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News
Archive March 2008
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10/04/2008
31-03-08
Richard Lloyd and David Leslie
have been killed in a plane crash near Kent, England. The two were among
five on board the private Cessna Citation 501 when the pilot made a
mayday cal to Biggin Hill Airfield before the plane went down near a
housing estate. No one on the ground was injured. Lloyd and Leslie were
apparently headed to Nogaro, France where Leslie was to have driven
Lloyd's Apex Motorsport Jaguar XKR at an FIA GT3 test day...The BRDC pay
their tribute...read more
Ian
Milton won two out three Smatycar.com Mini Cooper
races at Knockhill yesterday while Peter Cruickshank and Charlie Cope(pictured)
share the XR2 spoils. Graham Carroll won both FF1600 racees as did Stan
Bernard in the Classic Sports and Saloons. The Sports/Saloons saw Andrew
Gallacher and Stewart Whyte each win a race.
In-Tune Racing’s Michael Doyle
claimed a well deserved top 15 race result on his HiQ MSA British
Touring Car Championship debut….read
more
Robert Lawson
romped to victory in Round One of the SEAT Cupra Championship and
secured second place in Round Two to give him an early lead in the
Championship, while fellow debutant driver Martin Byford (AB Glass/ Z
Speed Racing) followed up a disappointing first race with a victory in
the second
Giovanardi wins two and Colin Turkington one
in the HiQ BTCC’s opening races at Brands Hatch.
Michael Caine
completed a perfect double weekend victory at Brands Hatch today (Sunday
30 March) by winning round two of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB to give his
title bid the very best start.
Formula 3 Australia says it's ‘business as usual’ for
the Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship for the CAMS Gold
Star, irrespective of the issues surrounding Opes Prime, who have gone
into receivership..read more
Freddy Nordstrom
made a solid start to 2008 with a 5th place in the second
race of the Cupra Championship at Brands Ha\tch.
Arkas Racing got
back on track in this year’s BTCC opening rouinds at Brands Hatch.
Drivers Erkut Kizilirmak and Martyn Bell both
finishing in the points.
George Richardson
took a dominant win in the second round of the Ginetta Junior
Championship at Brands Hatch yesterday…read
more
Ben
Winrow has won
the second round of the 2008 ELF Renault Clio Cup at Brands Hatch The
team Pyro driver held off Saturday’s winner Paul Rivett to claim the
win. Niki Lanik completed the podium line-up
Total Control Racing’s Jonathan Ridley-Holloway
saw his full season ELF Renault Clio Cup debut last no more than half a
mile during round one on Saturday, 29th March; contact three corners
into the race leading to an unfortunate retirement….read
more
The
Christodoulou
family has much to celebrate at Brands Hatch on Sunday. First Riki won
the opening round of the 2008 Formula Renault UK with Michelin
Championship before Adam won the second
Alexander Sims
opening race weekend of the 2008 Formula Renault UK season started well
with pole but went wrong at the start of the race when his neutral cable
snapped in the formation lap before the first race
Dillon Battistini
became the fifth Firestone Indy Lights driver to win in his first start
when he captured the Miami 100. Battistini passed Richard Antinucci on
Lap 64 of the 67-lap sprint to win by 1.6848 seconds. Antinucci was
second while Brent Sherman was third, Arie Luyendyk Jr. fourth and Chris
Festa fifth. Report
Graham Heard
took two wins from two starts in the Porsche 924 Championship at
Snetterton on Sunday. In the first race he just held off Simon Regitz
to win by 0.666secs with Matt Davis third. In the second race it was
Alastair Kirkham who kept him honest. Kirkham was a mere 0.678 secs
behind at the flag while Richard Mowbray was third 1.9 secs behind the
winner.
The
second Formula Renault race at Brands Hatch yesterday(Sunday)
produced a stylish first win for CR Scuderia’s Adam Christodoulou
SEAT Sport UK’s Leon TDI
made a promising race debut in the HiQ MSA British Touring Car
Championship at Brands Hatch today, when Jason Plato took the series’
first manufacturer-entered diesel powered car to two podium results and
team-mate Darren Turner set the fastest lap of a race…report
Hartmann Honda Racing have announced their plans for it’s assault on
the Danish Touringcar Championship. This year the team intends to be
at the front of the field, and with the help of Michael Larsen of Honda
Denmark the team has done a deal with Honda Motor Europe. With this and
Larsen’’s official partners, JAS Motorsport ,they will get the benefit
of running two cars with the newest engine and suspension
specifications. They will also get co-operation of N-Technology and
James Thompson to drive alongside Dane Jens Moller. "I will not want to
make up the numbers in Denmark," James Thompson says. "The guys at
Hartmann are very enthusiastic, and I see no reason why we cannot win
races or be on the podium consistently."
30-03-08
JHR Developments
driver Paul Rivett won round one of the 2008 ELF Renault Clio Cup in
damp conditions at Brands Hatch Indy yesterday(Saturday, 29th
March). Team Pyro’s Ben Winrow was second with Full Speed Racing’s Phil
Glew third.
Michael Caine won round one of the
Porsche Carrera Cup at Brands Hatch on Saturday (29 March) after a race
filled with incicents.
report
Dino Zamparelli and Dominic Pettit provided a memorable start to
the 2008 Ginetta Junior Championship at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit in
Kent today – Zamparelli shading the round one win by a mere 0.025
seconds in a race hard to beat in terms of drama and edge-of-the-seat
excitement.
This weekend the Asian F3-series comes to an end. On the track of
Batangas, on the Philippines the drivers have a very busy schedule this
weekend, with altogether six races in three days time. The meeting
started on Friday and will end tomorrow on Sunday. Fred Vervisch had
already a comfortable lead in the Asian Series and came to Batangas with
only one thing in mind: assuring his title. This Asian F3 title is not
only another success for the Belgian youngster, but Vervisch will also
get an F1-test with Force India. Vervisch took pole on two occasions on
Friday, but his car stalled on the starting grid in both races, forcing
Vervisch to start twice from the back of the field. But even in these
difficult conditions, Vervisch managed to get to the podium, by
finishing second and third in respectively the first and second race on
Friday. On Saturday, the Team Goddard driver was unstoppable and with
two victories he assured his Asian title. Vrevisch will now try to
conquer two more victories on Sunday.
29-03-08
Manor Competition’s Alexander Sims
snatched pole for the first round of the 2008 Formula Renault UK with
Michelin Championship season today (Saturday, 29th March)
while CR Scuderia Formula Renault’s Adam Christodoulou was did the same
for the second race...read
more
Tim Bridgman was the quickest
qualifying at Brands Hatch today (Saturday 29 March) for the opening
rounds of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB. ..read
more
Menasheh Idafar sets quick times on old tyres at Rockingham test..read
more
Michael Caine was quickest in
testing for the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at Brands Hatch yesterday(
Friday 28 Mar) in preparation for this weekend's opening rounds. ...read
more
Jean-Marie Balestre the former, and
somewhat controversial, FIA president has died. He was 86.
The Man who will be forever linked to Formula One's FISA-FOCA was of the
early 80s, became president of the International Sporting Commission of
the FIA in 1978(then the CSI). It subsequently became FISA which he
ruled from 1979 to 1991. He was also the president of the FIA from 1986
to 1993.
Gannasi racing's Scott Dixon has qualified
on pole position for the first race of the new Indycar season at
Homestead Miami. Dixon set a time of 1:40.234 secs (213.341 mph).
Qualifying has taken on a new format for ovals this year with positions
determined by the driver's average speed over four laps. His
team-mate Dam Wheldon, who is looking for an unprecedented fourth win
in-a-row at Homestead, failed to set a time after he crashed on his
second warm up lap, After a check in the infield Medical Centre he was
cleared to drive this evening. Vision Racing's Ed Carpenter and A.
J. Foyt IV will start second and third.
Raphael Matos was quickest in qualifying
for this afternoon's first round of the all new Firestone Indy Lights
Championship. Like it's bigger brother Indycar, qualifying is now based
on an average speed over a set number of laps, in Lights case 2. Matos'
in his new AFS/Andretti Green car, averaged 186.899 mph over is two
laps. "It feels great to win the pole," he said. "The team worked
so hard during the winter and through the preseason. This just proves to
everybody that we can get the job done. It feels great to start up
front. It's really important at this track. I hope we can keep it clean
and finish the race well to collect points." Dillon Battistini was
second for Panther Racing at a speed of 186.541 mph. "I joined this team
last week," he said. "It's my second day on ovals and in the Firestone
Indy Lights car. The last time I drove this car was my rookie test."
Guthrie Racing's Sean Guthrie was third with RLR/Andersen Racing's
Andrew Prendeville fourth while Sam Schmidt Motorsports monopolised the
next 3 places with Richard Antinucci, Ana Beatriz and James Davison
fifth, sixth and seventh respectively. Bobby Wilson is eighth and 2005
Indy Lights Champion Wade Cunningham and Pablo Donoso round out the top
ten. The race will be covered live on the Internet at indycar.com/pro.
Jeff Gordon is on pole for the NASCAR
Sprint Cup race at Martinsville with Denny Hamlin second and Aric
Almirola third."I felt like we got beat in practice and we just never
gave up on it," said Gordon. "We made some adjustments for qualifying
and they were certainly all the right ones. It really allowed me to put
two ends of this racetrack together that I don't know if I have ever put
together here."
Matt Howson took a fine win after soaking
up the pressure from Frederic Vervisch with Rafael Suzuki in third place
in the Castrol Asian F3 race at Battangas in the Phillipines. Rafael
Suzuki took the laurels in race one of the with Howson second and
Vervisch third
New races and altered Schedules & Prize
packages have taken place for the MOLECULE Formula Mazda Challenge
and Star Mazda West Coast & Winter Series
..read more
This weekend, Sunoco Team
Ultra 94 driver Mike Vincec will be at Sebring for the final
two races of the Skip Barber Southern Region Championship. Vincec, who
is second in points, is coming off his first win at Las Vegas which he
hopes to add to this weekend. Currently with a 61 point lead over third
place in the championship and with 65 points available for a win, Vincec
could effectively settle his position should he win the first race this
weekend. "Michael has done a very well for Sunoco Team Ultra 94 to date,
culminating with his first victory at the last event in Las Vegas," said
Ron Fellows. "He has continued to improve at every race and now has the
confidence to know that he can win." This weekend the races will be held
on the 'Sebring New' track, which will be the first time the Sunoco Team
Ultra 94 driver races on that configuration. The penultimate round of
the series will go on Saturday, March 29, with the season finale going
on March 30.
Alexandre Imperatori has confirmed he will
be in the hunt for the National Japanese F3 Championship title this year
after signing with newly formed PTRS racing team.
28-03-08
Sam Hancock has
set his sights on the Porsche Carrera Cup GB title in 2008. The
former LMP2 champion gets his season underway this weekend at Brands
Hatch..read more
Jessica Golding
will make her car racing debut in round two of The Genuine Ford
Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship at Wakefield Park (Goulburn)
next weekend (4-6 April)...read more
Wakefield Park marks the return of Kristian
Lindbom to Australian Formula Ford. Joining Sonic Racing, Lindbom
replaces young-gun Ben Small in a Mygale - Small instead is
concentrating on the Victorian Formula Ford series where he is a top
three contender.
After taking out the Victorian State Karting
Championship last year, Nick Tanti also joins the field at Wakefield
Park in his Spirit - pushing the field out to 24 competitors. A
highlights package from Wakefield Park will be broadcast in the V8
Supercar telecast from Hamilton , New Zealand on the Seven Network.
European GT4
Champion Eric De Doncker looks forward to 2008 after his first
test of 2008 at Zolder yesterday..read
more
Will Bratt finished the FIAT
Spanish Formula 3 Championship test yesterday, Thursday, 27th March
in the top five, just 3 tenths shy of the quickest runner . After a
similar run on Wednesday, where he was fourth fastest, Will was pretty
pleased with his own progress...read
more .
Jonathan Bomarito sets the
fastest time in Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered
by Mazda tests at MSR Houston..read
more
Indy Pro Series has been
renamed Indy Lghts after Firestone signed up as the series sponsor..read
more
The N.technology team
will join the FIA World Touring Car Championship from the third race
meeting of the season that will take place in Valencia on May 17th and
18th. They will also take part in the official two-day test session at
the Spanish track on April 15th and 16th. The Italy-based team
have worked relentlessly together with JAS Motorsport since the end of
the Christmas break to prepare the Honda Accord Euro R car that James
Thompson will drive in the championship. "We are still working very hard
because we really wish to be competitive and reliable from our race
debut," said Team Principal Mauro Sipsz. "And we will have the first
clue on how competitive we can be during the next month's test. We are
confident and we do hope that our efforts will be rewarded in Valencia."
Rafael Matos previews
his Indy car season and the opening race this weekend at Homestead
Miami..preview
Track activities for next week's FIA WTCC race
meeting in Puebla will start on Friday afternoon (April 4th) with
the 30-minute test session that will take place at 3.00pm local time (or
11.00pm Central European Time). This session will enable the teams to
check their racing cars after they were shipped from Brazil to Mexico.
On Saturday the WTCC competitors will hit the track for the usual two
30-minute free practice sessions at 9.00am and 12.00/noon (5.00pm and
8.00pm respectively in Central Europe). The 30-minute qualifying session
will follow at 3.00pm local time (11.00pm CET). On Sunday the
15-minute warm up session will open the day at 9.00am (4.00pm CET),
while rounds 3 and 4 of the season, of 16 laps each, will start at 20
minutes past noon and 3.20pm local time respectively (7.20pm and 10.20pm
CET). It is important to point out that Mexico will switch to the
Summer time during the night between Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th.
Therefore the time difference between Puebla and Central Europe will
change from -7 hours (until Saturday night) to -6 hours (from Sunday
morning).
To launch of the FIA WTCC Mexican race meeting
in Puebla next weekend The WTCC drivers will parade through the
city's old centre on Thursday, April 3rd starting at 3.00pm, with the
drivers in pick-up trucks. The parade will end at the Zócalo,
Puebla's central square at 3.45, where racing cars will be exhibited in
front of the Cathedral and autograph sessions will take place for about
an hour. On the WTCC's two previous visits to Puebla the sessions
attracted large crowds.
27-03-08
Phil Quaife
is hoping to add the overall Porsche Carrera Cup GB title
to his 2006 Pro-Am category triumph this year and it will get
underway this weekend at Brands Hatch..read
more
The 2007 SEAT Cupra Champion,
Jonathan Adam will be back defending his title in this season's SEAT
Cupra Championship against the 2007 Clio Cup title holder Martin Byford,
starting this weekend at Brands Hatch..read
more
GP2 Asia driver Marcello Puglisi has joined Pro Motorsport to
compete in this seasons's Formula Master Championship...read
more
Nick Sanderson
endured a disappointing start to his
www.dees.co.uk Ford Fiesta Championship. After qualifying on the
front row things went downhill from there…
Father and son team Graeme and James Dodd
are planning to compete regularly with the Masters Racing Series this
season in two very different cars. ..read
more
The Masters
Racing Series is pleased to announce the appointment of Mike Harris
as the Series Technical Commissioner for 2008...read
more
Former FPA driver Tim Bridgman
set the fastest time in testing for this year’s Porsche Carrera Cup GB
at Silverstone during the pre-season test and media day on Tuesday (25
March)….read more
SG
Formula’s Daniel Ricciardo and Andrea Caldarelli
shared the honours in the West European Cup in Formula Renault 2.0 at
Nogaro last weekend,..read more
Anna Walenska is
back for another season racing for Geoff Steel ion one of his BMW 3.2ltr
360 Bhp machines. She has paired up VW Cup Champion, Tony Gilham, who
will also be taking part in the Porsche Carrera Cup…full
report
The
opening round of the FIA GT Championship
is at Silverstone on 19-20 April, the only UK race in 2008. To showcase
the race the Silverstone Supercar Tour will take place for the third
year running, on Friday 18 April. Entrants into the Silverstone Supercar
Tour will drive from The Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall to the
Northamptonshire circuit…read more
Ollie Hancock
was on-song on Easter Monday when he won the second race in the
Formula Renault BARC season opener at Brands Hatch..report,.
Motor sport insurance specialist THB Clowes has been confirmed as
the preferred insurance partner for the 2008 Porsche Carrera Cup GB.
Teams and drivers in the Carrera Cup can take advantage of a special
deal for on-track insurance with the leading company in the market. "We
can offer the best deal available in the market for the Carrera Cup GB,"
said Porsche racer Richard Williams, business development executive for
THB Clowes. "This is the company's 30th anniversary year and our sole
business is in motor sport. We're all motor sport enthusiasts and we've
got a strong reputation for delivering the right product Ollie Hancock
won the opening race of the Formula Renault BARC season at Brands Hatch
on Easter Monday with a dominant display…read report
Hillspeed
have started their Formula Renault BARC Campaign and so far it is
looking very good with their dirver Menasheh Idafar is leading the
Fr2000 class…read
more
Sam
Bird has been awarded “superstar” status by the BRDC. The British Racing
Drivers’ Club has selected fourteen drivers who they consider capable of
reaching the pinnacle of their chosen discipline within Motorsport, and
Sam is delighted to be among them. “It is a huge honour to be selected
by the BRDC” said Sam on hearing the news The Superstars scheme will
provide development and training along with advice from the BRDC
members, with their huge wealth of experience. The scheme will be headed
by Tim Harvey, and it is hoped that a commercial partner will shortly be
on board to finance the brightest prospects in the future.
25-03-08
David Ashburn and Richard Williams
driving Trackspeed's #5 Porsche GT3 in Briitish GT at Oulton Park
had a mixed weekend, taking 4th on Saturday and spinning out in Monday's
race..
The 2008 Porsche Open season opened in style with a superb
race at Donington Park, the leading trio scything though a huge field of
Porsches at the track's 75th Anniversary meeting. Mike
Donovan kept his 997 GT3 clear of the GT2 of Paul McLean, the pair
together on the final lap. Mike Johnson was a close third, while Paul
Winter claimed Class Two and fourth overall. Tim Bryan took Class Three
honours.
Hitech Junior's 2008 season got underway at the weekend
with the opening rounds of the WEC Formula Renault Championship at
Nogaro.
The 2008 Formula Renault season starts up this weekend and the CR
Scuderia Renault team is
raring to go....read more
The CR Scuderia team
is at the top of the drivers and teams championship tables after a
fantastic first weekend of racing in the 2008 Avon Tyres British GT
Championship.
Russell Racing's Aaron Steele finished with two top five finishes
at Brands Hatch yesterday, Easter Monday, 24th March, in the opening
Rounds of the 2008 Formula Renault BARC Championship.
Ian
White had the perfect start to the 2008 Porsche Club Championship
winning both races at Donington Park in his new 964 C2. Second on both
occasions was 2007 Champion Mark McAleer. Trevor Lewis and
Mike Clapham wach tok a Class Two win while Class Three saw
a win for a pair of debutants, Jeremy Clark and
Sarah
Bennett-Baggs.(left)
Ahead of the season finale at
Brands Hatch on 2 - 4 May, A1GP World Cup of Motorsport will make a
pit stop in London's West End on Sunday 27 April.Lower Regent Street in
London will be transformed into an A1GP grid with all 22 nations'
single-seat race cars lining up. Visitors to one of London most iconic
streets will have the opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with the
22 teams and drivers - as well as meeting Formula One legends Emerson
Fittipaldi and Alan Jones. To mark, A1GP's partnership with Ferrari, two
599 GTBs used as the series' safety car will also be on display. With
action for all the family the A1GP Regent Street Pit Stop will include
tyre change challenges, activities for the kids and the ever-popular
A1GP grid girls.
MediaZone, a leading
global online broadcaster, in partnership with IndyCar Series, ESPN and
SportVision announced IndyCar Race Control, a new online portal offering
LIVE coverage worldwide of the 2008 IndyCar Series race season. Beyond
simply streaming races online, IndyCar Race Control takes the broadcasts
a step further, allowing fans to get the total racing experience all in
one place. ..read more
Thruxton celebrated it's 40th
anniversary over the Easter weekend with a variety of Historic races.
The HSCC's Historic F2 races for the Jochen Rindt Trophy amongst them.
The first of the two races saw Bill Coombs take his March 712 to victory
by 1.187 seconds over the March 782 of Peter Meyrick with Bo Warmenius
third in another March, a 772. Meyrick went one better in the
second race winning from Warmenius by 11 seconds. James King completed
the podium this time in another March 712.
In the Universal Racing Services
Classic Formula Ford Series the 1600 race was won by Keith Davey in
a Van DIeman RF81. Second was Jonathan Davis driving a , now rarely
seen, Hawke DL11. Third went to Paul Walton in a Crossle 25f.
In the FF2000 race Tony Hancock in a Van Dieman RF82 won from Richard
Wallington in a RF83 by 1.946 secs with Erik Pagano completing a Van
Dierman clean sweep in third. The HSCC/JHRA Miller Oils
Historic Formula Jnr race was won by Denis Welch driving a Merlyn
Mk5/7 . 4.961secs ahead of the Lotus 20 of Mark Woodhouse. Andrew
Hibberd was a distant third inn a Lotus 22. The 750MC Formula Vee
encounter was won by Daniel Hands in a GAC01 from John Hughes
Scarab Mk5 and Ian Buxton's GAC01..
The Healey Driver International,
Syd Segal Memorial Trophy was won by Bruce Montgomery at Thruxton by
a mere 0.780 secs from Jeremy Welch while the two BARC Classic Clubmans
races saw a clean sweep by Mark Charteris in a Mallock Mk20B.
Steve Chaplin was second in both driving a Phantom P79 while Antony
Denham completed the podium in the first race and Paul Harper in race
two.
Victory in the Top Hat Masters
races at Thruxton went to John Young on both occasions. His Ford
Mustang won race one from Leo Voyazides Ford Falcon after the
latter had led the first 12 laps, Young slipping by on lap 13 to take
the win by 0.819secs. IN race two Young led all but one lap, the 13th,
when Voyazides managed to lead, albeit briefly, until Young re-took the
lead to win by a little over 1 second. Third in the first
race, also driving a Falcon was Richard Dodkins while in race 2 James
Dodd, Mustang completed the top 3. Richard Meins and Simon Hadfield
shared the spoils in the Sports racing Masters races, Meins winning the
first in his Lola T70 from Clark and Hadfield's GT40 while the second
saw Hadfield lead Andrew Newall's Lotus 23B over the line with nearly 5
seconds in hand
The BRSCC kicked off the Carphones
Warehurse Club FFord Championship at Mallory Park on Monday with
Gavin Wills taking the spoils with a comfortable win in his Van
Dieman RF00 over David Grady, also in a Van Dieman, 8 seconds behind in
second. Third was Peter Barrable in a Ray GRS05 a further 6 seconds
behind. The www.DandDautos.co.uk
XR Challenge race was won by Mark Robinson, just 0.289 secs up on Simon
Robinson. John ifan-Jones was third 2.025 secs off the leader. In
the Mill Street Motors Ford Saloons Malcolm Wise was the winner in
an Escort Cosworth with Ashley Bird second in a Sierra XR4i. Third was
Terrence lark in a Fiesta ST150.
Sandy Forrest made his
debut in the www.dees.co.uk Fiesta
series at Mallory and promptly won the race in his ST from David Abbot's
Fiesta Si by 1.621 seconds. David Nye came third. The two
Don Truman Trophy races were both won by John Turner driving a
Cooper Mk9. Nigel Ashman was second in race 1 in a Cooper Mk XI while
Richard Bishop-Mille took the runner-up spot in race 2, also in a Cooper
Mk XI.
Level Ten Communications and AIM Autosport have reached an
agreement for Level Ten to provide media, marketing and public relations
support for AIM's Grand AM Daytona Prototype and Star Mazda race
programs. The deal also includes the development of new web site for the
team...read more
Paul Wood
and
Steve Taylor took a win a-piece in the 2008 Volkswagen Racing Cup
in association with Hankook at a snowy Oulton Park yerterday
(Monday)...report
Menasheh Idafar has taken the early lead in the 2008 Formula
Renault BARC championship after taking a pair of podium finishes in
the opening rounds at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit on Easter Monday, 24th
March... read
more Max Chilton, driving
for Hitech Racing, finished the opening round of this year's
British F3 series on the podium at Oulton Park, his first top three
finish in the category. His team mate. Austrian Walter
Grubmüller finished fifth in the day’s second race,...read
more
Ollie Hancock and Johannes Seidlitz.
were the winners in the Formula Renault BARC Cchampionship's opening
two races of 2008 at Brands hatch yesterday(Monday)..report
Paul Rivett marked his return to the
ELF Renault Clio Cup with the best time during official pre-season
testing at Silverstone National circuit on Thursday, 20th
March. ..read more
Jaime Alguersuari used his
second pole position of the weekend to good effect in race 2 of teh
British F3 Int Series at Outlton Park yesterday, winning from Swedish
pair Marcus Ericsson and Sebastian Hohenthal. Brendon Hartley had
actually crossed the line first but he was demoted to 4th after it was
adjudged he overtook while the safety car was out!..
24-03-08
Wayne Boyd and Tim
Blanchard, team-mates at Jamun racing, started the British FFord
season in the best possible way at Oulton Park today (Monday).
Boyd, from N Ireland won two of the races and Australian Blanchard took
the third...report
A snow shower 30-minutes before the opening
round of the 2008 British F3 International Series caused a few
headaches for the drivers as the track dried out during the race. Oliver
Turvey (Carlin) came through to take chequered flag after taking the
lead off the line. Hitech's Max Chilton took his first ever
British F3 podium after Carlin teammates Jaime Alguersuari and Brendon
Hartley went off after fighting for 2nd place. Atte Mustonen
(Double R) finished 3rd after starting from 10th place on the grid. Andy
Meyrick (Carlin) took the National Class win, making it a double for
Carlin Motorsport
Formula BMW Junior Simon Moss
won the second Round of Formula BMW Pacific at the Formula 1 Petronas
Malaysian Grand Prix.Ross while Ross Jamison beat not only his fellow
drivers but the elements as well in Round 1 when torrentia shortened the
race to 8 laps. report
Paddy Shovlin and Michael Cullen were the winners in British GT at
Oulton Park on Saturday, taking the first win of the season and
the first victory for the CR Scuderia team...read
more
Daniël Ricciardo got off to a great start
of his Western European Formula Renault 2.0 season, by scoring a
convincing win at Nogaro. After having started from pole position, the
Australian swapped places twice with his SG Formula team mate Andrea
Caldarelli in the opening lap of the race, before retaking the lead
which he held to the flag Though Ricciardo enjoyed quite a good start
when the starting lights turned off, his Italian team mate Andrea
Calderelli managed to get the better out of the two at the start. After
Caldarelli passed him in the first corner, Ricciardo tailed his SG
Formula colleague closely through the next couple of turns before making
his move at the back straight that same lap. As Ricciardo got a better
exit out of the corner before the back straight, he was able to retake
the lead by out braking Caldarelli into the tight hairpin. Back in
front, Ricciardo build up a comfortable three seconds gap in the
following laps, stayed out of trouble and collected a well-deserved win.
Andrea Caldarelli and Roberto Merhi finished in second and third
position respectively.
Dams Driver Kamui Kobayahsi took
victory at Sepang in GP2 Asia's second race of the weekend, the first
Japanese driver to win a GP2 race. In the first race. Russian driver
Vitaly Petrov came ut on top....report
Competitors in
this year's 2008 Aston Martin Asia Cup
(AMAC) rtook part in the first of the Championship’s official tests
at Beijing’s Goldenport Circuit last week ..read
more
Wayne Boyd and Tim Blanchard
gave reigning champion team Jamun Racing a superb start to the 2008
British Formula Ford Championship today (Sat) at Oulton Park, annexing
the front row of the grid for Monday's opening round of the Ford-backed
series. Ulsterman Boyd pipped Aussie Blanchard to the pole by a tenth of
a second.The Van Diemen of Dane Marco Sorensen was third fastest, with
the new Comtec, driven by Westley Barber, seventh...times
Menasheh Idafar qualified on pole for the second round of the
2008 Formula Renault BARC Championship at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit this
afternoon . The Hillspeed racer set a
46.257 to take the
first pole of his career. In teh first round he will start eighth..read
more
Russell Racing team's Aaron Steele and Don De Graaff
both performed well during qualifying for the opening two rounds of the
2008 Formula Renault BARC Championship at Brands Hatch on on Sunday,
23rd March...read more
Hitech Racing started their British F3 International Series with two
second row positions in Saturday's qualifying for today's(Monday)
first and second rounds of the championship.Austrian Walter Grubmüller
and Britain's Max Chilton both qualified well , taking third
and fourth respectively for round 1 ...more
ELF Renault
Clio Cup racer Jonathan Ridley-Holloway has announced his
sponsors for this season, the 23-year-old revealed his new backers at
last week's official test session at Silverstone..read
more
23-03-08
Harry Handkammer and David Leslie overcame
both the opposition and some seriously snowy weather to win
yesterday's(Saturday) Britcar Championship race at a very cold
Silverstone. .
Alex Livesley and James Harison won Production
S1 race driving a Ginetta G20 in the Britcar meeting at Silverstone
winning comfortably from Garrie Whittaker's BMW E30 M3. The pair had
battled closely throughout the first half of the race but after the
pitstops the Ginetta pulled out a substantial lead to win by 13
seconds.
Avon Tyres
British GT Championship debutant Jeremy Metcalfe made a good start
ot his GT career at Oultonpark on Saturday, very nearly getting on the
podium until his gearbox failed during the pit-stop..read
more
Ian Stapleton(right) won the Alfashop Alfa Romeo
Championship encounter in a GTV6 at Silverstone taking the lead from
Roger Evans's rapid GTV 3.8 on the final lap to win by less than a
second. Third was Neil Smith in a 156. Stapleton had led the first
lap before vans supplanted him on lap 2, with Chris Snowdon getting past
as well Stapleton's race wasn't look all that good. When Snowdon retired
on lap 4 Stapleton could once again get at the leader but it took him
until the last of 14 laps to find a way past.
Jean Lou Rihon and Nick Padmore won the
Britsports race on Saturday at Silverstone. Their Norma M20
heading Steve Griffiths Jade Chrysler across the line by 5.867 seconds.
Third in a Mosler GT3 was Kevin Riley.
21-03-08
More successful tests for new Bicknell
PS7. The all-new Bicknell PS7
sports-racing car has now had a series of highly successful tests in
preparation for the first VdeV UK race in April. ITesting was carried
out by Chris Ward and 2005 VdeV champion Jonathan Coleman. Jonathan who
has a vast amount of experience in VdeV having driven the Norma
and Ligier, echoed the comments of Chris who had shaken down the car.
”The car is very easy to drive, the engine felt very strong and it’s
beautifully engineered” Overseeing the tests was the car's constructor
Rob Bicknell, who has built his latest design to CN category regulations
ready for the VdeV UK Series.
"I'm delighted with the progress of the car, it looks stable on the
track and has good mechanical grip, this is confirmed by the data, as we
are up on corner speeds of the old car" said Bicknell. " Considering the
old car was highly successful in VdeV in 2004 and 2005 I couldn’t be
happier, we can’t wait to get out there. " We’re now looking for
talented drivers for the first round that takes place at Donington Park
on 12/13 April” Call Rob Bicknell on 07905224246 or email
rw.bicknell@ntlworld.com for details
Menasheh Idafar
confirmed his status as one of the favourites for the Formula Renault
BARC Championship once again in official testing at Silverstone National
Circuit when he again lapped consistently close to and under the
existing race lap record....read
more 
The HSCC's opening meeting of
2008 will be at Donington park next weekend(30 March) and it looks like
the club is in for a terrific season. Not only will there be a
great variety of cars, from Mg's to Lola F5000s but the FF1600 grid is
expected to exceed 40 cars..read more
BIRTHDAY TEST FOR LARINI.
Chevrolet driver Nicola Larini celebrated his 44th birthday on Wednesday
while testing his racing car at the Guadix racetrack in Spain. Larini
and the Chevrolet RML team spent two days at the Spanish circuit with
the aim to establish better chassis performance, tune other car areas,
put mileage on new parts and do some evaluation work on prototype parts.
Larini commented: "We had two full working days. Weather conditions were
excellent and the Guadix circuit is very interesting, so it was a very
useful test. We have worked mainly on the set-up, trying a number of
little adjustments, some were new, and others we had already tried. It
has been a lot of fine-tuning." The car used was the designated
2008-spec test car, as the actual race cars are currently enroute to
Mexico via sea freight containers.BMW Team UK/RBM also took part in the
test with reigning world champion Andy Priaulx.
Tim Harvey heads the entry list for the Porsche Carrera Cup GB at
Brands Hatch next weekend(29-30 March). With the new 420bhp 911GT3 Cup
cars and a minimum of 6 drivers looking for an early win the series is
looking good in 2008...read
more
THE VIRTUAL WTCC IS ONLINE.
SimBin Development Team, producer of RACE the WTCC Game, have launched
the 2008 Virtual WTCC, which is expected to dramatically expand the
community of the WTCC fans.
Players may register online, and attempt to qualify using the 'best lap'
mode on any of the WTCC racetracks. Those who have, either the online
version of the RACE 07 game installed or the demo, must press the 'In
Game Register' button in the World Leader board menu, and a registration
tool will popup. The 'In Game Register' button will then change into a
'Ranking Servers' button, which is where the action begins.
Performances will be monitored through the on line World Ranking system
hosted on the
www.race-game.org website.
The best ten players will be invited to the WTCC events in Valencia, Pau,
Brno, Anderstorp and Oschersleben to take part in the semi-finals on
simulators. The five semi-final winners will take part in the final at
Monza, competing to win a Chevrolet road car.
BWRDC Junior Champion and RDA
student Cassey Watson completed her first official duties as a BTCC
package competitor when she spent two days at Croft circuit in North
Yorkshire for the media launch days of the 2008 Ginetta Junior
Championship last week.Cassey came away with her confidence boosted due
to being up the top of the time sheets on both days of testing. Cassey
said, "This was an important test as it was the first time that most of
this year's competitors were on track together, to be quick was terrific
but credit has to go to my team, Tockwith Motorsport, who gave me a car
that filled me with confidence." Cassey will now head off to Brands
Hatch in Kent where the first two rounds take place on 29/30th
March.Anyone interested in hospiality packages for upcoming rounds are
asked to contact
vb@racedriversacademy.com
Mike
Conway made his debut in a Formula Master car at Monza yesterday and
immediately set the fastest time in the morning session and third
overall for the day ..read more
LIVE TV COVERAGE FROM MEXICO.
Eurosport will continue to give extensive live TV coverage to the FIA
World Touring Car Championship at the second event of the season in
Puebla, Mexico, on April 6th.
A total of 195 minutes of live broadcasting will be dedicated to the FIA
WTCC during the first weekend in April.
Coverage will start on Saturday 5th, with the qualifying session aired
live on Eurosport 2 from 11.00 to 11.45 pm Central European Time.
Live coverage will continue on Eurosport 2 on Sunday - from 4.00 to 4.30
pm CET - for the 15-minute warm-up session.
Later on Sunday, Eurosport International will broadcast both of the
Mexican races live: Race 1 from 7.00 to 8.00 pm CET and Race 2 from
10.00 to 11.00 pm CET. Highlights of the races will be repeated on
Monday morning, from 9.00 to 10.00 am.
BTCC Brands Hatch Preview
-“full
of drama, excitement and controversy” , so says BTCC boss Alan
Gow..read more
20-03-08
Sarah Reader(25) from
Stratford-on-Avon will race a
250 bhp Juno SSC-EN in
the VdeV endurance championships in both in Britain and Europe.Sarah
will partner experienced sports car driver Ryan Hooker in the VdeV UK
Championship…read more,
This year’s SEAT Cupra Championship
is looking very healthy as we head towards the opening race of the 2008
season at Brands next week. Alongside the experience of Carl Breeze,
Freddy Norstrom and co we have newcomers Andrew Herron and Martin Byford
all fighting over a £250,000 prize fund…read
preview
Reigning VdeV Champions Juno Racing
started their 2008 Campaign at Jarama last weekend with 5 cars taking
part in the opening round of the EU series. Despite leading the race
prior to the driver handover, Rob Croydon and Adrian Mardlin slipped
back in the latter stages to finish in fourth place, the highest placed
Juno in the field
SEAT will make a little piece of history at Brands Hatch on Sunday 30th
March, when their Leon TDi becomes the first manufacturer’s car to race
with a diesel-engine in the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship..read
more
The
Caterham Superlight Challenge and Eurocup
series look like providing even morfe action than usual with the news
that 23 of Caterham's upgrade packages, incorporating the new Quaife
sequential gearbox, have been ordered for this year’s championships…read
more
Arkas Racing
is
looking forward to the opening two rounds of the 2008 HiQ MSA British
Touring Car Championship on the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit on Sunday 30th
March. This season sees not only the return of Erkut Kizilirmak to the
team but for the first time he will have a teamimate, Martyn Bell …read
more
Formula Renault UK team
Manor Competition
finished it’s pre-season testiong at Silverstone in style with drivers
Kris Loane, Alexander Sims and Henry Surtees all producting quick
times..read more
PSL
Karting
wrapped
up it’s Florida Winter Tour last weekend at the Ocala Gran Prix facility
in Ocala, Florida. The team’s PSL shifter drivers took 4 wins to clinch
2 championships Californian Fritz Leesmann and Virginia’s Gus Vidal.
report
Australain Formula 3 team, Piccola Scuderia Corse
has a new sponsor, on of Australia's best designers of real Australian
culinary workhorses - Beef Eater Barbecues.
The
Toyota Long Beach Long Beach Grand Prix
has secured it’s future until 2015 after renewing it’s contract with the
local city council until 2015..read
more
Dale Coyne Racing
will fieldi two cars in the 2008 IndyCar Series, they will also take
part in the Champ Car farewell on April 20 in Long Beach. Bruno
Junqueira has been confirmed in the No. 18 Dallara. returning to Dale
Coyne Racing after the 2007 Champ Car season where he finished seventh.
"This season brings new challenges -- a new series, new ca\r, new
tracks, but at the end of the day, everybody is starting from scratch,"
said the Brazilian. "I love the ovals and really look forward to getting
back to Indy. Dale and I both have some unfinished business to do
there." Fellow Brazilian and IndyCar rookie Mario Moraes, will
partner Bruno in the team., "This is quite a challenge for me, but I am
excited to learn with Dale's experience with rookies and with Bruno who
I know can help me a lot. I have done this a long time, first driving,
then qualifying several rookies at the Indy 500 over the years,"
reflects team owner Dale Coyne. "I cannot tell you how much going back
to Indy means to me. To go back and truly be competitive is a great
dream and challenge."
James Dixon will
make his racing car debut at Brands Hatch this Easter Weekend when he
competes in his first ever car race, at the the opening round of the
Formula Renault BARC Championship. The Candy Carriers-backed racer, who
is driving for Mark Burdett Motorsport, is making the switch from
European kart racing, where he raced at the top level against the best
in the world. However, he will now make his first step onto a ladder
which, one-day, might lead to a career as a professional driver and
maybe even Formula One.
The
Greek Olympic Committee
and the International Olympic Committee confirmed the famous Chinese
driver Cheng Cong one of the torchbearers for first leg of 2008 Olympic
Torch Relay, on March 24 in Greece....read
more
19-03-08
The Porsche Club
Championship
start this weekend (Easter Monday)at Donington Park with the Club
series fielding a grid of over 30 cars..read
more
The Porsche
Open Series
gets underway at Donington on Easter Monday as well with the prize of a
one-off
Porsche Carrera Cup GB drive to the 'Driver of the Series' at the end of
the year..read more
Will Bratt
has set the tongues wagging amongst the FIAT Spanish F3 regulars with
his pace during testing at Jarama yesterday,(Tuesday). Bratt finished
the test no only with the fastest time, but a full six 10ths of a second
clear of the rest….read more
Michael Ammermüller
will compete in Formula Master in 2008. The former Red Bull F1 test
driver will drive for Swiss team Iris Project.
Read more
Formula BMW Germany graduate Niall Quinn
will race in the National Class of the British International F3 Series
at Oulton Park this weekend with championship returnees Team Loctite.
Ultimate Motorsports. The 19-year-old from Co Meath has also been
competing in A1GP for his country and was named the A1GP Team Ireland
Rookie Driver of the Year in 2007. Quinn's entry now brings the grid for
this weekend's season opening round to 27 cars, with 9 in the National
Class. The first race takes place on Monday 24 March with the second
race in the afternoon on the same day.
Aston Martin DBRS9 team Astuti Motorsport
and driver John Kaias reckon that their first win in the Australian GT
series is just around the corner, despite a frustrating weekend at
Melbourne…read more.
Team Australia and driver Will Power
will have their first IndyCar test this week at Sebring. Power will get
a taste of the Honda-powered Dallara IndyCar on the 1.66-mile circui..read
more.
Michael Denino
kick-off his season in the 2008 Skip Barber National Series on March
11-14 at Sebring as support to the Mobil One 12 Hours of Sebring..read
more
Alexander Sims
is
clearly the favourite in Formula Renault UK after a totally dominant
display in testeing at Silverstone..read
more
Richard Antinucci’s
IPS debut year got off to a good start with some positive winter
testing, the Italian-American driver is confident and aiming for strong
start at Homestead-Miami …preview
18-03-08
Mark Dryden
set the pace in testing on Saturday(15th March) for the
Smartycars.com Mini Cooper Cup at Knockhill, Dryden said, "Really
happy with how the car handled in the dry and I'm obviously very happy
to be quickest. It is a good confidence boost to pick up from where
you left off last season.We finished the session only 2 tenths away
from my Lap Record which is very encouraging."…Times
Phil Quaife has joined Jota Sport
for the 2008 Porsche Carrera Cup GB. The former Pro-Am champion and BRDC
Rising Star will race alongside Sam Hancock…read
more
Motors TV ,the
‘High Speed Television’ channel, will show highlights of the FIA GT3
championship and GT4 European Cup and Belcar, Belgium’s
highly-competitive domestic GT series..read
more
FINAL CALL
FOR TOP HAT ENTRIES AT SNETTERTON…more
The
Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship
has added an extra round to the series for 2008 series. Round seven will
take place at Symmons Plains in Tasmania with the V8 Supercars in
November…read more
Matech GT Racing
willl enter two Ford GTs in the 2008 German ADAC GT Masters in the GT3
class. ..read more
Lola have released a specially designed 50th Anniversary poster which
it plans to give away at the official celebrations of it’s Golden
Anniversary at both the Brands Hatch World Sportscar Masters race on 25
May and the Outlton Park Gold Cup in August…read
more
Asia Racing Team
(ART) Motorsports had an encouraging start to its Formula Renault 2.0
season campaign at the weekend during the Asian Formula Renault
Challenge meeting at Zhuhai …read
more.
Richard Childress Racing’s
Jeff Burton won the NASCAR Sprjnt race at Bristol on Sunday.
Second was Burton’s team-mate Kevin Harvick with Clint Bowyer third
giving Childress a clean sweep of the podium.
Formula BMW Pacific‘s
season gets underway this weekend at the Malaysian Grand Prix in
Sepang..read preview
Joel Miller and his JDC Motorsports team-mate in the Masters Class,
Chuck Hulse were
both triumphant in the Star Mazda series opening round at Sebring last
weekend..read report
Atlantic pre-season tests
on 10.-11. March at Laguna Seca saw Markus Niemela and his team Brooks
Associates suffer from technical difficulties on the first day(Monday)
but by Tuesday they were able to concentrate fully on testing ending up
one of the fastest in the afternoon. Niemela: “We had some problems in
the car that were not down to team or myself, just bad luck. Because of
these problems we got bit behind to start with and everyone needed to
work really hard to catch up which we managed to do. I’m very happy that
team recovered quickly from the difficulties and Tuesday afternoon I was
already one of the fastest and missed 2nd position just by 0.06 seconds.
Unfortunately I ruined my new tyre run by going off the track and
damaging my car slightly. Therefore my best laptime was actually done on
old tyres. I believe we should be in quite good shape at the moment.”
Niemela’s position on Tuesday morning was 11th and on the afternoon 5th.
Fastest time in the morning session was done by Dane Cameron and in the
afternoon by Carl Skerlong.
A1GP World Cup of Motorsport
has appointed Octagon Worldwide, the global sales and marketing agency,
to assist in the strategic development and co-ordination of commercial
sales for the series..read more.
Ombra Racing has
signed 25 year old Massimo Rossi for the ATS Formula 3 Cup. Rossi will
drive a Dallara F304 Mugen Honda in the Trophy Class.
British F3 gets
underway this weekend at Oulton Park…Preview
Jon
Barnes will
race for Brookspeed Motorsport in their 'Team Trimite' Dodge Viper
Competition Coupe in the 2008 Avon Tyres British GT Championship. The
24-year-old from Hampshire will partner his old karting rival James
Gornall in the endurance series, with the first races of the
Championship at Oulton Park this coming Easter weekend. Barnes said, "I
am really pleased to be back in the cockpit for a full season of racing
this year. It is going to be a very tough season ahead, but I am
confident that myself, my team mate James, and Brookspeed Team Trimite
can go out and surprise the other teams and drivers with our
competitiveness this season. "
Jamie Davies
tops the timesheets for Scuderia Ecosse in GT Tests at
Monza..read
more
17-03-08
Sarah
Bennett-Baggs will race in this season's Porsche Club Championship
for 2008 starting at Donington Park on Easter Monday...read
more
Carlin
Motorsport will join Brookspeed Team Trimite at Coopers
Square Shopping Centre, Burton upon Trent this Thursday, 20 March..read
more
The
Penske Porsche Spyder
of Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Emmanuel Collard led a 1-2 Porsche
in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring yesterday ending Audi’s 8-year
winning streak. Second on the road was the Diaz/ Fernandez Acura ARX
01B but this later failed a post-race Stall test which moved the third
placed No. 20 Dyson Racing Porsche of Leitzinger, Lally and Marino
Franchitti to second overall.
A1GP Team Ireland
claimed the spoils in yesterday’s A1GP feature race in
Mexico, driver Adam
Carroll winning from fifth on the grid. In the morning’s Sprint event
New Zealand’s Jonny Reid took his third Sprint win on the year. Team
GB’s Oliver Jarvis was second in both…read
more
A1Team GBR took
two second palces at the A1GP in Mexico City this weekend, driver Oliver
Jarvis also took fastest lap in the feature race to move the team up to
4th in the standings…more
Joel Miller won the opening round of teh Star Mazda Championship at
Sebring.
The
Greek Olympic Committee
and the International Olympic Committee confirmed the famous Chinese
driver Cheng Cong one of the torchbearers for first leg of 2008 Olympic
Torch Relay, on March 24 in Greece.
On
the second day off the official F3 Euro Series test,
Nicolas Hülkenberg (ART Grand Prix) again took top spot. In the Sunday
morning session of the tests held at Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tomo,
the German set a time of 1:28.405secs, the quickest time so far. Second
was Christian Vietoris (Mücke Motorsport), just 0.062 secs down, while
Jules Bianchi (ART Grand Prix) came third on day two, with his personal
best of 1:28,539. Testing gets underway again at Estoril on Thursday.
This weekend Hitech Racing
will begin the defence of its British International Formula 3 crown at
Oulton Park. This year, replacing Suaber BMW bound Marko Asmer they
will have Austrian Walter Grubmüller and Britain’s Max Chilton driving
their Dallara F308 Mercedes HWAs in the first race of the season on
Easter Monday…read more
Jeremy Metcalfe
will make his debut in the Avon Tyres British GT Championship this
weekend at Oulton Park. The Hampshire racing driver will kick-off his
sportscar career alongside Luke Hines at the wheel of a CRScuderia
Ferrari 430….read more
A1
TEAM USA’s
Jonathan Summerton finish on the podium in yesterday’s feature race with
a marvellous third place after earlier taking fifth in the morning’s
Sprint race…read more
16-03-08
Ford Performance Racing
continued its rollercoaster V8 Supercar season at Albert Park on
Saturday with Mark Winterbottom finishing a strong fifth and team-mate
Steve Richards retiring from the first race. In race 2 'Frosty'
Winterbottom added another podium to his 2008 V8 tally, while his
team-mate Steve Richards gave the crowd an overtaking master class.
Starting from 26th on the grid, Richo made up almost one place per lap
over the 15-lap race to finish 12th overall, at one point taking both
James Courtney and Fabian Coulthard in one corner. In today;s race
Winterbottom retired from second place in t after pulling off a
beautiful move on Will Davison. The 26-year-old made a blinding start to
the 19-lap race, passing Rick Kelly into third and nipping up the inside
of Davison a lap later for second. Jamie Whincup meanwhile was right on
the tail of the battling pair and seized his opportunity at the next
chicane. He and Frosty were side-by-side through two corners, before
contact ended both drivers' race. Steve Richards, started the race
eighth and finished sixth. He narrowly missed out to Russel Ingall early
in the race as he fought to pass Mark Skaife, but held off the chasing
pack until the chequered flag.
Robert
Wickens set fastest sector two and three times to take the pole for
today's A1GP Feature Race in Mexico with a lap of 1:20.278. His margin:
42/1000ths!!
The hot lap almost came to naught for Team Canada when a yellow flag
came out as Robert came through the final turns. Robert was on the
throttle coming through the sweeping turn and was well into it when the
yellow came out. Had the yellow come out any earlier it might have ended
his hot lap right there.This is Robert's second pole - and first for the
Feature Race. A nice birthday present for Robert who turned 19 on
Thursday. He won the Sprint Race from pole in South Africa.
A1 Team South Africa's Adrian Zaugg qualified in pole position for
the morning's Sprint race...read
more
Jonathan Summerton put the A1 TEAM USA car on third on the grid
for the Sprint race and seventh for the Feature in A1GP qualifying
yesterday..read more
In 2007, SG Formula took the team, driver and rookie
championships in France and placed two of their drivers on the Eurocup
final podium last year. The La Rochelle-based squad are now looking
forward to making their Formula 3 Euro Series debut with three Dallara-Mercedes
cars driven by two Frenchmen, Yann Clairay and Tom Dillmann, and by
the Dutch rookie Henki Waldschmidt. SG Formula still aims to
shine in the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup and West European Cup. The
season opened with two days of practice in Valencia, during which the
fastest time was clocked by SG Formula's man from Australia, Daniel
Ricciardo. Apart from Ricciardo, the line-up includes Anton
Nebylitskiy from Russia, Canadian rookie Ramez Azzam, who lives in
Dubai, and Andrea Caldarelli from Italy, not forgetting the two
Frenchmen, Jean-Eric Vergne (rookie) and Nelson Lukes...read
moreCraig Baird (ACER/Leading
Solutions) made history today at the F1Australian Grand Prix when he
claimed the first ever Carrera Cup round win at the Albert Park
circuit. Baird took the win after his Race Three victory this
morning, but he was made to fight for it the entire way by a
determined Dean Fiore (Complispace/Advance Energy). Fiore's second
place today gave him the same number of points as Baird for the round,
however the Kiwi's three race victories handed him the overall win. ..read
more
Dane Cameron signs for Genoa Racing. After a strong showing
during the first official Atlantic test at Sebring last month, Genoa
Racing went to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca earlier this week ready
another test with 2007 Pro Mazda Champion Dane Cameron. Thomas Knapp,
principal of Genoa and team technical director stated, "I was
personally honoured that, being placed in this difficult situation as
a result of this unfortunate circumstance(cameron;s previous team
withdrew from the Atlantic series), Dane and his family, who have a
long racing heritage, placed their trust in Genoa Racing to focus on
continuing his winning ways. Dane is the real deal, was very pleased
with our car from the start and as we tuned for the conditions,
consistently set fast times throughout the test and ended up the
fastest driver over the two days of testing. He is very quick and
knows exactly what he needs from the car to get the job done. Now that
Dane is part of the Genoa family, we have an interesting plan for him
at the next series test in Houston, I can't wait, stay tuned!"
15-03-08
Menasheh Idafar continues to
deliver an impressive turn of speed in testing for this season's Formula
Renault BARC Championship. On Friday, (14th March), at Brands Hatch Indy
Circuit, he again set the pace in the BARC class in unoffical timings..read
more
Jonathan Summerton seventh on Friday in practice for the A1GP World
Cup of Motorsport at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. ..read
more
Joel Miller won the opening
round of the Star Maxda presented by Goodyear Championship at Sebring
this weekend. Charles Hall was second with Pater Dempsey third.
Carlin Motorsport look like being one of
the teams to beat in this season British F3 Championship after 3 of it's
drivers posted 3 of the top 4 quickest times in testing at Oulton park
this week..read more
With the unification of Champ Car and the Indy
Racing League now official and a new open-wheel landscape beginning
to take shape, the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear has
announced a revised 12-race schedule for 2008..more
RICHARD EGGER BACKS CLUB FORMULA FORD. New
insurance venture, Richard Egger Insurance, has backed the BRSCC’s Club
Formula Ford Midlands South Championship as an associate sponsor for the
2008 season. Richard Egger Insurance specialises in all aspects of
motorsport-related insurance and joins Carphone Warehouse Networks in
backing the popular regional Formula Ford series. Richard Egger, a
competitor, marshal and event organiser since 1969, has a wealth of
experience in motorsport insurance and commented “We have a policy of
backing motorsport at its grass roots and are already involved in
rallying, hill climbs and sprints so circuit racing was the missing
link. The BRSCC and Club Formula Ford was an obvious choice - the
introduction of the National Club Formula Ford Championship has given
the iconic marque a huge boost and I have worked successfully before
with the BRSCC in the days of Formula First”. The
Championship starts the season on Easter Monday (24th March) at Mallory
Park and consists of 11 rounds, of which 7 will count towards the
National Club Formula Ford title.
EASTER MONDAY AT MALLORY. The BRSCC season
gets underway on Easter Monday at Mallory Park. As mentioned above, the
meeting will feature the debut of the new Club Ford National
Championship, as well as rounds of the Mill Street Motors Ford Saloons &
the Ford XR Challenge. Completing a triumvirate of Ford tin-tops is the
www.dees.co.uk Ford Fiesta Championship, which will see at least 9
Fiesta STs taking to the track. With another half dozen hoping to be
ready by the next round at Silverstone in April, it certainly looks like
there is a very competitive season ahead. Completing the Easter card is
the annual Don Truman Trophy for the old Formula 3 500cc cars, which
played a vital role in the formative years of the BRSCC.
SEAT Cupra
Championship newcomer Andrew Herron finished his pre-season testing
with great aplomb setting a time under the official category lap record
on the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit yesterday, (Friday, 14th March)..read
more.
A1 Team Great Britain topped the time
sheets in the second of Friday's two free practice sessions in Mexico
City, as the eighth round of the 2007/08 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport
...read more
LEARN 2 DRIFT Learn2drift was set up by a
top International Professional racing driver to teach other racing
drivers and advanced road drivers the techniques needed to drift a car
sideways without losing control.The Learn 2 Drift Experience is open to
drivers (with a full UK license) of all abilities. The course is
intensive but with the focus being on having fun while learning. This
course gives you the opportunity to "drive it like you stole it" in a
safe environment and really improve your car control. The course
includes:
• Learn how to hold the car at a constant angle of
oversteer
• A slalom course which is timed
• Learn how to do the perfect doughnut!
• Learn how to do a high speed drift (60 - 70 mph)
For more information please visit
www.Learn2drift.co.uk or phone: 07528328116
LMA REGISTERS A HIT . The booming
BRSCC LMA Euro Saloon & Sports Car Championship has recorded its highest
ever level of registered competitors with 66 drivers signing up for the
championship so far. The first round is at Snetterton on Sunday 30th
March and with two weeks to go the grid is already full with 38
confirmed entries. For more information about the championship visit
www.LMAperformance.com
FILM SHOW AT BRSCC MIDLAND CENTRE AGM. The
Midland Centre has organised a film show after the formalities have
concluded at their AGM next week. The show will feature archive footage
of some major BRSCC meetings between 1961 and 1964. The AGM takes place
at 8pm on Wednesday 19th March, at the Hollyfields Centre Club, Woodacre
Road, Erdington, Birmingham, B24 0JT. Please submit any formal questions
or nominations at least seven days beforehand to Keith Jones at
keithj@brscc.co.uk.
14-03-08
The
2008 IndyCar Series
season begins under the lights with the GAINSCO Auto Insurance Indy 300
on March 29 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 2008 schedule, one of the
most diverse in all of motorsports, features races on ovals, permanent
road courses and temporary street circuits, all broadcast worldwide
through a comprehensive, long-term agreement with ESPN. All races in
2008 will be telecast in High Definition. The 2008 Indy Pro Series
season also begins on March 29 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 16-race
schedule, which features eight ovals and four road/street course
doubleheader weekends, will be televised by ESPN2
Touring 70s, a
new race series for Group 2 Touring Cars of the 1970s, was officially
launched by the Masters Racing Series during Race Retro, the
International Historic Motor Sport Show, at Stoneleigh today..read
more
The
HSCC also made a major announcements at Race Retro today (Friday 14 March),
launching a new 80s Road Sports category for 2009 and beyond. Read
more
The
new FIA WTCC success ballast
system comes into force at the next in Puebla, Mexico, on April 6th.
Ten drivers will be given extra weight to put on their cars, with SEAT
Sport team-mates Yvan Muller and Gabriele Tarquini ech having to carry
an additional 44 kg…read more
The
Juno Racing team
are of to sunny Spain this weekend and the opening round of the VdeV
championship at Jarama. Drivers Rob Croydon and Adrian Marlin will be
looking for a similar result to last year when they they took their
first win of the season…read more
The
British Formula Ford Championship
kicks-off next weekend at Oulton Parks with a predicted grid of 25
Duratec-engined Formula Fords. Not only is this the biggest ever
first-event gathering of such machinery but it is also a grid offering a
great depth of talent plus a strong international flavour …….Read
more
The
Masters Racing Series
will be taking its popular racing series into Europe in 2008, with four
Masters Festivals planned scheduled. After running similar events in
the UK last year there
will now be two new events at Anderstorp and Magny Cours…read
more
After driving the 2008 Formula Masters Series’
car double Formula Master race winner Kasper Andersen and Bulgarian
driver Vladimir Arabadzhiev have both voiced their satisfaction with the
new engine and chassis..read more
Britain's liveliest saloon car championship, the Volkswagen Racing
Cup,
is set for another brilliant yeseasor of racing, more new cars and
models joining the grid than in any previous season. The opening rounds
of the Hankook-backed championship are at
Oulton Park
on Easter Monday (24 March)…read
more
The
Masters Racing Series
have announced today(Friday) that they will join up with the POWERnights
race meetings. Read
more
VX
Racing lauched
their all new Vauxhall Vectra at Rockingham duing the HiQ MSA BTCC
media day this week..read more
The
PSL Karting team
completed the Rotax portion of the Florida Winter Tour this past weekend
at the Ocala Gran Prix in Ocala, Florida..read
more
Star Mazda Qualifying times...more
13-03-08
The Masters
Series will be represented on the central stage at Race Retro,
Stoneleigh tomorrow, (Friday 14 March).At 13:30 hrs, Series Director
Christopher Tate and Speedmaster Managing Director James Hanson will be
discussing many exciting aspects of The Masters Series for 2008. The
Masters Series will also be present during the show at stands D36-40.
Ollie Hancock’s pre-season preparations
could hardly have gone better, with the Hampshire-based racer topping
the time sheets at all three Formula Renault BARC test days so far. The
2007 BARC race-winner and rookie-of-the-year, was quickest of all the
BARC-spec cars at this winter’s tests at Rockingham, Brands Hatch and
Snetterton, leaving Hancock and his Scorpio Motorsport team hugely
encouraged for the forthcoming campaign. While relative pace in testing
is notoriously difficult to judge, Hancock has gone faster than last
season’s pole time at both Brands and Snetterton and feels he and the
team have made significant strides this winter. “We’ve had a couple of
small teething problems, but generally the car feels fantastic,” said
Ollie. “We’re much quicker than last year and it feels better with every
run. The guys at Scorpio have all been fantastic and we believe there’s
even more time to come. At the moment everything is heading in the right
direction.” Hancock will test again at Brands Hatch on Friday 14 March,
while the 2008 Formula Renault BARC championship kicks off at the Kent
circuit with a double-header on 23/24 March.
Richard Philippe will join Carlin Motorsport
for the team's first season of F3 Euro Series this year. The 2005
Formula BMW USA champion, previously competed in Champ Car Atlantics and
Renault World Series, is the first Euro Series driver to be announced by
the British F3 championship winning squad. Speaking about his plans for
2008 , Philippe said, "I'm very excited and happy to be joining Carlin
for F3 Euro Series this season. This marks a new chapter in my career,
one that is unavoidable to reach the highest form of motor sport in the
world and I'm pleased to be working with such a well-known and
prestigious team.F3 Euro Series is a very competitive championship and
as a new driver and team to the championship we will have a lot to learn
very quickly, nevertheless I believe before long we will be running at
the front." Team Principal Trevor Carlin added, "I'm delighted
that Richard has chosen to race with Carlin in our first year in F3 Euro
Series. The competition level for both teams and drivers is extremely
high, but I'm sure together we will make great progress and surprise
some of the regular teams before the end of the year." Carlin Motorsport
and Richard Philippe will make their F3 Euro Series debut at Valencia
from 15 - 16 March at the first official test of the season.
Australian driver Will Power will race in
the new Indycar series in 2008 with a renewed Team Australia .
Power will drive the #8 Aussie Vineyards - Team Australia Honda/Dallara/Firestone
for his third season driving in Craig Gore’s Team Australia squad, with
the Aussie Vineyards-backed team taking on a new form in 2008. Team
Australia has joined forces with KV Racing Technology in a partnership
for the motorsport program that Gore created in 2005, which uses
motorsport as a marketing tool for Australian companies, including
Gore’s own Aussie Vineyards company and it’s Au wine label, wanting to
increase their brand awareness and sales on a global scale, with a major
focus in the United States. KV Racing Technology is entering its sixth
year of competition and its first in the IndyCar Series. Oriol Servia
will be behind the wheel of the KV Racing Technology #32 Honda/Dallara//Firestone
entry as Power’s team-mate in 2008.
The FV10 Jaguar R5
had it's first test run at Donington Park on Tuesday with Marc Hynes
at the wheel. The car ran reliably and despite oil on the approach to
the Esses Hynes managed a time of 55.5 secs, a new lap record for the
track...read more
British F3 champions Hitech Racing topped the times in the
penultimate pre-season test at Oulton Park yesterday (wednesday) with
Max Chilton setting the fastest time ahead of Fortec's Marcus Ericsson
during the morning. Max’s Walter Grubmüller was third just 0.04secs
behind the second placed car..read
more.
Thruxton will be celebrating 40 years
of motor racing at the Hampshire venue on Easter Monday (24 March)
with the Historic Sports Car Club playing an integral part in the BARC
organised event...read more.
Brazilian Adriano Buzaid driving for Fortec Motorsport set the
fastest lap during testing for the Formula Renault UK with Michelin
Championship at Snetterton yesterday afternoon. Buzaid, about to
start his second season in the series set a time of 1min 04.851s
(108.35mph) ...read more
Will Bratt took
part in his second day of testing on Tuesday(11th March) in the FIAT Spanish Formula 3
Championship at Valencia setting a very respectable third
fastest time in th eprocess. .read
more
Team Aluminos
kart racing team
were at the CalSpeed Karting facility in Fontana, Californaia last
weekend for the final round of the SKUSA WinterNational Championship
Series. With 5 drivers taking part in categories S1 and S3 they were on
the look-out for podium finishes...read
more
Alexander
Sims' confidence continues to grow after further testing at a windy
Snetterton confirmed his status as one of the favourites for this year's
Formula Renault UK Championship,
..read more
Mike Vincec, from Ontario, heads for the
final races in Florida Winter Tour and Skip Barber Series this month...read
more
12-03-08
GO
TO ONE Racing
from Emken in Germany plan to run two Mosler MT900’s in the forthcoming
FIA GT Championship. They will be driven by Czech pairing Adam Lacko and
Ales Jirasek in one car, with Stepan Vojtech, also from the Czech
Republic and German Kenneth Heyer in the other….read
more
Michael Doyle
will make his HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship this year at the
wheel of a Honda Civic Type R for In-Tune Racing. Yesterday he made he
performed his first official duty as a BTCC driver when he appeared at
the 2008 Media Day at Rockingham Motor Speedway….read
more
Asia Racing Team
(ART) Motorsports will take part of Asian Formula Renault Challenge
first round at Zhuhai International Circuit this weekend with 5 drivers,
including 3 ‘rookies’…read
more
Alexander Sims
continues to set impressive times in Formual Renault UK testing at
Snetterton..read more
Bridgestone e-reporter:
deadline for entries 31 March...more
Conquest Racing
has announced that it had signed a technical partnership with Forsythe
Performance Research, a wholly owned subsidiary of Forsythe Racing
Inc.The new alliance with Forsythe will provide the team with technical
and engineering resources for the 2008 season. "We are working very
hard on our transition from Champ Car to the IndyCar Series and we are
excited about this partnership with Forsythe Performance Research," said
Eric Bachelart, owner of Conquest Racing. "Their knowledge and
experience will accelerate our efforts of becoming a front-running team
in the IndyCar Series." Conquest Racing will start its second full
season in the Indy Racing League, where it has already taken a podium
finish with a third place by Laurent Redon in 2002 at
Fontana . The team
looks to add to their past success with rookie Franck Perera and a
second driver who will be announced shortly.
Mike Meadows has signed to drive for CR Scuderia
in this year's British GT championship, combining this series with his
recently announced Formula Master campaign. He will drive a Ferrari 430
GT which he will share with James Sutton. The combination of racing in
single- seaters and sportscars will provide Meadows with the biggest
challenge of his race career so far, but he says, "I'm ready for this.
There's nothing more that I love than being in a racing car, so it's a
dream season for me." His first challenge comes later this month, with a
Formula Master shakedown in Italy on the first day, a British GT test on
the second, back to Italy for a Master test day before returning to
Oulton Park for the season-opening British GT race on March 22-24th.
SEAT Sport’s HiQ MSA BTCC team
will be sponsored by Holiday Inn for 2008. Both SEAT Leon TDI’s will
carry the new sponsoe and willfeature a new colour scheme for the first
time…read more
Matt Hamilton will race in the British Formula Ford Championship
with Joe Tandy Racing (JTR) in 2008. Having tested with JTR in January
at Brands,Hamilton ran consistently quick times in the team’s Mygale 07.
Matt will race a new Mygale 08’s this season, with testing getting
underway this week
The
Austrian Interwetten-Racing Team
will race in the 20008 Renault Formula 3.5 World Series with new driver
Pablo Sanchez and the experienced Salvador Duran. Duran is the favourite
to win the driver’s championship while the team have hopes of securing
the constructors title. Both Mexicans are sponsored by TELMEX, the
Mexican telecommunications provider.
The
Britek Motorsport Scholarship team
has made its debut at the opening round of the Genuine Ford Parts
Australian Formula Ford Championship at Sydney's Eastern Creek. Run by
Minda Motorsport, the four-car team was part of a strong 22-car entry at
the first round of the series. Overseen by V8 driver of the #25 Fujitsu
Racing Ford Falcon, Jason Bright, the Britek Motorsport Scholarship that
provides a structured staircase opportunity to aspiring career-path
drivers. The program caters for Karters and aspiring open-wheel drivers
that want to move into V8 Supercars or pursue a career overseas. The
stand-out performance came from Adam Graham aboard the #66 McLaughlin
Freightlines entry who finished the weekend in sixth place overall.
Martin Swindells in the #63 Refrigerated Rental & Sales car was placed
14th; Ben Walter in the #25 Road Solutions entry was 16th; and Taylor
Gore in the #26 PGM Investments car was 17th.
11-03-08
Lola sport scars
head for Florida this weekend and the 56th running of the
Sebring 12 Hours, the first majopr sportcar race of Lola's 50th year as
a manufacturer ...read more
Ben
Morley started
his 2008 Australian Formula Ford Campaign on a positive note. Not only
did he stand on the podium in all 3 races, he also led race 3 and sits
just 8 points of Championship leader Brad Lowe..read
more
Dane Cameron set the pace at Laguna Seca
on the first day of Spring Training for this season’s Cooper Tires
Presents Atlantic series..read more
A1
TEAM USA returns to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez this weekend
(March 14-16) for the eighth round of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport.
Last year saw Team
USA’s best two-race
result with second in the feature and fifth in the sprint , can they go
one better? "I'm really looking forward to this year, especially
knowing how far the team has progressed during the season," said
Jonathan Summerton. "It's a fun track and has passing zones. I think
it's a great track to race on and fits my driving style. You need to
have a smooth throttle through the corners and we've developed a setup
on the car that should be good for Mexico City." Summerton's top finish
this season was fifth in the Sprint at Australia. Team owner Rick
Weidinger views Mexico as an opportunity to regain momentum for the rest
of the season. "We've been very competitive in the last four rounds, but
we've had some unfortunate circumstances ruin promising results in the
last two," Weidinger said. "We have a team capable of running and
finishing in the top five and returning to Mexico City could be the
impetus for a very strong run in the home stretch to the season."
Will Bratt
set an impressive third fastest time on first ever run in a F3 car
during testing at Valencia yesterday…read
more
The
first official DTM test of 2008 got underway yesterday(Monday)at
Mugello. Audi and Mercedes-Benz have their first opportunity to assess
where they stand. For Audi, all 9 drivers signed to date are taking
part, including newcomers Oliver Jarvis and Katherine Legge. Audi has 5
A4’s at track with Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline using two of the all
new cars while Phoenix and Rosberg are each testing a 2007 machine. The
fifth A4 DTM is a test prototype. "The winter break was long enough.
It's a great feeling to be sitting in the racing car again and to not
only be seeing four rings but a few stars in the rear-view mirror," says
2007 Champ Mattias Ekstrom with a smile. After internal tests the
incumbent DTM champion is now back on the circuit together with the
competition from Mercedes-Benz for the first time. "As is customary for
Audi Sport, we're going about these tests with one hundred per cent
concentration in order to be optimally prepared by the time the season
starts. This is definitely necessary because I'm sure that we'll be
seeing a number of nail-biting and extremely tight races again this
year." The season starts on April 13 ar Hockenheim.
Walker Racing
has withdrawn its attempt to join the IndyCar Series for 2008. The
racing partnership of "Team Australia" and the association with
Australian businessman Craig Gore, drivers Will Power and Simon Pagenaud,
has also come to an end forcing the team out due to a lack of funds. A
lengthy search for new sponsorship partners drew a blank, so Walker
Racing had to close the program officially on Friday. "It's a great pity
that the team has had to abandon our IndyCar program. So much work by so
many has gone into the Team Australia program over the last three and a
half years, but now it will remain unfinished business for us. I wish my
co-partner well with his new venture and so to Will and Simon and all
the employees, associates and fans who have given me the opportunity.
Many thanks," said Walker Racing Owner, Derrick Walker.
Nine drivers
will race in the 2008 DTM with the AMG Mercedes C-Class, Mercedes-Benz
Motorsport announced yesterday(Monday).
Read more
10-03-08
A official entry list has been released for his year’s Bennetts British Superbike Championship.
With 31 entrants it is an interesting mix of experience and enthusiastic
young riders all looking to make a name for themselves in 2008..more
Andrew
Herron’s preparations for this year’s
SEAT Cupra
Championship continued last week at Snetterton when he got in some wet
weather testing…read
more
Robertshaw Racing driver
Alan Taylor made
his first outing in 2008 in his BTCC Honda Integra at Snetterton last
week. The Newcastle based driver was having his first runs at Snetterton
in a Touring Car after a couple of outings at Knockhill and Thruxton at
the end of 2007. The day was not without it’s teething problems as
gearbox gremlins reduced the morning running on the Norfolk circuit, but
the afternoon sessions proved more productive as Taylor enjoyed some
consistent lapping before the end of the day. “The morning was very
frustrating” said Taylor later that day, “but the afternoon sessions
were more productive with my lap times continually coming down as we got
further into the session”. Team manager Joe Bradley added, “That’s what
these shakedown days are about, it’s frustrating for the driver but
we’ve ironed out a few niggles today and Alan should be ready for a good
run at Rockingham next Wednesday”. That test day will be the final
chance the teams and drivers will get the prepare themselves before the
opening rounds of the season at Brands Hatch on 29 – 30 March.
Volkswagen will field five
Race Touaregs
in next month's Central Europe Rally through Hungary and Romania, it is
announced today (Monday). The 5 drivers set to compete on the 20-26
April event are those originally down for January's cancelled Dakar
Rally, the 2007 FIA Cross Country World Cup winner, Spain's Carlos Sainz,
South African Giniel de Villiers, Mark Miller of the USA and Germany's
Dieter Depping in works cars and Portuguese privateer Carlos Sousa in
the Team Lagos entry. 'The Central Europe Rally represents a new
challenge in cross-country rally sport and we look forward to this
challenge,' said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. 'After the
cancellation of the Dakar our team is extremely motivated to show our
strong performance capabilities. The new rally gives us an interesting
and demanding platform for this.' Volkswagen also announces its
intention to enter two cars in June's Rallye dos Sertoes in Brazil in
preparation for the 2009 Dakar Rally, which will be run in Argentina and
Chile for the first time.
Ultimate Signature driver
Fabio Carbone has
had his first taste of the new car he’ll drive in the World Series by
Renault. Fabio’s new team is a joint venture between Ultimate, which
first raced in British F3 last year, and Signature, which is competing
on the F3 Euroseries. The all-new World Series by Renault car draws
heavily on the lessons learned from F1, powered by Renault’s 3.5 litre
V6. A 2-day official test took place at of Valencia last week, where the
weather intervened on day 1 with high winds force the cancellation of
the day’s running by 11am. On day two, the 27 year-old Brazilian shook
down the car that he will be using this year. “With the cancellation of
the first day, we obviously only got the chance to sample the car and
shake it down rather than carry out a full test programme,” said Carbone.
“We’ve obviously got a lot still to do, but out of the box the car feels
very good indeed. The chassis and the aerodynamics are obviously all
new, and you can really feel the influence of the Formula 1 design. The
next step now will be to adapt the car to my driving style and find the
right set-up in preparation for the opening races.” The next test will
take place in Barcelona from April 8-10, before the first round of the
championship at Monza on April 26.
Skip Barber Series - Mike
Vincec drving
for Sunoco Team Ultra 94 took the top step on Sunday and a new lap
Record at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. After some disappointment on
Saturday, Mike Vincec bounced back to take the chequered flag on Sunday
in the Skip Barber Southern Region series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Not only did Vincec win but he did so from ninth on the grid, in a race
that featured both Championship and Sportsman classes on track together.
He also took fastest lap of the race, setting a new track record* in the
process (*based on current track configuration). Saturday had started
with promise with Mike lining up off-pole and running second through to
lap twelve when a brisk wind sent some desert dust across the track.
Running through the dirt took away any grip and Mike dropped two wheels
into the grit loosing positions as a result. He would end the day P6 in
his class and P9 overall, which determined his starting position on
Sunday. "We are really pleased to come away from Las Vegas with a
win." Mike commented. "We have been working towards this since the first
race when we had two podiums that weekend. It is great to finally put a
win in the books for Sunoco Team Ultra 94. I have to thank Ron Fellows,
Brad Brown and Paul Cooke for all their support." Mike continued, "Now
we look ahead to Sebring in a few weeks for the final race in the
series. Let's hope we can end the series with another trip to the
podium." With the win on Sunday and sixth-place on Saturday, Mike has
added 95 points to take a strong hold on second place in the Southern
Region championship. The series finale takes place at Sebring, March 20
& 30.
Atlantic Racing Team of
Halifax, Nova
Scotia Canada will take part in the Formula BMW Pacific Series with
Gabby Chaves of Colombia. Gabby, as
one of the youngest drivers in the FBMW Pacific series, recently in the
Skip Barber Racing School Regional Series. "When we had the opportunity
to test Gabby in our FB2 car we instantaneously recognized that there is
a young driver, unlike so many we had tested before, with total insight
of the car, track and team work! Not only was he fast, right from the
get go but also consistent, fully focused and. really likable!" says
Ingo Strackerjan, team manager and proceeds to explain "All this will
help him and us to go to the Pacific series and be strong contenders.I
think we are all very excited to go to Asia, to participate in all 3
Asian Formula One races, including the first night street race in F1
history! The Pacific series will be one of the most contented FBMW
series this year, considering more European teams and drivers from all
over the world are now participating in it ". The Formula BMW Pacific
Series kicks off at the Sepang International Race Track in Malaysia on
March 16th as part of the second 2008 Formula One racing series.
The ALMS gets underway this weekend with the 56th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of
Sebring presented by Fresh from
Florida. GT1 and
GT2 entries are looking good with cars from Aston Martin, Corvette,
Dodge, Ferrari, Ford, Panoz and Porsche all taking part…read
more.
Kyle Busch won the NASCAR
Sprint Cup race
at the Atlanta Oval yesterday, his first win of the year and Toyota’s
first ever win in the Cup. Tony Stewart took second giving the Japanese
Manufacturer not just a win but a 1-2. Third was Dale Earnhardt Jnr.
Hitech Racing
were at the official media launch of the British Formula 3 International
Series at Silverstone last week where they took part in the latest test
session for the series..read
more
Mark Winterbottom
took his first victory
of the season on Sunday at Eastern Creek in an incredible fight-back
from the Ford Performance Racing driver after he qualified 15th .,..read
more
Garth
Tander
won the opening race in the V3 Supercup in the Toll Holden Racing Team
Holden Commodore VE beating Will Davidson’s Ford Falcon into second with
Jamie Whincup third for Team Vodafone.
Hamilton, Button and
Coulthard gear up for the start of the F1 season
and the 2008 Santander
British GP at Silverstone - With this year’s FIA FORMULA 1 World
Championship set to get underway in Australia this weekend, the hopes
and expectations of British fans have never been higher. British star
drivers Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and David Coulthard will all be
gunning for glory this season and never more so than in front of the
Silverstone crowd at the British GP on 4-6 July. During preparations
for the opening race the three British drivers came together for
a rare, one-off photo shoot, calling on fans to show their support at
their home race at Silverstone on 4-6 July.
For details on tickets,, etc
Robert Podlesni
completed a clean sweep in the opening round of the Pacific F2000 series
on Sunday taking pole, fastest lap and the win, at Fontana in
California..
The Jacksons M-Sport team
believes its new BMW 320si will enable it to take a step forward in
performance in this year’s HiQ MSA Britsh Touring car Championship. Mat
Jackson tested the car , Andy Priaulx’s 2007 WTCC title-winning
machine,at Snetterton last week. Team principal Tony Jackson told
BTCC.net: “We’ve already run it at Brands Hatch and Oulton Park and Mat
definitely feels it’s a step forward on the 06/07 car. It has the latest
modifications and is, in essence, a full 2008-spec car. “We’re very
pleased with some of the data we’ve seen so far, but we’re not getting
too carried away – you never know what the others are really up to
during the pre-season.”
Neil McFadyen
has won the first Australian MINI CHALLENGE round at Sydney’s Eastern
Creek International Raceway yesterday(Sunday) with a classy victory in
the final race after Seven Network personality, Grant Denyer won the
morning’s race. McFadyen had previously won Saturday’s opening encounter
ahead of Jason Bargwanna..
Queensland teenager Nick
Foster is
learning in the Formula Ford ranks while racing in round one of the Ford
Genuine Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship in
Sydney at the
weekend. Foster, who was making his debut in the series aboard the #13
Steeline Metal Framing Systems Van Diemen, qualified in 21st position
before moving up to 14th place in the opening 10-lap race yesterday. The
16-year-old was involved in an incident with fellow karting graduate
Chaz Mostert on lap three of this morning’s race which dropped him to
the rear of the 22-car field. Despite suffering minor damage to the
front right suspension during the incident Foster pushed on to finish
the race and gain valuable experience. Buoyed by the confidence of
finishing the opening two races Foster was determined to climb up the
order in the final race. By lap three the five-time state karting
champion had elevated himself into 18th position and was continually
improving his lap times. As the race continued Foster found himself
battling for a position inside the top 15 before eventually crossing the
line in 16th spot. “Overall I’m happy with the way I was able to
continually improve over the weekend and close the gap between myself
and the front runners in the championship,” said Foster. “The aim was to
learn more about the car and become more competitive with each session
throughout the weekend. I’m happy to say that I was able to achieve both
of these aims. I felt comfortable in the car during the final race and
was able to make up a few spots which was good.
09-03-08
Bradley Lowe took two wins
from three races in the opening round of the Genuine Ford parts
Australian Formula Ford Championship at Eastern creek this weekend.
With 54 points in the bag he now leads the title chase by 8 points from
Ben Morley(pictured).
Nick Percat was the round's other winner, snatching the lead in the
final race with 2 laps remaining from Ben Morley.
A1GP heads for Mexico next
weekend(14-16 March) with Switzerland holding a 10 point advantage
over France with just 3 rounds remaining. New Zealand are a further 10
points adrift in third. ...preview
Alan Holm driving a Laser
Sprint Rhema 2 stamped hios authority on the 2008 South African National
Formula Vee Championships by taking two dominant at Port
Elizabeth's Aldo Scribante Circuit this weekend..
Dave Freitas Racing's Robert
Podlesni's took pole on his return to the Pacific F2000 Series
yesterday at the Fontana cicuit in California ...read
more
A1 Team Great Britain has announced that Duncan
Tappy will be it's rookie next weekend’s in Mexico. The highly-rated
Tappy won the Formula Renault UK championship last year and the
Formula Ford Festival in 2005. He will take part in the rookie
session next weekend helping A1GP team GB to set up the car for Oliver
Jarvis and the main event. ‘I feel very honoured and excited to be able
to represent my country in A1GP World Cup of Motorsport,’ Tappy said.
‘It’s a fantastic start to the next phase of my career. I’m looking
forward to the challenge of the Mexico track as well as the car. I know
it’s very physical and I’ve been training hard through the winter in
case such an opportunity arose so I’m prepared. In my 50 minutes of
track time I want to contribute to the team as much as I can with a
mature, solid performance.’
Luxembourg’s Team Racing Experience led by
Christian Hauser is entering the 2008 SATS F3 Cup with three cars. The
line-up, his two sons, David and Gary alongside Latvia’s Karline Stala.
The 22-year old has shown her speed by winning the 2007 Belgian Formula
Renault 1.6 Championship. In the twelve-race season, she took ten podium
finishes and two wins. With these successes, she even attracted the
attention of the HWA Team AMG-Mercedes that is now officially supporting
the young Latvian. In 2000, she started motor-racing in the
Latvian Kart Championship. Three years later she raced Saloons with a
Toyota Yaris before switching to single-seaters in 2006 in the Belgian
Formula Renault series. Team Principal Christian Hauser attaching great
importance to equal treatment. “They all have got the same goal and will
have to learn a lot in a short period of time,” he underlines. “Racing
Experience always treated all its drivers equally and this won’t change,
even if my sons are racing for us, now.”
Carlo van Dam is prepared for the start of
the Japanese F3 season where he will drivel compete for reigning
champions Toyota Team TOM’s. He tested his Dallara-Toyota at Fuji and
Motegi recently and has another test scheduled for Suzuka on March
18/19. The first race is on April 4-5 at Fuji. The most recent test at
Fujim, with all the teams, was hit by snow, but Carlo still managed to
complete over 150 laps in two days. “We have learned a lot, which is
quite necessary, for although our team claimed the first three
positions, there are still some things we can improve”, said Carlo. He
also knows he will be racing in a tough championship this year:
“It’s quite competitive, but I knew that already. Just look at the
drivers who raced here before. This season we are up against some very
quick Japanese drivers and I think it will basically be between our team
and the Honda works team. At Fuji we were significantly quicker, but the
last test is staged at Suzuka, Honda’s home track. Then we will see
where we stand.”
- Adrien Tambay was quickest during the
Formula BMW Europe Official test day with more than 0.7secs to second
placed Kevin Breyse.
- Top 12 Times
- 1.
Adrien Tambay (FRA)
1:34.706 49 Eifelland
Racing
- 2.
Kevin Breysse (FRA)
1:35.477 49 0.771 DAMS
Team
- 3.
Marco Wittmann (DEU)
1:35.623 42 0.917 Josef
Kaufmann Racing
- 4.
Tiago Geronimi (BRA)
1:35.653 21 0.947
Eifelland Racing
- 5.
Daniel Juncadella (SPA)
1:35.866 48 1.160
Eurointernational
- 6.
Carlos Huertas (COL)
1:35.916 41 1.210 Double R
Racing
- 7.
Kazeem Manzur (GBR)
1:35.962 50 1.256 Josef
Kaufmann Racing
- 8.
Jazeman Jaafar (MYS)
1:36.149 35 1.443 AM-Holzer
Rennsport GmbH
- 9.
Henrique Martins (BRA)
1:36.423 49 1.717
Eifelland Racing
- 10.
Michael Christensen (DNK)
1:36.499 28 1.793 Double R
Racing
- 11.
Thomas Hillsdon (GBR)
1:36.561 49 1.855 55
Motaworld Racing
- 12.
Jim Pla (FRA) 1:36.628 33
1.922 DAMS Team
08-03-08
Brad Lowe and Paul Laskazeski
have
taken a one-two finish in race one of the Genuine Ford Parts Australian
Formula Ford Championship at Eastern Creek (Sydney) today for Synergy
Motorsport.
David Brown,
Adrian Campfield and Jamie Jardine have all signed up for the
British Formula Ford championship in 2008..read
more
The Brookspeed
Team Trimite British GT Dodge Viper Competition Coupe will be on
display at Coopers Square Shopping Centre in Burton upon Trent on
Thursday 20 March before it heads up the road to compete in the opening
rounds of the championship at Oulton Park on Easter Monday. ..read
more
52 TONNES OF FOOD
COLLECTED IN CURITIBA.
The WTCC Race of Brazil,
which took place last Sunday in Curitiba , again made a contribution
towards the aid of the starving people of Brazil . Like in 2007,
together the City Hall of Curitiba; KSO, the championship promoter; HSBC
and TIM, partners of the event, offered free tickets to the public in
exchange for two kilograms of food. 52 tonnes of food (compared to last
year's 24) were collected throughout the campaign and donated to the
charity society Instituto Pró-Cidadania de Curitiba, who will distribute
the food to those in need. On Sunday morning, in front of
absolutely packed grandstands, the Mayor of Curitiba Beto Richa; the
Chairman and General Manager of KSO Jacques Behar and Marcello Lotti;
and the Markerting Director of HSBC Glenn Valente, presented a board
symbolizing the success of this humanitarian initiative to Mrs Fernanda
Richa, president of the charity institute. This will now result in the
distribution of more than 300,000 meals.
DRIVERS
SUPPORT GREEN CAMPAIGN. The first round of the 2008
season in Curitiba also marked the beginning of the WTCC's support for
the FIA's Make Cars Green campaign. Make Cars Green is an international
campaign, aimed at reducing the impact of motoring on the environment.
As part of the campaign, the FIA has launched a public policy
Declaration which calls on the United Nations to adopt the first ever
worldwide target for CO2 emissions in passenger cars. Make Cars Green
also outlines how policy makers, industry and consumers can all play a
constructive role in the development of a more ecologically sustainable
means of personal mobility in the future. In Curitiba all the WTCC
drivers posed for a group photo to support the campaign. Their World
Rally Championship colleagues have done the same in Mexico , and the
Formula One competitors will do it next week in Australia .
BRAZIL REVIEW - SEAT'S
DOUBLE VICTORY.
SEAT Sport team opened the
2008 FIA WTCC with a double victory at Curitiba , in front of a crowd of
45,000. The León TDI cars won both races: in the first one pole sitter
Yvan Muller crossed the line first followed by his team-mate Rickard
Rydell, while Gabriele Tarquini - on his 46th birthday -
resisted the charge of BMW's reigning champion Andy Priaulx in the
second race. As a consequence of these results, Muller and Tarquini are
equal with 14 points on top of the Drivers' Championship, while in the
Manufacturers' Championship SEAT lead by 8 ahead of BMW. BMW
drivers Priaulx, Jörg Müller, Augusto Farfus and Félix Porteiro made
life tough for their fellow SEAT competitors and collected three podium
results: Müller third in Race 1 (after Farfus' exclusion for a technical
infringement), Priaulx and Porteiro second and third respectively in
Race 2. Chevrolet suffered a nightmare weekend. Alain
Menu's dramatic shunt in qualifying - from which he escaped unharmed -
seemed to be an omen and all three Chevrolet men (Robert Huff, Nicola
Larini and Menu) were eliminated in collisions during the first race.
The second race was not much better: only Larini made it to the end, but
out of the points. In the Independents' Trophy, Olivier Tielemans scored
two victories on his first appearance in the Wiechers-Sport BMW.
YOKOHAMA PARTNER
OF SPEED RACER.
During last week's WTCC
event in Curitiba , Yokohama exhibited the Mach 5 car that will star in
the new Warner Bros movie 'Speed Racer'. The movie, written and directed
by Andy and Larry Wachowski (creators of 'The Matrix') will be released
from May 9th, 2008. 'Speed Racer' stars Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci,
Matthew Fox, John Goodman, and Oscar winner Susan Sarandon; the movie is
based on the classic series 'Mach Go Go Go' created by Japanese anime
pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida. Yokohama will exhibit the Mach 5 car at various
other WTCC events this year.
07-03-08
Daniel Erickson
was quickest by quite a margin in first practice today(Friday) for the
first round of the Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford
Championship at Eastern Creek Raceway (Sydney). Second was Robert Storey
nearly half a second off the pace. ...read
more
Formula Renault BARC team
Hillspeed put in
some promising times last week during pre-season testing. Driver Ahmad
Al Harthy set the second fastest time at Brands before topping the
timesheets at Rockingham.
PSL Karting
is is heading into the final two weekends of the 2008 edition of the
Florida Winter Tour starting this weekend with the Ocala Gran Prix
Steve Wood,
runner up in last season’s VW Cup has
confirmed he will be back in the Hankook-backed championship in 2008, no
doubt planning to go one better this time around.
Lola to support Oulton Park
Gold Cup.
The Oulton Park
Gold Cup race meeting in August will be a significant date in the 50th
anniversary celebration for Lola as the company will support the HSCC
event. Displays of Lola racing cars, on-track demonstrations and awards
for competitors in Lolas will feature during the 25/26 August event.
Lolas are expected to race in at least five races, with cars ranging
from Formula 5000s to Formula Juniors and 2-litre sports-racing cars.
"The Gold Cup will certainly have a Lola theme," said Grahame White,
Chief Executive of the HSCC. "We hope to present trophies to the leading
Lola in several races. “ Lola's Executive Chairman Martin Birrane
said,”It’s a wonderful accomplishment to reach 50 years in motor sport
and we are looking forward to celebrating with the HSCC. The Oulton
Park Gold Cup is itself steeped in history and a fitting event to
applaud the Lola cars and drivers who enjoyed great success at Oulton."
Lolas twice won the Oulton Park Gold Cup in the 1960s and 1970s. In
1965 John Surtees won the Gold Cup in a Formula 2 Lola T60, while in
1974 Ian Ashley won the prestigious trophy in a Formula 5000 Lola T330.
Others to win in Formula 5000s at Oulton Park included Brian Redman,
Frank Gardner and Gordon Spice, while Redman also won the 1968 Guards
Spring Trophy at the Cheshire track in a mighty T70Mk3 sports car. For
more details about the HSCC, please visit www.hscc.org.uk
Jeremy Metcalfe
has joined up with CR Scuderia to partner Luke Hines in a Ferrari 430s
in the GT3 class of the 2008 Avon Tyres British GT Championship. Michael
Meadows will join James Sutton in the second car
A1 Team Canada have
announced that Robert Wickens(pictured)
and
Daniel Morad will
return for the next race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City
on March 14-16. Daniel will once again take the wheel of the 550bhp A1GP
car on during the rookie practice sessions on Friday morning. Robert
will then take over the car in the afternoon for the rest of the
weekend. The team was very pleased with Daniel's sessions in South
Africa and are happy to have him back in Mexico. In Durban Robert became
the youngest driver to take pole in A1GP history and of course went on
to win the sprint race. A1 Team Canada now sits eighth overall in the
championship on 52 points.
Reigning British F3 National
Class champion Sergio Perez
was quickest in a test at Silverstone yesterday morning with a 1:14.268,
0.2 seconds faster than second placed Marcus Ericsson (#8 Fortec
Motorsport). Andy Meyrick (#56 Carlin Motorsport) was once again the
fastest National Class runner in 15th overall. The Escuderia Telmex
sponsored T-Sport driver said. "I'm pleased with the progress we?re
making," said Perez. "I'm developing a good relationship with my
engineer and we're working well together to get a better understanding
of the new car.".
Aston Martin Racing
took part in the recent LMS 2-day test at Paul Ricard along with several
of their customer teams including the Aston Martin powered Charouz
Racing Systems LMP1 Lola…read more
07-03-08
The Aluminos kart racing
team
(www.aluminos.com)
head for the CalSpeed Karting facility at the newly-named California
Auto Club Speedway in Fontana this weekend, for the final round of the
SKUSA WinterNational Championship Series. Kurt Brunner(pictured will be
back with the team after missing Round 2. ..read
more.
Knockhill Classic
SpeedFair to be launched at Stoneleigh. The third annual
Classic SpeedFair at Knockhill will be unveiled to the public during
Race Retro, the International Historic Motorsport Show at Stoneleigh
Park, Coventry, on 14-16 March.
To develop interest in the event, the organising team from Knockhill
will have a stand in the main 'Speed Street' at Stoneleigh and are
inviting competitors, spectators and members of the historic racing and
classic car fraternity to visit the stand and find out more about the
event.
Over the weekend of 7/8 June the Dunfermline will track play host to a
celebration of motor sport history, with a stunning array of racing
Ferraris at the heart of the action. The Classic SpeedFair will enjoy
the backing of Event Scotland when it moves to an early summer date for
2008 and marks the racing successes of Sir Jackie Stewart OBE and his
late brother Jimmy. The JYS Trophy, in honour of the
three-time World Champion, will again go to the winner of the Formula
Ford 1600 knock-out event. With interest in the category running at
record levels in Scotland, a bumper field is expected with drivers from
Scotland, Ireland and England.
Meanwhile a new Jimmy Stewart Trophy will honour the memory of Jackie's
elder brother Jimmy, who sadly passed away earlier this year at the age
of 76. Jimmy was a talented racer in his own right and earned drives
with the Ecurie Ecosse, Aston Martin and Jaguar teams in international
sports car races in the early and middle 1950s.
"We're exhibiting at Stoneleigh as part of our development plan for this
event," said Stuart Gray from Knockhill. "We want to invite everyone to
come and meet us and talk about the event, whatever their interest in
historic motorsport and classic cars. The Classic SpeedFair is growing
year on year, and there will be something for all tastes."
Manor Competition’s
Alexander Sims
continues to shine in pre-season testing for Formula Renault UK with
Michelin Championship. In testing at Brands Hatch the 19 year-old set a
fastest time of 43.709 (98.72mph) early on the second day of the two-day
test. Fortec’c Adriano Buzaid(pictured) was
next up, just 0.096secs behind…read
more
Brazilian Fabio Carbone
will race in the World Series by Renault this year for the newly-formed
Ultimate Signature team. The team is a collaboration between Ultimate
Motorsport , which raced in British F3 last year, and the French
Signature team which has competed on the F3 Euroseries as well as the
Formula Renault V6 championship. Carbonne will be partnered by fellow
Brazilian, Claudio Cantelli. The 27 year-old Carbone comes to the World
Series by Renault after a successful year in Japan, where he raced in
the Formula Renault Championship and finished second in the Japanese GT
Championship. Carbone said: "I'm delighted to have this opportunity to
return to race in Europe after some very enjoyable seasons in Japan. The
value of the World Series by Renault can be seen just by looking at the
list of previous winners. Ultimate Signature is a new team, but there is
a lot experience behind it. Together with my own racing experience, I
feel very confident that we can put together a very strong package."
Canadian Formula Ford
Champion Kyle Marcelli
was invited to attend the 1st annual Lupus Grand Prix held at Formula
Kartways last weekend. Aside from Marcelli’s duties at the Canadian
Motorsports Expo he was teamed up with NASCAR Canadian Tire Series
driver J.R. Fitzpatrick and CASC GT-A class Champion Malcolm Strachan
for the 2-hour endurance race in support of the Lupus Flare Foundation.
“First off the race was just a blast, I haven’t been behind the wheel of
a go-kart for about a year and a half so it was good to get back in the
groove and do a little bit of rubbin’s racing at the indoor karting
track.” Marcelli, Fitzpatrick and Strachan started the race from 10th
after drawing for position. Upon completion of the 2-hour charity event
Marcelli crossed the stripe to take the win. “I had a lot of fun teaming
up with J.R. and Malcolm for the event; the pit stops were entertaining
to watch throughout the race I think we had to make about eight because
of the karts fuel consumption. Overall we were all here for one reason
to support Lupus research and it was good to see a lot of familiar faces
supporting the cause. Organizer Bill Bryan worked really hard making
this event such a great success in support of the chronic autoimmune
disease called Lupus. Upon completion of the event I believe there was
about 7 thousand dollars raised. My hat goes off to Bill for his hard
work with the event and everyone at the Lupus Flare foundation.” Says
Marcelli.
Manor Competition
continues to set the pace in testing for this year’s Formula Renault UK
Championship. Driver Alexander Sims again topped the timesheets during
the second official test on the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit this week.
There is less than a month
to go before the start of the 2008
Indy Racing League and the
first race, the GAINSCO Auto Insurance Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami
Speedway. …read more
Hitech completed
the first shake-down laps of the all new Superleague car at
Donington Park recently with
Frenchman Bruce Jouanny at the wheel….read
more
RLR/Andersen Racing is
pleased to announce that J.R. Hildebrand,
the 2006 Cooper Tires FF2000 champion, will drive its No. 25 Indy Pro
Series car this season. Hildebrand, 20, from California, joins Andrew
Prendeville as RLR/Andersen Racing's two Indy Pro Series drivers for the
16-race season. The Florida-based team also fields multiple cars in the
Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear and the F2000 Championship
presented by Hoosier Racing Tire. Hildebrand is reunited with engineers
Dominic and Nicholas Cape, who guided him to his F2000 Title in 2006
before becoming RLR/Andersen Racing's chief Indy Pro Series engineers in
2007. Hildebrand and the Cape brothers had a phenomenal year in 2006,
winning a record 12 of 14 F2000 races enroute to the title. .R.
Hildebrand: "I can't begin to express how excited I am to be racing for
RLR/Andersen Racing this year in the Indy Pro Series. Dan and John
[Andersen Racing co-owners Dan and John Andersen] have given me a great
opportunity and have been fantastic in working everything out. Reuniting
with Dominic and Nicholas Cape, who I won the Formula Ford 2000
Championship with, is going to be a real treat.”
Ten teams from the Atlantic
Championship
Powered by Mazda series will take part in Spring Training at the
picturesque Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca circuit on March 10-11. ..read
more
05-03-08
Alexander Sims
continued
to produce quick times during the Formula Renault UK test at the
Brands Hatch Indy Circuit this morning (Wed 5 March). On the the
second day of the official Formula Renault UK test the 19-year-old
headed the times with another outstanding performance.
Pescarolo Sport
were at Paul Ricard this week for 2 days with drivers Harold Primat,
Jean-Christophe Boullion, Emmanuel Collard and Christophe Tinseau
carrying out test and development work for the forthcom9ing LMS
season…read more
There were 6 Lola Le Mans
Prototypes at
Paul Ricard this week in the LMS test on Sunday Monday Both LMP1 and
LMP2 cars were in action including the Sebah Lola LMP2 car and two
Charoux machines, their LMS entry with Aston Martin power and an ALMS
entry using a Judd powerplant..read more
Alexander Sims
is continuing to set some impressively quick times Formula Renault UK
pre-season testing at Brands Hatch this week. On the Indy circuit on
Tuesday he was consistently in the top three fastest times.A1 Team Great Britain
has taken the unusual step of confirming its race driver choice for
the final three meetings of the season in one go. Oliver Jarvis will
return to the scene of GB’s first victory in Mexico City later this
month, with Robbie Kerr keen to build on his Sprint race victories at
both Shanghai and Brands Hatch. ‘We won a race last season at each of
the three remaining venues and, with Oliver and Robbie racing at the
circuits they won on last year, we are confident that we can achieve
more race wins in the final three rounds,’ said team principal Katie
Clements. ‘We are particularly looking forward to our home race at
Brands Hatch, and will be aiming for that elusive Feature race win.’
Kerr is elated he will be again racing at his home event at Brands
Hatch, on May 4. He said: ‘To be asked to represent Great Britain at
our home event again is a fantastic honour. I cannot wait to go out
there in front of the British crowd, to right the wrongs of the first
season where our battery failed whilst we were in the lead, and to aim
to do the same as last season – but go one better with a Feature race
win too.’ During the final three races, the team has promised to give
opportunities to new ‘up-and-coming’ British stars, to demonstrate
their talents in the rookie session. Should they impress, they could
play a part in the 2008/09 season.(pic A1GP.com)
The Gold Coast Indy 300
has been secured for at another 6 years after a deal was struck
between the IRL and V8 Supercars Australia which will give both series
equal billing…read more
Max Papis will drive for
Rubicon Racing in the 92nd Indianapolis 500
on May 25th. The GEICO sponsored Dallara/Honda will be prepared by
IPS team Sam Schmidt Motorsports.
Ford Performance Racing (FPR)
is heading Eastern Creek this weekend, for the second round of the V8
Supercar Championships ..read more
Galatasaray SK FC and
Playteam Sarafree
will unveil their team for the Superleague Formula challenge
tomorrow(6 March) Galatasaray Island, Istanbul. Later in the week the
team's car will be presented to fans at Ali Sami Yen, the Galatasaray
stadium. The V12, 750-horsepower car will feature the bright red and
yellow colours of Galatasaray SK. Scuderia Playteam invited a number
of leading drivers to test at Vallelunga, near Rome (Italy) from
February 4-6 in preparation for the team's new upcoming challenge.
Giambattista Giannoccaro commented, "We are working on producing a
high level racing and entertainment package for spectators around the
world. I'm sure that the Galatasaray SK fans will follow the launch of
our Superleague team closely and hopefully cheer for us during the
car's unveiling, by the players at the Galatasaray SK club's home
ground, as well as later in the year when the season gets underway at
Donington Park”
The official test of the
Le Mans Series (LMS) at Paul Ricard
saw the debut of the Porsche RS Spyder. The cars of Team Essex
(Denmark) and Van Merksteijn Motorsport (Netherlands) came
face-to-face with their opponents in LMP2. Sharing driving duties in
the Dutch team areteam-owner Peter Van Merksteijn and ex-DTM pilot
Jeroen Bleekemolen and Jos Verstappen. The ex-Formula 1 driver, who
recently took a two-year break, is totally enthusiastic about the 476
hp sports prototype. "The Spyder has amazing grip in the fast corners.
It's incredibly stabile under braking and we haven't experienced one
technical problem. This is simply a fantastic car which is great fun
to drive." The Danish Essex team has John Nielsen and Casper Elgaard.
Nielsen said,"Good pit stops can mean the difference between winning
and losing a race. For this reason we tested our pit stops here in the
narrow pits under stressful conditions. My boys are extremely
ambitious. They want to be the best at pit stops." . The first Le
Mans Series race takes place on 6 April in
Barcelona.
Audi Sport
has announced its driver line-up for next weekend's 12 Hours of
Sebring, the opening round for the ALMS. The two-car LM P1 team is
headed by defending series champions Allan McNish and Rinaldo "Dindo"
Capello, plus 7-times Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen. The other R10 TDI
will be piloted by Lucas Luhr, Mike Rockenfeller and 2007 Sebring
winner Marco Werner. Audi will be one of three teams racing diesel
engines at Sebring along with Peugeot Sport and ECO Racing . Audi has
also confirmed it’s participation in the LMS with. McNish, Capello and
Rockenfeller as well as Alexandre Premat who recently took part in a
two-day LMS pre-season test at Paul Ricard. Audi also has three cars
entered for the 24 Hours of Le Mans but has yet to confirm its ALMS
plans, aside from the season-opening race.
04-03-08
The British Racing
Drivers’ Club
(BRDC) has today released the first computer generated images of the
proposals to redevelop the Pit and Paddock complex at Silverstone. The
complex is the vital first stage in reconfirming Silverstone’s
position at the pinnacle of the motorsport industry and as the home of
motor racing….read more
The Genuine Ford Parts
Australian Formula Ford
Championship kicks-of this weekend at Eastern Creek raceway outside
Sydney
The Porsche Carrera Cup GB
held an
exclusive Sampler Day at Snetterton yesterday (Monday 3 March) where 5
drivers were given the opportunity to try out a Porsche 911GT3 Cup
car. ….read more
Four new drivers have
joined the 2008 Formula Masters series
with Euronova signing 2007 British F3 driver Michael Meadows and
former Formula Toyota Champion Yuhi Sekiguchi.
JD
Motorsport meanwhile have confirmed Bulgarian Vladimir Arabadzhiev
alongside Russia’s Sergey Afanasiev.
The Pacific F2000
Championship Presented by Hankook Tires
gets underway this weekend at the recently renamed Auto Club Speedway
of Southern California in Fontana with a pair of races…read
more
The Grand Prix of Houston
has been cancelled.
Sheduled for April 25-27 at Reliant Park,officials made the decision
after theunification of the Champ Car and the IRL, which excluded
Houston from the new dule. This of course means the Atlantic race is
also off
PR1 Motorsports
have announced their driver line-up for the Pacific F2000 Championship
Series. PR1 has expanded into a 4 car operation for 2008 with drivers
Shaun Modisette, Nick Freytag, Max Hyatt, and Jeff Westphal...read
more
After a year's absence,
Formula Vee returns to Aldo Scribante,
for the second round of the 2008 South African National Formula vee
Championship, on the 8th March 2008. The event will feature the
Execuline Shelby Can Am, Investec Formula Ford Zetec as well as
Formula Vee. Alonside these is the incredibly well supported Goldwagen
Northern Regions VW Challenge, which will be split into separate
races, for Class A & P and Class B & C. For motorcycle enthusiasts,
the Altech Kawasaki ZX10 Masters Cup comes to Port Elizabeth for the
first time. The regular Pro Tour categories will be joined in Port
Elizabeth, by the Luk Coastal Challenge, for a full day of action
packed racing.
Read more
A1 Team France’s Loic
Duval has confirmed that Durban was his last race
of 2007/08 A1GP season. Duval’s continued presence has been subject to
speculation in recent weeks, after he stated that the Australian round
was to be his last due to other commitments. He did, of course,
managed to fit in the races at Durban, while missing Friday practice
as he was flying in from Japan. 'We did a great job in Durban,’ Duval
said, ‘and the car was really good. We took the risk to stay out on
track when a safety car could have come out and ruined our lead. We
are just 10 points off Switzerland. It is a really tough championship.
Everything is still possible. The car is going to be great and I just
want to wish them the best result possible.If I could be in the car I
would be. The World Cup of anything is important and A1GP is a
fantastic championship. To win it would be fabulous and I will follow
it everywhere. ’ The identity of his replacement has yet to be
announced
Trident Racing has signed
up Kasper Andersen for
the 2008 Formula Master International Series. The deal with the Danish
driver will include a GP2 Series test after the final round of the
season, which, shouldnhe prove quick enough, couldlead to a drive in
Trident`s GP2 car in 2009. Andersen will hit the track for the first
time at Lurcy-Levy; a test has been scheduled on the French track for
the next March 11, to optimize the car`s aerodynamics
Alan van der Merwe
will test an Aston Martin Vantage GT2 during the Aston Martin Racing
exclusive test day at HTT Paul Ricard this week. It will be Alan's
first run in modern GT machinery where his experience should allow him
to be very competitive during the races and a vital componnent in the
development of the car. Alain had been looking at potential drives in
the US for 2008 but when the opportunity to join JWA and the
burgeoning Le Mans Series arrived he was quick to make himself
available.
03-03-08
First ever Scottish Classics Championship & Jimmy Stewart Trophy .
Classic Motor Racing in Scotland has received a big boost from the MSA.
by their recognition in 2008 of the first ever SMRC Scottish Classic
Sports & Saloons Championship, sponsored by Yokohama tyres. A
very successful series, run over the past 3 years, it has grown in
size every year, attracting bigger and better grids of up to 25 racers
including some rare cars such as Scott Goodfellow's Terrier Mk 2,a
Mini Ogle, Renault Gordini plus a BMW 2002, Mk1 Escorts, MG's, Alfa
Romeos as well as various Lotus, Porsches,Triumphs, etc. All 14
rounds of the Championship will run at Knockhill with 2 races at
every meeting including, of course, the 3rd Annual Classic Speedfair
on June 7/8 where the Jimmy Stewart Trophy will be presented to the
winner of the main Classics race, in memory of the late racer. An
event not to be missed!
Full information for competitors and other
interested parties is available on the Scottish Motor Racing
Club's new Classics web pages at www.smrc-uk.com/
Yvan Muller and Gabrielle
Tarquini (pictured) gave a SEAT
two wins from two races in the opening rounds of the WTCC in Curitiba
Brazil yesterday(Sunday). Muller took victory in the opening round
from his team mate Rikard Rydell, while in race 2 Tarquini led from the
lights to beat Andt Priaulx’s BMW
Will Bratt will
make his Formula 3 test debut
next week onTuesday(11th March) at Valencia in Spain. The 19-year-old’s
move to F3 was confirmed after he considered a variety of opportunities
in several categories. However, it was an invitation from Emilio de
Villota to lead his Spanish F3 team’s 2008 championship challenge that
was the most interesting
Carl Edwards won the NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series
race in Las Vegas yesterday from Dale Earnhardt Jnr and Greg Biffle. "It
was a great car. We just had a great, great Ford Fusion," said Edwards
who took the win despite a penalty when a tyre ran loose during a pit
stop. "That's what we do this for, is for the challenge. Man, I just I
really like it. It's fun for me. I like those moments when, you know,
it's really cool to come off turn four, see all those fans standing up.
You know you got the best drivers in the world behind you. That's when
it's on the line, with two laps to go. I mean, I like it."
Three of the 2008 HiQ MSA
British Touring Car Championship teams,
Team RAC, Team Halfords and John Guest Racing, were testing at at
Silverstone on Friday. Colin Turkington, 2007 Independent Drivers’
Champion was joined by new team-mate Stephen Jelley in Team RAC’s
distinctive pair of orange BMW’s. Gordon Shedden, third last year in the
standings was in action in Team Halfords’ Honda Civic alongside Tom
Chilton.Meanwhile, Mike and Andrew Jordan, who will form the BTCC’s
first father and son line-up, both continued to put miles on their John
Guest Racing squad’s Honda Integras. Fellow Integra driver John George
was on track for the JH Motorsport Racing with JAG outfit. The Cornish
driver enjoyed improved results towards the end of 2007 and will have
high hopes for the forthcoming season …
Motaworld Racing
has now completed its line-up for the Formula BMW Europe championship
with the recent signing of Asad Rahman, the current Junior National
Karting Champion of the United Arab Emirates. Alan Waite, owner of the
Chatham-based team said “It’s nice to know that Asad chose our team
because of our experience and continuing success. We’re very happy to
have him on board and help him develop his career.” Rahman, who is 17
and lives in Dubai, has already tested successfully at Snetterton and
Monza. He is sponsored by the Nigerian airline, Arik Air. He said “I
want to learn about Formula BMW as quickly as possible so I need a team
like Motaworld which has a lot of experience and knows how to win
races.” Rahman is the third driver to sign for Motaworld this year. The
other two are Monaco-based Thomas Hillsdon and Dutchman Mathijs Harkema.
The first test day of the
2008 Le Mans Series
was held in perfect weather conditions at the Paul Ricard circuit in in
southern France…read more
02-03-08
Ed Pead will drive for Aran Racing in the
final event of the 2007/08 Asian F3 series which takes place at Batangas
Racing Circuit, Philippines from Mar 28th – 30th. The British saloon car
ace will drive one of the teams Dallara F304 Toms Toyota cars. For Pead,
who last year was a race winner in the highly competitive Elf Clio
Renaultsport UK Cup, it will be his first race in F3 machinery.Aran
Racing team principal, Noel Thompson said "We are delighted to have Ed
on board and we expect him to be very competitive in Batangas. It will
be a fantastic weekend of racing with 6 races and 2 days testing”.
Tom Ingram has been left without a drive for
the 2008 karting season, as the Athenium Racing outfit for whom he
had signed has folded due to severe financial problems. The High Wycombe
youngster, who two years ago triumphed in the Mini Max class of BRDC
Stars of Tomorrow, said he was devastated by the news, which has
not only torpedoed his chances of reclaiming Stars’ honours in Junior
Max, but also destroyed his hopes of competing in an international
series for the first time, in the shape of the Euro Max Challenge. There
had been uncertainty over the team’s economic future for a number of
weeks – leaving the 14-year-old to race, in the words of his father
Bruce, ‘effectively on three wheels’. Despite this, he nevertheless
emerged victorious in four of the nine meetings he entered with Athenium
– and finished as runner-up in a further three of them, a clear
indication of both his eye-catching talent and also what might have
been.Anyone interested in sponsoring Tom should get in touch with Bruce
Ingram via Tom’s website
www.tom-ingram.com or by calling 07778 833485.
Yvan Muller took pole for SEAT with his León
TDI in qualifying at Curitiba for the opening round of the 2008
WTCC. Setting a time of 1:24.295Muller beat his team mate Rikard
Rydell by just over a tenth of a second. Rydell's time of s
1:24.404 was good enough for second on the grid with BMW Team Germany 's
Augusto Farfus 0.187 secs from pole..
Cold and windy conditions
didn't help Hillspeed's F Renault BARC test at Silverstone
on Friday, (29th Feb) but drivers Ahmad Al Harthy and Menasheh
Idafar(pictured) still managed to set some impressive times.
Paul Rees, has signed
to race in the 2008 Formula Palmer Audi Championship. Rees finished
seventh in last year's Formula Renault Championship and in 2006 he raced
in Formula BMW. Paul is the son of 1960s Formula 2 and Formula 1 driver,
Alan Rees. Testing at Bedford Autodrome this week ahead of the FPA
season, Paul was confident of doing well in the single-seater world of
FPA: "This is my first test in the FPA machine and I am very impressed
with how it drives and a little surprised by the amount of power it has.
I have one aim this year and that is to win the championship, I know
that once I have a bit more practice I will be bang on the pace and able
to win races.'' With some of the FPA grid returning for their second
year in the series, Paul is not worried about any potential advantage
they might have: "Drivers who are racing again this year will know the
cars much better but I have the advantage of knowing all the tracks we
race at as I have done them all in BMW and Renault. I chose to run in
FPA as it is the most level playing field."
01-03-08
In
practice for Round 1 of the WTCC,
BMW
Team Germany's
Augusto
Farfus set the
fastest lap ever to be achieved by a WTCC car at Curitiba with a
1:24.704, beating his own pole position time from 2006 (1:24.761).
Second was SEAT Sport's Gabriele Tarquini 0.079 seconds behind and third
was Rickard Rydell with a gap of 0.223.
Formula Renault BARC Championship competitor Menasheh Idafar
continued to impress during testing at a blustery and cold Silverstone
yesterday(Friday, 29th Feb).
Lola have announced that they will support for the historic HSCC Oulton
Park Gold Cup meeting on August 23/24/25 as part of their 50 years
in Motorsport Celebrations....read
more.
Formula BMW Americas have named the 4 young drivers who have been
awarded BMW Junior scholarships in 2008. They are Ricardo Favoretto from Brazil; Mikael Grenier
of Canada, Alexandre Ruiz, again from Brazil and Gianmarco Raimondo from
Canada...read more
Preparations for the 2008 Formula Master season
made headway today(Saturday) following the delivery of new cars and
upgrade-kits to Formula Master teams. “I’d like to thank all our
partners,” said Formula Master Chairman Mauro Sipsz. “Tatuus, LRM and
Magneti Marelli, as well as the others who have made it possible to
deliver all our cars in such a short period of time.” New cars were
delivered to Formula Master newcomers Trident Racing, AR Motorsport and
Performance Racing, with Trident Racing on track today for a shakedown
in Monza. Official testing for the Series will begin next month at the
Autodromo di Monza in Italy on 20 and 21 March 2008
Formula BMW Americas have confirmed the Junior drivers to be awarded
scholarships for the 2008 season and that Canada’s Gianmarco Raimondo
has is one of those selected.
"We are really happy with the news" said an enthusiastic Gianmarco. "We
are now working hard with Autotecnica to bring success to the team and
being part of the Formula BMW Junior program will bring added benefit to
our efforts to achieve winning results in 2008." The primary objective
of the Formula BMW Junior program is to back motor racing at the
grass-roots level by offering drivers the training they need. Sporting
and technical regulations ensure that everyone competes with identical
equipment and in a fair, competitive environment, which means nobody has
any advantage through financial or technical means. Raimondo and Team
Autotecnica will now continue with their testing program ahead of
official testing for the series that will start April 4th at Virginia
InternationalRaceway. Formula BMW Americas has also confirmed their
schedule for this year and announced the venue for rounds 5 & 6 which
will take place at the Mid Ohio Race Course on June 20-22. The complete
schedule is available on the series web site:
www.formulabmwamericas.com
Bradley Ellis has been
elected to the BRDC following is impressive season in the 2007
Avon Tyres British GT Championship which he won in his debut GT3 season
..read more
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