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The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
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The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
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News Archive July 2009 Club racers mail your news to editorthegrid@yahoo.co.uk 09/11/2009 IF RACE REPORTS LINKS REMOVED - FOLLOW 'Reports' LINK ON THE GRID above 31-07-09
WTCC -
Frenchman Jean-Marie Clairet is the SEAT Eurocup driver who will take part in the next WTCC event at
Oschersleben. The 42-year old from
Paris emerged on top in last weekend's Eurocup round at Brands
Hatch, claiming victory in the second race and moving to fifth
in the table. "It's a dream. The WTCC is another planet compared
to the championships I have raced so far. My only goal will be
to finish the races without damaging the car," said Clairet who
has claimed European and national titles in the Citroën and
Peugeot trophies.
LMS - Aston Martin Racing’s Miguel Ramos from Portugal is driving Aston Martin Racing’s 009 car this weekend in the LMS. Here he describes a lap of the new Autodromo Internacional Algarve..read more
Formula Vee - The South African Formula Vee National Championship battle, moves to Port Elizabeth for the sixth round of the Championship this weekend. The race meeting run at the Aldo Scribante Circuit includes 250cc Superkarts, Eastern Cape Regional Saloons, Historic and Classic Saloons, Marque Cars and Breakfast Run Motorcycles. So far this year's National Championship Formula Vee races have been very close and with all the top drivers in Saturday's race it should be no exception. On a roll at the moment is fifteen year old Formula Vee rookie Chad Van Beurden . He has won the last three heats and a week after his double win at Kyalami he continued his wining ways in the Max Challenge at the Zwartkops Northern Regions Championship event. He comes to Aldo Scribante, as favourite but Alan Holm, Jaco Schriks , Trevor Bland, Cape Town based development driver, Courtney Steenveld, the other development driver, Durban's Zaahir Essa and Symm Grobler, will all be looking to take the race victories as well. Once again, the margin of victory could be split seconds and at the recent Kyalami event, the first seven cars on the grid were separated by a mere 0,760 secs! Battling it out, not too far behind the lead bunch, should be the likes of Jannie Geyser Jnr, Gareth Jackson and Nicholas Tennant. Superleague Formula - This year's Superleague Formula by Sonangol is living up to all expectations according to Competitions Director, Robin Webb. As the six-round football-themed race series reaches its halfway point at Donington Parkthis weekend, 4 clubs - Liverpool, AC Milan, Tottenham Hotspur and Al-Ain - have scored victories in the opening races of the season. "Last year no fewer than eight clubs won races and, if anything, it's looking even more competitive in 2009," reports a delighted Webb. "The variety of winners is very appealing to all involved but that's what we set out to create. The cars are technically identical and therefore very closely matched and the reverse grid that we use for the second race tends to mix things up giving others a chance of victory. The best drivers, though, still come out on top as they have to score as many points as they can often in two very different races: one which they start from the front, the other from the back." The reverse grid format is another of Superleague Formula's great successes providing fans with plenty of excitement as the faster cars from race one attempt to battle their way back to the front. "We purposely designed the aerodynamics to allow the cars to run close together and thus allow for plenty of overtaking. What's more each driver has a special ‘push-to-pass' button giving him an additional 50bhp for 15 seconds. This can be employed up to eight times during each race.Fans at Donington are certainly in for some fast furious action - more so as local favourites Liverpool and Spurs are among this year's front-runners and Rangers has also looked capable of winning. It's going to be another great weekend," concludes Webb. FBMW - Denmark's Michael Christensen driving for Muecke Motorsport had a perfect weekend at the Hungaroring . The 18-year-old took a full house of pole positions, fastest laps and victories in the FBMW Europe’s ninth and tenth rounds. Although he left Hungary with 62 points, Christensen's cushion over his main opponent in the championship is far from comfortable: Felipe Nasr (BR/Eurointernational) was second in each race, and lies just 11 points adrift. Christensen was satisfied with his double. "It went exactly to plan," admitted the Formula BMW Junior. "It has been just as I wanted -- two pole positions and two wins. I cannot be happier than I am. Towards the end of race one I just enjoyed driving and leading. The gap was quite big in the end, but I didn't look at the times or the mirrors. Felipe was also very strong in the beginning of the second race, but then I managed to pull away." For both third-placed drivers, their visits to the podium were a first: Race one saw Jim Pla (FR/DAMS) take third. After the second race rookie Timmy Hansen (SE/Muecke Motorsport) stood beside Nasr and Christensen on the podium. The results, though, remain provisional, as certain components fitted to the cars with numbers 15 (Michael Christensen, DK/Muecke Motorsport), 16 (Timmy Hansen. SE/Muecke Motorsport) and 17 (Jack Te Braak, NL/Muecke Motorsport) underwent technical inspection. Formula BMW Americas once again delivered two thrilling races at Lime Rock. A new points' leader and a maiden winner shared the spoils between them: Gabby Chaves (CO/Eurointernational) managed to win the first race to take the lead in the championship from team-mate Giancarlo Vilarinho (BR), who was seventh. It was no walk-over for Chaves, who has been on the podium at every race in 2009. His winning margin was just 0.032s over Autotecnica's Gianmarco Raimondo. Rookie James Kovacic was third for Team Apex. In the second race things went two better for Kovacic, who celebrated his 16th birthday with victory. Starting from fifth on the grid, he worked his way up to assume the lead after a spin by Alex Ellis which he held to the end. Chaves and Raimondo finished second and third respectively. Chaves now has 150 points, with Vilarinho (130) and Raimondo (98) in second and third places. Kovacic's success catapulted him to 84 points and fourth place overall. 30-07-09
Formula 2 - The FIA F2 Championship heads to Donington Park on 15/16 August and the circuit and MotorSport Vision have teamed up to offer fans an exclusive 2 for 1 deal on tickets for the event. Raceday tickets are on sale now for just £16 for adults plus entry is free for children under 16. At the midway point of the season, Andy Soucek leads the championship after taking his second win of the season last time out at Brands Hatch. The overall standings are taking shape and it is the Red Bull-backed Canadian driver Robert Wickens and Austrian Philipp Eng who are chasing down Soucek's lead. Wickens has returned to form in recent rounds but he has not stood on the top step of the podium since the inaugural event in Valencia, whilst Eng took his maiden victory at Brands Hatch. A trio of drivers are joint fourth in the standings -- Julien Jousse, Tobias Hegewald and Mirko Bortolotti will be hoping to relaunch their championship challenge with good results at Donington, whilst Mikhail Aleshin and Miloð Pavloviã remain in touching distance of the leading pack.. Support races include the Historic Formula 2 Championship for cars from the 1967-78 era and a full grid of supercars in the GT Cup. The main raceday will also include a special tribute to Henry Surtees, who tragically died after an accident during the second F2 race at Brands Hatch. Further details will be available shortly via the official Formula Two website. Star Mazda - Brits on Pole is a website for fans of British drivers in all the major single seat motor racing series worldwide. According to their internal formula the leading driver is F1 championship s leader Jenson Button, followed by the 2007 Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti. Adam Christodoulou, currently second in the championship battle for the 2009 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, is third followed by his fellow StaMMazda competitor Richard Kent… BTCC - Race driver Paul Luti is launching a bid to be on the starting grid of the 2010 British Touring Car Championship with his new 'racethemg' website. where would-be sponsors can read about his quest to race an MG ZS in the country's most popular race series. 26 year-old Luti is currently competing in the MG Trophy Championship and is one of the first drivers to race the new MG TF LE500 car since the launch of the re-designed sports car in 2008. He is also a MG Rover technician and racing instructor, whose family business, Dreadnought Garage, specialises in MG, TVR and Caterham service and repair. With local sponsors already showing an interest in the project, Paul is keen to extend the invitation to motorsport and MG enthusiasts in the UK and around the globe. "I would be thrilled to race an MG car in the British Touring Car Championship and would be delighted to receive support from any companies or individuals with an interest in keeping MG's rich racing heritage alive," comments Luti. "There are a wide range of sponsorship options available to those interested in supporting my bid, including hospitality at the race track, company names and corporate logos featured on the car, and an in-depth company profile on my website, 'racethemg.com'. I'd also be happy to offer my car for display at public and corporate events." Sponsors who elect to feature their names on the car will be automatically entered into a prize draw on the 'racethemg' website for the chance to win two tickets to a round of the BTCC together complete with hospitality, and will also be offered the opportunity to get involved with the race team and help prepare Luti's car for racing. Colin Turkington, Matt Neal and Fabrizio Giovanardi believe that Jason Plato could still be the man to beat at Snetterton this weekend (1-2 August) - even though the Chevrolet driver missed the official test session held recently at the Norfolk track. Plato and his Racing Silverline squad were absent from the test meaning he will have had no prior running in his Chevrolet Lacetti at Snetterton when the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship season resumes there for the second half of its 2009 calendar. Plato currently lies fourth in the Drivers' standings behind Turkington, Neal and Giovanardi - but all three believe that, test or not, he will be a major threat in all three races on Sunday. Team RAC BMW driver Turkington, the man on form with four wins in the last six races, said: "Jason's shown at several recent rounds he can turn up to circuits where he has not driven that car before and really be difficult to beat and I don't think it'll be any different at Snetterton. Also, we lost a decent portion of the Snetterton test due to heavy rain so I don't think we'll have stolen much of an advantage on him." Vauxhall's Neal said Plato remains a major threat in the title race overall, let alone the Snetterton fixture which marks the start of a busy August for the BTCC with visits to the Knockhill circuit in Fife (16 Aug) and Silverstone, Northants (30 Aug) also to follow inside the same month.
Strawberry Racing maintained it's bid to win the junior and senior Euro Max Challenge titles at Sosnova in the Czech Republic last weekend. Josh Webster, the team’s Junior Max class driver took a superb second in his final while Luke Varley had to endure some bad luck in his.British Super 1 front-runner Jonathan Walker is bringing Italian flair to British karting with the UK launch of the racewear and lifestyle brand, Freeminds. Visitors to this weekend’s (1/2 August) Kart Masters event at the PFi circuit in Lincolnshire will be able to see, and feel, the quality for themselves in the paddock throughout the weekend. The 20-year old KF1 pilot was recently awarded exclusive rights to import Freeminds’ karting products into the UK. “The quality of Freeminds’ products is second to none,” Jonny says. “Their race-suits are just fantastic and we’re able to offer a bespoke service at off-the-peg prices. That means drivers can really stand out, with their own unique design without the designer prices.” He will have a large selection of items from racesuits to rib protectors, to helmet and kit bags. He is also offering a free design service for prospective racesuit customers. 29-07-09
Red Bull backed Alex Albon, one of the favourites to win this year’s Formula Kart Stars (FKS) Championship, KF3 Class Trophy, showed just why he is leading the Championship with a superb victory last time out at PF International in Lincolnshire. Formula Ford - The Australian Formula Ford Championship will celebrate its 40th Anniversary of national competition this weekend at Round 5 of the Genuine Ford Parts Championship at Sandown International Raceway. Alongside the usual races will be a host of off-track activities . Atlantic - John Edwards has closed the gap on Simona De Silvestro to trail he by just 5 points in the fight for the 2009 Atlantic series title after taking two wins from two starts at the Harrah's Autobahn Grand Prix presented by Mazda doubleheader. Edwards now has 3 wins this season the same number as De Silvestro as the pair head into the last 5 races of the year. Indycar - Will Power scored his first IndyCar Series win, holding off a competitive field to win the Rexall Edmonton Indy over Helio Castroneves. The Australian, driving the No. 12 Penske Truck Rental car, started from the pole and was in command throughout leading 90 of the 95 laps run. Castroneves shrunk a 6.79-second disadvantage on Lap 85 - after overtaking Scott Dixon in traffic for second place - to 4.58 seconds on Lap 92, but the race's only caution prevented any potential shootout. Dixon, the 2008 race winner, finished third to retake the series championship points lead and Team Penske's Ryan Briscoe was fourth. Dario Franchitti finished fifth and fan favourite Paul Tracy wound up sixth after starting ninth. Tony Kanaan sustained burns on his thumbs and face during a Lap 34 pit stop. The fuel hose remained open after the stop, splashing 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol onto the side of the No. 11 Team 7-Eleven car and Kanaan. The fuel ignited, with Kanaan scrambling to extricate himself from the car as Team Penske and Panther Racing crew members doused the car to retard the flames. Kanaan will be re-evaluated by Indy Racing League medical personnel this week. Tin-Tops - Buffomante Is Hometown Ford Racing Mustang Challenge Victor in HARRAH's Autobahn Grand Prix presented by Mazda. Starting from second position for the race Buffomante grabbed the lead in turn 1 of the 3.506-mile circuit, and never looked. Buffomante, in the No. 34 Team BRE entry, led championship contenders Ted Anthony, Jr, and Andrew Caddell across the stripe for his second Mustang Challenge win of the season. For the second consecutive season, the title battle will once again go down to the Miller Motorsports Park finale in September with Caddell holding a 47-point advantage over Anthony, Jr. "Awesome! That was awesome!" exclaimed a jubilant Buffomante, 36, of Napier, Illinois in victory circle. "My dad--huge! My crew-- huge! I've got a ton a people supporting me here so this is a really special win. The start was a little hairy, but we made it through, and from there the car was just perfect so all I had to do was keep it on the track. Hopefully I can come back next year and run a complete season." MotoGP - Provisional date confirmed for Silverstone round of 2010 MotoGP - Silverstone has confirmed that the provisional date for the 2010 British Motorcycle Grand Prix (MotoGP) is 4-6 June*. The Northamptonshire circuit is investing more than £5 million in a new super fast bike circuit, with new elevated spectator areas bringing fans closer to the action. Circuit bosses are also promising a spectacular line-up of off-track entertainment, including interactive experiences, bike displays and concerts. Tickets for next year’s event are already on sale at www.silverstone.co.uk, with ‘Early Bird’** ticket prices starting at just £12. Race day tickets are also priced extremely competitively, ranging from £44 for an adult General Admission ticket (£48 for a Three Day ticket) to £84 for a covered Grandstand ticket in a premium viewing location (£108 for the equivalent Three Day ticket). Race day tickets for children*** are available from as little as £12 (£16 for Three Day child tickets). Other news - Celebrity TV Chef James Martin has ambitions in Classic Motorsport, specifically, to drive an F1 Car in the Monaco Classic. So Cars IInternational have got together with Martin to not only provide a car, a Benetton 196, but also arrange driver coaching and, with the aim of making James into an F1 driver in just one day, invite TV’s Fifth Gear programme along to record his progress. Preparation is, of course the key to success. Responsibility for the preparation of the car fell to Cars International Chief Engineer Tim Preston, a man whose F1 career includes time at Williams Grand Prix with Damon Hill, Juan Pablo Montoya and Jacques Villeneuve. The Benetton 196 was formerly campaigned by Jean Alesi and it spent weeks at Cars International’s engineering facility, emerging “Ready to Race” .Coachinmg came from Jason Plato with assistance from the Cars International F1 professionals, James’ couldn’t hide his delight: “I’m thrilled to have taken my first step on the road to fulfilling my ambition, to one day drive an F1 car at Monaco ”, 28-07-09
Carrera Cup GB
-
Robert Lawson will resume his challenge for the pro-am1 title
in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB when the second half of the
championship starts at Snetterton this weekend. Currently, at
the mid point in the season Lawson has a 21-point lead in the
pro-am1 standings and the is also fifth overall in the
championship. Racing with the JHR squad, Lawson has taken six
pro-am1 victories, including double wins at Oulton Park and his
home track of Croft. But knows that he has to keep pushing hard
to fend off determined pro-am1 rivals like Tony Gilham (Red Line
Racing), Ollie Jackson (Motorbase Performance) and Glynn Geddie
(Team Parker Racing).
Craig Rainer did the double in the Blue Oval Saloon cars winning both races in his Mk2 Escort. In the first Craig Jamieson came second ina Sierra, 1.609 secs behind the winner with Simon Gent third, a gap of 2.598secs separating him from Rainer’s car. In race two Steve Wetherley picked up second in his Sierra Sapphire 6.8 seconds behind, with Gent third once again.
In the Classic Group 1 race Jim McLoughlin just held off Roger Stanford’s BMW 2002 to take the flag by 0.861 secs with Mark Fowler’s 3 litre Capri coming in third. Stanford picked up his second win in the last event of the day, the Track Race Cars Pre-93 race where his BMW M3 beat Craig Jamieson’s Sierra by a little over a second while Anthony Wright completed the top three in his Rover Tomcat.
Phil Quaife’s debut in the Spa 24 Hours turned out to be pretty impressive. Driving in the #55 CRS Racing Ferrari 430 Scuderia alongside Chris Niarchos, Tim Mullen and Chris Goodwin he finished an excellent sixth-in-class and ninth overall… 27-07-09
Minis - Since Scott Bargwanna’s huge 100mph crash into the wall at the Dunlop Townsville 400, Scott and his ROCK Energy Drinks Mini Challenge team have been busy putting the car back together for the Sandown Round of the Mini Challenge this coming weekend..
In the Laurence Bloom Memorial trophy celebrating 50 years of the Mini Harvey Death came out on top in both races. He was followed home on both occasions by Ioannis Edipidis with Craig Edgecombe completing the podium in race 1 and Clive Death doing the same in race 2. Darren McWhirter took the honours in the Daily Express Trophy for Production Jaguars his XK120 the first of five at the front of the field. Second was JimTester 3.7 seconds back with Nigel Webb third.
The
World Sports Car Masters
race was won by Linney and Hadfield’s Lola T70 with the similar
car of Smith and McCaig second while third was another T70 ,
that of Minshaw and Stretton. The
latter pairing had an even better result in the Masters
Gentlemens Drivers GT event winning in their E Type by 1.647
secs after 14 laps from the Bryant’s, Oliver and Graham, AC
Cobra. Simon Hadfield and Leo Voyazides were a distant third in
a second Cobra .
Gareth Burnett
won the BRDC 500 Pre-war Sports car
race in a Alta Sports from the Frazer-Nash of Hall and
Blakeney-Edwards. Third was the Alfa Romeo 8C Monza of Mafeers
and Gillett. The under 2 litre Touring car race saw a huge 50 car grid start the race which was won by the Wolfe/Hall Lotus Cortina 16 seconds ahead of the BMW 1800 of Jackie Oliver and Jeremy Shaw. Leo Voyazides and Simon Hadfield were third in a second Lotus Cortina. In the two Formula Junior races Jon Milicevic won both at the wheel of his Cooper T59. James Claridge followed him home 16 seconds adrift in race 1 driving a Lola Mk5A with Simon Diffey third in a Lotus 20. Race 2 was closer with Andrew Hibberd keeping the Milicevic honest this time, coming second just 3 seconds behind. James Murray was third driving a Lotus 22.
38 cars started the HGPCA's
Pre 66 race on Saturday and it was Roger Wills who triumphed
in his Cooper T51. Enrico Spaggiari was second in another
Cooper, a T53, while Ian Ashley was third in a Alfa Romeo. In
race 2 Spaggiari reversed the positions with Willis, winning by
6.9 secs while Ashley was third once again. In the RAC Woodcote
Trophy the Jaguar D Type of Marsh and Pickering was
victorious after 22 laps from Maro Devis driving a Maserati 250
Si who was 2.856 secs behind. The pairing of Eastick and Dron in
a D Type Jaguar was third
Nick Padmore and Ian Bankhurst brought their PromotaSport-entered 1973 Arbath Osella PA1 across the line in an excellent 2nd place in Saturday evening's Denny Hulme Trophy Race for World Sports Car Masters at the Silverstone Classic. Padmore also raced alongside his father Keith in the Under 2 litre Touring Cars with a 1965 Mini Cooper S before they were sadly sidelined with mechanical problem . Star Mazda- Irishman Peter Dempsey continued his winning ways on Sunday in the second race of the weekend in the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear at the Harrah's Autobahn Grand Prix. Driving the #3 Juncos Racing Mazda Dempsey has now won 4 races this season, the same as 2008, and leads the Championship with 342 points from Adam Christoloudou who was second to the Irishman once again yesterday During the Harrah's Star Mazda Grand Prix at Autobahn Raceway double header weekend, Mazdaspeed driver Conor Daly scored 3rd and 5th place finishes that moved him up to third place in the standings. Saturday’s podium finish came with a tinge of frustration because Conor was simply unable to match the speed of either Peter Dempsey or Adam Christodoulou. “Dempsey was just playing with the field”, said Conor. “for the second race in a row, his car was in a different speed class”. On Sunday a most unique issue surfaced. For some inexplicable reason, Daly’s car was fitted with a harder front right side compound that still has the Goodyear engineer’s wondering what happened. This mismatch of tyres stopped the car from turning effectively to the left and forced the brake bias to be adjusted rearwards to stop the harder right side compound from locking up under heavy braking. Fearing that there was some sort of mechanical issue, Daly spent the first few laps accessing the car and adjusting from the cockpit as best he could before settling into defending the fifth place that he gained on the run to the first corner. “To be hampered like this is a little frustrating, especially as I didn’t know what the issue was. Third place was the best I could have hoped for anyway because Dempsey’s and Christodoulou’s new design variant of Star Mazda cars are just plain faster. Regardless, we got some points and I moved into 3rd in the Championship so it's all good. So we'll get ready and go at again when we get to Trois Rivieres . "
Super GT - Benoit Treluyer finally got everthing together in the Super GT series to take a superb
win at Sugo over the weekend. Despite a penalty of two places on
the grid for inadvertenly over taking on the gren flag lap the
Frenchmen o Karts - Jack Barlow's Formula Kart Stars season continued with another win in the latest round of the series Mini Max Championship at PFi a week ago (18/19 July). 26-07-09
24-07-09
James Singleton, who as the result of a fourth consecutive podium finish in the high-profile, Formula Kart Stars Championship at PF International last time out, has established himself as a genuine contender for the British title in only his second year of competition full-stop.
The SG Formula team fortunatley as something to cheer about at every meeting of the Formula 3 Euro Series. At Zandvoort, Henkie Waldschmidt staged a great recovery in the first race to take three points for sixth. It all went wsrong in race two however asunfortunately, he moved off before the lights went out which of course meant a penalty. F3000 - Will Bratt looks unlikely to have the chance to race in the UK this year after the PartyPokerRacing.it Euroseries 3000 Championship announced the cancellation of its visit to the UK, scheduled for next weekend, 1st/2nd August. Citing “last minute organisational troubles” relating to the suitable timetable placement of the fifth and sixth rounds of the campaign, category organisers have taken the decision to remove Euroseries 3000 from the planned Donington Park event, the remainder of which is still set to go ahead. Although the news is disappointing for Will, the championship has already been able to confirm a replacement race which will be held as part of the 12th/13th September event at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia, Spain. Rather than the originally planned double-header outing, the Valencia race meeting will now feature three rounds.“Obviously it’s a shame we’re not going to Donington as we were looking forward to putting on a good performance there”, commented Will, “But it’s great news the championship has already been able to secure an additional race for us at Valencia so I’m looking forward to that. Up first though is Zolder at the end of August, that’s what we’re focusing on now.”
In Brands Hatch's Race 2, Tom Boardman claimed his first victory since he joined the WTCC's Independents' Trophy. The Englishman took advantage of home soil to fight with the trophy's leading drivers, Tom Coronel, Félix Porteiro and Stefano D'Aste. After finishing third in Race 1, behind D'Aste and Coronel, Boardman posted a perfect performance to win the second race from Coronel and D'Aste, becoming the fifth winner in the trophy so far this season. "When I joined WTCC I expected it to be easier. It has been a tough season but we have been learning and finally everything is in place. I am so relieved I can fight with the leaders!" said Boardman.Porteiro is still leading the classification, but Coronel reduced the gap to 16 points, while Franz Engstler lies third a further 25 points behind.
At the beginning of the WTCC season, the FIA Touring Car
Bureau adopted a number of decisions concerning the
technical configurations of the cars entered in the
championship, including two decisions limiting the maximum
supercharged air pressure for all SEAT León TDI cars (Decision
no. 5 of
24 February 2009
and Decision no. 22 of
21 May 2009). Last weekend, Ian Cook brought his own 'Popbang Auto Art' touch to Brands Hatch. The 25-year old artist from Birmingham created an image of Robert Huff's WTCC Chevrolet Cruze in the main public area of the circuit, drawing crowds throughout the day. Unlike normal paintings, Ian uses remote control cars and old tyres to apply the paint to canvas, rather than a brush. In order to make the Cruze image even more unique, Ian invited Huff to add his own personal touch. Huffy painted the lower front bumper and valance of the car using a scale replica of the 'Bumblebee' Chevrolet Camaro, as featured in the movie Transformers 2, before signing it. The finished image, which is over two metres wide, will go on display in the Chevrolet team hospitality unit for the next two WTCC meetings at Oschersleben and Imola. Atlantic - De Silvestro Brings Points Lead to Chicago for Doubleheader at Autobahn Country Club. After her third win this season at Lime Rock last weekend, Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda points leader Simona De Silvestro heads to the Chicago suburb of Joliet, Ill. for this weekend's Harrah's Autobahn Grand Prix presented by Mazda doubleheader. Last weekend, De Silvestro earned her second straight victory and her third in the past four races in the Team Stargate Worlds car to extend her lead in the championship to 17 points (89-72) over Newman Wachs Racing teammates John Edwards and Jonathan Summerton. The victory was the fourth of De Silvestro's Atlantic career, moving her past Katherine Legge and making her the winningest female driver in the 36-year history of the series. What she really wants is to become the first woman to win the Atlantic title. She still has a long way to go to accomplish that goal, as the series hits the halfway point in the 12-race campaign following Saturday's race and kicks off the second half on Sunday. That also leaves plenty of time for the likes of Edwards, Summerton and the rest of the series to mount a challenge for the championship. Driving the No. 36 MAZDASPEED Motorsports entry for Newman Wachs Racing, Edwards picked up his third podium in five starts this season with second at Lime Rock. That moved Edwards back into second place in the point standings. Edwards team-mate Jonathan Summerton rejoined the team at Lime Rock after driving for Genoa Racing earlier in the season to finish fourth.Summerton has four Atlantic victories, including the second race of a doubleheader at New Jersey last month. Belgian Frederic Vervisch has finished on the podium in three of his five Atlantic starts and has started from third on the grid in four of the season's first five races. With 60 points, Vervisch trails De Silvestro by 29 points in the overall championship, but leads Spanish racer Borja Garcia by 14 in the race for Rookie of the Year .Another driver to keep a close eye on this weekend is defending series champion Markus Niemela in the No. 1 Jensen MotorSport machine. The Finnish racer moved to the Jensen team just prior to last weekend's race at Lime Rock after contesting the first four races with Newman Wachs Racing. He put the car fourth on the grid before an early problem in the race relegated him to ninth. Team Stargate Worlds driver Frankie Muniz is no stranger to the spotlight himself as a television and movie star. Now in his third year of Atlantic competition, Muniz best result to date is a fourth-place run at Miller Motorsports Park in May. James Winslow had his best finiosh at Lime Rock with seventh and his is once again running with Genoa Racing. V8 Utes - The 2009 Yokohama V8 Ute Racing Series - protected by Armor All are in Victoria for Round 6 next weekend at Sandown Raceway. 16 Ford and 15 Holden's will take to the track with only 5 points separating leader Jack Elsegood from runner-up Layton Crambrook. The drivers are coming off a fairly battered round at Townsville, particularly Justin Van Twest and George Miedecke who both suffered extensive damage from Round 5's street race. Van Twest experienced brake-failure and sped into Turn 12's tyre wall at 150km/ph and is working full-steam ahead to recover the damage. "Steve McFadden and the team have been working hard to repair the Ute. The hard-lid and roof were the only panels not destroyed. The chassis was bent so it's getting a new one. Engine, gearbox, radiator, wiring loom, fuel lines, brake lines, brake booster, exhaust, starter motor, cross members, bell housing, firewall and a lot more were destroyed. It's looking at being over a $30,000 repair bill. Luckily Capalaba wreckers have plenty of XR8 parts in stock for me," said Van Twest. Miedecke had almost the same amount of damage after he was involved in a 5 car pile-up at the same turn in Race 2. The New South Wales driver had to re-do all of the panels, re-spray the entire car, install a new gearbox and replace all new cooling elements like the radiator and oil cooler. Kim Jane will be hoping to keep his car in one shape to celebrate his 150th race, Race 3 on Sunday, 2nd August. There will be a few changes to the line-up; Colin Dunn will be in the #99 Storage King Ute as his son Ben is stepping aside for this round. Holden #16 owned by Scott Jennings, has withdrawn due to extensive damage atTownsville leaving the field with 31 Utes. 23-07-09 Henry Surtees: 1991-2009 Along with so many people in motorsport, Manor Competition has been greatly affected by the tragic passing of 18-year-old racing driver Henry Surtees following an accident during a Formula 2 Championship race at Brands Hatch in Kent on Sunday, 19th July.Henry competed with Tony and Sarah Shaw’s team in Formula Renault UK in 2008 and progressed well during the year before claiming his maiden podium finish at Silverstone National Circuit during the 18th round with a stunning drive from 15th on the grid in very tricky, wet conditions. Remaining with the team for the four-race Winter Championship, Henry achieved his first Formula Renault UK pole position during qualifying for the opening round and went on to claim a memorable lights-to-flag victory. The following weekend, he secured two further podiums to come within just three points of winning the title. This year, of course, he graduated to the revived Formula 2 series. “Following the tragic passing of Henry after the accident in Formula 2 last weekend, everyone at Manor Competition is approaching our next event with very mixed emotions”, commented Tony Shaw, “We were privileged to know Henry and thoroughly enjoyed our time with him and his father John when they were part of the team in Formula Renault last year. “On behalf of everyone at Manor Competition, we want to take this opportunity to express our sincerest condolences to the entire Surtees family and we hope they are able to find strength together at such an awful time. Henry was a very talented young racing driver with huge potential but more than that, he was a terrific human being. His loss is felt right across the motorsport world.”
GP2 - At Nurburgring Alvaro Parente reached the GP2 podium for the first time this season, something that left him more motivated and expecting that good results may follow at Hungaroring this coming weekend. The Hungarian circuit is very different, a much more twisty and tight track more like Monaco, although more forgiving. The Portuguese youngster is aware of the difficulties that he faces but he is confident he will be on the pace and can fight for the top positions. “The Hungaroring layout is very slow, it has lots of slow corners and has a small straight, which doesn’t give too much room for us to relax, and usually this weekend is very hot, which makes the races very tough physically. I think that we may have a competitive car and that makes me very confident for both races”, said the Ocean Racing Technology’s driver. He did have some problems earlier in the season which prevented him of getting the results that were clearly in his reach. Now, with a good result in the bag at the Nurburgring he hopes he has turned the corner. “The results from Nurburgring showed that we have the pace to be in the front of the field. I always knew that we could fight for the top positions and that gave me the will to try even harder and to get good results – the Nurburgring weekend was just fruits of that effort. At Hungary I’ll give my best again and I’m confident that, with Ocean Racing Technology help, I may fight for the top-eight and for the podium”.
Formula Ford - FPR V8 Supercar drivers Mark Winterbottom, known is Oz as ‘Frosty’(can’t think why!!) and Steve Richards got back behind the wheel of a Spectrum Formula Ford recently at Calder Park raceway. Both started their careers in the category with Spectrum so it was a gathering of old friends.
Carrera Cup GB - Charles Bateman will rejoin the 2009 Porsche Carrera Cup GB for the next four races at Snetterton (1/2 August) and Knockhill (15/16 August), with support from Pilgrim Foodservice. Bateman (22) will race with Team Parker Racing, the team that ran him first in Caterhams and then in the Carrera Cup GB in 2007 and 2008. He finished eighth overall each time, with a best result of third overall at Thruxton. At Snetterton last year he qualified second fastest to Sam Hancock. "I'm looking forward to getting back into the Carrera Cup especially as the competition this year seems to be at its best yet," said Bateman. "I'd like to continue my form from Snetterton last year but I haven't been in the car for over eight months so I'm sure I will have to get back into it quickly." Bateman started racing in the Caterham Academy in 2004, before finishing tenth in the 2005 Caterham Roadsports Championship. He joined Team Parker Racing in 2006, finishing fourth in the UK Superlight Championship and sixth in the Caterham Eurocup, and then stepped up to the Carrera Cup in 2007. Formula Masters - Britain’s Alexander Sims, Italy's Samuele Buttarelli and New Zealander Earl Bamber are to become the first International Formula Master (IFM) drivers to join the Series under a new development scheme known as the IFM Talent Support Programme. The scheme will see the three drivers race with Formula Master in Hungary as the Series supports the F1 World Championship for the first time this weekend. Sims(21) currently runs in Formula 3 Euroseries, "It fits perfectly with my F3 campaign this year as I believe the cars are quite similar in performance, which is great," said Sims the McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver winner in 2008. “To be able to learn a new car and a new track is a fantastic opportunity, particularly with it being a support to Formula 1. I think it will be very interesting for me to compare myself with a new set of drivers in a different environment. I am really looking forward to seeing how we can do this weekend." Italian Buttarelli will be combining his F3 Open Series Championship commitments with two Formula Master race weekends. Earl Bamber completes the trio, the 19-year-old bega the season with ADM but had to miss the last two race weekends in Brno and Brands Hatch. "It's a great opportunity to get back into racing with Formula Master," said Bamber. "It was a shame to miss the last few rounds; I commentated for the Series on Eurosport during the Brands Hatch rounds and I was itching to get back into the car! I'm really looking forward to this weekend, and running alongside Formula 1 is very exciting. It will be a challenge as there is limited track time and I have never raced on the track before but it's all part of racing and I am ready to get back to it all." The IFM Talent Support Programme aims to give young drivers the opportunity to drive in the Series' two race weekend with Formula 1. All three drivers will also race at the Belgium GP. "International Formula Master has always been committed to the development of upcoming and talented drivers, taking a close look at all the opportunities available to assist young racers and give them the chance to develop their careers," said Alessandro Alunni Bravi, IFM's General Manager. "The Talent Support Program is simply the natural consequence of our philosophy."
GTs - ET.China AGT Masters will travel to Shanghai International Circuit this weekend with a fleet of Ferrari super GT cars and three Radicals. The championship will join the renowned China Touring Car Championship (CTCC) racing weekend and will be ET.China AGT Masters' first race at Shanghai in the 2009. This will be the 3rd race weekend for the ET.China AGT Masters championship and most of the Ferraris featured are F430 GT3s. The championship features Paul Poon, Samson Fung, Paul IP and Kenneth Ma on the driver entry list, all excellent drivers. Ran Zhang, the young girl from Beijing, is also starting in AGT. Byron Tong, a new driver from Hong Kong, is having his very first professional car race in ET. China AGT Masters this weekend. John O'Hara, Frank Yee and Alexandre Imperatori are joining the race with their Radical racing cars. Saloons - The Ford Racing Mustang Challenge is set for it’s penultimate round of the 2009 championship this weekend at the new Chicago-area Autobahn facility as part of the HARRAH's Autobahn Grand Prix presented by Mazda. Sunday's 40-minute race could have decisive championship implications. With a maximum 57 points available (50 for first place, 1 for fastest lap, 1 for leading a lap, and 5 points for pole position) from the race weekend, Championship leader Caddell isn't unsure about his target this weekend as he is locked in a two-way battle with Ted Anthony Jr. as he looks to defend his 2008 crown. "Pole, lead, fastest lap, and then hopefully a win!" said Caddell, who has focused on studying what he can about this new track. "That's what I'd like to do, but I know I have enough of a margin that I can also be smart about the weekend. But I'd really like to come out of here with the championship," said Caddell, who was able to clinch his 2008 crown with one race remaining. For Anthony Jr., who rode a streak of wins and podiums going back to last year's finale at Miller Motorsports Park to move to second in the championship, the Autobahn weekend is all about generating maximum points. "I know it'd take a lot of things to happen for me to come from this far behind, but the fact is that I'm a racer and I can only go out there and do the best job that I can," said Anthony Jr. "Racing against Andrew has pushed me all season, and I'm a better driver for it. Hopefully I can keep it close enough to at least have a shot at it at Miller. I know it's a big deficit to make up, but all I can do is get the most out of the TC Motorsports Mustang. And if I can't hold him off for the championship, hopefully at least I can hold him off for a win on Sunday!" There is also a battle for third in the standings. Dan Aweida enters the weekend third, but he's going to have to keep tabs on Mid-Ohio's BFGoodrich Tires Take Control winner Jason von Kluge, wily Pratt Cole, quick and continually improving Steve Phillips, Mosport winner Tony Buffomante, Homestead pole sitter Joe Lee Middlebrooks, and last year's third-place championship runner Mike McGovern with Jim Click Racing. Any of those eight racers could emerge with third after the race weekend as the battle tightens up with just over 80 minutes of racing remaining in the 2009 season. 22-07-09 Westfields - Chris Davison and BARC Westfield series debutant Russell Small shared the victory spoils at Croft on Sunday. Davidson won the opening race after a fight with Roger Green. Small’s win in second race came in appalling conditions, where just staying on the track was a feat in itself, after a fierce battle with Davidson…read reports
As one of five winners in the Star Mazda Championship this season, Mazdaspeed driver Conor Daly is prepared for the doubleheader at the Autobahn Raceway this weekend. After completing an exciting race to the podium on the high-banks of Iowa, Conor is looking forward to more familiar turf on the 20-turn road course across the rolling terrain of North Eastern Illinois. The racetrack's configuration offers old-world competitive charm that clearly echoes the history of a bygone racing age. "The track is very complex and its elevations and surface changes are a challenge," Conor said. "We had a good test there three weeks ago but race weekends always throws up different scenario as the track gets more and more rubber laid down. After Iowa we're back in the Championship hunt and we certainly intend to stay there. This year is a big learning curve for me and as long as I can stay away from other peoples issues, we should have a good weekend. The paddock will have more Daly supporters than at any time during the year as we consider it to be somewhat of a “home” race."
Grand-Am - Doran Racing’s drivers Memo Gidley and Brad Jaeger brought their #77 McDonald's/South African Airways Doran/Dallara Ford car across the line in eighth place last weekend at the Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.
GTs - New horizons for HEXIS Racing AMR: the 2010 FIA GT1 World Championship. French team HEXIS Racing AMR plans to take part in the new FIA GT1 World Championship next season. At the start of April, SRO (Stéphane Ratel Organisation) announced its plans for a GT1 World Championship with the FIA confirming that the series would start in 2010. Aston Martin Racing have also been actively encouraging independent teams to enter the new category and HEXIS Racing AMR have been racing Aston Martins in the European FIA GT3 Championship since 2007. At the moment the team South-East France is top of the team standings and its two crews are in first and second in the drivers table. They also race an Aston Martin in the FIA GT Championship and have already claimed their first GT2 podium at Oschersleben. It’s only logical therefore that they should participate in the 2010 FIA GT1 World Championship with Aston Martin Racing. photo by V-Images.
21-07-09
Radicals - After Jonathan Wright’s double win at Donington in then Radical Club Cup Colin Millar said he would stop defending champion’s run of success. Well last weekend at Castle Combe he was as good as his word, winning both races while Wright picked up a third in the first race before retiring in the second. Mini Challenge - Both Arthur Forster and Joey Powis came away from the latst rounds of the Mini Challenge with two wins apiece rather than the three they were hoping for. However the reverse grid for the final race always made this a tall order and so it proved when the opposition and the weather conspired to make it even more difficult..and of course Lee Allen and Luke Caudle who actually won the final races.
Porsche Carrera Cup GB - Jeremy Clark will join the 2009 Porsche Carrera Cup GB for the next two races at Snetterton (1/2 August) as his prize for winning the 2008 Porsche Club Championship. Attleborough-based Clark will race at his home track in the VIP car from Porsche Motorsport as part of the package of support given by Porsche Cars GB to the Porsche Club GB's motorsport programme. Clark has raced in the Carrera Cup before back in August 2005 at Snetterton after being nominated for the drive by journalists from Autosport. He says his ambitions for this latest opportunity are more realistic than last time around. "I'm looking forward to having an opportunity to drive a legendary car," said Clark. "But my expectations are not so great as last time, when I jumped out of a Formula Vee straight into a super car with the hope that I could shake up the regulars! This time my feet are firmly on the ground and with two hours testing I hope to walk before I run this time and use the testing to its maximum. Of course the Carrera Cup car is very, very different to the Porsches that I have raced for the past year, being twice as powerful for both engine and brakes and rear-engined, unlike the 944 that I've been racing." However, Clark is thrilled at the chance to step up. "This is a fantastic prize for winning the 2008 Porsche Club Championship. If I can get used to the sequential gearbox then I will stand a chance but it is going to be tough to compete with the guys who have tested and raced all year." James Sutton says that he is not thinking about the Porsche Carrera Cup GB title this season and is simply out to win as many races as he can when the season resumes at Snetterton on 1/2 August. After 10 of the 20 races, Sutton lies fourth in the overall standings to Tim Bridgman, Tim Harvey and Michael Caine, but he says that missing the first two races of the season before joining Red Line Racing means that his chances of repeating his 2007 title success are slim. "I don't intend to think about the championship," said Sutton. "If we come to the last round and it's still mathematically possible, then I'll think about it. To miss the first two races of the year makes it very difficult, the way the points work. You've got no dropped scores, so it was always going to be difficult. But I just enjoy driving these cars more than anything I've ever driven and it's just good to be in the Carrera Cup for the rest of the season." Sutton says that the chance to rejoin Red Line Racing was key to his return to the Carrera Cup. "I wouldn't want to do it with anyone other than Red Line Racing. It's a great team and I'm really enjoying it. We're very fortunate to have SAS supporting us; we wouldn't have been able to do it without their support. It's a dream come true for me because I remember watching the SAS cars before I came into the Carrera Cup and thinking they looked fantastic. So I feel quite privileged to be driving for them now." After taking a superb third place in the Porsche Supercup race supporting the British Grand Prix at Silverstone last month, Sutton is hoping to do more Supercup races and would love the chance to graduate to the Grand Prix supporting series full time in 2010. "We're looking at some more Supercup races later this season," he said. "After the result at Silverstone it would be good to get out there and do some more Supercup races. Now I'm back in Carrera Cup GB and we're up there again, I look at Supercup and really want to do it!"
20-07-09 Formula 2 - Henry Surtees has tragically died after being struck by a flying wheel at the Brands Hatch during the FIA Formula Two Championship series' second race of the weekend. As Surtees and Jack Clarke went through Westfield Bend, Clarke hit the wall at the exit of the corner and lost a wheel which then struck Surtees on the head. This knocked him unconscious causing his car to leave the track. The racfe was immediately red-flagged the race and the medical team went to the scene. Surttes was then removed from the car and taken by air to The Royal London Hospital in nearby Whitechapel. A spokesperson for the hospital later confirmed that Surtees had died from his injuries in the evening. Outr condolencies go to all his family and friends Andy Soucek and Philipp Eng won the two F2 races at Brands Hatch . In the first on Saturday Austrian Eng was under pressure throughout the race from championship leader Andy Soucek but he held on with Henry Surtees finishing third. In race two on Sunday Soucek took the honours from Robert Wickens and Mikhail Aleshin.
Derek Johnston took another step towards retaining his Radical UK Cup title at Castle Combe, when Stuart Moseley rejoined him for a fairly comfortable and dominant victory.
Australian driver Daniel Erickson has taken his maiden victory in round 13 of the MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain at Donington Park over the weekend. Erickson led every lap of the race to win by a comfortable margin, having qualified his Australian built Spectrum chassis on pole position earlier in the day. DTM - Gary Paffett drove the Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class to victory in the 2009 DTM's fourth round at Zandvoort. Paffett achieved his second win of the year after his victory at the Lausitzring on 31st May and his 12th in the DTM. Paffett has now taken the lead in the Championship with 24 points ahead of Mattias Ekstrom (Audi) on 22 points. After the race Parfett said, "I am really happy about my second win of the year. Thank you to my team -- everybody did a great job. My car and the pitstops were perfect. I was clearly faster than Oliver Jarvis; however, it took me some time to overtake him. Afterwards I had a flawless race and it is great to arrive at the upcoming race in Oschersleben as the overall leader." Audi’s Mattias Ekstrom was second with Oliver Jarvis in another Audi third.
Reigning British F3 Champion Jaime Alguersuari will step up to Formula 1 next weekend with the Scuderia Toro Rosso team, it has been confirmed today (Mon). He will be the youngest ever driver in the history of the World Championship at 19 years and 125 days when he makes his debut in the Hungarian Grand Prix. Said Jaime: "I would like to thank Red Bull for giving me this great opportunity to race in Formula 1. Ever since I started racing this has been my dream and thanks to the Red Bull Junior Programme I will now realise my ambition of lining up on a Grand Prix grid. I am aware that I'm facing a very tough challenge, because coming into Formula 1 is never easy, coming into Formula 1 in the middle of a season is even harder and doing so without any testing is really difficult. But already I feel that I am getting great support from the team, who have quite a reputation for looking after rookie drivers."Alguersuari enjoyed a superb 2008 season in British Formula 3 with the Carlin Motorsport team, winning races at Oulton Park, Brands Hatch and Bucharest before his crowning glory double win at Donington Park at the season's final meeting. Trevor Carlin said of his protégé: "We're very proud to see another one of our Red Bull drivers make the step up to Formula 1, and Jaime is following in the footsteps of Sebastian Vettel, who also made the transition from our World Series team to a race seat at Toro Rosso. It was clear for all to see in British F3 last year that Jaime is a great talent - and it says a lot about the quality of the series that the current British F3 champion is already making his F1 debut.." pic Jakob Ebrey Photography Silverstone Classic - British sportscar racer Nick Padmore will race in this weekend's Silverstone Classic in the World Sportscar Masters and Under 2 litre Touring Cars (U2TC) races. Padmore will drive a 1973 Abarth Osella PA1 and 1965 Mini Cooper S respectively. Padmore, who is this year campaigning in the French V de V Championship and UK Speed Series, will share the PromotaSport-run Osella with Ian Bankhurst in the 1hr 30min Denny Hulme Trophy for World Sportscar Masters enduro. The 1973 Cosworth FVC-powered Osella is one of only ten ever made and will re-live its' glory days from when it first took to the track, raced by Spaniard Paco Torredemer in the European Sportscar Championship all those years ago. Nick will also race his family-run 1965 Mini Cooper S, sharing with father Keith. The pair last joined forces back in May at the Brands Hatch round of the Historic Masters where they put in a sterling performance fighting for class honours. "This is going to be a great weekend - I can't wait to get there!", enthused Padmore. "It's going to be pretty hectic as I'll be racing both the Osella and Mini but that will only add to the drama and fun of it all! The Osella has a similar weight and output to the Norma (M20F which Padmore races full time in French V de V) but, although I won't have driven it until testing on Thursday, know that it's going to be very different to drive. The technology and aero-package on it is over 35 years-old so I expect the car to move around a lot more which will provide a great spectacle for the spectators too. Racing the Mini is always a hairy ride and I'm looking forward to joining forces with my dad again. If our outing at Brands earlier in the year was anything to go by, we should be on for a class podium but we'll see. Whatever happens, it's going to be great racing and great fun for everyone.!"
19-07-09
Race stewards met at Donington to consider an appeal by Hector Lester against his exclusion from the results of round 10 over the Avon Tyres British GT Championship at Snetterton; they ruled to lessen his punishment for not wearing the correct safety clothing to a £600 fine and reinstated the race victory scored by him and his Rosso Verde team-mate. SEAT Eurocup- Freddy Nordstrom drove in his first SEAT Eurocup races atBrands hatch this weekend and picked up a fifth and a sixth place in theprocess. Not content with that he also finished second in both FIAT arbarth races.
Walter Grubmüller won the opening F3 race at Donington Park today closing the gap on Championship leader Daniel Ricciardo who came third. Race 2 went to Wayne Boyd who drove a great race in the wet to lead home his T-Sport team-mate Adriano Buzaid. Grubmüller was third once again earning himself more points than Ricciardo who was fifth. Saloons - Tony Soper won his first race of 2009 in the LMA Euro Saloon and Sports car Championship at Rockingham on Saturday after Simon Blanckley is disqualified. There were also Class wins for Ilsa Cox, Joss Ronchetti and Brett Walter while the latter driver extended his championship lead
WTCC - Chevrolet and BMW both claimed 1-2 finishes at Brands Hatch, in two incident-packed WTCC races. Once again Alain Menu proved to be one of the men to beat on the Kent circuit; the Swiss overtook his team-mate Robert Huff in the early stages and added another victory to his impressive tally on this track. Huff finished second from an aggressive Andy Priaulx. In the second race - just like two weeks ago in Porto - Augusto Farfus started from pole positiojn on the reverse grid and led all the way, followed by his team-mate Jörg Müller. Tarquini won a tough fight for third with Priaulx and Rydell. The reigning champion Yvan Muller was involved in a collision at the start of the first race and collected only two points. This meant that his leading margin in the Drivers' Championship was reduced to 5 and 6 points ahead of Tarquini and Farfus respectively. The fight is close in the Manufacturers' Championship too, where BMW is now only 10 points behind SEAT. The championship is now facing a long summer break and will resume on September 6th at Oschersleben, Germany, for rounds 17 and 18. 18-07-09
WTCC - Chevrolet will occupy the front row of the Race 1 grid tomorrow in the WTCC at Brands Hatch after Alain Menu and Robert Huff stole the show in qualifying. Menu secured Chevrolet's second pole position of the season after Huff's in Marrakech. Andy Priaulx will line up third on the grid for BMW. The session was incredibly close, with 16 drivers within one second in Q1. Q1 - Augusto Farfus only just got into the top 10 in the dying seconds. However, on his last lap he did a 1:33.836 to see him through. Consequently the reigning champion and current points leader Yvan Muller missed out on Q2 and will line up 11th tomorrow. Félix Porteiro (12th) and Robert Dahlgren (13th) also had spells in the top ten but missed out. All three Chevrolet drivers made it into Q2 while SEAT Sport drivers Rickard Rydell, Gabriele Tarquini and Tiago Monteiro also went through. Independent driver Norbert Michelisz set the eighth best time late on and became the first guest driver from the SEAT Eurocup to make it to Q2. Q2 - While SEATs of Tarquini and Rydell went to the top early on, Farfus stepped up the pace and held provisional pole with a 1:33.696 until fellow BMW driver Priaulx bettered that by 0.026 of a second. With time left for one more try Alain Menu shot to the top with a 1:33.521 - a time that Huff could not beat. Huff did a 1:33.618 demoting Priaulx and Farfus to third and fourth. Rydell and Tarquini made it a SEAT third row with Larini, Jörg Müller, Monteiro and Michelisz completing the top ten respectively. The latter had just enough time to swap the WTCC car for his SEAT Eurocup one and went on to win the series' Race 1 in Brands Hatch.
Formula 3 - TIM MACROW has already banked 2 points from this weekend’s Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship event by taking pole for both of tomporrow’s races at Eastern Creek Raceway. The Scud Racing driver was quickest in both sessions qualifying ahead of Matt Sofi in the first session for race 1 while Tandersport’s Ben Crighton was second quickest for race 2. Championship leader Joey Foster could only manage fourth fastest for both races..
Karts- Bradford’s Jack Hawksworth, after a frustrating end to his 2009 European Championship title charge, bounced back with a hard-fought podium finish in Germany - in a race that, had it not been red-flagged due to the weather, he would could have won. read report 17-07-09
Entry forms are now available for both of the traditional Club Formula Ford memorial races; the Edwina Overend Memorial Trophy and the Moose Trophy. The Edwina Trophy race takes place at the BRSCC meeting at Mallory Park on Sunday 26th July while the Moose Trophy is another BRSCC held at Oulton Park on Saturday 15th August. Entries forms can be downloaded from www. brscc.co.uk/club-formula-ford.html The annual National Motorsport Week takes place this year between the Saturday 8th and Sunday 16th August. NMW is nine days of motorsport activities across the country which aims to provide a platform to reach out and inspire newcomers to motorsport. The BRSCC will be running two meetings during this period – at Anglesey on the 8/9th and Brands Hatch on the 16th August. NMW’s aim is simple; to promote and inspire the excitement of motorsport to new audiences – to generate more interest, more spectators, more competitors, more jobs, more marshals and more officials. So if you are competing or marshalling/officiating at either meeting why not ask a friend to come along and experience what ‘club’ motorsport is all about. More information about the initiative will can be found at. NATIONAL MOTORSPORT WEEK Entry details for the 2009 Formula Ford Festival which takes place at Brands Hatch on Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th October, have now been confirmed. Entry fees for all categories of Formula Ford have been held at the 2008 level as follows: Duratecs: £400, Zetec 1800: £295, Kent: £295. Entries forms can be downloaded from www. brscc.co.uk/ formula-ford-festival.html The Festival is always a truly international event but with entries expected from five continents this year we are expecting one of the most competitive Festivals ever. The 2008 Festival was won by Ulsterman Wayne Boyd, with England’s Neil Tofts taking the Zetec crown and young American Josef Newgarden the Kent title. Supporting the Festival will be the Competition Car Insurance Ford Fiesta Championship(featuring ‘The Grid’s Nick Sanderson) , the BRSCC Formula 3 Cardinus Championship and the Historic, Pinto & Duratec categories of the Sports 2000 Championship. Testing on the days immediately prior to the Festival can now be booked directly with Brands Hatch operators MSV, who will make some exclusive sessions available for the Kents on Friday 16th October. www.motorsportvision.co.uk/testing The BRSCC website www.brscc.co.uk now features a latest news facility so you can keep right up to date with all the latest stories emanating from the Club and our championships. The home page shows the three most recent stories with previous news items then being automatically archived but still accessible for future reference.
Eurosport Events’ staff created a video clip to celebrate the WTCC's 100 races. In 5 minutes and 8 seconds, a sequence of spectacular shots reviews the history of the championship from Monza 2005 to Porto 2009, through nineteen key moments. Some of the most dramatic clips show the first victories of Alessandro Zanardi (Oschersleben 2005), Chevrolet (Brands Hatch 2006), the turbo diesel SEAT (Oschersleben 2007) and Honda (Imola 2008), as well as Augusto Farfus rolling in qualifying at Pau 2007 and winning the 100th race at Porto 2009. There is also the series' first visit to Africa (Marrakech 2009) and many crashes and overtaking manoeuvres. There are clips from Macau that remember Andy Priaulx (2005, 2006, 2007) and Yvan Muller (2008) winning the world championship crown. Click here to watch the 100 races video clip: http://videos.eurosport.com/fiawtcc/top-100-wtcc-races_vid110368/wtcc-player.shtml The BRSCC still have a handful of tickets available for the BRSCC hospitality suite at Brands Hatch for this Sunday’s WTCC & F2 event. The tickets are priced at just £25 each, with a car park pass allocated for every pair bought. At this late stage tickets will not be posted out so they will be left on the gate at Brands for collection. To book a ticket call Dominic on 01732 783141.
FBMW - Christensen celebrates third success in 2009 Formula BMW Europe. The Nurburgring was the venue for rounds 7 and 8 of Formula BMW Europe. Denmark's Michael Christensen (Muecke Motorsport) had his nose ahead on Saturday. He came from second on the grid to beat Brazilian Felipe Nasr (Eurointernational), who had started from pole. It was the Dane’s third victory this year. At the start, Nasr had to fend off attacks from William Buller (GB, Fortec Motorsport), who got away well from third place on the grid and entered the first corner side-by-side with the Brazilian. Nasr extended his lead to 1.1 seconds over the first three laps, during which time Christensen had become his closest rival. It took until the sixth lap before Nasr was passed by his rival. By the time he crossed the finishing line, Christensen had built up a lead of over three seconds. Nasr turned up the heat on Sunday and regained the lead in the drivers' championship from Christensen by 3 points.. It was the first wet race of the year on Sunday with the heavens opening just before the start, so the first two laps were run behind the safety car.The leading trio -- Nasr, William Buller and Christensen -- put in flawless races. Nasr clocked one fastest lap after another, extending his lead by a second per lap. By the time he went past the chequered flag, he was over 8 seconds up on Christensen, who had passed Buller on lap nine. Robin Frijns was once again the fastest rookie, finishing in fifth place. Formula BMW Pacific race postponed in Sentul. Due to the relaying of the track surface at the "Sentul International Circuit" in Indonesia, Formula BMW Pacific organiser Motorsport Asia Limited has announced that races seven to ten of the 2009 season are to be postponed. The next Formula BMW Pacific race weekend was due to take place from 16th to 19th July as part of the Asian Festival of Speed (AFOS). 16th August is now scheduled as the new date. Atlantic - The Atlantic Championship will contest six races In the 44 days that separate Saturday's race at Lime Rock and the race at Mosport International Raceway on August 30, and those races will undoubtedly go a long way toward determining the 2009 series champion. With one-third of the season already in the books, however, the championship battle is plenty close, as just 16 points separate the top four drivers in the standings. Leading the way is the only woman driver in the Atlantic field, 20-year-old Swiss racer Stargate World’s Simona De Silvestro. Now in her third year of Atlantic competition, De Silvestro has come into her own in 2009 and is the only driver with multiple vwins this year and she leads second-year racer Jonathan Summerton by eight points, 68-60, heading into Round 5 at Lime Rock. 21-year-old Summerton picked up his first victory in the first race of the New Jersey doubleheader last month with Genoa Racing and finished on the podium in three of the four races in addition to earning a pair of pole positions. After running the first four races of '09 with Genoa, however, Summerton will reunite with Newman Wachs Racing this weekend. His Newman Wachs teammate, John Edwards is just five points back in third place. The 18-year-old opened the 2009 Atlantic season at Sebring with his first career victory and has finished sixth or better in all four of his starts this season. Belgian rookie Frederic Vervisch has quickly made a name for himself with podium performances in three of his four starts and a best of second in the Sebring opener. Vervisch, is currently fourth in the standings with 52 points. He also leads the Rookie of the Year point standings by 20 points over Borja Garcia from Spain who is fifth in the championship. Garcia has a total of 32 championship points, the same amount as Estonian racer Tonis Kasemets, who has finished seventh or better in all four of his 2009 Atlantic starts. Kasemets, whose best result of the season was a fifth-place run at Miller Motorsports Park. One point behind the fifth-place tie is defending series champion Markus Niemela, who moves to the No. 2 Jensen MotorSport machine this weekend after driving for Newman Wachs Racing in the first four races of the season. Two points behind Niemela is De Silvestro's Team Stargate Worlds teammate, Frankie Muniz whose best result of his three-year Atlantic career was a fourth-place at Miller Motorsports Park. British rookie James Winslow is ninth in the standings and is once again entered in the No. 18 CARS Motorsport machine for Genoa Racing. Winslow's best results to date were eighth-place performances in the Sebring season opener and Round 2 at Miller. Max Lefevre completes the top 10 in the Atlantic standings heading into this weekend's fifth round. A1GP - The countdown to the start of Season Five of A1GP World Cup of Motorsport has started and the organisers of the Nitro SuperGP in Surfers Paradise on the Australian Gold Coast celebrated by announcing Surf Life Saving Queensland as an official charity of the event on 22 – 25 October. Nitro SuperGP General Manager, Greg Hooton,said: “SLSQ are an icon of Queensland and I look forward to seeing their volunteers in action over our event as they celebrate 100 years of life saving and over 100,000 rescues.“As the Nitro SuperGP ticks off its own 100 days to go milestone, preparations for the event are moving along swiftly with the event set to be officially launched next week here at the Southport Surf Club, our new pit facility is also to be unveiled shortly and ticket pre-sales are on-track.” Joining the celebrations for the official launch on 23 July will be A1GP Chairman, Tony Teixeira, who commented: “I must complement the organisers of this event on the work they are putting in to make it very, very special. We are very excited about this being the first event of our fifth season, and are even sending out one of our Powered by Ferrari racing cars to be part of this official launch. This will give the local fans and media a taster of what to expect in October.” A1 Team Malaysia held their third annual karting event on Sunday (12 July) at the Elite Speedway PLUS karting circuit, which is owned by the team’s commercial partner, PLUS Expressways. It was a real family affair as the karts were supplied by Aaron Lim’s family business, RL Karting, while catering for lunch and breakfast was provided by the restaurant of team mechanic, Tomy Mathen George, and Spritzer mineral water provided the drinks.The event that attracted over 30 entries was jointly organised and promoted with www.my-kart.org and www.pitstop.com.my. Flying the flag for A1 Team Malaysia alongside Lim were Azrai Razuan and Hairul Ezwan. Invited drivers included the current leader of the Malaysian and Asian Rotax Max Junior Championship, Nabil Jeffri, Nik Iruwan, two PLUS-supported foreign exchange students from Germany and Tasmania and members of the media.The team’s honour was upheld by Lim emerging as Champion, Iruwan took the runner-up slot, but the surprise of the event was the speed of Nazrul Izham from the Malay Mail who took third place. Entries for the A1GP Quiz to find the series’ most knowledgeable fan have officially closed and the winner has been announced. No one got all 30 questions right, but Filip Matzke from the Czech Republic managed 29 correct answers. Behind him tying for second with 28 right each were Chris “TheChrisD” Daly, Lutz Huppenbauer, and Laurence Thorn. It wasn’t the same question that caught everyone out, and between all the contestants every question was answered correctly. Anyone wanting to still have fun can go to www.A1GP.com and give them a try, but for those who don’t they can also find the answers on the site. 16-07-09
Sportscars - Glynn Geddie is set to compete in the Martini Trophy at Snetterton this weekend, once again pairing up with his father Jim in the Team Apex Tubulars Porsche 996 GT3 Cup car. The meeting will be run by the AMOC (Aston Martin Owners Club), has agreed to allow entries from other significant marques such as Porsche and Ferrari. Geddie Snr. and Jr. were last out in the Britcar Euro Race at Spa two weeks ago where after a dominating qualifying they took pole. However their engine sadly gave way and blew up, forcing the duo to miss the race, but Geddie Jr. is hoping for nbetter luck this weekend. "I'm kind of hoping our fortunes will change around after the last time out at Spa!", joked Geddie Jr. "If we can match the pace we had there in qualifying and keep the momentum through to the chequered flag, we should be on for a strong finish. However, it's going to be hard to say how we're going to compare to the others as we're not too sure who we're up against in class yet. "The following weekend I'll be out again at Snetterton in the Porsche Carrera Cup so this race should provide me with a good opportunity to get well-acquainted with the track."
Formula 2 - 25 years after Brands Hatch hosted the last ever European F2 Championship race, the series returns to Kent for rounds seven and eight of the 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship this weekend (17/18/19 July). Philippe Streiff won that race back in 1984, and the Frenchman will be watching on this weekend, mentoring compatriot Julien Jousse, who currently lies third in this year's championship. So far this season, and the championship has had four different leaders. Spaniard Andy Soucek leads courtesy of a fourth and a second last time out in Belgium, just two points clear of Robert Wickens in second, the Canadian scoring the majority of his points at Valencia where he won both races from pole. Italian F3 champion Mirko Bortolotti took his turn at the top in Brno taking his first series victory. Soucek then came back into championship contention with victory in race two, whilst Mikhail Aleshin, Philipp Eng, Julien Jousse and Nicola De Marco all visited the podium. Next Jousse had spell at the top with third in race one at Spa before Soucek claimed second in the next race to regain the lead. It was Tobias Hegewald who enjoyed Spa the most with two pole positions, two race wins and two fastest laps to go fourth in the standings. Six Britons will have home advantage at Brands this weekend, Alex Brundle, Henry Surtees, Jack Clarke, Tom Gladdis, Jolyon Palmer and Jason Moore will race in front of the UK fans for the first time in Formula Two. Sebastian Hohenthal and Milo' Pavloviæ both have high hopes for this weekend. Points leader Andy Soucek has never raced at Brands Hatch, but the Spaniard was full of praise for the track after experiencing it in his road car last week. "The circuit is unbelievable, and going through Paddock Hill is amazing," he enthused - "the feeling through your body is even better than going through Eau Rouge! “
15-07-09
LMS- Allan McNish has been awarded the Segrave Trophy in recognition of his Le Mans 24 Hour race victory last year combined with his "exceptional endeavour in motorsport". The 39-year-old Audi sportscar driver succeeds reigning F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton and was presented with the trophy by Sir David Prosser, Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club, at an awards luncheon at The RAC club in Pall Mall, London, on Tuesday(14 July). The Trophy is named in honour of the world land and water speed record holder Sir Henry Segrave and is awarded to a British subject for outstanding achievements in transport on land, water or in the air. "I'm very proud to receive the Segrave Trophy," commented Dumfries-born Allan. "When I look at the achievements of Sir Henry Segrave himself, he really does epitomize the spirit of adventure, all the qualities that any racing driver would love to have. I feel very honoured that my name has been added to that list, especially after a long career and also after a fantastic 2008 season. To cap it all off with this fantastic award I feel very privileged." Formula Vee - Chad Van Beurden took the overall victory in South African Formula Vee at Kyalami last weekend winning both heats. He had to work hard to get there though. In the first race he controlled the race from the front winning by 3.326 secs from Alan Holm in scond Trevor Bland third. Race two was a much closer affair and although Van Beurden won he did it with a train of cars on his tail led by Zaahir Essa with Holm, Peter Hills, Jaco Schriks and Bland all crossing the line as one.
It’s Easykart’s Round 5 this weekend at the Rye Hourse Track in Hertfordshire where the ciurcuit has been undergpoing some re-develpoment, including a new Race Control Tower and a new run-offs. GTs - Century Motorsport's Nathan Freke broke the 1/4 mile World best time at Shakespeare Raceway at the weekend in his self prepared Toyota MR2. After setting the European best time in 2007 at 10.41 seconds Nathan has been aiming for the World record ever since. However a number of mechanical gremlins in 2008 meant that he only managed to equal his European time. Perfect conditions at Shakespeare made the record attempt possible and in his third run down the drag strip he passed the 1/d4 mile mark in 9.722 seconds at 148 mph in his 900+ bhp car to beat the previous best set in the USA. Nathan will now take the car to the Ten Of The Best competition at York to defend his title as Champion in the rear wheel driver category. Next up is his debut in the British GT race series at Donington this weekend, driving his EOS Productions / How's My Driving backed Ginetta G50 with Benji Hetherington in a 2 hour endurance race.
Renault 3.5 - Edoardo Mortara will will join the Tech 1 Racing team for the French round of the Formula Renault 3.5 Series.. He will take over the no.1 Formula Renault 3.5 at the Le Mans as Brendon Hartley is unavailable due to a clash with the F3 Euro Series, Mortara currently running in this year's GP2 Series and has one win to date. Charles Pic's recent victory at Silverstone has revived Tech 1 Racing's hopes of winning the title. To achieve this the Toulouse-based squad will have to do at least as well at Le Mans. "Because of a clash between the F3 Euro Series and the World Series by Renault, Brendon won't be available for the next few races," explains Simon Abadie. "We wish him the very best of luck. He's learned a lot with us, and he's been among the front-runners and proved his out-and-out speed. We hope the he'll end the season on a high note, and we'd be delighted if he could come and do the whole 2010 Formula Renault 3.5 Series with us." 14-07-09 Saloons - There was no stopping Robert Spencer, his Stuart Taylor Locosaki was unbeatable on the annual visit of the Performance n’ Economy Chip Tuning Sports and Saloons Championship to the Croft in the North East of England. Starting both from pole Spencer had to fight off a strong challenge from Chris Maries in his MK Indybusa to win race 1. Race 2 featured more of the same until Maries sadly ended up in the gravel at Clervaux while he was challenging for the lead on lap 9 of the 15 thereby handing a second win to Spencer. Other News - Next TV dates confirmed for Porsche Carrera Cup GB. The fifth programme of television coverage of the 2009 Porsche Carrera Cup GB will be shown in Motorsport UK on ITV4 at 5pm on Tuesday 21 July, on ITV1 on the night of Thursday 23 July and repeated on ITV4 on the afternoon of Saturday 25 July. Round eight of the season at Oulton Park will feature in the next programme. SPECIAL £25 SUITE TICKET OFFER FOR WTCC/F2 AT BRANDS HATCH - Sunday 19th July 2009. The BRSCC has a limited number of tickets available in our Brands Hatch hospitality suite for the World Touring Car Championship & British debut of the new FIA Formula Two Championship, this Sunday 19thJuly. The suite offers excellent views of the Indy circuit and is equipped with a 42” plasma so you can also follow all the action live on TV. The tickets are available on a first come first served basis and are priced at just £25 each which includes VAT, circuit entry, access to the suite and a hospitality car par pass for each pair of tickets bought. In addition to the WTCC/F2 there are races for the Formula Master, SEAT Leon Eurocup, Fiat Abarth and the Lotus Elise Trophy. Tickets can be booked now using a credit/debit card by calling Dominic at BRSCC HQ on 01732 783141 and they will be dispatched immediately. You can also contact Dominic via email at dominic@brscc.co.uk
Australian Mini Challenge-
BTCC - Three times Formula 1 Grand Prix winner Johnny Herbert took part in Monday's official HiQ MSA BTCC test at the Rockingham circuit in Northamptonshire. Herbert flew in to drive the Team Dynamics' Honda Civic having starred for the former title-winning squad at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed event. It is undecided if Herbert will turn his hand to the BTCC with Dynamics but he would surely be a major draw, he is a huge name globally and in the UK, with wins in both Grand Prix and Le Mans. Herbert, who drove the Dynamics car this afternoon, said: "That was great fun and I've seen what these lads get up to during a race so who knows? Let's see... foremost this was just to sample the car after the team asked me at Goodwood if I could do a bit of running to help with development. This was my first time on track in a BTCC race car, let alone a front-wheel drive race car, but I'm very impressed with its performance and also the BTCC paddock set-up as a whole." James Thompson, whose car Herbert set his time in, ultimately ended up with the fastest time during the test with a best lap of 1m25.410s that he set during the morning session. Herbert ended the test 12th fastest with a highly respectable time of 1m26.372s. Porsche - Motorsport Asia Limited, organizer and promoter of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, has postponed Rounds 7 & 8 of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia until August 14 - 16. This is due to resurfacing work going on at Sentul International Circuit in Indonesia. The races, part of the Asian Festival of Speed, were originally planned for this coming weekend, July 17-19.
Ginetta Jnrs -
Tom Ingram has
received a boost off the back of his performances in the Ginetta
Junior
Championship this year, 13-07-09 2CVs
Formula 4
GTs Aston Martin Racing is considering its options after receiving interest from customers who want to compete in the new 2010 FIA GT1 World Championship, announced by the World Motor Sport Council. The Aston Martin DBR9 is the customers’ preferred choice of car, however it would require significant re-engineering as well as FIA waivers to be eligible under the championship’s new regulations. “It is virtually impossible for us to develop a new car for the championship, but we could prepare a package of modifications for the DBR9 in time for next season,” said Aston Martin Racing Commercial Director, Tony Schulp. “The DBR9 is a proven car with a great pedigree. If the necessary waivers are granted by the FIA then we are ready to support our customers who wish to see it continue to race.” WTCC
Formula Nippon
VW Cup
Bedford karting pilot Jordon Lennox-Lamb, has got his British title challenge firmly back on-track with a podium finish against the odds in his most recent outing in the hotly-fought national Super 1 Series at Whilton Mill… Formula 3
Mini Challenge Bargwanna Motorsport/ROCK Energy Drinks Mini Challenge team’s trip to Townsville in Queensland started off well with a fifth place followed by a fine second for Scott Bargwanna. It all went badly awry in the third and final race however when Scott crashed heavily when he hit a four ton block of concrete! Fortunately he emerged from the wreckage in one piece which is more than can be said for the car. Formula Renault
Kieran Clark’s Formula Renault BARC Season continued over the weekend at Croft and the 20 year old from Royston maintained his total domination of the series racking up wins 4 and 5. Clark now leads the championship by 50points . Benjamin Rouget driving for Asia Racing Team (ART Motorsports) in the Beijing Northern Race Super Series took a double victory at Beijing Goldenport Circuit yesterday to go to the top of the Chasmpionship table, Trans-Am In just his third Trans-Am start, rookie Jim Goughary Jr won his first Muscle Milk SCCA Trans-Am victory at Watkins Glen yesterday. Tomy Drissi finished second in James Cameron's Avatar Jaguar XKR and clinched the Trans-Am title in the process. Goughary started second in the No. 72 Luna Sueno Tequila Chevrolet Corvette and battled Drissi most of the race. In fact, Goughary and Drissi were running nose to tail for the first nine laps until Drissi passed him for second, behind polesitter and early leader Tony Ave. Two laps later, both Drissi and Goughary both moved up when Ave's engine expired in his McMahon Group/Pro-Motor Corvett. On lap 20 Drissi's lead was less than a second when Goughary saw his chance an got past into the bus stop. From there, Goughary cruised to a 4.453-second win "Never in a million years would I have guessed this," Goughary said of his first Trans-Am win. "It is a dream come true for me. Ever since I was kid, I wanted to be involved in this series. I've been racing for 22 years and last year Jerry Lustig gave me an opportunity to drive this car. I've got to thank him. This was unbelievable.” Drissi in second clinched his first Trans-Am title. "I really wanted to win at Watkins Glen," Drissi said. "He [Goughary] came around the outside and I sort of short braked because I was cooked. Something went in the motor and we were just nursing it. Jim drove a good race." Driving No. 8 TRINRICO Steel & Wire Products Jaguar XKR, rookie Daniel Ramoutarsingh, of Trinidad, as third , his first Trans-Am podium. Drissi clinched the Muscle Milk SCCA Trans-Am Series championship with 172 points, followed by Ave (133), Ramoutarsingh (96), Gregg (91) and Glen Jung (87). Jaguar also clinched the Manufacturers' Championship despite being beaten for the first time in 2009, with 54 points to Chevrolet's 35. Ford is third, with 10. The Series heads to Road America for the season finale Sept.19-20.
Atlantic Sebastian Saavedra passed J.R. Hildebrand on Lap 18 of 50 and went on to a 5.8630-second victory over his AFS Racing/Andretti Green Racing teammate in the Firestone Indy Lights Grand Prix of Toronto. James Hinchcliffe, a Toronto native, finished third, for the fourth time this season, in the No. 7 Hinchtown/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car, and Stefan Wilson finished a season-high fourth in the No. 19 Walker Racing car. This is Sebastian Saavedra's second win of the season, his first coming at the Kansas Speedway in April. "It wasn't easy, I'm telling you. This is one of the hardest tracks I've been to in wet conditions and dry conditions. We made a pit stop, things we're not use to. The 27 crew did an awesome job. I'm very happy for AFS/Andretti Green Racing. Points are points. We're thinking about the championship and that's what is important.” Indycar Dario Franchitti held off Ryan Briscoe to claim his third win of the season at the Honda Indy Toronto on the street of Exhibition Place yesterday. Franchitti passed Castroneves for the lead in Turn 2 on lap 65, holding off several challenges and two restarts to win. Briscoe was second 1.6745 seconds behind the winner while Will Power, making his first start since the Indy 500, finished third. Franchitti's teammate, Scott Dixon, was fourth followed by Watkins Glen race winner Justin Wilson. Danica Patrick meanwhile drove a good race to move up 12 positions to finish sixth. In an 85-lap race Canada’s Paul Tracy was in contention early on before he retired after colliding with the Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves with 18 laps left; Quebec native Alex Tagliani then led laps for the first time in the IndyCar Series, despite Tomas Scheckter taking umbridge with the Canadian and even throwing his gloves at Tagliani's car following a lap 75 incident that knocked him out. Franchitti also gained three bonus points for winning the PEAK Performance Pole Award and leading the most laps to regain the championship lead by two over Dixon. Porsche GT Cup Challenge The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Australia Series will make its racing debut at Sydney's Eastern Creek Raceway this weekend (July 17 - 19) with the points battle finely balanced at the front of the field. A competitive 19 car Porshce Pack will head to the Western-Sydney circuit as Queenslander Matt Kingsley looks to firmly entrench himself at the top of the standings with another dominating performance. Kinglsey, driving his distinctive blue, orange and black Action Tyres and More 996 GT3 Cup Car, dominated the most recent round at Mallala in South Australia and holds a 40-point lead over closest rival Sven Burchartz - a lead that could become almost insurmountable with another dominating performance in Sydney next week. Burchartz has been successful at the high-speed 3.9km track before, whilst Terry Knight (McDonald's / Porsche Centre Gold Coast), Jeff Bobik (Creative Colour) and Sydney driver Paul Bolinowsky (Bolin Racing) are all showing plenty of form. Bolinowsky, from Linley Point in Sydney, is coming off the back of his first ever career GT3 Cup Challenge round podium at Mallala that lifted him to fourth in the championship standings. Six cars make up the increasingly competitive 997 Trophy Class, which should have its most competitive round yet at Eastern Creek as its entrants look to mix it up with the outright series contenders - as well as vying for class points at the same time Mark Krashos will make the 14-hour road trip from his Adelaide home fresh from scoring an outright pole position and race win at Mallala recently, his battles with Kingsley at the front of the field a highlight of the South Australian event. Shaun Juniper - a winner at Phillip Island in May - will return to the series looking to pick up where he left off in Victoria. Supported as always by McDonald's, Michelin Tyres, Racer Industries,SMS Commander round four of the 2009 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Australia series will feature three, 10-lap races as part of the Shannons Nationals' round at Eastern Creek Raceway. A1GP
A1 Team Malaysia has taken Jazeman Jaafar to the A1GP simulator The trip to the racing Modena-based simulator, run by All in Sports for A1GP, gave 16-year-old Malaysian Formula BMW Europe driver Jaafar a unique view of the A1GP Powered by Ferrari car. He went there with the team’s race engineer, Alan Mugglestone, and in two intensive sessions in the simulator drove the Silverstone and Algarve tracks. After the experience his comment was: “I adapted quickly to the car and worked well with Alan, gaining from his vast experience and really appreciating the detailed analysis which he shared with me. I definitely learned from this opportunity and would like to thank A1 Team Malaysia for giving me the chance to drive an A1GP car. Next time I hope it will be the real car!” 12-07-09 GT Trackspeed Announce Strong Spa 24 Hour Line Up. Trackspeed Racing are pleased to announce the highly experienced Jörg Bergmeister and Stéphane Ortelli will join regular drivers David Ashburn and Tim Sugden for the 24 Hours of Spa on 24-26 July 2009. The competitive quartet will be fielding the 2009 Porsche GT3 RSR shod by Michelin and are sure to be one of the strongest line-ups on the grid. "It is a fantastic line-up" said Sugden, "and it will be a real pleasure to be part of this team. We're going to put up a great fight for the win in what is sure to be an exciting 24 Hour race". The longest, toughest race on the FIA GT calendar is fast approaching and CRS Racing has two top driver squads in place for the 2009 Total 24 Hours of Spa. Nobody would bet against a good result for the driving team in the No.56 CRS Ferrari 430. Joining the winning partnership of Andrew Kirkaldy and Rob Bell are two of the world’s top sportscar drivers, Antonio Garcia and Peter Kox. “There is no official test day at Spa this year so we need drivers who can jump straight into the car and be quick,” explained CRS Team Director, Andrew Kirkaldy. “Antonio has lots of experience of the Ferrari from Team Modena and he has won the GT1 class at Le Mans for the last two years, so he fits the bill perfectly. Peter is a fantastic driver; we have tried to work with him before but he was busy so we’re pleased he will be with us at Spa. I think between the four of us there is no reason not to expect a very good result.” CRS Ferrari No.55 also has a team of four very strong drivers at Spa with Phil Quaife and Chris Goodwin joining Chris Niarchos and Tim Mullen. “Just like last year when we took James Sutton to Spa, we are pleased to give this opportunity to one of our GT3 drivers, Phil Quaife,” said Chris Niarchos, the CRS Team Principal. “Phil has done a great job for the team so far this year; I know he is looking forward to sampling Spa in a GT2 Ferrari and I know he will be quick. Chris Goodwin was an obvious choice for me. He is a vastly experienced driver who is already part of the team. Together we are a strong team and we have every chance of a top result at Spa this year.” The 2009 Total 24 Hours of Spa is effectively a 24-hour sprint race as the traditional points at the six-hour and 12-hour mark have been scrapped. All the points will be scored at the end of the 24-hours. The race takes place on 25/26 July. Ford Fiestas
Star Mazda Conor Daly put on an amazing passing show during Friday evening's Star Mazda Pizza Ranch 100 at Newton Iowa. Starting P8 at the green flag Daly immediately jumped up three positions to P5 by the end of the first lap. Then after a full course yellow at the end of lap one, Daly set his sights on his team mate and front row starter, Denis Navarro. A second full course yellow ensued when mid field runners Gancalvez and Hacquard tangled exiting turn four. At the restart Daly found himself caught up in a scoring mix-up that forced him to drop back to his original P8 position. As the green flew again, Daly enhanced his growing reputation of being a good passer by quickly making his way to fifth place again with Navarro once more in his sights. Just before half distance of the 100 lap race, after moving past Nevarro for fourth place, Daly caught championship contender, Alex Ardoin. The battle for third got a little intense at times but both drivers took advantage of lapped traffic and passed British Formula Renault champion and double race winner, Adam Christodoulou . The battle was now for second place but it was resolved when Ardoin attempted to lap JC Kester and inexplicably chopped across the front of Kester which immediately sent both hard into the wall. Daly was just inches from Ardoin as he spun across his bow on the way to the wall. The full course yellow set up a potential showdown between leader Dempsey and Daly but Daly just did not have the speed to match Dempsey and had to settle for second place. Dempsey’s car was just faster than us all weekend and I had nothing for him at the end..." Conor said, "...but my mission at Iowa was to get my championship chase under control again and we clearly met that requirement. This high speed oval track racing is just nuts at times…but it was fun. My guys at Andersen Racing are working hard for me and with the Autobahn double-header coming up in two weeks, Iowa was a real confidence builder for the team and for me personally." Conor has now moved from 7th to 4th in the Championship standings. GP2 After a good 6th yesterday Ocean Racing Technology driver Alvaro Parente went even better today(Sunday). After a good race in difficult conditions he finished on the Nurburgring podium in second. On a wet track the Portuguese driver started from third for race the second GP2 of the German Grand Prix. After a good start he very nearly led the race at the first corner, before he was forced to take action to avoid his Silverstone nemesis, Vitaly Petrov, leaving him third at the end of the first lap. Parente’s problems got worse before they got better. Just as he was looking for a way past Kamui Kobayashi, he found himself relegated to fourth when he was overtaken by a flying Nico Hulkenberg, the German revelling in the wet conditions. Parente was not to be denied however and he soon got back into third passing Vitaly Petrov who had been served a drive-though penalty, courtesy of a clash with Lucas di Grassi. He then overtook Kobayashi with an great maneouver, reaching a superb second place. “We had our car balanced predominately for the dry, because we expected the track to dry up sooner than it did, and then we had to do a cautious race, avoiding the mistakes and preserving the tires, but with a good pace. ART and Addax had a different strategy and it was impossible to keep its drivers’ pace. We had a good race and this is the result that all the team deserves”, saud Alvaro. After the yesterday’s points, today’s podium couldn’t have come at a better moment, Alvaro was well pleased. “This was a very positive weekend for us, we deserved this kind of results for a long time. Now, we have to keep pushing to maintain this results and to improve, because our goal is to win”. The GP2 series will return in two weeks time, at Hungaroring. Alvaro Parente scored his first points of the season in Saturday’s GP2 race at the Nurgurgring with sixth place. The Portuguese driver started from ninth and had his sights on a points finish and an end to the bad luck streak that has dogged him since the start of the season. Parente was up amonst the points scoring positions for most of the race, although he did have a spin at the pit-lane exit which dropped him to tenth, as he tried to defend his place from Javier Villa. He then found himself in eitght after Pastor Maldonado and Diego Nunes came together , which then became seventh after he passed Lucas di Grassi. He then moved up to sixth when Romain Grosjean retired with technical problems. “I’m very pleased with this result, but it wasn’t easy”, he said, adding: “I didn’t start very well, but I was eight in the first corner, which was good. The team did a good work in the pits, but it was very cold and I spun when I was leaving the pit-lane and defending my position from Javier Villa. I recover two positions with the problems from the others and I overtook Lucas di Grassi, which allowed me to begin to attack Romain Grosjean. He was very fast in the straight-lines and I decided not to risk a move on him, but he retired and I grabbed the sixth place”. With today‘s result, Parente will start today’s race from third. “The start will be very important, because it’s not easy to pass in the circuit. I think that, if I start well, I can fight for a position in the podium, and that was a good way of ending this weekend”, underlined the Portuguese youngster.
11-07-09 Star Mazda
WTCC Everyone understands the importance tyres play in motor racing success, and none more than Yokohama who has provided the FIA WTCC with their ADVAN brand for the last four years. While drivers and teams who have been competing in the championship during this time now understand how the tyre works, how do new drivers fare when existing teams have collected four years worth of data? Due to his success in the SEAT Leon Supercopa, driver Tom Boardman progressed to racing in the WTCC this season. Although his team, SUNRED Engineering, already compete with Tom Coronel, it has been a steep learning curve. “It’s definitely a hard situation to be in,” said Boardman. “I have been racing on other tyre brands for the last few years, so it has taken a while to learn the characteristics of the ADVAN, but we make full use of practice sessions and qualifying. Yokohama has been extremely supportive. To further assist me, the team has also arranged a tyre test in the UK in August. With the experience of the other drivers, I’m treating this year as a practice run, collecting as much information as possible, then next year I hope to return and be more competitive.”Live coverage of the WTCC will begin with qualifying on Eurosport 2 from 18:30 (CET) on Saturday 18 July. Coverage will continue with live warm-up on Sunday 19 July at 11:00 (CET). Race 1 will be shown live on Eurosport at 12:45 (CET), followed by Race 2 at 14:30 (CET). Other News Legendary Grand Prix racer Giacomo Agostini will make a special appearance at the forthcoming Brands Hatch round of the British Superbike Championship on 7/8/9 August, and the multi-world champion will be reunited with MV Agusta for some unique laps of the Grand Prix circuit. Agostini is frequently hailed as the best rider of all time and still remains an idol to many, including reigning MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi, who recently declared him as "the greatest". ‘Ago’ still holds the record for the most race victories in Grand Prix history, with a staggering total of 122 wins helping him secure an astonishing 15 world titles. Agostini will ride his iconic 500-3 MV Agusta and an OW31 TZ750 Yamaha and will be joined on track by multiple World Champion Phil Read. BSB fans will also experience the ear-piercing sound of a complete collection of Grand Prix Hondas, including the 250cc-6, 350cc-4 and Mike Hailwood's 500cc-4. Multiple TT winner and British Champion Mick Grant will lap the circuit on his 1970s MCN Superbike Kawasaki 750cc-3, plus there will be factory RG500 GP Suzukis and Randy Mamola's Cagiva factory 500cc GP machine. This round will also be a landmark in British Superbike history, as it becomes the first BSB event with three BSB races rather than the usual two, with the first taking place on Saturday following qualifying. The British Superbike Championship arrives at Brands Hatch on 7/8/9 August for one of the biggest events in its history. Advance tickets start from £23 with children aged 12 and under admitted free. For more information visit www.brandshatch.co.uk or call 0870 950 9000. 10-07-09 GP2 Alvaro Parente will start the first GP2 race of the German Grand Prix at Nurburgring tomorrow, from the ninth position. Heavy clouds menaced the German circuit all day and it seemed as though there were a few drops of rain at the beginning of the Qualifying session. On a dry track Parente up among the fastest drivers, running sixth fastest at halfway point. Then on his second set of tyres, he had to back off durinh his fastest run when he saw the yellow flags after Luca Filippi spun. “The car is well balanced and fast and that allowed me to sign good lap-times. However, in my best lap I saw yellow flags, that were indicating Filippi’s spin, and I had to slow down substantially. I think that, without this, I could be in the top-four”, said the Ocean Racing Technology driver. Expectations are high for tomorrow after getting ninth, nevertheless, the start will be very important as the first corner could see some contact between the cars. Historics
Formula 3 After winning his first race in the Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series, Riki Christodoulou will be at Donington Park next Sunday (19 Jul) looking for win number 2. The Fortec Motorsport driver’s win at Snetterton will have done wonders for his confidence and it also made him top British Driver in the series,, no pressure then! Other news
WTCC
The SEAT León
Tdi emerged as the fastest model during the weekend in Porto
and will receive the maximum compensation weight(40Kgs) for
Brands Hatch, as will the BMW 320si.
The Liqui Moly Team Engstler will enter a third BMW 320si car for Philip Geipel in the next two race meetings. Geipel, 22-years old from Germany, will join regular drivers Franz Engstler and Kristian Poulsen at Brands Hatch and Oschersleben. "He is the first young driver we will give a chance to learn and grow in the WTCC as part of our Liqui Moly Junior Team project," explained team manger Kurt Treml. Reigning champion of the German ADAC Procar series, Geipel made two previous appearances in the FIA WTCC: at Brno in 2006 and 2007, at the wheel of a Toyota Corolla T-sport. Norbert Michelisz is the SEAT Eurocup driver who won WTCC drive in the next event at Brands Hatch. The 24-year old from Hungary emerged as the best scorer in Porto, claiming victory in the second race and climbing to second in the series classification. This is the second time Michelisz joins the SUNRED Engineering WTCC team, as he had already won participation in last year's races at Okayama. GT Phil Quaife will make his debut in the Spa 24 Hours later this month driving for CRS Racing at the FIA GT Championship event. The 23-year-old will drive the team’s GT2-spec Ferrari F430 along with CRS Racing regulars Chris Niarchos, Tim Mullen and Chris Goodwin..
Current European GT4 Cup Championship Leader Joe Osborne is moving to Team GCR, for the remainder of the season racing alongside Tom Dunstan in their Ginetta G50. Having competed against Tom Dunstan in Formula BMW Osborne said, 'I wanted to make sure that everything possible is done so I can continue to lead and then win the championship in the European GT4 Cup. in my view, Team GCR represents the qualities I need to ensure I maintain the very best support. At the same time, I want to make sure that my team mate in the car is as quick as possible. I've known Tom's talents for some years, and we hold each other in high regard. Having Tom as my team mate means we can share information to get the very best out of the car and ourselves, and with our combined speed this gives me the very best shot at the title'. Tom has been equally enthusiastic about the prospect of Joe joining the team. 'This is a real shot in the arm for us all', he says, 'I know that both Joe and I will push each other really hard to get the very best out of ourselves. But at the same time we're both friends and we'll be supporting each other to the hilt. Robin Sherwood, Team GCR Principal had this to say, 'Having Joe join Tom and our Team is a very significant event. It finally underlines what we've known all along, that we're a team that operates with the utmost integrity and professionalism whilst ensuring that everyone has fun. After all, if you're not enjoying what you do how can you get the best out of yourself. We have high standards at Team GCR and although we are very under-funded, Joe's commitment to us shows what can be achieved through the demonstration of our best assets, and that's our FBMW Due to resurfacing works at Sentul International Circuit in Indonesia, Formula BMW Pacific Organiser, Motorsport Asia Limited (MAL), has advised that Rounds 7-10 of the 2009 season scheduled for July 16-19 as part of the Asian Festival of Speed (AFOS) have been postponed. MAL now intends to hold the AFOS event on August 16 (subject to FIA License). BTCC HiQ MSA BTCC points leader Colin Turkington is the latest big name in UK motor sport to join the prominent ranks of Go Motorsport ambassadors. The Northern Irishman has joined fellow BTCC ace Jason Plato in adding his name to the roster of British stars backing the Motor Sports Association's new Go Motorsport initiative - a scheme set up specifically to help people of all ages become involved in all areas of motor sport whether as a competitor, volunteer or spectator. Established by the MSA, the governing body of UK motor sport, Go Motorsport was launched last summer at the McLaren Technology Centre by reigning FIA Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton. Turkington and Plato aside, the impressive list of ambassadors supporting the scheme also includes the likes of current F1 points leader Jenson Button and both Allan McNish and David Brabham - winners of the Le Mans 24 Hours these past two years. Turkington, 27, from Portadown in Co Armagh is currently the man to beat in the BTCC. While Go Motorsport is a nationwide campaign, Turkington hopes that his personal involvement will encourage people to take up circuit racing. "I'm delighted to be involved with Go Motorsport," enthused Turkington. "The people of Northern Ireland are very passionate about their motor sport and hopefully what I'm doing will help encourage people to get involved. Rallying and motor cycle racing have always been very strong here, but there are plenty of other opportunities as well. I know, for instance, a lot of effort is going into the kart track at Nutts Corner and that's got to be great news particularly for the next generation of potential competitors." Turkington also is keen to encourage more people to volunteer to fill crucial roles at events. "It's no exaggeration to say most motor sport wouldn't exist without the efforts of these volunteers. More than that, though, volunteering can be a great way into the sport. A good example is one of my engineers at Team RAC - he first got into racing by being a trackside marshal; now, as my data engineer, he's a vital part of our current success." 09-07-09 Karts
Indy Lights Firestone Indy Lights hits the halfway point and J.R. Hildebrand hasn't wrapped up the Firestone Firehawk Cup yet. However if he follows history, the Andretti Green Racing/AFS Racing team driver may want to clear space in his trophy cabinet. The driver leading the Firestone Indy Lights championship at the midway point of the season has won the title seven times in eight seasons, dating back to the inaugural Firestone Indy Lights season in 2002. Hildebrand, who took the points lead at Indianapolis, currently leads Mario Romancini by 58 points. Of course there is always an exception and that came last year when Raphael Matos, who drove for Hildebrand's team last season, won the title after trailing at the midway point. The Series season continues this weekend as part of the Honda Indy Toronto race with the Firestone Indy Lights race on July 11. Aussie V8s Hi-Tec Oils Racing driver Mark McNally is well aware of just how tough his V8 Supercar debut will be at the Dunlop Townsville 400 in far north Queensland this weekend. The West Australian will make his first ever start at the top level of V8 Supercar competition this weekend after four years in the second-tier Fujitsu V8 Supercars. As the city of Townsville gets set for its first ever V8 Supercar event, McNally will be sharing the locals' sense of anticipation and excitement as the 27-year-old realises a lifelong dream to race at the top level of the sport. McNally is determined to learn as much as he can behind the wheel of the #16 Hi-Tec Oils Holden Commodore this weekend, keen to concentrate purely on finishing both 200-kilometre races and staying out of trouble. Star Mazda The Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear crosses its halfway point this Friday with David Ostella and his AIM Autosport team set to contest the first annual Pizza Ranch 100. Iowa Speedway is the venue, and the 7/8 mile layout will present the young Canadian with a trio of challenges. It will be his first time racing on a tri-oval, his first time racing at night, and there will be little time to adjust as the entire Star Mazda schedule will be completed on Friday. "It's going to be a different experience, for sure, but AIM Autosport is a great team and I know we can handle it," Ostella said prior to departing for Newton, Iowa, on Thursday. "You are constantly turning on a tri-oval and in a Star Mazda car the track is flat out, all the way around. The G- forces from the speed and constant turning will be tremendous on the body, but that's when all the training pays off!" In his last series start, his first ever on an oval, Ostella was a front runner from the first session onward and though he hopes for much of the same this week, he's not sure a label should come from it. "I don't know about me being an 'oval guy' specifically, but I know I had a blast on the last one and it shouldn't be any different here," he said through a chuckle. "I'm not sure how the track will look from the seat at night though, to be honest. I've raced a kart at night in the past, that was a little tricky, but I'm sure the speedway will be much brighter than any kart track could have been, that's for sure!" GP2
Trans-Am Fresh out of victory circle, Rocketsports Racing is ready for win number two in the 2009 Muscle Milk SCCA Trans-Am Series at Watkins Glen this weekend. The road course has an international reputation as one of the world's premier venues and Trans-Am is fortunate to have it on the 2009 schedule. Rocketsports Racing has not been to The Glen since the late 1990s. In seven years of competition on the short course, the team has made 22 starts which resulted in two poles, seven top-five finishes including one victory by team owner Paul Gentilozzi. While the advantage seems to be with the team based on it’s previous history, Trans-Am has this season opted to run the long course at The Glen. The 3.37-mile course will add a new challenge for the team and for drivers Tomy Drissi and Daniel Ramoutarsingh - who will be participating in their first Trans-Am event at the track. Leading the Drivers' Championship by 18 points, Drissi is coming off his first win in 2009. New livery will be seen on his #5 Jaguar XKR; as the owner of Drissi Advertising will be promoting 20th Century Fox's new movie by James Cameron, Avatar. While he has had previous experience at The Glen, which includes participating in the 2006 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series event with Rocketsports Racing in a Ford-Crawford Daytona Prototype, this will be the Hollywood, California-native's first run in a Trans-Am car. "What a great race track; there is such history at The Glen, including Formula One racing there", said Drissi. "I have not had a lot of time on this track, but I have been there a couple of times. So I am looking forward to getting reacquainted and logging more miles. This will be the first time I run at The Glen in a Trans-Am car; it should be a great experience. Hopefully we can run for the win, but just as important is to get some good points this weekend to extend our lead in the Drivers' Championship." While Drissi will be making his 82nd Trans-Am start this weekend, teammate Ramoutarsingh continues his Trans-Am rookie campaign in 2009 and will be making his sixth start driving the #8 Trinrico Steel & Wire Products Jaguar XKR."I am very excited about going to The Glen," Ramoutarsingh said. "It is a very famous place; a track that has hosted some of the best drivers in the world. I am looking forward to the challenge. After a tough weekend in Portland, it is going to be a very important weekend in terms of regaining our position in the point standings. We are coming up to the end of the season, so I need to have some strong results. I had some unfortunate circumstances, but I am going to keep pushing and hopefully things will end in a more positive manner this weekend."
08-07-09 V de V Jean-Charles Levy ,Miguel Langin and Bernard Moreau won the recent Lausitz EuroSpeedway 8 Hours in the FFSA V deV championship. Levy took over the lead oust a few minutes from the finish with Christian Kelders and Philippe Greisch in second. David Zollinger and Philippe Mondolot won the Cha;llenge Endurance Proto race' Star Mazda
A hundred laps of flat-out, wheel-to-wheel, Indy-Style racing get underway this Friday night Iowa Speedway,( July 10) in the first annual Pizza Ranch 100, Round 7 of the 2009 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear. This is the second of two oval tracks on the 2009 Star Mazda Calendar and it was Anders 'The Viking' Krohn who won at last one, the Milwaukee Mile on June 20. In Star Mazda pre-race testing at Iowa Speedway last month, the fastest lap was set by the current championship leader, Adam Christodoulou ,22.059 (145.900 mph). Also on track is the with the ARCA RE/MAX and Lincoln Welding Truck series. Mazdaspeed driver Conor Daly and his Andersen Racing team completed a successful test at Autobahn Raceway in Joliet, Illinois last week. The team went through a range of tasks in preparation for the team's Star Mazda doubleheader in two weeks, before re-focusing on this weekend's event at Iowa. Conor and his engineer Mike Reggio worked through various setups for a new track, and had to overcome some challenges since Autobahn doesn't lend itself to an easy balance due to the track's irregular surface. Additionally, with 20 turns it takes some figuring out and many drivers find a new track daunting. Nonetheless, Daly found the groove quickly and ended the day fastest. "This was a good test for us and we learned a lot that we can use during the doubleheader," Conor said. "The track is very bumpy so we went with a soft setup and the car seemed to like the changes. The Autobahn doubleheader will also be important to me personally since the event will be the nearest race I have to “home” ground and many of my family and friends will be there. However, having said that, a more pressing concern right now will be dealing with the unique quality of an single-day event at Iowa this Friday. Since the race will be my first time under the lights, and dealing with side-by-side racing at night will be both fun and really intense. Additionally, we'll also face technical challenges since we're running with the ARCA ReMax guys, and putting all that stock car rubber down will significantly alter the grip level. But we'll figure it out because I have the best team in the paddock." Conor is one of five race winners this season in the thirteen round Star Mazda championship having won the fourth round of the series in dominating style at the New Jersey Motorsports Park, June 13th. He currently lies seventh in the championship. SEAT Eurocup
The HSCC has announced an all-new pre '66 saloon car race to be run at the Oulton Park Gold Cup meeting on the Bank Holiday weekend of August 30/31. The hour-long race, run in the spirit of the Tourist Trophy, will have the option of two-drivers and will run to the regulations used for the 2008 British Grand Prix support race. Demand for entries is expected to be high, as the race fits in very well with key historic saloon car dates this summer. The Historic Sports Car Club hopes to attract as wide a cross-section of cars as possible, and the race will run in addition to the regular ByBox Historic Racing Saloons Championship round. The race will celebrate the 1967 Tourist Trophy at Oulton Park, which was the first time the famous race had been run for saloon cars. As a round of the European Touring Car Championship, the race had an international field and was won by Italian Andrea de Adamich in an Alfa Romeo GTA. Swedish racer Bo Ljungfeldt put his Ford Mustang on pole position, but failed to finish. The entry included Chevrolet Camaros, Ford Mustangs, Alfa Romeos, Porsche 911s, Lotus Cortinas, BMWs and a fleet of Mini Coopers.Finishing in tenth place overall 42 years ago was Barrie 'Whizzo' Williams in a Mini Cooper S, and his 51-year racing career will be marked during the 2009 race. The HSCC hopes that 'Whizzo' will be on the grid in August and a special award will be presented in his name to the most entertaining driver in the race. The award will be judged by the marshals, as a way of thanking them for supporting HSCC race meetings and to acknowledge Barrie's role as president of the British Motorsport Marshals Club. Drivers interested in entering the race should contact the HSCC office on 01327 8584500, by fax to 01327 858500 and by e-mail to office@hscc.org.uk For more details about the HSCC, please visit www.hscc.org.uk Formula 3 The most successful F3 team in Europe is to go head to head with its Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series counterparts later this month in a fascinating battle for supremacy at Spa-Francorchamps. France-based ART Grand Prix, winner of the Formula 3 Euro Series for the last six seasons, is to field a four-car squad at Spa for the 24/25 July rounds of British F3 and will also tackle September's Algarve, Portugal races. Driving the team's Mercedes-powered Dallaras will be Mexico's Esteban Gutierrez, Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas, and two young Frenchman with illustrious forebears: Jules Bianchi, nephew of Le Mans victor Lucien, and Adrien Tambay, son of Ferrari F1 driver Patrick. Bianchi currently leads the Euro Series with victories at Lausitz and Norisring; Bottas and Gutierrez are in the championship top 12. Welcoming ART Grand Prix to British F3, championship co-ordinator Fiona Pawley said: "We are delighted that a team with such a Formula 3 pedigree will be joining the series at Spa; it will be fascinating to see how they get on against the cream of the British teams. We very much hope that some of the other Euro Series teams will take advantage of the gap in their calendar and also come to join the Cooper Tires series." ART Grand Prix, based at Villeneuve-la-Guyard, has a long and successful connection with UK motorsport, winning the Euro Series with British drivers Jamie Green (2004), Lewis Hamilton (2005) and Paul di Resta ('06). "Spa-Francorchamps and Algarve are two beautiful circuits and it will be very profitable for our drivers to race there, as they will most likely have to race there in the near future," said ART Grand Prix CEO Frederic Vasseur. "It is also a good occasion for ART Grand Prix to race against the British teams, in a different environment and where we will have to learn and handle new technical parameters. This experience will widen our knowledge and skills package, which means this project is positive all round for ART Grand Prix and their drivers." WTCC
07-07-09 Club Racing Arthur and Boysie Turtle were the winners in both Heritage GT Challenge races at Snetterton on Sunday. Their Chevrolet Camaro, driven by Boysie in the sprint race, won comfortably once the 5 litre Capri of Richard Austin developed a misfire. In the Enduro race father and son again dominated winning from pole. It was celebrations all round for Roger Bromiley and Rob Wheldon in the Radical UK Cup, after they took their works SR8 to a first UK Cup victory at Donington Park. Derek Johnston had lead early on but a safety car period eliminated his lead and gave Bromiley and Wheldon their chance which they geatefully accepted.. In the second race Terrence Woodward and Ross Kaiser. Came out on top with Bromiley and Wheldon second It’s now six wins out of six this season for Jonathan Wright in the Radical Club Cup , as once again he dominated proceedings in his PR6 to win both races at Donington Park over the weekend. Oli Mortimer moved to the top of the overall Championship standings in the Mini Challenge at Donington Park, after taking two wins and a second. Lee Allen celebratied his first win since 1998 in his comeback year. In the Club Class Jamees Blyth still heads the title chase, he couldn’t get near Luke Caudle’s pace on this occasion.Martin Depper and James Blyth both fell one short of a hat-trick of wins in Rounds 4 to 6 at Brands Hatch last month. In an incident packed weekend of Mini racing. Depper won twice with Oli Mortimer winning the other race. In the Club class Blyth lost out to Graham Parsons and Luke Caudle and could only manage third in the final race… Goodwood Sir Stirling Moss(left) made an appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in a Mercedes SLK at the weekend while Johnny Herbert made do with a Nissan 350Z. Allan McNish also went up the Hill in an Audi, not his normal one however (see picture below). Henry Surtees drives his fathers TS10 F2 at Goodwood. ‘It was an incredibly special thing to do”, Henry Surtees admitted it had been an emotional experience piloting his father's restored Surtees TS10 - in which Mike Hailwood won the 1972 European Formula Two Championship - at the 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed last weekend. "Getting in the TS10 and talking to legends like Jochen Mass has been an incredible experience," Surtees enthused - "it's been a really special thing to do. Driving it around Goodwood has been a great bridge to my dad's time of racing, and my respect has increased tenfold for what drivers in the past were able to achieve. This is the first time I had driven the car in a competitive environment, and although I was driving for fun it wasn't long before I started pushing the car. I was very careful however - this is a one off car which won the 1972 European F2 Championship, so I wasn't planning on making any mistakes." After completing three runs Henry was able to compare the TS10 to the modern F2 car in which he claimed a superb pole at Brno recently. “the TS10 is still a good car, and it was great fun to drive. Obviously it is slower than the modern F2 car around the corners because it simply doesn't have the same grip and traction levels, but both cars have their merits. That said, it did emphasise how nice it is having a sequential gearbox rather than the H-box the TS10 uses! Henry will be back in F2 at Brands Hatch on 17-19 July for rounds seven and eight of the 2009 season. This year’s Le Mans 24 Hours winner David Brabham was at the Goodwood Festival of Speed at the weekend driving his Team Peugeot Total 908 HDi FAP up the 1.6 mile Goodwood hillclimb. He was also there to honour the 50th anniversary of his father’s first F1 Championship title by driving a Cooper T51, the same type Jack drove Indy Lights In the Corning 100 Firestone Indy Lights race Saturday, J.R. Hildebrand passed polesitter James Davison on Lap 14 and held on through a final-lap restart to win. Davison, driving the People*s Liberation entry for Vision Racing, finished 0.5499 secs behind. Felipe Guimaraes,making his series debut, was third in the Bryan Herta Autosport car. Charlie Kimball finished a career-best fourth. Sebastian Saavedra was credited with 18th place after Firestone Indy Lights officials penalized him 30 seconds for blocking on the last lap. Atlantic Newman Wachs Racing have signed Jonathan Summerton to their Atlantic Championship operation for the remainder of the 2009 season. Summerton, who drove for the team last year and finished 3rd in the Championship with two wins at Edmonton and Road America. He spent the first part of 2009 in tFirestone Indy Lights (FIL) as well as the Atlantic Championship on a race by race basis.
Porsche Carrera Cup GB Rally
06-07-09 Volkswagen Racing Cup Didge Dziurzynski and Richard Walker were the victors in the two races of the Volkswagen Racing Cup in association with Hankook held at Snetteron on Sunday. Championship leader Joe Fulbrook didn’t have it so good, crashing his Bora in the first race and watcxhing his lead in the table drop to just 8 points over Dziurzynski . Clio Cup Mardi Gras Motorsport’s Stefan Hodgetts produced two superb drives in front of a record breaking World Series crowd to secure a double victory during two action-packed rounds (11 and 12) of the 2009 ELF Renault Clio Cup with Michelin at Silverstone Grand Prix circuit on 4th/5th July. Team Pyro’s Championship leader Phil Glew picked up a podium and a sixth place to stay on top , increasing his lead over Total Control Racing’s Alex MacDowall – who had a nightmare weekend – to 79-points. There were also podiums for DTR’s Stephen Tyldsley (Guiseley), his first of the season, with a sublime drive in round 11 to take third along with JHR Development’s Andrew Herron (Co. Down) and Amery Motorsport’s Dave Newsham (Inverness) who finished second and third respectively in round 12. The weekend was also the inaugural outing for the new Clio Cup race car which is based on the road-going Clio Renaultsport 200 and features an upgraded bodykit and new wishbone design.. Total Control Racing’s Daniel Lloyd save the day for the team at Silverstone in the Clio Cup after their championship contender Alex MacDowall had a stinker! Retiring from race 1 after contact with Ben Winrow his second race didn’t get much better as a bent chassis, the result of the earlier altercation, saw him slip down the order to 18th at the flag. Lloyd however did the opposite. Climbing through he field from 18th to sixth in race 1 and then claiming seventh in race 2 while taking fastest lap in the process… Daniel Lloyd not only took fastest lap in round 12 of the ELF Renault Clio Cup he was also awarded the ‘ELF/Atol Driver of the Day’ accolade in Round 11 to complete his best day to date in the Championship.. Andrew Herron came within a whisker of taking his first win in the 2009 Elf Renault Clio Cup yesterday at Silverstone. Coming second, just 0.4secs behind Stefan Hodgetts in round 12 ,it Andrew’s closest finish this year and helped him move cloaset to second placed Alex MacDowall in the Championship . After having on of the worst weekends this season at Silverstone on 4-5 July Alex MacDowall s still in second place in the Elf Renault Clio Cup and just in time to raise his morale he has been named a British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star. Formula Ford - Jordi Cunill won his first race in the MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain at Snetterton yesterday but only after Josef Newgarden had won the first two races. James Cole came second in those first two events to maintain his lead in the Championship table although Newgarden has closed the gap and now lies third behind Garry Findlay. Formula Renault In front of a record breaking World Series by Renault crowd, CRS Racing’s Josh Scott scored his maiden victory in the 2009 Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship in round 11 at Silverstone on Sunday. In round 12 Fortec Motorsport’s Oli Webb claimed the win to extend his lead in the Championship to 19 points. His team-mate James Calado took two seconds in front of Manor Competition’s Dean Smith who took both third places. Jean-Eric Vergne, driving for SG Formula, won the second race of the weekend in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 at Silverstone yesterday(Sunday). The win allowed him to close up on the Championship leaders Albert Costa and Antonio Felix da Costa, after they had a coming together on lap 8. Adam Kout (Krenek Motorsport) and Adrian Quaife-Hobbs (Motopark Academy) comp[leted the podium. In the earlier race Antonio Felix da Costa (Motopark Academy) won from Albert Costa (Epsilon Euskadi) and Vergne Dean Smith has moved into second place in the 2009 Michelin Formula Renault UK Championmship after he picked up two third place finishes in the World Series by Renault meeting at Silverstone yesterday. Menasheh Idafar picked up more points in the latest Rounds the Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship held at Silverstone on Sunday,( 5th July). In the first race he finished 19th after a hard battle with fellow Graduate Cup Competitor Alice Powell, In the second race Menasheh battled with Ollie Hancock until he got tangled up Jordan Williams. He survived this encounter to soldier on to finish in 17t The Hitech Junior Team made its first of two home Michelin Formula Renault Championship appearances of the year in rounds 11 and 12 at Silverstone at the weekend. The local team showed potential during Friday’s free practice with Jordan Oakes ninth quickest just ahead of Marlon Stockinger, third quickest of the Graduate Cup runners...read report Manor Competition celebrated more podium success over the weekend, 4th/5th July, at Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit when Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship front-runner Dean Smith secured the team’s seventh and eighth rostrum results of the season in rounds 11 and 12
Karts "I'm so happy. I feel like I've won the European Finals!" beamed a delighted Paul Spencer of Strawberry Racing after watching three of his drivers stand on the podium at yesterday's (5 July) fourth round of the British Super 1 series at Whilton Mill, take superbly judged podiums. "I said before the weekend that I thought we'd win in KF1 and KF2, and Ben Cooper and Chris Lock did just that," he added…read report Renault 3.5 Charles Pic (Tech 1 Racing) led the second of the Renault 3.5 races from start to finish on Sunday at Silverstone for his first win of the season. The Frenchman finished ahead of Britain’s James Walker driving for P1 Motorsport and Carlin Motorsport’s Oliver Turvey. Walker has now moved to second in the championship, six points behind leader and race 1 winner Marcos Martinez of Pons Racing who had taken his fourth win of the season earlier in the day. Second in that race was Malaysian driver Fairuz Fauzy while Turvey was third. read reports Mini Challenge This coming weekend the ROCK Energy Drinks/Bargwanna Motorsport Team are racing on the new Townsville Street Circuit in the Australian Mini Challenge. Drivers Scott Bargwanna and BJ Cook will also have a new race format to deal with as the Mini Challenge organisers have altered the format. From Townsville the meeting will include two 20 minute races, followed by a 35 minute grand final, the latter to include a 60 second mandatory pitstop. Read more Ginetta
Indycar Justin Wilson provided Dale Coyne Racing its first IndyCar Series victory, in its 558th open-wheel racing start, in the Camping World Grand Prix at Watkins Glen yesterday. Wilson, whose only previous top 10 this season was third in the opener at St. Petersburg, also was the last driver other than one from Target Chip Ganassi Racing or Team Penske to win, at Belle Isle last August with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. "It feels fantastic," said Wilson, who started on the outside of the front row and led a field-high 49 laps. "This is the most important win in my career; winning with Dale and showing what we can do. It's a fantastic feeling." Team owner Dale Coyne who is competing in his 25th year of open-wheel racing as a driver and owner, about the long-awaited victory said, "It took too long. We knew Justin was a strong road racer. We almost showed it at St. Pete, and we showed it here." Wilson, riding on Firestone’s alternate tyres on the final restart, pulled away and beat Briscoe to the flag by 4.9906 seconds. Dixon, who took over the championship points lead, finished third. Helio Castroneves was fourth. Marco Andretti overcame contact with E.J. Viso's car on Lap 5 that put him a lap down, wound his way through the field to overtake Mike Conway on the final lap for fifth. # A1GP Ireland and Switzerland have both achieved considerable success in A1GP World Cup of Motorsport with the Swiss taking the 2007/08 championship with Neel Jani at the wheel and Ireland’s Adam Carroll finally getting the job done in the 2008/09 season. Their two charismatic seat holders, Max Welti and Mark Gallagher, have never been ones to keep their feelings to themselves and talking to A1GP, they reflect back on two seasons of highs and lows. 05-07-09 F2000 - Phil Lombardi won a confused F2000 race ar Watkins Glen today(Sunday) after he managed to keep his head while all around him people seem to be loosing their! In a race littlered with cautions and restarts Lombardi came through from sixth to win from Matthew Inge who just managed to hold off Al Guibord Jr at the line. Results are still provisional pending various protests concerning passing under yellow flags.Saloons - Jean Vasseur won the final of the European Late Model series at Lydden Hill last Saturday(27 June) while Gary Ellis emulated the feat on Sunday 28 June at Warneton in Belgium after the series had quicky crossed the channel on Saturday night.. WTCC - SEAT and BMW shared glory on Porto's Circuito da Boavista, claiming one win each. In the first race Gabriele Tarquini converted his pole position to a lights-to-flag solo flight ahead of Chevrolet's Robert Huff and his own SEAT Sport team-mate Yvan Muller. The second race saw Augusto Farfus' deliverance after a black period, as the young Brazilian won the WTCC's 100th race from Muller and Rickard Rydell. The weekend's leitmotif was to survive the traps of the fast and infamous street circuit. Many drivers did not succeed and were caught in a number of spectacular crashes. One who stayed out of all troubles was Yvan Muller, who finished on the podium twice and streched his leadiing margin. Tarquini is now 14 points behind him, while Farfus is one further point adrift. As a matter of fact the BMW Team Germany man seems to be the main threat for Muller in his attempt to maintain the world title.
The Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series is set to underline its position as the world's leading training ground for Grand Prix stars of the future with the announcement of a radical plan to increase the number of races in 2010. It is proposed that next season each of the championship's 10 meetings will feature a trio of full-length races, bringing to 30 the number of rounds over which the country's most prestigious track title will be decided - a 50 per cent increase over this season. The move to provide young drivers with the maximum possible race experience has come from teams organisation FOTA, whose spokesman Peter Briggs said: "We believe that expanding the number of races in the championship to 30 is a logical extension of the policies which have helped the championship become the pre-eminent 'university of motor sport'. The cars are reliable and FIA safety-approved, there is a large but controlled testing mileage available, and now three race starts every weekend. British F3 is first and foremost a drivers' series, and the best training there is." Welcoming the initiative, Stephane Ratel, Chairman of championship organiser SRO Motorsports Group, said: "We were very pleased to discuss FOTA's proposal for a 30-round British Formula 3 season. It will be popular with spectators, great for TV and will make for an even more exciting and worthwhile championship, and we look forward to working with FOTA to make the idea come to fruition."
Dean Smith
headed Manor Competition’s
charge during qualifying at Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit on
Saturday for today’s 11th and 12th rounds of the 2009 Michelin
Formula Renault UK Championship. The 21-year-old just missed out
on the pair of front row starts he was hoping for with his best
lap, a time of 1m46.646 seconds, placing him fifth on the grid
for Sunday morning’s race and his second quickest lap of
1m46.762 seconds securing a second row start for race two in
fourth spot. Underlining the competitiveness of the
championship, on a track as long as the 3.2-mile GP layout the
top 14 drivers were still only covered by just a single second
with the fastest eight split by a mere 0.259 seconds. Thomas
Hylkema was the second quickest of Manor’s contingent with a lap
of 1m47.313 seconds placing him 12th on the grid for round 11.
The Dutch racer’s second best time of 1m47.948 seconds means he
will begin round 12 one spot further back in 13th place.
Team-mate David McDonald was very evenly matched with Hylkema,
just nine 100ths of a second separating the pair in terms of
their best laps. His quickest time of 1m47.407 seconds
(172.3km/h) securing 13th on the grid for the opening encounter.
However, on the round 12 grid, McDonald will start in an
improved 11th place thanks to a second best lap of 1m47.525
seconds. Clios - Total Control Racing’s Alex MacDowall secured his sixth pole position of 2009 at Silverstone on Saturday, 4th July, during qualifying for the 11th and 12th rounds of the ELF Renault Clio Cup. By far the biggest event of the year with well over 100,000 spectators expected to file through the gates of the Northamptonshire venue over the weekend, today’s half hour qualifying session took place in very warm conditions with 18-year-old MacDowall emerging as TCR’s best-placed driver. Heading into today’s races hoping to close the 34-point gap in the championship to series leader Philip Glew, MacDowall lapped with a best time of 2m09.485 seconds (142.9km/h) to grab second on the grid for round 11. His second best lap of 2m09.512 seconds, however, gave him pole position for round 12. Team-mate Mike Robinson will start the first of the races from eighth thanks to a time of 2m09.926 seconds while for race two , he will be in seventh place. Car racing rookie Sam Tordoff lapped with a best time of 2m10.122 seconds which means he will start Sunday morning’s opening encounter from 11th position while for the second race, he will line-up ninth. TCR’s youngest competitor, 17-year-old Daniel Lloyd, was an uncharacteristic 18th fastest with a time of 2m10.612 seconds after suffering quite badly with traffic. His consistency, however, allowed him to leap six places up the starting order for round 12 with a lap of 2m10.634 seconds securing a row six grid slot in 12th position.
04-07-09
03-07-09
After a very damp morning, the dark clouds moved away to give the huge F2000 field a few minutes of dry running before the skies opened again, making it a very short opening practice session for rounds seven and eight of the season. The very short session saw championship points leader Matthew Inge top the charts with a lap of 1:58.461, which is quite a few seconds behind last year’s track record of 1:53.874...read more
Club Racing
-
For Michael Rowan wins are like buses, none for ages then 2 come along together, well thats what it must seem like for the Scottish Mini racer. After clinching his first win at Knockhill back in Matt, the Championship rolled up to Cadwell Park on June the 13th and he promptly grabbed his second victory. Chris Knox also got in the winners circle in the second race second race after Ken Thirwall got caught up in a big accident at the start puting him out straight away..read report
Grand-Am -
Formula Ford - American Josef Newgarden resumes his 2009 MSA Formula Ford Championship of Great Britain campaign this weekend (July 4-5) at Snetterton for Rounds 10, 11 and 12 . The Joe Tandy Racing driver is currently fourth in the championship, with two wins. For Newgarden, the fourth event of the season marks a return to familiar ground, as the American has tested at the Norfolk track recently and during the off-season. The 1.952-mile circuit suits the 18 year-old’s driving style, his Robo-Pong/Racer of Tomorrow Ltd/Joe Tandy Racing Mygale SJ08 Premier Power car routinely putting in laps within 0.1secs of the lap record. Snetterton could in fact re-establish Newgarden as a race winner and help propel him up the championship table. “Both the team and I are excited about the races at Snetterton this weekend,” said Newgarden. “The high-speed nature of the track really suits me and the car. Hopefully we can get back to victory lane and begin a multi-race run of good results, which will be key to my championship hopes.”
Karts -
WTCC - Bruno Correia has been appointed as permanent safety car driver for the WTCC. Correia, 32- from the Algarve in Portugal, has titles in the Portuguese Formula Ford Championship (1994) and the Spanish Formula Renault 2000 Championship (1996). He also spent time in the Americas, taking part in the USA’s Formula Dodge Barber Pro-Series and becoming vice-champion in the Brazilian Superturismos. Since last year he started acting as safety car driver for the Club ACDME at the Estoril and Algarve racetracks. Correia tested during the WTCC event in Brno, where he performed a number of interventions in WTCC, F2 and the support races Michel Nykjær, double winner of the FIA European Touring Car Cup, will make his maiden WTCC appearance in Oschersleben. .For the Chevrolet Motorsport Denmark driver this is a dream come true: "I can hardly believe that I will participate in a WTCC event. These are the guys that I watch on Eurosport and now I have the chance to test myself against them," said Nykjær, who won the 2007 ETCC at Adria driving a SEAT León and did it again last year at the Salzburgring in a Chevrolet Lacetti. "Our goal is to compete with the best independents and we hope that the races in Oschersleben may propel our team towards a full WTCC campaign," team manager Kent Bo Steffensen stated. Chevrolet Motorsport Denmark’s priority for the current season remains the Danish Touring Car Championship in which their drivers Michel Nykjær and Henrik Lundgaard are currently placed second and third behind James Thompson. Scoring a record 44-points in the last WTCC meeting at Brno, Proteam Motorsport’s Félix Porteiro is edging towards the 2009 Independents’ Trophy. The Spaniard won both races on the Czech track, adding pole position, fastest laps and 7 points in the WTCC Drivers’ Championship that translated into 24 points in the Independents’ standing. These results have given Porteiro a 26-point lead ahead of SUNRED Engineering’s Tom Coronel who was second twice in Brno. The only other driver with a realistic chance, aside from Porteiro and Coronel is Franz Engstler of Liqui Moly Team Engstler currently third, 34 points behind. 02-07-09 Indycar Tony George has resigned from his position as head of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the IndyCar Series following a meeting of the board of directors of the Hulman-George company that owns both the track and the championship. The role of president and CEO of Hulman & George Company will be taken up by W Curtis Brighton, the group’s current executive vice president and chief legal counsel, while executive vice president and chief financial officer Jeffrey G Belskus will become president and CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation. George will remain on the board of directors, and will continue to run his Vision Racing team in the IndyCar Series. Club Racing
Formula Renault
WTCC The Lada Sport team embarks on a momentous occasion this weekend, with the debut of the new Priora at round seven of the FIA WTCC in Porto, Portugal. Another 'first' for Lada is the appearance of two-time BTCC Champion James Thompson, making his debut with Lada. Alongside the solo Priora entry are two of the existing Lada 110 cars, driven as usual by Dutchman Jaap Van Lagen and Russia's Kirill Ladygin. Team principal Viktor Shapovalov steps down from his driving role to concentrate on management. James Thompson, commented: "It's a very exciting occasion and I'm really looking forward to driving the Priora in competition for the first time. We've obviously got a lot of development work ahead of us, but I am sure we will be able to learn plenty of important lessons as the weekend goes on. I've got no particular expectations as everything is so new, so we will just take everything as it comes." Jaap Van Lagen, who has been instrumental in Lada's campaign to date, commented: "This weekend is going to be a big occasion for us. As well as developing the new car, we also need to concentrate on getting the best possible result with the current 110, which will be our main focus in Porto." Kirill Ladygin, who scored Lada's best-ever result earlier this year, said: "Porto is going to be a big challenge for us. With so few overtaking opportunities, qualifying will be vital. So we need to make the most of the free practice sessions in order to find the most appropriate set-up." Karts
Porsche
Rallye Dos Sertoes
Grand-Am TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates brings plenty of momentum to Daytona International Speedway for Saturday's Brumos Porsche 250, Round 7 of 12 of the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 season. The 70-lap, 250-mile race, with a two-hour and 20-minute time limit, takes the green flag at 2 p.m. followed by the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400 at 8 p.m. Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas are coming off back-to-back victories in the No. 01 TELMEX Lexus Riley, taking sole possession of the Daytona Prototype championship lead. Ganassi Racing has also entered a second car for the Brumos Porsche 250, the No. 02 Waste Management Lexus Riley for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regulars Kyle Busch and Scott Speed - who will both make their Grand-Am debuts. Busch will be doing triple duty, running in Friday's NASCAR Nationwide Series race in addition to Saturday evening's Coke Zero 400. Pruett won the 2008 race passing Alex Gurney in the closing yards in what was then the closest finish in Rolex Series history. Gurney and Jon Fogarty are two-time winners this season in the No. 99 GAINSCO Pontiac Riley, and trail Pruett and Rojas by 11 points (175-164). Also in the hunt are SunTrust Racing's Brian Frisselle and Max Angelelli - one point behind the GAINSCO duo, while another point back are Penske Racing's Romain Dumas and Timo Bernhard. Both teams are looking for their first victory of the season. Fifth in the points are 2009 Rolex 24 At Daytona winners David Donohue and Darren Law, co-drivers of the No. 58 Brumos Porsche Riley. Antonio Garcia and 2004 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice will be reunited for the Brumos Porsche 250, co-driving the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Racing Porsche Coyote. Also making their Daytona Prototype debut are Dion von Moltke and Hennie Groenewald, at the wheel of Doran Racing's No. 77 McDonald's/South African Airways Ford Dallara. Groenewald, Competitors will face dramatically different conditions when they return to Daytona, with the Brumos Porsche 250 running in daylight for the first time. The event dates back to 1967-1985, when it began at the stroke of midnight on July 4. It's been an evening race during the Independence Day weekend since Grand-Am resurrected the event in 2000. 01-07-09 Club Racing
V de V
Formula Mazda Infineon Raceway held a Pro Formula Mazda Class double header in the Molecule Formula Mazda Challenge championship last weekend. NASCAR Sprint Cup racers had been at Infineon Raceway the previous weekend and the track was very slick from the heat and the different types of rubber. "The track is greasier than ever," stated previous MFMC Champion Patrick O'Neill. "I drive this track all the time and this is the slickest it's ever been." O'Neill, who entered just this race and is not in the 2009 series points battle, didn't seem to mind the slick track as he took the pole position and win on Saturday. Chuck Hulse finished in second, with Stan Kohls right in his draft taking third. On Sunday Hulse took pole and at the start Kohls was on his gearbox and stayed there the entire race. In the opening lap Dave House collided with Andy Brown, and then flew into the unsuspecting Sean Prewett. Prewett, who was already committed to the corner, had major damage and was out on the spot as was House. Brown continued loosing only a little time in the scuffle. Hulse took the win, followed by Kohls, and Brown. In the Challenge points table Hulse leads the Pro Formula Mazda class with 415 points, Kohls is next on 345 points with Andy Brown third on 243 points. In the Standard Formula Mazda class Derry O'Donovan and Bill Weaver are both on top with 301 points. Karts Jack Barlow had a fairly dramatic weekend at Rowrah winning his maiden FKS victory and consolidating championship lead at the same time. The fourth round of the series saw the Minimax points-leader try out a new chassis, hoping it would help him maintain an advantag.
F2000
2006 F2000
Championship Series Champion Matthew McDonough WTCC
Rally dos Sertões The 17th edition of Rally dos Sertões probably will be decided only in its 10th - and final - stage. In the fight for the lead Nasser Al-Attiyah and Timo Gottschalk returned to stay in front of Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz - both in Volkswagen Race Touareg 2s – on Tuesday (30). Leaving Barra, Bahia, and reaching Petrolina, in Pernambuco, the Rally dos Sertões 2009 reached its fourth state of the country. At the end of the seventh stage of the competition, Al-Attiyah and Gottschalk are nearly two minutes ahead of two Spanish drivers. "Today was a very difficult day, especially the sand. Even as marathon, I think was the most difficult day of rally so far. But I'm very happy, for our performance and because we come back to leadership. Tomorrow I will do my best and it seems that the title will be decided only in Natal, "said Nasser. "The passage of the special today was closed and just enough dust into the radiators. I stopped three times to fix and just wasting time. I think the dispute can be decided only in the last step. The fight for leadership is exciting, "said Sainz. Among the bikes, the Brazilian Zé Hélio closed again in front of opponents. This Tuesday, the leader of the category also had luck. "Today I walked a little more relaxed. I was saving the equipment, but was slower than in previous days. The Poles were faster, but ended up losing. Not expect close the day in front. I think the rally is very good, well structured, world-class, as was already happening in other editions. The organization is to be congratulated, "Zé Hélio. Carlo Collet closed the second day in succession at the front, but is still 40 minutes off Carlos Batista, who won the first five stages and is the leader of the category. "It was a good marathon, was fine, no problem. The hope was that reducing the difference. I thought to decrease even more, but still three days to the end of the rally. Let's see what you make it, but we get to the end, "said Collet.
The opinions expressed on this site are not necessarily shared by 11/56 MotorSport or any of theGrid team
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Formula
Renault - Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship
driver Menasheh Idafar looked good in pre-event testing at
Snetterton today(Friday), ahead of the weekend’s 13th and 14th
rounds of the season at the Norfolk track. Ending the day as
the fifth fastest of the Graduate Cup contenders and 16th
overall on combined times, the 18-year-old’s quickest lap of the
day was 1m05.707 seconds (106.94mph). In the morning Menasheh
set a 1m05.849 which was good for the top 12 and just 0.6secs
off the best time at that point. Improving by a shade over 0.1s
in session two, he ended the day’s running just 0.915 seconds
outside the best time of all set by title challenger Dean Smith.
Commenting on the test, Hillspeed driver coach Matt Shawyer
said: “Menasheh did a good job today, 12th fastest in session
one was a decent start but we didn’t manage to find the time we
needed in session two so didn’t move forward as we expected. As
ever, it’s incredibly competitive and we have work to do before
qualifying tomorrow. That said, we’re in quite good shape.”
Formula
Ford -
There
is only one change to the compensation weight list
Formula
Master - Alexander Rossi
LMS
-
Carrera
Cup GB – 
Karts
–
LMS
-
Karts
-
Autoglym
Festival, Lydden Hill
In
the Thermex Classic Saloons
The
Autoglym Post Historics race was won by Steve Primett
GTs
Silverstone
Classic – 
The
two Group C races were shared between Chris Buncombe’s XJR9 and
Andy Purdie’s Nissan
In
the second race Simon Hadfield(below - pic Paul Williams)
came out on top again this time driving on his own beating
Minshaw and Stretton by a little under 4 seconds. 
The
Pre 63 GT race saw Max Werner (pictured below - pic Paul
Williams) triumph after 26 laps in a Ferrari 250 ‘Breadvan’!
Second was another Ferrari 250 driven by Reid and Maro Devis
while the Graham/Attwood Aston Martin DB4 was third.
The
David Leslie Memorial Trophy races were shared between Dave
Jarman's Nissan Primera and Stewart Whyte's Honda Accord. (pictured
left - pic Paul Williams) Jarman won the opener by just
under 2 seconds from Whyte with Tom Shephard's M3 completing the
top 3. In the second race Whyte dominated winning by nearly 20
seconds from Shephard with Jarman third, hard on the Shephard
M3's heels.
Graeme
Dodd won the BRDC Historic Sportscar(pictured below pic
Paul Williams) event driving a Cooper Monaco. Alan Minshaw
was runner-up in a Maserati Tipo 51 while Jamie McIntyre came
third in a Lister Jaguar. 
GP2
- Alvaro Parente ended Sunday’s GP2 Hungarian
race in sixth place, picking up another point in the process. As
it’s so hard to overtake at Hungaroring, the first moments of
the race are vital and sadly Alvaro didn’t gain any places at
the start. He claimed sixth when Pastor Maldonado tried a move
on Davide Rigon delaying himself and Davide Valsecchi,
allowing Parente to move up “It wasn’t possible to
do much more than getting the sixth place! I tried to overtake
Romain Grosjean and Lucas di Grassi in the first corner, but I
couldn’t pass them and I was ninth. I became sixth after an
incident in front of me and, following that, I wasn’t able to
gain any position, though I was very near from Grosjean and,
later, from Villa, who lost some places with an error under
braking”, said Alvaro. Though he scored a point, the Ocean
Racing Technology driver wasn’t very pleased with the outcome as
he expected to fight at the front. “Our car wasn’t as fast as we
expected, we were losing some time in the middle sector of the
circuit. We analyzed carefully this weekend´s telemetry and I’m
confident that the team will find a good solution for Valencia”,
underlined with confidence Alvaro Parente. The GP2 season will
have now a four week break, returning at Valencia.
Star
Mazda - 
JD
Motorsport's Sergey Afanasiev
GP2
- 
Formula
Master -
Karts
- 
Porsche
Carrera Cup GB
LMS
- 
Formula
3 -
Ginetta
G20 - Dominic Pettit's Dominant Motorsport squad
WTCC-
Formula
Renault 2.0 Eurocup - 
Formula
Renault
Clio
Cup -
Karts
A1GP
Star
Mazda -
Formula
Master -
Gravity
Racing International will enter this year's 24 Hours of
Spa with one of it;s Mosler MT900. Driving will be Jacques
Villeneuve, the 97 F1 World Champion will be partnered by
China's Ho-Pin Tung, Vincent Radermecker and the team manager
Loris de Sordi. 
Other
News - 
Karts
- Russ Danzey managed to finish in third place
At
Knockhill Ken Thirwall and Lewis Carter won the 2 driver FFDR
Mini Cooper Cup endurance race on Sunday
Formula
3 - Tandersport’s Ben Crighton
Club
Racing 
Formula
Ford -
Formula
3 -
Ginetta
Jnrs -Tom Ingram ended the first half of his
maiden campaign of car racing established as one of the
Ginetta Junior Championship’s leading lights with pole positions
and a podium finish, as the season prepares to head into its
second half, the young High Wycombe driver has his sights firmly
set on victory. “Given it’s my first season in cars, and given
the budget we’ve had and the amount of testing we’ve been able
to do, I think it’s gone pretty well,” Tom reflected. “We’ve had
decent results, pole positions, a podium and we’ve been up there
on the timesheets. I could never have expected to get a podium
so early on like we did at Thruxton, in only my second meeting –
that was certainly quite an achievement. You never really know
how you’re perceived on the outside, but I think I’ve shown I’ve
got the pace to be at the front. “I think personally, what I’ve
found to be the most difficult thing is getting my head around
the starts. Most of the other things aren’t a million miles away
from karting; you’re still lining people up the same way – it’s
just the fact that now you’re driving something that’s a lot
bigger and that has gears and slides around a bit more. Getting
used to the car and learning to place your trust in it is what
it’s all about really, and there’s still some more to come in
that respect.” Now he looks ahead to the remaining five rounds
on the 2009 Ginetta Junior calendar – beginning at Snetterton on
August 2 – he is buoyant about his prospects, aiming to regain
the top five position in the standingsand stay top rookie.
Looking forward to Knockhill in Scotland in particular – “I’ve
been told it’s a real drivers’ circuit, and it looks quite
dramatic and undulating on TV” – with a podium finish and pole
position already under his belt, there is only one box left
really to tick. So, can Tom Ingram win a race over the second
half of the season? pic Lee Foxon
Superleague
Formula
F2000
-
British
GT -
Formula
3 -
Formula
Master
F2000
-
Formula
Master -
F2000-
Championship leader Chris Miller was quickest in
qualifying for the F2000 race at Summit Point in West Virginia.
With a lap of 1:11,472, Miller was a second upon second
placed Tim Minor with Matthew Inge third.
Porsche
Carrera Cup GB
Grand-Am
- Memo Gidley is back driving his familiar #77 McDonald’s Doran
Daytona Prototype
Club
Racing -
Formula
Master
WTCC
LADA
Sport's new driver James Thompson
Rallying
-
MGCC
Trophy -
Karts
- 
Carrera
CUP GB -
F2000
-
Formula
Master -
Karts
-
Coverage
of the prestigious FIA GT Championship will return to Motors TV
Formula
Master - Brands Hatch will play host to International
Formula Master's (IFM) fortieth race
Karts
- Cadwell
The
Australian Mini Challenge 
sponsorship from West Wycombe Road-based Conway House Dental
Practice, whose owner Stephen Robinson believes the promising
teenager possesses the talent and potential to make it all the
way to the top. Tom has enjoyed a superb start to his fledgling
car racing career, brace of poles and a podium plus he is top
rookie in the series. All this seems to point to a promising
future and Mr. Robinson clearly agrees. “I had thought about
doing it a year ago,” explained the self-confessed petrol-head,
who takes part in occasional track days himself. “Tom has been a
patient of mine for the past five or six years, and I always
talk to him about how his racing is going. I’ve followed his
career progress since he was in karts. I actually prefer
watching the Ginetta Juniors than I do the touring cars. Reading
the reports on him in the newspaper, I realised he and his
family were having quite a tough time. When he got pole position
at Oulton Park and was then taken out in the first race, I
thought I would see if I could help the lad out and maybe do
some good. Tom has made amazing progress. As a rookie you would
think he should be down somewhere in the mid-pack, but instead
he is right up there fighting with the experienced guys..”
There just over a fortnight until Snetterton, and the #80
machine is still bearing the scars from a bruising last outing
at Croft, when after qualifying third, Tom was knocked from
behind on the opening lap and tipped into a spin in front of the
oncoming pack. That caused significant damage which has yet to
be repaired, and with finances tight his appearance in round six
is not assured.
Professional
MotorSport World Expo, central Europe's leading motorsport
industry international exhibition that takes place in Cologne,
Germany on 3-5 November 2009, is to be the title sponsor for the
19th Annual Citroën 2CV 24-hour race
Chris
Holmes (is continuing his run of victories with yet another in
the Formula 4
Leading
drivers from the FIA WTCC and Formula Two Championships
After
three race weekends marred by bad luck Benoît Tréluyer
in
another Scirocco.
Karts
The
Australian Formula 3 Championship
Once
again it was Kieren Clark who dominated proceedings in the
Protyre Formula Renault BARC Championship
Protyre
Formula Renault BARC Championship driver Ahmad Al Harthy
A1
Team Malaysia is embarking on one of its most ambitious Outreach
initiatives
Nick
Sanderson enjoyed a strong race in yesterday’s (Saturday) Ford
Fiesta Championship at Oulton Park. It was a race Sanderson
ought to have won but a mistake two laps from home dropped him
to third. He fought back passing David Ellesley on the last lap
but Terence Clarke held onto win,
Formula
Renault
Formula
Renault 3.5 
Peter
Dempsey came through a crash-filled race and several
re-starts to win the Goodyear Pizza Ranch 100 at Iowa Speedway
last night (Friday). It was the Irishman’s first win since
switching to from AIM Autosport just before the Milwaukee
race. Second was Conor Daly with David Ostella third. The
win moves Dempsey 9 points clear in the Championship from Adam
Christoloudou who finished fifth.
In
front of an invited group of famous former racers, the 1-litre
Historic Formula 3 movement took its biggest step forward to
date when 27 cars lined up to race at Brands Hatch during the
HSCC’s Historic Superprix meeting on Saturday 4 July. The
re-birth of historic racing for the 1-litre ‘screamers’ of the
late 1960s and early 1970s has been gathering momentum through
the Peter Hanson Trophy mini-series as well as races in Europe,
and has been further boosted by confi rmation of a race at the
Monaco Historic GP in 2010.
The
WTCC and the F2 Championships
The
15th and 16th rounds of the FIA WTCC will take place next
week at the Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit. The WTCC races in
Brands have often marked a first. In 2006 Race 1, Yvan Muller
claimed his first success since he joined SEAT Sport, while in
Race 2 Alain Menu gave Chevrolet their first WTCC win. In 2007
Race 2 Andy Priaulx obtained his first (and so far his only)
WTCC victory on home soil. Among the current WTCC drivers Menu
has won ten times in Brands Hatch, adding his three WTCC
victories to the seven he obtained in the British Touring Car
Championship. Last year BMW's Jörg Müller inherited victory in
Race 1 when Robert Huff had to pit for a puncture with only a
couple of laps left. In the second race Chevrolet made up for
the disappointment when Menu overtook Félix Porteiro to cross
the line first.
The
Volvo Olsbergs Green Racing have entered two cars in the FIA
WTCC
Ginetta
G50 Cup championship leader Nathan Freke
Jordan
King, racing in the 2009 Super 1 Series
Alvaro
Parente spent the weekend at home in Porto
Findlay
Adams and the Scottish XR2's - In our recent report on the
XR2's from Knockhill we incorrectly reported that Findlay Adams
went off on the last lap due to an ambitious overtaking attempt.
It transpires we were wrong and the reason he went off as
because he was pushed! It certainly was his fault. Sorry
Findlay!
Freddy
Nordstrom has been confirmed for the British round of the SEAT
Eurocup
Michelin
Formula Renault UK Championship team Hillspeed
Doing
it for the fans … YRC are half-way there. Reaching
half-season point may not be significant to some however if you
are a team aiming to be funded totally by fan sponsorship it is
something to celebrate! With four product discounts, five ticket
discounts, sixth in the G50 Cup championship and seven
attraction offers, plus a name and picture on the
YourRacingCar.com car for each YRC fan these are great results
for a team started in February 2009 aiming to end the season
without reliance on traditional corporate sponsorship
programmes. So how do you encourage people who have to shell out
an average of £70 to enjoy a race weekend that they should part
with another £25 to support a racing team? Turn the sponsorship
concept on it’s head, of course! The fans are the sponsors, the
businesses involved are the YRC partners providing discounts,
freebies and other benefits directly to the fans. This let’s YRC
ask the fans to help fund the car, running in a one-make series,
and enables through the partners returns of over £150 to each
fan when they take up all the offers for all sorts of fun
attractions in the UK and for products and experiences that
relate to their motorsport passion.There is still room on board
and the majority of the non-race specific benefits are valid
until the end of December 2009. It’s easy to join in by pushing
the “Start the Engine” button at
GTs-
Formula
3
Formula
Renault
Rookie Alice Powell (pictured right - pic Jakob Ebrey
Photography)will begin both of the weekend’s races from the
12th row of the grid after posting laps of 1m48.312 seconds and
1m48.776 seconds. Getting quicker and quicker throughout the
session, the 16-year-old will be bidding for further progress
tomorrow at her most local venue. 
Andrew
Herron 
F2000
F2000
The
next round of the Competition Car Insurance Ford Fiesta
Championship will take place at Oulton Park in Cheshire next
Saturday,11th July. Nick Sanderson Racing - NSR - will be
fielding three Fiesta STs in the race with Kempster Ford
Director, Ian Fletcher,making his 2009 debut in the spare car.
After taking a 2nd place and a race win in the previous rounds
at Brands Hatch, Nick will be looking to consolidate his
position in the championship.(although he’s sure to be after
more wins!). 
This
weekend, the Racers Edge team, with Dane Cameron and Tom
Sutherland again sharing driving duties, heads for the
Daytona Motor Speedway and the Brumos Porsche 250. This is
one of the most pressure-filled races of the entire 2009
schedule with practice, qualifying and the race all taking place
on one day; Friday, July 4."The car was fast in the Rolex 24 at
the start of the season, but we had some electrical problems
that kept us from achieving the results we knew we were capable
of," says Cameron. "But the team and car have both evolved
a lot since then and we're all looking forward to the weekend.
It’s a crazy schedule, all happening in one day, but since it's
on a major NASCAR weekend the stands will be packed and the
energy level will be high and it's always a blast to race in
front of a big, enthusiastic crowd." 
Jay
Goodwin
Due
to a 2 month break in the Britcar Championship things have been
quiet for Lunar Racing
The
Asia Racing Team (ART Motorsports) heads to Beijing
Russ
Danzey
Heading
into the seven-week mid-season break in the Porsche Carrera Cup
GB, Red Line Racing leads the teams' championship and lies
second in the driver standings with Tim Harvey. Team boss Simon
Leonard recently reflected on the first half of the season and
looked ahead to the second half of the season, which starts at
Snetterton on 1/2 August. 
Volkswagen's
internal duel for the lead at the Rallye dos Sertoes
Bob
Lyons and David 
Ryan
Hooker and driving partner Derrick Collin
will drive the #11 Company Motorsports Piper DF-5 for this
weekend's F2000 even in place of regular driver Jesse Yorio,
McDonough will have his work cut out as Yorio hasn’t been
hanging around qualifying in the top five for both races at VIR.
The #11 Company Motorsports Piper chassis will get full factory
support from Piper Race Cars as it is the only Piper in the
field (there are 35 Van Diemens and one Mygale). McDonough, who
is known in the F2000 paddock as “Fast-Matt”, dominated the
inaugural season of the F2000 Series, winning seven races en
route to his title. In 2007 he was runner up to Cole Morgan,
taking a single win, but backing it up with six podiums and
three poles over the course of the year. “I'm looking forward to
returning to F2000 and driving the Piper this weekend,”
McDonough said. “Racing on an IRL weekend is always unique.
Adrenaline is pumping and concentrating is tough. Everyone wants
to do well in front of the big teams and large audience. I
always enjoy putting on a show for the fans in a hard charging
style. I was thrilled when Jesse asked me to drive his car. I
definitely need to thank him for thinking of me This will be two
favours I owe him as he helped me set pole position in 2007 at
Road Atlanta. I'm also looking forward to driving the Piper.
It's slightly smaller than the Van Diemens in all aspects and to
me that makes it better for most tracks in North America. If I
had a Piper in 2007, I think I would be a two-time champion.
With the right preparation and momentum, everyone should see
what it looked like in 2006, with my rear wing driving away from
them.” Jesse Yorio is expected back in the #11 at Summit Point
in the middle of July for rounds nine and 10. “Of course it
pains me to miss the race at my favorite track, but the upside
will be getting Matt's expert opinion on the car,” said Yorio.
“The improvements made over the winter with the help of Doug
Learned and Don Sievenpiper, make this car a potential winner. I
believe we had a shot at the win at Lime Rock, but my aggression
got the best of me in practice and cut the weekend short. I
think Matt will find the car balanced and fast right out off the
truck, and, expect him to be in the hunt for the win."
Brands
Hatch warms up for World Touring Cars and F2.
Brands
Hatch will also host the UK debut of the FIA Formula Two
Championship, a new Formula One feeder series that has
attracted a capacity grid of 25 young talented drivers from 15
different countries – including international race winners and
three sons of ex-F1 drivers. The Formula Two cars have
been designed by the AT&T Williams Formula One team, led by head
of engineering Patrick Head, and the 2009 champion will receive
a full test with the Williams F1 squad.As well as two rounds of
both headline championships, WTCC and F2 at Brands will also
feature a full support race programme and off-track
entertainment including a fun fair, face painting, mini JCBs
from Diggerland and Karting courtesy of Buckmore Park .Tickets
for the FIA World Touring Car and Formula Two Championships at
Brands Hatch on 18/19 July cost from £24 for adults, with free
entry for children aged 12 and under. For more information call
0870 950 9000 or visit