The Grid

Knockhill holds its Classic Speedfair this weekend(21-22 July) with Sir Stirling Moss as one of its celebrity guests. With races for tin-tops, single-seaters and sportscars it's well worth a visit. If you're going on Saturday take waterproofs, the forecast isn't great but its supposed to be fine on Sunday!)

Action from round six of the Clio Cup at Donington Park is now available to view online at www.renaultsport.co.uk. Simply follow the link from the homepage. Broadband connection is recommended

Formula Renault UK driver Will Bratt (pictured) heads into next weekend's 13th and 14th rounds of the season at Snetterton aiming to make yet another visit to the podium having enjoyed a consistently productive test outing at the Norfolk circuit today.

Riki Christodoulou set the fastest time in Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship official testing at Snetterton on Thursday, 19^th July. The Fortec Motorsport man’s benchmark time of 1min 05.386s (107.47mph) was set during the second of the day’s three sessions, with a lunchtime downpour ensuring slower lap times in the afternoon. All 20 Formula Renault UK Championship drivers completed nearly four hours of testing in both dry and wet conditions ahead of rounds 13 and 14 at the Norfolk venue, which take place next weekend. Christodoulou headed the timesheet as the majority of drivers set their personal best times. Team-mate Dean Smith was second ahead of AKA Cobra’s Jeremy Metcalfe. Manor Competition’s Alexander Sims was fourth, with Fortec’s Duncan Tappy and RS Racing’s Richard Singleton completing the top six. The day’s first session saw Apotex Scorpio Motorsport’s Will Bratt (Banbury), who has three race wins to his credit in 2007, set the best time of 1min 05.659s (107.02mph) at the 1.95-mile circuit. Smith took second place once again ahead of Christodoulou and Tappy. Manor Competition’s Kris Loane took fifth place, just 0.02s ahead of team-mate Sims. Heavy rain in the afternoon meant the final session began in wet conditions, although the track dried quickly during the session. With lap times tumbling it was Sims, winner of round 11 at Donington Park on 15^th July, who set the best time of 1min 06.945s (104.96mph). Tappy got the better of Smith for second place, while Eucatex’s Adriano Buzaid in fourth. Bratt was fifth and Hi Tech’s Bia Figueiredo, who is not a registered competitor, completed the top six. Commenting on his pace-setting day, Riki Christodoulou said: “Snetterton’s not a circuit I’ve raced at but I have tested here a fair bit. The car felt really good, particularly during the middle stint, and I think I was quickest when it was fully wet in the afternoon. As with most teams, we were waiting until the afternoon to use new tyres and the rain prevented that so there’s more time to come. I’m looking forward to coming here to race and I need to start finishing in the top three. Then I can get on the top step of the podium, which is my ultimate aim.”

Manor Competition continued its excellent return to form during official Formula Renault UK testing at Norfolk’s Snetterton Circuit yesterday, Friday, 20th July, all three of the New Ollerton team’s drivers ending the test inside the top 10 with a great all-round performance.

JHR Developments’ Robert Lawson set the fastest time of the day following three hours of ELF Renault Clio Cup testing at Snetterton on Thursday, (19th July). The track, where Lawson scored his first Clio Cup podium in 2006, hosts round seven of the 2007 series on 28th/29th July..

The Champ Car World Series' three-race stint in Canada comes to an end this weekend as the Series moves to the beautiful province of Alberta in Western Canada for the Rexall Grand Prix of Edmonton.

SEAT will be the first Manufacturer to run diesel-powered cars in the FIA World Touring Car Championship.The Spanish company announced today that next week in Anderstorp Jordi Gene and Yvan Muller will drive two Leon TDI machines equipped with a 280 hp turbo-diesel engine. SEAT Sport engineers have been working for the past few months to develop the engine and, after a long testing period, the project is now ready for its debut. Benoît Bagur, SEAT Sport Chief Engineer, said: " We started looking into the viability of the project, and it took off a few months ago. The basis for the engine is the 170 hp 2.0 mounted on the Leon FR. We kept the engine block and the cylinder head of the production model, but changed the turbo charger and gearbox. Furthermore, we had to alter the front part to house the intercooler and create new air intakes. The diesel engine is 35 kilos heavier than the petrol engine, so we had to redistribute some weight. After satisfactory test results, we are eager to check its potential in actual racing conditions." In line with the FIA Super 2000D regulations, the SEAT Leon TDI will be 30 kilos heavier than its petrol-powered sister car.

This weekend, Sam Schmidt Motorsports will be at Mid-Ohio for the inaugural Indy Racing League weekend, including the Indy Pro Series' Mid-Ohio 100. Although this is the first Indy Pro Series race at the track, all three drivers have experience on the 2.4-mile road course. Ryan Justice and Logan Gomez both raced there in Star Mazda where Justice won while Gomez finished eighth. They also tested at the facility with teammate Alex Lloyd before the Liberty Challenge at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Lloyd came away from the test feeling confident about how the team would do upon its return. More importantly, the natural terrain layout of the circuit was something he enjoyed quite a bit.

Highcroft Racing's David Brabham turned in the fastest time during Thursday's test for the Acura Sports Car Challenge.

The following statement is in response to stories regarding Matt Halliday driving a second car for Conquest Racing in the last five races of the season. Eric Bachelart, Conquest Racing Team Owner, "I want to start out by saying that Matt Halliday and Conquest Racing were only originally contracted together for the first three races of the 2007 season. We had considered trying to work out a deal for the last five races of the season but the economics did not work out and I feel it would be best for Conquest Racing to focus solely on the #34 car and Jan Heylen for the rest of the season. The entire Conquest Racing team and I wish Matt Halliday the best of luck in his negotiations to continue his career in Champ Car as well as his future plans in other race series."

The RSPORTS team gears up for its final race in 2007 north of the border on a track that holds high anticipation with drivers Justin Wilson, the defending Edmonton race winner, and Alex Tagliani this weekend in Edmonton, Canada. Last year Justin Wilson won his first race in 2006, now, after two podium finishes, the Englishman is looking for his first win of 2007, hoping that it will make him back-to-back Edmonton champion. RSPORTS teammate, Tagliani, driver of the Tide@Wal-Mart Victory Lap Charity Program car, heads to Edmonton looking for a clean slate on home soil. His last two runs in Canada have resulted in double top-eight results

For $4,000 you can eat at the Paddock Club at an F1 race. That will get you a program and some ear plugs, coffee and croissants and a gourmet lunch. For $50.00 you can get fresh off the grill real Mid-American cuisine at the CARA Charities' Second Annual Champ Car Tailgate Party at Road America on Friday, August 10 at 6:00 PM.

ELF Renault Clio Cup driver Andrew Herron produced by far the most competitive testing performance of his maiden car racing season at Snetterton Circuit in Norfolk today, the Northern Ireland racer topping the category timesheets for the first time during the second of the day's three sessions.

A sensational field of Aston Martins - with an estimated value of nearly £30 million - will be one of the many highlights of the Silverstone Classic, in association with Bonhams, on July 27-29.

After impressing with Team West-Tec in the Spanish F3 Cup so far this season, Christian Ebbesvik has been signed up to test for Racing Engineering's GP2 team this winter, starting at Jerez on 3rd October.Following two formative years in British Formula Ford, four class victories in the first eight races this year with Team West-Tec in Spanish F3 have brought the Norwegian recognition within the paddock and has impressed Racing Engineering team boss Alfonso de Orleans-Borbon.With Racing Engineering being a well-backed winning team in GP2, opportunities with the outfit are highly sought after - with 30 drivers recently contacting the team following Ernesto Viso's injury at Magny Cours!

Franck Perera is hoping to keep his Canadian winning streak alive as the Atlantic Series heads for doubleheader in Edmonton this weekend….read more

Caltex Racing's Russell Ingall will be looking lead the way for the Caltex-backed drivers as the 2007 V8 Supercar Championship Series reaches the half way mark in round seven at the Queensland Raceway this weekend. Ingall has enjoyed an impressive record at the Ipswich circuit by finishing inside the top five in nine out of the ten rounds contested there since 1999. He was the winner of the corresponding round in 2003 and has finished on the podium on another two occasions. Caltex-backed drivers have taken the victory at Queensland Raceway in four of the past five years. With the venue being the home track for Ingall, his team-mate James Courtney and fellow Caltex-backed drivers Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup, the quartet will be aiming to continue their supremacy around the 3.12km circuit.

James Winslow is hoping to build on his successful debut in Formula V6 Asia at Sentul this weekend as it will help overcome the disappointment of his latest Kumho Tyres Australian F3 outing. Round five of the closely-fought Australian series was to be the moment he made his move on the championship, but instead two seventh place finishes left him further adrift of top spot even though the Opes Prime car again proved to be on the pace. Winslow continues to hold down fourth place in F3 with three double-header rounds remaining. Before then, he has the third round of the Formula V6 Asia Championship where a brace of podium finishes at Sepang in his first appearance bodes well for the future. Winslow is confident that he can rise to the challenge again for Team Meritus. “Getting onto the podium at Sepang – especially after the accident we had in testing – was a great result, and really makes me confident for this weekend,” he said, “The team worked hard in Malaysia and I was glad I was able to reward them for all their hard work. Now I want to do it all again and really get myself into the championship mix.

Formula 3 comeback for VW: The German manufacturer will re-enter F3 as an engine supplier with a newly developed two-litre engine. The new power unit will debut at the seventh round of the Formula 3 Euroseries at the Nürburgring between 31 August and 2 September 2007. “Volkswagen won innumerable races and championships in Formula 3 during the nineteen-eighties and at the beginning of the nineteen-nineties and, as a result, proved impressively the performance of its power units,” explains Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Board of the Volkswagen Brand with responsibility for Development. Wolfgang Hatz, Head of Powertrain Development within the Volkswagen Group stated. VW selected an engine from their production line, one which is used within the group(Audi, Seat, Skoda and VW). The four-cylinder engine was modified in specific areas to suit the demands in racing and produces around 210Bhp due to the engine air-intake restrictor used in Formula 3.

Whether the drivers at the top the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series Grand Sport and Street Tuner divisions have got to where they are from multiple strong finishes or a number of victories combined with mixed results, consistency now becomes imperative in the championship as the series closes in on its final four races of 2007. read more

The venue and date for the Formula BMW World Final 2007 have been confirmed. The high point of the season for the four international Formula BMW series will take place at the Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain from 22nd - 25th November.The event will see the world wide leading Formula BMW drivers battling it out for overall victory – and a prize which would be a dream of every up-and-coming young racing driver: a Formula One test with the BMW Sauber F1 Team

Trackspeed Racing, 2006 GTC Champions,

returned to the Britsh GT Championship at Brands Hatch last weekend and came away well deserved GTC Class win..read more

The Race of Champions has secured two further big racing stars for the unique event that will see Wembley Stadium transformed into a tarmac race track this December. Seven-times Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen and former DTM Champion Mattias Ekstrom have announced their participation in the exciting event, which sees champions from all categories go head-to-head to find out who is the fastest. The pair will join a prestigious line-up, including Michael Schumacher, Jenson Button and David Coulthard, but are more than equipped for the challenge.

Fresh From Florida racer Jeff Segal moved to the Grand-Am KONI Challenge GS Class points lead after taking a hard-fought second place result in the Supercuts 200 at Watkins Glen. The young racer will look to extend his run of podium finishes with co-driver Jep Thornton this weekend as the Koni Challenge Series visits the new Barber Motorsports Park facility in Birmingham, Alabama. Qualifying for this weekend's 400K race at is at 10:00am on Saturday morning. The green flag for Sunday's race falls at 8:30am.

Renault Sport UK has announced its plans for the 2007 Formula Renault UK and Clio Winter Championships which will begin at Donington Park National on Saturday, 3rd November. Rounds one and two take place at the Derbyshire venue with rounds three and four at North Yorkshire’s Croft circuit on Saturday, 10th November. The Formula Renault series will include a class for Formula Renault BARC FR2000 Class cars, which will have the air restrictor removed from the engine to allow them to run closer to the pace of the cars with the 2007 bodykit upgrade. As per last season, when SL Formula Racing ran a three-car team, there will be a European class for non-UK specification cars that will be ineligible for points. At each race meeting, grid slots will be set by the two fastest times from one 20-minute qualifying session. Registration fee, which includes the testing, remains unchanged from the 2006 season at £1,550+VAT. Registrations will be accepted after the end of the 2007 Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship campaign on 15th October. Alongside the Formula Renaults there is the ELF Renault Clio Winter Cup. A record entry of 43 cars is currently contesting the 2007 ELF Renault Clio Cup and hopes are high for capacity grids during the winter series. Last season saw Clio Cup racers compete in four races for the ELF Renault Clio Winter Cup, which was won by relative newcomer Niki Lanik after taking part in just 10 rounds during the 2006 season. Once again, like the single-seaters ,grid slots will be set by the two fastest times from one 20-minute qualifying session. The registration fee is the same,£1,550+VAT, limited to 36 and will begin after the end of the 2007 ELF Renault Clio Cup campaign on 15th OctoberRenault Sport UK is currently negotiating exclusive testing for all competitors, which will take place on Thursday, 1st November at Donington Park and Friday, 9th November at Croft.

Two wins for Stephen Taylor’s Lotus Exige as the LMA Euro Saloons try out Anglesey’s all new Full International circuit…

Max Chilton narrowly missed a points scoring finish for the second event in a row in the latest rounds of the British F3 International Series, as the Championship visited the Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit in Kent….more

Joe Waters, just 14, finished in both Car races at the weekend at Castle Combe desite the difficult conditions.see reports

PICK-UP A FREE TICKET. This coming weekend at the BRSCC Racing @ Rockingham meeting the Club will celebrate 10 years of the Pickup Truck Championship. As part of the celebrations anyone who arrives in the event driving a Pickup will get in free (driver only)! The Pickup will also be able to take part in a special parade lap and there is a competition for the best Pickups in the utility, custom & classic categories. There are 6 races on Saturday including a re-scheduled MAC Tools SCSA V8 round & Ferrari Open, Monoposto & Formula Jedi races. There are a further nine races on Sunday with the Caterham Roadsports joining the fray. One of the main attractions on Sunday will be the Craig Jones stunt bike display. Tickets are priced at just £10 in advance (booking fees apply) and £15 on the gate - kids go free so Sunday promises to be a great day out for all the family. For tickets call 01536 500500 (option 8) or visit www.seetickets.com Tickets are valid for both days of the meeting. Saturday only tickets are £5 and are available on the day – they cannot be ordered in advance. Passenger rides for spectators on Sunday will run from 9am for 45 minutes and then the action starts at 10am.

In a ground-breaking move, the A.A.C.I. has agreed a 2 year sponsorship deal with top British Top Fuel Drag Racing team, Carter Motorsport. The deal, which will further extend the A.A.C.I.’s name into the American Car Enthusiast strongholds of Northern Europe, has been agreed with the team’s Andy Carter. “I’m delighted to be teaming up with AACI!” said Andy Carter. “We really enjoyed spending time with Harry and Pam Tune at the AACI Summer Nationals at Billing and I was so pleased that we were able to put this deal together. These guys are passionate about their club and our sport with all that it has to offer. This two year association is great news for us and we will do all that we can to promote AACI in that time and hopefully beyond!” he continued. In addition to spreading the name of the club, the deal also includes regular exclusive features from the team for the club’s superb magazine, Torque.

CALLING ALL MARSHALS. The BRSCC are organising the new POWERnights events at Silverstone on Thursday August 2nd and at Donington on Thursday August 9th finishing with the third event at Silverstone on August 30th. The morning and half the afternoon of each event is being run as a normal track test session. Therefore marshals are required for signing on at 2.30pm. The racing programme is schedule to finish around 8.30pm after which there is a free Paddock BBQ. Marshals will all get a free BBQ meal plus 4 free tickets for family and friends. The race programme has been designed to ensure strong grids with each of four classes having two 10 minutes + 1 lap races, the second race grid being set in reverse order from the first race finishers. If you are interested in marshalling at one or more of these ground breaking meetings then please call Alan Tyson on 01525 403676 or 07796 123218, or email Alan at marshal.midlands@brscc.co.uk

Franck Mailleux of Manor Motorsport delivered a first class performance to take his first ever F3 victory in a highly entertaining race for round 10 of the Formula 3 Euroseries at Mugello on Sunday. Read more

FREE TRACK TIME FOR FORDS AT SILVERSTONE. Ford Racing UK has been invited by Fast Ford Magazine to have an action display of Ford competition race cars at the annual Ford Fair being at Silverstone on 5th August. This event draws in crowds of over 12,000 and is a great opportunity to showcase the BRSCC’s Ford championships to a large and relatively untapped audience of Ford fans.Any BRSCC member who runs a Ford competition saloon and would like to use the day as a free test session is welcome to apply. At present, the format will see us occupying garages and having at least THREE sessions on track comprising of one 40 minute session followed by two 20 minute sessions later in the day. This is FREE to BRSCC members and if you wish to take part then please apply to Ford Racing UK. Contact fordracinguk@aol.com or telephone 01323 423767. Please have details of your Ford race car to hand and provide your name, address & contact telephone number.

Freddy Nordstrom’s weekend outing in the SEAT Cupra Cup ended in disaster when his car was badly damaged in a first lap accident in the first race on Sunday...

MEMBERSHIP CARDS. Just a reminder to all competitors that if you are racing in a BRSCC championship you must be a Racing Member of the Club. It is a mandatory requirement that all Racing Members produce their membership card when signing on at a race meeting. So if you are not yet a member or need to renew please contact the membership secretary Jo Ward on 01732 780100 or at jo@brscc.co.uk

Renault Sport UK has confirmed that cars in the FR2000 Class of its hugely successful Formula Renault BARC Championship will keep the current specification bodywork. An update kit has been launched in the Formula Renault UK Championship but this will not be introduced to the low-cost feeder series. read more

RS OWNERS CLUB NATIONAL DAY. On the 18/19th August the BRSCC are running the Rockingham meeting in conjunction with the Ford RS Owners Club to bring together a weekend of racing and the largest Ford car club show in the country. The RSOC National Day will attract one of Rockingham’s biggest crowds of the year with over 10,000 people attending. Saturday 18th will feature qualifying and racing including Pickup Trucks and MAC Tools SCSA V8s on the full Oval circuit, along with Ford Fiestas and Ford Saloons on the international circuit. Sunday 18th will see the Ford RS Owners Club take over the show site with trade stands, car displays and lots more. In addition to the racing there will be track-time available exclusively to RSOC and BRSCC members on both Saturday & Sunday. The Saturday session is an open pit lane with a 98db limit and costs £35. On Sunday there are 20 minute sessions for three different groups. Groups A & B will have a 98db limit while Group C will have a 105db limit. The cost is £85. For more information and to book call the RSOC on 08702 406215

The Formula TR PRO Series was at Miller Motorsports Park last wekend for Rounds 11 and 12 of its 1600 and 2000 Championships

BRSCC SUITE AVAILABLE FOR WORLD SUPERBIKES AT BRANDS. The BRSCC still have one of their hospitality suites available at Brands Hatch for the FIM Corona World Superbikes meeting over the weekend of 3rd – 5th August. The suite which is well presented and is equipped with a refrigerator, a microwave oven, a fan, a full set of crockery/glassware and has the race commentary `piped` in. It also offers excellent views of the Indy circuit.
The suite is also equipped with a 42" plasma TV that receives terrestrial and satellite channels and is also connected to the official timekeepers system, so you can get all the lap times/grid positions on screen. Exclusive use of the suite comes with 28 tickets & 14 car park passes for each of the three days. Call Dominic at HQ on 01732 783141 or email dominic@brscc.co.uk for more information.

Ford Performance Racing (FPR) returns to Queensland's home of motorsport, Queensland Raceway, for the 7th Round of the 2007 Australian V8 Supercar Championship Series this weekend. This completion of this round marks the half way point of the fiercely contested 2007 series. After racing to a strong runner-up finish at Queensland Raceway last season, the goal of every FPR team member is to take the next step up on the podium this year with drivers Steve Richards and Mark Winterbottom. Currently placed 7th (Richards) and 8th (Winterbottom) in the Championship standings, strong performances at Queensland Raceway will enable the Castrol FPR Falcon and Orrcon Ford Credit FPR Falcon drivers to rapidly improve their positions in order to mount a serious second half of season challenge. This is the 11th time that the Willowbank circuit (near Ipswich) has hosted a V8 Supercar Round. Castrol FPR Falcon driver Richards has competed at every round held at the venue, with three podium finishes to his credit. The ultra-consistent Victorian driver has finished in the top six in four out of his last five visits to Queensland Raceway. Winterbottom's first FPR appearance at Queensland Raceway last season saw him finish 7th overall. The 25 year old driver has amassed thousands of testing kilometres at this sunshine state circuit during his early career and is very familiar with the intricacies of its paper-clip styled layout. The Orrcon Ford Credit FPR Falcon driver is making his fourth V8 Supercar appearance at the Willowbank circuit this weekend.

Northern European Cup Formula Renault 2.0, Assen. A fortnight after the meeting at Oschersleben, teams and drivers from the NEC Formula Renault 2.0 are off to Assen forthis weekend. The famous "TT Circuit", home of the Dutch round of the Motorcycle World Championship, will be hosting the "ADAC Hansa Pokal" meeting, featuring the German Top 10 race package and the Northern European Cup Formula Renault 2.0. First and foremost the "TT Circuit" is considered as a drivers' circuit with some really challenging corners and plenty of opportunities for overtaking. Traditionally a motorcycling venue, the circuit has also hosted many car racing events like German Super Touring and Formula 3 and numerous one-make series. The most prestigious car racing event will certainly be the round of the US Champ Car Series in September. Germany’s Frank Kechele, currently leads the title chase after 4 rounds. A pair of race wins in the season opener at Zandvoort and another win and a second place at Oschersleben puts him 33 points clear of his team-mate, Tobias Hegewald, with Finn Valtteri Bottas in third place. Best-placed Dutch driver in the championship is Nicky Catsburg, who is jointly fourth together with Dane, Steffen Moeller. Dennis Retera and Romano de Ruit are jointly ninth, with Stef Dusseldorp only one point behind them in eleventh position.

Liam Kenney improved to third overall in the 2007 Formula TR Pro Series 2000 Championship Driver Standings following a solid pair of back-to-back second place finishes in Rounds 11 and 12 of the series hosted last weekend at Utah's Miller Motorsports Park, 13th - 14th July. Read more

Clerical Medical and Manx Sports Aid Foundation backed Alex Lloyd came away from the Nashville Speedway last weekend frustrated after being caught up in an accident involving 2 back markers.

Charlie Kimball experienced both highs and lows during the fourth race weekend of the World Series by Renault held at the Hungaroring, just outside Budapest, Hungary, this past weekend July 13-15. After qualifying a disappointing 21st, Kimball, in Race 1, moved through the pack, setting consistently quick race laps and executing a perfectly-timed flawless pit stop to move up to tenth position by the end of the race. This not only gave Kimball one championship point, but by virtue of the World Series’ reverse grid rule, also gave him pole position for Sunday’s Race 2. A solid result and significant points haul was destroyed at the first corner by Alejandro Nunez, who starting third, drove into the side of Kimball’s car, pushing him into second place starter, Mikhail Aleshin, taking both Kimball and Aleshin out of contention on the spot. Even though Nunez remained under investigation during the race, no penalties were served and Nunez went on to win the race. Kimball’s achievement in Saturday’s Race and his increased comfort and speed in the car bode well for the coming races, all at circuits Kimball knows and enjoys.

Charlie Hollings moved to the top of the table in the Australian F3 Championship after round 5 at Eastern Creek where his team Astuti Motorsport took a 1-2 finish along with his team mate Michael Trimble. Hollings made a great start in race one to lead heading into the first corner from 3^rd on the grid. He then led the field for all of the 15 lap race, taking 20 points to knock Tim Macrow, who came in third, off the top.The second race also saw Hollings get another good start as he came from fourth to third in lap one. Despite engine difficulties, Charlie held on for the rest of the race, cementing his hold on the points table.Charlie was delighted. “This has been a fantastic weekend for me and the team. It’s great to get another win here at Eastern Creek and to be leading the championship. I was easily fastest in testing so qualifying was a bit frustrating – but taking another win made up for it. The whole team is pushing hard and I think we’ll be very strong for the last rounds of the season – we’re really confident and I can’t wait to get to Phillip Island next month.”

Performance Racing’s Frankie Cheng dominated the British F3 National Class field this weekend in Brands Hatch, taking two pole positions, two victories, and two fastest laps at the famous British track. The Chinese driver was flawless all weekend, but had to work very hard on both races, as he fought to keep championship rival Sergio Perez behind him in the first race, and his own team mate Ricardo Teixeira in the second one! He was rewarded by moving back into the championship lead, together with Perez. As the fight for the championship hots up, the Kumho Tyres Formula 3 drivers return to Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit on 11-12 August to battle for round six.

Leading Formula Renault BARC entrant Russell Racing heads to Silverstone National Circuit next weekend, 21st/22nd July, aiming for yet another season’s best performance during rounds five and six of the championship…

Next weekend (21/22 July) at Rockingham it's the turn of the Motorsport News Caterham Roadsport Challenge to entertain, with championship leader Jeremy Ellis bidding to get back on to the stop step of the podium after missing out on victory last month at Castle Combe. Ellis's closest points challenger and Kent neighbour Toby Dicker will be out to stop him, as will mercurial Melton Mowbray 18-year-old James Davis on what is his home circuit. In Roadsport B there have been four different race winners already this season and the championship top four - Gareth Thomas, Chris Legg, Andrew Thomas and Paul Storton - will be out to gain an advantage.

Mark Primett was the winner in the Ace Deliveries Sports/Saloons race at Croft, his Banks Europa leading Paul Dobson’s Mazda RX7 across the line with 1.753 seconds to spare. Dobson had managed to get into then lead early on before Primett retook him with only a couple of laps to run. In the BARC Clubmans race Daniel Gibson beat Paul Gibson by 0.6secs, Both drivers were in Mallock Mk35’s whilst third placed Mike Evans was in a Mk16. In the Universal Services Classic FF2000’s Clive Wood and David Gathercole shared the honours with a win a-piece. Wood, in a Van DIeman RF82 held off Erik Pageno’s RF82 in race one to win by 1.153secs while Gathercole’s Pilbeam was third. In the second race the latter won from Tom Pope by 1.5secs with Andy Huxtable third. In the DDMC’s Northern Saloon race (Class A, E &G) Duncan Marshall’s Phoneix came out on top ahead of Tim Evans Honda Phoenix. In the Class B, C &D race Andrew Morrison won in his SEAT Cupra ahead of Steve Ferguson’s Pulsar GTi R and Chris Huntley’s Toyota MR2. In the Classic FF1600 race Rory Farrell won in a Crossle 45f from Simon Davey’s Van Dieman RF81. Andy Schulz won the Easytrack Production BMW race ahead of Liam Crilly and Andrew Partridge.

Leading Formula Renault UK entrant Manor Competition returned to its rightful place on the top step of the podium at Donington Park National Circuit on Sunday, 15th July, after seeing Alexander Sims take victory during the 11th round of the 2007 season…

In further news, the Formula 3 Euroseries operation of sister-team Manor Motorsport enjoyed a maiden victory for Franck Mailleux at Mugello in Italy on Sunday, the rookie’s first ever F3 race win.

In the Toyo Tyres Pre-93 Touring Car races at a wet Croft over the weekend Ken Lark was a double winner. His VW Corrado winning from Brian Steven’sJag Xj12 on both occasions. In the Kumho BMW races Richard Mallinson won both from James Perrott with Martin Webb third in race 1 and Dan Stringfellow in race 2. In the York Fitness Post Historic races Pete Hallford took his Camaro to victory, twice! Stephen Primett was second in the opening encounter, 4 seconds behind the winner while Dave Thomas brought his Capri Mk 1 home in third. Race two saw Thomas take second with Roger Stanford third in a BMW 2002.

Scott Dixon took his second win in a row at the Nashville Superspeedway Leading from Pole Dixon beat Franchitti into second to reduce the gap in the Championship to just 34 points.

Leanne Tander finished second in race two at Eastern Creek at the weekend. She's still third in the championship

Mika Hakkinen won the DTM race at Mugello his Mercedes crossing the line just 0.371 seconds ahead of Mattias Ekstrom’s Audi. Third was Paul Di Resta in the old 2005 model Mercedes. Ekstom’s second place puts him back into the lead in the Championship, 6.5 points ahead of Bernd Scheider who failed to pick up any points in Italy, finishing back in eleventh place.

The Hitech Racing team scored another victory in the Lloyds TSB Insurance British Formula 3 International Series, as Estonian Marko Asmer took a lights-to-flag win in Round 11 of the championship. His team-mate, Austrian Walter Grubmüller took two brilliant top ten finishes in the two races.

Richard Tannahill took his maiden British Formula Ford win at Brands yesterday(Sunday) by winning Round 11. Not content with that he then double his tally by winning round 12 later in the day.

The weekend's two drama-filled Brands Hatch rounds of the Volkswagen Racing Cup in association with Hankook provided not only crowd-pleasing thrills but also some superb race action and a new championship leader

Bradley Ellis and teammate Alex Mortimer clinched a double Avon Tyres British GT Championship win in rounds six and seven on 14 & 15 July, made all the more sweeter on Ellis’ home circuit of Brands Hatch, Kent. Astonishingly, the pair started the weekend lying fifth in the championship but walk away leading the series.

Jeremy Metcalfe suffered disappointment at Donington Park National Circuit earlier today having seen his hopes of a potential podium challenge come unstuck through no fault of his own.

Triple race winner Will Bratt saw his Formula Renault UK title campaign continue to gather momentum at Donington Park National Circuit yesterday(Sunday) during the 11th and 12th rounds of the season, the Apotex Scorpio Motorsport sensation moving into the championship top three for the first time in his career with yet another podium result.

JHR Developments racer Andrew Herron served up a masterclass in the art of overtaking during round six of the ELF Renault Clio Cup at Donington Park National Circuit today, Sunday, 15th July, achieving an incredible ninth place to match his previous best result of the year after being forced to start a lowly 27th on the grid…

Team Parker Racing’s David Epton (right) had a tough Porsche Carrera Cup GB baptism during his championship debut at Donington Park National Circuit over the weekend, 14th/15th July, but the Preston 26-year-old remains up-beat and is now looking forward to the next meeting of the season where he aims to be a consistent top eight finisher…

Erkut Kizilirmak has moved into the top 10 of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship’s Independents Trophy battle after a successful weekend of firsts for the Arkas Racing star at Donington Park, the event marking his maiden race meeting at the Leicestershire venue and also his first ever experience of racing in the wet…

Graham Fennymore

gave a masterclass in race winning at Brands Hatch yesterday (Sunday), proving to all his Avon Tyres Caterham Superlight Challenge rivals that it will take an extraordinary effort to stop him retaining his championship crown

The BRSCC were back at Anglesey over the weekend with the Historic F3’/500cc F Junior race getting things started. Peter Williams won the first of MKXI and Roy Hunt Third in a Martin 500. In the second race Williams again won in his BT15 , Hunt was second and Gordon Russell completed the podium in a Markson 500. In the Club NW FF1600 race James Cole took his Van Dieman RF99 to victory in the race for Classes A & B on Saturday with Gary Jones second and Stuart Gough third. On Sunday in race 2 Gough took the glory beating Cole with 2 seconds in hand. Graham Carroll was third. In the first race for Classes C,D & E, David Bailey won in a Reynard 89FF from Stuart Jones by just 0.448seconds. Third, 4 seconds behind was Lee Hannan. Bailey repeated the win in race two with Jones second once again, 1,2 seconds behind while third went to Douglas Crosbie 1.7 seconds behind the leader.

In the www.ddandautos.co.uk Ford XR Challenge Championship at Anglesey Mark Robinson took a brace of wins from Simon Robinson and Stephen Poolewhile in the Enterprise EDGE Club F3 races Jon Gray and Keith Baldwin were the winners on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Chris Needham was second in both races with Stephen Clegg was third in Saturday’s race and Gray took the place on Sunday. Simon McFie and Martin Riman each won a racfe in the FIAT Challenge with Lee Malling second in the first race with Riman third while in race two McFie followed Riman home with Melling third. The Moose Trophy races for FF1600 were won by David Bailey and Gary Jones.

At Castle Combe , once again features wet weather racing, Ian Stapleton won the Alfashop Alfa Romeo race easily in his Alfetta GTV6 from Roger Evans GTV and Andy Page’s Guilietta. Daniel Brown won both the T_Car races with William Buller second in both. Ed Moore did the double in his Van Dieman RF00 in the Melton Concrete Products FF1600 races heading Ben Norton’s Spectrum by 0.7 secs in race 1 and Josh Fisher’s Mygale by 1.4secs in race 2. Rod Birley won the first of two Dunlop Motorsport News Saloon car races in an Escort WRC with Richard Brent second in a Pegeot 205 and Andy Thompson third in a SEAT Leon. Birley also won the second event with Thompson second and Brent third. In Combe’s own Saloon car series, the National Mobile Windscreens event, Russell Humphrey’s Evo took the honours by 16 seconds from Mark Wyatt’s Astra and Keith Murray’s Audi A4 Quattro. Rob Clarke won the savesometax.co.uk Special GT race in a Radical. Simon Tilling was second in another Radical with Shane Marshall third in a Mallock. Benn Simms won the Historic F3 race in his March 803B, Paul Smith was second in a Ralt RT1 and Alex Ames third in a Chevron B38. Mark Funnel won both the Lotus Elise races.

Fortec Motorsport’s Dean Smith won round 12 of the Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship at Donington Park National circuit on Sunday, his first win since May. The victory extends his lead in the title chase to 15 points, second is his team-mate Duncan Tappy , who finished third.. Apotex Scorpio Motorsport’s Will Bratt was second to move up to third in the Championship.

Ben Winrow scored his first victory of the season in round six of the ELF Renault Clio Cup at Donington Park National circuit on Sunday,(15^th July). The Total Control Racing driver took the lead on the opening lap and was never headed and went on to win by 5.938s from JHR Developments’ Robert Lawson. Momo UK’s Stefan Hodgetts extended his Championship lead with third place.

Jonathan Walker led nearly all the way at Castle Combe yesterday (Sunday) to win the Circuit Driver Caterham Academy Group 1 race. It was the Surrey-based Motorsport designer's second event win of the season and it extends his championship lead.

Jonathan Adam(below) and Tim Boardman takes the honours in the SEAT Cupra Cup as heavy rain causes carnage in the opening race.

Calum Macleod wins round 10 of the British Formula Ford Championship at Brands Hatch although the race was marred by a series of incidents, includign one at the start when Linton Stuteley stalled on the grid and was hit by Chris Maliepaard.

Fortec's Sebastian Hohenthal took the chequered flag for the first time in British F3 and he couldn't hid his delight. Atte Mustonen of Raikkonen Robertson Racing took his maiden podium finish, with Marko Asmer finishing 3rd to extend his championship lead to 78 points over Maro Engel. 'Frankie' Cheng finished off a perfect weekend with another win and fastest lap from pole position in the National Class. With Sergio Perez finishing 2nd, the pair are level on points at the top of the table after 12 races. In the first race, Round 11, Marko Asmer scored his 7th win of the year, taking a dominant lights-to-flag victory. Behind the Estonian things weren't so clear cut early on but Stephen Jelley came out on top, leading Double R team mate Jonathan Kennard to the flag. Rodolfo Gonzalez had his best race of the year, fighting his way back from 12th on the first lap to finish 4th. 'Frankie' Cheng won the National Class but Sergio Perez was a lot closer to the Chinese driver than the qualifying positions would've suggested. Viktor Jensen took his 5th podium finish of the year after starting 24th on the grid and 4th in class after a long battle for position with Mike Meadows.

Red Devil Comtec made a winning return to the World Series Formula Renault 3.5 thanks to the performance of Alejandro Nuñez. Taking full advantage of his position on the reverse grid, the Spaniard went into the first corner in front before moving clear of runner-up Milos Pavlovic (Draco Racing). The ever-consistent Sebastian Vettel (Carlin Motorsport) finished third to extend his lead in the championship

Jason Plato regained his Championship lead in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship races at Donington Park today winning the second and third races after Gordon Shedden had won the opening round. Erstwhile Championship elader Fabrizio Giovanardi struggled in the wet conditions, his best result coming in race 2 when he finished third.

Alexander Sims wins his first race in Formula Renault UK at Donington. after the race was red stopped due to torrential rain.

Tim Bridgman held off his Visma Formula Palmer Audi Championship rivals to win an incident-packed wet race on Saturday 14 July at Castle Combe while Stefan Wilson mastered the conditions best on Sunday to take his second win of the year

Ultimate Motorsport had their best finish ofthe season today(Sunday) n the British International Formula 3 Series when Michael Devaney finish 4th in the second race of the day at Brands Hatch.

After Brendon Hartley's win yesterday, Epsilon Red Bull once again took the honours at the Hungaroring. This time, it was Monaco driver Stefano Coletti's turn to prevail after an impressive solo effort. Markus Niemela (BVM Minardi) scored his first podium finish, while Nelson Panciatici (SG Formula) confirmed that he was back on form

Marco Mapelli and Charlie Hollings both win at Eastern creek in the Kumho Tyres Australian F3 Championship..

Scott Dixon won the Nashville 200 in the IRL closing the gap to Championship leader Dario Franchitti who finished second. Third was his team-mate at Andertti Green, Danica Patrick.

Robbie Pecorari claimed his first Indy Pro Series victory winning the Sunbelt Rentals 100.

BUSY START TO THE SUMMER FOR KYLE MARCELLI - FORDS & MAZDAS, TESTING & RACING . 17 year-old Kyle Marcelli has had a busy start to his summer as he continued to impress in the Ontario Formula Ford Championship and started the next phase of his development by testing and racing a Star Mazda series car at the prestigious Steelback Grand Prix of Toronto.

Northwest Autosport driver Eric Freiberg has served notice that he will be a driver to contend with for the remainder of the season after another strong showing, running in the top three for a time, and finishing eighth in Round Seven of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear on the Exhibition Center street circuit in Toronto, Canada during the Champ Car Steelback Grand Prix of Toronto weekend..

Bavaria's Assen Champ Car race title sponsorship was officially announced today at a press conference at the Bavaria Brewery in Lieshout. The official name of the event will now be: Bavaria Champ Car Grand Prix Powered by Audi, Gant & Hertz. In addition to adding their name to the event, Bavaria will also now undertake an intensive promotional campaign leading up to the race week. Ads for the upcoming race will appear on beer bottles, beer boxes, POS displays in stores and in bars and on the Bavaria delivery trucks.
“Champ Car is getting every day more popular in Europe and the target group of Motorsports is getting wider,” Bavaria’s Peer Swinkels told ChampCarWorld.net. “The word 'Perfection’ is an important keyword. Champ Car is all about perfection; with perfection you’re able to win races. We do the same thing, we try to brew the best beer. This sponsorship is for us a win-win situation. In the Netherlands we can confirm our brand as a Dutch Brand, while the USA is a growing market for us and we could use the exposure.”

Formula Renault UK race winner Jeremy Metcalfe signalled his intent to add more race victories to his 2007 tally at Donington Park National Circuit this weekend after setting the fastest time during the second of two sessions of pre-event testing at the 1.96-mile Leicestershire venue yesterday(12 July)..

Kris Szekeres joins Patrick Carpentier for his third consecutive start with SAMAX Motorsport in Round 9 of the 2007 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series tonight(Friday), the inaugural race at the newly built 9-turn Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. The 1.3-mile (2.092-Km) roval track (part road course, part oval) was designed by NASCAR driver Rusty Wallace.

Will Bratt confirmed he will be in the hunt for podium results once again when the second half of the Formula Renault UK season starts at Donington Park National Circuit this weekend, the triple race winner posting top three times in both of yesterday's(July 12) test sessions at the famous Leicestershire track.

Champ Car World Series President and CEO Steve Johnson has announced that Tony Cotman has been named Executive Vice President, Operations. Cotman, who has a long and distinguished career in motorsports, will be responsible for much of the day-to-day operations of the Series including legal, personnel, finance and marketing. He also will continue in his critical role as Race Director until he has identified a replacement and the best time to relinquish his duties. "We're enjoying one of the most successful seasons in recent memory," Johnson said. "As we grow and prosper, it's important that we not only hire new executives but also promote quality people like Tony to key management positions so we can pursue the goals that we have established for the Series. Tony is extremely knowledgeable about the operations of the Champ Car World Series and I believe increasing his areas of responsibility will be beneficial to our company as we focus on the opportunities ahead of us." Cotman, who worked his way up from a mechanic in New Zealand to a championship winning crew chief and team manager, moved to the Champ Car organization in 2005 as Vice President, Operations and to serve as Race Director.

Bahraini Salman Al Khalifa returns to the British Formula 3 International Series this weekend at Brands Hatch, racing with a new team and with the backing of a brand new sponsor. Having contested the opening 8 races this year, the 2005 FBMW Asia champion missed the last round at Monza, but has returned for rounds 11 and 12. Al Khalifa, who became the first Bahraini to stand on the podium in the British F3 championship with third place at Oulton Park in April, has switched to defending National Class champions T-Sport for the rest of the season. He also unveiled a new 'gold sponsor' in the shape of Unicorn Investment Bank. Preparations for the weekend began on Tuesday as Salman tested with T-Sport for the first time at Pembrey, leaving him in positive mood after a successful day at the Welsh circuit. Salman said: "It was a very good day and I was delighted to meet with the guys from T-Sport. They gave me a very warm welcome and their hospitality has made me feel part of the team very quickly."

The reigning Miss England, Georgia Horsley, will be joining Team RPM drivers Alex Mortimer and Bradley Ellis at Brands Hatch this weekend for Round 7 of the Avon Tyres British GT Championship. With nine of the best looking supercars in the world represented this season Miss England will certainly be adding a further glamorous touch to the British GT Grid. The 20-year-old, who will represent her country in the Miss World Finals in December, has been invited to the event by Team RPM sponsor Cult Energy and she will spend the day with the team and be seen on the grid prior to the second 60-minute British GT race of the weekend.

David Epton declared himself very happy with his Porsche Carrera Cup GB track debut at Donington Park yesterday during the official test for this weekend’s 11th and 12th rounds. Having announced his switch from the Formula Renault UK Championship last week, the Preston-based 26-year-old got his first ever taste of a 400bhp Porsche 911 GT3 car during 2 x 45-minute sessions ending up 10th overall on combined times with a best lap of 1m 10.691 seconds (99.67mph). During the first session David was 8th fastest with a lap of 1m 11.279 seconds (98.85mph) which he improved by six 10ths of a second during the afternoon. The Honeywell Aerospace, Universal Weather & Aviation Inc and Imperial Jet-backed driver says there is still more to come during the weekend. “I really did enjoy my first run in the Porsche today and I’m aiming to be in the top eight for my first qualifying on Saturday,I’m a bit annoyed I wasn’t faster, even though these are my first ever laps in a car of this type, but I know a made a few mistakes and should definitely have got more out of the tyres. We’ll go through the data, see where I can gain the most time from and as long as I drive smoothly I’m confident we stand a good chance of being in the top eight on the grid. The races will be longer than I’ve been used to in Formula Renault but I’m confident we can go well.” As an aside Epton assisted the Apotex Scorpio Motorsport FRenault UK team in the first of the category’s two test sessions setting a best lap of 1m 07.226 seconds (104.81mph).

Two teams dominated the three hours of collective F Renault testing at the Hungaroring: Epsilon Red Bull and SG Formula. Brendon Hartley and Jules Bianchi were the quickest in yesterday’s test sessions, but their team-mates have yet to throw in the towel.

The first ever World Series Formula Renault 3.5 meeting at the Hungaroring got underway yesterday with four hours of collective testing. Alvaro Barba (Draco Racing) took the best time of the day, followed by Filipe Albuquerque (Epsilon Euskadi) and Marco Bonanomi (RC Motorsport). The favourites, Sebastian Vettel (Carlin Motorsport) and Alvaro Parente (Tech 1 Racing), finished outside the top ten….

A total of five Volkswagen Race Touaregs will contest the 2008 Dakar Rally, it is confirmed today (Thursday), with double World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz once again leading the squad. Volkswagen today completed its driver line-up for the world's toughest rally, Germany's Dieter Depping stepping into the team alongside Spaniard Sainz, South Africa's Giniel de Villiers and American Mark Miller. The fifth Race Touareg, prepared by the Lagos customer team, will be driven by Portugal's Carlos Sousa. Welcoming multiple German Rally Champion Depping to the team, Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen said: 'Dieter and his co-driver, Timo Gottschalk, (pictured with Depping on the right) fit perfectly in the team. They have covered an enormous test mileage in the last few months and their signing has enabled us to finalise the Volkswagen squad ahead of schedule. I think we have an excellent combination for the next Dakar.'Volkswagen is currently engaged in an extensive test programme with the Race Touareg 2 and its 290 PS, five-cylinder 2.5-litre TDI powerplant, an example of which Sainz and his co-driver Michel Périn drove to victory on May's Rally Transibérico.The team's next preparation event will be September's Moroccan Rally, followed by the UAE Desert Challenge in October. The Dakar Rally gets underway from Lisbon on 4 January.

The Nippon Formula Three Association have announced that it will introduce a National Class next year. The move coincides with the Nippon F3 Association’s three yearly review of the Technical regulations which are expected to bring in a new chassis for 2008 , thereby making the current cars redundant. This, along with a recent decline in entries, only twelve drivers participate in the championship this year, has forced the Nippon Formula Three Association to take action and introduce a National Class running the older chassis in an effort to boost grids. More details are expected shortly.

The name of the game for Sunday's Champ Car Atlantic race at the Steelback Grand Prix of Toronto was survival, as the inclement weather took out almost two-thirds of the field before the chequered flag came out. To survive in these miserable conditions was a testament of a driver's abilities, and Justin Sofio utilized all his to bring his Mathiasen Motorsports race car home in eighth. "Justin has an amazing talent to avoid trouble during a race." said Mathiasen Motorsports owner Ray Mathiasen. "He needed all of it this weekend to survive the carnage on the track. He drove a great race with almost zero visibility at times and still was one of the only drivers to avoid any contact during the race".

The Timetable for this month’s Silverstone Classic has been announced. More than 600 entries have been drawn from the historic car and motorcycle worlds. They will fight it out on the hallowed Historic British Grand Prix circuit in 22 races, some of which boast packed fields bursting with more than 40 machines… For the latest timetable for the 2007 Silverstone Classic, please click on the following link: http://www.silverstone.co.uk/pdf/2007_classic_timetable

Oliver Jarvis continued to notch up valuable Championship points last weekend for TOM’S Toyota in the All Japan F3 Series at Suzuka with a impressive second and fourth place. Qualifying saw Jarvis, then just one point behind Championship leader, Roberto Streit, caught up in traffic leaving him with no choice but to pull out all the stops in his penultimate lap. But a spin in the tricky damp conditions left him in 9th on the grid for Round 9 while Streit was on pole. Qualifying for Round 10 was better with Jarvis setting third fastest time in the dry This time, Kodai Tsukakoshi was the quickest, followed by Streit with Jarvis.third. As Round 9 got underway Jarvis made a superb start and quickly moved up through the field early on, eventually passing Marko Asmer to finish 4th. The race was won by Streit. Round 10 saw Jarvis starting from the second row of the grid behind Tsukakoshi and Streit. Tsukakoshi made a good start while Streit was simple off the pace whicj allowed Jarvis to get by on lap 2 . Tsukakoshi went on the win with Jarvis second, challenging the leader all the way,.His TOM’S team-mate Kazuya Oshima was third with Streit back in 4th holing on to his Championship lead ahead of Jarvis in second. Jarvis will be back at Donington this weekend (14-15 July) in the Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain

Two weeks after the Formula 3 Euro Series appearance in the support programme of the French Formula 1 Grand Prix, at Magny-Cours, the 23 drivers will have to contest the season’s ninth and tenth rounds, this weekend at Mugello. Championship leader Sébastien Buemi (Mücke Motorsport) from Switzerland, travels with a three-point lead over Romain Grosjean (ASM Formule 3) to italy. The French is the only driver who succeeded in winning more than just one race, in the season to date.

After a long break the World Series by Renault gets back on track this weekend with James Walker itching to get back behind the wheel. Rounds six and seven of the series takes place at the Hungaroring, home of the Hungarian F1 Grand Prix, on the outskirts of Budapest. This will be Walker’s first visit to the track so the test day today(Thursday) will provide him with a great opportunity to learn the Hungaroring. The track is tight, twisty and notoriously difficult to overtake on so a good qualifying spot is crucial. “It has been very important for me to stay focused during the break,” said James. “My training sessions have gone well but there is a limit to what you can do out of the car. The team and I can’t wait to get back on it now. Although I’ve never been to the Hungaroring I’m looking forward to racing there; it looks challenging both from a technical point of view and, of course, physically. I need to score points this weekend. Our results so far haven’t shown our true pace so we will be working to put that right in Budapest.”

Rahal Letterman Racing, which fields entries in the IndyCar Series as well as the ALMS, has announced that it plans to run a limited number of customer cars in the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge next year. The all-Porsche series is one of the premier arrive-and-drive sportscar series in the US, with grids in excess of 45 entries at many of the races. "I have always had a passion for sportscar racing and I am very excited about the chance to share my passion with the public," said team co-owner Bobby Rahal. "This represents a new and exciting facet to our race operations and we are looking forward to providing customers with a quality program that will give them the opportunity to compete at a high level." The series runs cars based on the Porsche 997 which come with sealed engines and transmissions, putting the emphasis on driver skill. As part of the customer programme, RLR will prepare cars using staff of professional engineers and mechanics.. The cost of the entry includes a driver coach for the weekend, an engineer, weekend pit and mechanical personnel and transporter office space along with all consumables such as tyres, brakes and fuel.

Liam Kenney is looking to build on a run of form that has seen him take three victories and of five podium places in his last six races as the 2007 Formula TR Pro Series 2000 Championship heads into the second half of the 20-race season with Rounds 11 and 12 hosted at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah this weekend. Kenney, fourth in the Driver Standings, is firmly on a roll after a slow start to his rookie season having decided to create Liam Kenney Motorsports to run his car. Liam debuted at the brand-new Utah facility last season, scoring back-to-back podium finishes in Rounds 7 and 8 of the Formula TR Pro Series 1600 Championship -- experience which will no doubt prove useful upon his return this Friday and Saturday. "I can't wait to get back to Miller Motorsports Park," stated Kenney. "It's an unbelievable track and obviously it holds some pretty decent memories from my debut there last season. It's important to me that I continue to build on everything I learned from the first half of the year. We have to maintain consistency, keep winning races and hopefully go for the title!"

Joe Waters from Norwich, at 14 years old, is currently Britains youngest racing driving,has his next race in the T Car Championship at Castle Combe this weekend. Sadly he didn’t have the funds to complete the remainder of the season until East Anglian company Silver Shield Windscreens stepped into save the day and have back Joe to race this weekend.

Post Race fight mars IRL race at Watkins Glen. The Indy Racing League did not sit idly by after the post-race fight in pit lane on July 8 at Watkins Glen. The officials and stewards had it all on tape plus the eye-witness reports from officals and The Glen's staff on pit lane. (and see link to video of the incident)

Richards Labels Queensland Track "Mind Numbing" . Jason Richards has lashed out at the venue holding the next round of the Aussie V8 Supercars, Queensland Raceway, saying it is in poor condition and labelling it "mind numbing". In 2005, the 30-year-old Kiwi survived a massive accident after tangling with rival Paul Morris. His Holden Commodore hit an errant kerb which vaulted the car into a series of spectacular and frightening barrel rolls, Richards emerging from the battered wreck with only minor injuries. "To be honest, I can't stand the place - it conjures up nothing but bad memories for me and I don't enjoy it," Richards said. "The [track] designers did a poor job from the start. They had a blank sheet of paper and plenty of cash and came up with a paper clip. It's the most mind numbing track we drive and is seriously as painful as pulling teeth." Richards said he believed the track was also not in great shape. "Not only is Queensland Raceway a lousy design, but the track is deteriorating and getting lots of bumps in it - it's in generally poor shape," Richards said. "You can't enjoy the circuit on any level. Even if you are having a bad day at Phillip Island or Oran Park you can enjoy the circuit, but not Queensland. "I take my hat off to the local V8 teams for having the patience to test there as I wouldn't."

T-Sport are pleased to announce the signing of Sh. Salman bin Rashid Al Khalifa, the 2005 Formula BMW Asia Champion, for the remainder of the 2007 British F3 International Series. Salman will race alongside Rodolfo Gonzalez and Sergio Perez. The young Bahraini is currently lying eighth in the British F3 National Class standings with 48 points. He started the season with Promatecme and scored his first podium at the first round of the season at Oulton Park. Salman said, “I am excited about this move to T-Sport. Russell’s experience and guidance will be of great value to me at this point in my racing career. I am also looking forward to working with Rodolfo (Gonzalez) and Sergio (Perez), who are both great racers. It will be interesting to share data with them and learn from them.”

The 2007 Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda series champion will be crowned on August 12 following the Generac Grand Prix at Road America. However, the 2007 champion will have the opportunity to do battle against his fellow competitors once more on December 1 as officials from the Champ Car Atlantic and Grand Prix Arizona announced that the Atlantics will have a non-championship "dash for cash" alongside the Champ Car World Series season finale. The 50-minute timed Atlantic race will feature a $100,000 purse and has been dubbed the "Dash in the Desert." "Adding Phoenix as a bonus event to the 2007 Champ Car Atlantic Championship is a tremendous opportunity for our series and I must thank Grand Prix Arizona and the Champ Car World Series for extending the invitation to us," said Champ Car Atlantic Managing Director Vicki O'Connor. "While the race will not count toward the championship, I believe the event will be a lot of fun for our drivers, teams and sponsors and will be just as hotly-contested as the 12 points-paying events on our schedule. Our teams have been extremely supportive of this decision to extend our season and our series partners are also thrilled with the opportunity to participate in the inaugural Grand Prix Arizona weekend with the Dash in the Desert.". It will also be the first non-championship Atlantic event since a race at Trois-Rivieres, Quebec as part of what was then known as the Labatt Challenge Series in 1978. "The Grand Prix Arizona is going to be a phenomenal weekend," said Grand Prix Arizona President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Freudenberg. "We are thrilled to host the 'Dash in the Desert' at our inaugural event and think our fans will see incredible racing action."

The 2007 Formula TR Championship Series resumes this weekend after a four week break with Rounds 11 and 12 on July 13 and 14 at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. This will be the first of two visits the Formula TR PRO Series will make to the outstanding Miller Motorsports Park facility. These two rounds are in support of the NASCAR Grand National West series in their first visit to Miller Motorsports Park and will be using the 3.06 mile outside loop configuration of the circuit. Sergio Pena continues to lead the 1600 Series and John Knudsen remains on top in the 2000 Series at the half way point of the series; there are still 10 rounds of competition remaining which means everyone in the series still has a chance at the titles. The points at the half way stage are: 1600 Series Sergio Pena (301), Ryan Booth (281), Joshua Goshen (225), Felice Snider (186), Kristin Braun (156), Kerstin Smutny (120). 2000 Series John Knudsen (281), Bill Goshen (261), Luis Martinez Jr. (237), Liam Kenney (221), Christian Franck (217), Jim Booth (189). Tickets are available through http://www.millermotorsportspark

WS FR3.5: Prema Powerteam - Hungaroring Preview The World Series by Renault engines will be lighting up once again for the fourth round of the championship, which will take place on the winding circuit of Budapest in Hungary from the 12th to the 15th of July.As this is the first time the series has raced at the circuit the organisers have set up an extra test day for Thursday, to allow teams and drivers to familiarise themselves with the track. Friday will see official testing, while Saturday the drivers will take to the track for qualifying and race 1 with race 2 on the Sunday. Prema Powerteams’s drivers Ben Hanley and Xavier Maassen will set up camp at Budapest intent on making the race a turning point in their season. Hanley will be looking for his first victory, while Maassen in his debut year is looking to climb further up the grid and challenge for points. These are objectives that Prema are confident they can achieve.

A different Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship to the one that started the season will return to Sydney's Eastern Creek raceway this weekend.

The Australian Formula Ford Championship continues on July 20-22, with round five to be contested at Queensland raceway as the series welcomes talented local contestant Adam Graham, who will drive the championship winning Spectrum driven by John Martin in 2006…

Niall Quinn is hoping that last year's runner up spot in the Dunlop Young Driver of the Year competition will be the springboard to overall victory this year after becoming the third of six drivers nominated for the award. Quinn's performances in the German Formula BMW championship this year have led to his selection as Dunlop Young Driver of the Month for June, one of six nominated drivers who will be gunning for the €35,000 top spot at the end of the season

Patrick Carpentier officially announced on Tuesday at a press conference held in Montreal that he will compete in the inaugural NASCAR Series Busch race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on August 4, 2007. Sitting next to his new sponsors on the podium, the Quebec-born driver made public his plans to race in front of his home crowd in the two major events held the first weekend of August. The media conference was designed to update the Canadian media on the support of major companies such as Zellers, Komatsu, Dodge Quebec Dealer Advertising Association and Cinemas Guzzo in his new foray in NASCAR.. The Canadian driver revealed that he will drive the Fitz Motorsports Dodge in the NAPA Auto Parts 200 - Presented by Dodge. Based in Mooresville, North Carolina and owned by Armando Fitz, the team has been competing in the Busch Series since 2001 and is considered one of the leading independent teams in the division.

James Winslow returns to Eastern Creek Raceway for round five of the Kumho Tyres Australian F3 Championship confident on several fronts. Not only is his Opes Prime Dallara at the top of its game and a proven racewinner, but the weekend is the first ‘return visit’ of the season, meaning that he will not have to spend the early part of the meeting learning the circuit or developing a set-up. Wins at each of the last two rounds have lifted Winslow into the thick of the action and he now lies just nine points off the championship lead. “I really enjoy Eastern Creek,” Winslow reveals, “The circuit has a bit of everything, from the downhill run into the flat-out challenge of turn one, the tighter corners at two and nine, and the tricky final turn that you have to get right to make sure you carry maximum speed down the long main straight. “All I need now is a win or two and it could become one of my absolute favourites!”

New Ollerton-based Formula Renault UK team Manor Competition is gearing up for the first of two visits this year to its local circuit, Donington Park in Leicestershire, which will host the 11th and 12th rounds of the season this weekend, 14th/15th July

Ultimate Motorsport return to home shores for this weekend’s British F3 International Series Round at Brands Hatch hoping to build on their recent success in Europe as they continue to close in on their first podium finish.

Juno Racing raced to their second win of the VdeV season at the latest round, the 3Hours of Dijon. Taking the win now places Rob Croydon and Adrian Mardlin(pictured) at the head of the VdeV Championship table. There was further cause for celebration with the Juno’s of Richard Bernans & David Zollinger and Sam Allpass & Sarah Reader finishing in 6th and 10th respectively.

After a break of over two months, the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 drivers are due to meet up again at the Hungaroring for the third round of the season. Six drivers have already moved clear at the top of the overall standings, but there is little between them. Who from Hartley, Pic, Turvey, Waldschmidt, Kechele and MÃ¤ki will end the summer as leader? With 4 races gone, the top 7 drivers are separated by just 14 points. After a faultless performance in Belgium, Brendon Hartley (Epsilon Red Bull) was off the pace at the Nurburgring, managing only 8th, he really needs to return to form at the Hungaroring. And he appears ready to do so after setting the fastest time in testing at Magny-Cours last month. Second spot is currently held by French driver Charles Pic (SG Formula). Who hit top form at the Nurburgring taking his first race win. Now just six points behind Hartley if he can continue his good form this weekend at Val de Vienne in the French championship, he'll should head to Hungary full of confidence. Oliver Turvey (Jenzer Motorsport) lies third in the standings, the British driver, voted McLaren Autosport BRDC young driver of the year, has so far only finished in the top three once, following the disqualification of Waldschmidt. He must raise his level be in the running to win races! Equal third with Turvey is Henki Waldschmidt, who has been the quickest driver so far this season. But two disqualifications for technical non-compliance have cost the Dutchman 22 points. Instead of being well ahead of the rest, he now has to push hard to get back to the top. Behind these four, Frank Kechele (Motopark Academy) has yet to make it onto the podium while a third and a second place at the Nurburgring, for Mika Maki (Red Bull Epsilon) shows he is improving fast.

The Formula BMW UK Championship 2007 heads to Donington Park this weekend with the series passing its halfway point last time out at Oulton Park. The race for the title is however far from decided. Fortec’s Marcus Ericsson remains at the top of the table with 354 points, closely followed by his team-mate, Henry Arundel who is just 6 points adrift in second. Arundel scored his first Formula BMW win in Round Five at Thruxton. And his numerous trips to the podium have kept him in contention to become the first driver to convert a Rookie title into outright Championship success. In third is Czech Josef Kral of Double R racing. After a non-finish at the start of the season, Kral has moced up the order. taking five wins 8 points off Ericsson. Fourth-placed Carlin Motorsport driver Henry Surtees is looking for his first win of the season. He has the pace to challenge the front-runners, he now needs to make the final step to the top of the podium to his championship aspirations. Whatever the outcome, Donington, with its fast, sweeping corners, promises some epic wheel-to-wheel action .

Chevrolet continued its dominance in the streets of Porto by scoring a historic 1,2,3 in the first of the weekend’s races. Alain Menu, Rob Huff and Nicola Larini finished the incident-packed race in the order they had started in, letting none of their competitors even have a look at the podium. It was the first time since the beginning of Chevrolet WTCC programme in 2005 that three Lacetti's locked out the podium. For Alain Menu, it was his third 2007 win, the first driver to achieve this level of success this year. Rob Huff scored his first podium finish of the year and set fastest race lap in race 1, but a misjudgment and dirty tyres from driving off line left him without points in race 2. Menu again finished on the podium in race 2, after Larini crashed under braking while in third. Andy Piraulx won with Jorg Muller second. Menu now ties with Larini for fifth in the championship, but takes the position courtesy of his three victories…

The second-half of the DTM season starts at Mugello (Italy) at the weekend.. The Audi team aim to reclaim the championship lead they narrowly lost at the Norisring. The omens are good. Circuits with fast, flowing corners have always suited the A4 DTM. Mugello, at 5.245 kilometres has many and these are extremely demanding, in which both the Audi A4 DTM and the Audi drivers felt particularly comfortable during the pre-season tests. The team under Head of Audi Motorsport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich also has fond memories of the last DTM visit in 2004, Mattias Ekström scored the first victory of the then brand new first generation Audi A4 DTM. The Swede, who celebrates his 29th birthday on Saturday at Mugello, travels to Italy in second place in the standings. Only 1.5 points separate him from championship leader Bernd Schneider. Lurking another four points behind is Martin Tomczyk. One of the two Audi A4 DTM cars will be driven by -time Motorbike World Champion Max Biaggi The 36-year old knows the Mugello track well as the circuit has been the home of the Italian Motorbike GP for many years. more

The Classic Saloon Car Club and the Jag Enthusiasts Club were at Cadwell over the weekend. In the Toyo Tyres XJS races Steve Davis took two wins from two. In Saturday’ opener he headed Gail Hill by 6 seconds at the flag. John Lock was third 10 seconds behind the winner. In the second race on Sunday Lock was second 3.4 secs behind with St4eve Avery third. In the Lancaster Insurance MGOC races Jeremy Perry dominated the first race with a lights to flag victory in his MGZR, 2.8secs ahead of Doug Cole. Nick Golhar was a distant third, 28 seconds adrift of the winner. In the Class A-F race Martin Wills was triumphant beating Paul Savage by just 8 tenths of a second. Paul Naish was third

Silverstone Managing Director,

Richard Phillips, has heralded this year’s FORMULA 1™ Santander British Grand Prix as one of the best and most successful events he has ever worked on.....read more

Hitech racing aims to continue its domination of the series that has so far resulted in six wins and a commanding 51 point lead by taking double victory next time out Brands Hatch (July 14/15). .

The DDMC were also at Cadwell with Rob Pritchard in dominant form in the Class A-E races. His Caterham winning the first race on Saturday by 9 seconds from Dunlan Marshall’s Phoenix. Duncan Cameron came home in third in a Ferrari 360. In Sunday’s race Pitchard again beat Marshall, this time with 17 seconds in hand while Tim Evans completed the podiu

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