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News Archive  20 January 2008

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08/02/2008 

31-01-08

British GT Championship race winner and former Caterham front-runner Guy Harrington is among a host of experienced drivers to have set their seal of approval on the new six-speed sequential gearbox to be fitted to the Superlight and CSR 260 models this season. The new Quaife-supplied 'box makes the cars "a real dream to drive", says Harrington, who was third in the Superlight Challenge in 2006. "The shifts are accurate and clean," adds Guy, "and the 'box did not miss a beat despite many hours of hard driving. It makes it one of the most exciting cars I have driven." Caterham engineers are part-way through an extensive validation programme with both the C400 Superlight and CSR 260. More than 50 existing and prospective Caterham racers will have been involved in the test programme by the time it is concluded.The reigning Eurocup Champion, Clive Richards, and Britain's leading female racer, Rachel Green, have both sampled the cars, with Green lopping half a second from her previous best lap of Snetterton. Said Richards: "I was very impressed. The new gearbox makes the CSR an improved car, and more enjoyable to drive. I'm enthused by it." "We are very pleased with the results we are achieving from the test programme," said Caterham Motorsport Director Magnus Laird. "It's clear that the enhanced Superlight and CSR 260 are both going to be much quicker propositions as well as smoother and more exciting to drive." There's keen interest in both the Avon Tyres Caterham Superlight Challenge and the evo Caterham Eurocup for 2008. As well as a number of new names planning to join the UK grid, old hands such as Green, Grahame Tilley, Tony Poole, Craig Welsher, Bill Addison, Peter Ratcliff, Chris Cappuccini, Ron Johnson and Pat Maher have tipped their names into the hat.

Gu–Racing will have  German Max Wissel and Columbian driver Carlos Gaitan driving for the team in the 2008 Formula Renault 2.0 NEC Championship. Max Wissel started with GU Racing in FBMW in 2006 before taking his first victory in the series the following year. Carlos Gaitan started in Karts in his home country and Brazil before moving to Formula Renault 1.6 where he finished third in the Copa Corona Series. After moving to Europe last year he won the  Formula Cup Mallorca and made his debut in FBMW Germany.  Wissel said ' I am very excited to be working with GU Racing again. We start first time at Formula Renault but together we want to have a lot of success.' Gaitan was equally pleased to land his place in the team, ' I am really happy to be back in Europe,.I am sure that we`ll make a great job with the Team. Next week we roll out of the start testing for the new season.'

James Winslow will get his second A1 Grand Prix outing with Team GBR this weekend, aiming to stake a claim to a regular role with the squad on familiar ground at Eastern Creek in Australia. Despite it being both his first outing in the 550bhp Lola car and his first visit to the Taupo circuit, Winslow managed to post a time just over a second off the pace of the regular runners, earning himself a recall for the Australian round. “I’m delighted that Team GBR has offered me a second run in the car at Eastern Creek this weekend,” the 26-year old said, “I really enjoyed the Taupo weekend and, although the two sessions were hard work, I was more than happy to help. A1GP is different to other series because you get the chance to work as a team, and I was glad to play my part in preparing the car for the races.” The reigning Formula Renault V6 Asia champion will be  at home at  Eastern Creek, having run there  in  Australian F3 in 2007.  “After Taupo, it will be good to go to a circuit that I already know, and that – as well as the fact that I am now more familiar with the car - should mean that I spend less time getting up to speed,” Winslow added, “It will be another day of sorting the car for the rest of the weekend, and I don’t expect the team to let me ‘go for it’, but I am confident of being closer to the pace this weekend. Team GBR are a great bunch of guys and I really hope that this won’t be the last time we get to work together.”

FBMW Asia - TEAM QI-MERITUS  appeal with the FASC against the decisions of the stewards at Zhuhai in November last year have been ruled in favour of the drivers and team. Peter Thompson of  CIMB Qi-Meritus would like to thank Y.M. Tunku Datuk Mudzaffar bin Tunku Mustapha, Chairman of AAA (The Malaysian AAA) and the BMW Asia Series for having  their support  following the decision of the stewards to exclude their cars no 33 and 78  on the grounds that the cars did not conform to technical regulations. The decision means that Jazeman Jaafar finally takes the FBMW Asia title.  Qi-Meritus get the constructors’ trophy. Had they lost the appeal Indonesian Zahir Ali would have won by a single point.

The Opening round of the 2008 Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship is at Eastern Creek this weekend, the third time that Australian F3 has been the major support act for A1GP. The weekend also makes the kick-off of the 2008 (52nd) Gold Star which Tim Macrow won in 2007 ....read more

Prema Powerteam have signed Charlie Kimball for their Formula 3 team to compete in the 2008 F3 Euro Series. Kimball will drive along side Renger Van der Zande.Kimball, from Southern California,started in the US with Formula Barber Dodge and FF2000, winning the FFord New Zealand title in 2004. He then moved to the UK and the teh British FF series winning twice. In 2005 he enter British F3 where he finished second in the championship with 5 wins and 2 lap records. He was also became the first American in 13 years to win a British F3 race. In 2006 he competed in the F3 Euro Series, taking victory at Zandvoort before moving to World Series by Renault in 2007, a campaign that was cut short when Kimball was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

British Porsche team Red Line Racing with Irwin Industrial Tools has unveiled it's driver line-up for the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup for 2008, signing Patrick Huisman and David Saelens. After a debut season in the Supercup in 2007, the Middlesborough based team is expanding to a two-car squad and team boss Simon Leonard is elated to have secured the services of Patrick Huisman, the most successful driver in Supercup history, to join Saelens in the team. "We are really going for it this year," said Leonard. "Last year we established Red Line Racing in the Supercup and now we want to win races and challenge for the championship. We've got two of the best and most respected Supercup drivers and I'm thrilled that we have attracted drivers of the calibre of David and Patrick." Saelens goes into his second season with the team and has finished in the championship top six in each of the last four years. Huisman has been champion four times and has won 24 races in a decade at the top of the Supercup. "We've got a fabulous opportunity for 2008 and I am indebted to Irwin Industrial Tools for backing the team. Just like Porsche, Irwin is a premium brand and so the Supercup programme, with its global exposure, is an ideal fit for Irwin." Alongside the Supercup programme, Red Line Racing will defend its 2007 Carrera Cup GB titles with a three-car team and expects to confirm its driver line-up shortly. "It is good that a team like ours can make the step from the Carrera Cup GB into the Porsche Supercup and we are very keen to defend our Carrera Cup overall, pro-am and team titles." 

30-01-08

Formula Master’s growing association with Japanese car manufacturer Honda has resulted in an amazing prize for this year’s Series Champion: a test in the Honda Racing F1 Team’s RA108 car.   Pictured  - Mauro Sipsz and Ron Meadows at the Honda Racing F1 Team headquarters   ..read more

After six races in the Skip Barber Southern Region Championship, Mike Vincec now sits in second place overall. The Sunoco Team Ultra 94 driver entered this past weekend's event at Homestead-Miami Speedway in third place and moved up the standings on the strength of two top-ten results on Saturday and Sunday. Under clear skies on Saturday, Mike would start P8 and make a charge for the front moving to P4. Putting in some very fast laps, he was closing in on a shot at the podium when he went a bit too deep on one of the infield corners, out-braked himself and slid off into the gravel. By the time he rejoined he was down to eighth spot where he ended the race. He would fare a bit better in the wet on Sunday and bring the car home to a fifth-place finish. Mike now holds a 34-point advantage going into the next round which takes place at Sebring, February 16 -17.

The Brown brothers confirm for FPA 2008.  History has been made as the first ever pair of brothers have confirmed they are joining the grid of the Formula Palmer Audi Championship in 2008. Reigning T-Car Champion Daniel (16) and older brother Robert (19), who has raced in the Clio Cup will be the first ever pair of siblings to race in the championship at the same time.  The brothers from Billericay, Essex got behind the wheel of a Formula Palmer Audi for the first time last week at a test at Bedford Autodrome with promising results, Dan with a lap time of 66.1 and Rob with 68.5. The boys' father Sean, who raced in World  Touring cats, Hot-Rods and trucks during the 1980s is excited about the prospect of his sons taking part in FPA this season: "The FPA is a fantastic series as the races fall very conveniently in school holidays, Daniel is in Sixth Form and Rob is at University so it is great that the whole family can be together. The boys are competitive with one another, although they are brothers they are rivals on the track which means my loyalty is split on race day!"

Formula BMW Pacific has unveiled arguably its strongest calendar to date, with the region's premier entry-level single seater series supporting no fewer than three rounds of the F1 World Championship visiting five different countries over eight months.  The sereis includes 18 rounds run over six meetings, gets started in March when Formula BMW Pacific will be part of the celebrations of the 10th running of the Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix in Kuala Lumpur.  Formula BMW Pacific will also continue to be part of the successful Asian Festival of Speed (AFOS) in 2008, with which it will travel to Zhuhai International Circuit in April, return to Sepang in May and on to Indonesia's Sentul Circuit in July. In September, the series will be at the SingTel Singapore Grand Prix, the first modern-day F1 GP in Asia to be held on a street circuit. The event will be one of only  three races on the  F1 calendar to be run anticlockwise.  For the first time in its history, Formula BMW Pacific will be part of the Japanese GP this year at Fuji Speedway.

Adam Foster - The flying Finn has flying start in FPA! Young talent tests FPA car at Bedford ahead of 2008 season  Having won three major British Karting championships in the past few years, his first test in a single-seater at Bedford Autodrome yesterday (23.1.08) saw him set an amazing lap time of 65.47! Foster from Wotton in Bedfordshire, also known as the "Flying Finn" as he is half Finnish, is looking to enter the Formula Palmer Audi Championship this season. After nine years of Karting against fellow FPA competitors; Wilson, Brundle and Moore, Adam is ready to step up to single-seaters.  "My first test was awesome, the car was quick and although it was heavier than what I am used to with karts, it was incredibly fast and I felt right at home. I know some of the lads who did FPA last year; Will Bratt, Richard Plant and Richard Kent and when I told them the lap time for my first outing in a single-seater they were a bit jealous and wanted to know how I did it! I like being chucked in at the deep end so if I can secure the sponsorship to sign up for FPA this year I am ready for the challenge. The FPA is a fantastic spring-board to get recognised in this sport, it has a fantastic calendar with F1 tracks to race at and everyone takes it seriously."

The 2008 Formula Palmer Audi Championship grid is looking competitive ahead of the start of the first race in April and as well as some familiar names, there are some exciting new faces. Entries for the series are still welcome at www.formula-palmer-audi.com. Last year's fourth-placed driver in the FPA Championship, Jack Clarke will be back to bid for the series title as well as other promising drivers from 2007, Jolyon Palmer, Alex Brundle and Emma Selway. Newcomers to the series include Alicante-based William Zollo. 17 year old William who raced in Formula Ford 1600 last year will be moving to the UK from Spain to start his FPA career: "I know that I will be against drivers who raced in FPA last year but I don't think I will be at a disadvantage. I have raced at every circuit we go to apart from Spa and I have tested an FPA car recently, it was extremely nice to drive and I can't wait to get into the racing."

Dutch teenager Mathijs Harkema has become the second driver to sign for Motaworld Racing in order to contest the Formula BMW Europe championship which begins on April 27 at the Spanish GP. Harkema, 18, from Maastricht has been racing karts since he was five years old and he has twice won the Belgian Championship. Last year he finished ninth overall in the Formula BMW Germany championship with Josef Kaufmann Racing and he was the fourth best Rookie. He said "I am looking forward to working with team owner Alan Waite and driver coach Alf Boarer who have a lot of experience. They are very professional and will help and support my racing career." The Chatham-based Motaworld squad has not yet had the opportunity to test Harkema but the Sikkens-sponsored driver comes with a strong recommendation. Alan Waite said "Mathijs performed well last year. Josef Kaufmann rates him highly - and we wanted a second-year driver." Harkema joins Monaco-based Thomas Hillsdon in the Motaworld team. Discussions are still taking place with several drivers regarding the third seat in the squad.  

The opening round of the 2008 Pro Tour South African National Formula Vee Championship produced two thrilling races, which have set the scene for what could be a monumental battle, for the 2008 title

Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing (NHLR) announced today that Justin Wilson will team with American Graham Rahal for the 2008 Champ Car World Series season. Having finished runner-up in 2006 and 2007, Justin has high hopes for the 2008 championship. “I am extremely pleased and proud to be joining Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing,” said Justin. “For the entire time I have been competing in Champ car, they have been the strongest team. Sebastien (Bourdais) has left pretty big shoes to fill, but I have big feet! I am confident that, with a team like this behind me, we can be championship contenders for 2008.”  American Graham Rahal, 19, will return to the team for his second year in the series. In 2007, he became the youngest driver in series history to finish on the podium and ended the season ranked fifth after a total of four top-three finishes.

CR Scuderia is delighted to announce that the third of its four Formula Renault drivers for the 2008 season is Sten Pentus. The Estonian driver will race alongside Adam Christodoulou, Scott Jenkins and another soon-to-be-announced driver in the Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship.  "Sten has showed well during testing and also during the Winter Series with another team" said CRS Team Director, Andrew Kirkaldy. "He drove for us is Portugal and performed well there, working very well with our engineers. I believe that if he works hard in pre-season testing he has every chance of winning races in 2008." Sten has already won a race for CR Scuderia as he was on the winning team at the Racing4Charity kart race at Autosport International recently. He will be on track in the CRS Formula Renault this week at Snetterton as the team gets down to business in preparation for the 2008 season.

Two sons of ex-Formula One drivers are back in FPA for 2008, both of them keen to make an impression on the Championship in their second year. Series Director, Jonathan Palmer's son Jolyon can't wait to get back on the grid: "My aim is to win as many races as possible and keep consistent throughout the year. I have learnt that it sometimes better to come home safe with the points rather than go for glory."  Alex Brundle, son of Martin, is feeling particularly confident: "2008 will be very competitive in Formula Palmer Audi, but I feel that I've got the measure of most of the drivers. Last year was a steep learning curve for me as it was my first season in FPA, but now I feel much more settled in the car and my confidence has grown. It's a great calendar this year - I'm looking forward to the season!"  Entering its 11th year, the 2008 FPA season has been condensed into 8 rounds, including support races for prestigious events such as the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, DTM and the World Touring Car Championship. The series will also visit two current Formula One circuits; Silverstone and the recent addition of Belgian F1 circuit, Spa Francorchamps, so the scene is set for a thrilling years racing ahead for all the drivers.

Earl Bamber will be at Eastern Creek this weekend for the opening round of the 2008 Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 championship. Driving for Opes Prime Team BRM in one of their Mercedes Benz-powered Dallara F307s, the New Zealander is expected to challenge for overall honours this year.  Bamber won the 2006 Formula BMW Asia series and currently runs in New Zealand's Toyota Racing Series for the International Motorsport-run, TradeZone-backed A1 Team.NZL, winning last time out at Taupo. Last week he was at Eastern Creek for F3 testing and says that he is looking forward to seeing what he can do with the new car under racing conditions.  "Obviously, being a 2 litre car, it is a bit quicker than the 1.8 litre Toyota I'm racing in New Zealand at the moment but I think the biggest difference is the amount of adjustability, and the difference you can make with it."

Dutchman Olivier Tielemans will drive in 2007 with a BMW E90 320si for the German Wiechers-Sport team in the FIA World Touring Car Championship.  Team owner Dieter Wiechers, from Nienburg is very enthusiastic: "We have chosen Olivier because of his personality and his talent, we can see in him, of the young generation, an potential winner. When he was Formula 3000 driver (2005 / 2005) he went to the DTM (2006) and from the DTM to the FIA WTCC in 2007. "  Before the season starts in Curitiba (Brazil), Wiechers Motorsport will do some testing. The car will go after the testing directly to Antwerp, where the car will be transported to Brazil and Mexico. Olivier Tielemans: " I'm looking forward to next season, I learned a lot last year, also of my ex team mate James Thompson. But next season I will try to put the experience of last years, in the BMW E90 320si. Wiechers Motorsport is one of the most professional privateer teams in the FIA World Touring Car Championship, and won there two titles. I'm also very proud to announce ADVANCED LSM - Life Settlements Management - as our new partner. “

Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack contestant Jeremy Metcalfe waved farewell to the world famous reality TV show last night, Monday, 28th January, after being voted into fifth position during the grand finale which was broadcast live to the nation on E4…read more

Team Cytosport head to Europe! ALMS team owner and driver of #06 Muscle Milk LMP1 car, Greg Pickett plans include LMS race dates and the Le Mans 24 hours in the teams schedule for 2008. German driver Klaus Graf will return to the team as well as former Le Mans winner Jan Lammers.  Team Cytosport has acquired the Lola/Judd LMP1car previously run in 2007 by Charouz Racing Systems. The Lola, with its Judd powerplant, was raced last year where it finished 5th in the LMP1 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. "We are pleased to have put together this partnership with Antonin Charouz/Charouz Racing Systems and are looking forward to bringing the Muscle Milk team to Europe" said the exuberant 61year old Pickett, "It has been a personal life long dream for me to race at Le Mans, and to create such a professional program with such fantastic co-drivers Klaus and Jan is just outstanding. Add to that, we have confirmed that we will be racing on Michelins and that is just another card in our favour." Team Jota, headed by Sam Hignett, has been chosen to provide preparation and support for the Team Cytosport European effort out of their U.K. facility as they did for Charouz in 2007. Engineering and crew support will be comprised of members of Team Jota as well as members of the U.S. based Team Cytosport. Following the Le Mans race, Team Cytosport is scheduled to return to the U.S. to rejoin the ALMS series at Mid-Ohio and run the remainder of the season there.

Welsh racer Hwyel Lloyd has confirmed his entry in the National Class in the 2008 British Formula F3 Championship. Hwyel’s debut at Oulton Park will make it the first time in almost 20 years that a Welshman has raced in Formula 3 . The CF Team have bought two Dallara chassis, used by Manor Motorsport in the European F3 series and will run with Neil Brown Honda engines. Speaking after having had a brief test in the car Hwyel himself was understandably enthusiastic “It’s brilliant! Such a nice car to drive. Fortunately it seems to suit the same basic driving style, so I can carry on without making any dramatic changes, so that’s a good start. We’ve just painted it in our own livery and although its only a few weeks to the first official test I cant wait to get in and go!”

A1 Team GBR will have Robbie Kerr as lead driver for round 6 of the 2007/08 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport at Eastern Creek with James Winslow as rookie driver.  Heading into the weekend A1 Team GBR sit in eighth place in the championship with 48 points. In what is turning into the most competitive A1GP season yet, the team is aiming to build on its previous form at the Australian track in order to collect a strong points haul and gain championship positions. Eastern Creek has been good to the British team and to Kerr, with the 28-year-old finishing on the podium in the feature race in season one after a great drive to second place. Unfortunately a puncture put an end to hopes for another podium the following year as Robbie suffered a blow-out from third position, which forced him into retirement, but the team nonetheless took heart from Kerr’s competitive showing. “We were looking good for the races in Taupo last week”,said Jerr, “so it was a real disappointment to face the problems we had, being hit by USA in the Sprint race and then engine issues in the Feature race. However we’re usually strong at Eastern Creek, and last year had a good car starting third on the grid. So I’m confident that we’ll be strong again this year and we just need to make sure we have a competitive qualifying car and competitive race car.”

Motorsport Ireland Young Racing Driver of the Year Niall Quinn links up with the A1 Team Ireland squad in Sydney Australia this week ahead of his debut with the team in practice for this weekend's latest round of the A1 World Cup of Motorsport in Eastern Creek.

Cheng Cong Fu joins Volkswagen Motor sport for the racing season 2008; the signing of Frankie concludes Volkswagen’s driver selection process. In the Europe-wide championship the 23-year-old from Beijing will be driving a Dallara F308 Volkswagen powered by the brand two-litre engine designed by the famous German manufactures that delivers about 210 hp. “Cheng Cong Fu prevailed against his competitors in our evaluation course thanks to his speed and experience. He ranks among Asia’s top motorsport talent,” says Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. “This marks the completion of the line-up we’ve been shooting for. The time up to the season opener in April we will use to jointly – and carefully – prepare ourselves with the eight juniors and the two teams. After tests with the new evolution stage of our engine the drivers’ agenda will also include fitness training and team building.”

29-01-08

The A1GP World Cup of Motorsport 2007/08 title chase can’t get any closer as New Zealand, Switzerland and France head for Australia separated by just 2 points. This weekend it’s Round 6, held at Eastern Creek International Raceway just outside Sydney …read more

Robert Wickens will aim to break Canada into the top-ten of the A1GP Nations Standings this weekend as the Toronto-born racer heads for Round 6 of the 2007-08 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport at Australia's Eastern Creek International Raceway  The 18-year-old steered A1 Team Canada to its highest placing of the season two weeks ago in New Zealand thanks to a sublime runner-up performance in Round 5's Feature race. Canada currently sits 12th overall on 22 points, just six points behind China in 10th place.  "I know Eastern Creek hasn't been too kind to A1 Team Canada in the past but I'm hoping we can change all that," stated Wickens ahead of his track debut. "I'm happy to get the chance to build on our momentum from Taupo and I see no reason why we can't have another strong weekend. We were unfortunate to miss out on two top-ten scores in New Zealand but if we can meet that objective in Australia then there's every chance we'll crack the top-ten in the Nations Standings. Canada's getting stronger with each race meeting and I think we're in for an exciting second half to the season."

Leanne Tander and Chris Reindler will lead Tandersports’s assault on the Kumho Tyres Austrlian F3 Championship this weekend at Eastern Creek. Leanne will be challenging for the Gold Star title while Chris will be contesting the Opes prime National Class…read more

GAINSCO Auto Insurance will be  the title sponsor of the 2008 IndyCar Series opening round, the Indy 300 and the Grand-Am Rolex Sports car Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 29th. GAINSCO Senior Vice President of Corporate Marketing Andy Jordan and Homestead-Miami Speedway President Curtis Gray made the announcement   yesterday (Monday) at Daytona. They will be known as the  "GAINSCO Auto Insurance Indy 300" and "GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami" and will take place March 29 as part of SpeedJam 2008 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. "GAINSCO has enjoyed great success in Florida, and Miami is a key market for us," said Jordan. "In fact, south Florida is the birthplace of GAINSCO's personal auto insurance business, which is now sold across several states. So we're particularly excited to support Miami and Homestead-Miami Speedway with our sponsorship. Our company's passion for championship road racing in the Rolex Sports Car Series, along with the extraordinary opportunity to sponsor the opening race of the Indy season, made this a perfect partnership for GAINSCO."

For the second year in a row, drivers Todd Lamb and Dave Thilenius drove the #27 Bill Fenton Motorsports Acura RSX to a fourth place finish in the Koni Challenge race at Daytona International Speedway.  Thilenius started 15th and worked his way up to 8th over the first hour of the race while battling with other cars the entire time. The overall GS class leader caught most of the ST class a lap down during a yellow at the midpoint of the race, so crew chief Steve Wheeler decided to bring the team's Southern Auto Auction Acura in for fuel, tires and a driver change. Lamb climbed in and with the help of a quick stop by the crew was able to exit the pits in fourth. However Lamb was called in for a fuel stop during a late race caution to ensure that the car could make it to the end of the race. It was a painful but necessary move that put the car back to 14th with about 30 minutes remaining. Lamb was able to get through traffic and back up to 4th in the closing laps of the race.

Mark Dryden has confirmed that he will enter the Smartycars.com Scottish Mini Cooper Cup once again in 2008. After some encouraging results in 2007, including a double podium and a lap record at the final meeting, Mark can't wait for the new season to start.  " This year is very exciting as the grids are expected to be around 20 cars with the series attracting a lot of talented drivers from other Championships. The Minis have the same triple race format as the British Touring Cars so it should provide some entertaining racing. I am really looking forward to getting stuck in and getting back onto the podium. I am also pleased to announce that William Waugh Scrap Metal Merchants, John Clark Mini and Anderson Family Butchers have  renewed their sponsorship deals with me. Joining them this season will be Construction & Property Recruitment. They are a young, dynamic and successful recruitment firm based in Leith in Edinburgh. Managing Director Mike Wynn, has also turned his hand to some Mini racing so he knows how competetive this series is." Mike Wynn says "Contruction & Property Recruitment are delighted to provide sponsorship to Mark for the coming season. We recognize the importance of financial support early in his career and we are delighted to be in a position to assist him with his goals. Like ourselves he strives to be the best he can be and we hope that with our assistance, the association will be a fruitful one."

Rocketsports Racing have signed Brazilian Enrique Bernoldi to drive the #8 Rocketsports Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone in the 2008 Champ Car World Series. The former F1 driver is excited to open a new chapter of his racing career by competing in Champ Car. "I am very excited about my opportunity this year in Champ Car with Rocketsports Racing," said Bernoldi. "Racing in the United States is something that I have always wanted to do and I think that Champ Car is the best series for me to have the opportunity to do so. I like the variety of circuits that are on the schedule. There is a range of street and permanent courses which will be fun and similar to what I have been racing on in Europe." The 29-year-old driver from Curitiba started kart racing in 1987 and won regional and national kart titles before heading to Europe at the age of 16. After success in the Italian Formula Alfa Boxer series, Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup , British F3 and F3000, Bernoldi got his first taste of F1 in 1999 driving for Sauber at Magny-Cours. His performance earned him a test drive with the Swiss team for the 1999 and 2000 seasons. In 2001 he went  to Arrows, staying with them untilthey folded in 2003. He then spent 2 years in the Formula Nissan World Series before returning to F1 scene in 2005 as  test driver for BAR Honda. In 2006 he got his first taste of Champ Car when he tested with Rocketsports. Most recently, he competed in the StockCar Brazil series in 2007.  The 2008 Champ Car Series starts on April 20 at Long  Beach, California

28-01-08

Smartycars.com Scottish Mini Cooper Cup has only been  granted a Regional Championship Licence by the MSA for 2008 as the entries were too low for a national series. However the organisers are pleased to announce that there are now 19 confirmed Mini Coopers ready to race this year plus several more potential entrants looking for cars. The average number at any meeting must be 18 to regain the National Championship status so it looks like the Series could regain it’s National Ssatus 2009.  It is after all a highly attractive package  with a high profile televised series, run on a very sensible club level budget. The headline sponsors Smartycars.com thoroughly enjoyed their involvement last year and have renewed there sponsorship package for this season along with FFDR, Yokohama and Superchips. Pre-raced Minis can be bought from around £7000 with several people building un-raced cars  for around £9000. The series is only £500 to enter with prize money at every race paid up to 10th place. With parts being more readily available the costs nowadays to maintain and race are kept very low. The Minis look forward to their healthiest season since their inception in 2003.

Driving the Chip Ganassi  No. 01 TELMEX/Target Lexus Riley, Juan Pablo Montoya, Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas  and Dario Franchitti have won the Grand-Am Rolex Sports car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 season opener, the Daytona 24 Hours.  It is the first time a team has won the Trophy 3 years on the trot and a second successive victory for Montoya and Pruett…

At the Daytona 24 Hours the No. 76 Krohn Racing Pontiac Riley of Nic Jonsson, and Daytona rookie teammates Ricardo Zonta and Darren Turner, finished fourth overall. They faced several minor challenges over the 24 hours including a brake problem, body damage and , of course, the weather.However they kept out of trouble to bring the car home only 7 laps behind the winning car. …

Champion Racing/Intrepid USA made its 2008 debut in the second leg of the opening doubleheader of the Florida Winter Tour at the weekend, racing at the kart track at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Nine drivers ran Intrepid chassis, picking-up  two wins for Stock Moto driver Bryan Eady…

Acura was getting a bit of a head start for the American Le Mans Series' fourth annual Winter Test at Sebring International Raceway on Sunday afternoon. Two Acura prototypes got in a little track time as testing continues for the new Acura ARX-01b chassis. Both Patron Highcroft Racing and Lowe's Fernandez Racing were on the circuit, which will play host to the 56th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida on March 15. Andretti Green Racing, which won in LMP2 at Sebring last year in Acura's American Le Mans Series debut, will join the fray Monday morning along with several other Series prototype and GT teams. This week's three-day test also will see teams from Audi, Ferrari, Lola, Mazda, Panoz, Peugeot and Porsche prepare themselves for the 12 Hours of Sebring, America's greatest sports car endurance race.

Jessica Brannam, a 34 time go kart champion from Illinois, USA, is scheduled to appear at the 2008 “KART EXPO INTERNATIONAL presented by SODI”. This very popular international go karting trade show is holding it's 16th edition at Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center, in Schaumburg, Illinois.  Brannam, who has enjoyed tremendous success in karting, will have her own booth at this years show. She will be showcasing her sponsors products as well as signing autographs. Jessica has dreams of stepping up to formula car racing. She was asked, If your heart is set on getting to formula car racing, why would you put such an effort into a go karting trade show? She replied, “All of my sponsors have been so good to me throughout my go karting years. Without them I would not have had the success I have had.” Jessica went on to say, “Having my own booth seems like a great way for me to promote all of my sponsors. It is just my way of thanking them for the years of support they have given me.” The show is a great place for karting enthusiast to see the latest products, take in a seminar, and get advice from some of the top race teams and shops in the karting industry. The show is open to the general public Saturday February 23rd from 12-6 and Sunday February 24th from 10-4.

Harry Vaulkhard has begun testing the Chevrolet Lacetti for Robertshaw Racing entry into this year’s HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship. Vaulkhard, last year’s SEAT Cupra R champion, was testing last week at Snetterton following an initial run at Donington on Thursday. The Lacetti’s presence on the 2008 grid will mark a return to the BTCC of the famous Chevrolet name since the mid-1970s. Back then, its Camaros were a major force in the series and Chevrolet itself ranks number four on the list of race wins for manufacturers in the BTCC. Robertshaw plans to announce a driver for its second Super 2000-spec Lacetti shortly – the squad will also continue to field the older BTC-spec Honda Integra for Alan Taylor which debuted at Knockhill’s rounds in 2007. Robertshaw team manager Jo Bradley told BTCC.net: “I can’t repeat Harry’s words when he first got out of the car but he was happy! Certainly he said the corners come up a lot quicker than he’s used to. “The car is fantastic. It’s RML-engineered and is just a beautiful piece of work. It has run faultlessly out of the box. Our times have also been very encouraging – on a very cold track, we did a low 1m14 at  Donington which is less than a second off pole there last summer and at Snetterton we’ve got down to a 13.5 which is just over a second off last year’s pole. I think that reflects really well on the team. We’re still new to BTCC and these are our first two days of running an S2000-spec car. And of course Harry’s still learning it all and the limits but instantly we’re setting mid-grid times

Croft Circuit, near Darlington has announced it’s 2008 calendar.  Once again, the three most popular motorsport championships in the country head to the North Yorkshire track with British Superbikes, British Touring Cars and the British F3 and GT series all taking centre stage while the calendar is complimented by a range of club and national class racing throughout the year. In addition, there are rounds of numerous club championships on two, three and four wheels with the action recommencing this weekend (3rd February) with the Croft Historic Rally

Andrew Jordan’s debut season in the HiQ MSA BTCC got off to a hugely positive start last week when he lapped the Brands Hatch Indy circuit as quick as his more experienced father Mike. Andrew and Mike, who will become the BTCC’s first father and son team when they line up on the 2008 grid in the John Guest Eurotech Honda Integras, lapped within two hundredths of a second of each other.  Jordan Snr was a front-runner in last autumn’s BTCC rounds at the Kent circuit and led one of the races for a while – making his son’s pace yesterday all the more encouraging. "I shook the car down first thing, and then Andrew did most of the running," reported Mike. "The weather was brilliant for us. It was cold, but clear and dry, so we got some really good testing done." "I'm really pleased with the way the car has gone. It's been a really good day," said Andrew.

27-01-08

India’s Karun Chandhok continued to show an impressive turn of speed in the  opening rounds of the GP2 Asia Championship. At the Dubai Autodrome this weekend the iSport International driver scored points in both races including a podium finish in the sprint event....read more

ART's Romain Grosjean won the opening round of the GP2 Asia Series in Dubai yesterday(Saturday) with a lights to flag victory.  Second was Bruno Senna with Andy Soucek third.  Grosjean also won the sprint race later on from Fairuz Fauzy  of Super Nova Racing and  iSport International's  Karun Chandhok ...read report.

Indy-style qualifying has been introduced to Indycar for all ovals in 2008: One quick lap won't be enough to win pole in IndyCar this year. The IRL  will implement four-lap qualifying runs at every oval racetrack in 2008 beginning with the season opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 29. The pole winner will be the driver who records the fastest cumulative time over four laps. "Qualifying is one of the most nerve-wracking experiences for an IndyCar Series driver," said Brian Barnhart, president of the competition and operations division of the IRL. "At Indianapolis, that has meant 10 miles of error-free driving at 225-plus miles per hour. We're going to take that kind of intensity and drama to every other oval on our schedule.This new qualifying format will enhance the overall IndyCar Series weekend experience for our fans and our oval track promoters with a direct link to the Indianapolis 500."  Qualifying on road and street courses will reamin in the same format as last year. Several  IndyCar drivers are at Daytona this weekend, and generally they welcomed the change  "I think it is good and will be very intriguing for the fans," Dan Wheldon said. "It will definitely spice up the action a little bit, and it will put more pressure on the teams." His teammate Scott Dixon added, "From my point of view, qualification runs of four laps are an Indianapolis tradition and it should stay that way. Going forward, it will make for more fun for everyone and practice and qualification simulations will have to change."

Craig Stanton moved from fourth to first late in Friday's Fresh From Florida 200, the season-opener for the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series. Stanton, with co-driver Tim Traver, handed the BGB Motorsports team and the No. 83 Performance Drink/Toro Viejo Motorsports Porsche 997 a home track victory in the Grand Sport (GS) division. ..read more

25-01-08

The Caterham Academy, one method whereby would-be Rcing drivers enter the sport,, is to have a new title sponsor in 2008 - The Daily Telegraph. The tie-in will see one of the newspaper's reporters, Erin Baker, contesting the series….read more

Formula Ford race winner Linton Stuteley has signed up for another season in the British Championship. He will once more drive a Getem Racing-prepared '06 Mygale …read more

SEAT Cupra Championship debutant Andrew Herron was very encouraged after his first SEAT Cupra tests at Brands Hatch, Oulton Park and Rockingham. Herron completed over 200laps in the Turbo Charged Leon without encountering any problems.  …read more

Anders Olofsson passed away last Monday in his house at the age of 55.In the late 70s Anders emerged as a talented Formula 3 driver, taking two Swedish national titles and winning seven rounds of the FIA European F3 Championship in 1977 and 1978. Later he became a works driver for Nissan winning the Japanese Touring Car Championship three years running and the 1991 24 Hours of Spa. He spent the last part of his career in GT, driving a  Ferrari F40 to an outstanding victory on his home track at Anderstorp in the 1995 BPR series and a Gulf/GTC McLaren to second overall and first in class at the 1997 Le Mans 24 Hours. Olofsson remained in motor sport over the last few years working as team manager of his Swedish fellow countryman Carl Rosenblad, at the Elgh Motorsport team, in the European, World and Swedish Touring Car championships. He will be remembered as a real gentleman and will definitely be missed. All the FIA WTCC personnel and ‘theGrid’ express their sympathy to his family, friends and team. 

Ollie Hancock has been honoured with a special award to recognise his performances in the World Sportscar Masters Series. ..read more

Eurosport will broadcast a 30-minute preview of the FIA WTCC's new season.  The preview will be first aired on February 19th at 11.00 pm on Eurosport International and will be repeated several times on Eurosport International (February 20th at 8.30 am and February 29th at 1.00 am), Eurosport 2 (February 21st at 7.00 pm, February 28th at 10.00 pm, February 29th at 2.30 pm and March 1st at 12.15 pm) and Eurosport World (February 20th at 3.30 am and February 21st at 9.45 am). All times are Central European Time.

Fall-Line Motorsports driver Tommy Constantine put together a strong two-lap effort in Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series qualifying Thursday evening at Daytona International Speedway, coming away with the pole for Friday's three-hour Fresh From Florida 200, read more

The WTCC Chevrolet RML team successfully concluded a three-day test at the Portuguese track of Estoril yesterday. Alain Menu, Nicola Larini and Rob Huff tested and evaluated several new components for the 2008-spec Chevrolet Lacetti…read more

Ryan Dalziel qualified eighth on the grid today for Saturday's 46th running of the 'Rolex 24 at Daytona', Round 1 of the 2008 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16, hosted at Daytona International Speedway, 26th-27th January.  The Scot, who'll share driving duties in the SAMAX Motorsport-entered #11 Vois.com / CANTV Pontiac Riley Daytona Prototype with Milka Duno (Venezuela), Tomas Enge (Czech Republic) and Harold Primat (Switzerland), recorded a fastest lap of 1m41.878s in qualifying, just 1.085 seconds behind the pole-winning time of 1m40.793s set by the #60 Ford Riley entry operated by Michael Shank Racing.

The two opening races of the 2008 World Touring Car Championship will be televised live from Curitiba on Sunday, March 2nd. The first race will start at 1.15 pm local time and will be aired on Eurosport from 5.00 to 6.00 pm Central European Time. The second race will start at 4.15 pm local time and will be aired on Eurosport from 8.00 to 9.00 pm Central European Time

24-01-08

Help for Heroes. On 23rd January, Tony Phillips of Fearless Promotions Ltd held a charity Karting event in aid of Help for Heroes at the Team-Sport Karting Centre in Camberly.  There were 11 teams racing for the title, amongst them a number of celebrity racing drivers.  Those in attendance were Callum Holland (German F3), Tom Onslow-Cole, Tom Chilton and Paul O'Neil (British Touring Cars) and Jamie Stanley (GT Cup).  They all took time from their busy pre-season schedule and travelled from across the country to show their support for the Charity.  The lovely ladies Danni, Peta and Becky from The Sun who have also shown great support for the Help for Heroes Charity joined in the fun on the night.   Amongst the teams were patients and staff from the military rehabilitation unit DMRC Headley Court and it was in fact Team GWAR, a group of military personnel, who won the overall race.  The fastest lap was taken by Callum Holland whose time broke the Karting Centres record lap time.  Including the proceeds from the auction, held on the night, the charity raised close to £3000 which is a fabulous contribution towards the Help for Heroes Charity. On behalf of the Charity we would like to say "thumbs up" and thanks for a great effort from all those who took part. 

The bronze bust of racing legend Graham Hill, which was stolen from the BRDC Clubhouse in 1999, was returned to the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) on Thursday 24 January. Detective Chief Inspector Tricia Kirk, of Northamptonshire Police, presented the recently recovered sculpture to Damon Hill OBE, BRDC president and son of Graham Hill. The life-size bust of the double FORMULA 1™ world champion, valued at £10,000, was formally identified by the original sculptor, Amy Goodman, following its recovery. The artist joined Damon Hill and Detective Chief Inspector Tricia Kirk for an official presentation and photocall which took place in the BRDC Clubhouse, overlooking the Grand Prix circuit at Silverstone. BRDC president Damon Hill with recovered bronze bust of Graham Hill Members of the BRDC have agreed to lend the replacement Graham Hill bust, commissioned following the disappearance of the original, to the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu. The second bust was presented to Museum representative Doug Hill by Stuart Pringle, Secretary of the BRDC. Speaking on behalf of the BRDC Damon Hill said, “It is very special to have the bust back in the BRDC Clubhouse. As a racing driver and champion he [Graham Hill] was a very special and inspirational person, so it is great that the police have been able to track the bust down and bring it back to its rightful place after all this time. They have done a fantastic job. “Ironically, I didn’t even know it had been stolen until we received a call from Amy Goodman, the artist who sculpted the bust, asking if we would like her to produce another one from the original moulding. It was then quite spooky that, before we had time to consider Amy’s offer, news came through that the original had been recovered in Bolton.” Stuart Pringle added, “We were both surprised and delighted when we received the call confirming that the bust had been recovered. It is very fitting that Damon is President of the BRDC and is in a position to receive the sculpture of his father on behalf of the Club.” Detective Chief Inspector Tricia Kirk of Northamptonshire Police said: “We recovered the bronze bust in December following a joint investigation with Greater Manchester Police. “We are happy to now be able to put it back where it belongs at the heart of the county and back with the British Racing Drivers’ Club.” A 47 year old man was arrested on suspicion of burglary and handling stolen goods and is currently on police bail.

PSL Karting wrapped up the first rounds of the Florida Winter Tour with the second leg of the double-weekend event at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in Southern Florida...more

Geneva-based racing driver Harold Primat will rive for Samax this weekend in the Rolex Daytona 24 Hours. The 32-year-old believes the team  have the potentia l to make  the podium finish in this, his second attempt at the race…read more

Carlo van Dam has joined Toyota Team TOM’s to contest the 2008 Japanese Formula 3 Championship. 21-year old Carlo, who won the 2007 German Formula 3 series, signed a contract with Toyota Team TOM’s earlier this month and has already moved to Gotemba in Japan, where the Toyota Works F3 team is based.  Carlo will test at Fuji on February 7 and 8 and is presented to the Japanese media on February 9 during the official presentation of Toyota Team TOM’s. His Japanese team mates are F3 newcomers Takuto Iguchi and Keisuke Kunimoto, who are both part of the Toyota Drivers Program .  Toyota Team TOM’s has won the Japanese Formula 3 title for the last three years and also triumphed in the Macau Grand Prix at the end of 2007. During that event the team took note of Carlo van Dam. “After winning the the German championship I was invited by an Austrian team to do Macau”, Carlo explains. “As a result of my performance there I was approached by Mr. Susumi Koumi of TOM’s. Last week I arrived in Japan and we finalised the deal. TOM’s and Toyota are two big and highly respected names in international motor sport and for me their offer is a great reward for my achievements so far. I am very motivated to make the best of the opportunity they have provided me with. Susumu Koumi: “TOM's are very pleased to have Carlo van Dam as our driver to defend our Formula 3 championship title and Macau GP victory from last year. It may be a hard challenge for him to compete in a completely different racing environment here in Japan, but we are sure Carlo will do a great job for us.. On April 5 and 6 Fuji will host the first two rounds of the 2008 season.

Alan Sciuto took part in his first test with Mathiasen Motorsports in one of their Atlantic Mazda race cars at Buttonwillow Raceway last week. Alan and the team showed instant chemistry as they worked to fit the car to Alan’s driving style.  “It felt great to get back into a race car.”, stated Alan Sciuto. “The team only had to make a few adjustments to get me comfortably seated in the car, and the communication between myself and the crew allowed us to develop a great set-up that fit my driving style. I can’t wait for Sebring.” Alain Clarinval, technical director of Mathiasen Motorsports said, “Alan was very consistent and provided precise and invaluable feedback throughout the two test days. During this time we were able to purposely evolve the car to suit his driving needs. I feel that we had an instant understanding between Alan and the team and I am excited to have the opportunity to continue working with such a young and professional driver at Sebring for our first series test.”  Next up for the Champ Car Atlantic teams is the first of three open test sessions Sebring on February 5-6.

The ATS Formula 3 Cup has established itself as feeder series for various international series. Christian Vietoris, still in ATS F3 Cup in 2007, has celebrated his maiden A1 GP win. Next Michael Klein will try following his footsteps. Klein took the 2007 ATS Formula 33 Trophy title and has now been picked by Team Germany as rookie driv), he will contest the rookie sessions. “I’m truly looking forward to my appearances,” beams Michael Klein. “I will have the chance of testing the car for an hour on the Fridays.” So far, he hasn’t had the opportunity to drive the A1 GP car. “But I think that the ATS Formula 3 Cup has been the perfect preparation for me,” he added.

Opes Prime Team BRM confirmed yesterday that F3 driver Nathan Caratti lapped Eastern Creek in 1m22.7s – substantially faster than the 1m25.22s (race) lap record set at the track in 2005, by Chris Alajajian…read more

23-01-08

2007 Team and Rookie Championship winning team, Eurasia Motorsport, begin an eight day test with its Formula BMW Team at the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia on January 26th.  “We have two drivers signed for the 2008 Formula BMW Pacific season and we hope to sign a third driver very shortly” reported a team spokesman. “We are testing several drivers and we will make our decision on who will fill the remaining seats once the testing ban comes into play on February 18th.” Formula BMW Pacific will support three Grand Prix this season and it looks like it will the most competitive season to date. Graduates of the Eurasia Formula BMW Team have gone on to win races in Formula Three, become Rookie A1GP drivers and race competitively in Europe. The drivers we will be testing in Sepang will be out to demonstrate they are the stars of tomorrow.

Australian FFord testing this week at Oran Park and Eastern Creek concluded today with Nick Percat Fastest on both days. “I was happy with yesterday’s result, having never been to Oran Park in a Formula Ford, to come out on top was a nice result” commented Percat after posting the fastest time of the day with his Sonic Mygale.  “We worked through our entire program, and I feel that we made good progress overall” added Nick before leaving with the Sonic boys for day 2 at Eastern Creek. Arriving early at Eastern Creek, which will host Round 1 of the 2008 National Formula Ford Championship in March, Percat and Sonic worked through the testing program they had allocated, and concluded the day once again with the fastest time. “Very happy with that” said Percat on posting the fastest time of the day and well under the existing lap record. “That last session on old rubber was good considering the temperature here today was pretty high! And overall I am happy with the balance of the car, and the speed we have found” smiled Nick on reviewing the day whilst packing up with the rest of the Sonic Team. Further testing will be completed in the coming weeks, prior to Round 1 kicking off on the 7th of March at the Creek! 

Book before 31 January to benefit from Silverstone savings on British Grand Prix tickets. Few  sporting  occasions match  the  intensity,  glamour  and  excitement  of  the  FORMULA 1 SANTANDER  BRITISH  GRAND  PRIX  (4-6  July)  and,  with  less  than  two  weeks remaining  of Silverstone’s Early Booking Offer(1)  – running until 31 January  – the Northamptonshire circuit is urging F1 fans to make the most of this final opportunity to benefit from  fantastic savings  on a range of tickets for one of the biggest sporting events of the year. Savings  ranging  from  £10  to  £40  per  person  are  still  available  on  a  number  of  ticket types, including the new-for-2008 Single Day tickets, Family Tickets and access to Club Silverstone...more

French kart driver Vincent Capillaire was testing for the Asia Racing team (ART) Motorsports in their Formula Renault 2.0 race cars at Zhuhai International Circuit recently. The Macanese team based in China continued its preparations for the 2008 Asian Formula Renault Challenge with another test-day test at Zuhai. The main focus of attention for the ART crew was the driver’s reliability, speed and set-up work. Although this was the first time for Capillarie at the Chinese circuit he did  achieved some promising times. Commenting Vincent said: “Zhuhai Circuit fast layout is not for the faint-hearted. I get used to the car during the first day. Thus, in the second day we made a lot of positive changes that helped me to understand the car a little better. Philippe taught me new driving techniques and we improved the times. This test motivated me to go racing this season. Furthermore, racing on Asian continent entice me”. ART Team Principal Philippe Descombes added, "It was really nice to be able to work with Vincent. We picked up some good lap times throughout the two days. To be even more competitive we will have to have a further testing sessions during the pre-season. Vincent has skills and ability, so we can be on the race pace very quickly".

Masters Awards -  fellow drivers vote for prize-winners!  The Award winning drivers from across the 7 series of the 2007 Masters Racing Series’ season were announced at a Gala Ceremony in Brussels on Saturday (19 January). By counting the votes of competitors in each series in their post-season survey, the 7 Award winners emerged, selecting each series’ 'Drivers’ Driver of the Season'. Although Masters series are not run as points scoring championships, receiving such acknowledgement from fellow competitors is always very a special accolade for any historic race driver....read more

The 2008 racing Season really gets underway this weekend with the 46th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona for the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16.  Defending race winners Scott Pruett, Juan Pablo Montoya and Salvador Duran return to the race looking for their second consecutive win….read race preview

Racing 4 Charity’s BP Ultimate 102 Unleaded Kart Challenge, held on 11 Jan 2008 at the NEC, combined with the Racing 4 Charity auctions held throughout Autosport International succeeded in raising over £47,000. David Brabham’s charity managed to encourage some of the best drivers on the planet to give up their time free of charge to race with the aim of raising £50,000. Drivers included Johnny Herbert,  Allan McNish, Gil de Ferran, , Robbie Kerr, and  Tom Onslow-Cole, to name a few.  David Brabham commented: “I am staggered with the amount of support we got for the BP Ultimate 102 Unleaded Karting Challenge. The race was well attended by some big names in motorsport and it was the who's who of racing. Both Bill Williams and I really appreciate these star drivers giving up their time to help the event in being a real success. Bill and his team have really worked their magic and I really appreciate the massive effort they put into it. To reach £47,000 is amazing, and it just shows you that when a group of people get together to help others, you can do amazing things. Well done everyone and many thanks to Autosport International for making it all happen. If you would like to contribute to Racing 4 Charity’s efforts, please visit www.racing4charity.com or contact bill@racing4charity.com This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 07712 578263

Switzerland’s Sébastien Buemi (Mücke Motorsport), runner up in the 2007 Formula 3 Euro Series Championship, has been signed by the Red Bull Formula 1 team as official test and reserve driver. This means that the just 19-year old young gun follows reigning Romain Grosjean (ASM Formule 3) who signed a Formula 1 testing deal with Renault. In the just five years of Formula 3 Euro Series history, Buemi is the 21st driver who succeeded in making it to the pinnacle of motor racing.

Mackenzie Taylor is celebrating after taking another superb ABKC Winter Series win in the third round of the series at PFi, Lincolnshire (20 January). The Ricky Flynn Motorsport (RFM) driver Mackenzie has become the driver to beat in British KF3 following Sunday’s win and his previous Winter Series victories at PFI (4 November) and Shenington (2 December).

Adrien Tambay will continue his career on within Formula BMW this season,  taking part in the 2008 FBMW European series with Eifelland Racing. ..read more

Christian racing drivers, engineers, team personnel and car enthusiasts from across the UK will be meeting on the 9th February 2008 for the Christians in Motorsport (CIM) Annual conference. The aim of the conference – which is open to all – is to hear members report back on how they got on last season.  The discussions will then move on to planning for our shared aim this coming season; promoting the gospel and providing chaplaincy to the motorsport community (and general public).

Headline speakers : 

Mike James on the Hull Freedom Trail

Mike Fitton on CMA biker outreach

‘Racing Rev’ Andy Lane on chaplaincy work with Street Pastors in the British GT series

CIM Chairman John Clayton, an RAF Officer from Oxford, is expecting a vibrant event:  “After 7 years of CIM ministry, this promises to be another great time of fellowship, teaching, planning, ministry training and encouragement.  Much of what we do is aimed at inspiring church people to ‘think outside the box’ with how to reach people in the 21st century”  more info at  www.christiansinmotorsport.org.uk

2007 Formula Palmer Audi Champion Tim Bridgman will switch to sports cars in 2008, joining Team Parker Racing and the Porsche Carrera Cup GB. Tim, who won  the FPA championship last year is looking towards GT or sports car racing rather than pursue a career in single-seaters  "I found myself at a bit of a career crossroads," said the 22 year-old driver. "I would have needed to make a big jump to something like GP2 to carry on in single-seaters. I spoke to a lot of people and everyone said it would be good to have Carrera Cup success on my CV. If I can do well this should help open a lot of doors.  I'm super-hungry to win. It's not going to be easy and I've got to be sensible over the early races, but winning the championship is the aim" he added.The Porsche Carrera Cup will be part of the support programme for the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship, which begins at Brands Hatch on 29/30 March.

Two time British Touring Car Champion Matt Neal is heading for a make or break year as he joins VX Racing for the 2008 BTCC  alongside reigning champion Fabrizio Giovanardi and Tom Onslow-Cole. "It could finish me off if Fabrizio really hoses me down," said Neal, speaking about his decision to move away from Team Halfords after four successful seasons. "I had about four months to make my mind up. Right until the end I was swinging one way and the other and I could think of a multitude of reasons not to make the switch and a multitude of reasons to do it."  Matt added: "To get some fresh impetus into your life, you need new challenges. I feel hungry and excited about what is in front of me and the job I have to do. It certainly isn't going to be easy this season."  VX Racing will be starting their testing programme with the Vectra soon, in the meantime Matt has already been out in last year’s title winning car. "After the first test I wondered what I had done as it was so different to the Honda," Matt reflected. "I had a few weeks to sleep on it and felt more comfortable the second time I went out in the car as the team had adjusted it more for my style of driving. The Vectra is a very competitive and reliable package. You never know what the future will hold, but I'm looking forward to it."

22-01-08

A1GP Title fight is the closest it’s ever been. After the last round in New Zealand only 2 points cover the top three in the title chase..read more

Richard Childress Racing (RCR) announced yesterday that it will partner Howard Motorsports to field a Daytona Prototype in selected races of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series. The No. 2 Childress-Howard Motorsports Pontiac Crawford will be driven by, among others, Andy Wallace. ..read more

Guy Smith  will drive a Porsche in the American Le Mans Series for Dyson racing. The 33-year-old  will be going into his third year with the team believing a second season as a "customer" Porsche team will reap rewards for the New York State-based team. Smith will again be partnered by American Chris Dyson, in a revised Porsche RS Spyder bidding for LM P2 category honours. "I'm very excited going into the 2008 season to be driving the Dyson Racing Porsche Spyder again," confirmed Smith. "The Dyson team raced the Porsche for the first time last season and it was a learning year for us. During the second half of the season we gradually got a handle on the RS Spyder making me very optimistic." The Dyson team finished runner-up in the 2007 ALMS LM P2 Team Championship with 2003 Le Mans 24 Hour race winner Smith ultimately finishing fourth in the category title race.  The 12-race ALMS gets underway with the Sebring 12 Hours on 15 March. Smith heads to Florida next week for a three-day test (28-30 Jan).

PKV Racing will test veteran Champ Car driver Alex Tagliani the team on February 2-4 at Sebring.  Tagliani has finished in the top-10 in the championship race six times during his 8-year Champ Car career. The 35-year-old native of Montreal has recorded one win at Road America in 2004, 14 podiums and five poles.  "Alex is a very competitive and capable driver that has consistently placed among the leaders in races and the championship standings over the years," said PKV Racing General Manager Mark Johnson. "Testing Alex in Sebring will give PKV Racing an opportunity to receive the benefit of his experience as we work through the various projects we have for this test. In addition, it will give us a chance to see how Alex meshes with our team as we proceed with our search for a second driver." Earlier this month PKV Racing announced that Oriol Servia, who competed for PKV Racing in the last two events of 2007 and during the 2006 season, would pilot one of two entries the team will field in 2008.

21-01-08

Caterham racing driver Rachel Green has been awarded the Lord Wakefield Trophy by the British Women Racing Drivers Club for a second time…read more

Jamie Perry will again lead Force Ten Motorsport in the Hankook Volkswagen racing Cup in 2008. Perry will drive a Golf GTi in the series…read more

2008 is Thomas Erdos and Mike Newton’s sixth season together as co-drivers and they kick-off with the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona with, once again, the RML AD Group. The pair will share an all-new #51 Cheever Racing Coyote-Pontiac with Tom Kimber-Smith, and two American drivers; Brent Sherman and Scott Mayer….read more

The 2008 Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship schedule has been officially confirmed by Formula 3 Australia.  The eight round, sixteen race series features racing in five states on some of the best circuits in the country, as well as the addition of the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide and the return of Melbourne's Sandown Raceway to the calendar. ..read more           Calendar

A large field is expected at Mount Panorama for the WPS Bathurst 12 Hour race in February. There are already 40 entries on the preliminary list for the production cars covering 13 different makes…read more

Sportscar racer Michael Mallock,son of RML Boss Ray, will race in the  forthcoming GT4 European Cup. He drive an Aston Martin N24 run by Aston Specialist team RS Williams Ltd…read more- photo  courtesy Linzi Smart

The South African Pro Tour, including the Formula Vee Chamionship gets underway this weekend at Kyalami with one question on most people’s mind. Can Formula Vee Champion Alan Holm make it 4 titles in a row…read more 

Bill Fenton Motorsports will return to the Koni Challenge series in 2008 at Daytona this weekend with a familiar driver lineup, as well as the team's pair of familiar Acura RSX's.  Todd Lamb and David Thilenius will once again co-drive the #27 Eastern Powersports Auction Acura  this year looking to improve on their 4th place finish in 2007. Todd Lamb: "It's good to be back with the same team in 2008. The things Dave and I learned about the car setup last year will help us be even better this year. And we know that the key to a successful weekend includes plenty of chips and salsa for the team."  Mike Liebl and Bob Beede will pilot the #29 Southern Auto Auction Acura. The pair are expected to be in contention for the win. Liebl is a past winner with Bill Fenton Motorsports at Daytona, while Beede has a series championship on his resume. Mike Liebl: "I'm looking forward to running with Bob at Daytona. We didn't get the result we were looking for last year but we had the speed to be up front. To echo what Todd said, we really should have Tostitos as a sponsor - it would cut the weekend's food bill in half." Prior to the second race of the season at Lime Rock, Bill Fenton Motorsports will undergo some significant changes which will include the debut of a new car.

Johnny Mowlem is back again for his tenth Rolex 24 at Daytona start, re-uniting with Team Orbit, the same organization he helped win the GT class victory in the famous race four years earlier. On that occasion Mowlem went up against then Porsche factory driver Mike Rockenfeller in a final two-hour epic to win by 6.2 seconds, the closest GT finish in Rolex 24 series history. Mowlem and his co-drivers Mike Fitzgerald, Tom Papadopoulos and Lance Willsey, completed a successful test two weeks ago, ranking themselves among one of the Porsches to lap below the existing pole position track lap record. Mowlem flies into Florida on Wednesday 23rd January, to attempt to do as ever other driver in the prestigious Rolex 24 hour race, win himself that watch. "The Rolex Daytona 24 hours, is a race victory that every driver wants on his resume, even if he hails from outside the sports car ranks," Mowlem said. "You only have to look at the number of drivers who come here every year from NASCAR, the IRL, Champcar and beyond. Obviously the prestige of this race has a lot to do with that, but don't underestimate the attraction to them all of winning that watch! I've been fortunate enough to win one already, but that still doesn't stop me wanting to win another!"

20-01-08

A1 Team Germany's Christian Vietoris took his first A1GP race win in this afternoon's Feature race at Taupo Motorsport Park while New Zealand's Jonny Reid took the honours in the sprint race. He then added a fourth place in the feature race to put them at the top of the points table in the championship ...read more.

A1 Team GBR suffered two heartbreaking results today in Taupo. In the sprint race Robbie Kerr was hit while trying to overtake A1 Team USA, which forced him off the track and caused his engine to stall. His feature race then came to a premature end when he pulled into the pits with a technical problem which is currently being investigated. After experiencing some technical problems in qualifying, Robbie began this morning’s sprint race from 13th on the grid. He made a very good start, avoided a multiple car collision at the first corner, and moved up five places to eighth by turn two. Following a brief safety car period, Robbie began to push seventh-placed Jonathan Summerton in the USA car. On lap five the two were side-by-side as Robbie dived down the inside to make the pass. Summerton clipped his front left wheel against Robbie’s rear right. The impact lifted the Team GBR car and sent Robbie off the track, where the engine stalled. He managed to nurse his car to the pits and run some laps towards the end of the race, but was unable to score points.The team was hoping for better fortunes in the afternoon’s feature race, in which Robbie began from ninth place.  Robbie moved up to eighth after the standing start and then began to push Team Canada for seventh position. He briefly took the position before Canada snatched it back. On lap five however, problems, that had worried the team prior to the start, proved terminal as the oil temperature increased causing a loss of power to the car forcing Robbie into the pits. Unfortunately, as GBR leaves Taupo having scored no points, the team slips to eighth in the standings. However, with the team just one point adrift of seventh-placed Team Netherlands and two points behind Team Ireland, hopes are high for a return to points-scoring ways in two weeks time at Eastern Creek in Australia. pic A1GP.com

Fortec Motorsport  has signed up Dean Smith (GB), Daniel McKenzie (GB), and Gabriel Dias (Brazil) as three of it's drivers for the 2008 Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup and Western European Cup programmes. After several winning seasons in the Formula Renault 2.0 UK championship including driver and team championships in 2006 and 2007, the team expands into Europe where it hopes to emmulate it's national success. A fourth name will be announced in the coming days with several drivers in contention for the seat. Dean Smith stays with Fortec Motorsport after finishing runner-up in the 2007 Formula Renault UK championship to team-mate Duncan Tappy. Daniel McKenzie is another name to stay within the Fortec family after a strong first season with the Formula BMW team. Gabriel Dias comes to the team after several highly-successful seasons in karting, and following a testing programme with Fortec at the end of 2007.Team Principal Richard Dutton commented: - "It's great to have such a brace of talent for our first year in the Formula Renault Eurocup. I think each driver will bring a lot to the team and I'm sure we can continue our winning ways from the past seasons in the UK series".

Brooks Associates Racing has revealed it's driver line-up for the 2008 Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda. Filip Salaquarda from the Czech Republic began his racing career winning  the Comer category in Czech go-karts, then progressed to ICA 100, winning that championship before the age of 15. Moving into cars, he progressed to the Ford Puma Cup, Formula BMW, then Formula 3, competing in the Formula 3 Euroseries in 2007, with two top five finishes. He also represented his country in the A1GP series, finishing 10th at Shanghai. Markus Niemela  from Finland.began his career in karts, winning the Junior Championship. His achievements include victories in England, Germany, Scandinavia, Belgium, Finland and Sweden in both karting and formula racing. In 2007, Markus joined the GP2 series in mid-season, running well with BCN Competition. The two will partner with BAR's engineers, Nick Harvey and Yancy Diotalevi, and the rest of the team for an exciting 2008 season. "Markus and Filip fit right into our team and I'm really looking forward to 2008. We're changing any number of things, and having two quality drivers signed early, with plenty of time to test and work together promises a good season for all my guys." said team owner, John Brooks. In slightly more than two weeks, the team heads for Florida for its first round of 2008 tests before returning to its Tucson base.

19-01-08

Home nation A1 Team New Zealand qualified in pole position for tomorrow morning's Sprint race at Taupo while France took the Feature race pole. It was an unusual qualifying hour as the majority of teams waited as late as possible to take to the windy, dusty track during each of the four 15-minute qualifying segments...read more

Maximilian Gotz and Jens Klingmann will compete in the 2008 Formula 3 Euro Series with VW power. The two "stars of tomorrow" drive for the Italian team RC Motorsport in the hard-fought pan-European championship. While the 21-year old "Maxi" Gotz raced last season with Volkswagen in Formula 3, Jens Klingmann makes his debut: After winning the 2007 Formula BMW Germany championship title the 17-year old tackles the next step in the racing career ladder this year.

The 2008 calendar of the Euroseries 3000 has been officialized today and now also includes a round in Mugello on July 20th and a second race in Valencia on September 28th. The total events are therefore 15 as a double race is scheduled for all the week-ends apart from Spa where a single 120 Km race will take place. The season will start in Italy, in Vallelunga, where a collective test is also scheduled on March 10 and 11. Other test session will take place in May.

18-0-08

Global tyre giant Hankook will once again be the Volkswagen Racing Cup's title sponsor, and will supply slick and wet-weather rubber to all competitors…read more

Drivers entering the 2008 Formula BMW Americas Championship will face the most challenging and diverse schedule in the series' five year history…read more

The 2008 Formula Palmer Audi Championship is already starting to fill up ahead of the first race of the season in April. Alongside the familiar names from 2007 there will be new faces all adding to the competiton …read more

Thomas Hylkema has joined up with Mark Burdett Motorsport to contest the  2008 British Formula Renault 2.0 championship …read more

Nathan Caratti will drive for Opes Prime Team BRM in the 2008 Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship . Caratti secured the drive in one of the team’s  Dallara F307 Mercedes after testing at Mallala Raceway recently…read more

A1 Team France were quickest in the second of today's two free practice sessions at Taupo. Driver Loic Duval clocked the best lap of the day, with a 1m15.545s in glorious sunshine. Second was Irelands Adam Carroll 0.254 secs behind…read more

The Prema Powerteam is proud to announce it will continue to race with Renger van der Zande in the F3 Euro Series. After a successful debut season with Prema in 2007 the Dutchman, who will celebrate his 22nd birthday next month, is looking forward to another strong season with ‘the Prema family'.

Five-time Gold Star winners Ralt Australia will contest the 2008 Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship with a two car operation, thanks to a new partnership with Sam Sofi of Transwest Insurance Brokers. The team will be known as Transwest Racing.  Sydneysider Matt Sofi will steer a new Dallara F307 in the championship class whilst F3 rookie James Crozier will race the teams’ exiting F304 entry in the National Class competition. Both cars will be powered by Mugen Honda engines.  Sofi’s car was recently purchased from top British F3 team Carlin Motorsport, whilst the F304 National Class entry won the 2003 British F3 championship with Nelson Piquet Jr, and has since performed well with Sofi behind the wheel locally. The cars are currently being prepared at Ralt Australia’s workshop at Wyong, on New South Wales’ Central Coast ahead of an extensive pre-season testing program prior to the first round of the championship to be held at Eastern Creek, on February 3

Dyson Racing have announced their driver line-up for the 2008 American Le Mans Series. The team’s two Porsche RS Spyders will be driven by Chris Dyson and Guy Smith in the number 16 car  with Butch Leitzinger and Marino Franchitti in the second #20 entry. ..read more

PROTEAM WITH D'ASTE AND HERNÁNDEZ .   Reigning Independents' champion Stefano D'Aste will rejoin Proteam Motorsport to race alongside Sergio Hernández in the team's BMW 320si cars.  D'Aste drove for Proteam in the 2005 and 2006 WTCC, with excellent results. The driver was third in the Independents' Trophy on both ocasions, while the outfit directed by Valmiro Presenzini claimed the Teams' Trophy in 2005. Last year D'Aste moved to Wiechers-Sport and clinched the title, while Proteam again won the Teams' Trophy with Rangoni and Hernández.

A Charity fundraising event has been organised for 23 January 2008 at the Team Sport Karting Center in Camberley, Surrey, www.team-sport.co.uk. . Its aim is  to raise the awareness and profile of the Help for Heroes charity ( www.helpforheroes.org.uk ) and of course to raise funds towards its goal.  The charity was set up late last year and aims to help our injured service men and women in a number of ways including the construction of a dedicated swimming pool on the hospital site in Surrey for use in the patients rehabilitation.  In attendance will be Tom Chilton, Tom Onslow-Cole, Paul O'Neil, Callum Holland, Jamie Stanley, James Hayden, Scott Smart and Danni, Becki and Peta - The Suns page 3 girls and Nuts Magazine along with military press. Guest drivers will arrive from 1730hrs  with some of the patients kicking-off the evening with a mini race around the track  Following this the corporate guests will be allocated a driver/rider and a patient who will help to manage the team and the Le-Mans style race will commence for 2.5 hrs.  There will be an award ceremony and an auction at the end of the evening and during this time we will have live music to entertain ! 

CHEVROLET LAUNCH AT VIENNA AUTO SHOW. Austrian racing fans witnessed the kick-off of Chevrolet's fourth FIA WTCC season, as the 2008 version of the Chevrolet Lacetti was displayed for the first time at the Vienna Auto Show. After their most successful season yet, Chevrolet will  even better. With this in mind they have re-signed their three drivers: Alain Menu, Nicola Larini and Rob Huff.  Motorsport Manager, Eric Nève, said: "Chevrolet's bjective for this year is clearly to try and win the drivers' championship."

Three time Rolex 24 Hourt Daytona winner Derek Bell will race the No. 12 RVO Motorsports Pontiac Riley in next week's Daytona 24 Hour Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 season opener.  He will be joined by his son Justin Bell and team owner/driver Roger Schramm.  "I had never driven a Rolex DP car until the test two weeks ago," Derek Bell said. "I have been keen to drive one. I took a few laps at night and did about six circuits. I felt like an old woman driving it. The last time I drove a sequential gearbox was when I drove here in 2003 with Gianpiero Moretti in the Ferrari 333 SP. The next day I got back in and got the gear shifting down and it was very enjoyable. It is a very easy car to drive. It can be nervous, the tail kicks out and that just makes you drive it a little more. The last time I was here I was the Grand Marshal of the race three years ago. It is great to run with my son Justin. We ran Le Mans together in '95 and we led the race for almost 14-hours."  For Derek, participation in this year's Rolex has even more significance, it may finally be his last international motor race.  "Obviously there comes a time when you simply cannot run at an international level forever, and while I will continue to drive in historic and classic race events, I can think of no better place to run my final race on the world stage, than at the Rolex 24 At Daytona where I have had much success and history".  Justin Bell will team  up  with Schramm to run 12 Grand-Am Rolex series races this season.  "It will be great to run with Dad again," Justin Bell said. "Roger and the team have done a lot of work on the car in the off season and our times were a definitely more competitive in the test. Dad's experience will be welcome with regard to the setup of the car as well as how we run the race. He has so many sports car miles under his belt that we would be foolish not tap into that experience and knowledge. And let's face it, how many people get to drive with their father at this level?" That driver lineup is rounded up with the addition of Paul Dallenbach and Tonis Kasemets which makes the No. 12 RVO entry on track for a solid run at this year's Rolex 24.

384,000 EUROS FOR THE INDEPENDENTS  Prize money for the Independent drivers in the 2008 FIA World Touring Car Championship has been raised to euro 384,000.  The prize money will be awarded to the drivers entered in the Yokohama Independents' Trophy. At each of the season's twelve race meetings, a total of euro 32,000 will be awarded to the top six Independent drivers:

euro 12,000 to the first driver

euro 8,000 to the second driver

euro 5,000 to the third driver

euro 3,000 to the fourth driver

euro 2,000 to the fifth driver

euro 2,000 to the sixth driver

The point scoring system will be the same as the FIA WTCC: 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 points to the first eight drivers classified; however, double points will be awarded in the two races of the final meeting at Macau. 
Due to the narrow gap (2 points) with which Stefano D'Aste won the 2007 trophy, he will be admitted to compete again, but starting with a 2-point handicap in the classification.

Petersen Motorsports turns it’s  focus to Rally raids in 2008. TheTwo-Time Sports car Championship-Winning Owner will put up the shutters on its Sports Car efforts untill 2009. Michael Petersen, Owner: "This was truly a difficult decision. We have had such a great run of success in the American Le Mans Series and at Le Mans. However, it came time to make the decision and I am really enjoying my time in off-road racing again. I believe that the American Le Mans Series is a great series but I feel like this is absolutely the right decision for Petersen Motorsports at this time. While we have had great success in sports car racing it is time for a new challenge and few challenges are greater than marathon rallies. I do want to take this time to thank Ferrari and Michelin for their support and to all the guys on the team that have given so much to the program over the years."

17-01-08

Hillspeed have recruited Richard Singleton(below) and Alex Morgan to their Formula Renault UK line-up for 2008, Alongside FRUK effort the team will run 3 cars in the Formula Renault BARC Championship for Ahmad Al Harthy from Oman,  Bahraini racer Menasheh Idafar and Britains Michael Lyons…..read  more

The 2008 calendar for the Formula Palmer Audi Championship has been finalised, with Spa Francorchamps confirmed on 16/17/18 May. FPA will be appearing at the 'RMU Classic', a mixed event of historic and modern racing that also features the FIA Historic Formula One Championship and Orwell Supersports. Group C are also expected to take part. FPA founder, Jonathan Palmer said: "We are delighted to have Spa confirmed on the FPA calendar as it is a legendary track for any driver. The majestic undulations of the circuit will present a challenge to those taking part in this year's Formula Palmer Audi championship which is great value for money at 59,950 GBP for a whole season's racing." 12 of this year's 20 Formula Palmer Audi races will take place on current or former F1 tracks, with other venues including Donington, Silverstone GP and two appearances at Brands Hatch on the GP circuit. FPA will support some of the biggest events in the UK, including A1GP, DTM and the FIA World Touring Car Championship. The season commences at Donington Park on 12/13 April.

Alan Sciuto will test for Mathiasen Motorsports later this week at Buttonwillow in California as the team start their preparations for the 2008 Atlantic series…read more

James Hinchcliffe has been reunited with Forsythe Championship Racing for  the Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda. Hinchcliffe previously raced for the team in 2006 winning in Portland…read more 

New Zealander Jonny Reid has promised to ‘turn it on’ for his home crowd at Taupo in the A1GP meeting this weekend. Other than the opening round at Zandvoort when all teams were on zero points, it is the first round this season where the home team goes into its local race in contention for the Championship. With Reid seemingly being the most popular person in Taupo right now,  the local media is  desparate to interview the 24-year-old ahead of this weekend’s races. ‘This week has been great and A1GP has got a huge following here,’ said Reid. ‘Everyone is working really hard within the team to promote the event. We’ve all been looking forward to it for a long time and it is going to be an exciting weekend’s racing. I just hope I can pay everyone back with some strong results this weekend.‘Switzerland is leading the championship, and we’re got to hone down on Neel Jani and the rest this weekend. It is not panic stations yet because we’re only halfway through the championship, but we’ve got to chip away at it and try for those race wins where possible.” Reid said he was excited about the prospect of seeing the crowds turn out in support of A1 Team New Zealand ‘Seeing all the black shirts lifts me on the day,’ he added. ‘Last year it was just fantastic and if there had been a way to get past France’s Loic Duval last year I would have done it. But there have been rule changes in the series and the circuit has changed so we do have the opportunity to pass. And if I’m not on pole or I’m not leading the race then I still know that everyone is behind me to me on to get through the field.’

In the 2007-08 Lumina CSV Series, UMA Motor Sports/P1 AFR have been catching the leaders in the Championship leaders and after latest rounds in Dubai they are even closer….read more

Kyle Marcelli, of Barrie, Ontario, continues to climb the Motorsport ladder after he ended another successful season behind the wheel,.finishing a strong first season of pro formula car racing, after just coming out of the national karting ranks in Canada...read more

Atlantic Series team Genoa Racing started the new year with a very successful two-day test at Sebring last weekend. The team tested with experienced Atlantic Series drivers Tom Sutherland and J.R. Hildebrand, along with longtime racer Larry Connor, and was joined by the Atlantic teams of Forsythe Championship Racing and Jensen Motorsports. Following a productive first day the Genoa team got down to business early, making big gains right away and unofficially setting the fastest lap time of the test with  J.R. Hildebrand, Tom Sutherland finishing just tenths behind. The team continued to make improvements even as the conditions got worse, outrunning their competitors for the rest of the day. "All the drivers did a superb job," related team manager and engineer Thomas Knapp. "We were able to quickly establish communication and used our track time to excellent effect. We also wanted to use this test as a proper warm-up for the upcoming season in regards to our crew and team, so we got a lot of value out of that, as well." The drivers and team were very happy about how the test went, collectively learning about what the cars needed and then taking advantage on the track. "Everything went really smoothly from the beginning," said Hildebrand. "I was able to work with Thomas [Knapp] to make some big changes to the way the car handled on Sunday and our pace was quite fast for the remainder of the afternoon. It was great for me to get back in the car, so I want to thank Angelo Ferro and the Genoa team for giving me that opportunity as I work on my plans for the upcoming year."

Ted Christopher will drive in the Rolex 24 at Daytona on Jan 26-27, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour veteran jumping at the chance to run in the race. Christopher is one of three drivers in the Southard Motorsports Riley-Lexus Daytona Prototype (DP) car co-sponsored by Whelen and Loctite "I'm really looking forward to it," Christopher said. "When I did it last time, everything was new. Now at least I have a good concept of Daytona -- of the course itself, of the car, and of the aspect of driving with those GT cars."

16-01-08

AUTOSPORT SHOW. Many BRSCC members took up the offer of a complimentary ticket to the Autosport Show, which took place at the NEC, Birmingham, between 10th -13th January. The BRSCC stand, sporting a completely new look, was a hive of activity with the new VW Jetta being launched on the Thursday and a photo call for the Keystone Computer Group sponsorship of Powernights taking place on the Friday. The stand was busy throughout the four days as were many of the other stands featuring cars from BRSCC championships. A full report on the Show will appear in the February edition of BRSCC Racing News.  

Highlights of last October’s Formula Ford Festival are being broadcast on Motors TV this week. The Duratecs feature as part of the Race & Rally UK programme up to next Wednesday, when the Kents will then take centre stage, also in the Race & Rally UK programme. For exact timings log-on to www.motorstv.com  A 40 minute DVD of the Festival is also now available from RacingLine. For details contact p.mattocks@racingline.com 

The British Formula Ford Championship is to spread its wings to mainland Europe later this season with a meeting at the Belgian Grand Prix circuit of Spa-Francorchamps. The twin-race June date at Spa will see the British Championship joining forces with drivers from the Benelux series and will, says Sam Roach, of championship promoter RacingLine, provide a memorable weekend. "It's not often that young drivers are afforded the opportunity to tackle one of the world's greatest circuits, and I am sure it will be a highlight of the British Formula Ford season. We have enjoyed welcoming our Benelux counterparts, whose championship has also adopted the Duratec power unit, in the UK in recent seasons and I know that they are keen to reciprocate."

REGS & RACE ENTRY FORMS. Draft regulations for all BRSCC championships are in process of being submitted to the MSA for approval and should be available to download from the BRSCC website by the end of this month. Race entry forms will also be available from the beginning of February from both the website and championship co-ordinators. The online entry system should be operational in early March.   

MST Sports Timing Ltd, who provide timing systems at the majority of race meetings, have changed their name with immediate effect to Timing Solutions Ltd. They have also relocated to new premises as follows:  Timing Solutions Ltd, Unit 2, Ninian Park, Ninian Way, Tamworth, Staffs B&& 5ES

Jérôme D’Ambrosio has been carrying out further development on  the 2008 Formula Masters car in Racalmuto, Sicily.

2007 Champ D’Ambrosio completed 125 laps over the test,on Monday and Tuesday this week....read more

Clio drivers Robert Lawson and Andrew Herron will switch to SEAT with JHR Developments, as part of their three car assault on the 2008 SEAT Cupra Championship. ..read more

John Allison has won the VXR Racing Driver of the Year, an award that gives him a fully-funded race seat for the  2008 Dunlop Sport Maxx Production Car Championship, a prize worth  £80,000.....read more.

Hinchcliffe and Wickens Nominated by Inside Track. Montréal, Canada - In recognition of their sterling on-track efforts in 2007, A1 Team Canada racers James Hinchcliffe and Robert Wickens have found themselves nominated in the 'Canadian Road Racer of the Year' category in this year's Inside Track Readers' Choice Awards Presented by Castrol.The annual poll, now in its sixth year, is hosted by Inside Track magazine, one of Canada's premier monthly motorsport publications, and voted for by its readers. Boasting a variety of categories to showcase Canada's leading motorsport talents competing on four wheels and two, at home and abroad, the voting opened this week at www.insidetracknews.com and will remain open until Friday 14th March 2008…read more

Last week Aussie Justin Tate, the 2007 Victorian  Porsche 944 Champion took his initial steps to a career in single seaters when he took part in a Formula 3 Test at Winton Raceway with the Scud Racing team.  They were there for their first shakedown of 2008 with New Zealander Mathew Radisich driving the team’s Dallara 304. Justin meanwhile used the Dallra 301 raced last year by Lauren Gray….read more

Garry Holt will return to Bathurst for the 12 Hours in 2008 to defend the title he won last year.  With Craig Baird and Paul Morris…read more

A1 TEAM USA enters the fifth round of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport season this weekend (Jan. 18-20) at Taupo, New Zealand knowing it must develop a more competitive "We the People" car for qualifying to start putting more points on the board. "We have a strong car by the Feature race, but we need to work on getting better for qualifying," driver Jonathan Summerton said. "We need to start closer to the front to finish at the front, particularly in the Sprint race."  The Sprint is 19 minutes plus one lap and runs without a pit stop. The short duration makes it difficult to move up significantly and the race pays the same amount of points as the 69-minute-plus-one-lap Feature, which has two mandatory pit stops.  Summerton says A1 TEAM USA still has some work to do making the Lola-Zytek faster for the races, "We've made some progress," Summerton commented. "We're not happy to be running just inside the top-10. We need to be fighting for the wins. We can get there by qualifying better and running slightly better in the races."  A1 TEAM USA will open the event Friday with Charlie Kimball driving in the two 25-minute all-rookie practices.

Andersen Racing have signed a multi-year sponsorship deal with Allied Building Products in support of its campaigns in IPS, Star Mazda and F2000 Championships…read more

Souriau wins 2008 Autosport International “Best Product” , Souriau’s new quick release connector extends battery life and enables quick battery replacement with no tooling.  ...read more

15-01-08

LMA Euro Sports and Saloon car Championship  registrations are now underway with 30 competitors already registered…If you want to join in click on the following links....Registration form....and .......Technical Summary

Comtec Racing has unveiled the car with which the team will bid to recapture its past British Formula Ford Championship glories. The D08 made its bow on Comtec's stand at the Autosport International show in Birmingham ahead of an intensive testing schedule designed to bring the car up to pace in time for Easter's championship kick-off.  It's the first in-house Formula Ford design from Comtec, whose British championship wins in 2000 and '02 came courtesy of Van Diemen chassis.  Comtec's driver development manager, Martin Donnelly, says there will be two works cars on the grid - one for Westley Barber, who will return to the championship he won six years ago, and another for a young Brazilian pilot, Francesco Wieller. "Francesco comes to us highly recommended," added Donnelly, "and with him, Westley and the new car we certainly have the right package to win.  "The D08 is innovative in a number of areas, especially in its aerodynamics, and in the fact that it is equipped with wheel safety tethers." The Scholar-powered car will begin testing in mid-February.   Comtec is also making the D08 available to other teams contesting the Ford-backed championship. Its arrival on the grid is expected to bring to six the number of different chassis in action this season, joining Mygale, Van Diemen, Ray, Getem and Spectrum.

Stars from British Formula Ford gave an impressive account of themselves in the Autosport Show's Live Action arena, staging a total of 13 showcase races during the four-day exhibition. Alex Jones, Jamie Jardine, James Nash, David Brown, Marco Sorensen, Callum Holland and Jay Bridger were the men in action. "They were the stars of the show," said proud co-ordinator Penny Mattocks, "and there were plenty of thrills and spills to keep the audience on the edges of their seats."

Michael Self, winner of Champ Car's ROTAX Career Enhancement Scholarship, ends first weekend in Skip Barber’s with a crash and a win….read more

Frederic Vervisch charged up the field after starting at the rear and took an exciting race win from Niall Quinn with Matt Howson in the race 4 of the Asian F3 meeying in Batangas on the Philippines.. Vervisch leads the championship and the race for the Force India F1 prize drive by a mere three points from Hamad Al Fardan. At the start Hamad jumped into the lead from Niall Quinn with third place disputed by Suzuki, Howson and Vervisch. The latter sold them all a dummy at turn one and swept into third place. It took four laps to catch and pass Quinn and he was then able to home in on leader Al Fardan. He was right on his tail with two laps to go when Al Fardan’s engine started to misfire and he rapidly fell backwards, ending a disappointed fifth. This left Vervisch to take an easy win from Quinn whilst behind Matt Howson was just able to hold off Rafael Suzuki on the line. rederic Vervisch won on the road from Hamad Al Fardan and Niall Quinn but was disqualified for reversing on the grid. Matt Howson was promoted to third place although the results are now under appeal.  In the third race Al Fardan led the first dry race of the weekend after the first lap from Vervisch, Howson, Rafael Suzuki and Niall Quinn. Next lap saw Vervisch dive past Hamad at turn one to take the lead which he extended over the balance of the race. Turn one was the site of all the action as Quinn had a quick spin under braking avoiding Howson. This left Howson and Suzuki in a close race which came to a head on lap five when Suzuki out-braked Howson into turn one only for the two to collide allowing Quinn back into third place. Suzuki was forced to retire with suspension damage whilst Howson finished in fourth place. The attention was now on the impressive Quinn who was on a charge and rapidly catching Hamad in second place. Whilst he failed to take the place by a mere four hundreds of a second he did have the consolation of fastest race lap. After the race Vervisch was protested for reversing on the grid, due to overshooting his grid position, and disqualified. Vervisch has appealed the decision….read more

Team JD Motorsport has signed Sergey Afanasievm for the Formula Master European Series Roberto Cavallari (Team Manager) saidm “We’re very happy for the agreement signed with Sergey, he adapted himself to our car in a very few time and he had a very important job, being very fast in many circumstances. A special thanks is for all the LUKOIL Staff which has choose, one more time (there was already the M.Aleshin debut in the 2003), our Team to their drivers technical growing” .

Fisichella Motor Sport International have confirmed it’s driver line-up for the 2008 Formula BMW Europe Championship with the signing of 17-year-old Romanian Mihai Marinescu. Mihai will join Ollie Millroy and Pedro Bianchini to race for the Italian team in the brand new series. Read more

Niall Quinn started his Formula 3 with a flourish at the weekend taking two excellent second places plus a and a fastest lap in Batangas on the Philippines …read more

The Mansell brothers 2008 Champ Car Atlantic season has already begun as they and their team  Walker Racing carried out two days of testing last week at MSR Houston.  Read more

Johnny Unser has ben named as Atlantic Race Director for 2008. The 49-year-old Unser will be responsible for calling all Champ Car Atlantic races, as well as dealing with procedural issues and judgmental officiating calls. He will work closely with Champ Car World Series Executive Vice President, Operations Tony Cotman, who also serves as the Race Director for all Champ Car events. Unser joins the Champ Car Atlantic Championship in addition to his role as Technical Advisor for Cooper Tire & Rubber Company. "We are delighted to welcome Johnny Unser as our Champ Car Atlantic Race Director and are thrilled to bring the Unser name back into our paddock once again," said Champ Car Atlantic managing director Vicki O'Connor. "We have gotten to know Johnny closer over the past year through his association with Cooper Tires and feel strongly that he has exactly the right personality and temperament to be successful in this position. His knowledge of racing is impeccable and he will truly be an asset to our already outstanding group of race officials."

O'Connell Racing (OConnellRacing.com), a southern California based Grand-Am Rolex Series and NASCAR road racing team announced today that it has formally entered the 24 Hours of Daytona for 2008. Sharing driver responsibilities for the prestigious annual race will be team principal and driver Kevin O'Connell joined winning IMSA driver Kevin Roush, Rolex Series standout Hugh Plumb, and veteran professional driver Kris Wilson. Kevin O'Connell commented, "2008 represents our second attempt at the 24 Hour after a top ten in 2007 in GT. We spent much of last year learning how to run these races and I believe we have better equipment and a significantly more experienced team for this year's running. Our goal like last year is to run a smart race, manage the car and be there in the morning."

14-01-08

Leading UK charity the British Heart Foundation is £1,000 better off thanks to the efforts of four of the country’s most talented young saloon car racing drivers on Friday, 11th January, during the annual BP Ultimate Celebrity Kart Challenge at Birmingham’s NEC...read more

Jonathan Ridley-Holloway will drive for ELF Renault Clio Cup teamTotal Control Racing in the 2008 season. Holloway a Class winner of the Britcar 24 Hours Race  made his Clio Cup debut in last’ years Winter Cup…read more

Kieran Clark to race with Apotex Scorpio Motorsport in 2008 Formula Renault UK Championship …read more

Two-car Leon TDI team will see Jason Plato and Darren Turner make diesel racing debuts in 2008 BTCC..read more

Andrew Herron has aanounced that he will take part in the  SEAT Cupra Championship in 2008. The 19-year-old ELF Renault Clio Cup race winner confirmed his move to the series at the  Autosport International Show on Fridat last week…read more.

Alexander Sims will stay in Formula Renault UK Championship for a second year in 2008 after signing with multiple champion team Manor Competition…read more

James Winslow will make his A1GP debut this weekend after being called up by Team GBR for the in New Zealand and Australia. Winslow’s debut in A1GP will include the two rookie sessions at Taupo held over the A1GP weekend. Although Taupo, being used for the second time by the A1GP series(18-20 January), will be new to the reigning Formula Renault V6 Asia champion, Eastern Creek will be more familiar following his Australian F3 campaign in 2007. “I’m delighted to have been asked to join Team GBR for the next two A1GP events and very grateful to the team for this great opportunity. I am also very grateful to my manager, Piers Masarati, for putting the deal together,” Winslow said, “The A1GP series has been growing in importance over the past couple of years, and these outings will be an exciting development in my career.  While I accept that the team may be taking advantage of my experience in Australia over the past couple of seasons, I hope to be able to repay their faith with some strong performances in the rookie practice sessions, and by providing some useful feedback as Team GBR gears up for two crucial races in the 2007-08 campaign. It will be my first visit to Taupo and my first drive in an A1 car so the first session will be a real challenge, however I am excited about the opportunity that I have been offered, especially at Eastern Creek, which is a circuit I know well after racing there twice this past year.”

Luciano Bacheta has signed with Hitech Junior to compete in the 2008 Formula Renault Eurocup Championship….read more

Australian team, VIP Pet Foods (Tony Quinn, Klark Quinn, Craig Baird and Jonathan Webb) took their Porsche 997 GT3 RSR to victory in the third edition of the Toyo Tyres 24H of Dubai…report

Team ORECA has revealed its driver line-up for the 2008 Le Mans Series season. Former Formula One veteran Olivier Panis will join GP2 racer Nicolas Lapierre with team regulars Stephane Ortelli and Soheil Ayari behind the wheel of two Courage-Oreca Judds in the LMP1 category..read more

Sunday saw the start of the VXR Racing Driver of the Year competition final, a three-day event in which one of the 12 finalists will see their life change forever. The finalists participating in the long-awaited VXR racing driver of the Year final, all eager to win the fully-funded race seat for 2008, were in for a shock right from the start….read more

Dario Franchitti, winner of the Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Series championship was announced as recipient of the Jerry Titus Memorial Trophy for 2007 at Saturday night's 38th annual American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association's All-America Team ceremony, presented by A1GP World Cup of Motorsport.  The Titus is earned by the driver who receives the most All-America Team votes cast by AARWBA members. Named in memory of the late journalist and professional racer, it is the highest honor offered by the country's oldest and largest organization of motorsports media professionals.

13-01-08

Frederic Vervisch won an exciting round six of the Asian F3 Series from Hamad Al Fardan and Matt Howson. Suzuki was fourth and Niall Quinn fifth. Hamad and Vervisch put on a great display of often side by side racing in the wet conditions. Hamad, of Team GFH Bahrain, led from the start whilst Team Goddard’s Vervisch slotted into second from Matt Howson of PTRS Racing. Aran Racing’s Niall Quinn was next up from Team Goddard’s Rafael Suzuki. The lead pair pulled out a small gap to Howson who was pulling away from the battling Quinn and Suzuki. The Brazilian found a way past Quinn on lap five and pulled away from the young Irishman who was coping well with the wet conditions and demonstrating a lot of potential. Like Suzuki this was their first experience of racing F3 in the wet.  Meanwhile up front the gap was never more than 1.2 seconds and often it was nothing at all as the leaders fought a hard but fair race for the lead. Several times Vervisch was alongside Hamad only to have to give way. The crowd were certainly being well entertained. Vervisch finally found a way past at turn 3 on lap nine and then drove away setting the race’s fastest lap in the process. Hamad was now under pressure from Howson but try and he may Howson could not find a way past. “That was my best race in F3” remarked Vervisch. “The racing was close but fair and I really enjoyed it”.  Rounds 7 and 8 of the series will take place tomorrow, Sunday 13th, and its hoped the weather will be kinder. Ironically this is the dry season in this part of the Philippines.      

Al Fardan conquered the treacherous wet conditions to take an accomplished win in round 5 of the Asian F3 Series from Matt Howson and early leader Frederic Vervisch. Pole sitter, Team Goddard’s Rafael Suzuki, was quick off the line but a sideways moment on the run up to the first turn handed the lead to team mate Frederic Vervisch. Hamad Al Fardan, of Team GFH Bahrai, muscled his way past the Brazilian at turn one and Aran Racing’s Niall Quinn took the opportunity to drop the pole man to fourth place on the run up to turn two. The conditions were extremely difficult, the spray making visibility almost non-existent for the majority of the field. At the end of the first lap the order was Vervisch, Hamad, Quinn, PTRS Racing’s Matt Howson and Suzuki. The pattern of the race changed at the tight turn three hairpin when Hamad dived up the inside of Vervisch. Contact was made, spinning Vervisch whilst leaving Hamad in the lead. He then got his head down and was never headed in an accomplished display of wet weather driving. The incident promoted Niall Quinn to second place, the young Irishman impressing on his F3 debut especially taking into account the terrible conditions. However a lap later he was in the gravel at turn six and out of the race. Vervisch was soon chasing after Howson but a trip through the turn five gravel narrowly missing the stranded car of Quinn left him just ahead of Suzuki who impressing with his drive in his first taste of an F3 car in the wet.. That was how they finished with Howson setting the race’s fastest lap on the final tour.

50 Years ‘Lola Hall of Fame’ poll. As 2008 is Lola's 50th Anniversary year they asked the mdedia and some of tbheir more famour drivers to volte for the top ten all time favourite Lola cars. The winner will not come as a surprise...read more

Formula Palmer Audi have has a new sponsor for it's 2008 Championship - NewNet plc, an award winning internet services provider. The company  have  been involved in the sport before, first in2006 with Nathan Freke in Formula Ford then Mike Meadows in F3 last year.,,,read more

In preparation for the 2008 Formula BMW of Americas  Team Rossi Motorsports with their driver and Alexander Rossi were invited to prestigious BMW Sauber F1 Team Pit Lane Park at the annual International Consumer Electronics Exposition (CES)in Las Vegas...read more

Registration for the 2008 Formula Renault BARC Championship have ended with all 36 places on the grid filled. With 60 pre-registrations back in December tehre were numerous teams and drivers at thet Autosport International trying to9 get an entry at the Renault stand..read more . 

Meanwhile the Formula  Renault UK with Michelin Championship's own registrations  opened on Thursday,(10^th January) with 14 drivers signed up already...read more.

Over 20 registrations have been received already for the 2008 ELF Renault Clio Cup. After a busy day of registrations on Thursday, (10^th January) at the Autosport International Show 23 places were filled...read more.

Sam Schmidt Motorsports has announced that it has signed 22-year old Brazilian Ana Beatriz, aka "Bia," to drive one of its Indy Pro Series machines for the 2008 season.  "We're excited about bringing Bia on-board with us for this next season," team owner Sam Schmidt said. "She is very focused on succeeding in the Indy Pro Series. With the tools we'll provide her along with her own determination to learn, we're confident she'll do a great job this year." Beatriz, from São Paulo, has raced since she was 8 and has had years of success in Brazil's karting championships and formula car ladder. She has three years of experience in the Brazilian Formula Renault series, winning rookie of the year  in 2003 and taking 3 wins and 4 poles in 2005. She picked up the São Paulo Citizen Driver Award in 2006 2006, and was awarded three coveted "Gold Helmet" awards, one of  Brazil's highest honours. In April of 2007, she made her debut in A1GP at Shanghai driving in one of the practice sessions. "I'm really happy to be in the U.S.," Beatriz said. "I've always kept up with Andre Ribeiro, Tony Kanaan, Vitor Meira, and Helio Castroneves. They've told me how great it is over here and how very competitive it is. I'm extremely happy to be here in such a competitive series with the best team there is in Sam Schmidt Motorsports. Hopefully, if things go well, there could be a possibility of running Indy next year. I'm just very proud right now, and I can't thank these guys enough."  Currently, Beatriz is in the process of relocating to Indianapolis and settling in to be closer with the team. Since beginning competition in the Indy Pro Series in 2003, Sam Schmidt Motorsports has become the dominating force having won three of the last four driver championships along with holding the series record for most wins (23). The 2008 Indy Pro Series season kicks off its 16-race schedule on March 29th at the Homestead-Miami Speedway where the team will enter as defending race and series champions.

VW will power Martin Plowman and Franck Mailleux in Euro F3 in 2008. Plowman announced his plans for the 2008 at the  Autosport International on Friday 11 January. He will move into Euro F3 with RC Motorsport...read more.

A1GP World Cup of Motorsport will make history next weekend when all of the teams racing Taupo will run with biofuel in their tanks. All teh cars will have a 30 per cent biofuel mix. ..read more

11-01-08

Mike Newton and Thomas Erdos, current Le Mans Series LMP2 Champions, will stay with RML for a sixth successive season …read more

Tom Onslow-Cole has been sign by Vauxhall to partner Fabrizio Giovanardi in the HiQ BTCC in 2008….read more

Adelaide based Opes Prime Team BRM yesterday became the first local team to run the latest eligible 2005 – 07 specification chassis’ to the championship in scorching temperatures at Mallala Raceway, outside of Adelaide….read more

Autosport International Show at Birmingham's NEC got going yesterday with various events including  Ford's latest  car for the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) while the on Prodrive stand the team built and dismantled its 2008 WRC Subaru every four hours to entertain the huge crowd….read more

Eric Freiberg was quickest in pre-season testing at Sebring International Raceway as several Star Mazda Championship teams took to the track that will kick-off the Championship later in the year….read more

Joel Miller kicked of his Star Mazda season with a test at Sebring withj JDC Motorsports this week…read more

Andrea Caldarelli was officially confirmed in the Toyota Driver Program for 2008. The 17-year-old Italian driver from Pescara will be entered by SG Formula in the F.Renault Eurocup and in the newly-born Wester European F.Renault Cup. Caldarelli was selected by Toyota at the end of 2006, and took part with Prema in the European and Italian championships. Andrea will be the only Toyota driver in F.Renault: he already spent some time testing with the team owned by Stephane Guerin on several racetracks around Spain and France. “I want to thank Toyota for giving me the chance to stay in their developmental program even though the 2007 season proved to be really difficult. I feel that trust as an extra motivation for the upcoming season, and I think – looking at the latest testing results – I'll be able to repay Toyota by fighting for title in both the European and the West European series. I also found a great feeling with my new team, SG Formula. It's like being at home with them, and that's really positive...”.

Brendon Hartley will finally get his chance to drive for A1 Team New Zealand in Taupo’s rookie sessions, the team has confirmed. The 2007 Formula Renault Euro Cup champion will drive in the two 25-minute sessions in the team’s home event next weekend, before regular driver Jonny Reid takes the reins for the rest of the weekend. Hartley partnered Reid in pre-season testing at Silverstone last August, but the team has not called him up until now. ‘I really enjoyed my experience at Silverstone, but representing your country at home in a championship round is going up a gear,’ Hartley said. ‘I'm keen to help out any way I can and contribute towards New Zealand winning.’

Robbie Kerr will drive for A1 Team Great Britain at A1GP Taupo, New Zealand.  Kerr, who raced for the team at Taupo last season, has competed at just one meeting so far this campaign, finishing second in Brno’s Sprint race. ‘Following challenging weekends at the last two rounds, the team’s main focus is to move up the points table from Taupo onwards,’ said team principal Katie Clements. ‘Despite the issues faced by the team last season in New Zealand, Robbie was still fast and gave a strong performance, so I’m feeling confident that we will be right in the mix again.’ Kerr will be joined in the squad by a new rookie – James Winslow. Winslow, 26, is the reigning Formula Renault V6 Champion and has also raced in Australian F3. He will undertake rookie duties for the events in Taupo and Sydney, where he has experience of the city’s Eastern Creek circuit. ‘It’s a great honour to get the opportunity to join A1 Team GBR, particularly as I’ve wanted to drive in A1GP ever since the series started,’ Winslow said. ‘Obviously I’d like to be quickest in the rookie session, but I’ll also be there in a supporting role throughout the weekend to assist the team and Robbie in any way I can.’

Earl Bamber has won this year's Lady Wigram Trophy race at Christchurch's Powerbuilt Tools Raceway at Ruapuna Park in the Toyota Racing Series…read more

E-Rain racing will be undertaking their first test session of the new year for the newly renamed Formula BMW Pacific, at the Sepang International Circuit on 8-10 January 2008. E-Rain Racing’s Formula BMW Pacific Team Manager, Pongo Shin, arrived today in preparation for the test next week and has so far confirmed two drivers for their 2008 season; young American driver, Sean McDonagh and Japanese driver Ryuchi Nara. McDonagh consistently collected points during the 2007 season, even managing two podiums, one in Sentul and again in Zhuhai to finish a respectable 6th in the Championship. The team has seen good potential in the youngster and hopes that he will be able to achieve more podiums in the 2008 season. Although the 20-year old Nara only took part in the race weekend in Shanghai, the team is confident of his abilities and is looking forward to a great season with him. E-Rain Racing is also still in talks with a few other drivers but declined to name these potential candidates.

With Donington Park scheduled to host the opening round of the inaugural Superleague Formula championship, British fans will get their first opportunity to see the 750 horsepower V12 powered cars at this weekend's Autosport International -- the Racing Car Show at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre…read more

10-01-08

Volkswagen's latest track challenger, a supercharged and turbocharged Jetta saloon, was unveiled today (Thursday. The Jetta TSI Sport made its bow at the Autosport International racing car show at Birmingham's NEC, centre stage on the British Racing and Sports Car Club stand. The new machine will make its race debut on Easter Monday (24 March) in the opening round of the Hankook Volkswagen Racing Cup, at Oulton Park…read more

Max Chilton will drive for Hitech in the 2008 Lloyds TSB Insurance British F3 International Championship. Read more

Manor Mototrsport have finalised its drivers for its assault on the 2008 F3 Euro Series.  Japanese drivers Kazuya Oshima and Koudai Tsukakoshi will compete alongside Britain’s Sam Bird and Irishman Niall Breen …..read more

PSL Karting head to Florida and the Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend for the first round of their Florida Winter tour. PSLKarting.com race team will participate in the  ‘spring training’ program with ten drivers,….read more,

Prema have reached an agreement with Alvaro Barba to run in the 2008 World Series by Renault. The youngster from Seville emerged was runner-up finish in his maiden F.Nissan Junior season and scored consistently in Spanish F3 between 2003 and 2005. He moved to the World Series Renault in 2006 where he has remained ever since. With the arrival of Barba, Prema is sure to count on a competitive, skilled, and qualified driver to retain its spot among the series' top teams.  Alvaro Barba :  "I'm honoured to have signed with an extremely professional and competitive team like Prema. They proved, by fighting for title until the last race of the season, to be constant front-runners. I'll bring to them all my experience in the World Series Renault, and I'm sure we'll be able to match our high expe ctations." Angelo Rosin, team Prema: "The arrival of Alvaro Barba will bring to our team a huge load of experience that, I'm sure, will help us to stay at the top after the positive 2007 season. The World Series Renault will count on the new Dallara, that will be running through 2010. Barba's experience will be vital in our attempt to quickly discover all the new cars' secrets. Together we have made a great effort to find an agreement and we are looking forward to start our co-operation."

Lola Cars International Ltd  have added a LMP Coupe to its portfolio of sportscars.  The car will compete in this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours and Le Mans Series in the hands of  Charouz  Racing System,  who  will  race  the  new  car with  an  Aston Martin V12 engine ...read more

Australian Driver Chris Wootton has won a coveted Formula BMW Pacific Scholarship. His is the only Australian, and one of only twelve drivers in the world, contracted to BMW as Junior Drivers….read more

Seven meetings have been scheduled for the World Series by Renault in There are also two additional races meetings for the Formula Renault 3.5 championship taking it to nine circuits in all. The countries on the itinerary may be the same, but there are a number of changes with regard to the circuits. The season's curtain-raiser will again take place in Belgium, but this time at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit. The British round, usually scheduled for September, will be held at the beginning of June at Silverstone, while the French round is set to return to the Bugatti circuit in Le Mans.The Formula Renault 3.5 championship will take in two extra meetings, at Monza (Le Mans Series) and Monaco. The drivers will have every chance to prepare for a bright future, with eight out of the nine meetings hosted by F1 circuits….calendar

The Aluminos kart racing team will be heading to the first round of the inaugural Superkarts USA WinterNational Championship Series this coming weekend( January 11-13) at the CalSpeed Karting facility located just outside the walls of California Speedway in Fontana The team will have 5 drivers all of whom are hoping for great things in 2008….read more. 

Leanne Tander willl drive for Opes Prime Team Meritus in the Formula V6 Asia Championship in 2008. The Aussie driver also plans to race in Australian F3, calendars permitting…read more

IndyCar Series sets Spring Training dates: The first Spring Training dates are scheduled for Feb. 27-28 on the 1.5-mile, high-banked oval at Homestead-Miami Speedway. IndyCar Series teams will test under the lights from 4-10 p.m. each day for the second consecutive year in preparation for the primetime season opener at the facility on March 29.  The following week, IndyCar Series teams will conduct their first ever Open Test at Sebring International Raceway. Half the field will test on March 3-4, and the other half of the field will test on March 5-6 on the 1.7-mile, 11-turn circuit. The test groups will be released at a later date. Indy Pro Series teams will also test at both tracks to prepare for the 2008 season. The series will host an Open Test at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Feb. 28 from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Indy Pro Series teams will test at Sebring March 31-April 1.

CRSCUDERIA have announced that Sky is to sponsor the team. ITV’s Ted Kravitz was with the team at the Autosport Show today when the announcement was made. The team will also sponsor a very talented and very young racing driver. Sam Jenkins (12) is the younger brother of Scott, one of our Formula Renault drivers. He made such a good impression on CRS Team Principal, Chris Niarchos, that Chris’s company, The Cobra Group plc, will sponsor Sam as he continues his karting career. Sam could well prove to be crscuderia’s secret weapon tomorrow when they compete in their first race of the year, the Racing4Charity.com kart race. The team have entered two teams of four drivers and they will be competing on behalf of the Multiple Sclerosis Society and Whizz-Kidz, racing against the likes of David Brabham, Allan McNish, Darren Turner, Gil De Ferran, Johnny Herbert, Marino Franchitti, Jamie Green and Gary Paffett.  We are expecting lots of dirty tactics but we can give as good as we get! The event will be a lot of run and hopefully raise a lot of money for charity.

09-01-08

The British Formula Ford Championship is to spread its wings to mainland Europe later this season with a meeting at the Belgian Grand Prix circuit of Spa-Francorchamps. The twin-race June date at Spa will see the British Championship joining forces with drivers from the Benelux series and will, says Sam Roach, of championship promoter RacingLine, provide a memorable weekend. He said: "It's not often that young drivers are afforded the opportunity to tackle one of the world's greatest circuits, and I am sure it will be a highlight of the British Formula Ford season. We have enjoyed welcoming our Benelux counterparts, whose championship has also adopted the Duratec power unit, in the UK in recent seasons and I know that they are keen to reciprocate." Another highlight of the 25-race British Formula Ford calendar is a support slot on the A1GP visit to the UK, at Brands Hatch in early May. Formula Ford will also support the British F3 International Series at all its UK dates, and will in addition visit Knockhill in Scotland to support the British GT Championship.The 2008 British Formula Ford Championship opens its books for driver registrations tomorrow (Thursday) at the Autosport International racing car show at the NEC, Birmingham. The championship will feature on the British Racing and Sports Car Club stand and Formula Fordsters will also be in action in the show's Live Action Arena during the four-day event.

Martin Birrane, Executive Chairman of the Lola Group will be making a guest appearance on the Autosport main stage at 12.00pm, on Thursday 10th January, to unveil plans to celebrate the Huntingdon based marque’s landmark anniversary. Following Lola’s 2007 Le Mans success, there has been a lot of excitement surrounding the new Lola  range  of  LMP1  and LMP2  Coupes.  Martin  Birrane  will  also  be  announcing  on  stage confirmation of the first customer for the LMP1 Coupe. The B08/60 will be the first customer LMP Coupe  to  hit  the  track  later  this  month  in  readiness  for  a  full  Le  Mans  24 Hours  and  Le  Mans Series assault in Lola’s 50th year. Nearly a year of in-house wind-tunnel research and exhaustive CFD evaluation by Lola’s renowned design team has resulted in arguably the most striking Lola ever built. Lola at Autosport International (10-13 January 2008)   Lola will have several examples of its products at the Autosport Racing Car Show this week at the NEC in Birmingham.   The Charouz Lola LMP1car (pictured) that scored a top finish at last year’s Le Mans 24 Hours can be seen at the Staubli stand (Stand no E208 in Hall 19 in Autosport Engineering)   A rare chance to see Lola's aerodynamics capability will also be on offer at the show as their latest B08/80 LMP2 Coupe model can be viewed at the Lemo Stand ( Stand no: E512 in Hall 19,  Autosport Engineering)   Lola's present is also matched by its golden past with an example of one of the iconic Lola T70's on the Grandstand Motor Sports stand (Stand no: 2647 in Hall 20)   Lola’s foray in to the Trackday market will also be viewable at the NEC with the B08/70 car on display at the Sports 2000 stand. (Stand no: 10442 in Hall 10)

LOLA TO CELEBRATE 50 GOLDEN YEARS IN MOTORSPORT In  2008 Lola  Cars  celebrates  a  memorable  50  years  in  motorsport, standing proud   as   Great   Britain’s   longest-serving   manufacturer   of racing   cars. Established   in   1958   by   Eric   Broadley   MBE,   Lola experienced an extraordinary rise to prominence, in which it mastered all spheres of the sport; from the club classes to Formula 1; endurance sports   racers   to   Indycars. Since   1997,   when   businessman   Martin Birrane  acquired  the  company and  invested  in  its  future,  Lola  has become even more synonymous with success…..read more

Team Jota will expand its racing programme in 2008 to take in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB. The Kent based team will enter 2 cars, Sam Hancockt will drive one car while a second driver will be announced at some point in the future…read more

Daniel Lloyd’s dream of becoming a professional racing driver will take a giant step forward when he is unveiled as the latest competitor in the Playstation Ginetta Junior Championship, at Autosport International this weekend (10-13 January, Birmingham NEC)…read more

2007 Pacific F2000 Champion Patrick Barrett is to for PR1 Motorsports in their Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda race car at Buttonwillow Raceway Park in California.... .read more

Skip Barber driver Mike Vincec is in Florida to race in two totally separate series. First up is the Florida Winter Tour where Mike will run with his Cameron Motorsports Rotax DD2 and Pro Shifter classes on consecutive weekends at the Homestead-Miami kart track. He will then switch to the Skip Barber Southern Region series with the Sunoco Team Ultra 94 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway oval and road course..read more

Castrol Philippines will be the primary sponsor for the Castrol Philippine Asian F3 Grand Prix this weekend at the Batangas Race Circuit in the Philippines. The race is also supported by Pagcoor, Lima City Hotel, Stoplight TV and Aeroeye Asia. This isl not the first time Castrol has been involved with Asian F3, having supported Team Goddard since the inception of the Series in 2001. Castrol has been involved in motor sport for over one Century and their great heritage in the sport is refelected by the quality of their lubricants. Pacgoor, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Association, are also long term supporters of Asian F3, having supported the inaugral Championship winner, JoJo Silverio, back in 2001. Lima City has been the Official Hotel for the Batangas events for several years. Spotlight TV will broadcast the race on its Studio 23 show in the Philippines. Aeroeye will provide cameras in the sky.

Malaysia's Nik Iruwan completed successfully two days of test with championship winning Asia Racing Team (ART) Motorsports at Zhuhai with a view to the Malaysian racing in the 2008 Asian Formula Renault Challenge. Nik Iruwan completed over 100 laps in the two days under cool and dry conditions. He began by learning the circuit and car, as both are new to him, but was immediately on the pace after two sessions. "Firstly, I haven't been driving since my last race in September at Croft. I felt at home right from the day I arrived at the team. Even though I had to adjust to a new car, I felt comfortable driving and the team helped me a lot to get to where I was in the end. The test today is very encouraging and I enjoy working with the team", said the University of Hertfordshire racing driver graduate. Speaking about the test ART Motorsports Team Manager, Philippe Descombes said: "The test-day went quite well for Nick as he performed solidly over the two days. He got used to a track and a car which were new to him. Despite he has been racing for a while, he doesn't have much track time and has never been taught properly. It's a shame because the talent is there. Now we are really working on his skills and after 4-5 sessions he was on the pace. I am pleased with the way we ended up. As we expected Nick is definitely a driver with great potential which has been hidden until now. He immediately realizes what is doing wrongly and always changes on the right away. I hope to see him racing for us in 2008 Asian Formula Renault Challenge, and I'm pretty sure he will be a front runner".

If you want to follow in Lewis Hamilton’s tyre marks, or be the next Jenson Button, then you need to get started in karting and can’t afford to miss the Karting Show at Autosport International, Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 January 2008 at the NEC. A new dedicated show within the world’s biggest motorsport show, the Karting Show is the best one-stop shop to find out all you need to get started in the exhilarating sport of karting.  Honda Racing F1 team star Jenson Button will visit Autosport International on Saturday and will be joined by other top former karting graduates, Red Bull Racing’s David Coulthard and Mark Webber. All three Formula One stars will be paying special visits to the new Karting Show, to encourage more people to start karting.

The Trekinetic K-2 All Terrain wheelchair, which launched an unprepared world version only last year, is taking the European mobility industry and its customers by storm with its revolutionary Carbon Fibre Monocoque and three wheel design. Considered by many in the trade to represent the future of wheelchairs, the Trekinetic K-2 All Terrain will make its Karting Show debut on Thursday 10 January, at the NEC. For the first time at Autosport International, Trekinetic will also unveil another revolutionary development, the Monosteer complete with wireless technology. The Trekinetic range can be seen in Hall 6 on stand K606, located between the Lewis Hamilton Feature and the Historic Motorsport area. The multi award nominated and winning, UK designed and manufactured, product comes direct from a company previously at the cutting edge of Formula One. With its easy action, front wheel drive format, there simply isn’t a more versatile go-anywhere wheelchair on the market today. Meticulously thought out and extensively researched, its configuration offers off-road ability in a practical, comfortable package, that customers want to use all the time. Complete with a no tools variable wheel camber, nitrogen gas suspension and tilt-in-space seat as standard, the stunning machine is winning devotees all over the globe. For those lucky enough to get their hands on one, a whole new world awaits. The BBC programme, the Trekinetic Story can be viewed on www.trekinetic.com and its UK based designer, Mike Spindle, MD of Trekinetic, has been nominated for Great Briton of the Year 2008.

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