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The SMRC's Classic Sports/Saloon

story from Monday 10 April incorrectly reported that Porsche driver Stan Bernard had made a mistake while leading thereby handing the win to Olly Ross.'theGrid' would like to report that what actually happened is as follows. Stan Bernard led from pole for 7 laps. When on the 8th lap as he approached Duffus to lap the Renault Alpine of Eoghan Mackie he had to lift slightly. The Renault kept left and Bernard passed him off the racing line on the right of the track approaching Scotsman where the right rear of his car was inadvertenly tapped pushing him into a spin as he exited the corner. That spin caused Al Fleming to brake hard to avoid a collision which allowed Olly Ross through into the lead. At the time 'theGrid' reported that Stan 'lost it', this was not the case and he was in fact the unlucky victim of a racing incident. We would like to apologise to Stan for our mistake.

On Sunday 6 May 2007, Nigel Mansell will race a Scuderia Ecosse Ferrari 430 GT car in the FIA GT Championship race at Silverstone. The British Formula One World Champion will take part in the two-hour GT race, sharing the car with one of the team's regular drivers. The exact line-ups will be decided in the run up to the race weekend. The opportunity for a guest appearance came about when the team heard a rumour that Nigel was considering driving a Ferrari 430 in America and suggested he give it a go a bit closer to home. Nigel joined regular drivers Chris Niarchos and Andrew Kirkaldy at Knockhill in Scotland on 5 April where he was quickly on the pace. In addition to the Knockhill test, Nigel will be taking part in a Pirelli tyre test at Estoril (24-26 April) prior to the Silverstone race, to complete his preparations. Nigel Mansell OBE: "This was a challenge I had to accept. Stewart (Roden) runs a very good team and the cars are beautifully prepared. The car is fun to drive but it remains to be seen how I will get on in a race situation as ex-F1 drivers tend to race with a target on their backs! I had a great time with the team at Knockhill and it's going to be good to work with Pirelli again as we have enjoyed many years working together in the past. I hope to see everyone at Silverstone as I think we are in for a great weekend of racing." Stewart Roden, Scuderia Ecosse team principal: "As a team we are delighted that Nigel will be joining us at Silverstone. We pride ourselves on our high standards so having a driver of Nigel's calibre with us really helps us to step up to the mark. In terms of race victories he is the most successful British F1 driver of all time which is an incredible achievement. Nigel was the last Ferrari driver to be selected personally by Enzo Ferrari before the great man's death in 1988. For a team that is so passionate about Ferrari we are so happy that Nigel is joining us and we will do everything we can to make sure that he has a successful weekend."

The 2007 Apex Tubulars Porsche Club Championship blasts into action at Oulton Park, Cheshire, this Saturday (April 14^th) for what should be another exciting season of action-packed racing. With over 30 drivers registered for the 10-meeting season, Oulton Park will be the first chance to see which of the influx of new racers has the pace and skill to take on the rapid series regulars….read more

The Apex Tubulars Porsche Open series provides a home for some of the most exciting Porsches racing anywhere in the UK - and the season opening round at Oulton Park, Cheshire, on Saturday April 14^th should see the series kick-off in style. The battle at the front of the field features some ferociously-powerful machinery taking on the latest 997 GT3 models, a classic duel of power versus handling around the Oulton Park circuit…read more

Ross Edwards and Matt Nicol-Jones (pictured right: pic M Curtis)were the victors in the AVO Ginetta races at Oulton Park over the Easter weekend. Edwards won the first race by 1.528 seconds over Jonny Hyde with Neil Merry third. The second event saw Nicol Jones cross the line 1.338 seconds up on Joe Osborne who just held off Ben Elliot in third by les than 2 tenths of a second

Tobia Kipper Racing ventured Western Australia last month, some 3400km from the team’s “home base” Melbourne Victoria, to race in the second round of the National Championship at Perth’s Barbagallo raceway….read more

TRG returns to one of its favourite tracks this weekend, Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Grandcup event. The South Florida track has been kind to TRG, the team has won the past two consecutive years, and in 8 visits the team has always had a podium finish The team anticipates a very competitive sprint race, given the testing that has sorted some of the issues surrounding the new Porsche 997s. TRG and Carlsen Porsche have entered three GS-class Porsche 911s for the Grand-Am KONI Challenge race. Duncan Ende and Grant Maiman will pair in the #39 Adam's Polishes/Digitrust car. Scott Schroeder will again share the #40 Carrera Designs/TRG Porsche with John Bibbo. Andy Lally and Ted Ballou team together again in the #41 Mitchell Global/TRG Porsche. Team owner Kevin Buckler said, "I feel like this is our first real race after everyone working so hard on the development of these cars. We've got a strong history at Homestead. Daytona launched our entire KONI Challenge effort, and though we ran into some teething problems in the conversion from street-legal to KONI Challenge racecar, the team has worked very hard to solve most of the issues we had. Going to Homestead, which feels like a second home to us for all the success we've had here in the past, bodes well for our championship chase.. I'm excited for the event to get underway!"

KENSAI RACING head for Homestead with new sponsors, Dupont and NAPA. Although it's been a few months since the team's Acura TSX took the ST-class win at the season-opening race at Daytona, the team has found themselves busy preparing for the next event at Homestead this weekend. At Daytone Billy Johnson took the win with Karl Thomson, after running in second place for the last part of the race with the team-mates Travis Walker and Beau Buisson. With a few laps to go a driveshaft let go on the leading car, preventing a 1-2 Kensai/Compass360 finish. "I know all of us drivers will be pushing hard because the competition is so tight," noted Thomson. "We'll be consistent and keep working together to make sure all three cars finish well, while doing what we can to keep Billy and me on top of the points standings." Importantly, the team also announced today that Matt Pritiko's Acura RSX-S will be welcoming two new season-long sponsors at the Homestead race. Dupont Performance Coatings Canada and NAPA Canada have signed on with the young London, Ontario-based karting star in his first year of Grand Am KONI competition. "I can't tell you how proud I am to welcome Dupont and NAPA to the team," enthused Pritiko. "They've seen that there is great value in promoting their automotive brands in the KONI Challenge. In fact, in repairing some of the Daytona damage to my #74 RSX we've already made use of their paint products!" Longtime Grand American competitor Daniel Columbie is paired with Pritiko in the RSX for the Homestead and Iowa events.

Barwell Motorsport's three-car Aston Martin GT squad enjoyed a highly successful Easter raid on Oulton Park, scoring a pole position (the first ever for a Bio-Ethanol fuelled car), two runner-up spots and all cars in the points in both races. They were tantalisingly close to achieving the race wins on both occasions, and the Jonny Cocker/Paul Drayson car led the way for much of race one. The three Aston Martin DBRS9s were certainly stars of the GT races at Oulton Park, with rows of people queuing to get a look into the Barwell garage during Monday's feature day. Fittingly they now lead the Avon Tyres Team's Championship after the first two rounds of the series.

There was controversy amongst the 24-strong British GT field when the newly upgraded Ferrari 430 run by two teams according to the new FIA Homologated car specs with the small weight ballast it carries (25kg) is considered short of what is required to bring it into line with the performance of the rest of the GT3 grid…..apparently.

Sam Bird enjoyed his first round of British Formula 3 at Oulton Park yesterday, Easter Monday, finishing fourth in the first race and sixth in the second. Having qualified in sixth and seventh places for the two races on Saturday, his expectations were realistic “I am not thrilled with my qualifying” he said on Sunday “In pre-seaton testing I have been right up at the sharp end of the times, mixing it with the more experienced drivers. There are so many drivers in the series, and there were a lot of red flags and a lot of traffic in qualifying – of course it was the same for everyone, but I was unfortunate to be in the wrong place at the wrong time to put in a really good lap. But if I can get a couple of good starts, I should be able to make up a place or two”. Sam has also been chosen as one of six young drivers in the UK to win a place on the inaugural MSA Race Elite programme. The Motor Sports Association announced the scheme at Autosport International in January and invited entries from British drivers aged between 16 and 25 from all areas of motor sport. The programme will be operated by the Brabham Performance Clinic, fronted by one of the world’s foremost international racing drivers, David Brabham. The scheme attracted almost 100 entries from all levels of British motorsport up to and including F3. A short list of 20 was drawn up, from which a panel of experts chose the final six. The programme will cover physical and mental preparation and training, track performance and development, technical and engineering awareness in areas such as engine, gearbox, suspension, tyres, electronics and aerodynamics. It will also bring in experts to advise on career management, media, sponsorship and promotional training. “The standard of entrants was extremely high” said David Brabham “and the judges had to select those drivers who they believed would benefit most from the programme and who had the ability to step up the racing ladder to the highest levels. Today’s driver has to navigate all these aspects without any formal training. We hope to bridge that gap and provide the training for those we believe to have the talent and skills to fulfil their potential”

Brazilian driver Fabio Carbone has moved up to second in the prestigious Japanese Super GT Championship, following the second race of the season at Okayama last weekend. Having claimed a podium at the opening race in Suzuka just under a month ago, the Nakajima Racing driver deliberately chose a tactical strategy to finish fourth in Okayama and boost his championship prospects.

Carlo van Dam will race for Racing for Belgium in the Eurocup Mégane Trophy this year. The Dutchman will run all the races of this spectacular series alongside his programme in the ATS Formula 3 Cup.

The formbook was thrown out of the window for the opening rounds of the Volkswagen Racing Cup at Oulton Park today (Monday), with Joe Fulbrook claiming twin wins at the wheel of his turbocharged Bora and reigning champion Paul Taylor leaving Cheshire point-less…full story

Sandro Proietti took a brace of victories in the BRSCC Gearboxman.com Fiat Challenge on Sunday at Mallory Park. Martin Riman was second on both opccasions while Kris Greatrex and Simon McFie picked up a third place each.. In the Dunlop Tuscan Challenge races Tom Hood took his V8 Sagaris to victory in race 1 with Darren Dowling second and Dean Cook third. Dowling went one better in the second race heading Hood over the line while Cook was once again third. In the Club FFord Midlands Championship Gavin Wills was the winner of both races in a Van Dieman RF00. Dave Connor took the runner-up spot in race 1 while Paul Mason in a Swift SC94 held that distinction in race 2. Peter Daly in a Van Dieman RF89 was third in both events.

The Don Truman Trophy was won by John Turner in a CVooper MkIX at Mallory Park on Sunday. Second in a Cooper MkV was Mike Fowler with Tony Steele coming in third in a Comet F3. Patrik Ford took the honours in the Super Mighty Mini encounter beating James Young and Darren Rees over the line. In the Mighty Mini race Neil Slark came out on top ahead of James Lyford in second and David Berney in third.

British Formula Ford's new season blasted away to a dramatic start today (Monday) at Oulton Park with a familiar team in the winner's circle and an exciting new face atop the podium, Jamun Racing Services. Full story

Marko Asmer won the second Round of the British F3 Championship,at Oulton Park yesterday(Monday) in an incident packed race that had 2 restarts which reduyced the race to just 10 laps. Stephen Jelley followed Asmer closely for the entire race but couldn't get by. Fortec's Sebastian Hohenthal was third on hius British F3 debut. In Round 1 Maro Engel converted his pole position into a lights-to-flag victory Marko Asmer was second with Stephen Jelley third. In the National Class Frankie Cheng took both wins to take maximum points for the weekend. Second in Round was Sean Petterson and in Round 2 Viktor Jensen. Full story

Jonathan Fildes enjoyed a very happy Easter at Mondello Park on Sunday, 8th April, after recording a brace of pole positions and a double race win during his first ever outing in his father’s Ralt RT4 Formula 3000 car…read more

ULTIMATE MOTORSPORT made a successful debut at Oulton Park as the secured a 2 2 car finishes in the opening rounds of the British F3 Season. The team, which was formed six months ago, secured the first ever British F3 finish for French manufacturers Mygale as their two drivers, Argentine Esteban Guerrieri and Irishman Michael Devaney, made a satisfying first showing. Read more

In FBMW USA Testing at Virginia International Raceway, Alexander Rossi was to be found near the head of the timesheets. Despite having never driven the south course at VIR before, Rossi was fast to adapt to it, his name showing in second position throughout the day. Such was his pace that even when a minor technical gremlin that kept him in the pits for an hour or so, his rivals could not eclipse his fastest time. He ended the day a mere 0.43 sec off the top of the timesheets. The second day started much as the first had for Rossi; P2 once again and he had closed the gap to a mere 0.02 sec from the top spot by the lunch. As the test drew to a close he was third overall -- only 0.10 sec from the fastest time. "Everything seems to be going well," shrugged the modest teenager at day's end, "everybody is gaining confidence and everything is going as we'd hoped. I'm very happy obviously! We have one more test in a couple of weeks and everything is ready to go."

Red Bull Junior Robert Wickens couldn’t have had a better start to his Atlantic season. He qualified on pole in the first race at Las Vegas last weekend. Wickens had a good start and took the lead until Adrian Carrio crashed bringing out the yellow flag. On lap 4 at the re-start he was passed by James Hinchcliffe before seconds later, the yellow flag came out again. Once things got underway again Wickens regained the lead after outbrakiing Hinchcliffe before a 3rd caution caused when Red Bull youngster John Edwards spun,causing a pile-up involving 5 cars. At the restart Wickens did not manage to hang on to the elad for long, Raphael Matos passed the Red Bull Junior with 3 laps to go to win the race. Jonathan Bomarito followed Wickens hoime in third. Wickens said after the race, “There are only so many tricks you can pull on a restart. Luckily I got one restart where I didn’t get passed but then three corners later the yellow came out. The whole race was kind of a tease. I led in my first race then the yellow would come out and we would have to restart again. It was hard. I also lost my left mirror on the car so heading into corner one I couldn’t see who was there and that’s when Raphael (Matos) passed me and hats off to him."

FF1600 returned to Knockhill yesterday(Sunday) with a very promising 23 car grid. Perrenial Formula Ford exponent Georgie Taylor won the first race with a lights to flag victory over Louis Di Resta(Paul's Dad) who was making his return to cars after an absence of several years. Third was Robert Thomson with Stuart Thorburn fourth. Race 2 was a closer affair thanks in part to Taylor starting the race from the pitlane. This left the way clear for Di Resta to take an early lead from Thorburn with Robert Thomson slotting into third. It took Thorburn just 3 laps to take the lead which he held to the flag, but only just , DI Resta finishing a mere 2 tenths behind. Elliot Mason took third with Graham Carroll fourth. Thomson appear to make a mistake on the last lap before finally coming home a distant seventh. It was Caterhams filling the top 4 places in both Sports/Saloon races at Knockhill. Robert Pritchard won both closely fought battles with George Brewster pushing him hard in both races. In the first race Brewster had led the opening lap before Pritchard slipped by. Despite hounding him all the way Brewster had to settle for second. Race 2 was pretty much a re-run of the first with Brewster hounding Pritchard for all 10 laps but again finding no way by. Ian Cowie took third in race one with a pass up the inside of David Headon's Caterham 400 at Scotsman on the final lap. In race 2 Headon had the measure of Cowie leaving him in his wake as he had fierce tussle with Charlie Shaw's Ford Focus, one which Headon won.

Luciano Bacheta took the honours in Round 2 of the FPA from Stefan Wilson and Jason Moore....full story

Peter Cruickshank and Andrew Winchester both had a win and a second place in the two Scottish XR2 races at the weekend. Winchester won the first race when it was red-flagged at half distance after Ross Malcolm rolled his car. Cruickshank came home second 1.7 seconds back and Willie Davidson was third. In the second race Cruickshank led all the way with Winchester following in his tyre tracks to take second just 0.305secsonds behind after the 10 laps. Davidson was again third with Scott Morrison fourth. In the SMRC Classic Sports and Saloons Al Fleming in a Lotus Elan, endured what must be his unluckiest day in the sport. In the first race he was closely following Stan Bernard's Porsche with just under 3 laps to run when Bernard lost it at Scotsman (formerly McIntyres) right in front of the Elan forcing Fleming to virtually stop. This allowed Olly Ross, in a Lotus Europa to pounce and sweep past both cars to snatch an unlikely victory. Fleming and Bernard did recover to finish second andthird respectivety but it was little compensation for the Lotus driver. In the second race Fleming had taken the lead Tommy Gilmartin's BMW 2002 on lap 5 and had the race in his pocket when his car expired with less than half a lap to go handing the win to Stan Bernard. Olly Ross went on to take second with Jim Grant's Lotus Elan third.

Will Mitcham staged the best possible start to his campaign to recapture the Avon Tyres Caterham Superlight Challenge crown by winning both of Oulton Park's exciting opening rounds on Saturday. full story.

After the successful season launch of its UK championships, Caterham Motorsport attention switches to the German Grand Prix circuit of Hockenheim on Friday (13 April) where the evo Caterham Eurocup will kick off in style...read more

Team Australia’s Will Power has become the first Australian to win a round of the Champ Car World Series after clinching the Las Vegas Grand Prix in Nevada on Sunday. Power, who started from pole, dominated the race in his Aussie Vineyards-backed machine to clinch the win from Dutch rookie Robert Doornbos and Champ Car veteran Paul Tracy. Other former Australian podium winners have included Geoff Brabham and former F1 world champion Alan Jones, but Power, who won last year’s Rookie of the Year title, is the first Australian to stand on the top step

Raphael Matos takes the honours in the opening round of the Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda in Las Vegas...Full story

Paul Wilson and Vic Covey Jnr won a race a-piece in the opening rounds of theSmarty.com Mini Cooper Cup at Knockhill yesterday(Sunday). In race 1 Mark Wilson had taken the lead early on when Mark Dryden had lost it at SEAT(Duddus Dip) on the opening lap. Covey then shadowed th leader until Lap 4 when he got alongside at the hairpin, taking the elad on the run down to SEAT. Wilson was subsequently pushed down to third by Ian Milton on lap 7 where they stayed unitl the flag. In race 2 Michael Rowan had led initially before first Gillian Shedden, then Wilson took over at the front. Once Wilson had the lead he gradually pulled out a small gap to finally win by over 4 seconds. Covery Jn took runner-up spot on lap 8 of 10 pushing Shedden down to third.

Derek Johnston and Tim Greaves shared the spoils in the Powertec Radical Challenge at Silverstone today(Saturday). Both took a win and a second place ahead of Nick Dove who was third in both races. In the Dunlop Mini Se7en championship Max Hunter came out on top in front of Andrew Diving by 1.140secs, despite Diving leading the opening 4 laps. James Winnifrith was third 4 seconds off the leader. The Mini Miglia event was a much closer fought out affair with Andrew Hack winning by just 0.111secs from Kelly Rogers who was on 4 tenths up on third placed Edaf Owens. Perrenial Mini favourite Bill Sollis was fourth 0.696secs behind the winner with Tony Le May fifth a further 3 tenths up the road..

Matt Hamilton made full use of the Formula Palmer Audi overboost system to take victory in an opening round of the 2007 Championship at Silverstone brimming with overtaking and drama. Full story.

Jonathan Kennard took his maiden British F3 pole position for Round 2 of the 2007 series. Kennard's Raikkonen Robertson Racing teammate Stephen Jelley lines up alongside him on the front row after finishing just 0.098seconds behind. Row 2 will be filled by Fortec's Sebastian Hohenthal, who improved right at the end of the 30-minute session, and Marko Asmer in the Hitech Dallara Mercedes. Race 1 pole sitter Maro Engel could only manage 5th place, two tenths quicker than the third Raikkonen Robertson Racing Dallara of Atte Mustonen.Sam Bird (Carlin), Greg Mansell (Fortec), Niall Breen (Carlin) and Walter Grubmuller (Hitech) round out the top 10.Michale Meadows took the pole position in the National Class, 0.031 seconds and one place ahead of Frankie Cheng, with Alistair Jackson in 3rd place. Carlin Motorsport's Maro Engel took the top spot in the first qualifying session of the 2007 season, one hundredth of a second ahead of Raikkonen Robertson Racing's Stephen Jelley, with Sebastian Hohenthal (Fortec Motorsport) and Marko Asmer (Hitech Racing) claiming 3rd and 4th respectively. Engel took set his fastest lap early on in the session which was halted after just 13 minutes when Leo Mansell (Fortec Motorsport) went off at Old Hall causing a lot of damage to his Dallara Mercedes. The session was restarted once the car was recovered but the top three position remained the same for the final 17 minutes, with Marko Asmer and Sam Bird (Carlin Motorsport). Reigning Formula BMW Champion Niall Breen (Carlin Motorsport) will head up row 3 on his British F3 debut. In the National Class Sergio Perez (TSport) claimed pole position with a time that was good enough for 19th overall and three places ahead of his nearest rivals 'Frankie' Cheng (Performance Racing) and Mike Meadows (Master Motorsport).

The Northamptonshire team, which was set up little more than six months ago, arrived at the Cheshire circuit on the back of two promising recent tests with the all-new Mygale car but gearbox difficulties on Friday limited their final preparations.

Irishman Michael Devaney, who was sidelined in Friday's second practice session, continually improved his pace in first qualifying. But further gearbox problems mean he will start race two from the back of the grid after missing the second session.

Esteban Guerrieri returned from his home in Argentina and, driving a car much changed since his last test, he put in a good performance although his runs were troubled by brake difficulties that slowed his pace.

Team owner Barry Walsh said: "This has certainly been a challenging race meeting so far but you expect that with a new team and a new car, so full marks go to the team for their performance after working on Michael's car overnight.

"It was a shame Michael had another issue today but that will be solved for the race. We are not where we had hoped we would be on the grid but will be looking for a consistent run and a top ten finish on Monday."

Guerrieri added: "We were struggling with brake problems during the sessions and that meant I could not maximise the potential of the car. We will be looking at these issues and hope to make an improvement in time for the race on Monday."

Devaney said: "We have had some tough breaks over the last two days and it was hard for me to have to miss the second session. But this is a real driver's circuit and we will be looking to keep on track and get to the chequered flag on our debut."

Team Australia rookie Simon Pagenaud has had a sensational debut day in the Champ Car World Series by driving to second fastest in opening qualifying for the Vegas Grand Prix in Las Vegas,. Pagenaud was only two tenths of a second behind former series champion Paul Tracy, making it a dream start to the season for the reigning Champ Car Atlantic Champion in the #5 Aussie Vineyards Team Australia DP01. Pagenaud’s team-mate Will Power was seventh fastest in the #5 Aussie Vineyards Team Australia DP01 in opening qualifying, looking for improvement in tomorrow’s second qualifying session.

Power Pill UK have agreed to support Linton Stutely for the 2007 British Formula Ford Championship in his Premier Power Getem Racing Mygale SJ006/7 Power Pill can apparently save you between 10-15% on your vehicles' fuel bills, will completely clean the fuel system, work as a lead substitute, enhance performance and also cut harmful emissions by up to 80% and is already on sale in the South America and Asia. Linton Stutely said "I have great hopes and ambition for the coming season. Testing on the new car and engine has gone very well, and I can't wait to get started. I would like to thank my dad, my manager James Crofts and all my sponsors including Power Pill and The Big Cold Turkey for their support in helping myself and the team prepare for what we expect to be a fantastic season ahead". More info on Power Pill www.powerpilluk.com/linton.asp Linton Stutely and Power Pill CEO Leon Warner

Walker Racing's Ryan Lewis will miss the start of the Atlantic Championship this weekend in Las Vegas due to a 'cock-up' with his visa, delaying his start for the championship. "Because of a misunderstanding and subsequent delay of granting of his visa, Ryan will not be in Las Vegas. Further complicating matters with the Easter weekend holiday in the UK, meant that he was unable to complete his application in time to compete in the Las Vegas race. Ryan will be back with us in Long Beach and we look forward to having him join us," stated Walker Racing owner, Derrick Walker. The 22 year-old brings with him a strong racing pedigree as he was crowned the British F3 Scholarship champion and earned three podiums in his rookie Atlantic season after jumping on board in the fourth round in 2006. Walker Racing will only run one car, Swiss rookie Simona De Silvestro, for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Formula Renault BARC front-runners Russell Racing made a long-awaited return to action at Donington Park yesterday, Thursday, 5th April, with realistic championship contenders Matt Shawyer and Matt Russell both enjoying excellent outings. Beginning the day with relatively neutral settings on their cars, Shawyer and Russell tried a variety of changes throughout the test and the outcome saw both drivers absolutely delighted with the pace and handling of their respective FR2000 racers. “I’m very pleased with how everything went”, said 24-year-old Shawyer, “The car felt very good, in fact I’d go so far as to say I’d be surprised if anyone else in a BARC-spec Formula Renault could have gone any quicker than we did today. “The car was neutral to start with and then we dialled it in as the test went on and made a variety of changes to see how it would handle with different settings. I’ve got to say the way the car felt today definitely made it one of the best cars I’ve ever driven.” The BRDC Rising Star added: “One of the best things about the car was the way I could get on the power so early out of the corners which is obviously a very good sign. It was a really enjoyable test, we did a lot of good work and I hope we’ll be on the grid with Russell Racing for the first round at the end of the month.”

When the 1992 Formula 1 World Champion competed in British Formula 3 over 25 years ago, he did it with backing from Unipart. Now, as his sons Greg and Leo compete in British F3 at Oulton Park this Easter Monday and Unipart will once again support the Mansell name. The "Unipart Festival" is the first of a series of regional customer events for the company as it strengthens its association with Mansell and 2006 American Le Mans Series Champion Allan McNish.
As Greg and Leo Mansell aim to win the championship their father never did, their cars will carry Unipart branding throughout the year, while McNish will be part of customer hospitality events across Scotland and the North of England.
Nick Rayner, Unipart Automotive Managing Director, said of the agreement: "We are looking forward to continuing our successful association with Nigel, Leo and Greg Mansell as well as Allan McNish and working with them to provide a series of exciting, hosted events for our many Unipart Automotive customers."

Former British GT champion Thomas Erdos will return to the series at Oulton Park this weekend in an Ascari KZ1R for the Damax team. Racing in the GT3 class Erdos will drive alongside Stephen Keating as he sets the target of being the first driver to win the overall British GT championship twice.
With the Ascari of Jimmy Brodie Damax will be one of the strongest teams in the series, especially when, on selected occasions, their third Ascari takes to the track in the hands of Jay Palmer and Steve Rigby.

Carlin Motorsport will be back on track this weekend, for the first race of the British F3 season at Oulton Park. It will be the team's first race with Mercedes engines, after several successful seasons with Honda power. With five drivers in the championship class, Carlin has one of its strongest ever driver line-ups. Maro Engel and Mario Moraes rejoin Carlin for a second season, while Formula Renault graduate Sam Bird, and Formula BMW UK Champion Niall Breen make their British F3 debuts this weekend. 2005 South American F3 Champion Alberto Valerio also enters his first race with the Carlin team. Team Principal Trevor Carlin commented, "We have five drivers who are all capable of winning races, so I am expecting some good results this weekend and throughout the year. This will be our first race with Mercedes engines and based on our preparation in testing, I think we have a great package for the new season." Carlin has won the BF3 championship on three occasions; 2001 with Takuma Sato, 2003 with Alan Van der Merwe and 2005 with Alvaro Parente and has recorded more race wins than any other team in British F3.

WOW Racing V8 Supercar driver Max Wilson will drive a Team Australia-livered Champ Car around the Mount Panorama circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales tomorrow. Wilson raced in the Champ Car in 2001, will drive in controlled conditions around the 6.213-kilometre circuit as part of this weekend’s WPS Bathurst International Motor Festival. “It’s definitely going to be a great experience to drive the Team Australia Champ Car around Bathurst,” said Wilson. “Bathurst is one of the most spectacular and demanding circuits in the world. Every time you arrive there you drive around the circuit in a hire car and you get a chill down your spine. To drive around it in one of the world’s best motor racing cars is going to very special.”

A1 Team Great Britain heads to China next week for the penultimate round of the 2006/07 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport at the Shanghai International Circuit, 13-15 April, with Oliver Turvey joining the driving ranks as the team’s latest rookie recruit. Turvey, winner of the 2006 McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award, will get his first taste of A1GP competition when he participates in the Friday morning ‘Rookie-Only’ session at the 2.85-mile home of the ‘Chinese Grand Prix’. The 19-year-old, while new to the Shanghai track, has already had a brief taste of the 550bhp A1GP car he’ll utilize next Friday having enjoyed a run-out in the British entry at the Brands Hatch Media Day last month.

Robert Wickens has launched of al new web site to coincide with the start of the 2007 Champ Car Atlantic season this weekend at the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix. The new site, designed and maintained by Chris Jameson and Level Ten Communications, will feature updates throughout the race weekend, updated galleries and some new multimedia links. "This is our fifth year working with Level Ten and we are very happy with Chris's designs and how quickly he responds with updates" stated Robert. The new site is now online at: www.robertwickens.com

HERBIE RIDES AGAIN AT OULTON PARK. Racegoers at Oulton Park on Easter Monday (9 April) will need to check closely that one of the Beetles competing in the Volkswagen Racing Cup events has a driver at the wheel. For film star 'Herbie' - famed for taking his drivers for a spin, rather than the other way around - will be taking to the track in the opening rounds of the championship, complete with '53' number panels and fetching off-white livery. The man who will be attempting to control the wayward Beetle is Steve Chaplin, a 42-year-old former motorcycle racer. 'I have the perfect excuse if I get into trouble with the clerk of the course - I can just tell him that Herbie was doing it himself.' Steve, boss of Gloucestershire engineering firm Complete Utilities, spent the winter refurbishing the car and wanted to give it a new livery to finish the job. 'It seemed too good an opportunity to miss, so we decided that it had to be Herbie. It's already proving a major head-turner and a favourite with the kids.' Herbie, who packs a 2.8-litre V6 punch in his latest incarnation, was prepared for the circuit by the Volkswagen and Audi Centre at Stonehouse, Gloucestershire.

Period sportscars for Knockhill Classic SpeedFair. A special race for classic sportscars and demonstration runs from Formula 5000 single-seaters are the latest additions to the line-up for the 2007 Knockhill Classic SpeedFair event over the weekend of 21/22 July.
Working closely with historic racing enthusiast Sandy Watson, who lives within 15 minutes of the track, the organisers are putting together a special race for sports-prototypes and GT cars of the 1960s and early 1970s. Subject to demand, the entry could even be split into two races and entries from Chevrons, Lolas and other classic marques are expected.
Meanwhile, it is hoped to have several thundering Formula 5000 single-seater racing cars from the early 1970s on hand for some demonstration laps. In period, the cars were nearly as fast as Grand Prix cars and the category is now enjoying a surge in support. Although F5000s have never raced at Knockhill, the circuit has links with the category as the official opening of the track included Kiwi ace Chris Amon driving an F5000 car.
The rally stage of the 2006 Knockhill Classic was shortlisted for the 'stage rally of the year' award at the recent International Historic Motorsport Awards. To be shortlisted so early in the event's history was a big achievement for the organisers and the format will be extended and developed for 2007.
Saturday will be taken up with qualifying and then several races before the track is turned over to rallying mid-afternoon for a super special stage. On Sunday, racing will run throughout the day, including demonstrations by classic motorcycles.

With more than one month until the first race of the season, a total of 26 registrations have been received for the Formula Renault BARC Championship. The low-cost single-seater series, which is intended to act as a feeder for the renowned Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship, enters its third season under the guidance of Renault Sport UK and is set for one of its strongest first-race fields....read more

Las Vegas will host Round 1 of the 2007 Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda this weekend(April 6-8). Equaling its largest field from last season, the 34th season of Atlantic racing will kick off with an anticipated 28 entries on Sunday afternoon at the new 2.440-mile street circuit. Read more

The results of last Sunday's fourth round of the Pacific F2000 Championship Presented by Hankook Tires at Willow Springs have been amended following a protest after the race. It alleged that second-place finisher Shaun Modisette, driver of the #26 Carson Trailer/PR1 Motorssports Van Diemen gained an unfair advantage through changing all four wheels and tyres prior to the start of the race. Extreme tire wear was experienced by all competitors on the high-speed road course, but series rules demand that only one set of tires may be used during a race weekend, unless prior dispensation has been agreed and approved by the chief steward. After some confusion with the Stewards and the team it was decided that Modisette would be penalised and was subsequently dropped to 10^th place. The revised finishing order for Sunday's race is as follows: 1. Patrick Barrett; 2. Chris Sprietzer; 3. Jeff Westphal; 4. Chuck Hulse; 5. Thomas Merrill; 6. Peter Hastrup, 7. Ira Fierberg; 8. Nicky Freytag; 9. Peter Hansel; 10. Modisette; The revised championship points table is as follows: 1. Barrett, 110; 2. Spreitzer, 97; 3. Westphal, 87; 4. Mitchell Cunningham, 63; 5. Merrill & Scott Rarick, 52; 7. Freytag & Hulse, 49; 9. Hastrup, 45; 10. Philip Metzger, 44; etc.

Round two of the Australian 2007 Formula Ford Championship was another round win for Team Sonic. The team went into the round hoping to consolidate its position at the top of the points table, with another solid result from the three drivers. To come away from the event with first and second in the championship is very rewarding for the formula ford guys. This is a track the team has never raced a Mygale at so the final set up of the cars was always going needed to be tuned over the race weekend as the engineers continue to learn more about the new cars….race report

Adrian Quaife-Hobbs kicked-off his Formula BMW UK Championship at Brands Hatch last weekend (March 31-April 1), by nearly taking a podium in the second race on Sunday. At the start of the weekend he struggled in the opening qualifying session, where damp conditions meant he found it hard to find grip but still managed to set tenth fastest time before a change inf set-up for the second session allowed him to move up to ninth. “I didn’t get the best out of my tyres in the qualifying sessions,” said Adrian. “The track was slightly damp at the start of the first session and everyone was taking it easy to begin with. I altered the set-up on the car between the two to give me more grip but it was still on the last lap that I got my best time in,” he added.For his first Formula BMW race a good start allowed him to make up a place at the lights, however, as the pack surged into Druids he left his rival’s room to make sure that his first event didn’t end prematurely, loosing a couple of places in the process. He was unable to make up any places due to understeer in the closing laps and ended the race in 11^th.In the second race he made up 2 places before Druids and after a handful of laps he passed Finnish racer Valle Makela for third place and held the position for most of the race. Sadly Adrian had set up his car to work its tyres hard in the opening half of the race and once again he struggled for grip in the closing stages and lost the place back, settling for fourth place at the flag. “I’m pleased to have run so well in the second race,” he said. “I made some changes to the car between the races and knew that I would be able to push harder from the start, but it meant that I had no grip left at the end. It was a good, solid point’s finish though, which will be important at the end of the season,” he added.

Novice driver Craig Welsher claimed victory at the final of Silverstone Motorsport Academy’s 2007 Racing Driver Scholarship. Nine drivers competed for the prize of a ‘free’ drive for the 2007 season driving a Caterham Superlight C400, with full support from the Hyperion Motorsport, in the Caterham Superlight Challenge. All this, plus pre-season tests, adds up to a prize worth more than £30,000. Each of the finalists participated in assessments in a variety of different vehicles under the watchful eye of Silverstone’s instructors. The final entry list included: Craig Welsher, Mark Smith, Sam Smeeth, Ed Page, Melvyn Marshall, Aaron Innif, Simon Nobes, Mark Williams and James Harrison. Craig Welsher, 23, from Taunton, the underdog of the competition, demonstrated he had the ability to learn quickly. He led the field during the final, setting the fastest times in both the Caterham Superlight and Formula Ford shoot outs on Silverstone’s Southern Circuit, which ultimately helped him clinch that sought-after prize drive. On hearing he had won Craig said: “This has been a fantastic experience and a dream come true. When I arrived this morning I wasn’t confident at all, but the Silverstone instructors helped me get the most out of this chance and my confidence grew throughout the day. I can’t thank Silverstone enough for this opportunity.” The rookie driver then rushed to the MSA to collect his race licence on 23 March, before testing the Caterham Superlight C400 for the first time just couple of days later. Steve Hindle, Managing Director of Hyperion, was impressed, “We are delighted that Craig has been given this fantastic opportunity. Not only has he demonstrated immediate race pace, which is surprising for a complete novice, but his mature approach, along with the consistency and progress he has shown during testing is testament to the effort put in by Silverstone to develop racing talent.” The first race outing for Craig in the Silverstone Motorsport Academy funded Caterham will be at Oulton Park on Saturday 7 April. When asked about his goals for Oulton Park he said: “I am sure that my lack of race experience will be apparent, but after three successful tests I am hopeful for a podium finish - well you have to aim high and of course I really want to be on top of that podium.” Silverstone Motorsport Academy will be beginning the search for its 2008 Scholarship driver this summer, visit www.silverstone.co.uk or call 08704 588 212 for more details.

Paul di Resta, the 2006 Formula 3 Euro Series Champion, is contesting the 2007 DTM season. The Scot will be the youngest of the Mercedes-Benz works drivers and will race a 2005-spec AMG-Mercedes C-Class. This means that he is following the footsteps of Jamie Green who moved up to DTM two years ago, “Certainly, the move from a single-seater to a touring car won’t be easy,” says di Resta, who will celebrate his 21st birthday on the day after the DTM Season Launch. “Particularly as I never have raced a tin-top racing car in my career so far.” Still, he has set himself ambitious goals, nevertheless. “I don’t just want to be a driver on the grid, in my debut season. I want to secure good results to thank Mercedes-Benz for the DTM seat, this way.”

With the start of the 2007 Lloyds TSB Insurance British F3 International Series this weekend at Oulton Park in Cheshire, the number of entries for this year’s championship has grown to 33, a 40% increase on 2006...read more

The 2007 driver lineup for Polestar Racing Group in the Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda will be Ronnie Bremer, who returns to Polestar, the team he drove for back in 2004. The 28-year-old Dane ended that season in fifth before moving to Champ Car with first Dale Coyne Racing then HVM in 2005. "Atlantic will be such a strong series this year and I'm happy to be back racing in America again," said Bremer. "My goal is to get back into Champ Car and this is a good opportunity with Polestar to see what we can do this season and go from there." Bremer will driver the team's #12 entry with sponsorship from The RoomStore of Phoenix, Sealy and the Polestar team. Joining him is veteran Bret MacDonald. The Californian previously raced in Skip Barber and Formula TR 2000. He will drive the #21 Polestar machine for sponsors Brelia Enterprises, BCP Concrete, BAM Properties and the Rock House Sports Pub and Grill. "I'm really excited about this year," said MacDonald. "I'm fortunate to be in with a great, professional team like Polestar and working with a driver that's as talented and experienced in these cars as Ronnie Bremer will just be a tremendous help to me. I know I'm going to learn a ton this season and hopefully be competitive along the way."Both MacDonald and Bremer will be in action this weekend as the Atlantic Championship gets underway at the Vegas Grand Prix

Jimmie Johnson held off a late challenge by teammate Jeff Gordon to win the rain-interrupted Goody's Cool Orange 500 at the Martinsville Speedway on Sunday. Gordon hit Johnson's rear bumper several times as the pair came off the final turn but Johnson kept it together to win, but only just. The reigning Nextel Cup champ took the lead on the 389th lap and stayed there until the flag to take his third win of 2007.

New motorsport team sibsport, together with the team's owner/driver Simon Blanckley from Durham, had a positive weekend competing in their first ever Dunlop MSA BTCC meeting finishing in all three races at Brands Hatch on Sunday. The team was formed just over two months ago and the resulting lack of extensive testing mileage in the car meant that the team's expectations for the opening rounds were realistic - finish all the races and collect more data about the car. These aims were achieved following a clean and consistent weekend and, despite slightly disappointing results of two sixteenth places and a fourteenth, Blanckley avoided many incidents and acquitted himself well to the challenge of the BTCC. The team - run by Graham Hathaway Engineering head off for round four,five and six at Rockingham on April 22nd

Just as the first two races this season at California Speedway, two drivers shared the spoils last weekend as the Pacific F2000 Championship Presented by Hankook Tires visited Willow Springs International Raceway. Read more

Less than a week after winning in Mexico City for A1 Team GBR in the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, Oliver Jarvis has once again been standing on the top step of the podium, this time with a debut race win driving for TOM’s Toyota in the All Japan F3 Championship, with his TOM’S team mates finishing 2nd and 3rd. Competing in the opening round of the 2007 All Japan F3 Championship at Fuji, Jarvis made a superb start from his second place qualifying position on the grid to quickly seize the lead from Japanese team mate Kazuya Oshima who dropped back to 6th in the race.

The Grand Prix of Canada on June 8, 9 and 10 will be supported by the Formula 1600 series as Jacques Dulac, President of Formula Tour 1600, and Martin Spalding, General Manager of Grand Prix of Canada, announced on Monday that the open-wheel championship is back on this year's program of events for the first time since 2003. Series officials expect close to 40 drivers from Quebec, Ontario and the North East of the United States tol compete in the series most prestigious event of the 2007 calendar. The return of one of the fan's favourites and will see seasoned veterans and young hot shoes go head-to-head on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. "We are pleased to welcome once again at the Grand Prix of Canada some of the most passionate race drivers in Quebec," said Martin Spalding, General Manager of the Grand Prix of Canada. "Formula Tour 1600 officials estimate that competitors from Ontario, the Maritimes and the United States will join ranks with Quebec drivers to offer race fans their customary wheel-to-wheel battles in the demanding Senna Curve, the Hairpin or the Esses. We can also add that Formula 1600 drivers, whatever their level of experience, never lack intensity and their goal is the same as all Formula One drivers: to win at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve."

Jiang Tengyi, former Team China A1GP driver, has confirmed his plans to compete in Champ Car, beginning with the 2007 Champ Car Atlantic Championship and the Brooks Associates Racing team. "The Brooks team was highly recommended by Forsythe Racing, a team I hope to race with in Champ Car in the future. Brooks' philosophy of competition, the top engineering staff (Nick Harvey rejoined the BAR team this season, coming from Forsythe Racing's 2006 Atlantic effort), the great crew and longevity in the series made it the right choice for me," said Tengyi. The young Chinese driver, from Shanghai, leveraged his karting championship in China to a Formula BMW seat in 2002, followed by Italian Formula Renault, then most recently the A1GP Series.

Britain’s Martin Plowman got his Formula Renault Italia season off to a flying start with a third place finish in round one at Vallelunga on Saturday (31 Mar). He showed further promise by notching up a fourth place in round two on Sundayl to lie third in the championship. The BRDC Rising Star put in a steady qualifying session to line up sixth for round one amongst ahty grid of 38 cars. Despite a slightly chaotic start, Plowman got clean away and slipped up the inside of Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) and a slow-starting Brendon Hartley (NZ) to finish lap one in fourth. Closing on Roberto Merhi (E), Plowman made a move a dummy move to the outside of the second corner on lap 5, causing Merhi to outbrake himself and run wide, allowing Plowman to slip into third. Hartley was fourth at teh flag. Plowman made a stunning start from seventh inn race 2 to take two by the end of lap one. With six laps to go the safety car was called on track for two laps but Plowman took full advantage at the re-start with the pack running nose to tail. A mistake by second-placed Hartley saw Ricciardo try to pass without success down the inside. Plowman, meanwhile, switched to the outside to pass Ricciardo and was halfway past Hartley when the New Zealander managed to retake the place. Ricciardo tried to follow suit but clipped Plowman’s rear wheel, sending him into a spin. Plowman held his composure to stave off the attentions of Alguersuari to cross the line in fourth, sealing third in the Formula Renault Italia championship.

1 Henkie Waldschmit NL 30’04.766
2 Mihai Marinescu RO 30’10.152
3 Martin Plowman GB 30’11.408
4 Brendon Hartley NZ 30’11’862
5 Roberto Merhi E 30’14’099
6 Daniel Ricciardo Aus 30’15.522

1 Henkie Waldschmit NL 31’12.598
2 Mihai Marinescu RO 31’15.151
3 Brendon Hartley NZ 31’15.332
4 Martin Plowman GB 31’18.427
5 Jamie Alguersuari E 31’18.791
6 Felipe Lapenna BRA 31’21.108

1.Valle Makela - Nexa Racing 19m14.122s
2.Henry Surtees - Carlin Motorsport 19m14.259s
3.Marcus Ericsson - Fortec Motorsport 19m14.841s
4.Henry Arundel - Fortec Motorsport 19m15.498s
5.Kimiya Sato - Nexa Racing 19m16.264s
6.Daniel McKenzie - Fortec Motorsport 19m16.707s
11. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs - Fortec Motorsport 19m26.973s

1. Marcus Ericsson - Fortec Motorsport 19m09.704s
2. Jonathan Legris - Motaworld Racing 19m15.121s
3. Valle Makela -Nexa Racing 19m15.888s
4. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs - Fortec Motorsport 19m18.793s
5. Oliver Webb - Carlin Motorsport 19m23.139s
6. Kimiya Sato - Nexa Racing 19m23.309s

Weybridge teenager, Freddy Nordstrom went through all the emotions at his debut weekend in the SEAT Cupra Championship held at Brands Hatch…full story

SIR STIRLING MOSS TO BE HONOURED AT SILVERSTONE CLASSIC - 27/28/29 July 2007 - Motorsport legend Sir Stirling Moss is to be honoured at this year’s Silverstone Classic meeting on July 27-29 by the awarding of two Stirling Moss Trophies. …read more

A first victory in the Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship for Duncan Tappy has put the Fortec Motorsport driver to the top of the drivers’ standings after the opening two rounds at Brands Hatch Indy on Sunday, 1^st April. The 22-year-old led from pole position to win by a margin of 5.409s from AKA Cobra’s Adam Christodoulou with Fortec’s Dean Smith in third. Jeremy Metcalfe won his first Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship victory by less than a car length in round one at Brands Hatch Indy on Sunday, 1^st April. The AKA Cobra driver held off intense pressure throughout the 24-lap race from Fortec Motorsport’s Duncan Tappy who crossed the line just 0.061s behind. Metcalfe’s team-mate Adam Christodoulou was the leading Graduate Cup driver in third place. full story

Jonathan Adam (Total Control Racing) and Carl Breeze (CMS Motorsport/ Blue Chip) look set to reignite last years’ battle in the 2007 Blaupunkt SEAT Cupra Championship. With both drivers in the New Leon Cupras they were setting quick times in qualifying and taking those into both rounds of racing at Brands Hatch. Adam ended up with a first and a second place and claimed ‘this weekend showed that we’re strong and we should be strong throughout’. Full story

A field totalling 60 cars made for a memorable start to the Motorsport News Caterham Roadsport Challenge for 2007 at Snetterton yesterday (Sunday), with some equally unforgettable racing in the spring sunshine…full story

Stuart Gough won the opening round of the Carphone Warehouse Club FFord race at Oulton patk on Saturday in a Swift sc95. Second was Gary Jones with Chris Chesnell third. In the second FFord race for older cars Stuart Jones took his Reynard SF89 to victory ahead of David Bailey in a similar car. Third was Robert Wyke in a Jamun. Lea Wood was the winner of the first race for VSR Super Silhouettes. The Vauxhall Tigra driver was second in race 2 behind Steve Hall’s Audi TT. Hall who had earlier followed Wood home in race 1. Third on both occasions was Mark Jones in a VW Corrado. In the Dunlop Tuscan Challenge Tim Hood’s Sagaris had won the first race from Dean Cook and Matt Hockin. In the second race Darren Dowling had a lights to flag win over Hockin and Tony Abrams. The Lodge Sports Porsche 924 races saw Graham Heard take two wins from two starts. In the opening encounter he just held off Paul Pattison to win by 0.240 secs with Jonathon Ramsay a distant third. IN race two Heard again beat Pattison but this time he had just over 2 seconds to spare. William Penrose was third 3 second down on the leader. In the Ford XR race Mark Wright took his XR3i to victory just 0.198 secs ahead of Mark Robinson’s XR2. Chris Jones took third place in a XR3i.

British NASCAR Driver Launches Fan's Sponsorship Scheme To Raise Final Budget.

In an effort to raise the final part of his racing budget, Daniel Boys from Aldershot in Hampshire is turning to the UK's NASCAR and short track race fans to raise further funding for his NASCAR All-American Series program, beginning later this month.27-year-old Daniel will be offering fans the chance to have the name of their choice on the side of his NASCAR race car during All-American Series races at Evergreen Speedway in April and August. By adopting Dan as their driver (at http://www.danielboys.co.uk/adoptdriverdan.htm), fans will also receive the following souvenirs as part of the scheme:

• A letter of acknowledgement and thanks for supporting a British driver in NASCAR racing.

• A credit under the 'Britain's NASCAR Racer Fans' page of the official driver website, www.danielboys.co.uk, seen by over 2000 individuals worldwide per month.

• Two hi-res digital images of our 2007 NASCAR All-American Series Chevrolet Monte Carlo for you to enjoy - one action shot and one of your name on the side of the car.

• A copy of our Onboard DVD - ride onboard with Dan during 3 NASCAR Weekly Series events from the 2005 season.

• Three printed, colour newsletters sent straight to your door with news, pictures and stories throughout the 2007 season.

• Entry into monthly prize draws to win great NASCAR-related souvenirs. Winners will be picked at random in the first week of each month during the 2007 NASCAR All-American Series season. Multiple winners each month will receive prizes that include NASCAR T-shirts, driver and team T-shirts, baseball caps, books, magazines, DVDs and American candy!

• Satisfaction from supporting a driver dedicated to achieving a 'first' in motor racing, by becoming the first Brit to win a NASCAR event of any description.

Fans can join Britain's NASCAR driver by using Paypal or sending a cheque for £23. Before joining the scheme please read the Frequently Asked Questions on the driver's website. The closing date for fans to adopt Dan as their driver is 12th April. For more information on Dan's NASCAR program and his AdoptDriverDan scheme, visit www.danielboys.co.uk.

Mardi Gras Motorsport’s Ed Pead clinched victory in round one of the 2007 ELF Renault Clio Cup with a win from pole position at Brands Hatch Indy on Sunday, 1^st April. The three-time Clio Cup vice-champion opened a one-second lead by the midway point and although a brief Safety Car period erased that gap, he re-established his advantage to win by 2.261s. Team Eurotech-John Guest Speedfit’s Andrew Jordan was second on his Clio Cup debut, with JHR Developments’ Robert Lawson completing the podium line-up….full story

Jason Plato is the early leader of the 2007 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship after winning the opening two rounds of the series for the first time in his career. The 2001 Champion won Rounds 1 and 2 with a lights to flag performance in his SEAT Leon, and came from 7th on the final reserve grid to finish 4th. …full story

ULTIMATE MOTORSPORT AND MYGALE make their much anticipated debut in the British F3 Series at Oulton park this weekend.The Northamptonshire team will hit the track with an all-new Mygale-Mercedes machine and an exciting driver line-up of Argentine Esteban Guerrieri and Irishman Michael Devaney. After an intense testing schedule during the winter the team is ready for the debut race and, while there is still plenty of development potential in the new car, expectations are high for a competitive debut. Team owner Barry Walsh said: "It is exciting to be heading to Oulton Park for our debut race. Ultimate Motorsport has big plans for the future and this event marks a significant step in that development. "It is amazing to see what we have achieved in such a short time. In little more than six months we have developed a great team of engineers and mechanics, grown an excellent relationship with Mygale, progressed the car and engine package and selected an exciting driver line-up. "After a long winter of testing we now head to Oulton very keen to see how things will play out once everyone shows their true colours – and we are looking forward to a successful debut season." Ultimate Motorsport's debut is a significant moment for Formula Three as the Mygale car Guerrieri and Devaney will race aims to break the dominance that Dallara has enjoyed over recent seasons. The team was unveiled at a spectacular launch in the Silverstone British Racing Drivers Club at the end of February and received the support of former Formula One driver Damon Hill. Guerrieri, an experienced Formula Three driver, has done much of the testing work and Devaney, who is a late arrival to the team, enjoyed two excellent days of running at Pembrey late last month (March). Dubliner Devaney said: "It is extremely exciting to be a racing for Ultimate Motorsport in their debut race and I am really looking forward to a successful season in the British Formula Three International series. The team works very well and I already feel very comfortable with my engineers and mechanics. The car ran well in testing and we have a good starting point with plenty of development potential for the rest of the season." Guerrieri, who spent some time at home in Argentina prior to this race, added: "I am very much looking forward to our debut. It is a significant moment for the team and I hope to make an impact from the start. I have been in constant contact with the team during my time back home and I know that the car has developed well since I last drove it, so I am eager to get out on track at Oulton and put it in a competitive position."

CHAMPION'S SON JOINS FORMULA FORD. The 18-year-old son of a 1970s Formula Ford champion is one of the several late entrants to the British Formula Ford Championship, which gets underway on Easter Monday (9 Apr) at Oulton Park….read more

On April 2 1956 Stirling Moss drove a Maserati 250F to victory in the Glover Trophy Race at Goodwood while on the 5^th April back in 1958 Jim Clark won the unlimited sportscar race and the Formula Libre race at Full Sutton. ON April 6^th 1975 Arturo Merzario and Jacques Lafitte took an Alfa Romeo T33/TT/12 to victory in the 800 kilometer race at Dijon while on April 7 1947 Nello Pagani won the Grand Prix at Pau in a Maserati.

Kazuya Oshima (TOM'S) won the race 2 of All-Japan Formula 3 Championship season opener at Fuji Speedway. Roberto Streit Filho (INGING) passed the other TOM'S driver and took the second place. Oshima who failed in the start and lost his win from pole position yesterday started the race from his second pole too carefully, and was passed by his teammate Oliver Jarvis who won the race 1. Behind them, Yuki Nakayama (Honda Toda Racing) and Yuhi Sekiguchi (Hiroshima Toyota) collided with each other at the 1st corner, and Nakayama retired by this. Jarvis and Oshima fought intensely in the first lap, and Ohima passed Jarvis at the end of main straight in lap 2.After that Jarvis was not able to catch up with Oshima and passed by Streit at the first corner in lap 3 too. Jarvis, Streit and Hiroaki Ishiura (TOM'S) who aimed at his double podium fought each other, but there was not the change of order at the top group.
Oshima widened a difference with the back steadily while updating the fastest lap and won the race. Streit was the second, and Jarvis was the third.0live Jarvis won the first and his debut race and TOM'S drivers Jarvis, Hiroaki Ishiura and Kazuya Oshima monopolized the podium in the season opener at Fuji Speedway.
At the start of the race 1, pole sitter, Kazuya Oshima made lost his position with his mistake, and 0live Jarvis led a file. Streit who started from the fourth grid also made a good start and rose to the second, and Hiroaki Ishiura follwed them. Behind the top 3, rookie Yuhi Sekiguchi (Hiroshima Toyota), Marko Asmer and Oshima competed for the fourth place intensely. In the lap 7, Ohima passed them together at the Coca Colla corner. After that, Streit spun off with a trouble of the transmission and passed by Oshima.After all, Jarvis won the race with steady driving, and TOM'S drivers, Ishiura and Oshima took the second and third. Streit was the fourth, Sekiguchi and Asmer followed. Honda drivers were depressed in a low.

Cheng Cong Fu moves forward his career to the British F3 international Championship 2007, joining Performance Racing team in the Scholarship class. In 2006 with 8 podiums and one pole, Cheng Cong Fu finished 3th overall in the FR UK. Cheng Cong Fu impressed onlookers with his speed and commitment. This is the best result that a real Chinese driver has gained in such high level worldwide championship; the season was completed with A1 team China achieving an impressive 4th place in the Brno sprint race

The British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) can confirm that it has been approached with an unsolicited proposal from a property company, Spectre Developments Ltd, with a view to acquiring the BRDC’s property and trading companies. …read more

Martin Byford was the quickest driver in the first officially-timed ELF Renault Clio Cup test at Rockingham International Super Sportscar circuit on Monday, 26^th March. The Z Speed Racing privateer set a mark of 1min 30.280s (77.72mph) in session one and although he slowed to a time of 1min 30.678s (77.38mph) in session two, overall it was enough to keep him ahead of his rivals….read more

Karts to Champ Car World Series in 5 Steps - Up-and-coming race drivers have three major challenges: winning on the track, talking to the right people off the track and finding the resources to move up to the next level. If a driver is good enough, it is possible in five steps to be counted amongst the world's greatest drivers. Skip Barber is the first step for any driver serious about reaching the pinnacle of motorsport and Racing For Ireland are the people to talk to on getting there and beyond. All that is required is TALENT. The Steps are:

Guillaume Moreau will take part in two major international series this year: he will drive a KTR-entered World Series 3.5 car, and also joined the Courage Competition line-up, to make his endurance racing debuts in the Le Mans Series and the Le Mans 24 Hours. Guillaume and former F1 driver Jean-Marc Gounon will drive the traditional number 13 entry of the 25 year-old Le Mans-based manufacturer.
The young French man, a Formula 3 race winner, tested the AER powered-LC70 LMP1 during the final pre-season test sessions at Le Castellet’s High Tech Test Track. He could drive the car for more than three hours, for the first time on slicks and also experienced night stints.
The Sports Car and FR3.5 rookie is going to have a busy week-end on April 14th and 15th. The inaugural rounds of the Le Mans Series and World Series by Renault will take place in the same “Autodromo di Monza” event.

Marko Asmer and Hitech Racing team continued it’s pre-season testing with the quickest lap around Oulton Park this week. The 22 year-old steered his Dallara F307 Mercedes HWA around the track in 1m28.4seconds, 0.143 seconds ahead of his nearest rival. His team-mate Austrian Walter Grubmüller turned in an impressive performance completing 59 laps . With testing now finished prior to the first race David Hayle’s team looks to be in a strong position to challenge for outright honours when the series kicks off at Oulton Park on Easter Monday 9th April. David Hayle: “It was another very good test and I’m encouraged by Marko’s consistency which has once again put him at the top of the timesheets. Walter has again impressed with his ever-improving performance which netted him the 11th quickest time, which for a first time in an F3 car on a track like Oulton was a very creditable result.”

The Pacific F2000 Championship Presented by Hankook Tires will continue this weekend with a pair of races as part of the VARA High Desert Challenge at the fast and challenging Willow Springs International Raceway in Rosamond, California. This will mark the first time in its four-year history that the Pacific F2000 series has visited Willow Springs. The 2.5-mile road course on the edge of the Mojave Desert held the first-ever U.S. professional F2000 race, sanctioned by USAC, back in 1990. Les Phillips, who now organizes the Pacific F2000 series, was among the competitors that day. So, too was Peter Hastrup, who, at the age of 57 will drive the Western Building Materials Van Diemen for defending series champion team Dave Freitas Racing. "I did the first two or three USAC races but I haven't been there since, so it's been a long time. All I remember is that it is a very fast track, so the key is to trim out the car as much as you can [keeping the downforce levels low] and still make sure it handles well," says Hastrup, who finished seventh in the first-ever F2000 race at the wheel of the unique and unloved Talon SF89. "I know I'm not very likely to win, but the joy of racing for me these days is to be running against all the kids and keeping them on their toes." Hastrup will contest the "Masters" division this weekend, for drivers aged 51 and older. Following the first two races at California Speedway earlier this month, the championship lead is held jointly by Patrick Barrett and Chris Spreitzer. The pair each scored a win and a second-place finish, and both are anxious to do just as well at Willow Springs. "I expect the momentum to carry into this weekend," says Barrett, who will drive the Jim Russell Racing Schools/Alpinestars Van Diemen for PR1 Motorsports. Spreitzer, driver of the BWM Engineering/Anglo American Racing Van Diemen. "I haven't been to Willow [Springs] before, but we have a test day there on Friday so we'll take it from there." Others potential front-runners among the deep field will include 19-year-old Shaun Modisette (#Carson Trailer/PR1 Motorsports Van Diemen), who has experience of the track,former SCCA Formula Ford National Champion Scott Rarick (Red Line Oil/Hertfelder Motorsports Piper DS5), ex-karting standout Mitchell Cunningham, from who set the fastest race lap in the first Fontana race aboard another Dave Freitas Racing Van Diemen, Jeff Westphal (MCGC/DG Flooring/Team G.FRO Van Diemen), and Nicky Freytag, from who stunned the regulars by finishing second in one of the races at Fontana and then setting fastest race lap in the other aboard Bill Wilson's BWM Engineering Van Diemen.

The FIAT backed Spanish Formula 3 Championship starts next weekend at Jarama near Madrid. A total of 26 cars have been confirmed, 18 Dallara F306’s in the Spanish Championship and 8 Dallara F300’s in the Spanish Cup, making this the biggest grid for an opening round since the championship began. Favourite should be Máximo Cortés (TEC Auto) who was third last year and will lead the TEC Auto team alongside Marco Barba. Andorran Manel Cerqueda completes the team’s line-up. Campos has been the closest to TEC Auto in the pre-season tests and will have four cars in Madrid with Nicolas Prost and Manuel Sáez Merino leading the team and Germán Sánchez and Adrián Campos Jr. backing them up. GTA Motor from Valencia will be in Madrid with a team which mixes youth and experience with Siso Cunill and Víctor García joining veteran Juan Ramón Zapata, who arrives in the national F3 championship after years of experience in GTs. Cetea, new to F3 last year will have 2 new Dallaras in the hands of Nil Monserrat and Toni Rubiejo. After the experience of last year, they will be looking for better in 2007. New up-and-coming talents in the championship include Bruno Méndez with Emiliodevillota.com, Himar Acosta for Llusiá Racing and Gustavo Yacamán at Novatec who shone last year in the Máster Júnior Fórmula., The arrival of teams such as Novo Team, West-Tec and Meycom should also enhance the championship. The first two will fight hard for the Spanish Cup with favourites Norwegian Christian Ebbesvik (West-Tec) who dominated pre-season testing . The experienced Juan Polar (Novo Team) is expected to be one of his main rivals. Meycom could return to the championship with the only woman in the series. Carmen Jordá, who is expected to make her debut in the Spanish F3.

SEAT UK TRIALS THE WORLD’S FIRST DRIVERLESS TOURING CAR . SEAT Sport UK is pioneering breathtaking new technology that could soon deliver the ultimate in 21^st Century motor racing – the driverless touring car. Cutting-edge developments in electronics, virtual reality and on-board computers have enabled the SEAT team to create probably the most advanced remote control car in the world. The unique Leon Touring Car could potentially join the two other SEAT Sport track cars – operated in more traditional fashion by humans Jason Plato and Darren Turner – in the 2007 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. Using a system developed in the UK by SEAT, called Telematics Remote- Information Control Kit, this car opens up all sorts of possibilities on the race circuit. Controlled with the help of numerous on-board cameras, microphones and a plethora of computer data, the ‘Virtual Leon’ could give real drivers a stiff challenge. Indeed, at its first outing in a recent test at Rockingham, the sophisticated Leon put in a lap time marginally quicker than both Plato’s and Turner’s. Of course, no piece of advanced technology can exist without the considerable skills and dedication of a top development team. And key to the whole project is SEAT UK Motorsport Manager Scott Dennis, who controls the car from the comfort of the pit-garage. ‘This amazing car’s development has been a huge learning curve,’ said Scott. ‘But we are now at the stage where it could soon be used in a touring car race – maybe even as soon as Sunday 1^st April, which is the very first race of the season at Brands Hatch. This Leon is so rapid I’m beginning to question if I’ll need drivers at all next year.’ Jason Plato, a BTCC driver with considerable experience of racing while actually sat behind the wheel, was surprised to be outpaced by a car with no one in it. ‘Obviously it’s a bit disconcerting being passed by an empty car when you’re giving it your all, though I have to say it does have a fair old weight advantage over every other touring car.’ Plato’s observation has already been noted by SEAT’s competitors, who are demanding a significant weight penalty should the special Leon be permitted to race this weekend. Said Plato: ‘Normally this would be around 75 kg to simulate a driver’s weight, but in the case of Scott, a special ‘Pub Ballast’ of 160 kg has been suggested.

ULTIMATE MOTORSPORT WILL MOVE TO PEMBREY to continue their pre-season testing programme after attending the final official test at Oulkton Park this week. The team ran two cars in the four-hour official test session with Michael Devaney and Marcello Thomaz helping them get through the test programme. They tried to make the most of the sunny spring weather but were hampered by the continual red flags. Unfortunately Marcello did not feel well after his first run and after some attention from the team physio, Mark Phillips, he tried to continue with the program. Following another run Marcello decided that he could not give 100 percent. Marcello decided not to attempt any further running. This was a brave decision on Marcello's part and one fully supported by the team. Team Manager Jonny Ostrowski said: "The positive side of Marcello's unfortunate problem was that we managed to get good back-to-back data by having Michael alternate between the two cars for the rest of the afternoon. "This helped to confirm car set-up and brake packages for the coming race next weekend. We stayed at Oulton Park and prepared both cars for Pembrey and moved to Wales overnight. "Unfortunately Marcello will not recover in time so we will carry on with Michael and he will be joined by McLaren Autosport finalist Nathan Freak." Argentine driver Esteban Guerrieri will be returning in the next few days from Argentina and Ostrowski added: "Esteban has kept in constant touch with the team during his absence and has been fully kept up to date with the progress we have made. "We are all now looking forward to some typically dry Pembrey weather before returning to East Haddon for the final preparation for next weekend. We all wish Marcello a swift recovery."

Masters Test Day - Donington - Thursday 12th April. is looming upon us very quickly so please book your spaces now for the Masters Test Day at Donington. In case you need some convincing, below are 5 reasons to join in its a great circuit (the National one) , the Masters Test Day will be split into manageable groups of similar cars running throughout the day – plenty of track time, plenty of adjustment time and plenty of social time. At £295 for the day, the price is cheaper than a web-bookable Donington Track Day and is one of the few Noisy Days! It will be your last chance to get in some vital practice before our event there on May 6/7 – make sure you are ahead of the rest of the field and finally the Donington Cafe will be open all day You can download the booking form from our website at www.themastersseries.com in any of the Race Info sections or e-mail us! Just complete the Booking Form and send it back to the Masters Office ASAP.

Round Two of the Australian Formula Ford Championship will be on TV in Australia, all three races at Barbagallo Raceway last weekend will be shown ina half hour show dedicated to FFord.Catch the racing as second generation driver James Moffat wrestles the championship lead from team mate Tim Blanchard, both drivers coming from the Sonic Motor Racing camp.CAMS Rising Star Ashley Walsh also impressed at the weekend, able to come from the rear of the field in race two and impressively take line honours in the final race of the weekend."It's exciting to be back on television, the drivers and teams deserve to have their talents shown to Australia and it gives them a great chance to progress their careers to the next level," said Category Manager Margaret Hardy. Lucky Aussies can tuned in from 12:30pm this Saturday, check local guides for details. Round Two- Australian Formula Ford Championship -- When: Saturday 31 March Network: Channel 7, Time: 12:30pm

Mike Vincec, reigning Canadian National ICC Champion, Stars of Karting’s 2006 Rookie of the Year has signed a development contract with Jensen MotorSport. The deal includes a comprehensive training and test program to prepare Mike for competition in the Formula BMW USA series. Mike did some off-season testing with the Toronto based team and principal Eric Jensen, was impressed with Vincec’s ability to adapt to the FB02. “Mike was a very willing student during our tests” noted Jensen. “ He had a great feeling for the car and most importantly, gave us some great feedback. Mike would also listen very carefully to our input after analysing data and then go out on track and show immediate improvement.” Fifteen year old Vincec will continue in karts this year for Hamilton, Ontario-based Cameron Motorsports driving the CMI/CRG/SwedeTech in ICC . He will also test with Jensen in the Formula BMW and the team hope to enter a car for him in several races this year, including the Montreal Grand Prix support race.

Adria International Raceway will kick-off the 2007 season for the "Campionato Italiano Formula 3". The championship has will be shown on satellite channel Nuvolari, while the F3Italia.it web site will also have an English edition available. Prize money of 65.000 euros for the winner further enhances the series and an additional prize will be revealed on Saturday at the circuit by the weekly magazine SportAutoMoto. News from teams includes the retirement of the Passoli Racing team, the 2006 champions, the entrance of the Alan Racing team and Minardi who have entered into a partnership with Corbetta Competizioni.New drivers include Nicola de Marco, Mirko Bortolotti and Giuseppe Termine who will all debut this weekend. The Argentine Augusto Scalbi and the Mexican Pablo Sanchez Lopez will also make their Italian debut while Paolo Maria Nocera is expected to make his comeback in the series.

Marko Asmer was the fastest driver at the final pre season test at Oulton Park on Tuesday(27 |March). With just 11 days before the first races of the season the Estonian finished 0.143 seconds ahead of Stephen Jelley, who has been Asmer's nearest rival during testing.2006 Formula Renault Champion Sebastian Hohenthal put in a good time in the 4 hour afternoon session to finish 3rd fastest, just ahead of Jelley's teammate Jonathan Kennard Hohenthal's Fortec teammate Greg Mansell was 5th fastest with Sam Bird quickest of the Carlin Motorsport drivers. Germany's Maro Engel, also Carlin Motorsport got his first run in his 2007 car but the British F3 race winner could only manage 9th fastest, 1.4 seconds behind Asmer. In the National Class Michael Meadows of Master Motorsport returned to the top of time sheet, finishing off where he started at the first test at Pembrey. Only 0.15 seconds separated Meadows from nearest rival T Sport’s Sergio Perez with 'Frankie' Cheng of Performance Racing a close third after only a handful of British F3 tests. ADR driver Viktor Jensen's pre-season preparations were cut short when an off at Druids caused a lot of front end damage after just four laps and the team were unable to get the Icelandic teenager back on the track before the end of the session. Ultimate Motorsport had two new drivers at the test, Brazilian Marcello Thomaz and Ireland's Michael Devaney, as the team had parted company with Ben Clucas earlier this week and E

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*News Archive April 07* 20/04/2007 11-04-07 The SMRC's Classic Sports/Saloon story from Monday 10 April incorrectly reported that Porsche driver Stan Bernard had made a mistake while leading thereby handing the win to Olly Ross.'theGrid' would like to report that what actually happened is as follows. Stan Bernard led from pole for 7 laps. When on the 8th lap as he approached Duffus to lap the Renault Alpine of Eoghan Mackie he had to lift slightly. The Renault kept left and Bernard passed him off the racing line on the right of the track approaching Scotsman where the right rear of his car was inadvertenly tapped pushing him into a spin as he exited the corner. That spin caused Al Fleming to brake hard to avoid a collision which allowed Olly Ross through into the lead. At the time 'theGrid' reported that Stan 'lost it', this was not the case and he was in fact the unlucky victim of a racing incident. We would like to apologise to Stan for our mistake. On Sunday 6 May 2007, Nigel Mansell will race a Scuderia Ecosse Ferrari 430 GT car in the FIA GT Championship race at Silverstone. The British Formula One World Champion will take part in the two-hour GT race, sharing the car with one of the team's regular drivers. The exact line-ups will be decided in the run up to the race weekend. The opportunity for a guest appearance came about when the team heard a rumour that Nigel was considering driving a Ferrari 430 in America and suggested he give it a go a bit closer to home. Nigel joined regular drivers Chris Niarchos and Andrew Kirkaldy at Knockhill in Scotland on 5 April where he was quickly on the pace. In addition to the Knockhill test, Nigel will be taking part in a Pirelli tyre test at Estoril (24-26 April) prior to the Silverstone race, to complete his preparations. Nigel Mansell OBE: "This was a challenge I had to accept. Stewart (Roden) runs a very good team and the cars are beautifully prepared. The car is fun to drive but it remains to be seen how I will get on in a race situation as ex-F1 drivers tend to race with a target on their backs! I had a great time with the team at Knockhill and it's going to be good to work with Pirelli again as we have enjoyed many years working together in the past. I hope to see everyone at Silverstone as I think we are in for a great weekend of racing." Stewart Roden, Scuderia Ecosse team principal: "As a team we are delighted that Nigel will be joining us at Silverstone. We pride ourselves on our high standards so having a driver of Nigel's calibre with us really helps us to step up to the mark. In terms of race victories he is the most successful British F1 driver of all time which is an incredible achievement. Nigel was the last Ferrari driver to be selected personally by Enzo Ferrari before the great man's death in 1988. For a team that is so passionate about Ferrari we are so happy that Nigel is joining us and we will do everything we can to make sure that he has a successful weekend." The 2007 Apex Tubulars Porsche Club Championship blasts into action at Oulton Park, Cheshire, this Saturday (April 14^th) for what should be another exciting season of action-packed racing. With over 30 drivers registered for the 10-meeting season, Oulton Park will be the first chance to see which of the influx of new racers has the pace and skill to take on the rapid series regulars….read more The Apex Tubulars Porsche Open series provides a home for some of the most exciting Porsches racing anywhere in the UK - and the season opening round at Oulton Park, Cheshire, on Saturday April 14^th should see the series kick-off in style. The battle at the front of the field features some ferociously-powerful machinery taking on the latest 997 GT3 models, a classic duel of power versus handling around the Oulton Park circuit…read more Ross Edwards and Matt Nicol-Jones (pictured right: pic M Curtis)were the victors in the AVO Ginetta races at Oulton Park over the Easter weekend. Edwards won the first race by 1.528 seconds over Jonny Hyde with Neil Merry third. The second event saw Nicol Jones cross the line 1.338 seconds up on Joe Osborne who just held off Ben Elliot in third by les than 2 tenths of a second Tobia Kipper Racing ventured Western Australia last month, some 3400km from the team’s “home base” Melbourne Victoria, to race in the second round of the National Championship at Perth’s Barbagallo raceway….read more TRG returns to one of its favourite tracks this weekend, Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Grandcup event. The South Florida track has been kind to TRG, the team has won the past two consecutive years, and in 8 visits the team has always had a podium finish The team anticipates a very competitive sprint race, given the testing that has sorted some of the issues surrounding the new Porsche 997s. TRG and Carlsen Porsche have entered three GS-class Porsche 911s for the Grand-Am KONI Challenge race. Duncan Ende and Grant Maiman will pair in the #39 Adam's Polishes/Digitrust car. Scott Schroeder will again share the #40 Carrera Designs/TRG Porsche with John Bibbo. Andy Lally and Ted Ballou team together again in the #41 Mitchell Global/TRG Porsche. Team owner Kevin Buckler said, "I feel like this is our first real race after everyone working so hard on the development of these cars. We've got a strong history at Homestead. Daytona launched our entire KONI Challenge effort, and though we ran into some teething problems in the conversion from street-legal to KONI Challenge racecar, the team has worked very hard to solve most of the issues we had. Going to Homestead, which feels like a second home to us for all the success we've had here in the past, bodes well for our championship chase.. I'm excited for the event to get underway!" KENSAI RACING head for Homestead with new sponsors, Dupont and NAPA. Although it's been a few months since the team's Acura TSX took the ST-class win at the season-opening race at Daytona, the team has found themselves busy preparing for the next event at Homestead this weekend. At Daytone Billy Johnson took the win with Karl Thomson, after running in second place for the last part of the race with the team-mates Travis Walker and Beau Buisson. With a few laps to go a driveshaft let go on the leading car, preventing a 1-2 Kensai/Compass360 finish. "I know all of us drivers will be pushing hard because the competition is so tight," noted Thomson. "We'll be consistent and keep working together to make sure all three cars finish well, while doing what we can to keep Billy and me on top of the points standings." Importantly, the team also announced today that Matt Pritiko's Acura RSX-S will be welcoming two new season-long sponsors at the Homestead race. Dupont Performance Coatings Canada and NAPA Canada have signed on with the young London, Ontario-based karting star in his first year of Grand Am KONI competition. "I can't tell you how proud I am to welcome Dupont and NAPA to the team," enthused Pritiko. "They've seen that there is great value in promoting their automotive brands in the KONI Challenge. In fact, in repairing some of the Daytona damage to my #74 RSX we've already made use of their paint products!" Longtime Grand American competitor Daniel Columbie is paired with Pritiko in the RSX for the Homestead and Iowa events. Barwell Motorsport's three-car Aston Martin GT squad enjoyed a highly successful Easter raid on Oulton Park, scoring a pole position (the first ever for a Bio-Ethanol fuelled car), two runner-up spots and all cars in the points in both races. They were tantalisingly close to achieving the race wins on both occasions, and the Jonny Cocker/Paul Drayson car led the way for much of race one. The three Aston Martin DBRS9s were certainly stars of the GT races at Oulton Park, with rows of people queuing to get a look into the Barwell garage during Monday's feature day. Fittingly they now lead the Avon Tyres Team's Championship after the first two rounds of the series. There was controversy amongst the 24-strong British GT field when the newly upgraded Ferrari 430 run by two teams according to the new FIA Homologated car specs with the small weight ballast it carries (25kg) is considered short of what is required to bring it into line with the performance of the rest of the GT3 grid…..apparently. Sam Bird enjoyed his first round of British Formula 3 at Oulton Park yesterday, Easter Monday, finishing fourth in the first race and sixth in the second. Having qualified in sixth and seventh places for the two races on Saturday, his expectations were realistic “I am not thrilled with my qualifying” he said on Sunday “In pre-seaton testing I have been right up at the sharp end of the times, mixing it with the more experienced drivers. There are so many drivers in the series, and there were a lot of red flags and a lot of traffic in qualifying – of course it was the same for everyone, but I was unfortunate to be in the wrong place at the wrong time to put in a really good lap. But if I can get a couple of good starts, I should be able to make up a place or two”. Sam has also been chosen as one of six young drivers in the UK to win a place on the inaugural MSA Race Elite programme. The Motor Sports Association announced the scheme at Autosport International in January and invited entries from British drivers aged between 16 and 25 from all areas of motor sport. The programme will be operated by the Brabham Performance Clinic, fronted by one of the world’s foremost international racing drivers, David Brabham. The scheme attracted almost 100 entries from all levels of British motorsport up to and including F3. A short list of 20 was drawn up, from which a panel of experts chose the final six. The programme will cover physical and mental preparation and training, track performance and development, technical and engineering awareness in areas such as engine, gearbox, suspension, tyres, electronics and aerodynamics. It will also bring in experts to advise on career management, media, sponsorship and promotional training. “The standard of entrants was extremely high” said David Brabham “and the judges had to select those drivers who they believed would benefit most from the programme and who had the ability to step up the racing ladder to the highest levels. Today’s driver has to navigate all these aspects without any formal training. We hope to bridge that gap and provide the training for those we believe to have the talent and skills to fulfil their potential” Brazilian driver Fabio Carbone has moved up to second in the prestigious Japanese Super GT Championship, following the second race of the season at Okayama last weekend. Having claimed a podium at the opening race in Suzuka just under a month ago, the Nakajima Racing driver deliberately chose a tactical strategy to finish fourth in Okayama and boost his championship prospects. Carlo van Dam will race for Racing for Belgium in the Eurocup Mégane Trophy this year. The Dutchman will run all the races of this spectacular series alongside his programme in the ATS Formula 3 Cup. 10-04-07 The formbook was thrown out of the window for the opening rounds of the Volkswagen Racing Cup at Oulton Park today (Monday), with Joe Fulbrook claiming twin wins at the wheel of his turbocharged Bora and reigning champion Paul Taylor leaving Cheshire point-less…full story Sandro Proietti took a brace of victories in the BRSCC Gearboxman.com Fiat Challenge on Sunday at Mallory Park. Martin Riman was second on both opccasions while Kris Greatrex and Simon McFie picked up a third place each.. In the Dunlop Tuscan Challenge races Tom Hood took his V8 Sagaris to victory in race 1 with Darren Dowling second and Dean Cook third. Dowling went one better in the second race heading Hood over the line while Cook was once again third. In the Club FFord Midlands Championship Gavin Wills was the winner of both races in a Van Dieman RF00. Dave Connor took the runner-up spot in race 1 while Paul Mason in a Swift SC94 held that distinction in race 2. Peter Daly in a Van Dieman RF89 was third in both events. The Don Truman Trophy was won by John Turner in a CVooper MkIX at Mallory Park on Sunday. Second in a Cooper MkV was Mike Fowler with Tony Steele coming in third in a Comet F3. Patrik Ford took the honours in the Super Mighty Mini encounter beating James Young and Darren Rees over the line. In the Mighty Mini race Neil Slark came out on top ahead of James Lyford in second and David Berney in third. British Formula Ford's new season blasted away to a dramatic start today (Monday) at Oulton Park with a familiar team in the winner's circle and an exciting new face atop the podium, Jamun Racing Services. Full story Marko Asmer won the second Round of the British F3 Championship,at Oulton Park yesterday(Monday) in an incident packed race that had 2 restarts which reduyced the race to just 10 laps. Stephen Jelley followed Asmer closely for the entire race but couldn't get by. Fortec's Sebastian Hohenthal was third on hius British F3 debut. In Round 1 Maro Engel converted his pole position into a lights-to-flag victory Marko Asmer was second with Stephen Jelley third. In the National Class Frankie Cheng took both wins to take maximum points for the weekend. Second in Round was Sean Petterson and in Round 2 Viktor Jensen. Full story Jonathan Fildes enjoyed a very happy Easter at Mondello Park on Sunday, 8th April, after recording a brace of pole positions and a double race win during his first ever outing in his father’s Ralt RT4 Formula 3000 car…read more ULTIMATE MOTORSPORT made a successful debut at Oulton Park as the secured a 2 2 car finishes in the opening rounds of the British F3 Season. The team, which was formed six months ago, secured the first ever British F3 finish for French manufacturers Mygale as their two drivers, Argentine Esteban Guerrieri and Irishman Michael Devaney, made a satisfying first showing. Read more In FBMW USA Testing at Virginia International Raceway, Alexander Rossi was to be found near the head of the timesheets. Despite having never driven the south course at VIR before, Rossi was fast to adapt to it, his name showing in second position throughout the day. Such was his pace that even when a minor technical gremlin that kept him in the pits for an hour or so, his rivals could not eclipse his fastest time. He ended the day a mere 0.43 sec off the top of the timesheets. The second day started much as the first had for Rossi; P2 once again and he had closed the gap to a mere 0.02 sec from the top spot by the lunch. As the test drew to a close he was third overall -- only 0.10 sec from the fastest time. "Everything seems to be going well," shrugged the modest teenager at day's end, "everybody is gaining confidence and everything is going as we'd hoped. I'm very happy obviously! We have one more test in a couple of weeks and everything is ready to go." Red Bull Junior Robert Wickens couldn’t have had a better start to his Atlantic season. He qualified on pole in the first race at Las Vegas last weekend. Wickens had a good start and took the lead until Adrian Carrio crashed bringing out the yellow flag. On lap 4 at the re-start he was passed by James Hinchcliffe before seconds later, the yellow flag came out again. Once things got underway again Wickens regained the lead after outbrakiing Hinchcliffe before a 3rd caution caused when Red Bull youngster John Edwards spun,causing a pile-up involving 5 cars. At the restart Wickens did not manage to hang on to the elad for long, Raphael Matos passed the Red Bull Junior with 3 laps to go to win the race. Jonathan Bomarito followed Wickens hoime in third. Wickens said after the race, “There are only so many tricks you can pull on a restart. Luckily I got one restart where I didn’t get passed but then three corners later the yellow came out. The whole race was kind of a tease. I led in my first race then the yellow would come out and we would have to restart again. It was hard. I also lost my left mirror on the car so heading into corner one I couldn’t see who was there and that’s when Raphael (Matos) passed me and hats off to him." 9-4-07 FF1600 returned to Knockhill yesterday(Sunday) with a very promising 23 car grid. Perrenial Formula Ford exponent Georgie Taylor won the first race with a lights to flag victory over Louis Di Resta(Paul's Dad) who was making his return to cars after an absence of several years. Third was Robert Thomson with Stuart Thorburn fourth. Race 2 was a closer affair thanks in part to Taylor starting the race from the pitlane. This left the way clear for Di Resta to take an early lead from Thorburn with Robert Thomson slotting into third. It took Thorburn just 3 laps to take the lead which he held to the flag, but only just , DI Resta finishing a mere 2 tenths behind. Elliot Mason took third with Graham Carroll fourth. Thomson appear to make a mistake on the last lap before finally coming home a distant seventh. It was Caterhams filling the top 4 places in both Sports/Saloon races at Knockhill. Robert Pritchard won both closely fought battles with George Brewster pushing him hard in both races. In the first race Brewster had led the opening lap before Pritchard slipped by. Despite hounding him all the way Brewster had to settle for second. Race 2 was pretty much a re-run of the first with Brewster hounding Pritchard for all 10 laps but again finding no way by. Ian Cowie took third in race one with a pass up the inside of David Headon's Caterham 400 at Scotsman on the final lap. In race 2 Headon had the measure of Cowie leaving him in his wake as he had fierce tussle with Charlie Shaw's Ford Focus, one which Headon won. Luciano Bacheta took the honours in Round 2 of the FPA from Stefan Wilson and Jason Moore....full story Peter Cruickshank and Andrew Winchester both had a win and a second place in the two Scottish XR2 races at the weekend. Winchester won the first race when it was red-flagged at half distance after Ross Malcolm rolled his car. Cruickshank came home second 1.7 seconds back and Willie Davidson was third. In the second race Cruickshank led all the way with Winchester following in his tyre tracks to take second just 0.305secsonds behind after the 10 laps. Davidson was again third with Scott Morrison fourth. In the SMRC Classic Sports and Saloons Al Fleming in a Lotus Elan, endured what must be his unluckiest day in the sport. In the first race he was closely following Stan Bernard's Porsche with just under 3 laps to run when Bernard lost it at Scotsman (formerly McIntyres) right in front of the Elan forcing Fleming to virtually stop. This allowed Olly Ross, in a Lotus Europa to pounce and sweep past both cars to snatch an unlikely victory. Fleming and Bernard did recover to finish second andthird respectivety but it was little compensation for the Lotus driver. In the second race Fleming had taken the lead Tommy Gilmartin's BMW 2002 on lap 5 and had the race in his pocket when his car expired with less than half a lap to go handing the win to Stan Bernard. Olly Ross went on to take second with Jim Grant's Lotus Elan third. Will Mitcham staged the best possible start to his campaign to recapture the Avon Tyres Caterham Superlight Challenge crown by winning both of Oulton Park's exciting opening rounds on Saturday. full story. After the successful season launch of its UK championships, Caterham Motorsport attention switches to the German Grand Prix circuit of Hockenheim on Friday (13 April) where the evo Caterham Eurocup will kick off in style...read more Team Australia’s Will Power has become the first Australian to win a round of the Champ Car World Series after clinching the Las Vegas Grand Prix in Nevada on Sunday. Power, who started from pole, dominated the race in his Aussie Vineyards-backed machine to clinch the win from Dutch rookie Robert Doornbos and Champ Car veteran Paul Tracy. Other former Australian podium winners have included Geoff Brabham and former F1 world champion Alan Jones, but Power, who won last year’s Rookie of the Year title, is the first Australian to stand on the top step Raphael Matos takes the honours in the opening round of the Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda in Las Vegas...Full story Paul Wilson and Vic Covey Jnr won a race a-piece in the opening rounds of theSmarty.com Mini Cooper Cup at Knockhill yesterday(Sunday). In race 1 Mark Wilson had taken the lead early on when Mark Dryden had lost it at SEAT(Duddus Dip) on the opening lap. Covey then shadowed th leader until Lap 4 when he got alongside at the hairpin, taking the elad on the run down to SEAT. Wilson was subsequently pushed down to third by Ian Milton on lap 7 where they stayed unitl the flag. In race 2 Michael Rowan had led initially before first Gillian Shedden, then Wilson took over at the front. Once Wilson had the lead he gradually pulled out a small gap to finally win by over 4 seconds. Covery Jn took runner-up spot on lap 8 of 10 pushing Shedden down to third. 07-04-07 Derek Johnston and Tim Greaves shared the spoils in the Powertec Radical Challenge at Silverstone today(Saturday). Both took a win and a second place ahead of Nick Dove who was third in both races. In the Dunlop Mini Se7en championship Max Hunter came out on top in front of Andrew Diving by 1.140secs, despite Diving leading the opening 4 laps. James Winnifrith was third 4 seconds off the leader. The Mini Miglia event was a much closer fought out affair with Andrew Hack winning by just 0.111secs from Kelly Rogers who was on 4 tenths up on third placed Edaf Owens. Perrenial Mini favourite Bill Sollis was fourth 0.696secs behind the winner with Tony Le May fifth a further 3 tenths up the road.. Matt Hamilton made full use of the Formula Palmer Audi overboost system to take victory in an opening round of the 2007 Championship at Silverstone brimming with overtaking and drama. Full story. Jonathan Kennard took his maiden British F3 pole position for Round 2 of the 2007 series. Kennard's Raikkonen Robertson Racing teammate Stephen Jelley lines up alongside him on the front row after finishing just 0.098seconds behind. Row 2 will be filled by Fortec's Sebastian Hohenthal, who improved right at the end of the 30-minute session, and Marko Asmer in the Hitech Dallara Mercedes. Race 1 pole sitter Maro Engel could only manage 5th place, two tenths quicker than the third Raikkonen Robertson Racing Dallara of Atte Mustonen.Sam Bird (Carlin), Greg Mansell (Fortec), Niall Breen (Carlin) and Walter Grubmuller (Hitech) round out the top 10.Michale Meadows took the pole position in the National Class, 0.031 seconds and one place ahead of Frankie Cheng, with Alistair Jackson in 3rd place. Carlin Motorsport's Maro Engel took the top spot in the first qualifying session of the 2007 season, one hundredth of a second ahead of Raikkonen Robertson Racing's Stephen Jelley, with Sebastian Hohenthal (Fortec Motorsport) and Marko Asmer (Hitech Racing) claiming 3rd and 4th respectively. Engel took set his fastest lap early on in the session which was halted after just 13 minutes when Leo Mansell (Fortec Motorsport) went off at Old Hall causing a lot of damage to his Dallara Mercedes. The session was restarted once the car was recovered but the top three position remained the same for the final 17 minutes, with Marko Asmer and Sam Bird (Carlin Motorsport). Reigning Formula BMW Champion Niall Breen (Carlin Motorsport) will head up row 3 on his British F3 debut. In the National Class Sergio Perez (TSport) claimed pole position with a time that was good enough for 19th overall and three places ahead of his nearest rivals 'Frankie' Cheng (Performance Racing) and Mike Meadows (Master Motorsport). THE NEW ULTIMATE MOTORSPORT TEAM expereinced 2 challenging qualifying sessions ahead of Monday's F3 Race at Oulton Park The Northamptonshire team, which was set up little more than six months ago, arrived at the Cheshire circuit on the back of two promising recent tests with the all-new Mygale car but gearbox difficulties on Friday limited their final preparations. Irishman Michael Devaney, who was sidelined in Friday's second practice session, continually improved his pace in first qualifying. But further gearbox problems mean he will start race two from the back of the grid after missing the second session. Esteban Guerrieri returned from his home in Argentina and, driving a car much changed since his last test, he put in a good performance although his runs were troubled by brake difficulties that slowed his pace. Team owner Barry Walsh said: "This has certainly been a challenging race meeting so far but you expect that with a new team and a new car, so full marks go to the team for their performance after working on Michael's car overnight. "It was a shame Michael had another issue today but that will be solved for the race. We are not where we had hoped we would be on the grid but will be looking for a consistent run and a top ten finish on Monday." Guerrieri added: "We were struggling with brake problems during the sessions and that meant I could not maximise the potential of the car. We will be looking at these issues and hope to make an improvement in time for the race on Monday." Devaney said: "We have had some tough breaks over the last two days and it was hard for me to have to miss the second session. But this is a real driver's circuit and we will be looking to keep on track and get to the chequered flag on our debut." QUALIFYING TIMES Guerrieri - Q1: 16^th, 1:31.317 (15 laps) Q2: 17th, 1:31.343 (13 laps) Devaney – Q1: 21^st, 1:31.748 (13 laps) Q2: No time (0 laps) Team Australia rookie Simon Pagenaud has had a sensational debut day in the Champ Car World Series by driving to second fastest in opening qualifying for the Vegas Grand Prix in Las Vegas,. Pagenaud was only two tenths of a second behind former series champion Paul Tracy, making it a dream start to the season for the reigning Champ Car Atlantic Champion in the #5 Aussie Vineyards Team Australia DP01. Pagenaud’s team-mate Will Power was seventh fastest in the #5 Aussie Vineyards Team Australia DP01 in opening qualifying, looking for improvement in tomorrow’s second qualifying session. Ryan Lewis was left frustrated by red tape this week as he was prevented from joining his Walker Racing team for the opening round of the Champ Car Atlantic Championship in Las Vegas. The young racer's visa application was held up which meant he was unable to travel to the US to take his place on the grid for Sunday's season-opener. After a good showing in winter testing, Ryan was looking forward to a strong start to his season in Las Vegas but will now have to wait until next week when the series moves to Long Beach for round two. "We've moved heaven and earth over the last two weeks to get the visa sorted but time beat us in the end", said Ryan. "It's incredibly frustrating and I don't even want to think about the damage it will do to me in the Championship but I have to look forward and focus on Long Beach now. In the meantime I wish Simona (De Silvestro) and the team the best of luck for Vegas." 06-04-07 Power Pill UK have agreed to support Linton Stutely for the 2007 British Formula Ford Championship in his Premier Power Getem Racing Mygale SJ006/7 Power Pill can apparently save you between 10-15% on your vehicles' fuel bills, will completely clean the fuel system, work as a lead substitute, enhance performance and also cut harmful emissions by up to 80% and is already on sale in the South America and Asia. Linton Stutely said "I have great hopes and ambition for the coming season. Testing on the new car and engine has gone very well, and I can't wait to get started. I would like to thank my dad, my manager James Crofts and all my sponsors including Power Pill and The Big Cold Turkey for their support in helping myself and the team prepare for what we expect to be a fantastic season ahead". More info on Power Pill www.powerpilluk.com/linton.asp Linton Stutely and Power Pill CEO Leon Warner Walker Racing's Ryan Lewis will miss the start of the Atlantic Championship this weekend in Las Vegas due to a 'cock-up' with his visa, delaying his start for the championship. "Because of a misunderstanding and subsequent delay of granting of his visa, Ryan will not be in Las Vegas. Further complicating matters with the Easter weekend holiday in the UK, meant that he was unable to complete his application in time to compete in the Las Vegas race. Ryan will be back with us in Long Beach and we look forward to having him join us," stated Walker Racing owner, Derrick Walker. The 22 year-old brings with him a strong racing pedigree as he was crowned the British F3 Scholarship champion and earned three podiums in his rookie Atlantic season after jumping on board in the fourth round in 2006. Walker Racing will only run one car, Swiss rookie Simona De Silvestro, for the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Formula Renault BARC front-runners Russell Racing made a long-awaited return to action at Donington Park yesterday, Thursday, 5th April, with realistic championship contenders Matt Shawyer and Matt Russell both enjoying excellent outings. Beginning the day with relatively neutral settings on their cars, Shawyer and Russell tried a variety of changes throughout the test and the outcome saw both drivers absolutely delighted with the pace and handling of their respective FR2000 racers. “I’m very pleased with how everything went”, said 24-year-old Shawyer, “The car felt very good, in fact I’d go so far as to say I’d be surprised if anyone else in a BARC-spec Formula Renault could have gone any quicker than we did today. “The car was neutral to start with and then we dialled it in as the test went on and made a variety of changes to see how it would handle with different settings. I’ve got to say the way the car felt today definitely made it one of the best cars I’ve ever driven.” The BRDC Rising Star added: “One of the best things about the car was the way I could get on the power so early out of the corners which is obviously a very good sign. It was a really enjoyable test, we did a lot of good work and I hope we’ll be on the grid with Russell Racing for the first round at the end of the month.” When the 1992 Formula 1 World Champion competed in British Formula 3 over 25 years ago, he did it with backing from Unipart. Now, as his sons Greg and Leo compete in British F3 at Oulton Park this Easter Monday and Unipart will once again support the Mansell name. The "Unipart Festival" is the first of a series of regional customer events for the company as it strengthens its association with Mansell and 2006 American Le Mans Series Champion Allan McNish. As Greg and Leo Mansell aim to win the championship their father never did, their cars will carry Unipart branding throughout the year, while McNish will be part of customer hospitality events across Scotland and the North of England. Nick Rayner, Unipart Automotive Managing Director, said of the agreement: "We are looking forward to continuing our successful association with Nigel, Leo and Greg Mansell as well as Allan McNish and working with them to provide a series of exciting, hosted events for our many Unipart Automotive customers." Former British GT champion Thomas Erdos will return to the series at Oulton Park this weekend in an Ascari KZ1R for the Damax team. Racing in the GT3 class Erdos will drive alongside Stephen Keating as he sets the target of being the first driver to win the overall British GT championship twice. With the Ascari of Jimmy Brodie Damax will be one of the strongest teams in the series, especially when, on selected occasions, their third Ascari takes to the track in the hands of Jay Palmer and Steve Rigby. Carlin Motorsport will be back on track this weekend, for the first race of the British F3 season at Oulton Park. It will be the team's first race with Mercedes engines, after several successful seasons with Honda power. With five drivers in the championship class, Carlin has one of its strongest ever driver line-ups. Maro Engel and Mario Moraes rejoin Carlin for a second season, while Formula Renault graduate Sam Bird, and Formula BMW UK Champion Niall Breen make their British F3 debuts this weekend. 2005 South American F3 Champion Alberto Valerio also enters his first race with the Carlin team. Team Principal Trevor Carlin commented, "We have five drivers who are all capable of winning races, so I am expecting some good results this weekend and throughout the year. This will be our first race with Mercedes engines and based on our preparation in testing, I think we have a great package for the new season." Carlin has won the BF3 championship on three occasions; 2001 with Takuma Sato, 2003 with Alan Van der Merwe and 2005 with Alvaro Parente and has recorded more race wins than any other team in British F3. WOW Racing V8 Supercar driver Max Wilson will drive a Team Australia-livered Champ Car around the Mount Panorama circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales tomorrow. Wilson raced in the Champ Car in 2001, will drive in controlled conditions around the 6.213-kilometre circuit as part of this weekend’s WPS Bathurst International Motor Festival. “It’s definitely going to be a great experience to drive the Team Australia Champ Car around Bathurst,” said Wilson. “Bathurst is one of the most spectacular and demanding circuits in the world. Every time you arrive there you drive around the circuit in a hire car and you get a chill down your spine. To drive around it in one of the world’s best motor racing cars is going to very special.” A1 Team Great Britain heads to China next week for the penultimate round of the 2006/07 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport at the Shanghai International Circuit, 13-15 April, with Oliver Turvey joining the driving ranks as the team’s latest rookie recruit. Turvey, winner of the 2006 McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award, will get his first taste of A1GP competition when he participates in the Friday morning ‘Rookie-Only’ session at the 2.85-mile home of the ‘Chinese Grand Prix’. The 19-year-old, while new to the Shanghai track, has already had a brief taste of the 550bhp A1GP car he’ll utilize next Friday having enjoyed a run-out in the British entry at the Brands Hatch Media Day last month. Robert Wickens has launched of al new web site to coincide with the start of the 2007 Champ Car Atlantic season this weekend at the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix. The new site, designed and maintained by Chris Jameson and Level Ten Communications, will feature updates throughout the race weekend, updated galleries and some new multimedia links. "This is our fifth year working with Level Ten and we are very happy with Chris's designs and how quickly he responds with updates" stated Robert. The new site is now online at: www.robertwickens.com 05-04-07 HERBIE RIDES AGAIN AT OULTON PARK. Racegoers at Oulton Park on Easter Monday (9 April) will need to check closely that one of the Beetles competing in the Volkswagen Racing Cup events has a driver at the wheel. For film star 'Herbie' - famed for taking his drivers for a spin, rather than the other way around - will be taking to the track in the opening rounds of the championship, complete with '53' number panels and fetching off-white livery. The man who will be attempting to control the wayward Beetle is Steve Chaplin, a 42-year-old former motorcycle racer. 'I have the perfect excuse if I get into trouble with the clerk of the course - I can just tell him that Herbie was doing it himself.' Steve, boss of Gloucestershire engineering firm Complete Utilities, spent the winter refurbishing the car and wanted to give it a new livery to finish the job. 'It seemed too good an opportunity to miss, so we decided that it had to be Herbie. It's already proving a major head-turner and a favourite with the kids.' Herbie, who packs a 2.8-litre V6 punch in his latest incarnation, was prepared for the circuit by the Volkswagen and Audi Centre at Stonehouse, Gloucestershire. Period sportscars for Knockhill Classic SpeedFair. A special race for classic sportscars and demonstration runs from Formula 5000 single-seaters are the latest additions to the line-up for the 2007 Knockhill Classic SpeedFair event over the weekend of 21/22 July. Working closely with historic racing enthusiast Sandy Watson, who lives within 15 minutes of the track, the organisers are putting together a special race for sports-prototypes and GT cars of the 1960s and early 1970s. Subject to demand, the entry could even be split into two races and entries from Chevrons, Lolas and other classic marques are expected. Meanwhile, it is hoped to have several thundering Formula 5000 single-seater racing cars from the early 1970s on hand for some demonstration laps. In period, the cars were nearly as fast as Grand Prix cars and the category is now enjoying a surge in support. Although F5000s have never raced at Knockhill, the circuit has links with the category as the official opening of the track included Kiwi ace Chris Amon driving an F5000 car. The rally stage of the 2006 Knockhill Classic was shortlisted for the 'stage rally of the year' award at the recent International Historic Motorsport Awards. To be shortlisted so early in the event's history was a big achievement for the organisers and the format will be extended and developed for 2007. Saturday will be taken up with qualifying and then several races before the track is turned over to rallying mid-afternoon for a super special stage. On Sunday, racing will run throughout the day, including demonstrations by classic motorcycles. With more than one month until the first race of the season, a total of 26 registrations have been received for the Formula Renault BARC Championship. The low-cost single-seater series, which is intended to act as a feeder for the renowned Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship, enters its third season under the guidance of Renault Sport UK and is set for one of its strongest first-race fields....read more Las Vegas will host Round 1 of the 2007 Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda this weekend(April 6-8). Equaling its largest field from last season, the 34th season of Atlantic racing will kick off with an anticipated 28 entries on Sunday afternoon at the new 2.440-mile street circuit. Read more The results of last Sunday's fourth round of the Pacific F2000 Championship Presented by Hankook Tires at Willow Springs have been amended following a protest after the race. It alleged that second-place finisher Shaun Modisette, driver of the #26 Carson Trailer/PR1 Motorssports Van Diemen gained an unfair advantage through changing all four wheels and tyres prior to the start of the race. Extreme tire wear was experienced by all competitors on the high-speed road course, but series rules demand that only one set of tires may be used during a race weekend, unless prior dispensation has been agreed and approved by the chief steward. After some confusion with the Stewards and the team it was decided that Modisette would be penalised and was subsequently dropped to 10^th place. The revised finishing order for Sunday's race is as follows: 1. Patrick Barrett; 2. Chris Sprietzer; 3. Jeff Westphal; 4. Chuck Hulse; 5. Thomas Merrill; 6. Peter Hastrup, 7. Ira Fierberg; 8. Nicky Freytag; 9. Peter Hansel; 10. Modisette; The revised championship points table is as follows: 1. Barrett, 110; 2. Spreitzer, 97; 3. Westphal, 87; 4. Mitchell Cunningham, 63; 5. Merrill & Scott Rarick, 52; 7. Freytag & Hulse, 49; 9. Hastrup, 45; 10. Philip Metzger, 44; etc. Round two of the Australian 2007 Formula Ford Championship was another round win for Team Sonic. The team went into the round hoping to consolidate its position at the top of the points table, with another solid result from the three drivers. To come away from the event with first and second in the championship is very rewarding for the formula ford guys. This is a track the team has never raced a Mygale at so the final set up of the cars was always going needed to be tuned over the race weekend as the engineers continue to learn more about the new cars….race report Adrian Quaife-Hobbs kicked-off his Formula BMW UK Championship at Brands Hatch last weekend (March 31-April 1), by nearly taking a podium in the second race on Sunday. At the start of the weekend he struggled in the opening qualifying session, where damp conditions meant he found it hard to find grip but still managed to set tenth fastest time before a change inf set-up for the second session allowed him to move up to ninth. “I didn’t get the best out of my tyres in the qualifying sessions,” said Adrian. “The track was slightly damp at the start of the first session and everyone was taking it easy to begin with. I altered the set-up on the car between the two to give me more grip but it was still on the last lap that I got my best time in,” he added.For his first Formula BMW race a good start allowed him to make up a place at the lights, however, as the pack surged into Druids he left his rival’s room to make sure that his first event didn’t end prematurely, loosing a couple of places in the process. He was unable to make up any places due to understeer in the closing laps and ended the race in 11^th.In the second race he made up 2 places before Druids and after a handful of laps he passed Finnish racer Valle Makela for third place and held the position for most of the race. Sadly Adrian had set up his car to work its tyres hard in the opening half of the race and once again he struggled for grip in the closing stages and lost the place back, settling for fourth place at the flag. “I’m pleased to have run so well in the second race,” he said. “I made some changes to the car between the races and knew that I would be able to push harder from the start, but it meant that I had no grip left at the end. It was a good, solid point’s finish though, which will be important at the end of the season,” he added. 04-04-07 Novice driver Craig Welsher claimed victory at the final of Silverstone Motorsport Academy’s 2007 Racing Driver Scholarship. Nine drivers competed for the prize of a ‘free’ drive for the 2007 season driving a Caterham Superlight C400, with full support from the Hyperion Motorsport, in the Caterham Superlight Challenge. All this, plus pre-season tests, adds up to a prize worth more than £30,000. Each of the finalists participated in assessments in a variety of different vehicles under the watchful eye of Silverstone’s instructors. The final entry list included: Craig Welsher, Mark Smith, Sam Smeeth, Ed Page, Melvyn Marshall, Aaron Innif, Simon Nobes, Mark Williams and James Harrison. Craig Welsher, 23, from Taunton, the underdog of the competition, demonstrated he had the ability to learn quickly. He led the field during the final, setting the fastest times in both the Caterham Superlight and Formula Ford shoot outs on Silverstone’s Southern Circuit, which ultimately helped him clinch that sought-after prize drive. On hearing he had won Craig said: “This has been a fantastic experience and a dream come true. When I arrived this morning I wasn’t confident at all, but the Silverstone instructors helped me get the most out of this chance and my confidence grew throughout the day. I can’t thank Silverstone enough for this opportunity.” The rookie driver then rushed to the MSA to collect his race licence on 23 March, before testing the Caterham Superlight C400 for the first time just couple of days later. Steve Hindle, Managing Director of Hyperion, was impressed, “We are delighted that Craig has been given this fantastic opportunity. Not only has he demonstrated immediate race pace, which is surprising for a complete novice, but his mature approach, along with the consistency and progress he has shown during testing is testament to the effort put in by Silverstone to develop racing talent.” The first race outing for Craig in the Silverstone Motorsport Academy funded Caterham will be at Oulton Park on Saturday 7 April. When asked about his goals for Oulton Park he said: “I am sure that my lack of race experience will be apparent, but after three successful tests I am hopeful for a podium finish - well you have to aim high and of course I really want to be on top of that podium.” Silverstone Motorsport Academy will be beginning the search for its 2008 Scholarship driver this summer, visit www.silverstone.co.uk or call 08704 588 212 for more details. Paul di Resta, the 2006 Formula 3 Euro Series Champion, is contesting the 2007 DTM season. The Scot will be the youngest of the Mercedes-Benz works drivers and will race a 2005-spec AMG-Mercedes C-Class. This means that he is following the footsteps of Jamie Green who moved up to DTM two years ago, “Certainly, the move from a single-seater to a touring car won’t be easy,” says di Resta, who will celebrate his 21st birthday on the day after the DTM Season Launch. “Particularly as I never have raced a tin-top racing car in my career so far.” Still, he has set himself ambitious goals, nevertheless. “I don’t just want to be a driver on the grid, in my debut season. I want to secure good results to thank Mercedes-Benz for the DTM seat, this way.” With the start of the 2007 Lloyds TSB Insurance British F3 International Series this weekend at Oulton Park in Cheshire, the number of entries for this year’s championship has grown to 33, a 40% increase on 2006...read more The 2007 driver lineup for Polestar Racing Group in the Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda will be Ronnie Bremer, who returns to Polestar, the team he drove for back in 2004. The 28-year-old Dane ended that season in fifth before moving to Champ Car with first Dale Coyne Racing then HVM in 2005. "Atlantic will be such a strong series this year and I'm happy to be back racing in America again," said Bremer. "My goal is to get back into Champ Car and this is a good opportunity with Polestar to see what we can do this season and go from there." Bremer will driver the team's #12 entry with sponsorship from The RoomStore of Phoenix, Sealy and the Polestar team. Joining him is veteran Bret MacDonald. The Californian previously raced in Skip Barber and Formula TR 2000. He will drive the #21 Polestar machine for sponsors Brelia Enterprises, BCP Concrete, BAM Properties and the Rock House Sports Pub and Grill. "I'm really excited about this year," said MacDonald. "I'm fortunate to be in with a great, professional team like Polestar and working with a driver that's as talented and experienced in these cars as Ronnie Bremer will just be a tremendous help to me. I know I'm going to learn a ton this season and hopefully be competitive along the way."Both MacDonald and Bremer will be in action this weekend as the Atlantic Championship gets underway at the Vegas Grand Prix In hard race AGR Canadian Club driver Dario Franchitti came home fifth in the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg last Sunday. On the first lap of the race, Franchitti and Tony Kanaan came together puting Franchitti a lap down after he stopped for repairs to the front of the car. He re-joinied only to return immediately to the pits on for his team to make even more repairs. After this second stop, he received a drive-through penalty for speeding in pit lane(as he tried to stay on the lead lap). A second full yellow allowed Franchitti to stay on the track and get back onto the lead lap. Franchitti suffered additional problems when he lost the cooling mechanism in his brakes half-way through the race.Despite all this he stil managed fifth! Helio Castroneves won with Scott Dixonthe runner-up. Franchitti's AGR teammates Kanaan and Marco Andretti were third and fourth. Jimmie Johnson held off a late challenge by teammate Jeff Gordon to win the rain-interrupted Goody's Cool Orange 500 at the Martinsville Speedway on Sunday. Gordon hit Johnson's rear bumper several times as the pair came off the final turn but Johnson kept it together to win, but only just. The reigning Nextel Cup champ took the lead on the 389th lap and stayed there until the flag to take his third win of 2007. 03-04-07 New motorsport team sibsport, together with the team's owner/driver Simon Blanckley from Durham, had a positive weekend competing in their first ever Dunlop MSA BTCC meeting finishing in all three races at Brands Hatch on Sunday. The team was formed just over two months ago and the resulting lack of extensive testing mileage in the car meant that the team's expectations for the opening rounds were realistic - finish all the races and collect more data about the car. These aims were achieved following a clean and consistent weekend and, despite slightly disappointing results of two sixteenth places and a fourteenth, Blanckley avoided many incidents and acquitted himself well to the challenge of the BTCC. The team - run by Graham Hathaway Engineering head off for round four,five and six at Rockingham on April 22nd Just as the first two races this season at California Speedway, two drivers shared the spoils last weekend as the Pacific F2000 Championship Presented by Hankook Tires visited Willow Springs International Raceway. Read more Less than a week after winning in Mexico City for A1 Team GBR in the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, Oliver Jarvis has once again been standing on the top step of the podium, this time with a debut race win driving for TOM’s Toyota in the All Japan F3 Championship, with his TOM’S team mates finishing 2nd and 3rd. Competing in the opening round of the 2007 All Japan F3 Championship at Fuji, Jarvis made a superb start from his second place qualifying position on the grid to quickly seize the lead from Japanese team mate Kazuya Oshima who dropped back to 6th in the race. The Grand Prix of Canada on June 8, 9 and 10 will be supported by the Formula 1600 series as Jacques Dulac, President of Formula Tour 1600, and Martin Spalding, General Manager of Grand Prix of Canada, announced on Monday that the open-wheel championship is back on this year's program of events for the first time since 2003. Series officials expect close to 40 drivers from Quebec, Ontario and the North East of the United States tol compete in the series most prestigious event of the 2007 calendar. The return of one of the fan's favourites and will see seasoned veterans and young hot shoes go head-to-head on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. "We are pleased to welcome once again at the Grand Prix of Canada some of the most passionate race drivers in Quebec," said Martin Spalding, General Manager of the Grand Prix of Canada. "Formula Tour 1600 officials estimate that competitors from Ontario, the Maritimes and the United States will join ranks with Quebec drivers to offer race fans their customary wheel-to-wheel battles in the demanding Senna Curve, the Hairpin or the Esses. We can also add that Formula 1600 drivers, whatever their level of experience, never lack intensity and their goal is the same as all Formula One drivers: to win at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve." Jiang Tengyi, former Team China A1GP driver, has confirmed his plans to compete in Champ Car, beginning with the 2007 Champ Car Atlantic Championship and the Brooks Associates Racing team. "The Brooks team was highly recommended by Forsythe Racing, a team I hope to race with in Champ Car in the future. Brooks' philosophy of competition, the top engineering staff (Nick Harvey rejoined the BAR team this season, coming from Forsythe Racing's 2006 Atlantic effort), the great crew and longevity in the series made it the right choice for me," said Tengyi. The young Chinese driver, from Shanghai, leveraged his karting championship in China to a Formula BMW seat in 2002, followed by Italian Formula Renault, then most recently the A1GP Series. Britain’s Martin Plowman got his Formula Renault Italia season off to a flying start with a third place finish in round one at Vallelunga on Saturday (31 Mar). He showed further promise by notching up a fourth place in round two on Sundayl to lie third in the championship. The BRDC Rising Star put in a steady qualifying session to line up sixth for round one amongst ahty grid of 38 cars. Despite a slightly chaotic start, Plowman got clean away and slipped up the inside of Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) and a slow-starting Brendon Hartley (NZ) to finish lap one in fourth. Closing on Roberto Merhi (E), Plowman made a move a dummy move to the outside of the second corner on lap 5, causing Merhi to outbrake himself and run wide, allowing Plowman to slip into third. Hartley was fourth at teh flag. Plowman made a stunning start from seventh inn race 2 to take two by the end of lap one. With six laps to go the safety car was called on track for two laps but Plowman took full advantage at the re-start with the pack running nose to tail. A mistake by second-placed Hartley saw Ricciardo try to pass without success down the inside. Plowman, meanwhile, switched to the outside to pass Ricciardo and was halfway past Hartley when the New Zealander managed to retake the place. Ricciardo tried to follow suit but clipped Plowman’s rear wheel, sending him into a spin. Plowman held his composure to stave off the attentions of Alguersuari to cross the line in fourth, sealing third in the Formula Renault Italia championship. Provisional Race Results Round 1 – Formula Renault 2.0 Italia, Vallelunga 1 Henkie Waldschmit NL 30’04.766 2 Mihai Marinescu RO 30’10.152 3 Martin Plowman GB 30’11.408 4 Brendon Hartley NZ 30’11’862 5 Roberto Merhi E 30’14’099 6 Daniel Ricciardo Aus 30’15.522 Provisional Race Results Round 2 – Formula Renault 2.0 Italia, Vallelunga 1 Henkie Waldschmit NL 31’12.598 2 Mihai Marinescu RO 31’15.151 3 Brendon Hartley NZ 31’15.332 4 Martin Plowman GB 31’18.427 5 Jamie Alguersuari E 31’18.791 6 Felipe Lapenna BRA 31’21.108 Formula BMW UK Championship – Results - Brands Hatch 1st April Round One 1.Valle Makela - Nexa Racing 19m14.122s 2.Henry Surtees - Carlin Motorsport 19m14.259s 3.Marcus Ericsson - Fortec Motorsport 19m14.841s 4.Henry Arundel - Fortec Motorsport 19m15.498s 5.Kimiya Sato - Nexa Racing 19m16.264s 6.Daniel McKenzie - Fortec Motorsport 19m16.707s 11. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs - Fortec Motorsport 19m26.973s Round Two 1. Marcus Ericsson - Fortec Motorsport 19m09.704s 2. Jonathan Legris - Motaworld Racing 19m15.121s 3. Valle Makela -Nexa Racing 19m15.888s 4. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs - Fortec Motorsport 19m18.793s 5. Oliver Webb - Carlin Motorsport 19m23.139s 6. Kimiya Sato - Nexa Racing 19m23.309s 02-04-07 Weybridge teenager, Freddy Nordstrom went through all the emotions at his debut weekend in the SEAT Cupra Championship held at Brands Hatch…full story SIR STIRLING MOSS TO BE HONOURED AT SILVERSTONE CLASSIC - 27/28/29 July 2007 - Motorsport legend Sir Stirling Moss is to be honoured at this year’s Silverstone Classic meeting on July 27-29 by the awarding of two Stirling Moss Trophies. …read more *A first victory in the Formula Renault UK with Michelin* Championship for Duncan Tappy has put the Fortec Motorsport driver to the top of the drivers’ standings after the opening two rounds at Brands Hatch Indy on Sunday, 1^st April. The 22-year-old led from pole position to win by a margin of 5.409s from AKA Cobra’s Adam Christodoulou with Fortec’s Dean Smith in third. Jeremy Metcalfe** won his first Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship victory by less than a car length in round one at Brands Hatch Indy on Sunday, 1^st April. The AKA Cobra driver held off intense pressure throughout the 24-lap race from Fortec Motorsport’s Duncan Tappy who crossed the line just 0.061s behind. Metcalfe’s team-mate Adam Christodoulou was the leading Graduate Cup driver in third place. full story Jonathan Adam (Total Control Racing) and Carl Breeze (CMS Motorsport/ Blue Chip) look set to reignite last years’ battle in the 2007 Blaupunkt SEAT Cupra Championship. With both drivers in the New Leon Cupras they were setting quick times in qualifying and taking those into both rounds of racing at Brands Hatch. Adam ended up with a first and a second place and claimed ‘this weekend showed that we’re strong and we should be strong throughout’. Full story A field totalling 60 cars made for a memorable start to the Motorsport News Caterham Roadsport Challenge for 2007 at Snetterton yesterday (Sunday), with some equally unforgettable racing in the spring sunshine…full story Stuart Gough won the opening round of the Carphone Warehouse Club FFord race at Oulton patk on Saturday in a Swift sc95. Second was Gary Jones with Chris Chesnell third. In the second FFord race for older cars Stuart Jones took his Reynard SF89 to victory ahead of David Bailey in a similar car. Third was Robert Wyke in a Jamun. Lea Wood was the winner of the first race for VSR Super Silhouettes. The Vauxhall Tigra driver was second in race 2 behind Steve Hall’s Audi TT. Hall who had earlier followed Wood home in race 1. Third on both occasions was Mark Jones in a VW Corrado. In the Dunlop Tuscan Challenge Tim Hood’s Sagaris had won the first race from Dean Cook and Matt Hockin. In the second race Darren Dowling had a lights to flag win over Hockin and Tony Abrams. The Lodge Sports Porsche 924 races saw Graham Heard take two wins from two starts. In the opening encounter he just held off Paul Pattison to win by 0.240 secs with Jonathon Ramsay a distant third. IN race two Heard again beat Pattison but this time he had just over 2 seconds to spare. William Penrose was third 3 second down on the leader. In the Ford XR race Mark Wright took his XR3i to victory just 0.198 secs ahead of Mark Robinson’s XR2. Chris Jones took third place in a XR3i. British NASCAR Driver Launches Fan's Sponsorship Scheme To Raise Final Budget. In an effort to raise the final part of his racing budget, Daniel Boys from Aldershot in Hampshire is turning to the UK's NASCAR and short track race fans to raise further funding for his NASCAR All-American Series program, beginning later this month.27-year-old Daniel will be offering fans the chance to have the name of their choice on the side of his NASCAR race car during All-American Series races at Evergreen Speedway in April and August. By adopting Dan as their driver (at http://www.danielboys.co.uk/adoptdriverdan.htm), fans will also receive the following souvenirs as part of the scheme: • A letter of acknowledgement and thanks for supporting a British driver in NASCAR racing. • A driver-signed 'hero' card sent to your door • A credit under the 'Britain's NASCAR Racer Fans' page of the official driver website, www.danielboys.co.uk, seen by over 2000 individuals worldwide per month. • Two hi-res digital images of our 2007 NASCAR All-American Series Chevrolet Monte Carlo for you to enjoy - one action shot and one of your name on the side of the car. • A copy of our Onboard DVD - ride onboard with Dan during 3 NASCAR Weekly Series events from the 2005 season. • Three printed, colour newsletters sent straight to your door with news, pictures and stories throughout the 2007 season. • Entry into monthly prize draws to win great NASCAR-related souvenirs. Winners will be picked at random in the first week of each month during the 2007 NASCAR All-American Series season. Multiple winners each month will receive prizes that include NASCAR T-shirts, driver and team T-shirts, baseball caps, books, magazines, DVDs and American candy! • Satisfaction from supporting a driver dedicated to achieving a 'first' in motor racing, by becoming the first Brit to win a NASCAR event of any description. Fans can join Britain's NASCAR driver by using Paypal or sending a cheque for £23. Before joining the scheme please read the Frequently Asked Questions on the driver's website. The closing date for fans to adopt Dan as their driver is 12th April. For more information on Dan's NASCAR program and his AdoptDriverDan scheme, visit www.danielboys.co.uk. Mardi Gras Motorsport’s Ed Pead clinched victory in round one of the 2007 ELF Renault Clio Cup with a win from pole position at Brands Hatch Indy on Sunday, 1^st April. The three-time Clio Cup vice-champion opened a one-second lead by the midway point and although a brief Safety Car period erased that gap, he re-established his advantage to win by 2.261s. Team Eurotech-John Guest Speedfit’s Andrew Jordan was second on his Clio Cup debut, with JHR Developments’ Robert Lawson completing the podium line-up….full story Jason Plato is the early leader of the 2007 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship after winning the opening two rounds of the series for the first time in his career. The 2001 Champion won Rounds 1 and 2 with a lights to flag performance in his SEAT Leon, and came from 7th on the final reserve grid to finish 4th. …full story ULTIMATE MOTORSPORT AND MYGALE make their much anticipated debut in the British F3 Series at Oulton park this weekend.The Northamptonshire team will hit the track with an all-new Mygale-Mercedes machine and an exciting driver line-up of Argentine Esteban Guerrieri and Irishman Michael Devaney. After an intense testing schedule during the winter the team is ready for the debut race and, while there is still plenty of development potential in the new car, expectations are high for a competitive debut. Team owner Barry Walsh said: "It is exciting to be heading to Oulton Park for our debut race. Ultimate Motorsport has big plans for the future and this event marks a significant step in that development. "It is amazing to see what we have achieved in such a short time. In little more than six months we have developed a great team of engineers and mechanics, grown an excellent relationship with Mygale, progressed the car and engine package and selected an exciting driver line-up. "After a long winter of testing we now head to Oulton very keen to see how things will play out once everyone shows their true colours – and we are looking forward to a successful debut season." Ultimate Motorsport's debut is a significant moment for Formula Three as the Mygale car Guerrieri and Devaney will race aims to break the dominance that Dallara has enjoyed over recent seasons. The team was unveiled at a spectacular launch in the Silverstone British Racing Drivers Club at the end of February and received the support of former Formula One driver Damon Hill. Guerrieri, an experienced Formula Three driver, has done much of the testing work and Devaney, who is a late arrival to the team, enjoyed two excellent days of running at Pembrey late last month (March). Dubliner Devaney said: "It is extremely exciting to be a racing for Ultimate Motorsport in their debut race and I am really looking forward to a successful season in the British Formula Three International series. The team works very well and I already feel very comfortable with my engineers and mechanics. The car ran well in testing and we have a good starting point with plenty of development potential for the rest of the season." Guerrieri, who spent some time at home in Argentina prior to this race, added: "I am very much looking forward to our debut. It is a significant moment for the team and I hope to make an impact from the start. I have been in constant contact with the team during my time back home and I know that the car has developed well since I last drove it, so I am eager to get out on track at Oulton and put it in a competitive position." CHAMPION'S SON JOINS FORMULA FORD. The 18-year-old son of a 1970s Formula Ford champion is one of the several late entrants to the British Formula Ford Championship, which gets underway on Easter Monday (9 Apr) at Oulton Park….read more On April 2 1956 Stirling Moss drove a Maserati 250F to victory in the Glover Trophy Race at Goodwood while on the 5^th April back in 1958 Jim Clark won the unlimited sportscar race and the Formula Libre race at Full Sutton. ON April 6^th 1975 Arturo Merzario and Jacques Lafitte took an Alfa Romeo T33/TT/12 to victory in the 800 kilometer race at Dijon while on April 7 1947 Nello Pagani won the Grand Prix at Pau in a Maserati. Kazuya Oshima (TOM'S) won the race 2 of All-Japan Formula 3 Championship season opener at Fuji Speedway. Roberto Streit Filho (INGING) passed the other TOM'S driver and took the second place. Oshima who failed in the start and lost his win from pole position yesterday started the race from his second pole too carefully, and was passed by his teammate Oliver Jarvis who won the race 1. Behind them, Yuki Nakayama (Honda Toda Racing) and Yuhi Sekiguchi (Hiroshima Toyota) collided with each other at the 1st corner, and Nakayama retired by this. Jarvis and Oshima fought intensely in the first lap, and Ohima passed Jarvis at the end of main straight in lap 2.After that Jarvis was not able to catch up with Oshima and passed by Streit at the first corner in lap 3 too. Jarvis, Streit and Hiroaki Ishiura (TOM'S) who aimed at his double podium fought each other, but there was not the change of order at the top group. Oshima widened a difference with the back steadily while updating the fastest lap and won the race. Streit was the second, and Jarvis was the third.0live Jarvis won the first and his debut race and TOM'S drivers Jarvis, Hiroaki Ishiura and Kazuya Oshima monopolized the podium in the season opener at Fuji Speedway. At the start of the race 1, pole sitter, Kazuya Oshima made lost his position with his mistake, and 0live Jarvis led a file. Streit who started from the fourth grid also made a good start and rose to the second, and Hiroaki Ishiura follwed them. Behind the top 3, rookie Yuhi Sekiguchi (Hiroshima Toyota), Marko Asmer and Oshima competed for the fourth place intensely. In the lap 7, Ohima passed them together at the Coca Colla corner. After that, Streit spun off with a trouble of the transmission and passed by Oshima.After all, Jarvis won the race with steady driving, and TOM'S drivers, Ishiura and Oshima took the second and third. Streit was the fourth, Sekiguchi and Asmer followed. Honda drivers were depressed in a low. Cheng Cong Fu moves forward his career to the British F3 international Championship 2007, joining Performance Racing team in the Scholarship class. In 2006 with 8 podiums and one pole, Cheng Cong Fu finished 3th overall in the FR UK. Cheng Cong Fu impressed onlookers with his speed and commitment. This is the best result that a real Chinese driver has gained in such high level worldwide championship; the season was completed with A1 team China achieving an impressive 4th place in the Brno sprint race 29-03-07 The British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) can confirm that it has been approached with an unsolicited proposal from a property company, Spectre Developments Ltd, with a view to acquiring the BRDC’s property and trading companies. …read more Martin Byford was the quickest driver in the first officially-timed ELF Renault Clio Cup test at Rockingham International Super Sportscar circuit on Monday, 26^th March. The Z Speed Racing privateer set a mark of 1min 30.280s (77.72mph) in session one and although he slowed to a time of 1min 30.678s (77.38mph) in session two, overall it was enough to keep him ahead of his rivals….read more Karts to Champ Car World Series in 5 Steps - Up-and-coming race drivers have three major challenges: winning on the track, talking to the right people off the track and finding the resources to move up to the next level. If a driver is good enough, it is possible in five steps to be counted amongst the world's greatest drivers. Skip Barber is the first step for any driver serious about reaching the pinnacle of motorsport and Racing For Ireland are the people to talk to on getting there and beyond. All that is required is TALENT. The Steps are: Step 1: Skip Barber Karting Scholarship Shoot-Out - Winner of the Skip Barber Karting Scholarship Shoot-Out wins a full drive in the Skip Barber National Race Series. Step 2: Skip Barber National Race Series - Winner of the Skip Barber National Race Series wins a full drive in the Star Mazda Race Series. Step 3: Star Mazda Race Series - Winner of the Star Mazda Race Series wins a full drive in the Champ Car Atlantic Series. Step 4: Champ Car Atlantic Series - Winner of the Champ Car Atlantic Series wins $2 million designed to help them secure a drive in the Champ Car World Series. Step 5: Champ Car World Series Guillaume Moreau will take part in two major international series this year: he will drive a KTR-entered World Series 3.5 car, and also joined the Courage Competition line-up, to make his endurance racing debuts in the Le Mans Series and the Le Mans 24 Hours. Guillaume and former F1 driver Jean-Marc Gounon will drive the traditional number 13 entry of the 25 year-old Le Mans-based manufacturer. The young French man, a Formula 3 race winner, tested the AER powered-LC70 LMP1 during the final pre-season test sessions at Le Castellet’s High Tech Test Track. He could drive the car for more than three hours, for the first time on slicks and also experienced night stints. The Sports Car and FR3.5 rookie is going to have a busy week-end on April 14th and 15th. The inaugural rounds of the Le Mans Series and World Series by Renault will take place in the same “Autodromo di Monza” event. Marko Asmer and Hitech Racing team continued it’s pre-season testing with the quickest lap around Oulton Park this week. The 22 year-old steered his Dallara F307 Mercedes HWA around the track in 1m28.4seconds, 0.143 seconds ahead of his nearest rival. His team-mate Austrian Walter Grubmüller turned in an impressive performance completing 59 laps . With testing now finished prior to the first race David Hayle’s team looks to be in a strong position to challenge for outright honours when the series kicks off at Oulton Park on Easter Monday 9th April. David Hayle: “It was another very good test and I’m encouraged by Marko’s consistency which has once again put him at the top of the timesheets. Walter has again impressed with his ever-improving performance which netted him the 11th quickest time, which for a first time in an F3 car on a track like Oulton was a very creditable result.” The Pacific F2000 Championship Presented by Hankook Tires will continue this weekend with a pair of races as part of the VARA High Desert Challenge at the fast and challenging Willow Springs International Raceway in Rosamond, California. This will mark the first time in its four-year history that the Pacific F2000 series has visited Willow Springs. The 2.5-mile road course on the edge of the Mojave Desert held the first-ever U.S. professional F2000 race, sanctioned by USAC, back in 1990. Les Phillips, who now organizes the Pacific F2000 series, was among the competitors that day. So, too was Peter Hastrup, who, at the age of 57 will drive the Western Building Materials Van Diemen for defending series champion team Dave Freitas Racing. "I did the first two or three USAC races but I haven't been there since, so it's been a long time. All I remember is that it is a very fast track, so the key is to trim out the car as much as you can [keeping the downforce levels low] and still make sure it handles well," says Hastrup, who finished seventh in the first-ever F2000 race at the wheel of the unique and unloved Talon SF89. "I know I'm not very likely to win, but the joy of racing for me these days is to be running against all the kids and keeping them on their toes." Hastrup will contest the "Masters" division this weekend, for drivers aged 51 and older. Following the first two races at California Speedway earlier this month, the championship lead is held jointly by Patrick Barrett and Chris Spreitzer. The pair each scored a win and a second-place finish, and both are anxious to do just as well at Willow Springs. "I expect the momentum to carry into this weekend," says Barrett, who will drive the Jim Russell Racing Schools/Alpinestars Van Diemen for PR1 Motorsports. Spreitzer, driver of the BWM Engineering/Anglo American Racing Van Diemen. "I haven't been to Willow [Springs] before, but we have a test day there on Friday so we'll take it from there." Others potential front-runners among the deep field will include 19-year-old Shaun Modisette (#Carson Trailer/PR1 Motorsports Van Diemen), who has experience of the track,former SCCA Formula Ford National Champion Scott Rarick (Red Line Oil/Hertfelder Motorsports Piper DS5), ex-karting standout Mitchell Cunningham, from who set the fastest race lap in the first Fontana race aboard another Dave Freitas Racing Van Diemen, Jeff Westphal (MCGC/DG Flooring/Team G.FRO Van Diemen), and Nicky Freytag, from who stunned the regulars by finishing second in one of the races at Fontana and then setting fastest race lap in the other aboard Bill Wilson's BWM Engineering Van Diemen. The FIAT backed Spanish Formula 3 Championship starts next weekend at Jarama near Madrid. A total of 26 cars have been confirmed, 18 Dallara F306’s in the Spanish Championship and 8 Dallara F300’s in the Spanish Cup, making this the biggest grid for an opening round since the championship began. Favourite should be Máximo Cortés (TEC Auto) who was third last year and will lead the TEC Auto team alongside Marco Barba. Andorran Manel Cerqueda completes the team’s line-up. Campos has been the closest to TEC Auto in the pre-season tests and will have four cars in Madrid with Nicolas Prost and Manuel Sáez Merino leading the team and Germán Sánchez and Adrián Campos Jr. backing them up. GTA Motor from Valencia will be in Madrid with a team which mixes youth and experience with Siso Cunill and Víctor García joining veteran Juan Ramón Zapata, who arrives in the national F3 championship after years of experience in GTs. Cetea, new to F3 last year will have 2 new Dallaras in the hands of Nil Monserrat and Toni Rubiejo. After the experience of last year, they will be looking for better in 2007. New up-and-coming talents in the championship include Bruno Méndez with Emiliodevillota.com, Himar Acosta for Llusiá Racing and Gustavo Yacamán at Novatec who shone last year in the Máster Júnior Fórmula., The arrival of teams such as Novo Team, West-Tec and Meycom should also enhance the championship. The first two will fight hard for the Spanish Cup with favourites Norwegian Christian Ebbesvik (West-Tec) who dominated pre-season testing . The experienced Juan Polar (Novo Team) is expected to be one of his main rivals. Meycom could return to the championship with the only woman in the series. Carmen Jordá, who is expected to make her debut in the Spanish F3. SEAT UK TRIALS THE WORLD’S FIRST DRIVERLESS TOURING CAR . SEAT Sport UK is pioneering breathtaking new technology that could soon deliver the ultimate in 21^st Century motor racing – the driverless touring car. Cutting-edge developments in electronics, virtual reality and on-board computers have enabled the SEAT team to create probably the most advanced remote control car in the world. The unique Leon Touring Car could potentially join the two other SEAT Sport track cars – operated in more traditional fashion by humans Jason Plato and Darren Turner – in the 2007 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. Using a system developed in the UK by SEAT, called Telematics Remote- Information Control Kit, this car opens up all sorts of possibilities on the race circuit. Controlled with the help of numerous on-board cameras, microphones and a plethora of computer data, the ‘Virtual Leon’ could give real drivers a stiff challenge. Indeed, at its first outing in a recent test at Rockingham, the sophisticated Leon put in a lap time marginally quicker than both Plato’s and Turner’s. Of course, no piece of advanced technology can exist without the considerable skills and dedication of a top development team. And key to the whole project is SEAT UK Motorsport Manager Scott Dennis, who controls the car from the comfort of the pit-garage. ‘This amazing car’s development has been a huge learning curve,’ said Scott. ‘But we are now at the stage where it could soon be used in a touring car race – maybe even as soon as Sunday 1^st April, which is the very first race of the season at Brands Hatch. This Leon is so rapid I’m beginning to question if I’ll need drivers at all next year.’ Jason Plato, a BTCC driver with considerable experience of racing while actually sat behind the wheel, was surprised to be outpaced by a car with no one in it. ‘Obviously it’s a bit disconcerting being passed by an empty car when you’re giving it your all, though I have to say it does have a fair old weight advantage over every other touring car.’ Plato’s observation has already been noted by SEAT’s competitors, who are demanding a significant weight penalty should the special Leon be permitted to race this weekend. Said Plato: ‘Normally this would be around 75 kg to simulate a driver’s weight, but in the case of Scott, a special ‘Pub Ballast’ of 160 kg has been suggested. ULTIMATE MOTORSPORT WILL MOVE TO PEMBREY to continue their pre-season testing programme after attending the final official test at Oulkton Park this week. The team ran two cars in the four-hour official test session with Michael Devaney and Marcello Thomaz helping them get through the test programme. They tried to make the most of the sunny spring weather but were hampered by the continual red flags. Unfortunately Marcello did not feel well after his first run and after some attention from the team physio, Mark Phillips, he tried to continue with the program. Following another run Marcello decided that he could not give 100 percent. Marcello decided not to attempt any further running. This was a brave decision on Marcello's part and one fully supported by the team. Team Manager Jonny Ostrowski said: "The positive side of Marcello's unfortunate problem was that we managed to get good back-to-back data by having Michael alternate between the two cars for the rest of the afternoon. "This helped to confirm car set-up and brake packages for the coming race next weekend. We stayed at Oulton Park and prepared both cars for Pembrey and moved to Wales overnight. "Unfortunately Marcello will not recover in time so we will carry on with Michael and he will be joined by McLaren Autosport finalist Nathan Freak." Argentine driver Esteban Guerrieri will be returning in the next few days from Argentina and Ostrowski added: "Esteban has kept in constant touch with the team during his absence and has been fully kept up to date with the progress we have made. "We are all now looking forward to some typically dry Pembrey weather before returning to East Haddon for the final preparation for next weekend. We all wish Marcello a swift recovery." Masters Test Day - Donington - Thursday 12th April. is looming upon us very quickly so please book your spaces now for the Masters Test Day at Donington. In case you need some convincing, below are 5 reasons to join in its a great circuit (the National one) , the Masters Test Day will be split into manageable groups of similar cars running throughout the day – plenty of track time, plenty of adjustment time and plenty of social time. At £295 for the day, the price is cheaper than a web-bookable Donington Track Day and is one of the few Noisy Days! It will be your last chance to get in some vital practice before our event there on May 6/7 – make sure you are ahead of the rest of the field and finally the Donington Cafe will be open all day You can download the booking form from our website at www.themastersseries.com in any of the Race Info sections or e-mail us! Just complete the Booking Form and send it back to the Masters Office ASAP. Round Two of the Australian Formula Ford Championship will be on TV in Australia, all three races at Barbagallo Raceway last weekend will be shown ina half hour show dedicated to FFord.Catch the racing as second generation driver James Moffat wrestles the championship lead from team mate Tim Blanchard, both drivers coming from the Sonic Motor Racing camp.CAMS Rising Star Ashley Walsh also impressed at the weekend, able to come from the rear of the field in race two and impressively take line honours in the final race of the weekend."It's exciting to be back on television, the drivers and teams deserve to have their talents shown to Australia and it gives them a great chance to progress their careers to the next level," said Category Manager Margaret Hardy. Lucky Aussies can tuned in from 12:30pm this Saturday, check local guides for details. Round Two- Australian Formula Ford Championship -- When: Saturday 31 March Network: Channel 7, Time: 12:30pm Mike Vincec, reigning Canadian National ICC Champion, Stars of Karting’s 2006 Rookie of the Year has signed a development contract with Jensen MotorSport. The deal includes a comprehensive training and test program to prepare Mike for competition in the Formula BMW USA series. Mike did some off-season testing with the Toronto based team and principal Eric Jensen, was impressed with Vincec’s ability to adapt to the FB02. “Mike was a very willing student during our tests” noted Jensen. “ He had a great feeling for the car and most importantly, gave us some great feedback. Mike would also listen very carefully to our input after analysing data and then go out on track and show immediate improvement.” Fifteen year old Vincec will continue in karts this year for Hamilton, Ontario-based Cameron Motorsports driving the CMI/CRG/SwedeTech in ICC . He will also test with Jensen in the Formula BMW and the team hope to enter a car for him in several races this year, including the Montreal Grand Prix support race. Adria International Raceway will kick-off the 2007 season for the "Campionato Italiano Formula 3". The championship has will be shown on satellite channel Nuvolari, while the F3Italia.it web site will also have an English edition available. Prize money of 65.000 euros for the winner further enhances the series and an additional prize will be revealed on Saturday at the circuit by the weekly magazine SportAutoMoto. News from teams includes the retirement of the Passoli Racing team, the 2006 champions, the entrance of the Alan Racing team and Minardi who have entered into a partnership with Corbetta Competizioni.New drivers include Nicola de Marco, Mirko Bortolotti and Giuseppe Termine who will all debut this weekend. The Argentine Augusto Scalbi and the Mexican Pablo Sanchez Lopez will also make their Italian debut while Paolo Maria Nocera is expected to make his comeback in the series. Marko Asmer was the fastest driver at the final pre season test at Oulton Park on Tuesday(27 \|March). With just 11 days before the first races of the season the Estonian finished 0.143 seconds ahead of Stephen Jelley, who has been Asmer's nearest rival during testing.2006 Formula Renault Champion Sebastian Hohenthal put in a good time in the 4 hour afternoon session to finish 3rd fastest, just ahead of Jelley's teammate Jonathan Kennard Hohenthal's Fortec teammate Greg Mansell was 5th fastest with Sam Bird quickest of the Carlin Motorsport drivers. Germany's Maro Engel, also Carlin Motorsport got his first run in his 2007 car but the British F3 race winner could only manage 9th fastest, 1.4 seconds behind Asmer. In the National Class Michael Meadows of Master Motorsport returned to the top of time sheet, finishing off where he started at the first test at Pembrey. Only 0.15 seconds separated Meadows from nearest rival T Sport’s Sergio Perez with 'Frankie' Cheng of Performance Racing a close third after only a handful of British F3 tests. ADR driver Viktor Jensen's pre-season preparations were cut short when an off at Druids caused a lot of front end damage after just four laps and the team were unable to get the Icelandic teenager back on the track before the end of the session. Ultimate Motorsport had two new drivers at the test, Brazilian Marcello Thomaz and Ireland's Michael Devaney, as the team had parted company with Ben Clucas earlier this week and E