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News Archive 18 Oct 07

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13/11/2007 

31-10-07

Tony Brown and Ian White  in their Butler Motorsport run BMW E36 GTR have won the 2007 Dutch Supercar Challenge Title on their first attempt. Not content with just a Class Championship the pair went out last weekend and secured the overall title. 

The top three finishers in the New Leon Cupra Class of the 2007 Blaupunkt SEAT Cupra Championship – Jonathan Adam, Fulvio Mussi and Carl Breeze – together with the winner from the Leon Cupra R Class, Harry Vaulkhard, tested SEAT Sport UK’s BTCC Leon at the Rockingham racing circuit near Corby yesterday(Tuesday), as part of their prize for a season of success. Leanne Tander, Tim Macrow and Charlie Hollings to fight out the Kumho Tyres Australian F3 Championship at Oran Park this weekend

Australian Formula 3 Championship winning outfit Team BRM has confirmed a major expansion of its F3 program though a new partnership with Opes Prime. This follows Opes Prime’s support for the team in 2007. The team will run three Opes Prime / Dallara F307 – Mercedes Benz Chassis in the 2008 Australian Drivers Championship and one F304 car in the expanded National Class competition. All entries will be competing heavily for the Championship Class prize of $80,000 or negotiated drive in the Asian V6 series the following year and the National Class prize of $40,000 or a negotiated Championship Class drive for the 2009 season. The team is also pleased to announce that Irishman Lee Farrell has been confirmed for the National Class entry, whilst there is fierce competition for the three remaining 2008 season drives in Team BRMs new F307 chassis.  The plans complete a major period of expansion for the Adelaide-based team that will once again run several cars in the Australian Formula Ford Championship.  ”We are very pleased to announce our 2008 plans,” Team BRM director Mark Rundle said. “Our relationship with Anthony and Opes Prime in the second half of the 2007 season has produced several wins and podiums and has been very successful – something we are confident will carry on into the next season.”  Opes Prime / Team BRM driver Barton Mawer will race at Oran Park, next weekend, in the final round of the 2007 championship.

Carlo van Dam tested a GP2 car for the first time at Paul Ricard in France. The reigning ATS Formula 3 Cup champion was offered the test by the ATS organisers, after winning the title. Van Dam grabbed the opportunity to do the 85 lap test with both hands. Driving the Spanish BCN Competicion car he finished the day in sixteenth place out of 26 drivers, with a fastest lap time of 1:14.503.

Carlos Sainz and his Volkswagen Race Touareg continue to hold third place overall in the UAE Desert Challenge, final round of the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup. The Spanish driver was third fastest on today's (Wednesday) 277 km special stage, just behind the Mitsubishis of Luc Alphand and Stephane Peterhansel, who have moved into first and second places overall. Sainz and his co-driver Michel Périn might have led both across the line but for time lost while stuck. 'We lost four minutes at the fourth time check, which had been set up in soft sand. We are in for another tough day on Thursday; Friday will I hope be a little easier.' ,said Carlos.   'Carlos had the misfortune to get stuck at an incorrectly placed time check,' said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen, 'and this caused him to lose the lead. Afterwards they moved the time check on to hard soil so that the following vehicles had an advantage.’Giniel de Villiers, in the second Volkswagen, maintains fifth placeThursday's stage around the Moreeb desert bivouac is the longest of the event at 339 km, followed by a 122 km road section.

UAE Desert Challenge provisional standings after leg 3
1, Luc Alphand / Gilles Picard (FRA), Mitsubishi, 10h 45m 35s
2, Stephane Peterhansel / Jean-Paul Cottret (FRA), Mitsubishi, +2m 42s
3, Carlos Sainz (ESP) / Michel Périn (FRA), Volkswagen, +4m 46s
4, Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) / Tina Thorner (SWE), BMW, +24m 18s
5, Giniel de Villiers (RSA) / Dirk von Zitzewitz (GER), Volkswagen, +26m 9s
6, Yeha Alheli / Khalid Alkhendi (UAE), Chevrolet, +2h 8m 5s

ADR’s F3 team was at Snetterton last week as part of their winter testing program. The aim was to evaluate two young Aussie hopefuls with a view to racing in the UK in 2008. Ashley Walsh and Joshua Scott spent the previous week at Brands Hatch competing in the Formula Ford Festival in the Aussie built Spectrum chassis. Last week both drivers had a seat fitting at ADR’s Silverstone based factory, before moving on to Snetterton. Both drivers settled into their new environment and with the aid of the experienced ADR crew, after a little over fifty laps they were turning out some impressive lap times.  ADR is looking to evaluate more drivers for their 2008 campaign prior to the testing ban which starts 31st December. With many F3 teams heading off to compete in the Macau Grand Prix, the ADR team is in a fortunate position to have its cars and equipment available for testing, the first time in five years.

Five drivers are in contention to take the 2007 Formula MBW Asia Driver title this weekend at the Zhuhai International Circuit in Southern China, while no fewer than seven, including all the Formula BMW Asia Junior drivers, will fight it out for Rookie Cup championship honours. The 4.3km track will be the venue for the final four races of the 22-round 2007 season.

30-10-07

The Goodwood  Festival of Speed will be held on 11-13th July 2008. Its the  16th running of the event at Goodwood House. Next year’s theme is still under discussion and will be announced later this year.  The 2008 Goodwood Revival’s 10th anniversary meeting(and the the 60th anniversary of the Goodwood  Circuit) will be on the weekend of 19-21 September. Dates could change, especially the Festival of Speed, if the FIA move the British GP!

Joey Foster,the winner of the Walter Hayes Trophy in 2003 -5, will return to the event at Silverstone this weekend. Foster will drive a Sheshon Racing Van Diemen RF78 in his first race of the year after his crash in the  German F3 Championship in 2006.

Volkswagen's Carlos Sainz advanced up the overall standings in the UAE Desert Challenge today (Tuesday), ending the second of the rally's five legs in third position overall with his TDI-powered Race Touareg. The Spanish former World Rally Champion and his French co-driver Michel Périn enjoyed a trouble-free day in the Dubai desert: 'While some teams got stuck in the sand we were lucky and finished without any trouble,' said Carlos. 'We concentrated on the treacherous dune crossings because the sand was extremely soft and difficult to judge.'   Sainz has moved ahead both of Mitsubishi's Stephane Peterhansel and South African Giniel de Villiers in the second Race Touareg, who was among those to strike trouble: 'We got stuck and lost a lot of time,' said de Villiers, 'then later we encountered some sudden, very steep slopes and suffered a rough landing. A tyre came off the rim and we had to change it.' de Villiers slipped to fifth as a result, 13 minutes behind Sainz and 22 minutes off leader Nasser Al-Attiyah's BMW.Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen added: 'It's been a long and strenuous day but both Race Touaregs delivered a perfect technical performance. I am expecting a fierce fight for the podium positions over the coming three legs.'  Wednesday's stage is a 277 km loop through mountainous dunes south of Abu Dhabi. The rally, final round of the FIA Cross-Country Rally World Cup, ends on Friday.

UAE Desert Challenge provisional standings after leg 2
1, Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) / Tina Thorner (SWE), BMW, 6h 55m 49s
2, Luc Alphand / Gilles Picard (FRA), Mitsubishi, +7m 20s
3, Carlos Sainz (ESP) / Michel Périn (FRA), Volkswagen, +9m 11s
4, Stephane Peterhansel / Jean-Paul Cottret (FRA), Mitsubishi, +11m 32s
5, Giniel de Villiers (RSA) / Dirk von Zitzewitz (GER), Volkswagen, +22m 22s
6, Guerlain Chicherit / Matthieu Baumel (FRA), BMW, +1h 25m 16s

Riki Christodoulou produced an impressive pace in the Formula Renault Eurocup series with some decent lap times around the Circuit de Catalunya just outside Barcelona last weekend. Christodoulou set pole position times through qualification and classified second fastest for the second heat on Sunday. The first sprint did not go to plan after an incident saw him veer off the track and hit the wall. He nevertheless recovered strongly and drove diligently to come back from a lowly nineteenth position on the grid to a top ten finish. Starting from second spot on Sunday he ran in third place for most of the race but a rookie mistake on turn three saw him run wide and spin out.  “On the face of it the weekend was a bit of a nightmare,” he said. “However I can take consolation from the fact that I was again on the pace and setting some of the best lap-time even though I had never been to this circuit before. I really enjoyed driving here actually; it was quick and challenging.”

Serious talks are underway between Italian motorsport promoters Peroni Promotion Incentive and Formula Master organisers to secure a national syndication of the International Series in Italy as early as 2008.The Italian version is set to become another national syndication to emerge from Formula Master’s international success this year, following plans for Oceania Formula Master to take place in 2008/2009 with races planned for Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Philippines and New Zealand.Several other national and regional options are being considered, including South America following a recent request from local promoters. “Negotiations are going extremely well for several national series,” said Formula Master Series Director Mauro Sipsz. “An agreement is already in place for Peroni to promote the Series in Italy and talks between MSC, the organisers of Formula Master, and Peroni are now focused on ensuring that the project goes ahead in 2008.”

Andretti Green Racing's Bryan Herta will be on hand for this week's SEMA Show, the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Herta will be at the show representing XM Satellite Radio, the primary sponsor of AGR's Acura entry in the LMP2 class of the American Le Mans Series. "It's a place that people use to talk about the season we just had with the Acura and our first season, as well as starting to talk about next year's expectations," Herta said. "There's a lot of motorsports media at the show, and there's always a chance to tie in with them." Last year's SEMA show saw the unveiling of the No. 26 Acura entry with XM sponsorship. This year's event is scheduled for Tuesday through Saturday. Herta finished seventh in the 2007 P2 championship. He won in class at Sebring with Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan, and had two other podium finishes with Marino Franchitti (second at Houston and third at Mosport). It marked Herta's first full season in the Series since 2002.

29-10-07

The British Formula Ford Championship has lost a staunch supporter - Ray Formula Cars founder Bert Ray, who died on Friday (26 Oct) following a long illness.  The company made its first Formula Ford in 1971, and it is Ray's proud boast that it is the longest-established Formula Ford chassis maker still winning races. Bert's death came only five days after his firm's latest triumph, in the Formula Ford Festival, which was won by Ray driver Nick Tandy. "The Ray name has become synonymous with Formula Ford and everyone involved with the championship is saddened to hear of Bert's death," said Sam Roach, director of championship promoter RacingLine. "We extend our sympathy to the Ray family and to all those associated with the company. We will all, I am sure, take comfort from the fact that Bert lived to see another Formula Ford Festival victory for one of his cars."   Bert started his career working for race gearbox company Jack Knight Developments and from there went to Brabham as a mechanic working alongside Denny Hulme (later the 1967 World Champion). Bert left Brabham in 1968 to set up Ray Race and, three years later, his first Formula Ford took to the track in the Formula Ford Festival. Scores of race and championship victories were to follow.

Rookie ELF Renault Clio Cup driver Andrew Herron is delighted to confirm his participation in the upcoming 2007 Winter Championship after agreeing a late deal to continue with JHR Developments squad for the annual four round series

British Formula 3 Champions Hitech Racing has concluded its first post-season test programme with impressive performances at Oulton Park and Silverstone.  The team, and its regular driver Walter Grubmüller, were joined at the Cheshire track on Wednesday and on Monday in Northamptonshire by Mexican sensation Rodolfo Gonzalez and Swede Sebastian Hohenthal as it carried out evaluations prior to next season. Read more

Richard Keen and Tim Bridgman were the winners in the pening rounds of the Formula Palmer Audi Autumn series....full report

tavo Yacamán yesterday(Sunday)  became the youngest driver to win a race if the Spanish Formula 3 Championship when won the second race in Jerez at 16 years, 8 months and 3 days old. The Colombian started from pole, had a intense battle with Bruno Méndez (Emiliodevillota.com) who finish in second. Manel Cerqueda (Tec Auto) completed the podium in a race that leaves the title still undecided until the next round on November 10th and 11th at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Team USA Scholarship winners Patrick Barrett and Joel Miller made a good impression on their peers in the opening rounds of the Formula Palmer Audi Autumn Trophy. The three races were held in miserably wet conditions at Brands Hatch, not a great introduction to European racing but good experience never-the-less…read more

Jimmie Johnson came out the winner at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Nextel Cup and then donated his  winnings to the Red Cross to benefit those who had lost out in the wildfires in his home state of California. "Today is a great day on a lot of fronts, in so many ways. We had a good car today and as Chad pointed out, probably not the fastest, but his pit call at the end was really what put us in contention to win the race and got the job done for us," said Johnson. Carl Edwards followed Johnson home in second  while Reed Sorenson was third after Dale Earhardt, who had held the position, lost a tyre and hit the wall right at the end. Matt Kenseth came fourth with Jeff Burton fifth, Clint Bowyer sixth and Jeff Gordon, seventh. The result leaves Gordon with just a 9 point leader over Johnson in the Chase for the title with Clint Bowyer third.

Fairuz Fauzy’s season ended yesterday(Sunday) at the Spanish GP Circuit in Barcelona with another points finish to round off a great year for the young Malaysian. …read more

NYKJÆR AND BASOV WIN FIA EUROPEAN TOURING CAR CUPS. The 38 competitors of the third FIA European Touring Car Cup delivered two exciting races in Adria over the weekend.  By winning the second, freshly-crowned Danish Touring Car Champion Michel Nykjær clinched the Super 2000 cup. The winner of the first race, Tomas Engstrom from Sweden, took second in the points. Another Dane, Kristian Poulsen, climbed on the third step of the final podium.  Thanks to Nykjaer's and Poulsen's results, the Danish Federation (DASU) won the Nations' Cup. The Super Production class produced an all Russian podium: Aleksey Basov encored his Race 1 victory and claimed the title, from fellow countrymen Nikolay Agapov and Arkadiy Pavlovskiy. The Super 1600 class was won by Jens Guido Weimann in a Fiesta. The first race was a double win for the Honda drivers,Tomas Engstrom winning both the overall race and the Super 2000 class. Secondw as Nykjær's SEAT. The Super Production was another Russian ‘benefit’, with Aleksey Basov's Honda Civic wining from Arkadiy Pavlovskiy's Opel and Anton Markin's BMW. Weimann againwon the Super 1600 class.

James Walker rounded off a successful first year in the World Series by Renault with a strong top ten finish at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona today

28-10-07

William Buller took the laurels in all three T-Car races at Brands Hatch this weekend.  Second in race 1 and 3 was Josh Moffet who also managed a third place in the second race. Daniel Brown claimed that other second place and a third in race 1. Joe Hopkins completed the podium in the third and final race. The Ginetta Juniors had three very close races with James Jefferson winning the first by only 0.141 secs from Nigel Moore with Kieran Vernon equally close in third, 0.324 secs behind the winner!. Vernon  went one better in the second race winning from, once more, Nigel Moore, with Nick Ponting third.  In the third race Nigel Moore wasn't second, this time it was his turn to taste success finally notching up a win . Vernon was second, 0.7secs back with Jefferson third.  The Open Sports races saw John Harrison and Marcus Pye share the spoils, Harrison winning the first race in his Nemesis with Pye second in a Jade  Pye then won race two from Harrison with just 0.4secs to spare..Ake Bornebush was third in both races driving a Radical.  The SAXMAX race was won by Jake Farndon from Chrissy Palmer by only 0.840secs. James Rodger-Edwards was third 3 seconds further behind. Steve Scott took a brace of wins in the Open Saloons, his Escort WRC proving too quick for most of the opposition. Scott Lowther kept him honest in race one coming second 2.052sconds behind in an Escort Cossie with Dave Shelton's BMW Z3M third. Race two saw more of the same, although on this occasion Scott coasted to victory with 13 seconds to spare over Lowther. Third was Andy Thompson in a SEAT Leon.

Will Bratt took his first ever podium finish in Formula Palmer Audi with third place during race two of the 2007 Autumn Trophy at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit in Kent earlier today, but the 19-year-old remains disappointed not to have taken more from the weekend having been the dominant force in qualifying on Saturday

Richard Keen took two wins in the Fomula Palmer Audi Autumn Cup races at Brands hatch this weekend. Tim Bridgman won the third race after taking second behind Keen in the opening race. Jason Moore completed the podium in race 1 while Jonathon Legris and Jack Clarke were second and third respectively in the final event.  Will Bratt, racing in the series in preparation for his McLaren Autosport BRDC Award '˜shoot-out' next weekend managed a third place in race 2, a disappointing result for the Formula Renault front-runner after his two poles in qualifying yesterday.

Jon Lancaster's fifth victory in the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup confirmed him as the Championship runner-up to Brendon Bartley of Epsilon Red Bull. The race was a mirror image of yesterday's with the same three drivers filling the podium .  His team, SG Formula's day was complete when Lancaster's team mate Charles Pic 's third place  behind  Jaime Alguersuari (Epsilon Red Bull)  put him third in the Championship.

Bertrand Baguette (KTR) may made the better start but it was Ben Hanley (Prema Powerteam) who had the better race in  the World Series by Renault race in Barcelona today(Sunday). The RDD driver took his second win of the season to make sure of the runner-up spot in World Series Formula Renault 3.5 championship. The third and final podium spot went to Alejandro Nuñez (Red Devil Comtec)..

27-10-07

British Racing Drivers' Club'˜Rising Star' Will Bratt made a stunning start to his first ever weekend in a Formula Palmer Audi single-seater at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit earlier today, the Banbury sensation securing pole position for two of Sunday's three Autumn Trophy races at the 1.2-mile Kent track.

26-10-07

After taking his first victory last week in Estoril, Miguel Molina (Pons Racing) has gone on to set the fastest time in collective testing at the Barcelona circuit. Tech 1 Racing put in a superb team performance with Julien Jousse and Alvaro Parente in 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Pacific Coast Motorsports will test Atlantic driver Carl Skerlong in the #29 PCM/DP01/Cosworth/Bridgestone Champ Car at Buttownwillow Raceway on November 28th. Skerlong's rookie season featured two podium finishes en-route to his top-ten result in the 2007 Cooper Tires Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Series Powered by Mazda championship. Recognized as an up-and-coming American standout, Skerlong was named to the Pacific Coast Motorsports JR Team in June, which in turn led to this Champ Car opportunity. PCM Team Director, Tyler Tadevic commented, "We're really looking forward to testing Carl in the PCM Champ Car. We knew when we named him to the PCM JR team that he had the speed and mental ability to succeed in the top level of American open wheel racing. He is a committed young man and I expect he will do very well."

For the first time in Aussie F3  history three female drivers will race in the Kumho Tyres Formula 3 Championship.They may have teamed up in the Bathurst 12-hour production car race earlier this year, but next weekend current championship leader Leanne Tander (#42 Fleetcare TanderSport) will race against both Lauren Gray and Samantha Reid for the first time, in the final round of the Gold Star championship. 20-year-old Victorian Gray will return to the seat of her Scud Racing F301 Dallara to attempt to lock second place in the Kumho National class away, whilst young South Aussie driver Samantha ‘Samy’ Reid will make her second career start in the Scud Racing Trophy Class Dallara. .Tander – a nominee for the 2007 CAMS Motorsport personality of the year award – said that she was pleased to see the increasing number of talented females racing at the top level after being the sole representative at a national level for several years. The  final round of the Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship, featuring a winner-take-all showdown between Leanne Tander, Tim Macrow and Charlie Hollings, will be held over two races at Oran Park raceway next weekend, 3-3 Nov

Brendon Hartley, who will drive for Carlin at the 54th Macau Grand Prix next month, won the prestigious Formula Renault Eurocup championship in Estoril last weekend ahead of the final round in Barcelona. The 17 year-old New Zealander has dominated the season taking eight podium positions and four race wins. Finishing in the points at 10 out of 12 races, Hartley has racked up 119 points over the season and his 41 point advantage over his nearest rival is enough to take the title with two races remaining. The Red Bull driver joins the ranks of Felipe Massa, Scott Speed, Kamui Kobayashi and Felipe Albuquerque, who all won the junior championship before going on to succeed in the highest levels of the sport. Having completed the 2007 Formula Renault Eurocup season, Hartley heads to Macau in November, for his second outing in an F3 car. Hartley made his F3 debut earlier this year at the Zandvoort F3 Masters @ Zolder, taking an impressive fourth place, with little experience of the F3 machine. Hartley follows in the footsteps of Narain Karthikeyan, Takuma Sato, Nico Rosberg, Robert Kubica and Sebastian Vettel, who have all compete at Macau with Carlin.

Bradley Ellis is eligible to be nominated for the Autosport British Club Driver of the Year award following the fantastic form which saw him seal the 2007 Avon Tyres British GT Championship spoils, alongside teammate Alex Mortimer.  The winner of the Autosport British Club Driver of the Year award will be decided purely by Autosport magazine readers, so Ellis needs readers support to be in with a chance of clinching this coveted award. The likely candidates were revealed in Autosport last week. If you have a copy of the magazine, you need to fill out and post the entry form on page 70. But hurry, because entries close for judging on Friday 9 November. Ellis, aged just 20-years, and Mortimer took the Team RPM Viper to clinch the Avon Tyres British GT3 crown in a championship fight that went down to the wire and the final rounds at Rockingham. In his rookie GT3 year, Ellis helped take the Viper to four race wins, two second-place podiums and two third-place podiums en route to glory.Ellis commented: “It is an honour to be put forward as a likely candidate for the Autosport British Club Driver of the Year award, especially when you look at the calibre of the previous winners. It really puts the icing on the cake after such an unbelievable roller-coaster year. Now all I need is for everyone to complete their voting forms to be in with a chance of winning against some tough opposition.”          

Formula Master Champion, Jérôme D’Ambrosio will claim his prize of a GP2 test with team Campos Grand Prix next week (30 October 2007) following a superb season, which saw the him score five wins.  D’Ambrosio previously took part in Formula 3000 and Formula Renault before choosing Formula Master as the next step in career, leading to his first title in single-seater racing and a chance to impress GP2 team boss Adrian Campos. The GP2 test is scheduled on the first of a four-day official testing session for the Formula 1-feeder series, at Paul Ricard, France and D’Ambrosio has been looking forward to the opportunity since he clinched the Formula Master title at Brands Hatch last month. "This is a very important step for me, as was becoming Champion, and I really hope I can show the team the best of my skills,” said the 21-year-old. “They have seen what I can do in a Formula Master car this year but now it’s up to me to prove I can drive to the same standard in a GP2 car..”

World Speed Motorsports took four drivers last weekend to the Star Mazda Finale at Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca. Chris Cumming in his new liveried red and white #46 Inviro Medical Pro Mazda was in the points lead going into the final event, with Patrick O'Neill in a position to win it as well. Cumming out qualified the reigning SFR Formula Atlantic champion and finished ahead of him to clinch the championship.  "Chris has been working hard all year, and really made some marked improvements," stated Team Owner Telo Stewart. "We are very proud of his successful season." Chris was also the highest finishing car in the World Speed Motorsports stable at this event. Dave House and Frank McCormick also participated in the event. House gained enough points to take third in the Star Mazda West Coast Championship in his #86 Credence/Brocade Pro Mazda while McCormick used the weekend as a tune up for this upcoming weekend's SCCA race at Laguna Seca. Taylor Hacquard who came right out of kart racing this season showed glimmers of what he will be capable of when he enters a full season of car racing in 2008. The 17 year old Canadian was immediately into the top ten in practice, and went on to post the second fastest time in group one qualifying

Formula Vee returns to Kyalami, for the final Pro Tour National Championship event of the year, at The Citizen Kyalami Race Day, on the 3rd November. Although there is a small mathematical chance, that he can still lose the title, the expectation is that Alan Holm (No1 Lasersprint Rhema 2) will become the first person in the forty two year history of the category, to win three South African National Formula Vee Championships, back to back

25-10-07

Renault Sport UK is offering a unique chance for members of the public to compare themselves against some of the best racing drivers competing in the UK today, with a track day held in conjunction with the Formula Renault UK and ELF Renault Clio Winter Cup race meeting at North Yorkshire’s challenging Croft circuit…read more

Reigning ELF Renault Clio Winter Cup champion Niki Lanik will defend the title he won in 2006 after registering for this year’s four-round championship. Racing for the Youth 4 Human Rights with SVE team, Lanik continues his association with Colin Stancombe’s squad that brought him three top-12 finishes on the way to 26^th overall in the 2007 ELF Renault Clio Cup

After picking up his fourth podium place of the season, Charles Pic has moved up to 3^rd place on the Formula Renault Eurocup leaders' board

The final rounds of the Ford Fiesta Championship were showcased in front of the Formula Ford Festival last weekend…Nick Sanderson was there with his Fiesta ST team and both cars had undergone major  preparation work since the last meeting. John Findlay’s ABS sensor which had caused his braking problems was now working and Nick Sanderson’s car was mechanically repaired with some more cosmetic repairs made due to the damage sustained at the last meeting. If anyone chose to inspect the cars closely however it would reveal that both cars had been involved in “close racing” with Sanderson's car showing signs of visiting the tyre barriers. The intention was to have both cars mechanically sound with the full cosmetic overhauls to be done over the winter period. ....full report

Australian James Davison impressed Championship winning Indy Pro Series team Sam Schmidt Motorsports after being consistently fastest over the two day test evaluation. The test evaluated 4 drivers including 2007 IPS race winner Robbie Pecorari, A1GP pole winner and 2007 IPS driver Stephen Simpson, IMSA Lites Champion Gerardo Bonilla and F2000 Champion Cole Morgan.  Davison said “The test couldn’t of been any better. I now understand why Sam Schmidt Motorsports has won the Championship the last 2 seasons. I felt I drove very well and was satisfied to be the only driver sub 58.0. I focused on giving the best feedback possible and was rewarded with a perfect setup. The IPS car has 450hp but is quite heavy requiring a vastly different driving style to that of Star Mazda. The team was surprised at how quickly I adapted to it and the times I set for the first time in the car. I’m very excited by the prospects that lie ahead as my goal is to race IndyCar and ultimately win the Indianapolis 500. My 2005 Formula BMW victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has given me a small taste of what its like to win at the Racing Capital of the World.”

James Davison secured 2nd place in the Star Mazda Championship with a podium finish at the final round held at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. After leading both days of practice, qualifying was run on a drying track. A small strategic mistake to wait in the pits cost Davison and lined up 5th. The session was the most competitive qualifying of the year with 15 cars within one second. The start of the race saw Davison move into 4th position. The race then developed into a 4 way battle for the lead with Dane Cameron, Alex Ardoin and Lorenzo Mandarino. Davison was able to move into 3rd place and challenge Cameron for 2nd until the race finished under caution due to an on track incident. “It has been an unbelievable year. We had everything thrown at us with wins taken away, being taken out on two occasions and the setback of an unforeseeable mechanical issue. Winning a championship does require luck and it seemed I didn‘t quite have it this year. It is very sad for me leaving my team Velocity Motorsports, we had an incredible relationship and to finish 2nd with what we went through was an awesome achievement. Congratulations to Dane Cameron on the Championship, he is a great driver and I think after this season we have gained a lot of respect for each other.”

Anders Krohn had a slightly disappointing  first encounter with the Formula Ford Festival, ending up in 11^th. ”The pace was there to be on the podium, but luck just wasn`t on our side this time by I guess.” said Krohn...

24-10-07

SG Formula dominated the latest rounds of the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup with driver Jon Lancaster scoring two wins from two starts. His team mate Charles Pic added to the team’s domination with a second place behind Lancaster on Saturday in Round 11.  full report

Joe Waters, 14 from Norwich, will be racing this coming weekend at Brands Hatch at the final round of the T Car Championship. He is using the race to help raise awareness for MacMillan Cancer Support.  Waters, the youngest holder of an MSA Race Licence  will driver for the Norfolk based Advent Motorsport Team. Whilst Joe was excited at the prospect of this one off round which will undoubtedly help hone his fledgling skills he was also keen to use the race to help a charity close to his family’s heart.  His father, Jon, explains “We have lost a number of close family friends in the last year to cancer and during those difficult times we were in awe of the support and dedication of MacMillan so we thought it would be good to help raise awareness of their good work whilst Joe took part in a one off race.”  Therefore Joe has asked his sponsors to make a matching donation to MacMillan Cancer Support.  His car will sport the MacMillan logos alongside stickers from his other sponsors, be it a company logo, personal photo or message.  Silvershield Windscreens have pledged the race entrance fee while Advent Motorsport are adding their support by running Joe below cost and Joe has requested that should further sponsors come forward anything in excess of the running costs all be given to the MacMillan fund alongside all donations.  Their charity endeavour has also been boosted by Brands Hatch’s Jonathan Palmer who has given ten passes for volunteers to attend the race this weekend to collect donations.

SEAT Sport has signed up Rickard Rydell for their assault on the FIA World Touring Car Championship finale in Macau on November 18. Rydell, who help Yvan Muller’s bid for the WTCC crown, is vastly experienced at both the touring car races and with Macau. He won there in F3 in 1992 and in 2005 he was 3rd in a SEAT Toledo.  Rickard Rydell: "I'm really looking forward to joining the SEAT Sport team for the race in Macau. I feel right at home with SEAT and it'll be good to work with them again. My main goals of course are to support the team to win the Manufacturers' Championship and Yvan Muller in the Drivers'. Macau has always been one of my favourites because I like urban tracks, and coming back to one that saw me win an F3 race brings back fond memories."

Alvaro Parente (Tech 1 Racing) may not have had a dream weekend at Estoril, but he did score some precious points to give himself a bit of breathing space over Ben Hanley (Prema Powerteam). The two men will travel to Barcelona this weekend for a final showdown. Mathematically speaking, four men could still take the World Series Formula Renault 3.5 title: in addition to Parente and Hanley, Milos Pavlovic (Draco Racing) and Filipe Albuquerque (Epsilon Euskadi) also have the slimmest of chances. In reality, though, it's a two-horse race. The only man to rival Sebastian Vettel in the early part of the season, Parente has shown remarkable consistency, finishing in the points 12 times in 15 races. With two pole positions and two race wins (at Monaco and Spa), he has also shown ample evidence of explosive speed. Impatience has cost him a few points on more than one occasions, but he will go to Catalonia as the favourite. Ben Hanley, 22 points behind, has it all to do. Even if the RDD driver scores maximum points – which is unlikely, given the reverse grid for race 2 - he still needs Parente to score 13 points or fewer if he is to be crowned champion. With five podium finishes under his belt, including a win at Magny-Cours, he too will have to avoid repeating the mistakes of previous races, as his second place is far from certain.

23-10-07

Kieren Clark (below) will drive for Loughborough’s Apotex Scorpio Motorsport team in this year’s Formula Renault UK Winter Series.

The UAE Desert Challenge, which gets underway in Dubai on Sunday (28 October), provides the Volkswagen team with twin opportunities - the chance to secure the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup for the second time in three years and also a valuable warm-up for January's Dakar Rally

Sebastien Bourdais takes his fourth title in a row in the Champ Car World Series with a second career win at Surfers Paradise, the first driver to win a  second time down under. Rookie Robert Doornbos clinched Rookie of the year title .

Newly-crowned Formula 3 Euroseries rookie champion Edoardo Mortara, who drives for the Signature team, will race at the prestigious Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix on November 18. The narrow and bumpy street circuit contains some of the most demanding corners in world motorsport and is characterised by constantly-changing levels of grip. In total, more than 30 drivers will take the start after two qualifying sessions.  Mortara commented: I feel tremendously excited about this fantastic opportunity to race in such a famous event, and I am very grateful to Signature for making it happen. It will be the first time that I have competed at this level outside of Europe, and this adventure holds several unknown factors for me. But from what I hear of Macau, it sounds like a very unpredictable circuit that should suit my driving style.”

Alex Ardoin passed Dane Cameron on the last competitive lap to win the final race of the season for the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Cameron had already clinched the 2007 championship and was leading the final race when Ardoin slipped by with a few laps to go. Shortly after Ardoin took the lead, a multi-car accident brought out the caution flag. The race was never restarted.  Cameron finished second in the race, followed by James Davison, Nick Haye and John Zartarian.

Holden's Toll HSV driver Garth Tander won a game of survival during the final 27-lap race of the V8 Supercar Challenge to take overall honours and claim a maiden surfboard trophy from the iconic Queensland event. In a bizarre final race encounter in the V8 Supercar Challenge at the Lexmark Indy 300, carnage reined as drivers set a path for victory in the closing 27-lap assault, which made for an entertaining spectacle to close off the 2007 event.  The unforgiving nature of the temporary street circuit brought about numerous caution periods, black flag penalties, spin outs and much more. Although Garth Tander was right amongst it, he hung tough to secure a popular victory for Holden fans. Ford's Team Vodafone campaigner Jamie Whincup appeared to have done enough to take the round victory during the concluding stages, however, while plotting a determined course for the race victory, it all came undone with just two laps remaining. After a second place in Race 2 he was leading the third event for half of the race, before he attempted an ambitious passing manoeuvre and got tangled up with two cars exiting Turn 4, ending his  race with only one lap to go.  Tander meanwhile had fought back to grab enough points to add to his earlier win to take the overall honours, despite an earlier drive-through penalty, Claiming second for the event was Caltex Racing's Russell Ingall while Jason Richards of Tasman Motorsport slotted into third.

MSA boss  Alan Gow tried his hand at the Scottish Mini Coopers on Sunday. After enduring some fairly miserable conditions he managed to finish race 1 in 12th. In race 2 a big spin early on spun him to the back...(pictured right)

22-10-07

Stuart Fraser  took his second consecutive Scottish XR2 Championship yesterday(Sunday) after to measured dfisplays which saw him come in sixth in race 1 and fourth in race2, the final round of the season. Charlie Cope had won the first round when the Red flag came out on lap 9 after mayhem reigned at the bottom of Duffus Dip(SEAT) . Second was Graham Whitehill (pictured left- all Knockhill pics R Pascal 11/56 Motorsport) with Andrew Winchester third. Race two was a much more subdued affair in terms of incidents but it was an exciting race never-the-less. Graham Whitehill led from the off, followed closely by Charlie Cope and Andrew Winchester, the trio circulating as one  for the majority of the race. So close were they that less than a second covered them after 10 laps when, still in the same order, they  crossed the line together, Whitehill winning by 0.2 secs with Winchester only 0.6 secs behind the victor. Scott Fraser came home a lonely fourth to claim the 2007 Championship. Peter Cruickshank was fifth and Scott Morrison sixth, the pair spending the first half of the race locked in a titanic battle with Willie Davidson, Gary Meikle and Geraint Jones.

Andrew Gallacher (pictured)won both the Scottish Saloons and Sports races in his 650+ BHP Ford Focus. Rob Pritchard taking second on both occasions in his Caterham.  Stan Bernard was the winner in both Classic Sports and Saloon races in his 911, although only after Matthew Gordon threw it away on lap 8 whilst leading. He did recover to finish third but it was poor consolation after a competitive drive. Al Fleming's Lotus Elan claimed second on that occasion but had to settle for third behind Gordon in race 2.

Nick Tandy turned the tables on his British Formula Ford Championship rival Callum MacLeod yesterday (Sunday) at Brands Hatch with victory in the prestigious season-closing Formula Ford Festival. Callum, the 2007 champion, finished just ahead of Nick on the road but was handed a two-second penalty by race stewards. They ruled that MacLeod had braked severely while leading under the safety car, causing Tandy to collide with the rear of his Mygale. An appeal from MacLeod's Jamun Racing team was overruled. Ironically Tandy was last year denied Formula Ford Festival victory after he was accused of breaching safety car rules. JTR Ray racer Tandy was delighted with the way things turned out: "The safety car rules are very clear and he was in the wrong. It's nice to be on the right side of a decision like this for once!" British championship regulars filled the top eight places in the Duratec final. The race for Kent-engined cars was won by Ireland's Keith Dempsey.

Provisional results: Formula Ford Festival
Brands Hatch 21/10/2007. 13 laps / 15.58 miles
1, Nick Tandy, UK/Bedford, JTR, Ray, 12m39.469s
2, Callum MacLeod, UK/Northampton, Jamun, Mygale, +0.258s
3, Linton Stuteley, UK/Stevenage, Getem, Mygale, +2.087s
4, David Brown, UK/Glasgow, Mills, Van Diemen, +2.218s
5, James Nash, UK/Newport Pagnell, Mills, Van Diemen, +2.483s
6, Jay Bridger, UK/Tonbridge, Fluid, Mygale, +2.691s
Fastest lap: MacLeod 47.523s / 90.79mph

Jonathan Walker and Philip Broad clinched the two Circuit Driver Caterham Academy championship titles at Brands Hatch on Saturday (20 Oct)

Ken Thirwall won the opening race of the Smartycar.com Mini Cooper Cup on Sunday at Knockhilll  to head into the second race with a chance at the Newcomers Title. Championship leader  Paul Wilson(pictured) was second, virtually guaranteeing him the title. However it all went awry in race two when John Barry was nudged into a spin at the exit of Car Lube(Formerly known as Clark's) on lap 5. As Barry spun into the centre of the track Thirwall and Michael Rowan had to take avoiding action, both hitting the tyre wall very heavily, Rowans car rolling in the process. Neither were hurt, fortunately, but the race was red flagged and their race was run. This left Paul Wilson to take what he thought was  a comfortable victory from the re-start but it was Ken Dryden who was given the victory, moving him up from second after Wilson’s car was deemed to have ‘infringed Technical Regs’ during post-race scrutineering. This also moved Vic Covey into second and Alasdair MCGowan to third. In the newcomer’s Championship Ian Milton took the honours, winning comfortably after Thirwall’s exit. 

Three more drivers have committed to the 2007 ELF Renault Clio Winter Cup, which gets underway with rounds one and two at Donington Park National circuit on Saturday, 3rd November. Robertshaw Racing will run SEAT Leon Cupra R Class champion Harry Vaulkhard, T-Cars front-runner Joe Hopkins will partner Chris Law at Team Pyro, while Árón Smith continues his career with Mardi Gras Motorsport after finishing 13th in the 2007 ELF Renault Clio Cup.  Vaulkhard had four wins in 2007 as he won the class title by just four points. He follows Jonathan Fildes and Ben Winrow in making the switch to ELF Renault Clio Cup racing in 2007 with a permanent move in 2008 a possibility with the Whitley Bay-based team.  Hopkins joins fellow teenager Chris Law at Team Pyro and is looking to build on the success he has enjoyed in his debut season in the T Cars Championship. Registering 10 podiums and one fastest lap from 14 races so far, he is in line to finish as vice-champion to Daniel Brown, younger brother of Clio Cup racer, Robert.   Smith, 17, enjoyed a consistent season in his first year of car racing. The Renault Insurance-backed brother of former British Touring Car driver Gavin Smith had a best result of fourth in the penultimate round 11 at Thruxton, starting on the front row of the grid for round 12.   The four-round ELF Renault Clio Winter Cup begins at Donington Park on Saturday, 3rd November, concluding at North Yorkshire’s Croft circuit on Saturday, 10th November. Each meeting will see one qualifying session and two races held on the same day, with the Formula Renault UK with Michelin Winter Cup taking following the same schedule.

Jeremy Ellis (right) and Andrew Thomaswere crowned the 2007 Motorsport News Caterham Roadsport Challenge Champions at Brands Hatch on Saturday (20 Oct),

Jimmie Johnson held off a hard-charging Ryan Newman to win Sunday's Subway 500 at Martinsville Speedway, race six in the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup. The defending series champion led the final 50 laps, fighting with his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon in what looked to be a repeat finish seen here between the two in April. However with 6 laps to go Ryan Newman got past Gordon to snatch second place.

The finale of the Northern European Cup Formula Renault 2.0.at Hockenheim saw Finnish Koirainen Bros-driver Valtteri Bottas take his long- awaited first victory before doubling his tally with another win in the final round of the season…

Damon  Hill,  BRDC  President  and  the  last  British  driver  to  win  the FORMULA  1™  World Championship,  was  joined  by  legendary  F1 commentator  Murray  Walker  and  more  than  150 fans on Sunday to cheer on Lewis Hamilton at a private screening of the Brazilian Grand Prix in the BRDC Clubhouse at Silverstone, home of the British Grand Prix.

Kimi Raikkonen’s maiden FIA World Drivers’ Championship victory and Lewis Hamilton’s second place in the drivers’ standings completes a remarkable double for the Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship. Both drivers made their single-seater debuts in the premier UK national championship, winning the title in 2000 and 2003 respectively

21-10-07

Richard Hay and Clive Richards are the 2007 evo Caterham Eurocup CSR Masters champions. The Colards Motorsport pairing finally clinched the title on Friday (19 Oct) at Brands Hatch   There were no race wins at Brands for Hay and Richards; the victory spoils instead went to Hyperion Motorsport drivers Graham Fennymore and Oliver Bull/Philip Glew, with Michele Tommasi taking a popular maiden win also....Charles Bateman and Chris Bialan shared the Eurocup Superlight Sprint race wins at Brands Hatch, with Bialan also emerging on top in the one-hour endurance race.

Angus Geddes won the 2007 Scottish Formula Ford title today(Sunday) at Knockhill. The Class B runner(Pre-1990 cars) came home 12th to claim the overall title. The Class A Title  for cars made between 1990-93 went to Graham Carroll with Craig Brunton picking up the newcomers Championship.  Both races were won by Rory Butcher who was closely followed by Stuart Thurber in race one, winning by less than a second. Alan Kirkcaldy was third 2.3 seconds adrift. In race 2 Butcher had an easier time breaking free of the pack early on to win by 5 seconds. The chasing trio of Graham Carroll, Thorburn(Pictured leading Carroll) and Kirkcaldy enjoyed a closely fought 10 laps before Carroll broke free near the end to take second and the Class A Championship. Thorburn and Kirkcaldy continued their battle to the flag, crossing the line less than a tenth of a second apart.

James Paterson took his Morgan Plus 8 to victory in the HSCC's 'School Garage' Road Sports race at SIlverstone on Saturday. Dave Randall was second in a Ginetta G4, 2.397 secs behind and Peter Shaw was third in a Lotus Elan 16 seconds off the leader. In the Grandstand Motorsports Historic FFord race Michael Lyons(Pictured left - pic Paul Williams) took his Merlyn Mk11A to victory ahead of the Mk20 Merlyn of Westie Mitchell with 4.4 seconds to spare. Third in a Palliser was Chris Sharples.  Peter Halford (pictured - Pic P Williams) chalked up another win in his Ford Mustang, winning the Bybox Historic Racing Saloons event . Jonathan Gomm was second, 5 seconds behind while Peter Hore was third a further 3.4 seconds down the track. Both were in Lotus Cortinas. 

Sebastien Bourdais takes the win and a fourth consecutive title in Champ Cars at Surfers Paradise with Newman Haas. Britain's Justin Wilson was second fro RuSPORT,6 seconds behind the winner with Bruno Junqueira third for Dale Coyne Racing

Andersen Racing's Jonathan Goring finished where he started, sixth, while Jonny Baker started 14th and finished 13th in the season finale for the Star Mazda Series presented by Goodyear Saturday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. .

Jon Lancaster (SG Formula) claimed his third race win of the season at Estoril in the Formula Renault Eurocup, Brendon Hartley (Epsilon Red Bull) secured a third-place and with it the title.

The Duo Derek Bell Trophy race at Silverstone on Saturday was won by Peter Williams driving a March 761. Mark Dwyer was second in a Lola T400 with aother Lola, a T330/332 driven by Neil Glover,  third. The Guards Trophy race was dominated by Chevrons, the marque taking all three podium places. First was Michael Schryver in a B6(no 49 below - pic Paul Williams), James Schryver was second in a B8 and Robert Shaw was third in another B8.   In the Classic racing cars event Mattew Watts (below - Pic P Wiliams)won in a Brabham BT29 from Tony Keele in a Palliser WDB3 and John Monson's Crossle 19f. In the Motorsportads.co.uk 70s Road Sports Paul Conway took the honours in a Morgan Plus 8, just 0.562 seconds in front of the Porsche 928 of Paul Anderson. Julian barter was third in a TVR 3000M. The Miller Oils Historic Formula Jnr race was won by Michael Hibberd in a Lotus 22, only 0.461 seconds up on Michael Hibberd's Lotus 27 who was less than a second ahead of third placed James Claridge's Lola MK5A  .   

Milos Pavlovic (Draco Racing) won his second race of the year in World Series by Renault at Estoril today(Sunday)...full sto

20-10-07

Graham Fennymore and Rachel Green rewrote the Caterham Motorsport history book this weekend (19/20 Oct), Fennymore becoming the first driver successfully to defend the Superlight Challenge title and Green taking the first race win for a woman at this level

Silverstone Driving Experiences from a festive £99 - British Grand Prix tickets at offer prices for Christmas and New Year ..more

Kazuya Oshima (TOM'S) was fastest driver in the free practice of All-Japan Formula 3 Championship final round at Twinring Motegi for his championship charge.
Hiroaki Ishiura (TOM'S) was the second fastest, competitors in championship, Oliver Jarvis was the third and Roberto Streit was the fourth with a little difference.

Jeff Gordon took polee for the Subway 500 pole yesterday in the NASCAR Series at Martinsville Speedway. Gordon said. "I felt like we had a great car then and that we had a shot at the pole"

Alex Ardoin beat Dane Cameron in the Star Mazda race at Laguna Seca today. Ardoin won by 1.471 secs with James Davison third just 0.190secs behind Cameron.

Nearly 90 000 people (89 948) were on hand today as Australia's Champ Car driver Will Power created Lexmark Indy 300 history in claiming back-to-back pole positions leading into tomorrow's big race. Holden's Toll HSV driver Garth Tander shared in the emotion by taking the chequered flag in Race One of the Aussie V8 Supercar Challenge that produced a thrilling two-lap sprint to the finish

19-10-07

Anglesey Circuit Club are running "Cheap Racing" on Sunday 2nd December. Two races for £150. There is also Testing on the Saturday for £75 which quite simply is the whole weekend for £225.The Libre concept of the Sports and Saloon Car classes is explained in the attached Entry Pack. Basically if somebody has a Saloon Car, or a Sports Car, then they should be able to race it. Take a look at the entry from 2005 (the race wasn’t run last year due to the  building work)to get an idea of the races. Actually it’s a  nything from Historic Imps to a GT2 Porsche…Details  Entry form can  be found at -: http://brsccnw.com/iansmithpage.htm...

The Masters and Top Hat historic racing group is finalising its 2008 plans to visit a great selection of the most challenging and historic race tracks across Europe. Building upon the existing strengths of our current series Masters is announcing plans for 4 new types of racing to add to event programmes during 2008

The British Formula Ford Championship will once again be the major supporting event to the British Formula 3 International Series in 2008, it is announced today….read more

Five of the six drivers that will compete for the prestigious McLaren Autosport BRDC Award this year have been announced, the latest to join is Dean Smith. The five drivers were selected from a shortlist which had been compiled following votes from the readers of Autosport magazine, and the sixth slot will be decided by a Formula Palmer Audi shootout race at Snetterton on November 3-4. Dean is honoured to be finalist. Alongside Dean will be former team mate Duncan Tappy(23) who is the oldest driver. Callum MacLeod(19) has put himself in contention for the award after winning the British Formula Ford Title. FBMW race winner Henry Arundel(19) and Formula Palmer Audi runner-up Stefan Wilson(18) complete the list.

Team West-Tec will progress to Class A in the Spanish F3 Championship at Jerez on 26th/27th/28th October with South African driver Sean Petterson taking the wheel of the team's ex-Racing Engineering Dallara F306.The team, the first British-based operation to compete in Spanish F3's history, is making the move in anticipation of running up to four cars in 2008. John Miller, Joint Team Principal: "Sean has raced in British F3 Class A and so it was always part of the plan to race in the same class in Spain. Testing time will be very limited, but we are sure he will do a good job. By the time we get to Barcelona, he will have had a bit of time in the car and we should start to see some potential realised."  Sean Petterson: "I was happy to compete in the team's Class B car which handled awesomely well, although I was always keen to race in Class A so I am really looking forward to Jerez."

Surfers Paradise remains the  only Champ Car event without a repeat winner  Defending Lexmark Indy 300 champ Nelson Philippe makes 2007 debut while Sebastien Bourdais(pictured) looks to clinch unprecedented fourth consecutive Champ Car Championship title

Emerson Fittipaldi will test the new Ferrari-powered A1GP World Cup of Motorsport car next season. The 60-year-old A1 Team Brazil boss is so excited about A1GP's involvement with Ferrari that he has confirmed he will get back behind the wheel to test the contemporary single-seater. Following last week's historic announcement that the Italian manufacturer will supply engines to A1GP next season, Fittipaldi, who never drove for Ferrari in his Formula One career will look to get behind the wheel at the earliest opportunity. 'When I was told about the possibility of Ferrari coming on board I thought it was brilliant,' Fittipaldi said.  “'The Ferrari name alone is incredible and people are going to give A1GP more respect and we are going to be much bigger. When Ferrari's people visited us in Zandvoort they loved our A1GP weekend and they are very enthusiastic to get involved with A1GP. 'Ferrari will help design a beautiful car. I always wanted to drive for Ferrari and now I can! I will at least test the car. I won't race it, but I want to test the car. I'm very excited about it. “

Chip Ganassi Racing announced on Wednesday that the company has signed 2007 Indy Pro Series Champion, Alex Lloyd. The announcement is an exciting one for both Lloyd and Sam Schmidt Motorsports as this caps off the goals set at the start of the year. In a dream, record-setting season, Lloyd won eight races, including the Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, en route to winning the championship by scoring 652 points -- 171 points higher than second-place Hideki Mutoh. The only goal left for Lloyd and the team to accomplish was to get a deal put together for Lloyd to move on to a high-profile racing team in the IndyCar Series. With Wednesday's announcement, the team feels a great sense of accomplishment and pride for Lloyd. "Everyone at Sam Schmidt Motorsports is extremely proud of what we were able to accomplish with Alex in 2007," team owner Sam Schmidt said. "We recognized great ability and potential in 2006 when he drove a partial season, and I'm glad that we were able to maximize those talents last year. Of course the championship and multiple records are great, but we are ultimately in this business to graduate drivers to the next level. Alex is the total package, and we have no doubt that he'll be very successful driving to TCGR. " Lloyd will be Chip Ganassi Racing’s "Development Driver," allowing him to take part in IndyCar Series races, Grand Am races, and an extensive testing program.

Scuderia Playteam SaraFree heads to the tenth and final round of the 2007 GT Championship at Zolder in determined mood. Andrea Bertolini and Andrea Piccini have scored points in eight of the nine 2007 races and are currently among six drivers who are second in the drivers Championship, five points behind the leader of the GT1 class. Giambattista Giannocaro, team owner and driver commented, "Scuderia Playteam SaraFree will be arriving in Zolder with the conviction that they have grown and progressed this year. The team is perfectly prepared to do a good job and give their best to help Bertolini/Piccini win the title. They will have the best possibly prepared Maserati MC12 at their disposal. The package is good and with adapted tyre wear for this busy weekend the engineers can build a good strategy with all the best possible cards in their hands. With a bit of luck we can have a really good race. I have personally never driven on this track, but I've had to learn new circuits all year apart from Monza and Adria and it hasn't been a problem. I really hope that the race in Zolder will be the highlight of our season."

Sierra Sierra Enterprises has signed the 2007 Star Mazda Champion, Dane Cameron to drive in the Champ car Atlantic series in 2008. Cameron is only one of two rookies to claim the championship in the 17-year history of the series. “We are extremely pleased to have a driver of Dane’s caliber on the Sierra Sierra team. Having a rookie puts us in the position to compete for both the Championship and Rookie of the Year awards. We have a very strong team and expect this season to be as exciting as 2007”, said Richard Raeder, Sierra Sierra Team Manager.

Champ Car have announced that both the Champ Car World Series and the Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda will return to Sebring International Raceway and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for preseason test sessions in preparation for their respective 2008 seasons. The first open test for Champ Car and Atlantic will be held at the historic Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida beginning on Saturday, February 2, 2008 and running through Wednesday, February 6. The Champ Cars are slated to be on track from February 2-4, with Atlantic testing planned for February 5-6. Sebring's mild central Florida climate and challenging layout provides the perfect setting for drivers and teams to prepare for the rigors of the 2008 season. In March, Champ Car and Atlantic teams will make their way west to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. for "Spring Training" as they make their final preparations for the upcoming season. Testing is scheduled for Monday, March 10 through Friday, March 14, with Atlantic machines kicking off the on-track activities on March 10 and 11, followed by the Champ Cars on March 12-14.

Tomi Limmonen has won Finnish championship on his first F3 season. Limmonen, who stepped up to F3 from FR2.0 this year, secured the title with two second places from Alastaro finals. Another rookie, ADRF's Jesse Krohn, took the pole position and won both races at Alastaro but it was Limmonen who was crowned champion with three points to spare over Krohn. Both Limmonen and Krohn have dominated the season with Limmonen winning 5 races and Krohn 6les.. Rami Räikkönen was 3rd completing all-rookie top 3

18-10-07

FESTIVAL TIME. The curtain finally comes down on the BRSCC season this weekend at Brands Hatch with the 36th Formula Ford Festival. British Formula Ford champion Callum MacLeod is the hot favourite but he will face a stiff challenge from his peers in the national series. There is also a strong contingent from Europe including both the Danish & Benelux Formula Ford champions, Johan Jokinen & Francesco Pastorelli respectively.  The Kent 1600 section of the Festival will also be extremely competitive with the usual strong Irish influence and the leading protagonists from the various regional championships. However, the Festival isn’t just about Formula Fords as six new Caterham champions will be crowned by the end of the meeting, including the evo Caterham Eurocup, the Avon Tyres Caterham Superlight Challenge, the Motorsport News Caterham Roadsport Challenge and the Circuit Driver Caterham Academy. Also concluding their season at the Festival is the www.dees.co.uk Ford Fiesta Championship, the Mill Street Motors Ford Saloon Championship and all classes of the Sports 2000 Championship. The full timetable can be found at http://www.brscc.co.uk/calendar/46.html 

With the Round Twelve of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear season scheduled to take the green flag at 12:30 pm Saturday afternoon at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, this is the last chance to shine this season for the rising open-wheel racing stars of the 2007 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear

The final outing for the Adrian Flux sponsored BMW M3 was last weekend at Spa Francorchamps, Paul White was unable to make it, happy to leave Sarah Bennett-Baggs(pictured) to do the 2 x 1hr races in the highly competitive Dutch Enduro series.  

The rounds of the 2008 ATS Formula 3 Cup season will be held during the course of ten events. Each of the race weekends held from late April to mid-October, 2008, will feature two races. Usually, the races will be held on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. Once again, the rounds held within the scope of the Nürburgring 24-Hour Race will represent a special season highlight. After all, this event is expected to again attract a massive crowd of more than 200,000 spectators. At the same time, the rounds held at Assen also will attract huge crowds. At the Dutch circuit, the fastest German single-seater series is going to race twice; in August, in the Rizla Race Day (more than 40,000 spectators) and in September, as part of the support programme for the Dutch ChampCar Grand Prix (more than 70,000 spectators). Furthermore, the Formula 3 drivers may look forward to another special challenge: on the first October weekend, they are going to race at Belgium’s spectacular GP venue - the ‘Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps’

TITLES WON & LOST AT SNETTERTON. The BRSCC East Anglian Centre meeting at Snetterton last weekend brought an exciting conclusion to several championships with joy and despair being the overriding emotions for many. Keith Baldwin headed the Club F3 points table going into the double header but an incident in the first race rendered Keith briefly unconscious. Under doctors orders he had to sit out the restart and second race and watch as Chris Needham took the title. An almost opposite scenario occurred in the battle for the Alfa championship when after crashing out in the aborted first race Phil Donaghy beat a philosophical Neil Smith to the title courtesy of the dropped scores rule.  There were four Mighty Mini drivers in contention before the final two rounds but it was Neil Slark who ended on top of the pile, while Pat Ford held his nerve in the Super Mighty Minis. Graham Heard was another driver who handled the pressure well. Leading the Lodge Porsche 924 championship he recorded third and fifth place finishes which was enough to take the title. In the Formula Jedi Championship there was more drama where Nigel Reuben edged out Brett Parris by two points in Class B after Brett recorded a DNF in the very last race. In Class B, despite winning both races, Trev Stafford couldn’t shake off Freddie Kennedy who came second in each to steal the title also by two points. 

BRSCC ANNUAL DINNER DANCE & AWARDS PRESENTATIONS.  Invitations will shortly be going out to all BRSCC champions to attend the annual dinner & awards presentations. The celebratory evening will take place on Saturday 17th November at the Holiday Inn, Stratford-upon-Avon. Tickets are priced at £48 and are available from Dominic at BRSCC HQ. Call 01732 783141 or email dominic@brscc.co.uk  

The Karting Show at Autosport International, 10-13 January 2008, now boasts its own dedicated website to accompany its status as a stand alone show within the world’s biggest motorsport show at the NEC, Birmingham. The launch of the website coincided with the unveiling of the new official main show site www.autosport-international.com  www.thekartingshow.com features all of the latest show and exhibitor news, competitions with fantastic prizes, driver news and a media section. You can also log on to find the exhibitor manual, exhibitor list and floorplan, stand sales and sponsorship information, travel and accommodation details, and even buy your tickets online.

THE RACE OF CHAMPIONS – BRSCC MEMBERS TICKET OFFER. In a first for London, Wembley Stadium is set to host The Race of Champions on Sunday 16th December giving fans a unique opportunity to see the world’s greatest drivers compete head-to-head. 1,800 tonnes of tarmac will transform the hallowed turf into a race track where 18 drivers – including seven-times Formula One champion, Michael Schumacher - will compete in a series of knockout heats to determine the “champion of champions.”  The gladiatorial event is by invitation only and drivers from F1, World Rally, NASCAR, World Touring Cars and Le Mans are all on the guest list, guaranteeing closely-fought and dramatic racing, with spectators getting a bird’s eye view of every instant of action across the entire race track from every seat. Drivers who are already confirmed include Honda F1’s Jenson Button, Red Bull Racing’s David Coulthard, World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx as well as the legendary Michael Schumacher. The BRSCC have teamed up with The Race of Champions to offer their members a 20% discount on the £55.00 to £75.00 tickets. To take advantage of this great offer please call one of the following order lines below, quoting reference MRC: For ticket sales of 8 or less call 0870 040 0394.  For ticket sales of 8 or more (Group Bookings) 0207 014 8521  Don’t miss this incredible sporting contest on Sunday 16 December 2007; for more information visit www.raceofchampions.com  

Matt Griffin's debut appearance in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB races was thwarted when his clutch broke after seven laps of the final round of the series at Thruxton on Sunday

MOTORSPORT SAFETY FUND CHRISTMAS CARD. This year the Motorsport Safety Fund’s Christmas card is a reproduction of a painting by John Ketchell called ‘Aston One Two’. The painting depicts the Carroll Shelby/Roy Salvadori Aston Martin DBR1 leading the Maurice Trintignant/Paul Frere DBR1 to an historic one two at the 1959 Le Mans. You can view an image of the card in the publications section at www.motorsportsafetyfund.com The cards are priced at £6.50 for 10, including envelopes, postage and packing within the UK. They are available from: Motorsport Safety Fund, PO Box 200, Sevenoaks, TN15 8WZ.

Stefan Wilson, runner-up in this year’s Formula Palmer Audi championship, has been announced as one of the six finalists for the prestigious McLaren Autosport BRDC Award. He and four others were selected from a shortlist compiled following nominations by readers of Autosport magazine, with the sixth finalist to be decided in a Formula Palmer Audi shoot-out on 3-4 November. A panel of judges will evaluate the competitors later in November when Stefan and his five rivals will drive a variety of cars at Snetterton - a World Series by Renault single-seater, a DTM Mercedes and a Porsche Carrera Cup car. They will also be interviewed by the judges at the McLaren Technology Centre. The winner will be announced at the Autosport Awards in London on 2 December. The other finalists named so far are Duncan Tappy and Dean Smith, champion and runner-up respectively in Formula Renault UK; British FFord champion Callum MacLeod; and Formula BMW race winner Henry Arundel.

STROKE ASSOCIATION DAY AT CASTLE COMBE.The Stroke Association is promoting a fund-raising event at Castle Combe on Saturday 27th October and is looking for help from leading racing drivers, as well as owners of ‘Dream Cars’. The principle is that the owners and drivers of these cars will drive the circuit and that members of the public can pay to have a passenger ride in a car of their choice. The guest of honour for the day is Anthony Reid, BTCC Champion of Champions and six times Le Mans driver.  The event is completely free to enter for the owners and drivers of the cars involved. To volunteer to take part email dayofthechampions@hotmail.co.uk or call Richard Jones on 07961 565970 for more information.  

After 13 races at 9 meetings, the 2007 LMA Euro Saloon and Sports Car Championship came to an end with 72 different drivers and 24 different makes of car having taken part. Despite the time of year, good weather ensured a fitting end to the 2007 season.

BRITCAR 24 HOUR 2007 SKY TV FOOTAGE.Sky Sports will be broadcasting highlights of the BRSCC run Britcar 24 Hours at Silverstone last month at the following times; 
Wednesday December 5th  -  SS Extra at 6pm
Wednesday December 5th  -  SS Extra at 10pm
Thursday    December 6th  -  SS2 at 10am
Thursday    December 6th  -  SS2 at 3pm
Saturday    December 8th  -  SS Extra at Midnight 

Ollie Millroy will go head-to-head with 19 other young hopefuls looking to impress the judges at the Formula BMW racing centre in Valencia on the east coast of Spain next week. The 17 year-old 2006 British ICA Super One kart champion will be battling for one of four EUR 75,000 scholarships into the new Formula BMW European Championship, which supports no less than seven European rounds of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

Four of Australia’s Formula Ford up and comers will contest the Formula Ford festival in the UK on Oct 19-21 at Brands Hatch.  CAMS Rising Stars Ashley Walsh and Joshua Scott, both challengers in this year’s Australian Championship, will drive factory Spectrums in the Duratec Class after competing in last months penultimate round of the British Championship where they recorded results of ninth and 13th respectively.  Currently sitting in second position on Australian Championship with two rounds remaining, Walsh was upbeat about his chances at the festival though he was overwhelmed at the challenge the Brands Hatch circuit presents.“I don’t think winning is totally out of the question, we’ve got some test days lined up before the Festival, so I think by the time we get there we’re going to be on the money,” explained Walsh.“The track is unreal. It’s nothing like it is on TV. It goes up and down, the angle of the corners are unbelievable. It’s by far the toughest track I’ve every driven on,” said  Walsh.  Competing in the Kent Class is regular Victorian FF State competitor Nikki Templer, while 2007 CAMS Victorian Formula Ford Champion Jake Chapman will run a Zetec Van Diemen.

Team Australia driver Will Power has helped officially conclude Hannah and Luke Sinclair’s pet rock charity project with a successful ending in Brisbane today. Team Australia’s offer of the ultimate Lexmark Indy 300 experience has brought Queensland charity Youngcare a brand new transport vehicle.Brett Curtis was present to officially hand the keys of the new people mover, valued at $41,000, to Youngcare Director Simon Lockyer at the Brisbane charity’s head office in West End. Power in turn presented Curtis, who hails from South Brisbane, a framed and signed one-off print of his second Champ Car victory in the #5 Aussie Vineyards Team Australia DP01 in Toronto, Canada, as well as two pit passes to this year’s Lexmark Indy 300.The Australian Champ Car star also showed Curtis the gloves that the Toowoomba-born driver will wear in this year’s race, which will also be given to Curtis post-race as part of the money-can’t-buy experience, that also includes team uniforms, exclusive Team Australia pit tours and the chance to watch the big race from the Team Australia pit area. Curtis is a long-time Champ Car fan and has frequently attended the former race in Vancouver, Canada and also the Long Beach race in California, but amazingly this will be his first time attending the Australian leg of the Champ Car World Series, considered the marquee event in the championship.

Jamie Green (2007 Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class) won the exciting finale of the 2007 DTM in Hockenheim and achieved his second consecutive victory in the championship after his first win in Barcelona three weeks ago. “I enjoyed today's win even more than the first one in Barcelona," Green said. "It is something really special to win in front such a great crowd with so many of my Mercedes-Benz colleagues. The car was perfect and I didn't make any mistakes - this was the key for my success today." The Title however went to Mattias Ekstrom who secured the 2007 DTM championship with third. The Audi driver did all he needed to do and that was to keep his championshp rival, Mercedes' Bruno Spengler behind him. Just 0.434 seconds divided the pair at the flag, the Canadian hanging onto Ekstrom's boot lid.

Second fastest lap in race two and a badly dented crash helmet was all Niall Quinn had to show for a highly competitive final weekend of the German Formula BMW championship at Hockenheim last Sunday. After a weekend of strong pace and much promise, the 18-year-old from Dunboyne finished his German season with an overnight stay in hospital following a spectacular crash while dicing for third place in Sunday's 18th and final race in the 2007 series. Quinn's AM Holzer prepared machine was pitched into a series of barrel rolls when his rear wheel was tagged by a driver he had passed shortly before in a trademark daring round the outside move.Luckily the car finished up right despite having dragged upside down through the gravel trap and the Meath driver was soon extricated by the rescue crew before being dispatched to a local hospital and kept overnight for observation.It was a hugely disappointing end to what had been a very encouraging weekend of racing during which Quinn had once again been one of the main protagonists.

Racing Engineering is pleased to announce that they will be entering the Formula BMW Europe Championship for 2008. Formula BMW Europe is a new resulting from the merger of the FBMW Championships of UK and Germany. It will take place over eight rounds, seven of which will be part of the support programme to F1.  Each round will consist of two races, the first to be held on Saturday, the second on Sunday. Racing Engineering are especially proud that they will be the only Spanish team to be entering the Championship, they will be joined by teams from the UK, Germany, France and Italy. Racing Engineering is of course already well known for their encouragement of young talent having won the Spanish Formula 3 Championship on six consecutive occasions. Racing Engineering considers the Formula BMW Europe Championship an excellent opportunity to further their development of young drivers by giving them a chance to compete on tracks that are part of the GP2 and Formula One championships.

16-10-07

ELLIS TAKES HOME THE SILVERWARE.  Bradley Ellis and teammate Alex Mortimer (Stoneleigh) were officially crowned the Avon Tyres British GT Champions of 2007 at the prestigious SRO annual awards ceremony at the Victoria Park Plaza Hotel in London on Saturday 13 October.  The Team RPM pairing clinched the Avon Tyres British GT Championship in sensational style in a thrilling end of season battle at Rockingham on 30 September. After just two weeks for their achievements to sink in, Ellis and Mortimer were proud to be awarded with the stunning championship silverware by Avon Tyres Marketing Communication Manager, Sarah McRoberts. Ellis and Mortimer joined the GT3 category in the Avon Tyres British GT Championship as rookies this season, after graduating from the GTC class where they clinched third in 2006. The youngest pairing on the GT3 grid, 20-year-old Ellis and 22-year-old Mortimer took the coveted championship spoils with four race wins, two second-place finishes and two-third places.After a challenging season en route to the championship crown, the dynamic duo are now exploring opportunities for the 2008 season, so watch this space. – Pic Bradley Ellis (left) and Alex Mortimer (right) proudly collect their championship silverware from