Euroseries. The team plan to run four cars in the
Championship which kicks-off at Hockenheim on March 16-17th. Manor
expect to announce a third signing very soon.
Formula
One World Champion and President of the British Racing Drivers’ Club
Damon Hill OBE
Craig
Breen
Kevin
Mills Racing is the latest British Formula Ford team
Chevrolet
tested from Wednesday to Thursday
The
Mitchlestown forest in County 
The
long-term future of one of the iconic names in British motorsport, Grand
Prix Racewear
Team
Pyro has announced four drivers for the forthcoming ELF Renault Clio Cup
season. The team which won the title on 2008 with Ben Winrow is
aiming for a repeat performance in 2009. Joining their bid is Jeff Smith
from Wellingborough who will carry the number one plate earned by
Winrow’s victory. He will be joined by Clio Winter Cup champion Árón
Smith (Rathfarnham), ex Ginetta Jnr race winner Daniel Lloyd
(Huddersfield) and Alex Dew (Bampton)
Rob
Garofall will drive the new 2009 Juno CN car in the European V de V
Championship this season. Garofall has had success in the
championship previously when in 2007 he managed 7 poles from 8 Races. He
will be partnered in the factory run effort by Richard Bernans , the 21
year-old took 2 podiums on his way to fourth in the championship last
season. The season starts at Jarama ( Spain ) 21st /22nd March. 
Robert
Lawson
Jack
Goff Motorsport
The
iconic Ford GT will be a fixture on the Avon Tyres British GT
Championship grid in 2009