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News Archive January 2009 mail your news to editorthegrid@yahoo.co.uk 05/05/2009 IF RACE REPORTS LINKS REMOVED - FOLLOW 'Reports' LINK ON THE GRID above 31-01-09
SEAT president
Erich Schmitt officially confirmed that the SEAT Sport team
will compete in the 2009 World Touring Car Championship with the same
five drivers they had in 2008: the new world champion Yvan Muller, Jordi
Gené, Tiago Monteiro, Rickard Rydell and Gabriele Tarquini. The
announcement was delivered Wednesday in Barcelona, during a gala in
which SEAT Sport celebrated their victory in the 2008 FIA WTCC Drivers'
and Manufacturers' championships. "Competition is very important to our
brand and I am very proud of the successes achieved by our team. I would
like to thank Jaime Puig and all of the drivers because the magnificent
teamwork they performd last year was the key to our success. I am
pleased to announce that SEAT will defend the world championship titles
with the same team and the same drivers," Erich Schmitt said.During
their winning season the five SEAT Sport's drivers and SEAT Netherlands'
Tom Coronel collected twelve victories out of the championship's
twenty-four rounds and five pole positions. 30-01-09 Total Control Racing has named two of its drivers for the 2009 ELF Renault Clio Cup with series returnee Mike Robinson joined by karting champion Sam Tordoff. Registrations have also been received from APO Sport’s Alex Osborne and reigning SaxMax champion James Colburn who will race for Westbourne Motorsport.
The Avon Tyres British GT Championship has some new competitors in 2009.The most well known being ex-England football players Luther Blissett and Les Ferdinand..
The Aston Martin Vantage GT4 Challenge was launched at Autosport International by Prodrive chairman David Richards and Britcar organiser James Tucker. The Vantage GT4 Challenge will take place beside the Britcar series and is open to all Aston Martin Vantage GT4s, including the Vantage N24. Eligible drivers will compete in the regular Britcar GT Championship and score points towards both that series and the Vantage GT4 Challenge. The winner will have the opportunity to test drive the Aston Martin Vantage GT2 car. Aston Martin chairman, David Richards, said: “The Britcar championship is an excellent series for the Aston Martin Vantage GT4. With a combination of both endurance and speed, it will play to the strengths of our car, which has already proven itself by winning its class at the Nurburgring and Britcar 24 hour races. I’m sure the Aston Martin Vantage GT4 Challenge will also draw interest from drivers competing in other GT4 series, looking for endurance racing experience.” The Vantage GT4 Challenge will cost no more than the standard entry fee for the Britcar series, and all entries will be managed directly by Britcar. Performance of the older N24 cars will be equalised to the GT4 by Prodrive technicians to ensure a competative and level playing field. Ginetta have announced the Ginetta G50 GT Challenge, forming a new class for Ginetta G50s within the main Britcar championship. Ginetta G50 cars competed in Britcar in 2008 and will continue in 2009, with G50 competitors taking additional points towards the Ginetta G50 GT Challenge. Ginetta G50 GT Challenge trophy presentations at each race come with spare parts vouchers: £400 for 1st, £200 for 2nd and £100 for 3rd. The prizes and awards are in addition to any associated with classification within the Class 3 division of Britcar, but whoever wins the Ginetta G50 GT Challenge will get a free entry to the following seasons’ Britcar headline event. As an additional incentive for racers, Ginetta will award any driver who completes all of the races in the championship an end of season loyalty payment of £1000. The Ginetta Challenge will also feature individual branding on competitors race cars and individual Ginetta race suits. This new-for-2009 class will be open to any Ginetta G50 owner - subject to specification. This would mean competitors from the UK and abroad such as those in Belgium, Spain and Sweden will be aligible to take part with full Ginetta factory support with a spares truck and staff from Ginetta offering technical support at all events. Ginetta's G50Z, with a Zytek 400bhp V8, was launched at the Autosport International Show recently and will also be eligible for the Ginetta G50 Challenge. Designed as an overall race winner, it is built with GT3 regulations in mind and has the pace of GT3 equivalent counterparts. The Britcar Mosler Challenge was launched at the Autosport Show as a similar venture to those from on offer from Aston Martin and Ginetta. The Mosler Challenge will see all Mosler competitors in Britcar competing for their own trophy throughout the season whilst also battling for overall Class 1 honours. Martin Short of the director of the Mosler Challenge will be announcing details of the prize fund shortly. Prodrive have launched the Britcar Subaru Cup to run in the Britcar Production races. The series will cater for identical Subaru Impreza STI race cars prepared by Prodrive and there has already been considerable interest in the initiative. Steve Smith of Prodrive is due to announce details of the prize fund shortly but the car will run around 300bhp and 1400kgs Ryan Singleton . the 16-year-old brother of Richard Singleton, who won the 2006 Formula Renault BARC championship , will race in the Formula Renault UK series. Ryan won the 2006 British Super One Minimax title and then finished sixth in the 2007 Super One Formula Junior Rotax Max Championship. In 2008 he won the prestigious ‘O’ Plate title in Formula Junior Rotax Max. Manor Competition has registered three drivers for the 2009 Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship, with a fourth possible before official testing begins on 24th February. Dutchman Thomas Hylkema is joined by Britons David McDonald (Ewell) and Alice Powell (Chipping Norton) at the team which took Alexander Sims to the Vice-Champion’s spot last season. Hillspeed plan to run three drivers in the Formula Renault UK Championship in 2009. They are currently looking for a third driver to join Menasheh Idafar and Michael Lyons Phil Cutts’ Torquespeed oufit are planning a full attack on the 2009 Britcar Production Championship. As well as returning with the 2008 title-winning BMW M3 of Kevin Clarke/Wayne Gibson, and the BMW 318i of Ian Lawson/Mike Wilds, Torquespeed is now looking after Keith Gent’s rather special E36 M3, which will shared, commitments permitting, with Michael Caine. The team are also now in possession of the 2007 title-winning Bell/Leith BMW M3, which will be piloted in 2009 by former Britsports race-winner Andy Schultz. TVR Challenge regular Hugh Marshall is looking to put a roof on his Tuscan Challenge machine, and contest selected 2009 Britcar GT rounds. Erstwhile Britcar/PS1 pilot Rob Hedley, who was mostly seen behind the wheel of the pace car in 2008, has struck a deal with Spanish manufacturer IFR to drive their Aspid sports car in Class 2 of the Britcar GT Championship. The factory-backed campaign is likely to involve long-term Britcar team Moore Racing. Up to five cars will be available for customers to run in the championship in 2009. Athens-born John Clonis returns to0 Britcar in 2009 as an entrant, with a squad of newly-acquired Porsches. The ex-Pete Morris 996 will be driven by Chris Bentley, who is still seeking a co-driver, and a GT3 RSR is likely to be campaigned by formidable females Rachel Green and Anna Walewska. A third car, the ex-PK Sport Le Mans 2001 996, is also available. John himself may drive occasionally, but plans a few runs in the Britcar Production championship too, sharing Phil Donaghy’s Alfa Romeo 156.
The new RSW Evo, a Lotus Exige-based machine penned by Mike Pilbeam, will be contesting the Britcar GT championship, with works backing. The novel 2.4 litre V6 engine is based on two combined 1200cc motor-cycle units. The SEAT marque will be well represented in the Britcar Production championship; regulars Mark and Peter Cunningham, and newcomers Kevin and Charles Bird are just two entrants to sign-up early. Britcar has joined in a technical partnership with Stand 21, the racewear and safety gear manufacturer. The partnership will see the Stand 21 trailer appearing in the Britcar paddock throughout the season to help teams and drivers with their racewear, helmets and safety items. For more on Stand 21's products, check out their website at: www.stand21.fr 29-01-09 Adam Christodoulou set the pace in the recent Star Mazda test at Sebring this week. Christo, the winner of the 2008 British Formula Renault championship, set a fast time of 2:00.945 (110.133 mph) in the first of two one-hour sessions on Tuesday afternoon. In the later session, with temperatures lower and the wind picking up, he was again the fastest man on track,albeit slightly slower, with a 2:01.372.
Gold Coast based Wilson Brothers Racing are preparing a three car Subaru WRX Sti assault on the WPS Bathurst 12 Hours on February 22. After bringing two cars home in the top ten in 2008, Wilson Brothers Racing went on to dominate the Production Car series with driver Lee Castle. Castle will be back, teamed with the highly experienced duo of Craig Baird and Rodney Forbes. The second entry will feature a trio of Porsche experts, New Zealander Paul Kelly with Australians Dean Grant and Max Twigg, while the third entry will feature regular Production Car racer Chris Delfsma, Queenslander David Wood, and experienced tarmac rally driver Gary Tierney. For team principal Cameron Wilson, the 2009 WPS Bathurst 12 Hour will be the culmination of a massive effort since the conclusion of the 2008 season. "Ever since this event last year, we have kept our eye on the ball, and really built our Production Car program around the 12 Hour," said Wilson. "With Lee on board for the season last year, we really developed the package well, and Lee showed that he had the pace to beat anyone. Craig Baird and Rodney Forbes need no introduction, both are massively experienced at Bathurst and in endurance races, and I really think this car should be a front runner.” The WPS Bathurst 12 Hour kicks off on Friday February 20 with practice, before qualifying on Saturday and the once around the clock race starting at 6:30am local time on Sunday. The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) will host Speedcar Series' first night race at the Losail International Circuit on 12-14 February, 2009. The agreement, signed between the two parties, covers the Grand Racing weekend event which will feature Speedcar Series and GP2 Asia Series, both of whom will be racing at night for the first time. The QMMF President Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Attiyah said, "I am happy to include the event in our calendar and to give entertainment to the fans. It will offer motor sport lovers in Qatar the chance to see some stars at the event as Speedcar Series features well known Formula One racers." Speedcar Series opened its season in Dubai in December and conducted its second round in Bahrain.Ex-F1 One drivers top the Championship with Johnny Herbert and Heinz Harald Frentzen level on 21 points followed by Gianni Morbidelli, Jean Alesi and Vitantonio Liuzzi. 28-01-09
There will be 49 cars on the 2009 Le Mans Series starting line, -2 LMP1s, 16 LMP2s, 4 LMGT1s and 17 LMGT2s., covering a variety of different makes. For example there will be six makes in LMP1 and ten in LMP2. Furthermore, when circuit capacity allows, more cars may add to the field. For the fifth year in a row Dutch driver Tom Coronel will contest the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC). As in 2008 he will drive a petrol SEAT Leon TFSi, fielded by Dutch SEAT importer Pon car and prepared by the Spanish SUNRED team. Coronel is happy in the WTCC. "It is great to compete in a World Championship. I am proud that we managed to finalize it all despite the difficult financial situation we are in these days.” 27-01-09
In the first day of Indy Lights testing at the newly re-opened and re-paved Palm Beach International Raceway (formerly Moroso Motorsports Park), driver Richard Philippe and the Genoa team headed the field of drivers from Sam Schmidt Motorsports, Panther, and Guthrie-Meyer. In the morning, with a chicane on the back straight, Philippe’s time was a 1.0secs quicker than anyone else. In the afternoon, with the chicane removed, he set the outright track record at 1:07.304. Unofficially, Charlie Kimball (SSM) and Martin Plowman (Panther) were the only other drivers able to break into the 1:07's. Unable to attend the 2nd test day d, Philippe acknowledged that the record may be challenged on Tuesday, as the new track gets rubbered in. Charlie Kimball will be testing with Genoa on Tuesday while Philippe plans to rejoin the team on Thursday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Mark Olson states: "I was really proud of Richard and the whole team today. It is always a pleasure to work with professionals. We had a definite plan for the day. Richard went out and hit all his marks, working his way through the plan. His feedback was very precise and they (Richard, Tom, and Leon) quickly dialed the car in. It was a real workman like effort by everyone. Now we've got a big target on our back for tomorrow, but I'm sure Charlie will be up to the task." On the 50th anniversary of its outright win at Le Mans, Aston Martin will return to La Sarthe with two Works LMP1 cars bearing the iconic blue and orange livery of Gulf Oil. In an attempt to emulate the achievements of the 1959 DBR1 driven by Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori, Aston Martin will try to bring the Le Mans title back to Britain. "2009 is a hugely significant year for Aston Martin at Le Mans and the challenge of reclaiming victory in this famous race for Aston Martin and Great Britain was simply too great to ignore," said Aston Martin Chairman, David Richards. "However, we do not underestimate the task. While we have won the GT1 class for the last two years, competing against the proven speed and endurance of the diesel-powered cars with all their years of winning the prototype class, will be a massive undertaking. Nonetheless, I see this as a great opportunity to showcase the ingenuity of British engineering talent." The new car, based on the 2008 Charouz Lola, will be powered by the same production-based Aston Martin V12 engine which, last year, helped Aston Martin secure its second successive Le Mans GT1 title with the DBR9. It also powered the Charouz car to a new La Sarthe lap record for a petrol car. Aston Martin Racing is developing the car in conjunction with Lola, Michelin, Koni and BBS and continues its relationship with major partner Gulf Oil and official clothing partner Hackett. In 2009, the ACO is introducing new regulations aimed at balancing the performance of petrol and diesel engined prototypes making the LMP1 category more appealing and relevant to Aston Martin. Signalling ongoing commitment to motorsport, in addition to the Le Mans 24 hour race, the team will also compete throughout the year in the Le Mans Series (LMS), which opens with the 1000 km de Catalunya on the 5th of April. Jan Charouz (CZ), Tomas Enge (CZ), and Stefan Mucke (D), who raced the Charouz car last year will renew their relationship with the team along with Darren Turner (GB) who was part of the winning DBR9 GT1 crew in 2007 and 2008. Harold Primat (CH) joins the team for the first time in 2009 with the remaining driver to be announced shortly. 26-01-09 David Donohue, Darren Law, Buddy Rice and Antonio Garcia were victorious in the Daytona 24 Hours Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 race on Sunday. Driving for Brumos Racing the wuartet took the lead with just passed 39 minutes remaining to take the win, 40 years since Donohue’s father Mark won the event in 1958. The No. 67 TRG team Porsche GT3 Cup car of Justin Marks, Andy Lally, Valentine Braintree, Jorg Bergmeister, and Patrick Long took the honours in the GT class. Sam Collins plans to have one more test session in the Roots V8 Racing Ford Fusion before committing to a full schedule of CAMSO V8 races. Collins, the editor of Stockcar Engineering, passed his Rookie Training for CAMSO V8 in 2008. Unfortunately, work commitments (including testing a NASCAR Craftsman Truck racer!) scuppered his plans to enter in 2008 but he believes he will be ready for the 2009 season. Collins already has a long list of NASCAR suppliers in the wings to assist with his CAMSO V8 debut. CAMSO V8 insiders believe he will be taking on the #3 Ford Fusion that he has been testing in 2008 despite rumours of a Toyota Camry on the horizon.
Multiple kart racing champion Jack Harvey will make the biggest change in his motor-racing career this season, as he moves from kart into car racing. With backing from the Racing Steps Foundation he will launch an assault on the Formula BMW Euroseries - a support package of the FIA Formula One World Championship. The Lincolnshire based driver will compete in the one-make championship with Fortec Motorsport, who has been chosen by the Racing Steps Foundation to give Jack the best opportunity to aim for the 'Rookie' title in his first year in the sport. Alpinestars will also continue to provide support to Jack throughout the course of the 2009 season. "I'm incredibly happy to have been chosen to join the Racing Steps Foundation driver programme," said Jack. "I'm anxious to see how the year goes and to see what happens. But I'm going to try and maximise the opportunity that they have given me to compete at such a high level in my first season of car racing. "I'm looking at 2009 as a learning year. My aim is to make an improvement every time I get into the car, whether it's testing or over the race weekends. But, I still want to win races although I'm not going to expect to turn up each weekend and put it on pole. The rookie title if definitely a target for me, but I'd like to hope that I can be mixing it with the guys with more experience throughout the season, hopefully from the first round, but we'll see," he added. Fortec Motorsport team boss, Richard Dutton is delighted to have Jack on board. "I've known about Jack for quite a while and had my eye on him. His results in karts show he has plenty of potential and his early testing pace has been very good. The team is already impressed with him and he is proving to be very professional and focussed on what he needs to do," he said. "I'm excited about what we can achieve over the course of the season. The rookie title is definitely there, but it would be nice to think we can do more than that," he added. 25-01-09
Johnny Herbert won the second of two Speedcar races at Bahrain today(Sunday) followed closely by Gianni Morbidelli in second and Thomas Biagi in third. Jean Alesi won the first race from Heinz Harald Frentzen and Herbert . The two Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge endurance races at the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport meeting in Taupo were won by Matt Halliday and Jono lester in the 26000 Vodka-backed car. Bill Auberlen and Matt Bell won the Fresh From Florida 200 in Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge races at Daytona on Friday. Lawson Aschenbach and Pete Iannucci,took the ST laurels. 24/01/09 Adam Carroll, driving for A1 Team Ireland was the dominant force in qualifying for the A1GP in Taupo, New Zealand. The Irishman put his car on pole for both the Sprint and Features races ahead of Robert Dornobos of A1GP team Netherlands. Carroll posted a time of 1 minute 14.507 round the 2.06-mile circuit. for the Sprint race Amazingly, the top three also qualified in the same positions in Feature race qualfying, with Carroll going even quicker to post a 1m 14.411-second lap Dean Martin took the pole for Friday's Fresh From Florida 200 at Daytona International Speedway, the first round of the Grand-Am KONI Sports car Challenge calendar, in record time. Jeff Segal and Matthew Bell qualifyied second and third in two BMW M3s with Jack Roush Jr fourth in another Mustang followed by Duncan Ende in a Porsche 997. Andrew Aquilante earned his first career KONI Street Tuner (ST) pole in his Subaru Legacy. He will share the front row with David Thilenius, in a Honda Civic Si.
The return of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship to Spa-Francorchamps is confirmed with the publication of the latest provisional calendar: British GT will enjoy twin races at the Le Mans Series 1000km meeting at the legendary Belgian Grand Prix circuit over the weekend of 9 and 10 May.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. IndyCar racing’s newest team, Team 3G has announced that they will partner with Kester Racing in the Star Mazda Championship. The new team will become the first rung in the development ladder for drivers, engineers, and sponsors to move with Team 3G to the Indy Lights and IndyCar Series. The Star Mazda team will continue to be based at the Texas World Speedway, with experienced brother and sister drivers J.C. and Kristy Kester. Team 3G was formed by industry veterans Greg Beck and Steve Sudler following the unification of open-wheel racing. Former NASCAR driver Stanton Barrett will pilot the Team 3G car for the 2009 IndyCar Series season. “This has been the plan since we started the team,” said Beck. “We want to provide an opportunity for drivers to begin their careers in the Star Mazda Series and go on to compete in the IndyCar Series. We feel that this is a great opportunity to work with a great group of people at Kester Racing, whose success last season shows how strong they are.”. Jeff Kester made an impression in their inaugural Star Mazda season, being the only brother-sister team in professional motorsports. Both he and Kristy had a strong rookie season, with Kristy finishing ninth in the Championship. “I am thrilled to be joining with Team 3G. I look forward to working with them to deliver race wins and a championship run in 2009,” commented Kester. “ The Team 3G Star Mazda team will kick off the season on March 20, 2009 at the Sebring International Raceway. Ford Racing Mustang Challenge officials confirmed in a press conference at Daytona on Thursday that the series will be continued to be sanctioned by Grand-Am in 2009. Starting the year with a two-race series weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway alongside the Grand Am KONI Sports Car Challenge on March 13-5, the ten-race Mustang Challenge season will be staged at eight different tracks in 2009. Five of the Mustang Challenge race weekends will be held in support of Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series and KONI Sports Car Challenge race meetings. After an outstanding debut season in 2008, Mustang Challenge is going from strength to strength as the single-make series prepares for 2009. "Mustang Challenge has been fortunate to have partners like Ford Racing, Miller Motorsports Park, and BFGoodrich Tires, and having had the great first season that we did in 2008, we are looking forward to building on that by continuing our relationship with Grand-Am this year," said Mustang Challenge Series Director Lynda Randall. "We feel as though Grand-Am is a great fit for our series, and we are looking forward to building on the momentum we established last year to make 2009 an even better season as we grow the Mustang Challenge."
The Chevrolet
team completed a three-day test with the new Cruze
at the Estoril's racetrack. It has been another positive step forward
for the new car in view of its race debut in Curitiba. Nicola Larini was
fully satisfied with the work achieved, despite changeable weather
condition: "In three days we have experienced everything: sunshine,
rain, hale and fog! This has somehow affected our programme, but on the
other hand allowed us to test the car in all track conditions and to
complete some reliability tests as well. There have been no major
hiccups and we were able to gather very useful information," he said.
Tom and Tim Coronel managed to complete the s Dakar rally that crossed Argentina and Chile in 15 stages for a total of 6,000 km from January 3rd to 18th. The Coronels survived a number of difficult moments and technical issues and drove their Bowler Nemesis car back to Buenos Aires in 70th position overall. Their best result during the event was a brilliant 11th position overall, claimed on January 15th at the end of the 12th stage that consisted of 530 km from Fiambala to La Rioja. "When we started two weeks ago we had only one goal in mind: driving to the finish line. It has been tough, but we made it and now we are extremely satisfied," said Tom. The upcoming year is set to be another important time for the Make Cars Green campaign. Not only is it becoming the voice for motor sport initiatives and policies of the FIA's new Environment Commission, the campaign will also spearhead the drive for a positive outcome at the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit and support a new global drive for a 50 per cent fuel economy improvement by 2050. A key element of the success achieved in 2008 was the '10 points for greener motoring' leaflet, which has successfully provided FIA clubs with free, personalised tools and materials to conduct a simple, yet effective, promotional campaign in their home countries. The leaflet offers advice to ordinary motorists on how to use straightforward methods to improve their fuel efficiency by 15 per cent.In 2008, 43 FIA member clubs throughout the world distributed more than 3.5 million leaflets in 18 languages. The FIA will continue to make such campaign material available, free of cost, to its members throughout 2009. In January alone, a further 15 new clubs have placed orders totalling 260,000 leaflets, and 16 more language variations are coming on stream in February.All those FIA mobility and motor sport members who wish to support Make Cars Green in 2009 should contact the FIA Communications team to order their own language editions of the '10 points for greener motoring' leaflet and use the following links for other campaign resources. 22-01-09
Drivers from the Star Mazda Championship in the US continue to progress in International Motorsport. John Edwards, who won the Star Mazda title in 2008 will race in the Atlantic series in 2009 withNewman Wachs Racing. 2007 Champion Dane Cameron has has signed to co-drive the full 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series GT season with Doug Peterson. Michelle Bumgarner has signed a five-year deal with Walker Racing to compete in the Indy Lights series in 2009 whilst another fast lady Natacha Gachnang is off to the new 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship… Masters Historic Racing celebrated its 2008 season winners on Saturday January 17 at the Speedmaster Conference Centre. These unusual awards are not points based, but voted for by the Masters’ members themselves, rewarding a combination of driving skill with presentation, sporting behaviour and the correct spirit. Wellington Porsche GT3 racer Darryn Henderson will share the wheel of his Radio Sport/Samsung Porsche at the Taupo this weekend with former World Superbike Championship frontrunner, Aaron Slight. This weekend's Porsche races are part of the support programme to the A1GP series at the 3.6 kilometre central North Island circuit in New Zealand. Over the course of the weekend competitors will fight it out in four races, all non - championship events. Two of the races will be over 10 laps of the Taupo track while the other two will be of 50 minutes duration. The 50 minute races will feature driver changes and it is in those races that Henderson and Slight will race together. Slight has been keen to compete in New Zealand for quite some time but the opportunity has never presented itself - until now. Slight has been a mate of Henderson's for a long time, the duo having competed in other sports together, and the 50 minute races at Taupo were the ideal opportunity for the pair to team up. Slight is really looking forward to the event. "I'm very, very happy that I am able to be involved," he say's. "I really appreciate the opportunity that's come along, particularly at a time when things are hard in New Zealand financially. It's good to have the chance to drive a really good car. I drove a Porsche GT3 in England in 2003 but haven't done much racing since then. I'm looking forward to the sequential gearbox which I have previously used in the BTCC." Henderson is pleased to have his good friend on board for the event. "My major sponsor Radio Sport also sponsors the event so it will be good to race in front of their representatives." Henderson will drive in the two sprint races, while he will also drive the first stint in each of the enduros before Slight takes over for the run to the finish. Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge gets underway this weekend with the 2009 Grand Sport (GS) and Street Tuner (ST) championshipslicking off proceedings at Daytona with the first of 11 races, the Fresh From Florida 200 on Friday .. An all-new Porsche racing series will launch in Britain for the 2010 season with the introduction of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge.The new series will be open to any 911GT3 Cup car from 2008 or earlier and will be administered by the Porsche Club GB with official backing from Porsche Cars GB. The new series will replace the existing Porsche Open and will sit comfortably beneath the Carrera Cup GB, which will, as usual, be open to the current model 911GT3 Cup car. There will be close links between the Carrera Cup GB and the new GT3 Cup Challenge. The GT3 Cup Challenge is an established concept across the world, with race series in New Zealand, Australia, Brazil and the USA.
A1 Team Great Britain is gearing up for round four of the 2008/09 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport in New Zealand this weekend. Dan Clarke will drive for the team for the first time at the Taupo Motorsport Park. James Winslow will be the team’s rookie driver. Clarke drove in the 2006 Champ Car World Series for CTE Racing – HVM taking third place in Denver. He then raced for them as Minardi Team USA in 2007 picking up a second place at Road America. Taupo has not traditionally been a happy hunting ground for GBR, with the team failing to score points in the previous two rounds in 2007 and 2008. However, as the team is currently in ninth position in the A1GP standings, there can be no margin for error and the squad is determined to break its duck in New Zealand next weekend. Katie Clements, Team Principal: "We have been evaluating our driver options since we knew Danny Watts would be unavailable for this round. Dan Clarke is a British talent that has perhaps been overlooked and, since the demise of Champ Car at the end of 2007, he has been sadly without a drive. I am confident that his experience of high level single-seater racing combined with his thirst to return to the cockpit will produce good results next weekend. We had an unfortunate race day in Malaysia at the last round before Christmas, and it is absolutely vital that we score well this weekend to move up the standings. I would also just like to take this opportunity to congratulate Danny Watts and his partner, Fiona, who welcomed their son Joshua into the world on 15 January." Saturday's qualifying starts at 1415 local time (0115 GMT) with Sunday's 25-minute Sprint race starting at 1100 local time (Sat 2200 GMT) and the 70-minute Feature race beginning at 1500 local time (0200 GMT). Sky Sports will broadcast all the live action from Taupo, New Zealand, from 0100 on Saturday 24 January and from 0030 on Sunday 25 January. 21-01-09 Former Bathurst Winners Jason Bargwanna and Neil Crompton will join the Pro-Duct team for next month's WPS Bathurst 12 Hour Showrrom Enduro at Mount Panorama. Bargwanna, who won Australia's 'Great Race' in 2000 while driving alongside Garth Tander is genuinely excited about the prospect of contesting his first 12-Hour race since 1994 -- the race won by Crompton when paired with the late Gregg Hansford in a Mazda Rx-7. "Events such as the 12-hour are great things to be a part of, I'm really looking forward to it," said Bargwanna. "After spending the majority of last year on the sidelines the 12-hour race will provide me with a great opportunity to get some miles under my belt prior to making my debut for the Sprint Gas Racing team at the opening round of the 2009 V8 Championship.." The Bob Pearson-led Pro-duct team will boast a total of five entries "With guys like Neil, Seto (Glenn Seton), Brad (Jones), Bob (Pearson) and Mark King in the squad, I don't think you could get much more experience around Bathurst in group of drivers," said Bargwanna. Crompton, who has competed in one 24-hour and four 12-hour races at Bathurst is looking forward to next month's Event around Australia's most famous racing circuit. "The 12-Hour race is always a good Event and with it being held around such a brilliant race track you never knock back an opportunity to compete," said Crompton. A total of five cars have been entered by the Pro-Duct team with three Mitsubishi Evo X's and two Evo VIII's set to take to the circuit next month. The driver line-up includes Bargwanna, Crompton, Seton, Jones, Pearson, Mark King, Bruce Stewart and Steve Knight with a couple more names to be finalised shortly. The 2009 WPS Bathurst Showroom Enduro will be held at Mount Panorama on February 20-22. New Zealand's Matt Halliday, Jonny Reid and Shane van Gisbergen, will add an international edge to the Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup field at the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport meeting at Taupo Motorsport Park this weekend. The weekend's Trophy (non-championship) round of the 2008/09 Battery Town series incorporates two 50 minute 'enduro' races, each with a compulsory driver change. The round has attracted a strong field with Halliday pairing up with Jono Lester in the Blackwoods Paykels/JBS Tools 997, Reid joining Jody Vincent in the Koken Tools/Giltrap Prestige 997, and van Gisbergen sharing the Castrol Edge/Michelin Giltrap Group team car with Mark Russ. Halliday has the most experience behind the wheel of a Porsche GT3 Cup car, having been a front-runner in the Battery Town championship series before joining Reid at A1 Team New Zealand. The unique format of this weekend's Trophy round has attracted several highly rated pairings, including former World Superbike contender Aaron Slight who is teaming up with Darryn Hendersen in the RadioSport/Samsung 997, Rick Armstrong will join Ant Pedersen in the Volvo Construction Equipment 997, and Kevin Bell who will share the Life Pharmacy/Smart Cover 997 with Andrew Bagnall. Entries have also been received from former Battery Town regulars Rob Steele, Tim Martin and David Mackrell, Bridgestone Porsche Series stalwarts Dave Allison, Stu Owers, John Garty, Steve Rasmussen and Kevin Cantwell, and young single-seater ace Simon Evans. All bar Cantwell (Porsche 964) and John Garty and Steve Rasmussen (Porsche 911) will be in 996 GT3 Cup cars, Steele pairing up with Logan Sears, Martin with MINI Challenge driver James Kirkpatrick, Dave Allison with Stu Owers, David Mackrell with Peter Milliner and Evans (the 18-year-old son of Porsche racing identity Owen Evans) with fellow Formula Ford racer Matt Williams. The weekend's format sees testing and qualifying (with each driver required to post a time) on Friday then one 10 lap sprint race and a 50 minute enduro apiece on Saturday and Sunday. The sprint races will be held in the middle of the day, the endurance races late in the afternoon. 2008 Ford Racing Mustang Challenge Champion Andrew Caddell will make his Grand-Am KONI Sports car Challenge debut in a Ford Mustang FR500C in the Fresh From Florida 200 at Daytona International Speedway with Hyper Sport/Jim Click Racing. Caddell's first career KONI Challenge start comes as part of the Ford Racing Champions package for the Mustang Challenge. He will also be co-driving the Mustang with a familiar face, as Jim Click has been signed to share the driving duties. The duo have a fast friendship already, as Click was a fellow competitor in Mustang Challenge. "I'm excited," said Caddell, who took two wins and scored seven podiums on his way to the 2008 Mustang Challenge crown. "We went down to the test days and it was pretty cool. The cars are similar in a lot of ways but a little different in other ways." The Ford Mustang FR500C features the 5.0-liter Cammer engine and represents the next step up from the FR500S utilized in Mustang Challenge competition. For Caddell, the three-hour KONI Challenge race will be a markedly different format from the 45-minute Mustang Challenge sprint races he contested on his way to the title. But he will not only have a strong organization behind him with Hyper Sport, but Caddell will also have an experienced hand in Click to team with. Caddell will not be the only Mustang Challenge racer in this event, as Jamie Slone, who finished second in the 2008 Mustang Challenge championship, will co-drive with Nick Woodman in a second Hyper Sport entry. In addition, Mustang Challenge racers Charles Putman, Tony Buffomante are also entered in the event. Facondini by Draco racing has chosen Romain Vozniak as it’s driver for the 2009 season of the Formula Renault 2.0 Italian championship. The 16 year old from France began racing in karts when he was 5 and by the time he was he drove in Formula Renault. In 2007 he was selected by the "Filière FFSA" of Mans, training center to promote the French motor sport through the growth of the drivers. 20-01-09
On Friday, Patrick Barrett will pair with APR veteran Mike Sweeney in the Koni Sports Car Challenge Fresh From Florida 200 race driving the number 181 Koni ST Class VW GTI . Their sister car, the Gunther VW number 171, will be piloted by 2006 Daytona 24 GT class winner Ian Baas of Indianapolis and reigning SCCA VW Jetta TDI Cup Champion Josh Hurley from Florida.Barrett commented, “I’m really looking forward to competing in my first Koni Sports Car Challenge race with APR. The team has a very positive and professional attitude and showed well in their rookie season last year. I’m excited about working with them.” The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 twenty four hour marathon will be run on the Daytona high banked oval, which when configured with infield turns is 3.56 miles long. The three hour Grand-Am Koni Sports Car Challenge race will be run on the same 12-turn speedway road course. Formula One World Champion and President of the British Racing Drivers’ Club Damon Hill OBE will receive an Honorary award from The University of Northampton next month at the institution’s Winter Graduation ceremonies. Damon Hill is being presented with an Honorary Fellowship in recognition of his career and outstanding Formula One success and for his local connections to Silverstone, Northamptonshire where the British Racing Drivers’ Club is based. The four new names on the driving roster for CRS Racing's Formula Renault team in 2009 are Matias Laine, Josh Scott, Harry Tincknell and Lewis Williamson. The quartet will all drive in the red, white and blue CRS cars hoping to taste success with the team like 2008 Driver's Champion, Adam Christodoulou. Eighteen year-old Matias "Matso" Laine hails from Finland and is entering his first full year of racing cars after winning a great deal in karting as a works Tony Kart driver in 2008. Josh Scott completed his karting apprenticeship in Australia, where he also raced Formula Fords before moving to the UK last year to take part in his graduate year in Formula Renault. He had some promising results in 2008, including a second place at Thruxton. The team's two British drivers are Harry Tincknell and Lewis Williamson. Harry, 17, is fresh out of karting, and ready to race cars. Lewis Williamson is a very successful Scottish karter, winning almost every title in gearbox karting last year. He is British 125 ICC UK Champion, British 125 ICC UK Open Champion, British 125 ICC UK Grand Prix Champion and Scottish 125 ICC UK Champion. He also took a podium finish in the 2008 Formula Renault Winter Series, "The choice of drivers for us in 2009 has been a fairly straightforward process," said Team Director, Andrew Kirkaldy. "It was important for us to have a second-year driver and in Josh we have someone very capable of following in Adam's footsteps. Both Matias and Harry have come from very established karting careers and have shown very well in testing. I expect them to do very well this season, especially given the fact there are not so many drivers returning to the Championship from 2008, giving a field of mainly rookie drivers. Lewis was a real revelation in the Winter Series and during testing. I had little or no knowledge of him before he arrived with CRS to test. His results in the winter were very impressive and I hope this continues into this year's Championship." CRS have also joined up with Hitech Racing. Andrew Kirkaldy said of the new alliance. "In 2009 we will be joining forces with Hitech Racing to share information and data between the teams. This will be a great benefit to us and Hitech, giving us a picture of performance over eight cars instead of just four. There are many ways in which two teams working together can be of benefit and I am sur e that it will help us in our bid to win the Championship again in 2009." The Audi R10 TDI is likely to appear again on European race tracks in 2009. While Audi will contest the 24 Hours of Le Mans as part of its factory commitment with the new R15 TDI in 2009, Dr Colin Kolles is planning to buy two Audi R10 TDI cars for his racing team. The privately fielded prototypes are planned for the Le Mans Series and Le Mans. Since the 2006 season Audi has been cooperating with Dr Colin Kolles, who has entered two Audi A4 DTM cars in the DTM since that time. Now, the team owner based in Greding near Ingolstadt wants to extend his motorsport involvement to sportscars . The team plans to contest Le Mans on 13-14 June plus 5 rounds of the Le Mans Series. The 2008-09 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport roars back into life this weekend with New Zealand's picturesque Taupo Motorsports Park welcoming the competing nations back for the third straight season, Friday 23rd - Sunday 25th January. Round 4 down-under will again see TW Steel, the 'Official Watch and Timing Partner' of A1GP, active on the ground, introducing 'The Watch in Steel' to Taupo race fans through a series of competitions in the media and of course, the ever-popular, 'Miss TW Steel' competition. 19-01-09
Racers Edge Motorsports drivers for the #30 Racers Edge/3-Dimensional Services Group/ Idemitsu Mazda RX-8 at this weekend’s 47th Rolex 24 at Daytona will be Doug Peterson and Dane Cameron. Joining the team’s regular pairing at the 24 hours will be Bryan Sellers and Dion von Moltke. Doran Racing have announced their drivers and sponsorship for this weekend's 47th Rolex 24 at Daytona. The team’s #77 Doran-Dallara Ford will be driven by Memo Gidley and Brad Jaeger alongside Matteo Bobbi and Fabrizio Gollin. Sponsorship comes from, McDonalds.
16-year-old Matteo Davenia is ready to make his full-time open-wheel debut after signigng with Cram Competition a deal for the 2009 Swiss F Renault Championship. The driver from Milan, who took a Formula 3 chance at Vallelunga, in the last round of the 2009 Italian F.3 Championship, will debut at Dijon, France, on April 11 and 12. Matteo Davenia "I'm really happy to have completed the deal with Cram, a true top-team. I'll be greatly motivated to keep my good score, as well as the team's great reputation. I'm quite optimist, and I can't wait for the season's start" N.Technology Goes into LIqidation Following a meeting from the company's Board of Directors, N.Technology has decided to suspend its participation in the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) in 2009 and put the company into liquidation. Following this decision, and to safeguard its heritage, experience and employees all assets, N.Technology has finalised an agreement with Campos Racing SL. Under this agreement, N.Technology will supply the technical equipment, experience and Honda Accord cars to the prestigious Spanish team, led by the former-F1 driver Adrian Campos, in view of a possible participation in the 2009 FIA WTCC. Motaworld Racing has signed up BMW Junior Development Driver Ollie Millroy for the Formula BMW Europe Championship. He will also join the Kent squad for selected rounds of the Formula BMW Pacific championship. Last season the British Race Elite Academy driver won with Motaworld at Shanghai and was on the podium in Singapore, where he was the first Brit home. He also drove his Motaworld car to sixth place at the World Final in Mexico and had been running in second place for much of the race. Millroy said "I'm so happy. I've worked well with Motaworld in the past and I think we'll make a strong partnership this season. We've definitely set our sights on taking that title." Motaworld owner Alan Waite said "Ollie was always an obvious choice for us considering the success we achieved together at the end of last season in Singapore, Shanghai and Mexico. Now we hope to build on that success and make a serious challenge for the European Championship." The Chatham-based team starts its test programme in Malaysia at the end of this month in preparation for the official Formula BMW Europe test at Barcelona during the first week of March. 18-01-09 Volkswagen won the 2009 Dakar Rally in Argentina and Chile with the Race Touareg and thus made motorsport history. The exploit clinched by the South African-German duo Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz in the debut event of the legendary desert classic in South America marked the first ever victory of a diesel-powered vehicle in the automobile class in the 30-year-history of the "Dakar". Their Volkswagen team colleagues Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA) as the runners-up completed the exploit as a one-two victory. In the extremely tough test for man and material the Volkswagen Race Touareg with its innovative 280-hp TDI engine proved to be the fastest and most reliable car, while the field of contenders - featuring 14 top cars with diesel engines - was of a higher calibre than ever. Volkswagen defeated the serial "Dakar" winners, Mitsubishi, who had not been beaten since 2001, as well as the X-raid BMW team. Besides de Villiers/von Zitzewitz and Miller/Pitchford at the top, the German duo Dieter Depping/Timo Gottschalk in another Race Touareg finished the Dakar Rally, in sixth place overall. Carlos Sainz/Michel Perin (E/F) in another one of the Red Bull blue Race Touareg vehicles, who had been leading the class of the total of 168 cars that had started to the event on eight days, retired after an accident on the twelfth leg while leading the rally. - Giniel de Villiers (ZA), 1st place leg / 1st place overall - "I'm so happy about having clinched this exploit for Volkswagen. This victory is worth more than any of the titles I won in touring car racing. The twelfth leg was the crucial day. Just before it I'd thought we'd be finishing in third place. I kept thinking about how our rival Stephane Peterhansel lost the rally with a huge lead one day before the finish in 2003. And so we again led the rally after the twelfth leg as well. The Race Touareg was running absolutely like a charm, and at such a tough edition of the Dakar Rally at that. That was the key to success. I want to thank everyone at Volkswagen for this. Even though I've now ended up winning precisely the 'Dakar' that was not staged in Africa, which is home to me: It was definitely a genuine Dakar Rally, and the toughest edition I've ever contested." Christopher Zoechling is aiming to earn his first podium in the Speedcar series on the Sakhir Grand Prix track inext weekend. "The season opener was both promising and unlucky. Therefore, I want to strike back in Sakhir," the 20-year-old said. At the first weekend in Dubai back in December Zoechling was third in Qualifying and in second spot in the race, when Gianni Morbidelli hit him from behind. He did manage to finish the race in a heavily damaged car but with no points. The youngster is not worried about dueling with team mate Jacques Villeneuve. "Jacques and I get along really well. In Dubai I was quite a bit faster than him and would have finished ahead without the accident." Villeneuve was eighth in qualifying, Zoechling third. However, the Canadian crossed the finish line in sixth after a rather unspectacular race. 17-01-09
One of Britain's
leading female competitors, Anna Walewska,
Sad news - Jackie Epstein has passed away aged 74. Jackie served as director of the BRSCC and as Vice Chairman in the late 70s/early 80s. The Club would like to offer it’s sincere condolences to Jackie’s family. The funeral will be at Putney Vale Crematorium, Stag Lane , London SW15 3DZ at 2.40pm on Friday 23rd January 2009 and afterwards at The Telegraph, Telegraph Road, Putney Heath , SW15 3TU . ALL are welcome. An appreciation of Jackie’s involvement with the Club will appear in the February edition of Racing News. Despite the general downturn in the economy the four days of the Autosport Show at the NEC were as lively as ever. All ten championships exhibiting on the BRSCC stand reported a promising level of interest. In addition to the Club stand, cars from almost all BRSCC championships and series were on display throughout the halls so the BRSCC was well represented. A date for your diary – the 2010 Autosport Show is slightly later, running from Thursday 14th to Sunday 17th January. For more information visit AUTOSPORT SHOW Richard Egger Insurance has renewed its deal with the BRSCC to be the associate sponsor of the Club Formula Ford Midlands South Championship. Richard Egger Insurance specialises in all aspects of motorsport-related insurance and enjoyed a successful first year in backing the popular regional Formula Ford series in 2008. Richard Egger said “Our involvement with Club Formula Ford will continue to give us a presence in national circuit racing and works well alongside what we are doing in rallying, hill climbs and sprints”. The Club Formula Ford (MS) Championship in association with Richard Egger Insurance starts the season on 11/12th April at Silverstone. The Championship consists of 11 rounds, of which 6 will count towards the National Club Formula Ford title.
The UK's leading single-seater and sports car championships - the Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series and Avon Tyres British GT Championship - will come under the media spotlight at Silverstone at the end of March. Silverstone has been selected as the venue for the championships' annual Media Day event, which will take place on Tuesday 31 March, just over a week ahead of the opening rounds of the 2009 season. Teams from each series will be revealing to the media their new driver line-ups, new cars, engines, team personnel, sponsors and liveries, and journalists will have the opportunity to ride alongside a pro in a 200mph GT3 sports car, as well as to interview the drivers and their team personnel. The Silverstone event will not only be a valuable showcase for the British F3 and British GT teams but also a handy opportunity for them to test ahead of Easter's opening rounds of the championships at Oulton Park in Cheshire. Silverstone plays host to British F3 on two occasions this season: in May on the Grand Prix circuit and again in August, alongside British GT, on the International circuit. "We are very pleased that once again Silverstone will be hosting the British Formula 3 and British GT Media Day," said championship Marketing Manager Alistair Spence. "It is the prefect venue for the event and will I am sure once again prove very popular with teams, drivers and the media."
16-01-09 Anders Krohn will return to North America for the 2009-season for Texas-based Mundill Racing in the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear. “It’s a dream come true to be able to compete in the Star Mazda Championship with Mundill. We worked very well together when I tested for the team earlier this month, and I can’t wait to get started!” said an excited Anders Krohn The Norwegian racing driver who has earned the name “The Viking”, won last year’s U.S. Formula 2000 Championship, taking nine wins in 14 races. Mundill Racing was created in 2007 by David Mundy and Jeff Hill, they are excited to have Anders’ as one of their drivers for the 2009-season. "Anders drove extremely well in testing and was fast and consistent. We are very excited about having a driver of Anders' caliber driving with Mundill. We were very impressed not just by Anders' speed, but by his professionalism and his ability to accurately communicate what the car needed to the team.” Said Team principal David Mundy. The first official test for the Star Mazda Championship will be held on January 27-28 at Sebring International Raceway in Florida, and Round 1 of the highly competitive series will be held at the very same track on March 20. A1GP World Cup of Motorsport prepares to hit the track for the first races of 2009 when the series descends on New Zealand this week for its third visit to the Taupo Motorsport Park. A1GP has cancelled round 5 of the 2008/09 season on 6-8 February 2009 at Lippo Village, Indonesia. This follows notification from the FIA that certain aspects of the track construction have failed to meet the requisite completion deadlines. As a result, the FIA is not able to issue the necessary circuit licence on time for the event to proceed, and has removed the event entry from its International Series calendar.This was given to A1GP CEO, Pete da Silva, who said: “Obviously it is extremely disappointing for all concerned and not the news any of us wanted. The bottom line is, for safety reasons, A1GP cannot race on a circuit that does not meet or has not received the necessary licence from the FIA, so we have no other option but to cancel all plans to bring the A1GP show to Indonesia in three weeks’ time”. The series will now go from next week’s event, at Taupo, New Zealand, to A1GP Gauteng, South Africa, on 20-22 February. A1GP do not plan to run the Indonesian event at a later date in Season Four, but may consider an event in Season Five. A1GP World Cup of Motorsport has asked for FIA approval to move round seven of Season Four, A1GP Mexico City, back a week to 20-22 March to avoid a clash with a Radiohead concert held at the circuit. Pete da Silva, CEO for A1GP, commented, “It is unfortunate we have had to move back A1GP Mexico City by one week, but this is necessary because of a clashing event at the track that incorporates a baseball stadium that doubles up as a concert venue. We are delighted it is still possible to race in Mexico City as this has always proved to be a popular and exciting race weekend for our fans.” A1GP has visited Mexico every season with Fundidora Park in Monterrey being the track used in Season One and Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City in Seasons Two and Three. As this is a last minute change it is still subject to FIA approval as is the layout for the track. The new lay-out for the chicane has also been submitted to the FIA, and once approval is received the track officials are hoping to start work on the changes necessary for the track to be given its Grade Two licence for the event. Volkswagen maintained a one-two lead on what proved to be the Dakar Rally's most turbulent day so far. On the twelfth of 14 legs Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz in the Race Touareg took the lead in front of their team-mates Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford. Carlos Sainz/Michel Perin, who had been leading the rally ever since the seventh leg, retired after an accident. Dieter Depping/Timo Gottschalk reached the stage finish in La Rioja in fourth place and thus improved to sixth position in the overall standings. The 223-kilometre special stage from Fiambala to La Rioja saw not just one but two changes in the lead in the desert classic. Sainz/Perin had an accident after 79 kilometres and the duo was fored to retire due to Michel Perin having suffered a broken shoulder blade. On the special stage and in the virtual interim classification Miller/Pitchford were running in front over long distances and maintained their lead almost up to the final dune belt of the stage. But then de Villiers/von Zitzewitz converted the 2m18s gap into a stage lead of 16m17s, thanks to good navigating. They thus took over first place overall as well and, before the last two legs, are running 2m35s in front of Miller/Pitchford, who are also driving a Race Touareg. After the Spaniards Nani Roma/Lucas Cruz in the field of those chasing the front runners, as the only remaining Mitsubishi duo, encountered technical problems, Robby Gordon/Andy Grider in the Hummer are now in third place overall. However, they are lacking as much as 1h18m to the leading Volkswagen. Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director) - "The most important news is that the accident of Carlos Sainz and Michel Perin did not result in any severe personal injuries. Both of them are very disappointed that the 'Dakar' is over for them, but at the same time they're relieved that with a shoulder injury for Michel the incident did not result in really serious consequences. We wish Michel a speedy recovery. But - we knew that to win, we'd first have to overcome the 'Dakar' itself. With Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz and Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford we've still got two irons in the fire to win the Dakar Rally with the Race Touareg and TDI power." Carlos Sainz, "Suddenly, a four-metre deep hole appeared in front of us. We fell into it and landed on our roof. A BMW and Nani Roma were able to get around us at the last moment. The BMW team stopped and helped us to put the car back on its wheels. In the meantime an ASO doctor had arrived who briefly checked Michel Perin and barred him from continuing the drive on account of a shoulder injury. The Race Touareg was by and large okay, the engine was running. Of course we were lucky in this situation as well. I'm very disappointed and I'm very sorry for the team that we're out, but I'm hoping that our team will win in the end anyhow." The Australian Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge has confirmed Michelin will return as the series official control tyre supplier for the 2009. Michelin supplied tyres to the series last year and will return in an expanded role as a sponsor and tyre supplier. The new deal continues in Australia the long running association between Porsche and Michelin "We are very happy to be able to confirm that all competitors racing in the 2009 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge will do so on Michelin Tyres once again," Category administrator Jodi Zylstra said. "There is a great deal of worldwide recognition between Porsche and Michelin and we're pleased to be able to continue that here. It is a great sign from Michelin that they are supporting us once again and we can't wait to work with them this season. In addition, the GT3 Cup Challenge has also reached an agreement with The Mag Wheel Centre - suppliers of BBS Racing wheels - to become an official series supporter. The first round will be contested between February 20 - 21, as part of the Bathurst 12 hour festival at Mount Panorama, Bathurst. 15-01-09
Michael
Leonard Jnr, who has signed for Team Parker Racing,
will attempt to follow in the footsteps of fellow Irishman Damien
Faulkner when he contests the 2009 Porsche Carrera Cup GB. Faulkner won
the overall Carrera Cup GB title in 2005 and 2006 with Team Parker
Racing and now Leonard, from Naas in County Kildare, is stepping into
the Pro-am1 category to race in the 20-race championship. Leonard, the
former Irish Fiat Punto Mark 1 champion and a runner-up in the Irish
Dunlop Supercar Championship, took two wins in the Pro-am2 category of
the Carrera Cup GB last season at Oulton Park and Brands Hatch. For
2009, the Irish driver will join forces with Team Parker Racing,
previous winners of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB and teams' championship
victors in 2008. Leonard will be sponsored by the Naas Court Hotel.
"Michael has made a seamless transition into Porsche racing and is a
proven winner. I think he has what it takes to win the Pro-am1 title in
2009," said Stuart Parker, principal of Team Parker Racing.
Full Speed Racing plans to take part in the 2009 Le Mans Series with a GT1 Saleen S7R. The team, owned by an American car collector, will be run by NCK Motorsport and are hoping to race at the Le Mans 24 Hours. They also have a second Saleen which they are considering running in the FIA GT Championship. Full Speed Racing have signed Emerson Newton-John, nephew of movie star Olivia, as one of their drivers. The Nissan/PlayStation® GT Academy team and the winner of the GT Academy winner Lucas Ordoñez realised his and their dream by qualifying and racing in the Dubai 24hr race alongside Johnny Herbert..read more Volkswagen goes to the final spurt of the Dakar Rally featuring the event's last three legs. On the eleventh day of the rally the four Race Touareg vehicles with Carlos Sainz/Michel Perin, Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz, Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford and Dieter Depping/Timo Gottschalk completed a liaison stage from Copiapo via the Chilenian-Argentine border to Fiambala and back to Argentina. The eleventh special stage was cancelled due to the late ending of the tenth leg the day before as well as an inclement weather forecast, and changed to a so-called liaison stage. Continuing as the front runners in the overall standings are Carlos Sainz/Michel Perin in the Race Touareg number 301. The Spanish-French duo has so far taken the 280-hp TDI diesel engined machine to six victories on ten legs. The tally of two-time world rally champion Sainz and three-time "Dakar" winner Perin reflects eight days on which the pairing led the event. "Volkswagen can look at an interim result of the Dakar Rally that is positive across the board," says Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. "Eight out of ten stage victories show that the Race Touareg is the fastest car in the field. Furthermore, the fact that all four vehicles entered in the event are reaching Fiambala, thus returning to Argentine soil, shows that we've got an extremely reliable car. Now, three more legs are on the agenda. The way the 'Dakar' has gone so far has taught us not to underestimate them. Particularly the twelfth leg on Thursday to La Rioja and the huge white dunes pose a tough challenge that puts man and material to yet another extremely severe test." Matt Bell has rejoined Turner Motorsport for the 2009 KONI Challenge; The Turner have signed Bell to co-drive the No. 96 H&R Springs/StopTech Brakes BMW M3 with Bill Auberlen for the 2009 Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge season. The package has all the right ingredients, as Bell will team with a championship-winning team, championship-winning co-driver, and a proven and fast platform in the BMW M3. ASR-NELAN Motorsports co-owners Jon Lewis and Rick Nelan have signed Junior Strous as driver of their #18 entry in the 2009 Firestone Indy Lights Series. "Junior brings a wealth of driver talent to our team," stated Lewis and Nelan. "He's a proven winner and dedicated to being the best. We are looking forward to the 2009 season with Junior on board and we're going to give him everything we have to help him win the Championship." ASR-NELAN Motorsports will begin an extensive pre-season testing program in February in preparation for the 2009 season. The Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge championship takes advantage of the long southern twilight with a 'mini-enduro' at the national motor racing series meeting at Invercargill's Teretonga Park Raceway in New Zealand this weekend. The 30-lap race is the feature of the Saturday programme, starting at 7.40pm and finishing at 8.25pm. The 30-lap twilight race is the first of three on the programme for the Battery Town Porsches at this weekend's meeting with qualifying on Saturday afternoon and two further races on Sunday, a 12 lap sprint in the morning and a 16 lap top six reverse grid final in the afternoon. Defending champion Craig Baird still has a healthy lead in the series points standings but after qualifying quickest and winning all three races - including the reverse top six grid final - at the third round of the 2008/09 series at Timaru last weekend teammate but arch-rival David Reynolds has tipped the balance back in his favour heading south. Having been drafted into the Triple X team to replace former Baird nemesis Matt Halliday half way through the 2007/08 season Reynolds raced at both Timaru and Teretonga in March last year and rates the latter as one of his favourites. "It's one of the best tracks I go to in New Zealand. It's fast and flowing and my type of track," said the 23-year old, who starts testing there for the weekend's meeting today. Third in the points heading into the fourth of six championship rounds is last season's Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge championship runner-up and Rookie of The Year, Daniel Gaunt. Aucklander Gaunt enjoyed another good result at the third series round last weekend, qualifying fourth and claiming a third in the first race and fourths in the second and third to finish third overall behind Reynolds and Baird. The Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge championship will produce another full grid this weekend with 13 cars set to contest the three races.
14-01-09 The 2009 Porsche Carrera Cup GB season got off to a flying start at Autosport International on 8-11 January, with a superb response from teams and drivers and a special award for the Carrera Cup stand. With the seventh season of the Carrera Cup GB starting at Brands Hatch over the first weekend of April, many teams and drivers used the Porsche stand at the NEC as a focal point for discussions and negotiations about the coming season. As well as many of the championship front-runners from 2008, there was a great response from potential new competitors. Several deals were concluded at the NEC and more will be finalised over the next couple of weeks. "The Carrera Cup is absolutely buzzing at the moment," said David Bartrum of Motorbase Performance, who confirmed two drivers and held meetings with several more during the course of the show. To cap a very successful event, the Carrera Cup GB stand won the accolade of 'best overall stand at Autosport International 2009'. "It was an excellent show for us and winning this award was the icing on the cake," said championship manager Marion Barnaby after receiving the award from event director Ian France.
Volkswagen has kept the upper hand with three cars leading the ‘Dakar’, even on the extremely demanding tenth leg of the 2009 Dakar Rally: Carlos Sainz/Michel Perin in the Race Touareg extended their advantage in the overall classification by another 7.39 minutes, to 27.31 minutes. On the loop around Copiapo in Chile, which contained a lot of camel grass and high dune fields with soft sand as well as stony and rough sections, the duo clinched its sixth stage victory with a narrow lead. After 470 kilometres through the Atacama desert merely 21 seconds separated the Volkswagen team from Robby Gordon/Andy Grider in the Hummer. For Sainz, who is just contesting his third "Dakar", this marked as much as the 15th stage victory in the off-road classic. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford consolidated their second place overall in the rally by setting the third-best time of the day despite a puncture. They reached the finish 7.39 minutes behind Sainz. Their team colleagues Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz drove the sixth-best time with an 18.15-minute gap on the loop that was shortened by about 200 kilometres versus the original planning due to the delayed start in the morning on account of fog. 20 kilometres before the finish they had gotten stuck in deep sand in a blind area near the top of a dune. In the overall classification, the South African-German pairing remains in third place, now ranking 41.13 minutes behind the front runners. For the first time, Volkswagen's outright advantage over their best rival has increased to over one hour: ranking fourth overall, Nani Roma/Lucas Cruz (E/E) as the only remaining Mitsubishi team are trailing Carlos Sainz by as much as 1:13 hour. Ford Performance Vehicles General Manager Rod Barrett has been appointed Chairman of the Board of management for the Australian Formula Ford Championship. With a rich motorsport heritage, Barrett is no stranger to Formula Ford, having competed in the category in the UK, while his father, Jim Barrett, raced in the very first Australian Formula Ford series in 1970. "I'm extremely honoured to be offered this position in Australia's premier open-wheeler category," Rod Barrett said. "Formula Ford has always been close to my heart so to make a return in this capacity is really exciting. "When you consider that Formula Ford is where the champions of tomorrow cut their teeth, it feels pretty good to know you're part of their development," he said. Barrett replaces Roland Dane who vacates the position to concentrate on his booming Triple Eight V8 Supercar team.
David Brabham’s
charity kart race, the BP Ultimate Celebrity Karting Challenge,
together with the Racing 4 Charity auctions held on the F1 Racing
display, succeeded in raising £45,000 at Autosport International..
Racing 4 Charity was formed by Brabham and Bill Williams(pictured
with Brabham right),
Bridgestone has announced that the 2009 Bridgestone e-reporter competition for young aspiring journalists is now open for entries..read more 13-01-09 Silverstone Circuits Limited has announced that, following the signing of a five year agreement with Dorna Sports (the commercial rights holder for MotoGP), the world famous Northamptonshire circuit will host the British Motorcycle Grand Prix (MotoGP) from 2010. ..read more The Formula Renault 2.0 West European Cup has announced it’s calendar for it’s second season in 2009. It will start off at Nogaro in France, before moving to Barcelona and Pau. It will then take in races at Magny Cours, Valencia and Dijon-Prenois before rounding out the year at Portimao circuit in Portugal. Read more Volkswagen celebrated its seventh stage victory on the ninth leg of the 2009 Dakar Rally, maintaining its overall lead with stage winners Carlos Sainz/Michel Perin, ahead of two further Race Touareg vehicles. The 537-kilometre leg from La Serena to Copiapo in Chile put a severe physical strain on the crews due to long off-road stretches with hard impacts and stony sections. At first, Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford looked like the stage winners for a long time. However, the American/South African duo lost about five minutes just before the finish because of a tyre change, but improved by one position in the overall classification. Miller/Pitchford took second place from their team colleagues Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz, who lost 12.01 minutes on the ninth competition day due to a navigation error. Carlos Sainz, who had been leading the cross-country classic for three days from the second leg onwards, then being replaced at the top for two days, has been running in front in the overall classification again since last Friday. After five stage victories, his lead over Miller is almost 20 minutes. De Villiers/von Zitzewitz follow with a three-minute gap in third place. Formula Palmer Audi has announced a £10,000 scholarship deal with the BRDC Stars of Tomorrow karting championship in 2009. An end of season evaluation shootout, contested by round winners from the 2009 Stars of Tomorrow KF2 series, will establish which driver will win the award. The £10,000 prize can be redeemed against the FPA Autumn Trophy series, testing or the 2010 FPA Championship. Jonathan Palmer, Chief Executive of Formula Palmer Audi organiser MotorSport Vision, said: "The scholarship deal represents a significant partnership between top level karting and single seater car racing. With FPA offering its 2009 champion a scholarship prize towards the FIA Formula Two Championship, and with the F2 champion being awarded a test driver with Williams F1, the collaboration between FPA and Stars of Tomorrow establishes a clear and cost effective path for young drivers wishing to progress from karting all the way to Formula One." Stars of Tomorrow director Carolynn Hoy also hailed the deal, saying: "It's fantastic to finally realise a championship ambition of having a scholarship deal with a top single seater series like Formula Palmer Audi. Our focus at Stars of Tomorrow has always been on the drivers and their future, and we hope that this partnership can help discover and develop the next young star of British racing." The 2009 Formula Palmer Audi season will feature 20 races at seven great UK circuits all for a cost of just £55,000+VAT. For more information and to arrange a test drive, contact Chris Dredge on +44 (0) 1234 332 439. For details on the BRDC Stars of Tomorrow, visit www.brdcstars.com. A1GP got it’s season back underway with a test at the Portimao Circuit in Portugal last weekend. The series’ test team had regular A1GP test driver Andrea Bertolini and Italian F3 Champion, Mirko Bortolotti, at the wheel of the Powered by Ferrari car . KV Racing Technology has signed Mario Moraes to drive the KV Racing Technology Votorantim Honda/Dallara/Firestone entry during the 2009 Indy Car Series season. Moraes, 20, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, will be contesting his second season in the IndyCar Series. Last year he drove for Dale Coyne Racing, earning three top-10 finishes with a best showing of seventh at Watkins Glen. Moraes led his first career IndyCar Series laps at the Indianapolis 500. Northen Ireland’s Ali Jackson will join Guthrie Meyer Racing as driver of the No. 59 GMR entry during the 2009 Firestone Indy Lights season. "Ali is an incredible young talent, and I know he's going to be a formidable force on the track this season," said Jim Guthrie, co-owner of GMR. "We are going to give Ali the best possible equipment, surround him with a stellar team and let him do the rest. I'm excited to see him racing in America and that his career goal is the Indianapolis 500 and the IndyCar Series." The 20-year-old from Belfast joins Sean Guthrie in the Guthrie Meyer Racing lineup. Jackson, has driven for Raikkonen Robertson Racing in British F3 and in Asian F3, scoring four wins. 12-01-08 Volkswagen started the second week of the Dakar Rally exactly the way the first half ended: by securing a triple stage win and maintaining its previous one-two-three lead. The day's best result was clinched yet again by Carlos Sainz/Michel Perin, who scored a fourth stage victory in the Race Touareg, thus further extending their overall lead. On the eighth leg from Valparaiso to La Serena in Chile, which put the concentration and fitness of the drivers and co-drivers to the test on gravel tracks and on long serpentine sections, the German VW duo Dieter Depping/Timo Gottschalk reached the destination in second position with a 4.02-minute gap to Sainz/Perin. Another ten seconds later, Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford in the third of the Race Touareg vehicles sporting Red Bull blue followed in third place. In fifth place, Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz finished the eighth special stage but lost 10.48 minutes on the 652-kilometre leg in the dust of their rivals and due to a slow puncture. In the overall classification de Villiers is now trailing his Spanish team-mate Sainz by 10.57 minutes. Miller, with an 18.05-minute gap, continues ranking in third position. Volkswagen's best immediate rival, Mitsubishi driver Nani Roma, in fourth place overall dropped by a further 4.15 minutes to a 33.31-minute gap to Sainz. Phil Quaife began 2009 season with a win in the Dubai 24 Hours when he took his first-ever 24 Hour-race win with the DXB Racing Aston Martin Vantage V8 in the SP2 class.
Menasheh Idafar
has signed a deal with Hillspeed
Motorbase Performance will return to the Porsche Carrera Cup GB this season with a multi-car squad and has already signed championship newcomers Ollie Jackson and George Richardson. Having sat out the 2008 Carrera Cup season while concentrating on the team's BTCC programme, team boss David Bartrum has confirmed the team's return to the Carrera Cup, with the Porsche squad operating in parallel to the Motorbase BTCC campaign. Confirmation of Jackson and Richardson joining the team was made during Autosport International and Bartrum is now talking to a number of other drivers about the coming season. "I'm delighted that we're going back to running a multi-car Carrera Cup team, just as we have before," said Bartrum. "The Carrera Cup is positively buzzing and I'm over the moon that Motorbase is again going to be a part of it. We've signed two very promising young drivers, although it is a big step up for both of them." After three seasons racing in Caterhams, Jackson made his Carrera Cup debut at Brands Hatch last September in a VIP car and has now committed to a full season. "I'm really, really excited about it," said Jackson, who will contest the pro-am1 category. "We've spent quite a lot of time with the Motorbase team over the last two seasons and have got to know the team really well." Richardson makes the step up after two seasons in the Ginetta Junior category and has already impressed the team with his approach during testing. "It’s a big step up, but the Carrera Cup is a great series and Motorbase is a very professional team," said the Cheshire-based 17-year old racer. "Our aim is to win the pro-am2 class and then move in 2010. My ultimate goal is the BTCC." Joel Miller has been named the recipient of the 2009 Gorsline Scholarship, a prestigious award given to a up and coming driver each year who displays the attributes of a future champion. For the sixteenth year John Gorsline of the Gorsline Company has sponsored this award to recognise aspiring drivers and provide a programme that provides tools for the winner, that will assist them in developing skills on and off the track and attain their professional goals. As the scholarship winner Miller will be working with Dr Jacques Dallaire, Director of Performance Prime, to create an individually designed performance Enhancement programme. In his Rookie season, Miller was runner up in the 2008 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, with one victory, two pole positions, and four second place finishes. All but two of his 12 finishes were top four. It is clear Miller has a bright future ahead of him in motorsport. At this time, there are several options available, however, plans for the 2009 season are not confirmed. Miller said "I am honoured at being selected to represent the 2009 Gorsline Scholarship and look forward to it's opportunities. The list of previous winners is extensive, and adding my name to an already great list of drivers means a lot. I have to thank John Gorsline in selecting me for the program. I cannot wait to get started with all that the scholarship offers."
SPEEDY RACING – TEAM SEBAH have finalised their driver line-up for this year's Le Mans Series and Le Mans 24 Hours (if invited) for both LMP1 and LMP2 campaigns.The LMP1 Lola Coupe B08/60 – Aston Martin, car number 13, will be driven by Italian driver Andrea Belicchi, sharing with Swiss driver Marcel Fässler and Frenchman Nicolas Prost. Belicchi drove the team’s Lola B08/80 - Judd LMP2 in 2008 and was with Speedy Racing in 2007 plus he won 2006 1000 km of in GT2. Fässler is an ex-DTM Mercedes and Opel driver from 2000 to 2005. Since then he has driven in LMS and the Le Mans 24 Hours with SwissSpirit, Oreca, Audi and GT cars in FIA-GT and GT Open. Nicolas Prost won the Euro F3000 title in 2008 after two seasons in the Spanish F3. Nicolas finished 10th in Le Mans in 2007 with Oreca’s Saleen LMGT1. The LMP2 Lola Coupe B08/80 – Judd, car number 33, will be driven by Frenchman Xavier Pompidou, Briton Jonny Kane and Swiss driver Benjamin Leuenberger.Pompidou drove the team’s LMP2 car in 2008. He won the 2005 LMS drivers title and was runner up in 2007 in the GT2 . Kane was part of the Embassy Racing squad in 2008 and drove for Speedy Racing Team in 2007 in GT2. Jonny won the British F3 championship in 1997 and was test driver for Arrows in 2001 plus he has started Le Mans 24 Hours 5 times. Leuenberger was also with Speedy Racing Team in 2008 in LMS and the Benjamin has done 3 Le Mans 24 Hours. The LMP1 and LMP2 drivers will get their first opportunity to test their respective cars at Le Mans Series official test at Paul Ricard HTTT on 8th and 9th of March 2009. 10-01-09 A1 Team Germany will have to postpone its A1GP Season Four debut, and this means the team will now plan for being on track for the first time in A1GP Gauteng, South Africa on 20-22 February. “A1 Team Germany has been affected by delays. All the necessary ingredients to get the team on track in Taupo did not come together, so there was no other option but to delay the team’s Season Four debut. On the positive side, we hope the car can cover some test miles so when the team arrives in South Africa it will be able to catch up rapidly,” said A1GP CEO, Pete da Silva. With A1 Team Germany being totally new – a new Team Principal, a new service provider and a new driver in Andre Lotterer – there was no way it or the series was going to jeopardise its entry into Season Four without better preparation. This was not the outcome A1 Team Germany Team Principal, Rolf Beisswanger, wanted to his quest to get the Season Two Champion back on track, as he explained: “I cannot say I am anything other than deeply disappointed at the outcome. We have been working flat out since I took on the role to get a team together that our country would be proud of. However, we shall not be at the next two races so have to make sure when we do make our debut the car will be ready to win. This does give us more time to get the sponsors and partners in place and we have to view Season Four as the launch pad for a full out assault on the championship in Season Five. My major aim is to wrest back the title the team won in Season Two and for that we have to be totally prepared.” Tom Bradshaw
and Lewis Hopkins, the winners of the 2009 Porsche Carrera Cup GB
Scholarship Programme,
have confirmed the teams that they will race with during the coming
season. Bradshaw will join Team Parker Racing while Hopkins will race
with Red Line Racing. The announcement was made on the Carrera Cup GB
stand at Autosport International at the Birmingham NEC on Friday (9
January). Success in the Scholarship means that Bradshaw and Hopkins
will each receive £50,000 towards racing in the Carrera Cup GB this
season and they have now secured places with the two most successful
teams in the Carrera Cup GB. Each team has claimed the overall drivers'
title three times in the six seasons to date of the Carrera Cup
GB.Bradshaw (Blackburn) said: "I've had two tests already with Team
Parker Racing and they've got a really good outlook on their racing.
There's a very good atmosphere in the team." TPR team boss Stuart Parker
has already been impressed by Bradshaw's pace. "I think he'll be very
strong and I think he'll be right at the front from the beginning." Volkswagen leads the Dakar Rally with three Race Touareg cars, after seven of the 14 legs. Carlos Sainz/Michel Perin took over at the top on the seventh leg of the rally from Mendoza in Argentina to the Chilean city of Valparaiso. The former front-runners and Volkswagen team colleagues, Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz, trail them by just nine seconds. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford, driving a third Race Touareg with a 280 hp TDI diesel engine, are now third overall. Carlos Sainz achieved his third leg victory on Friday’s difficult leg, which included the first Andes crossing of this first "Dakar" to be held in South America, thus placing him back at the top of the leader board. The day's special stage was shortened from 419 to 243 kilometres due to inclement weather and rainfall overnight. Mark Miller is celebrating a double victory, having posted the second fastest time of the day and thus having given his best performance so far in this year's "Dakar". Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz ceded their lead after losing time due to a puncture and visibility problems on the day’s muddy route, and were the sixth team to cross the finishing line. The second half of the rally will get under way on Sunday, after Saturday's rest day which will primarily serve as an opportunity to thoroughly service the rally vehicles. Seven legs now remain, covering a total distance of 4,622 kilometres. The Formula BMW Americas series is preparing for its sixth season of competition in the United States, which will be its first under the guidance of three-time Indy Car champion Bobby Rahal and Rahal Letterman Racing, and preparations continue unabated for the 2009 campaign. Rahal Letterman Racing assumed the stewardship of the series from Lapwing Motorsports late last month. The team is looking ahead to the challenge of running one of the world's top junior open-wheel series. "We are genuinely excited about the opportunity to guide tomorrow's open-wheel driving talent through a quality series such as the Formula BMW Americas championship," said Rahal Letterman Racing co-owner Bobby Rahal. "We want to assure everyone out there that is interested in the series that, despite the closure of Lapwing Motorsports, the Formula BMW Series will be stronger than ever, and still affords one of the finest training and proving grounds anywhere in the world for the young driver with open-wheel racing aspirations. We encourage anyone to contact us with any questions, whether they be from an established team or from a parent wanting to give their children an opportunity to grow their skills," Rahal continued. "We are looking forward to a great season in 2009 and many more to come in the future." CR Scuderia Racing is gearing up for 2009 and it all starts with the news that the team’s FIA GT Driver line-up for 2009 will be Chris Niarchos, Andrew Kirkaldy, Rob Bell and Tim Mullen. The team will retain the same line-up as last season as the battle has only just begun in FIA GT. In 2008 CRS took the Team Championship in British GT and the Driver’s Championship in Formula Renault. In FIA GT the championship slipped away so the red, white and blue Ferraris have some unfinished business to attend to. Leading the charge is the no.56 Ferrari of Andrew Kirkaldy and Rob Bell. Kirkaldy has more FIA GT pole positions than any other driver in the history of the championship whilst Bell is the double Le Mans Series GT2 Champion. They make a formidable team. CRS Team Principal, Chris Niarchos, will race the no.55 Ferrari alongside his long-time team-mate Tim Mullen. The pair have won at this level before and will be on the hunt for more top results in 2009. The FIA GT Championship gets underway at the beginning of May with the Tourist Trophy meeting at Silverstone. James Walker will contest the 2009 World Series by Renault with P1 Motorsport, it was announced yesterday. The 25 year-old British racer is stepping into the team that produced 2008 Driver's Champion, Giedo van der Garde, which provides James with even more motivation to go all the way in 2009. "This is going to be the most important year in my racing career so far," said James. "Opportunities like this don't come along very often and I intend to make the most of racing for someone as experienced as Roly Vincini." Roly Vincini is the founder and team principal of P1 Motorsport. He is known as a hard, but fair, task master who always gets the best out of his drivers. "Roly works his drivers hard and that is exactly what I want," continued James. "He pushes all the way to the finish and that is what you have to do to win at this level. I really can't wait for March to come now so I can get stuck into pre-season testing. This is going to be a great year!" Pre-season testing begins at Jerez on 10 March. 09-01-09 Following a turbulent sixth leg, Volkswagen now leads the Dakar Rally with three of its Race Touareg cars: in the lead Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz are 7.39 minutes ahead of Carlos Sainz/Michel Perin (E/F) and 17.51 minutes ahead of Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA). VW has already led this year's Dakar Rally, from the second to the fourth leg. All 3 Volkswagen drivers have now moved up one place overall after a day which kicked off with an extremely tough 60-kilometre stretch of dunes and concluded with some easier dirt tracks. This is because the leading team of Nasser Al-Attiyah/Tina Thorner in a BMW X3 incurred some technical problems on the way from San Rafael to Mendoza in Argentina and took a short cut, missing several of the waypoints and were consequently excluded. This allowed Volkswagen to achieve a threefold leg victory, with Giniel de Villiers coming in ahead of Mark Miller and Carlos Sainz.The German VW duo Dieter Depping/Timo Gottschalk, who came second yesterday, were less lucky. After incurring a technical fault, they were forced to stop and were towed to the bivouac by a Volkswagen race truck. They are now eleventh overall. Volkswagen now has a comfortable lead in the first half of the rally, with the three teams' closest challengers, Nani Roma/Lucas Cruz in a Mitsubishi, trailing behind the front-runners by 31.18 minutes. Today (Friday) it’s Leg 7, from Mendoza to Valparaiso in Chile Build-up to Renault Sport UK’s 2009 motor racing season is officially underway after 20 registrations were received for its championships at the Autosport International show on Thursday, 8th January. The annual event at the NEC has become the traditional opening day for championship registration with the Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship, ELF Renault Clio Cup and Formula Renault BARC Championship all receiving early entries.
08-01-09 Double leg victory for Volkswagen - de Villiers now second. A double success for Volkswagen: Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz won the fifth leg of the Dakar Rally from Nequen to San Rafael, ahead of their teammates Dieter Depping/Timo Gottschalk. South African de Villiers has therefore improved his overall ranking in by one place and is now second overall, 2.24 minutes behind the new rally leaders Nasser Al-Attiyah/Tina Thorner. He is now also the new leading Volkswagen driver in the field. Dieter Depping/Timo Gottschalk were at the front of the pack for several hundred kilometres of today's leg(Thursday). The route, which ranged in altitude from 400 metres to 2,300 metres above sea level, featured lots of clearly visible tracks and long sections of off-road driving, as well as an approximately 20-kilometre stretch of demanding dunes. The German pair eventually came second, securing their best result so far on this cross-country rallying classic. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford also had reason to be pleased, coming in sixth on today's turbulent 506-kilometre-long special stage and therefore supplanting Mitsubishi ‘s Joan "Nani" Roma to take fourth overall. Early leaders Carlos Sainz/Michel Perin suffered a setback when, they finished today's leg in ninth after a rollover shortly before the finishing line, leaving them 15.42 minutes behind the day's winners. This has dropped them to third by 6.33 minutes. Andersen Racing will run 20-year-old Britain’s Richard Kent in the 2009 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear. Kent hopes he can begin the 2009 season just as he finished 2008 when he stunned the series regulars by winning the season finale at Laguna Seca last October on his sereis debut. Driving an Andersen Racing entry sponsored by Traka and Allied Interior Products, he led every lap of that race from the pole, which he'd taken with a new lap record. "It's fantastic to be returning to Andersen Racing for 2009, following the success we had at Laguna Seca at the end of last season," Kent said. "I hope we can continue the form we showed at Laguna throughout the year in the Andersen Racing/Allied/Traka car." "After his stellar performance at Laguna Seca, Richard was definitely a 'must-have' driver for Andersen Racing's 2009 squad," said team co-owner Dan Andersen. "We knew how good he was prior to Laguna, but if anyone had any doubts, he erased them in brilliant fashion. I'm very happy to have him on board for a full season. We believe he will be a front-runner for the driver championship from the first race." Kent's teammate will be Walter Hayes trophy winner Conor Daly, the 2008 Skip Barber National champion.
The Litespeed F3
team is hoping to bring Maryeve Dufault Silverstone has announced the circuit’s headline events for 2009, starting in May with the ever- popular Silverstone Supercar featuring the FIA GT Championship. However, the highlight of the year will be in June when the home of British Motor Racing hosts the last ever FORMULA 1 SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX at Silverstone. Ticket sales for the venue’s flagship event are at an all time high, and 2009 looks set to be another spectacular season at the famous Northamptonshire venue. From two-wheels to four, Silverstone offers the both international and national motor sport to entertain everyone. Advance tickets for most of these events are available to purchase online at www.silverstone.co.uk. For details of just some of the events to look forward to in 2009 are read more The Association of Racing Kart Schools have joined forces with the MSA’s Let’s Go Karting scheme and have allocated up to £10,000 in vouchers that can be used at ARKS kart schools nationwide, it was announced at the Karting Show at Autosport International today(Thursday). Subject to the Let’s Go Karting scheme continuing in 2009, all participants will be given a £25 voucher which can be redeemed at one of the MSA recognised kart schools towards a training course. Commenting from the Karting Show at the NEC, ARKS Chairman Ian Ward said: “The Let’s Go Karting scheme is brilliant in helping to encourage youngsters from all walks of life to try a proper racing kart, but we realise that there are still hurdles in taking the next steps before being able to race. ARKS wants to help encourage new kart drivers and our kart schools offer the best way to progress to a more in-depth driver training experience, under the guidance of experienced licenced instructors. Drivers can progress towards taking their Novice Driver ARKS Test, required before gaining a competition licence, and many of the schools also offer a complete arrive-and-drive race service. We are thrilled to be able to offer these £25 vouchers redeemable towards training courses.” The vouchers will be valid for three months from the date of issue and may not be used in conjunction with other promotions. There are eleven ARKS Schools in the U.K. , details on www.arks.co.uk. ARKS has teamed up with the Association of British Kart Clubs on Stand 6406 at the Karting Showat Autosport International. Rod Taylor, co-ordinator for Let’s Go Karting, said: “I welcome the ARKS involvement with Let’s Go Karting and it’s great news that another £10,000 is being invested in helping youngsters to go kart racing. Let’s Go Karting has had over 2500 participants in 2008, and we look forward to even more trying out a race kart in 2009.” More details can be found on www.letsgokarting.net John Mills Engineering, based at PF International circuit in Lincolnshire , is set to mark 50 years at the top of the UK karting industry in 2009 and the company’s golden jubilee celebrations will start at the Karting Show at Autosport International(8-11 January) at the NEC Birmingham. John Mills Engineering boasts the UK ’s largest karting showroom and a state of the art factory from its base at PF International, but the company’s full expertise will be on show from stand 6404 at the NEC this week. With a fully-fledged kart race team department that competes nationwide in classes from Cadet to KF1, John Mills Engineering also imports a variety of products including BRM Karts, WTP engines, IAME products, Sparco, Alpinestar, OMP, FreeM and Usag Tools, offering fantastic choice. JM Kartsport is also based at PF International, offering the chance to hire karts at the UK 's number one circuit for anywhere between one to 150 people a day. Visit stand 6404 for further information on public and corporate packages. Karting for the Disabled aims to help people with disabilities realise their racing dreams to participate in motorsport and for the first time ever, Karting for the Disabled hand-controlled karts will be available for public use at the Karting Show at Autosport International on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 January at the NEC, Birmingham .Karting for the Disabled is a project between Karting Endeavour, a group of drivers who do not wish their disability to interfere with their love of motorsport, and BRDC Stars of Tomorrow – the karting championship from which Britain ’s recently crowed FIA Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton learnt his craft. Commenting on Karting for the Disabled, Lewis said: “Any initiative to make motor racing more accessible to people with disabilities will always have my support and in this case Karting for the Disabled is a fantastic opportunity to open up the experience to as many people as possible. Karting for the Disabled goes a long way towards helping out those people who would otherwise have been denied this opportunity." F1 ’s Sir Frank Williams CBE has also endorsed the programme: “I fully support this initiative which is opening a new route for disabled participants to become involved in competitive motor sport. With the oxygen of publicity provided by British success in Formula One, it is a great time to be encouraging everyone, regardless of ability or capability, to enjoy full engagement in motor sport.” BRDC Stars of Tomorrow will bring around six of the hand-controlled karts to the Karting Show to allow members of the public to race them for the first time, following the launch of the Karting for the Disabled initiative at Autosport International 2008. The Karting for the Disabled hand-controlled karts will run on the Karting4U track in Hall 4 at 10.30am on Saturday and 10.30am and 4.30pm on Sunday. Carolynn Hoy, the Championship Director of BRDC Stars of Tomorrow, will be joined by Kumar from Karting Endeavour, to talk about Karting for the Disabled on the Karting Show Stage. “As we launched Karting for the Disabled at the show last January, it seemed appropriate to present the karts for public use for the first time at the Karting Show 2009,” said Carolynn. “Although plans are in their infancy, we hope to supply select kart centres across the country with these hand-controlled karts to integrate with public activity. But we have a lot of exciting plans in the pipeline and hope to develop the programme in the coming years.” The project will run initially for drivers with a disability who currently hold a DVLA driving licence, however, it is hoped that BRDC Stars of Tomorrow will eventually be able to introduce the project to the under 17s. BRDC Stars of Tomorrow is primarily a junior karting championship that also incorporates the British Cadet Championship. The Championship is recognised as the kindergarten of formula racing. Drivers can progress through the classes and on to the higher echelons of the sport. 07-01-09
The new racing version of the Volkswagen Scirocco, which will make its UK track debut this season in the Volkswagen Racing Cup in association with Hankook, will take its first public bow on Thursday in Birmingham. Due to be unveiled at the Autosport International show at the NEC, the Scirocco will form the centrepiece of the championship's own stand. It's the first time that the series has had a dedicated display area at Autosport International, and the move is a reflection of the championship's growing status as Britain's leading saloon championship for club drivers. 'We are very pleased to be unveiling the new Scirocco at the Autosport show,' said Volkswagen Racing UK Director Melissa Wright, 'not least because it is fully three months ahead of the start of the racing season. It means that there will be time for a good test and development programme so that the Scirocco can hit the ground running at round one.' The Scirocco on display will be raced by Mike Kurton, with backing from plumbing services companies BSS and PTS. Build of a second Scirocco, for Liam Griffin, is currently underway at the Milton Keynes workshops of Volkswagen Racing UK. Both cars will be powered by the 2-litre turbo petrol engine raced successfully in the Golf GTI and are expected to pack a 220-240bhp punch. The championship has unveiled its calendar for the coming season: all seven meetings will feature twin races and are on the supporting package for the prestigious British F3 and GT Championships. The entry books were opened on 1 January and Wright reports brisk interest. The British Formula Ford Championship calendar has been announced and will again be campaigned over 25 races. The calendar for the Ford-backed series, announced Wednesday, sees the championship joining forces with British F3 and the British GT Championship at all of their UK meetings. Another highlight for 2009 will be a support bill to the DTM German Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch on its visit to the UK. A return to Castle Combe to headline the popular Formula Ford Carnival will complete this year's calendar. Despite a reduction in the number of meetings from 10 to nine, British Formula Ford will maintain the 25-race format of the last two seasons. Sam Roach, of championship promoter RacingLine, said: "The 25-race format is enormously popular with the drivers, who relish the chance to take part in three races at some of the meetings. More of those meetings will adopt a triple-header format in 2009, which enables us to get the most out of driver budgets by reducing the number of meetings from 10 to nine. It is pleasing to be reinforcing our links with British F3 for another season. Our championships fit perfectly and the ever-increasing flow of drivers from Formula Ford to Formula 3 is a continuing reminder of a well-worn career path." As in previous seasons, the 2009 British Formula Ford Champion will win a free entry into the following season's British Formula 3 International Series. Volkswagen clinched a thrilling duel on the fourth leg of the Dakar Rally to win its second stage victory. Carlos Sainz/Michel Perin in a Race Touareg fought it out with Nasser Al-Attiyah/Tina Thorner on today's route from Jacobacci to Neuquen in western Argentina. The VW duo ultimately gained the upper hand with a lead of six seconds in spite of experiencing a slow puncture on the last few kilometres of the special stage, which differed from the last few days' routes due to trial-like sections, drives through dried-up riverbeds and a greater degree of off-road driving. Sainz now leads the famous classic for the third consecutive day and has increased his lead on the BMW X-raid driver to 3.46 minutes. In their battle for the front position, Sainz and Al-Attiyah put more than two minutes between themselves and the third best team, which goes to show how intense the competition on the day's 488-kilometre leg was. Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz came in sixth today in their Volkswagen Race Touareg, defending their third place overall. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford achieved the fourth best time of the day which went from an altitude of over 1,300 metres to just 300 metres above sea level. This means there are still three Volkswagen drivers in the top six. Trent Valley Kart Club, the largest kart club in the UK, will showcase at the Karting Show at Autosport International (8-11 Jan) at the NEC Birmingham, for the first time in its 14-year history. The club is based at the PF International kart circuit, a leading kart racing track where they were recently granted permission from the CIK (Commission Internationale de Karting – FIA) and MSA (Motor Sports Association) to host a fully accredited International event in 2009, the first time for a UK venue in 18 years, they will also hold the CIK KF Western Qualifier in 2010. The club’s race calendar is looking great for 2009. In addition to the CIK event, the Club Championship and Kartmasters, the club will also host a round of the KF Winter Series, and rounds of both of the UK ’s leading karting championships - Super One and BRDC Stars of Tomorrow. The club will also welcome back the ever popular LGM championship and Dadson Masters. The circuit supports the MSA’s Let’s Go Karting initiative (held at the circuit) while the ARKS test can also be undertaken at PF International. Visit the club on stand 6510 or the MSA Go Motorsport stand 7450 for more information.
SRO have announced that Sunoco Racing Fuels and Anglo American Oil Company will be the official supplier of the control fuel for the Cooper Tires British F3 International Series and the Avon Tyres British GT Championship. The three-year deal brings the American racing fuel specialist to the paddock of the UK's leading single-seater series, the British F3 International and the prestigious British GT Championship. Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti will join Alex Lloyd in the No. 02 Target/TELMEX Daytona Prototype. The drivers have already participated in testing at Daytona last weekend. Chip Ganassi and co-owner Felix Sabates are the first team owners to win three consecutive Rolex 24 At Daytona overall titles. Last year, Franchitti, Juan Pablo Montoya, Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas teamed up to win the race on the 3.56-mile circuit. The ART Grand Prix team is proud to announce their official 2009 driver line up with Jules Bianchi remaining on board for a second season alongside Esteban Manuel Gutierrez, Adrien Tambay and Valtteri Bottas. Current FBMW Europe Champion Gutierrez joins the team after a successful test at the Magny Cours in November. Tambay also won in the Formula BMW while Bottas won both the Euro and NEC Formula Renault 2.0 championships with a total of 17 victories. Bianchi, who finished third in the F3 Euroseries in 2008 is planning to take the crown in 09. 06-01-09
Jonathan Wright has won the 2008 Golden Helmet and will be presented with award on Friday afternoon at Autosport International. Wright took the Radical Club Cup Championship and 750MC Bike Sports Champion last year Could you be the next British karting sensation and follow in the tyre tracks of the UK ’s latest FIA Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton? If so, you can’t afford to miss the Karting Show at Autosport International on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 January 2009 at the NEC Birmingham. A dedicated show within Europe’s largest motorsport show, it’s the only place to get all the information you need to start karting, from the best advice from the UK ’s top drivers to trying karting at a race track near you with the MSA Let’s Go Karting initiative. read more Volkswagen continues to hold its ground after the third leg of the Dakar Rally, with Carlos Sainz/Michel Perin remaining at the top of the leader board. With some controlled driving, the Spanish-French duo was able to increase the lead it established yesterday in its Race Touareg by more than a minute to 3.40 minutes on the 694-kilometre leg westwards from Puerto Madryn to Jacobacci in Argentina. The second fastest time behind the day's winners Nasser Al-Attiyah/Tina Thorner in a BMW X-raid was enough for Sainz to maintain his lead. The third leg presented the participants with speedy stretches and with winding, and therefore also demanding, sections. With some rocky ground to cover, they had to reduce the risk of tyre blowouts in order not to forfeit valuable time. The third best time of the leg was likewise secured by Volkswagen, with Dieter Depping/Timo Gottschalk coming in 1.05 minutes behind their teammates. Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz achieved fourth position in another Race Touareg on the second longest special stage of the rally, measuring 551 kilometres. The pair fell one place in the overall rankings, to third place. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford were ranked sixth in leg 3, meaning that all four Race Touareg were in the top six. Overall, Miller/Pitchford have now moved up one position, to sixth place. 05-01-09
Volkswagen assumed first and second positions overall with Carlos Sainz/Michel Perin (E/F) and Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D) after they mastered the challenging conditions on the Dakar Rally's second stage. Sainz took victory in the Volkswagen Race Touareg on the dusty stage between Santa Rosa and Puerto Madryn in Argentina. The Spanish-French duo staged a thrilling fight for victory on the day with the Mitsubishi pair of Stephane Peterhansel/Jean-Paul Cottret (F/F) and won by 1:14 minutes. Third best time was sufficient for Giniel de Villiers to improve, like his team mate, one position in the overall standings. The South African is now second 2:19 minutes off the lead. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA) felt the full effect of the perils along the 237 stage kilometres, which all the Volkswagen drivers unanimously agreed to be significantly harder than yesterday's stage and the subsequent 600 kilometre long liaison section to Puerto Madryn. They frequently had to avoid motorcyclists, twice lost their way in the dusty, hot track conditions and are now seventh overall. The demands made of Dieter Depping/Timo Gottschalk (D/D) were even harder. After losing time due to electrical problems yesterday, they had to start behind many slower vehicles, but completed the stage so quickly with a perfectly functioning Race Touareg that eleventh best time was the result. Rehagen Racing stayed at the top of the charts for the second straight day of testing Sunday during the "Roar Before the Rolex 24" Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge Grand Sport (GS) practice session at Daytona, leading a fleet of Mustangs preparing for the Fresh From Florida 200 later this month at the 3.56-mile track. Bryan Ortiz led the day in the No. 57 Rehagen Racing Ford Mustang GT with a time of 2:01.051 (105.873 mph), good enough for second quick during the first two days. Saturday, Ken Wilden drove the No. 59 Rehagen Racing RehagenRacingProducts.com Ford Mustang GT to a lap of 2:00.918 (105.989 mph) during the afternoon session, and that continues to lead overall. Tom Long of Freedom Autosport put the No. 146 Mazda MX-5 atop the Street Tuner (ST) charts with a lap of 2:10.131 (98.485 mph), also during the morning session Sunday, and that time also leads overall during two days. Kristian Skavnes, whose No. 111 Subaru Road Racing Team Subaru Legacy led Saturday's practices, laid down a lap of 2:10.223 (98.315 mph) during Sunday afternoon's session. SEATs will continue racing in the UK with the inaugural SEAT Leon Supercopa UK series set to debut in April enticing competitors with their announcement of free race entries to the series which will operate a two class system for both SEAT Leon Supercopa and SEAT Cupra R drivers. The SEAT Leon Supercopa Challenge will be exhibiting at the forthcoming Autosport International Show (8th-11th January 2009, Birmingham NEC). The organisers Racempower Ltd (directors Andrew Crighton, Pete Daniels & David Nye) will be on hand to meet potential competitors and partners on Stand 2740 where, in conjunction with John Boardman, Special Tuning and Ray Grimes, there will be four different SEAT Leons on display. In the challenging current climate the organisers have expressed their intention to ensure the series is as cost effective for competitors and partners alike whilst making no compromises on quality and standards. As such the series registration fee has been set at £2,950 (+VAT) coming complete with a further discount of £700 in tyre vouchers. With the race entries being free it is hoped this will aide competitors.As well as racing across the UK, competitors will take on the iconic Spa Francorchamps circuit and the SEAT Leon Supercopa challengers have the option of competing in the Supercopa Eurocup at Brands Hatch in July which will support the World Touring Car Championship. Indeed the upgrading of the SEAT Leon specification to the Supercopa level will allow competitors to compete additionally in the European regional series and SEAT Leon Supercopa UK hopes to welcome European drivers in return. This is an important aspect of the series whose aims, in line with SEAT Sport, is to create a series that will see drivers develop and progress into the highest levels of Touring Car racing.The SEAT Leon Supercopa Challenge also looks forward to completing and announcing their tyre partnership at the Autosport International Show. The series' website can be found at www.SEATsupercopa.co.uk. The Karting Show at Autosport International is set to open its doors to mark the start of the 2009 motorsport season this week, 8-11 January at the NEC Birmingham, but budding karters still have time to book their place for David Brabham’s free Karting Workshop. In the very first Karting Show Workshop, the double GT1 Le Mans 24 Hour class winner will share the fundamentals a driver must master to establish a foundation to build a future motorsport career at 10.15am on Saturday 10 January.The Karting Workshop will be available for 25 karters, who must be MSA licence holders aged between 12 and 17 years, and there are just a few spaces remaining. So book your place now for this unique free workshop by visiting www.thekartingshow.co.uk and completing the online form, to be the first on the starting grid for 2009. Workshop participants must have a valid ticket for Autosport International on Saturday. The Australian’s career stretches from karting through British F3 to F1 with the Brabham and Simtek teams, as well as F3000, touring cars, GT and sports prototype racing. “I’m looking forward to hosting the first Karting Workshop at the Karting Show and to sharing some of my winning ethos with budding potential motorsport champions,” said Brabham. “A big part of what I will be presenting comes from the Brabham Performance Clinic, where we highlight the areas that impact on performance. It’s all about a driver’s self-awareness, about how you operate as a person and how that influences others around you. I hope that my Karting Show session will help a small group of drivers to understand themselves more, to help them move on to achieve whatever they want to achieve.” SEAT Cupra Championship race and probable Porsche Carrera Cup GB graduate Andrew Herron will be at Birmingham’s NEC this Friday, 9th January, as he bids to raise as much as possible for charity during the annual BP Ultimate Celebrity Kart Challenge. This is the second year he’s been in the televised event where the 20-year-old will join 2008 JHR Developments team-mate Robert Lawson, F3 rookie Dean Smith, Mini Challenge racer Ollie Mortimer and former World Stock Car Champion, and prolific stunt car driver, Salvo Cachia as part of ‘The Thundercats’ team. The event will see 16 teams of drivers competing in a two-hour race alongside members of the public who each pay £300 into the charity fund for the Richard Burns Foundation, the charity established following the tragic passing of former World Rally Champion Richard Burns.“The charity kart race at last year’s Autosport Show was a lot of fun but the reason we’re all taking part is to raise as much as we possibly can for the Richard Burns Foundation”, said the Co. Down based sensation, “Of course, all drivers are ultra-competitive by their nature and we all want to win but it’s the fund-raising we all care about the most.” He added: “I’m delighted I’m able to do my bit for such a worthwhile charity again, last year we had a great result and it would be fantastic to do as well or even maybe go one better. Either way, I’m really looking forward to the race which is a really fun way to kick-off the New Year.” Bradley Ellis will be getting his 2009 racing season underway when he attends the Autosport International this week(8-11 Jan). He will head for the NEC in Birmingham to compete in David Brabham’s charity kart race, the BP Ultimate Celebrity Karting Challenge, and support the Karting Show at Autosport International throughout all four days. The entry list of racing drivers joining forces to raise over £50,000 for the Karting Challenge on Friday 9 January reads like the who’s who of motorsport. Among the stars is eight-times Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen plu his Audi Sport North America team-mates Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro as well as double Le Mans GT1 class winner David Brabham,. Also confirmed are Johnny Mowlem, Darren Turner, Guy Smith, Oliver Turvey , Andrew Kirkaldy, Katherine Legge, Adam Carroll, Niall Quinn, Alexander Simms and Sam Bird to name a few. Virtually all of the places available to the public are already booked but for your last chance to race alongside your motorsport heroes for just £300 for charity, contact Bill Williams at bill@racing4charity.com or call +44 (0) 7712 578263. The event package includes two Autosport International entrance tickets for Friday 9 January, usually an exclusive trade day. Although Ellis is best known for GT racing in the Avon Tyres British GT and the FIA GT3 European Championship he learnt his craft in karting. “Autosport International really does mark the start of the motorsport season, so I’m really looking forward to it as the show also presents a great opportunity to actually meet racing fans, which is something that isn’t always possible at the circuit,” said Ellis. “The BP Ultimate Celebrity Karting Challenge promises to be another fantastic event this year with a sensational line up of drivers. I’m just proud to be taking part and helping to raise funds for the Richard Burns Foundation and other charities. “Karting gave me a solid foundation in the sport and I still enjoy karting whenever I can, so it’s a pleasure to support the Karting Show at Autosport International. I’m looking forward to talking with Karting Stage host Alan Hyde and to sharing my karting and racing experience with those who are perhaps looking to start racing. Anyone interested in karting should head for the Karting Show as it’s a great place to find out all you need to know and to speak to everyone from race teams to experts.”
The opinions expressed on this site are not necessarily shared by 11/56 MotorSport or any of theGrid team
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AIM
Autosport ‘s Rolex 24 at Daytona 
The
second day of the Star Mazda Championship
Not
even a broken engine mount could take the shine off Craig Breen
VDS
Racing Adventures 
The
Hitech Junior team has confirmed Hungarian Tamas Pal Kiss
After
its best-ever results in 2008, hopes are high for the Caddy TDI
The
first major upgrade of Star Mazda cars for 5 years
The
US F2000 Championship Series has finalized its 2009 schedule. The
series, now in its fourth year, is positioned firmly on the North
American open wheel ladder system, offering the best professional entry
level program for both seasoned and aspiring drivers. Entrants will see
get quality track time at premier tracks while getting exposure at high
profile events. The 2009 schedule, composed of six double-race weekends,
is set to kick off on Easter weekend, April 9th-11th, at VIRginia
International Raceway, which has hosted the season opener for the last
four years and was the site of the first ever F2000 Championship Series
weekend in 2006. From there the series heads to the recently renovated
2008
British Formula Ford Champion and 2008 Formula Ford Festival winner
Wayne Boyd 
Doran
Racing
A1
Team Switzerland claimed its second win of the season in this
afternoon’s Feature race in A1GP Taupo, New Zealand
Dutchman
Henkie Waldschmidt and Italian Andrea Caldarelliare
The
Ascari KZ1 of David and Godfrey Jones
Hywel
Lloyd is the first driver to register for the Cooper Tires British F3
Liam
McMillan will become the youngest competitor in the 2009 HiQ MSA British
Touring Car Championship
North America’s
endurance sports car season kicks off this week with its biggest
event, the 24 hour Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown
Royal Cask No. 16 race at Florida’s famed Daytona International
Speedway. The green flag falls at 3:30 PM EST on Saturday January 24th
and the finish comes at 3:30 PM on Sunday the 25th. Patrick
Barrett is in the lineup for two Grand-Am events this week. He will be
with PR1 Motorsports as they run their Pontiac Grand-Am GXP.R in the 24
hour race, and he will contest the Koni Sports Car Challenge Fresh From
Florida 200 race on Friday with APR Motorsports in their VW GTI. The
PR1 driver lineup includes Canada ’s Mike Forest and 3 California
drivers, Thomas Merrill, Al Salvo and Jeff Westphal will be on
board the number 32 Miracle Sealants GT for the round-the-clock race.
“Everyone on the team is feeling good about our chances for a strong
finish. The crew has done an amazing job preparing the car throughout
winter testing, and I think if we can stay out of trouble and run a
consistent pace, we will finish well”, Barrett said.
Strakka
Racing
The
first international team to join the ranks of Formula 3 racing in
Australia
is
the first driver to sign up for the 2009 Volkswagen Racing Cup in
association with Hankook. Anna, 22, will drive the Golf GTI which Tony
Gilham raced to championship victory in 2007. Surrey-based Anna hopes
her first experience of racing a front-wheel-drive car will help her on
the way to a British Touring Car Championship drive. 'The Volkswagen
Racing Cup is a great championship,' she says, 'very competitive and
fantastic training, which is what I need. I hope to do well and move up
and on to the BTCC.' Walewska started competing at age 11 in karts, and
in 2001 became the youngest-ever female holder of a racing licence when
she tackled the T-Cars saloons series at just 14. Since then she has
competed with success in the Britcar series, finishing third in the
championship in 2007. Last season she claimed a second-in-class finish
in the Silverstone 24 Hours at the wheel of a BMW. 'Anna is a welcome
addition to the championship,' said Melissa Wright, of Volkswagen Racing
UK, 'not least because she is our first female competitor since Claire
Tippet in 2005. She has a great car and a great chance of getting in
among the boys at the front of the pack.'Anna's entry is the first
received for the series, and I am delighted to report that interest from
other drivers remains very high. Further registrations will be announced
soon.'
DR
Racing Kart UK Managing Director Steve Green
A1GP.com
is to launch ‘Dashboard’
Doran Racing
will provide McDonald's with a new meaning to fast and quality service
come the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series
who
tirelessly organises the event on a voluntary basis outside his job as a
police officer, over 10 years ago.
Hillspeed
has become the first team to confirm its participation in the 2009
Formula Renault UK
to
contest the 2009 Formula Renault UK Championship – the teenager’s second
full season with Richard Ollerenshaw’s team. Menasheh said: “I’m really
looking forward to racing in Formula Renault UK this year and it’s great
to be continuing with Richard (Ollerenshaw) and the guys at Hillspeed. I
can’t wait for pre-season testing to begin now, it’ll be very important
to prepare well as the championship is going to be very tough.”
Comprising 20 races, over 10 weekends, the category will remain on the
BTCC package for a total of nine events with one stand-alone race
meeting taking place on 4th/5th July, at Silverstone as support to the
World Series by Renault Championship.
BP
Ultimate Celebrity Kart Challenge regular Andrew Herron
Daniel
Lloyd also helped raise the £50,000 for charity
The
Karting Show at Autosport International
Liz Halliday
BMW
Motorsport will compete in the 2009 FIA World Touring Car Championship
Spanish
driver Victor Garcia will contest the Cooper Tires British Formula 3
International Series in 2009
Juno
Racing have announced that Steve Donovan will be a new shareholder.
Steve is taking over the shareholding of Adrian Mardlin whose successful
APM email hosting service is taking up more and more of his working
life.
Hexis
Racing FIA GT3 European Championship review
Formula
BMW Europe Champion Esteban Gutierrez will race in the 2009 F3 Euro
Series with the French ART Grand Prix team, the team who took Lewis
Hamilton to the title in 2005. Esteban had a test at Magny Cours in
November and got on well with the team. "I feel very happy to be part of
a very competitive series; I think that this way I will learn a lot of
new things that will serve as an experience to get better as a driver. I
feel very happy to have come to an agreement with ART, to compete in
this series. I feel grateful to my family, and the people working with
me, because I know we will work all together looking for the victory,
always being proud to be a Mexican. " commented Esteban Gutierrez. Art’s
Manager Frederic Vasseur said, "I am pleased to confirm Esteban, who had
a very strong and succesfull season in Formula BMW last year, as ART F3
driver; he did a very good job during our winter test session at
Magny-Cours and the collaboration with our engineers was perfect; we
will have a very strong line up for 2009 and our target will be to catch
a sixth title in a row. Esteban will return to Europe by mid-January to
continue with his physical training and keep focused for his first
pre-season Formula 3 Euroseries test, which will take place on March
18th and 19th at Estoril in Portugal.