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News Archive January 2007

02/03/2007

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25-02-07

Robbie Kerr put A1 Team Great Britain’s recent practice and qualifying gremlins firmly behind him to secure second place in the Feature race in Round 8 of the 2006-07 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport behind Germany's Nicom Hulkenberg this afternoon(Sunday).An outstanding start from ninth on the grid plus Kerr’s withstanding race-long pressure from New Zealand’s third place entry on the  Durban street course allowed the British team to celebrate their first podium finish since Round 5’s Sprint race in Indonesia .Sunday morning’s 20-minute Sprint race yielded little indication as to how competitive Kerr would become in Durban as the processional affair saw the former British F3 Champion gain just two spots on his 11th place starting position. Germany’s Nico Hülkenberg led from pole, taking his fifth straight win ahead of rivals France and New Zealand, piloted by Loic Duval and Matt Halliday respectively.

A court ruling came down on Zandvoort last week preventing the Dutch circuit from from adding more racing days. This has left the circuit with a hard choice to make, as having secured the WTCC and A1GP they are a bit 'crowded with top events. Therefore they have formally announced that the  Grand Prix of Masters for Formula 3 teams had to be dropped for the 2007 season. They also cited the reason being due to the noise regulations, which like many venues is very strict -- the extension of keeping the Masters event was two days over the noise allowance. Since 1991, Zandvoort has hosted the challenging event. Other major series that run at the venue include the German Touring Car Masters Championship (DTM) and the F3 Euro Series Championship. "Our pursuit was in line with government policy, which says we must attract more large intentional events to the Netherlands," commented manager Hans Ernst on the Zandvoort website. "But this announcement from the Council of State, getting large events, which are also positive for the region, have now been blocked. The importance of a small number of people have got more prominence than the importance of Zandvoort and the entire region. "The only concession we can make is that the Masters of Formula Three can no longer take place on 17 June. Of course we are disappointed, but we are not covered. This announcement means that our impulse to expand must be slowed down. Nevertheless, we have a number of top events this year with which we reinforce the position of our circuit in international perspective further."  The Masters is a showcase for talented up and coming racers who hope to step up to Formula One via the GP2 Series plus the addition of landing rides in the A1GP.

24-02-07

The Cleland name returns tracks with the BTCC travelling show in 2007 with Jamie Cleland (pictured leading below) entering the Elf Clio Cup with for Cleland Motorsport, managed by Touring Car l double champion John.  His team-mate  will be one of his former sparring partners in the Scottish Mini Challenge, Finlay Crocker .

Lancashire hotshot aims for championship glory.  Tom Bradshaw is out to live up to his reputation as one of the UK's brightest racing stars after signing for the 2007 Formula Palmer Audi Championship.
Bradshaw, 17, rose to prominence in his first season of car racing last year by winning the North West Formula Ford title for older Kent machinery. Now stepping up to a 300bhp turbocharged machine for an exhilarating 20-race campaign, the Blackburn teenager goes into 2007 with only one aim.  "I'm going out to win the championship, but there's a lot of quick drivers out there," said Tom, ahead of the season opener at Silverstone this Easter. Tom is particularly looking forward to returning to his local circuit Oulton Park for FPA in August, a circuit at which he was so successful last season. "Oulton's an absolutely brilliant circuit, and it'll be a privilege to drive such a powerful car on such an amazing track." 
Despite his obvious talent on the racetrack, Tom hasn't been quite as successful off it in recent weeks. Earlier this month Tom failed his first attempt at his road test after passing through a traffic light on amber. "I've got another test arranged for next week, so fingers crossed for that. I'd hate to go into the racing season having failed on the road twice, so I'm all up for getting it right this time!" Formula Palmer Audi has proved itself over the last nine years to be the most cost-effective route to top-level motorsport. The 2007 season will feature 20 races at eight UK circuits all for a cost of £55,000 plus VAT.

PORSCHE CHAMPIONSHIP ENTRIES GROWING -  First 997s for Full Porsche Open Season.  Entries are growing for Porsche Club Great Britain's two race championships, with the Porsche Open in particular looking to have a bumper grid in 2007. A highlight for the Open are the first 997 versions of the classic 911 GT3 Cup model to enter for a full season in the series - with more expected before April's season-opening race. The first 997 to race in the Open was a one-off entry at last September's Oulton Park round, and the model showed that in the right hands it was an instant front runner, setting fastest lap. For 2007 Scots racers Jim Geddie and Tommy Dreelan have signed up the full season in a pair of 997s, and at least one 2006 season-regular is expected out in one of the rapid race cars. Newcomer Andrew Tate will be sharing a 997 across the season with Formula Woman racer Natalie Butler, while Mike Donovan will also be competing in one of the potent new machines run by IN2 Racing. Notable names from last season's Open who have already committed for the coming year include Mike Johnson, who dominated Class 3 in his 911SC, and was awarded the 'Driver of the Season' accolade at the November awards dinner. Rupert Lewin returns with his ferociously powerful 996 GT2 R, hoping for better luck than his 2006 season that was terminated by a monster shunt at Brands Hatch. Race winner Gerry Harrison returns with his 911 GT3 RSR to challenge Lewin in Class One, while Peter Fairbairn and Paul McLean are again bringing out their 911 GT2 that proved a force in the one-hour races last season.  In the Porsche Club Championship - unlike the Open a full championship with points structure over the season - numbers are also rapidly growing. James Neal returns in Class One, with a host of new names looking to challenge him for class and outright honours. The Porsche season starts at Oulton Park, Cheshire, on April 14^th, and the ten meeting season features classic British circuits such as Brands Hatch, Silverstone and Donington in their full Grand Prix layouts, and also takes in the renowned Spa-Francorchamps track in Belgium.

The LMA Euro Saloons were successfully televised by AMG TV at 2 rounds last year. They are now looking to televise the whole championship in 2007. With LMA agreeing to fund 3 events the series is hoping to secure additional sponsorship for the remaining 6 rounds

A record number of entries have been received for the 2007 ELF Renault Clio Cup ahead of the first official test at Silverstone on Monday, 26^th February. A total of 43 registrations have reached championship organisers, the greatest number of entries since Clio Cup racing began in the UK in 1991. The series is Renault Sport UK’s biggest since it joined the British Touring Car Championship support race package in 1992….read more

Reigning FIA GT3 and three times British GT championship winning team Tech 9 will return to the 2007 Avon Tyres British GT Championship, running a Porsche 997 GT3 for BRDC Rising Star Oliver Bryant and 2006 race winner Matt Harris. Matt Harris, partnered by Piers Masarati, won the GT3 class at the final British GT race of 2006 at Silverstone last September, finishing 3rd overall. Double British GT class winner Oliver Bryant steps up from the GTC Class Team Aero Morgan Aero 8 in which he and Keith Ahlers impressed in 2006, finishing 4th overall in the GTC Class. "We are pleased to announce our return to British GT," said Tech 9 Team Manager Piers Masarati. "Oliver Bryant and Matt Harris are both proven race winners in GT. Olley is one of the most complete drivers in British GT and Matt showed he has the pace in the 997 as we saw at Silverstone last year." "Porsche have produced an update package for the car and Avon has produced a better tyre for the car this season and this should make the car right on the pace," Masarati continued. "British GT is looking extremely strong and we are looking forward to challenging for the British GT and FIA GT3 titles in 2007." As well as the entry in British GT, Merseyside based Tech 9 will also mount a three car assault on the FIA GT3 championship to retain the inaugural driver's title they won in 2006 with Sean Edwards. Edwards will be moving up to FIA GT with the team, competing in a new GT2 class Porsche 997 RSR and British GT3 champion Leo Machitski will drive one of the FIA GT3 cars.

Current British F3 National Class Champions, T-Sport have announced their driver line-up for  the 2007 British F3 Series. 2006 National Class Champion, Rodolfo Gonzalez steps up to the Championship Class, and Mexican Sergio Perez will drive in the National Class. Venezuelan Rodolfo dominated the National Class in 2006 with 14 wins on his way to the title and is looking forward to the Championship Class. "It is a big step to go from the National to the Championship Class so I wanted to be with a team that I know and trust when I made the step. I am confident that we can have another successful season and I am eager to get out there and start racing."  At 17,  Sergio has completed 2 seasons of Formula BMW in Germany and is a member of Telmex's young driver development programme. "This is a great opportunity for me to race in England," said Sergio. "I wanted to be in F3 this year so I am very happy. I am very grateful to Telmex for giving me this opportunity and I will give my very best so that we can win the Championship."

Team Modena have confirmed their driver line-up for the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring next month with Darren Turner joining Antonio Garcia and Liz Halliday in the team's Aston Martin DBR9. For Turner it will be a return to the car he co-drove to victory at the Nurburgring in 2005, while his unrivalled Aston Martin race experience will further strengthen the Team Modena squad.  The race will be the first US appearance for Team Modena, and the first race in a season which will see them contest the Le Mans Series of races and the Le Mans 24-Hours (entry permitting) with their GT1 class DBR9. While Halliday and Garcia have been confirmed for the full LMS campaign and provisionally Le Mans, Turner will be with the team for just this race(for now), the opening round of the ALMS.

In Durban this weekend it’s Round 8 of the 2006-07 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport with A1 Team GB relishing the return to the 2.04-mile temporary South African circuit. A sell-out crowd of 100,000 race fans greeted the field last season when Durban debuted on the A1GP calendar and this year's race promises to deliver more of the same wheel-to-wheel action. Oliver Jarvis will  fulfill driving duties for the British team in Friday morning's Rookie-Only session while Robbie Kerr will  be the team’s race driver as usual.

Team Australia has announced that Brisbane-based WOW Sight & Sound Superstores has joined it as a partner in both its Australian and International motorsport programs.As part of the new deal a WOW Sight & Sound Racing Falcon will be campaigned in this year’s V8 Supercar Championship Series, driven by Brazilian Max Wilson.WOW Sight & Sound will also appear on the Team Australia Champ Cars of both Queensland’s  Will Power and young Frenchman Simon Pagenaud in this year’s Champ CarSeries.WOW Sight & Sound will also feature on the Team Australia entry in the two NASCAR Nextel Cup road course events at Sonoma, California (June 24) and Watkins Glen, New York (August 12) to be driven by Australian star Marcos Ambrose and up to eight others.

 22-02-07

Title the target for teenager Jack Clarke as he confirms Formula Palmer Audi entry.  Jack Clarke added his name to the ever-growing list of Formula Palmer Audi contenders after he officially confirmed his entry for the 2007 season.
The 19-year-old stepson of former Formula 1 and BTCC ace Julian Bailey comes to FPA with a year's experience of single-seater racing in Formula BMW. Having set the fastest testing time of 2007 so far at Bedford Autodrome, Jack goes into the 20-race season confident of conquering the competition. "In Formula BMW I learned that lots of people can be competitive and I think that will be even more evident in FPA," said Clarke, with only six weeks until the season gets underway at Silverstone. "There's not going to be any room for error, so keeping my focus for the whole season is a top priority."
With some of the UK's most famous racing circuits on the calendar, Jack is eagerly awaiting the second meeting of the season, where FPA will join A1GP on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit. "I love the GP loop! I drove it in BMWs last year, but it was pouring with rain and I had to be careful. Hopefully this year it'll be dry and I can really open up the throttle!"   Jack is hoping to put in some more testing mileage at Bedford Autodrome in the coming weeks before the season commences at Easter.  Pics:   Richard Saunders

The organizers of both Euroseries 3000 and F.3000 V6 Australia have set up a trans continental alliance to provide young racers from Australia a clear path to Europe. Coloni Motorsport, as organizer and promoter of the Euroseries 3000, will offer a free test to the winner of the F.3000 V6 Australian Championship, which in 2007 will be marketed as "Driver to Euroseries 3000" As part of the agreement, Euroseries 3000 will receive exposure and branding both on "free to air" Australian television and on cable TV via Fox Sport which will also reach other countries, as South East Asia and New Zealand. The F.3000 V6 Series will therefore act as a feeder class in the region to its bigger European brother. On the other hand Euroseries 3000, with its prestigious teams also running in GP2, as well as the GP2 test and F1 super licence at stake and the five F1 circuits in calendar, can offer to talented F.3000 V6 drivers their best chance to reach Formula 1, through Euroseries 3000 and GP2. Also, as part of the total package, there could be already two seats made available for Australian young guns in the Euroseries 3000.

Sam Bird topped the time tables in the first official Formula 3 test at Pembrey. The former F Renault driver and Mclaren Autosport Young Driver of the Year finalist, was comfortable with the outcome of the first day of testing, "Carlin Motorsport has prepared a superb car for me, and we worked well with the new tyres so I am quite satisfied with today's results. However, it's only the first test day and there's a long way to go. I'm learning a lot about the car from my engineers and I'm looking forward to tomorrow and the rest of the testing programme." Sam finished the day almost 4/10sec ahead of his nearest rival, who has a year's experience under his belt. Testing continued yesterday before moving to Silverstone on March 1. The first race of the season is at Oulton Park on Easter Monday.

The first round of the 2007 South African National Formula Vee Championship, produced two of the closest finishes of the day, at the first Pro-Tour race meeting of the year, run at the WesBank Raceway in Germiston.  …read more

Auckland racing driver Andrew Waite had a tough time at Manfirld last weekend.  After discovering that his car's gearbox bell-housing was cracked late on Friday afternoon (the result of a  hit he took at the A1GP meeting  last month) and fighting a lack of grip over the  weekend the 17-year-old persevered to finished all three races. "It's true," he said "We're actually pretty happy with the way the weekend went, considering the problems we had. This is the first time that we've come away from a race meeting and not had to pull the whole rear end of the car apart and send the engine away."   In the first race Waite simply couldn't get the power down out of corners, the problem compounding a start where he got too much wheelspin. Sereis Leader Sam McNeill got up to fourth place, limiting the damage to his points position, but Waite could only manage 10th, his worst finish in the championship so far. Fortunately, with the help of race engineer Neil 'Jandals' Sheehan, the car was better for Sunday's two races with Waite working his way up to fourth in the second and sixth in the third. The winners at Manfeild were Daniel Jilesen and Michael Burdett. The focus of the 2006/07 MTA NZ Formula Ford championship now turns to Timaru and Teretonga in the South Island for the fifth and sixth (penultimate) rounds.

NASCAR champion Bill Elliott, Indy car mechanic/team manager Jim McGee, 1960 Indy 500 king Jim Rathmann, and Goodyear and Indy Racing League executive Leo Mehl will lead a class of eight racing greats into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America when the organization stages its annual induction ceremony on Wednesday, August 15, 2007, at the State Theater in Detroit. These four inductees, along with the legendary Pro Stock drag-racing team of Ronnie Sox and Buddy Martin, America's first national sports car champion John Fitch, and dirt-track and pavement motorcycle hero Bubba Shobert, will join the 160 racers already enshrined in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. 

21-2-07

Heritage GT Challenge sold out for 2007.  The Heritage Grand Touring Car Challenge is a sell out for 2007 and such has been the demand for entries that the series organisers have had to turn prospective competitors away, even though the opening race is still more than two months away.   
With 50 cars registered for the season and grid capacity ranging from 36 to 44 cars for the seven-round season, the organisers are currently unable to accept any more registrations. However, a waiting list has been created for hopeful racers should any gaps appear during the season.  "We have been overwhelmed with applications to join our series and are now in the lucky position of being over-subscribed," said series founder and director Roger Bennington of Heritage Racing Support. "We apologise to those who were unlucky not to be able to secure a place this year. It is therefore not surprising to find that we have already had applications to register for 2008!"    
Interest in the series for saloon and GT cars of the 1960s and 1970s has boomed in recent times, boosted by a 2007 programme that includes races at the A1 GP and WTCC events at Brands Hatch as well as high-profile meetings at Snetterton, Silverstone, Donington Park and Spa.  "We are very pleased to have been able to offer such a fantastic calendar and very much appreciate MSV's efforts and support in putting this together," said Bennington. "We now have to ensure that we put on a fantastic day's racing for the spectators."  
With entrants needing to commit to races well in advance, just about all of the seven events now have capacity entries. "Whilst there are a lot of interesting cars out there that we would like to bring in, we want to give priority to those who have supported the series in previous years," said Bennington. "We look forward to welcoming them back, as well as our new competitors at Donington Park in April."

After a successful test at Moroso Motorsports Park, Velocity Motorsports have announced that Australian racing driver James Davison will joined the team for the 2007 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear.  Davidson competed in the FBMW USA Series in 2005, winning at Indianapolis. In 2006 he drove for the now defunct Team Australia in Formula Atlantic, achieving his best result at the San Jose Grand Prix defeating teammate and series champion Simon Pagenaud.  "I've always considered Star Mazda to be an important stepping stone in a young drivers' career. The series is very competitive, well organized and offers sponsors excellent exposure with every round televised on Speed Channel. Velocity and the quality of their personnel is the perfect team for me, last season toughened me up after being put in difficult circumstances and has motivated me more than ever to compete for the championship."  Jay Wentz -- Team Principal/Director Oval Track Racing  for the team stated "I have tested many young drivers and I have to say James impressed me quicker than any. His immediate car control abilities, his excellent feedback to our engineers and his constant focus in the car. James also has a desire to win second to none as well as a wonderful outlook on life and is mature beyond his years. I simply can't wait to get this championship season underway."

The Ford Performance Racing (FPR) V8 Supercar team has completed a comprehensive two days of pre-season testing at Victoria's Winton Raceway recently(19-20 Feb). Held in hot and humid conditions throughout both days, FPR Falcon drivers Steve Richards and Mark Winterbottom were in strong form throughout the test, Richards' Castrol FPR Falcon heading Monday's timesheets ahead of rival drivers from Team Perkins Racing, Holden Racing Team, HSV Dealer Team, Garry Rogers Motorsport and Team BOC.  Orrcon Ford Credit FPR Falcon driver Winterbottom was also in strong form throughout, saving his best lap of the entire test for last at the end of Tuesday's running. The 25 year old set a scorching 1:22.53s lap - almost half a second faster than all of the other drivers testing at Winton today. Richards' fastest lap time today of 1:23.01s ensured that the two FPR Falcon drivers were once again at the top end of the timesheets on day two.

The Grand Prix of Edmonton will host Rounds 9-10 of the Atlantic Championship in '07 at the  1.9-mile road circuit constructed at Edmonton's City Centre Airport on July 20-22. Practice and qualifying for the first race of the weekend will take place on Friday, July 20 while qualifying for the second event and Round 9 will run on Saturday, July 21. The 10th round of Atlantic action will take the green flag on Sunday, July 22 to close out the weekend, which will also feature the cars of the Champ Car World Series.  The Edmonton weekend will be the second doubleheader event in this season's Atlantic series. The Champ Car Grand Prix of Portland will host Rounds 4-5 on June 9-10. This marks the first time that the Atlantic series has featured a pair of doubleheaders since 2005 when Portland and Cleveland hosted back-to-back events.

American Liz Halliday will drive an Aston Martin DBR9 for Team Modena at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring to open the 2007 American Le Mans Series season.  "When I saw the car for the first time I was hugely impressed with it," Halliday beamed. "So it's a great honor that (Team Modena) asked me to be a part of the program. Also I don't believe that there are many women who have had the opportunity to race the DBR9, so that is kind of cool." Halliday, who will team with Antonio Garcia at Sebring, made headlines in the Series with Intersport Racing in 2005 and 2006. She is the most successful female in American Le Mans Series with six victories (all with Intersport in LMP2) in 18 career starts. Last season, she and Intersport battled the Porsche factory team and Penske Motorsports' two Porsche RS Spyders. At Sebring, she and Team Modena will go head-to-head with Corvette Racing's two Corvette C6.Rs.

Mathew Radisich - the nephew of former World Touring Car Champion and current V8 Supercar driver Paul,  will join the 2007 Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship. Mathew, 18, has experience in state and national-level Formula Ford in both Australia and New Zealand and will drive a Spiess Opel powered-Dallara F304 in a family-supported Radisich Motorsport team that will include support from his vastly experienced Uncle. Radisich will make his Formula 3 debut in the non-championship support races at the 2007 Formula 1 ING Australian Grand Prix this March, before, funding permiting, going on to complete in selected races in the remaining seven rounds of the series.

Marko Asmer was the fastest driver on the first day of the official British F3 International test at Pembrey yesterday. The Estonian set a lap time of 49.258 seconds in his Hitech Racing Dallara Mercedes, 0.35 seconds faster than Sam Bird (Carlin) and Stephen Jelley (Raikkonen Robertson Racing). The afternoon session was curtailed when heavy rain fell towards the end of the day

Australian teenager Sam Abay will drive for Team Loctite (Pictured - Loctite's Oliver Turvey last year) in the 2007 British Formula BMW Championship.   Abay showed his potential last year in the  Formula BMW Asia series loosing out on the title in  the final round. The youngster secured the position with leading UK squad Team Loctite after highly impressive tests for the Somerset based outfit. He is now looking forward to making his European racing debut.

Formula BMW scholarship winners Oliver Webb and Henry Surtees have signed with Carlin Motorsport to compete in the 2007 Formula BMW UK Championship. The young duo has completed a comprehensive test programme on circuits around the UK, and will compete in their first FBMW race at Brands Hatch on the 31 March

Brazilian Fabio Carbone will race in the Japanese Super GT Championship this year, alongside his previously-announced Formula Nippon campaign.The 26 year-old will compete on the Super GT Championship with the prestigious Nakajima Racing team, and he is also driving for Dandelion Racing on the Formula Nippon

20-02-07

Sunny skies prevailed over Infineon Raceway for the opening rounds of the 2007 Russell Pro Series and Patrick O'Neill, of San Francisco , California , took charge as he swept to victory on Saturday and Sunday. Full report

Haberfeld and Walker Racing announced today that they will suspend their 2007 Formula BMW USA program. The venture was created in 2005 between veteran driver Mario Haberfeld, Alabama businessman Markus Bischopf and seasoned team owner Derrick Walker. Haberfeld and Walker Racing set out on their maiden voyage in 2006 as they competed in the Formula BMW USA series fielding Brazilian Marco Santos and Mexican David Rangel. "We have evaluated the series and other opportunities, which brought us to the conclusion that we should withdraw this program for the time being," commented HWR co-owner Derrick Walker. "The BMW series is a great program that fit our ladder system as we operated it last year. In reviewing our objectives for 2007 we decided that the program should become dormant while we focused on other objectives in-house. We will certainly re-evaluate our involvement in Formula BMW USA for 2008."

Ricky and Jordan Taylor, sons of champion sports car racer Wayne Taylor, continue their racing success this winter in the Skip Barber Southern Series. Both teenagers competed at Sebring International Raceway on February 17-18, 2007 in the Championship Class, although competing in different race groups. The elder, 17-year-old Ricky, had another great weekend, with pole and two wins on the double-header weekend. He continues to lead the Southern Series championship points chase with just two events, four races, remaining on the schedule. "It was another good championship points weekend for me," said Ricky, "This weekend we had a new piece, a hamper device, installed on the Skip Barber Mazda cars to help the cars draft better. That made drafting a big part of both races. Fortunately, it worked well with the strategy we used with a drafting partner." This weekend was only Jordan Taylor's second car race after recently winning a $25,000 Skip Barber Scholarship. His first race at Homestead/Miami Raceway just over a month ago, also in the Skip Barber Southern Series. The 15-year-old freshman qualified sixth, following some gearbox problems, causing him to switch to a different car for the race. "I had a bad first lap and fell back to eighth, but I worked my way back through the field to regain fourth," said Jordan. "On the last corner of the last lap, I passed two guys and finished second." Saturday was Jordan's third podium finish in just three races. In the second race on Sunday, he started from second-place and fell back to fourth on the first lap. After battling and drafting with other drivers, he went back as far as eighth before finishing the race in fourth.

Weller Wheels and Motorsport Events have formed a new partnership to handle sales of the ultra successful Weller Formula Ford wheels….read more

Andersen Racing has signed Jonathan Goring, the 2006 champion of the Skip Barber National presented by RACER, for the 2007 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear. The 17-year-old from Norfolk, Conneticutt., joins Ricardo Vassmer and Jonny Baker at the Fairfield, New Jersey team, with Phil Saville and Michael Fitzgerald joining them for selected events. All five are slated to drive at the season opener Friday, March 16 at Sebring, a support event for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The 2006 Skip Barber National series was so competitive that Goring didn't become its champion until the last turn of the last lap of the last race. But Goring, a senior at Explorations School in Winsted, Conn., did indeed win the title, and with it a $100,000 scholarship he'll use to help defray the expenses of running in the Star Mazda series this year. "I'm very excited to be a part of the Star Mazda series and the Andersen team, and I would like to thank everyone who is helping me to achieve my racing goals," Goring said. "The Star Mazda series is the perfect stepping stone for my career, from Skip Barber to Formula Atlantic and beyond. The cars are a blast to drive and the team does a terrific job, so I think we can put it all together and enjoy a great 2007 season.

Scuderia Ecosse has announced a formidable driver line-up for its 2007 FIA GT Championship campaign. The Scottish team will again run two Ferrari 430s; one to be raced by Chris Niarchos and Andrew Kirkaldy, and one by Tim Mullen, Tomas Enge and Jarek Janis. In addition to a strong driver line-up, Scuderia Ecosse has entered into an exciting new partnership with Pirelli which will see the team working very closely with the Italian manufacturer to get the very best on-track results. Tomas Enge is one of the best drivers on the market; he is also one of busiest, having already competed in two A1GP races and the Daytona 24 Hours since the start of the year. Tomas will drive for the team at seven of the ten FIA GT rounds in 2007. When he is away on ALMS duty his seat will be taken by Jarek Janis, the 23 year-old Czech who took two FIA GT victories in 2006. Jarek will also compete for Scuderia Ecosse at the Spa 24 Hours. Team Principal, Stewart Roden, explains, "We are very clear on what we want to achieve in the FIA GT Championship this year. We want the title and I believe this line-up will deliver. Tim (Mullen) gets his shot at the title this year and has two hugely talented team-mates to help him get there. Tomas (Enge) is an incredible driver with a lot of experience and Jarek (Janis) is without doubt the rising star of GT racing. We already have a great team and I feel that these two will bring a new enthusiasm that will keep us on our upward path. Chris (Niarchos) has improved massively over the last three years under the tutelage of Tim. We decided to pair him with Andrew (Kirkaldy) in 2007 as the combination of Andrew's all-out speed and proven ability as a driver coach will provide Chris with what he needs to move to the next level. We've also moved over to Pirelli tyres and are very pleased to be starting a new technical partnership with them; the Championship will be tight this year so we will be working together very closely." The Scuderia Ecosse team will be at Monza later this week for the FIA GT media day and test.

Manor Motorsport has confirmed it will expand to a four-car entry for the 2007 Euro F3 Series. "It's going to be a very big year for Manor with our expansion to four cars but we're hopeful of a strong season and confident our four drivers will all enjoy a rewarding year", said team boss John Booth. "After joining Manor for last year’s Macau F3 Grand Prix, Yorkshire’s James Jakes will continue with the squad for the 2007 and is tipped by many to shine in 2007. The 19-year-old is confident of a strong season, having gained essential experience as part of the British Formula 3 Championship in 2006. Prior to this Jakes was a consistent front-runner in Formula Renault UK having originally burst onto the car racing scene in 2002 as part of the T-Car Championship. Yelmer Buurman will join Jakes at the team and the Dutchman is looking forward to racing on the European stage in 2007. Frenchman Franck Mailleux, winner ofthe 2006 Formula Renault UK Winter Championship for Manor will step up to the F3 team this year and is hopeful of a strong debut season. The fourth driver is  Cyndie Allemann from Switzerland who is moving from German F3, where she finished ninth  in the championship. Cyndie made her debut in cars in 2004 as part of the Swiss Formula Renault series. "We obviously know James and Franck very well and we're delighted to be able to confirm them both as Manor drivers. Like James, Yelmer and Cyndie obviously have F3 experience while for Franck the year will mark a step up from Formula Renault but all four are very promising young drivers, it should be an exciting year", commented Booth.

Former South American F3 champion Albert Valerio has signed with championship winning team Carlin Motorsport for the 2007 British F3 season. It will be the Brazilian's second year in the championship, after finishing 11th in his maiden season in 2006.Valerio completed his first full season in single-seater racing in 2003 in Brazilian Formula Renault. In 2004, he moved up to South American F3, finishing his debut season in sixth place. In 2005, Valerio defeated all competition to become South American F3 Champion

19-02-07

Signature has revealed its driver line-up for the 2007 F3 Euro Series season. Four Formula Renault 2.0 graduates, Edoardo Mortara (Italy), Dani Clos (Spain), Jean-Karl Vernay and Yann Clairay (France), will join the French squad which finished 3rd in the series teams’ classification last year.  20 year-old Edoardo Mortara’s F3 assault comes only one year after he graduated from Karting to Formula Renault. He finished 4th in the Italian FR2.0 Championship and also competed in the Eurocup.  When Dani Clos first raced a formula car, he was only 15. Two years later, in 2006, he took the Formula Renault 2.0 Italian title and three Eurocup race wins. The young Spaniard has been taken into the Renault Driver Development Program.Jean-Karl Vernay is 19 years old. He won the Formula Campus title in 2005 then scored three pole positions and two race wins on his way to the runner-up spot, in his maiden French Formula Renault season last year. Jean-Karl is a member of the Red Bull Junior Team, and of the FFSA (French Motor sport authority) National Team.
Yann Clairay (23) is the most experienced member of the quartet. He finished runner-up in the French Formula Renault championship in 2004, and 3rd in the Eurocup the following year. Yann couldn’t secure a single-seater deal last year and switched to the Le Mans Series. He took part in the Le Mans 24 Hours at the wheel of a Courage.Signature engineering staff is working on the Dallara-Mercedes aerodynamic and mechanical 2007 evolutions. The cars will be tested at various European venues in March.

Two rookies join Rozwadowski at champion team. PalmerSport Junior have confirmed the drivers for three of their four entries in the 2007 T Cars Championship, which kicks off at Brands Hatch next month. Dan Rozwadowski, who finished all bar two of last season's 20 races, returns to the team which took Luciano Bacheta to the 2006 title and will enter the new season as one of the favourites. Joining him for the 16-race campaign will be James Nutbrown and Howard Fuller, both of whom will be racing cars for the very first time, and took their ARDS tests at Brands Hatch today. "The season's going to be a very exciting experience," said 14-year-old Nutbrown, "but it's going to be a lot of hard work as well. My first two tests at Bedford went really well and to be competing in my very first car race at Brands Hatch will be truly unforgettable!"   Meanwhile, Surrey-based youngster Fuller was looking forward to driving the 145bhp machine. "After 18 months of karting, it's great to be able to step up to cars this year and race on some of the best tracks in the country." PalmerSport Chief Executive Jonathan Palmer was delighted to have assembled a strong line-up for 2007: "As reigning champions we have a lot to live up to, but I think Dan, James and Howard can do the team proud this year."  PalmerSport Junior will be confirming their fourth driver shortly, ahead of the season opener on 24 March at Brands Hatch. The 2007 T Cars Championship kicks off at Brands Hatch on Saturday 24 March as part of the Lotus Brands Hatch Celebration. Tickets are now available for just £10 by calling 0870 950 9000 or visiting www.brandshatch.co.uk.

Kevin Harvick nipped around Mark Martin at the finish line to win the 49th running of the Daytona 500 in spectacular fashion to take his first Daytona 500 win.  "I can't believe it. We were 30-something there with 15 laps to go and we came up through there. I've just got to thank Richard (Childress) and everybody for an awesome race car," said the happy winner.  A red flag for a multi-car crash on the 197th lap stopped the race for 11 minutes, setting the stage for a frantic green-white-checkered flag finish. At the restart Martin led Kyle Busch and Greg Biffle, until the last lap when the order shuffled  and another multi-car crash took place just as the leaders were approaching to the chequered flag.  Harvick coming from the back of the frontrunners slipped past the top-10 cars on high side before catching Martin at the line to win the race by  0.020 secs. The winner, who started in the 34th position, drove the Shell Oil Chevrolet owned by Richard Childress Racing. It was Harvick's 11th NASCAR Nextel Cup triumph in 179 races. His previous best finish in the Daytona 500 was fourth in 2003 and 2004. He led only four laps, tying the late Benny Parsons for the fewest laps led by a Daytona 500 champion. "It is hard to believe," Harvick said. "I just held the pedal down and hoped for the best. It was the last lap of the Daytona 500 and you have to go (for it). It was take all you can, and there was no giving up. I caught the side draft (from Martin's car) that I needed and that carried me by Mark (Martin)." Said Childress, "It is a great win and it gives me thoughts about the 1998 race (won by Dale Earnhardt). It was unbelievable to see the moves Kevin (Harvick) made. This had to be the wildest Daytona 500 I have ever seen." Ironically, Childress's victory came six years to the day after Earnhardt lost his life in a last-lap crash at Daytona. "I know Dale (Earnhardt) is proud of what we have done today," Childress stated. "I don't think anyone will replace him; winning with Dale was great." Leading 26 of the closing 27 laps, Martin held on for second place for his best-ever Daytona 500 finish. And it marked his first time in a Chevrolet and with Ginn Racing. "I did my best at the end but we came up short," Martin said. "My focus was on beating (Kevin) Harvick to the (finish) line. I knew being on the inside I could hold off Kyle (Busch) but I didn't realize I had lost him. We came here to win this race." Jeff Burton, Harvick's teammate took third. Mike Wallace was fourth, his best-ever at Daytona. Rookie David Ragan brought his AAA Ford home in fifth while sixth was Elliott Sadler with Kasey Kahne seventh, pole man David Gilliland eighth, Joe Nemechek  ninth and three-time race champion Jeff Gordon tenth.

In this week back in 1973 ‘the King’ Richard Petty came back from one lap down to win the NASCAR Daytona while in Oz Pete Brock won the Australian Touring Car race at Sandown in 1984.  On Feb 21^st 1940  F1 and Can-Am racer Peter Gethin was born while 9 years later  on Feb 22^nd one Andreas-Nikolaus Lauda, came into the world.

18-02-07

Star Mazda West Coast Series Re-launches Championship Website.  World Speed Motorsports, administrators of the Star Mazda West Coast Series, Russell Pro Series and Mazdapalooza Series, announced the re-launch of the West Coas Series website (http://www.westcoastseries.com) ahead of the opening round of the 2007 Russell Pro Series.
“We are very pleased to release the new West Coast Series website as we approach our third season managing the various west coast series,”  Series President Telo Stewart stated. “This new design will allow us to highlight our series participants and allow fans to follow the action in even greater detail.”
The design of the new website was performed by Eric McCombs, who had  served from 1998 through 2001 as a mechanic, race engineer, and data engineer, as well as the team webmaster for World Speed Motorsports, before becoming the Media Director for the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear in 2002. After serving as a media consultant and photographer for World Speed Motorsports for the past several seasons, McCombs has been contracted to provide media, photography and officiating support to the 2007 Championships.
“Telo and the World Speed Motorsports organization have put together an excellent group of series, providing opportunities for drivers of both the Pro Formula Mazda and Standard Formula Mazda, having worked with and won a championship with this organization I am pleased to be here providing support for these series,” McCombs explained. “This new website is the just the start of our efforts to promote the series, the drivers and the sponsors that have made these series possible.”
The West Coast Series website covers the Russell Pro Series, the Star Mazda West Coast Series, and the Mazdapalooza Series which feature the Pro Formula Mazda and Standard Formula Mazda race cars produced by Star Race Cars. The four championships feature a $10,000 prize fund, support from a factory authorized Star Race Cars dealer, races at venues across the Western United States, with some West Coast Pro Formula Mazda events supporting the American LeMans Series and the ChampCar World Series, all with the benefit of limited traveling expenses.
The opening round of the 2007 Russell Pro Series and Mazdapalooza championships will be held at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, on February 15 through 18.

Fortec Motorsport have announced  that Formula Renault UK champion Sebastian Hohenthal (pictured leading last year at Knockhill) from Sweden will stay with the team and graduate to their Formula 3 programme for the 2007 British F3 International Series. Sebastian joins Leo and Greg Mansell at the team to complete their three-car line-up.

Silverstone-based British F3 team Hitech Racing has confirmed its 2007 driver line-up with 18 year-old Austrian hotshot Walter Grübmuller joining experienced F3 front-runner Estonian Marko Asmer who returns to the team that took him to fourth place overall in the 2005 season.For Grübmuller, who tested successfully for the Hitech team last October, 2007 will mark his first full season in Formula 3 following a stunning F3 debut in the Asian series at the tail-end of last year. The Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup front-runner also took a superb third place in the Australia F3 Championship recently and will join the experienced Asmer in one of the team’s two Dallara F307 Mercedes HWAs for the 22-round series which kicks off at Oulton Park in Cheshire on April 9th.

Macanese driver Rodolfo Avila will join to Performance Racing for the first official British F3 International Series test of the 2007 session at Pembrey next week(19,20,21st Feb). Avila aims to race in British F3 Championship Class this season and he is working hard to get the necessary budget to accomplish his mission. As testing restrictions Series Regulations for 2007 prohibit circuit testing in an F3 car by any team or driver intending to compete in next year's Series during the period from January 1 to February 14 inclusive.

13-02-07

Italian Francesco Castellacci will drive for Alan Docking Racing (ADR) in the 2007 Lloyds TSB Insurance British F3 International Series. Castellaccii will drive one of the Silverstone team’s Mugen Honda Dallaras in the Championship Class alongside Australian John Martin, who signed for ADR last week. “I’m very happy to have joined the Alan Docking Team for the Formula 3 British Championship class this year,” said Francesco Castellacci. “This for me is really a great adventure and opportunity and I have chosen to continue my motorsport carrer in England because it simply always been my dream since I started racing in Karting.”Castellacci previously raced in the Italian Formula Azzurra Championship in his first season in a single seat formula after karting for many years at International level. He will take part in the first official British F3 test of the 2007 season at Pembrey on February 20/21 in preparation for the start of the 22 race season at Oulton Park in Cheshire on April 9th.

Columbian Carlos Gaitan took the lead in the Formula Cup Mallorca series with 3 wins from 3 azt the weekend. Lucian Toth took two second places and a fourth to go second in the championship while Otto Birzniels took two fourth places and a second for third overall.  Winner last time out Pedro Manseras  managed to grab a pair of thirds after breakling down in race 1.  Said Gaitan afterwards, “Sure the weekend looks dominant for me but I was only extremely concentrated. In converse to Otto I only did no mistakes because he had the nearly the same speed. Important for me is to lead the championship ‘. The next race is on March 3./4. The Championchip now looks like tis with Gaitan leading on 36 points, Toth second on 21, Birznieks in third on 19 and Manseras (15), Schmitz (12) fourth and fifth.  Formula Cup Mallorca 2007: .Race 1:  1 Carlos Gaitan Quinones COL, 2 Lucian Toth RUM: 3 Joe Schmitz LUX : Race 2 : 1 Carlos Gaitan Quinones, 2 Lucian Toth :  3 Pedro Mas Manseras ESP: 4 Otto Birznieks LAT :5 Florian Schwarzenbilder GER: 6 Jackie Weiss GER/USA:   Race 3  :1 Carlos Gaitan Quinones : 2 Otto Birznieks : 3 Pedro Mas Manseras ESP: 4 Lucian Toth RUM: 5 Florian Schwarzenbilder :6 Joe Schmitz

Andersen Racing has signed British driver Jonny Baker for the 2007 Star Mazda Championship presented by Mazda.  Baker from Buckinghamshire joins Ricardo Vassmer and A.N Other  driver (still to be named) as the Fairfield, New jersey based team's drivers for the 12-race Star Mazda season. Phil Saville and Michael Fitzgerald will also drive in selected Star Mazda events this year with the team, including the season opener Friday, March 16 at Sebring.

12-02-07

2006 McLaren Autosport BRDC Award finalist Jeremy Metcalfe received a tremendous boost recently when he was awarded ‘Rising Star’ status by the British Racing Drivers’ Club.  The prestigious award recognises the 18-year-old as one of Britain’s  promising and talented young drivers, and makes him a member of the BRDC.  Supported by key sponsors BillChaser, J S Sharpe and Focus IT in the 2006 season, the Fleet teenager enjoyed a good year at the wheel of his AKA Lemac car with four podium finishes. One of the highlights of the year came when he won the Donington Park Racing Association Club (DPRAC) Cup after becoming the highest scoring British driver over the track in the four Formula Renault UK races in 2006.  Drivers receive Rising Star status on an invitation-only basis, the initiative inaugurated in 2000 and put in place to recognise those competitors between 14 and 24 years of age who have been adjudged by a BRDC panel to have displayed excellence in motorsport.Metcalfe was delighted to have been named by the  BRDC, “Being awarded BRDC Rising Star status really does kick 2007 off superbly for me”, he said, “Finishing fifth in Formula Renault UK and winning the DPRAC Cup were great achievements but to have been a McLaren Autosport BRDC Award finalist and to now be a Rising Star really is the icing on the cake.”

A1 Team Malaysia driver, Alex Yoong, has been announced as the 2006 winner of the British Racing Drivers’ Club Bruce McLaren Trophy. The award is made each year to a driver residing in the Commonwealth who has established the most meritorious performances in international motor racing. Yoong’s strong performance in the inaugural season of the A1GP series was recognised by the BRDC resulting in the Malaysian driver being honoured by the organisation.

Conquest Racing is set for the 2007 Atlantic season after announcing that they have signed 2006 F3000 Italian Euro Champion, Giacomo Ricci, to drive their second Atlantic entry for this year. The Italian joined teammate Matt Lee at the MSR Houston open test."It was obvious after testing Giacomo in Moroso that he was ready to join the Atlantic series," said Eric Bachelart, owner of the Conquest Racing Team. "He was very competitive and it will be a pleasure to work with him throughout the season. We look forward to continuing with Giacomo the success we had last season with Graham Rahal. I'm extremely delighted to have this young talented driver join our Atlantic team."   Ricci started his career in karting in 1996 and moved up through the ranks competing in the Formula BMW series as well as in Formula Renault. These last few seasons he has been competing at the F3000 level and this past season he won the Italian and European Championships driving for Fisichella Motor Sport. Ricci scored 13 podium finishes in 18 races including five wins. He sees coming to America as the next logical step in his career

11-02-07

CLIO CUP ENTRIES SOAR AS GRID TAKES SHAPE. Four weeks after the registration period for the 2007 ELF Renault Clio Cup began, a total of 25 entries have been received by the Championship organisers. With the first race meeting at Brands Hatch still more than one month away, the final entry figure looks set to pass 30 cars as drivers rush to take part in the first season to feature the 2.0-litre, 205bhp New Clio Cup. read more

The Mexican drivers of the Formula Renault 2.0, Ivan Gonzalez, Jose Luis Cortina and Alfonso 'Picho' Toledano has concluded this saturday a successful second day's running at Monterrey International Raceway, Mexico. The teams of the Panam GP Series focussed on testing systems and settings for the first race of the season, March 25 in the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. One week ago, freezing conditions limited track time, but this friday and saturday was different. Alfonso Toledano, president of the Panam GP Series and former international driver, was pleased with the teams tests througout the day. "The teams had a very successful shakedown before the first race of the Panam GP Series", said Toledano, president of the most important latinamerican series. "The teams choice Monterrey because it's a very similar track with the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. They had no major mechanical problems".  Picho (Toledano's son), Ivan and Jose Luis, each had a Formula Renault 2.0 to drive, while Gerardo Nieto and Alejandro Cortina also tested, but in the Formula Junior 1600 cars. The Mexican round of the A1GP and the inaugural round of the Panam GP Series will be this 23, 24 and 25 of March.

James Hinchcliffe certainly proved that he was comfortable in the unusually frigid conditions in Texas on Saturday. The Sierra Sierra Enterprises racer completed a dominant two days on the MSR Houston road circuit as he led both sessions for the second consecutive day to complete a clean sweep of the Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda open test.The 20-year-old Toronto native shattered the unofficial Atlantic track record on the 2.38-mile fast road circuit located about 30 miles south of Houston. After dominating Friday in his first test session with the Sierra Sierra squad, "Hinch" once again rose above the cold, cloudy and windy conditions on Saturday. His fast lap of 1:18.345 (109.363 mph), posted in this morning's session, eclipsed the previous series track mark of 1:18.669 set last year by Hinchcliffe's former Forsythe Racing teammate Andreas Wirth during a series test session. For good measure, Hinchcliffe went out and led the final session of the day as well, although his time was slightly slower than his blistering morning pace.

Francesco Castellacci has signed with the Alan Docking Racing Team for  British Formula 3 Championship Class in 2007 “I’m very happy to have joined the Alan Docking Team for the Formula 3 British Championship class this year. This for me is really a great adventure and opportunity and I’m very excited to start, I have chosen to continue my motorsport carrer in England because it simply always been my dream since I started racing in Karting. I think also that the British F3 is the racing category which teaches best the drivers who aim to a professional carrier in motorsport.

09-02-07

Stirling Moss to star at Knockhill Classic SpeedFair.  Sir Stirling Moss OBE will be the guest of honour at the second Classic SpeedFair at Knockhill this July, almost exactly 50 years after one of his most important Grand Prix victories.
The Knockhill Classic SpeedFair event will be held over the weekend of 21/22 July 2007 and the most famous racing driver in British history will be at the Fife track throughout Sunday (22 July) to meet fans, sign autographs and take part in the celebration of Scottish motorsport heritage.  "I've only ever raced at Knockhill once, but I enjoyed it very much," said Sir Stirling. "The fans in Scotland are very enthusiastic and they certainly love their motorsport."   
Although his F1 career ended after a serious accident in 1962, Moss has remained the best-known British racing driver of all time. One of the most important wins of his career came on 20 July 1957, and 50 years later to the very weekend he will be at Knockhill to mark that victory. Back in 1957, he won the British Grand Prix at Aintree for Vanwall, marking the first World Championship win for a British car driven by a British driver.  "The 1957 British Grand Prix win at Aintree was definitely a key factor in the development of my career," said Moss, reflecting on a landmark victory. Early in that race he took over the car of team mate Tony Brooks when his own car developed engine problems, and Moss went on to score a memorable victory. 
Now, almost exactly 50 years later, he will be at Knockhill, and hopes to sample the challenging circuit. "I certainly hope to do a couple of laps in a suitable car and it will be good to meet some of the Scottish fans.   
"Over the years Scotland has produced some of the world's greatest racing drivers. It’s remarkable that so many talented drivers have come from a relatively small country. It is wonderful that the Classic SpeedFair is celebrating the country's motorsport heritage."

SUPERLIGHT CHALLENGE GRID STRENGTHENS.  The Avon Tyres Caterham Superlight Challenge is enjoying its biggest influx of new competitors for several seasons.  In addition to the many drivers planning to move up from lower divisions of Caterham racing, several newcomers are also planning to take part. They include relative novices Steve Ross, who has bought the Superlight of former Eurocup Champion Jamie Constable and who will race with the Ultimate Motorsport team, and Glen Denny, who has joined Clive Richards' Colards Motorsport team for 2007.   Another newcomer to the championship is London-based banker Christopher Cappuccini, 30. After several seasons of karting he is taking the plunge into full-blown racing, also with Ultimate Motorsport.   Last year's double Roadsport Champion, Gary Halcrow, will be one of Denny's Colards team-mates. He moves up to Superlight power in company with fellow former Roadsport men Clive Coote, Ron Johnson, Sean Nash, Chris Bialan and David Bend. 
Among the experienced Superlight racers planning to return are 2005 Champion Will Mitcham and the marque's leading lady exponent, Rachel Green. F1 engine builder James Gardiner will be back on track also, as will rapid Scotsman Doug Scott.  The reigning R400 Champion, Pat Gormley, is also moving up to Superlight power for 2007, with 750 Motor Club double Caterham champion, Peter Ratcliff, is planning a UK campaign also.
This season's schedule of races is expanded to 14 and the championship enjoys key support status alongside the prestigious British F3 and British GT Championships. Five of the championship's seven double-header meetings are GT/F3 events; there will be twin Superlight races also at June's Donington Caterham 7 golden jubilee meeting and in October at Brands Hatch with the Formula Ford Festival.

Reigning champion team Fortec Motorsport has named three of its drivers for the 2007 Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship as Riki Christodoulou Dean Smith and are previously reported here, Duncan Tappy. A fourth driver is due to be announced in the coming weeks for the team that won the Drivers’, Entrants’ and Graduate Cup titles last season. Read more

2006 T Cars Champion Luciano Bacheta has confirmed his challenge for the 2007 Formula Palmer Audi Championship.  Bacheta, 16, added his name to the illustrious list of T Car champions last season after notching up six successive victories in the junior saloon series. After winning two races at Snetterton in the FPA Autumn Trophy in November, the Essex youngster reckons he can go all the way in his first full year of single-seater racing.  "It's a long season, but I wouldn't be racing if I wasn't trying to win so we'll see what happens," said Bacheta, who will line up on the grid when the season kicks off at Silverstone on 7 April. However, Luciano was dismissive of the hot Bedford Autodrome testing pace set by his rivals in recent weeks.  "It's never a good idea taking testing times seriously," said the Essex youngster. "There's still two months before the first race and unless someone is really quick on a track we race at, I'm not going to lose much sleep over it."  After winning the Autumn Trophy opener at Snetterton on his single-seater debut, Bacheta is eagerly awaiting racing there again when FPA visits Norfolk in May: "I'm looking forward to going back to Snetterton, as it's a fast track and I won there four times last year, twice in FPA and twice in T Cars." Jonathan Palmer, FPA series boss, former Formula 1 driver and head of Luciano's T Cars team said: "It was a pleasure to see Luciano win in T Cars and I think he'll be tough to beat in FPA this season

2006 Volkswagen Racing Cup championship runner-up Martyn Culley is to return to the Hankook-backed series this season with the aim of going one better.  And the Hampshire racer is also determined to prove that championship glory is all the sweeter when you're driving one of the oldest cars on the gridFor 27-year-old Culley will be behind the wheel, for his fourth straight year, of a Vento VR6, itself the veteran of 13 seasons of racing. 'Last year proved the Vento still has the capability to win,' says Martyn, 'and having finished second in the championship I want to take top spot this year.'
Culley was a top-10 finisher in his maiden Volkswagen Racing Cup season in 2004, progressed to being a regular top six contender in '05 and last year won for the first time, at Snetterton and at Thruxton, and collected a further three podium finishes on his way to championship second.
He was in contention for the title up until the final meeting of the season. Despite Martyn's victory in the last round the crown went the way of Golf R32 racer Paul Taylor. Paul is returning to the series to try to achieve the double.
Joining Martyn on the grid once again will be his 56-year-old father, Barrie, in a matching Vento VR6. 'We have done a lot of work since the end of the season on improving the engine torque, making a switch to an Emerald ECU, and hopefully we'll be hitting the ground running and starting the new season the way I finished the last,' added Martyn, whose backers include Storm Developments, ATMR, Dub Power, KW and Emerald..

Dale Jarrett will start from the Bud Pole position in Saturday night's 29th annual Budweiser Shootout at Daytona. Jarrett will lead the field to the green flag in the first-ever NASCAR Nextel Cup competition for Toyota. Jarrett drives the #44 UPS Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing. This is the second pole position for Jarrett in his 12th Shootout start

One of the three official tests of the Euroseries 3000 has been fixed: it will take place in Vallelunga on the 11 and 12 April and all the entered teams will take part with official drivers in sight of the season debut the following week, exactly on the Roman circuit. But the F.3000 protagonists will be already back from holidays at the end of this week as many teams will turn on again their engines in Valencia on the 22 and 23 of February. The pourpose of these testing days will be mainly to evaluate the possible drivers and to assign the last seats still available. The Spanish track days will for sure give some first indications about who will be in the limelight in the 2007 Euroseries 3000, looking forward to the official start in April.

Defending a Championship in a series as hotly contested as the Star Mazda Championship Series can be a daunting task. John Walko Racing recently took a huge step forward in that effort however, resigning two of the team's three drivers from its 2006 Team Championship winning roster. Teammates Charles Anti and Russell Walker return for a second season each under the tutelage of the experienced JWR crew. Each driver will be part of their own three man unit, paired with an engineer and mechanic, within the overall team for the entire season. This is a continuation of the approach that helped guide JWR to the Team Championship in their rookie season. John Walko, team owner, believes this approach is crucial in developing young talent in to consistent front running contenders. "There is something to be said for continuity, working with the same engineer, already speaking the same language, knowing the team, knowing the car, knowing what to expect from everything. It is more than just knowing the tracks. People don't understand how human this is, it is more than just sticking the best drivers in the best cars and going fast. There is a lot to the relationships involved."

MSV(Owners of Brands, Snetterton, Oulton and Cadwell) racing season  starts on Saturday 24 March with two Open Sports & GT races. The events are open for all club racers who would like to get in some racing before their own individual championships get underway later in the year.  Also on the bill is a celebration of  Lotus which will feature the launch of the brand new Lotus-On-Track Elise Trophy. There will also be an appearances of classic F1 cars plus old favourites T Cars, BARC SE Saloons and the Irish Porsche Open

Andretti Green Racing announced today it will return to the Indy Pro Series field in 2007 with a car driven by Indy Pro Series veteran Jaime Camara. The oso*fresh Dallara/Firestone will be an Andretti Green Racing entry, and will be prepared and maintained by AFS Racing, owned by Gary Peterson. Camara, who hails from Goiana, Goias, Brazil, ran the full Indy Pro Series slate in 2005 and 2006. He posted two wins, three poles and 11 top 10s on the way to a fifth-place finish in the series standings in 2005. He led the final two laps at The Milwaukee Mile in 2006 to earn the third Indy Pro Series victory of his career.

PETRONAS has announced the top three drivers who will race in the 2007 Formula BMW Asia series, following the conclusion of the 2006 season of PETRONAS Formula Xperience (PFX) Racing School. The top three are Melvin Moh Chun-Ho, 18, Imran Zaharias Bin Shaharom, 18, and Johan Bin Adzmi, 17, who all receive  scholarships from PETRONAS to help develop and realise their  potential in a competitive racing environment.  The three were selected  on a total points accumulated throughout eight PFX training sessions held from June to December last year. The points tally is based on a weighted points system that assesses and evaluates the driver's individual performances both on and off the race track with a focus on five core areas: race craft, technical knowledge, physical ability, self discipline and interpersonal skills. The total scores have been validated and endorsed by the Automobile Association of Malaysia (AAM), the national sporting authority.The three young drivers will race in the 2007 Formula BMW Asia series with Team Holzer PFX, a new team to race in the series. The team is managed by Günther and Ronald Holzer, whose Holzer Motorsports has had experience racing in a number of European and North American-based racing series, including the Formula BMW ADAC series in Germany.

New Zealand kart champion Ben Dallas from Auckland will be winging his way to the Formula BMW Racing School in Bahrain late next month courtesy Formula BMW Asia and BMW New Zealand.There he will compete against promising young drivers from all over the Asia-Pacific region for one of five USD50,000 scholarships to compete in the 2007 Formula BMW Asia Championship.

This weekend sees the second race weekend of the Formula Cup Mallorca. This time the races will be hold on Short-Track which was completed some weeks ago, and not on the longer GP.  The Spaniard Pedro Mas Manseras was speechless after his double-victory two weeks ago which he didn’t expect. His aim  this weekend is clearer: “… to fulfil the role as favourite. Not more and not less!”  meaning he plans o stand on the top of the podium once more.
 Jackie Weiss scored 2 second places at the first race weekend and was selected as “Driver of the Weekend”, with Otto Birznieks another favourite. The 16-years old Latvian was on Pole-Position for Race 1 by almost a second  last time out but failed to finish either race.

The Champ Car World Series and Atlantic Championship return to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for a "Spring Training" event March 7 - 10. The Atlantic Championship will test on Wednesday and Thursday, March 7 and 8, with the Champ Car World Series testing on Friday and Saturday, March 9 and 10. Saturday, March 10 will be the official Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca "Open House" to wave the green flag on the 50th Anniversary Season at the world-famous circuit. Admission to the facility and paddock during the open house is free, with Champ Car and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca fans to experience autograph sessions, fan forums, and exhibits featuring activities from around Monterey County including car displays, wine tasting, and a tribute to 1957. The day will conclude with a sock hop in the Red Bull Energy Center .Those wishing to see the Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship or the Friday Champ Car World Series session will be able to enter Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca viewing areas for free. A $5 fee will be charged at the gate for admission into the paddock.The test session is open to all Champ Car and Champ Car Atlantic teams and will provide fans with one of the few opportunities to see the new DP01 Champ Car chassis prior to the series' first race of the season in the streets of Las Vegas .

08-02-07

SEAT Cupra provides a good stepping stone to the BTCC. Aspiring young drivers contesting the Blaupunkt SEAT Cupra Championship will have an even greater experience of top flight touring car competition this year, when the  series introduces two features strongly associated with the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Dunlop tyres and point of view facing in-car cameras. The SEAT Cupra Championship has run on Pirelli tyres since its introduction into British motorsport in 2003, but the change to Dunlop rubber will give drivers one more advantage if they move up to the BTCC. The 2006 Cupra Champion Mat Jackson is hoping to continue to demonstrate what a good proving ground the SEAT Cupra Championship really is as he looks to join the eight past drivers – among them, Rob Huff, James Pickford, Gavin Smith and Gordon Shedden – who have made that move, as he aims to race in the BTCC this year. As with ‘hawk-eye’ in tennis or the instant TV replay in international rugby, the onboard cameras will give the SEAT Cupra Championship officials the evidence they need to make the correct decisions following incidents and to punish drivers guilty of poor driving standards.  When combined to the Championship’s unique grid slot penalty system, the cameras are a powerful tool controlling damage and making the racing closer and fairer.  The cameras used in the 2007 Blaupunkt SEAT Cupra Championship will be the tried and tested ones used in last year’s BTCC. For the first time, the SEAT Cupra Championship has been expanded to 20 rounds and will race at all 10 rounds of the BTCC – giving drivers unparalleled experience of racing on the same circuits, in front of the same crowds, on Dunlop tyres and in cars similar in performance to those racing in the 2007 BTCC. Scott Dennis, SEAT UK National Motorsport Manager, said: “The innovations made for the 2007 Blaupunkt SEAT Cupra Championship are designed to bring the series more in-line with the British Touring Car Championship and make it even more appealing for aspiring young touring car driving talent.  The new Dunlop tyres will cost the same as last year’s Pirelli tyres – meaning that the cost of tyres in the SEAT Cupra Championship hasn’t increased for three years.  The point of view facing in-car cameras will give the Clerk of the Course a high quality digital imagery of incidents out on the circuit.  This will form an important part of the evidence when deciding if an incident was avoidable and, if so, who was to blame and what the correct penalty should be.  Driving standards have been very high in the SEAT Cupra Championship, and we want that to continue.  We want to continue to make the SEAT Cupra Championship fair for everyone, and this is our latest tool in giving every team and driver in the series a level playing field to compete

Sheffield teenager Richard Plant will contest his first full season of car racing in 2007, having signed up for the Formula Palmer Audi Championship. Plant, 17, made the step-up from a successful karting career last November in the FPA Autumn Trophy, gaining vital experience of the 300bhp turbocharged single-seaters he will race this season. After scoring top-10 finishes in the Autumn Trophy races at Snetterton and Brands Hatch, Plant is confident he can succeed in 2007. "The Autumn Trophy was the very first car racing I'd ever done, and the speed and the adrenaline rush of the FPA cars made me want to come back for more!" said Plant, ahead of the FPA Championship which kicks off at Silverstone on 7 April. "I've still got plenty to learn, but I'm confident I can do well this season."

FPA series boss and former Formula 1 driver Jonathan Palmer was delighted to welcome Richard back to the championship: "Richard was fantastic in the Autumn Trophy and I'm sure he'll be competitive in 2007."

Duncan Tappy has signed a deal with 2006 champions Fortec Motorsport to race in the Formula Renault UK Championship. This will be the 22 year old West Ewell based driver's second season competing in the Series.  Prior to Tappy’s F Ranault debut in 2006 he had an outstanding  year in Formula Ford in 2005 with 13 victories, including the Festiival. Since the end of last season he has tested with teams and been considering options from several teams but the Fortec seat was the one he set his sights on. Having sealed the drive, he has been testing with the team at Oulton Park.

Oliver Jarvis, runner-up in the 2006 British F3 series, has got off to a pleasing start in pre-season testing with Tom’s in Japan having completed unofficial sessions at both Fuji and Motegi circuits. The 23 year old British driver from Cambridgeshire moved out to Japan earlier this month to join Tom’s, the reigning Japanese F3 Championship winning team, to embark on his campaign in the 2007 All Japan F3 Series.These initial test sessions have been all about familiarising Jarvis with the car, especially as he is having to adapt to the very different Bridgestone tyres, and of course, learning the circuits that are totally new to him as well as getting to know the team.
The Tom’s team have been pleased with his progress to date with Jarvis setting some fast lap times despite having to overcome major differences between the Avon tyres he raced with last year in Britain and his new Bridgestone tyres.

Malaysian racing driver Nik Iruwan is aiming to beat some of the UK's best young racers in 2007, having signed up for the Formula Palmer Audi Championship.  The FPA series features 300bhp turbocharged single-seaters that are all run by a single technical team and are kept as equal as possible. With a 20-race season beginning on 7 April ahead of him, Nik is excited about racing in Europe for the first time in his career: "I am proud to earn the opportunity to represent Malaysia in the prestigious Formula Palmer Audi Championship. Ever since I started karting, it has been my dream to compete in Europe and race with the best."  With the coveted prize of a F3 test on offer for the top 3 in the championship, Nik is aiming high: "My goal in 2007 is to learn as much as I can and win races. We are confident about achieving the goals and our early confirmation has proven that we're serious about this year. I am more focused than ever and I will work hard to achieve my ultimate goal of competing in Formula 1.  One round of the FPA Championship Nik is particularly looking forward to is the A1GP-supporting meeting at Brands Hatch from 27-29 April, where three FPA races will take place in front of huge crowds: "It's going to be a great crowd during the A1GP and to race in front of this international series is an opportunity for young drivers like me to show our race craft."  FPA series chief and former Formula 1 driver Jonathan Palmer was delighted to welcome Nik to the championship: "Nik is one of Asia's most promising young drivers and he will be tough to tame in 2007."

ASM and ART Grand Prix are happy to announce a new merger. The two teams already live under the same roof and are managed by the same two men, Frederic Vasseur and Nicolas Todt, so therefore the new merger is a logical continuation that will allow the two teams, one in the F3 Euroseries and the other in GP2, to profit from working together as one.

Dutchman Renger van der Zande has signed with Prema Powerteam for the 2007 F3 Euro Series Championship. Renger, current  A1 team Netherlands driver, ended last years German Recaro Cup in fourth with 8 podium finishes and one pole.
Born in 1986, he started karting at 12 , entered Formula Renault 2.0 at van Amersfoort Racing in 2004 before dominating the class in Germany and the Netherland one year  later.  After a series of tests with the leading Euro Series teams last year., Renger signed for Prema Powerteam.

James Jakes has confirmed that he will drive in the F3 Euroseries  with Manor Motorsport this year. With ASM, who have won both the driver and team titles for the last three years, not fielding a British driver for the first time since the Euroseries was founded in 2003, Manor have acquired the services of Jakes, who graduates from the British Formula Three Championship.

06-02-07

Justin Wilson's younger brother Stefan (17) will follow in Justin's footsteps in 2007 as he makes plans to join the Formula Palmer Audi grid for his first season of car racing. The reinvigorated series celebrates its 10th Anniversary this year. Justin won the inaugural FPA championship in 1998, using it as the springboard for his open wheel career. Stefan has had an impressive career to date in karts and got his first taste of FPA machinery in the Autumn Trophy, acquitting himself extremely well with the fastest lap around Brands Hatch in only his sixth car race.

Formula Renault UK graduate Pippa Mann is set to break new ground in 2007 when she becomes the first female driver to race in the World Series by Renault. The 22-year-old from Aldeburgh has contested five Formula Renault Championships in the last four seasons and continues her progress to Renault’s flagship category, driving a 425bhp, 3.5-litre Formula Renault WSR single-seater.Last season, Pippa was unique among drivers contesting both the Eurocup Formula Renault and Formula Renault UK Championships. Now facing races on some of the world’s most famous circuits such as Monaco, Spa and Nürburgring, Pippa has another added pressure. While her fellow former Formula Renault UK competitors Katherine Legge and Susie Stoddart have risen through the ranks on either side of the Atlantic, Pippa is now racing at a higher European level than any other female racing driver to have graduated from Formula Renault UK.  “I must admit it feels quite a strange position to be in,” admits Pippa. “I’m one of three British female drivers, with Katherine and Susie, who have climbed the ladder in motorsport but because they are both a couple of years older than me, with everything I have done before they have been there first. Now I’m the first one to reach the level of World Series by Renault. The more natural progression from Formula Renault UK is to British Formula 3 but as soon as I tested Comtec Racing’s World Series hybrid car I knew I wanted to race in World Series by Renault. It’s a very big step up in lap times, power and grip but I feel I am ready. The jump in lap times from the Formula Renault 2.0 to World Series is much larger than between World Series and Formula One so that shows how much of a step up this season will be.”  Having spent the last two season’s with the Norfolk-based Comtec Racing team, Pippa’s switch to Cram Racing has turned out to be relatively straightforward. Her new team has left its former Italian base and set up in Norfolk, causing Pippa very little upheaval.  Pippa commented: “It’s funny how it worked out with Cram moving here and it’s certainly easier for me logistically. But I would have chosen to move anywhere to work with the team because the people working there are exactly what I was looking for.   ”Roly Vincini is the new Team Manager and engineer and he worked with Comtec last season, engineering the car from scratch. I got the chance to work with him during winter testing and it was fantastic. He also thought I did a good job in the car so although Formula 3 was an option, when the opportunity came to join Roly at Cram it was the right decision.”  The World Series by Renault begins at Zolder circuit, Belgium on 21st/22nd April.

Donington Park Leisure Limited, operators of Donington Park, has today been sold by Live Nation (formerly Clear Channel Group) to the newly created Holding company Donington Ventures Leisure Limited (DVLL), led by founders Simon Gillett and Lee Gill.  DVLL has simultaneously acquired from Wheatcroft & Sons, substantial surrounding lands and have taken over responsibility for the 'Donington Grand Prix Collection' - the world's largest collection of Grand Prix racing cars. These acquisitions will allow the company to further develop the circuit and motor sport events but also widen the Park's appeal in leisure and entertainment.  Donington Park founder Tom Wheatcroft has agreed to join the company and will assume the role of President with immediate effect. Kevin Wheatcroft also joins the company as special advisor and brings expertise and knowledge that will help develop and promote the Donington Grand Prix Collection. Simon Gillett the Chief Executive Officer said, "We are naturally delighted and very proud to have acquired Donington Park. The circuit is steeped in motor racing heritage and has an incredibly fond place in the heart of every motor racing enthusiast whether on two or four wheels. We are absolutely committed to realising the full potential of the Park by making the necessary investments in current and future events that will see Donington revitalised ensuring its leading position as one of the most iconic racing circuits in the world. To that end and for 2007, we have created the best racing calendar for years, with two of the highlights being, the return of World Superbikes on its 20th anniversary and the holding of the World Motorcross Grand Prix." In the short term, DVLL plan a series of phased developments that include improvements to the spectator facilities, expanded and enhanced corporate hospitality facilities and improvements to the exhibition and conference centres. Longer term, DVLL will explore opportunities to expand into a wide range of leisure oriented facilities and examine investments that are complementary to the expanding local area. Tom Wheatcroft commented, "This is an exciting new chapter in the history of Donington Park. It will bring significant investment, new energy, innovative ideas and a broader and more international customer base. I am really looking forward to working with DVLL in what promises to be an exciting next chapter of this great and only active circuit in the country with a history going back over 75 years."

Phil Saville and Michael Fitzgerald will drive for Andersen Racing in selected races in the 2007 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, the Fairfield, New Jersey based team announced recently  Saville plans to enter a minimum of five and a maximum of seven Star Mazda races this year. The season opener March 16 at Sebring is definitely on his list of races, as are events at VIRginia International Raceway, Cleveland,  Trois-Rivieres,  and Atlanta. He may do the races at Elkhart Lake and Toronto as well.  His car will be sponsored by New York Jewelers of Chicago; NVG Residential and Mac Marketing & Advertising Corp.  Fitzgerald also plans to enter the season opener at Sebring, which serves as a support event for the Mobil 1  Sebring 12 hour ALMS race. He has not yet decided what other events he'll do. From Venezuela will drive for the team full-time.   Andersen said he plans to announce two more full-season drivers very soon.

Former England International footballers John Barnes, Les Ferdinand and Luther Blissett  were at Brands Hatch recently for the launch an all new Caribbean race team ahead of the 2008 Le Mans 24 Hour.  "Windrush Motorsport" aims to feature drivers of Caribbean origin in the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2008.  All three footballers would like to take part in the race so they were eager to show off their driving abilities in an evaluation session at the track.  "I've never done anything like this in my life," said  John Barnes. "It's fast and scary, but very enjoyable.  Les Ferdinand, who has previously taken part in bike and car trackdays said: "I love driving, and the idea of Windrush Motorsport is really appealing. If we can accomplish our goals in 2008 it'd be an enormous achievement." Windrush Motorsport Team Principal and former Watford and England striker Blissett commented: "It's been very good, first class, we've got everything from the day that we've been looking for and people have realised that this is a very serious project. We'll have a little assessment of everybody, and plan the structure of the team from now on."  Windrush Motorsport plans to race in the Avon Tyres British GT Championship as part of itspreparation for Le Mans.

Pacific F2000 Championship Spreads its Wings With 12-Race Schedule. The Pacific F2000 Championship Presented by Hankook Tires looks set to build on its reputation as one of the best developmental series for young drivers with the addition of two more top-quality venues on its recently announced 2007 schedule.  The tracks at California Speedway, Buttonwillow Raceway Park (near Bakersfield, Calif.), Infineon Raceway (Sonoma, Calif.) and Las Vegas Motor Speedway have been part of the series since its inception in 2004. For 2007, competitors are looking forward to the extra challenges provided by one of California's oldest and most highly regarded tracks, the 2.5-mile Willow Springs International Raceway, which first saw action in 1953, and the nation's newest and longest road course facility, the 4.5-mile Miller Motorsports Park, near Salt Lake City, Utah, which was inaugurated to rave reviews by racers in 2006. The July 14-15 event at Miller Motorsports Park will be held in conjunction with the thriving NASCAR Grand National West series. Entries for 2007 include 17-year-old Californian rising star Pat Barrett, who won the 2006 SCCA Formula Russell Championship and then made a sensational Pacific F2000 debut by winning both races at Infineon Raceway; and 20-year-old New Zealander Mitch Cunningham, whose older brother Wade raced F2000 cars in 2004 and went on to win the 2005 Indy Pro Series championship.