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News Archive March 2007

06/04/2007

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30-03-07

Hammond plans Heritage GT campaign.  Alec Hammond is planning to contest a full season in the Heritage Grand Touring Car Challenge with his familiar Chevrolet Camaro, even though he will be forced to miss the opening two races while away at the cricket World Cup in the Caribbean.
"The car will be at most of the rounds," says Hammond, who has entrusted the Camaro to Andy Jenkinson for the opening two races in April. "The car will do more of the races than I will," admitted Hammond, who will join the series at round three in early June. John Young is likely to share the car with Jenkinson at the start of the season.
Hammond is hopeful of some good results in the Heritage season. "We've done a lot of work on the Camaro over the winter, so it should be good fun," he says. Alec will then share the car with Jenkinson over the balance of the season.
As well as racing his familiar Chevrolet Camaro, Hammond will also campaign a Lotus 23B this year. The ex-David Ham Lotus has spent most of its racing life in France and will now contest a range of events, including Sports Racing Masters races. "I can put the Lotus in the boot of the Camaro," joked Hammond.

Britain's Volkswagen Racing Cup will be the stage for a motorsport world debut this season when a Golf GT equipped with the pioneering TSI supercharged and turbocharged engine takes to the track…read more

A field of 25 Caterhams is expected on the Oulton Park grid next Saturday (7 Apr) for the opening rounds of the Avon Tyres Caterham Superlight Challenge - a superb start to the season in which the legendary Seven will celebrate its 50th birthday….read more

With six different race winners last year the Volkswagen Racing Cup enjoyed its most competitive season yet. Everything suggests that this year will be even more unpredictable…read more

Ultimate Motorsport sign Michael Devaney to partner Esteban Guerrieri for their F3 debut following a successful final test.   Dubliner Devaney, 22, who has recently driven for the Irish A1GP team, will be a welcome addition to Ultimate Motorsport and his partnership with Guerrieri will create an exciting blend of experience and performance.  Team owner Barry Walsh said: "We are very excited to bring Michael to the team and we are already confident from the running that we have done in Pembrey this week that he will perform very well this season.  "We have had a very busy build-up to our debut season in the British Formula Three International series and we feel ready for the first event next week.  Michael has proven that he is a winning driver and his position in the A1GP team with Ireland is a prestigious confirmation of his talent.  "Esteban will be returning from some time at home in Argentina next week ready to meet his new team-mate and help the team in the build-up to the debut race at Oulton Park."  Devaney started racing at the age of 13, when he was the Irish karting rookie of the year. His career has taken him through Formula BMW and German Formula Three before he stepped into the seat at the Irish A1GP team.  He joined Nathan Freke as the team completed a satisfactory final test at Pembrey, Wales, completing an unprecedented amount of running over the two days in good weather as they worked on se-tup development and reliability.  Team Manager Jonny Ostrowski said: "Both cars completed their test programmes and we have managed to make some positive steps on set-up of the car.  "The weather was surprisingly good and Nathan, although not as experienced as Michael in F3, did some solid work, moving the development of the car forward on the first day.  "On the second day we focused all our efforts on giving Michael as much running time as possible in preparation for Oulton Park next weekend. It was a good effort all round from the team."

Clarke tops Bedford test ahead of 2007 opener.     Jack Clarke threw the gauntlet down to his Formula Palmer Audi rivals at Bedford Autodrome yesterday (Wednesday) as he set the fastest time of the official pre-season test, where 20 of this year's 22 competitors were in action.
The 19-year-old former Formula BMW racer set a blistering lap of 1 minute 3.79 seconds around Bedford's West circuit. "Today went really well, and it's a fantastic confidence-booster ahead of the first round," said Clarke.
Clarke headed an extremely close field, with the top five drivers being separated by less than two-tenths of a second. FPA returnee Chris Bell impressed by setting the second-fastest time, with Dominik Jackson, Aaron Steele and Matthew Hamilton also breaching the 1m04s barrier. Jackson was happy to have established himself among the front-runners just 10 days ahead of the first round. "It's been a great test for me and I'm really glad to be completely comfortable and confident in the car for the first race."
Luciano Bacheta, Tom Bradshaw and Stefan Wilson followed, with Jolyon Palmer setting an impressive time to take ninth spot ahead of his single-seater debut. Behind Palmer, car racing rookie Chris Chubb rounded out the top 10.                                                                       
 

Nigel Mansell turned school master yesterday for the start of the Formula BMW season which he launched in unique style by taking the 'Class of 2007' on a lap of Brands Hatch in a yellow school bus.Reaffirming his involvement as ambassador to the Formula BMW UK Championship, Mansell spent the day acquainting himself with the new line-up of drivers who arrived at the Kent circuit ahead of the season opener on Sunday. The series attracts drivers as young as 15 who are looking to become the Formula One stars of the future. This season's grid includes other well known names in motorsport - Henry Surtees, son of John Surtees (who remains the only person ever to win world titles on two and four wheels) and French youngster Anthony Comas, son of Formula One driver, Erik.  First of a series of 'Mansell Masterclasses', the exclusive bus trip involved a 45 minute lesson from the former Formula One World Champion, who was handing out lines of a different kind in the form of race tips on how to tackle the Indy circuit, which the young drivers face in Rounds 1 and 2 of the championship.   Brands Hatch is renowned as one of the most technically challenging circuits in the UK, Mansell recounted his personal experiences from the venue where he took his first F1 victory in 1985 and the last British Grand Prix win at the circuit in 1986.  Nigel Mansell commented: "It's a pleasure to be involved in the Formula BMW series again. The championship not only offers a fantastic introduction to competitive single seater racing but additional support away from the track that is now so important. I find it really exciting to think that among these young drivers could be a future World Champion and if, by passing on any of my own experiences, I can be part of developing their careers, I'll feel very proud."   Last year's Rookie Cup Champion and one of the favourites for this year's title, Henry Arundel, commented: "What an amazing start to the season. It's not every day you get taught by one of the greatest drivers of all time. I can't wait to get out onto the track and put into practice some of the tips he passed on."  Peter Walker, General Manager, Sports Marketing, BMW (UK) commented: "We're delighted to have Nigel involved in the Formula BMW Championship - a series which prides itself on offering a rounded education both on and off the track. Nigel's record at Brands Hatch speaks for itself and to hear first-hand about his own experiences has been both fascinating and extremely motivating for the young drivers."

International Formula Master (IFM) concluded a successful two-day test at Monza this week.  The test, with Development Driver Giorgio Pantano, focused predominantly on endurance, making sure all aspects of IFM’s single-seater race car stood up to the high-speed Italian circuit.  “We wanted to make sure we'll deliver a car that is reliable and performs well,” said Series Director, Mauro Sipsz, who concentrated on testing the car’s tyre-wear, electrical gearbox and endurance. “I am very happy with how this latest test has gone.  We are reaching the end of our development programme and the cars will soon be handed over to the teams and drivers. Today’s lap times just reinforce what the whole testing programme has shown; this car is exceptional.”  Monza, a circuit known to test a car’s ability to the absolute maximum, could not break the Formula S2000’s perfect testing record, reinforcing initial reviews of the car as a great all-rounder.  “Because we knew it was a fast circuit we went with very low downforce,” said Pantano, who will this year compete in GP2. “The grip was there throughout, which is really impressive especially at Parabolica. Even after 20 laps the tyres were like new; Yokohama has done a really good job with this project.”   Excitement is building amongst the Series’ 31 entries, who will meet on the grid at Valencia on 20 May for IFM’s inaugural race.

Manuel Gião and Pedro Couceiro return to action this weekend for the first round of the Spanish GT Championship, in which they will drive a Ferrari 430 for renowned Italian team GPC. The first two races of this ever more competitive championship, which this year counts no less than 18 participants from Portugal, will take place at the Jarama circuit, in Madrid, between March 31st and April 1st.

James Walker completed a two-day test at the Nürburgring this week wrapping up the test programme for the World Series by Renault teams.  On day one James concentrated on altering the car set-up whilst running on old tyres. They clearly got the balance right as James posted the fourth fastest time before calling it a day. The only other driver to go faster after that was Sebastian Vettel . The World Series by Renault will race at the Nürburgring in early May so James and the Fortec team took the opportunity on the second day to try some more drastic set-up changes to suit that track. At the end of day two James declared himself content with the test. “We were limited to 130 laps for this test - so we can start the season with a brand new engine – but we made good use of the time we had”

Mario Dominguez has joined forces with Forsythe Championship Racing, returning as teammate to Paul Tracy inthe new era of Champ Cars, Panoz DP01.   General manager Neil Micklewright said, " We're delighted to be able to get back into a relationship with Mario. He's done well for us in the past. Right now we're just excited about the prospect of it. Hopefully we'll be able to continue that relationship beyond the first three races." Micklewright was referring to last year when the Hispanic racer left the team under circumstances that appeared to be mutual for both parties. "I'm very excited. I'm really happy. I couldn't believe it when I got a call from Neil Micklewright. It's a wonderful opportunity given to me again by Gerry Forsythe and Forsythe Championship Racing," commented Dominguez. "The fact that I'm going to be able to start the season with Forsythe, with a team that would be like coming back home, it's just the best news possible I could have ever gotten."

Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing confirmed, they have  signed Graham Rahal as partner to the reigning champion Sebastien Bourdais. Rahal has been testing with the team at all three pre-season official test venues. "I think he's learned pretty much everything he needed to learn before the season started, and it's a great thing for him," said Bourdais about his new teammate. "He's going to be probably one of the drivers who's really, in the rookie field the one that looks really strong because of the good preparation he's got and the talent he has."

The merger between Rocketsports Racing and RuSPORT has been finalized and everyone can get use to a new name RSPORT. Drivers Justin Wilson (RuSPORT) and Alex Tagliani (Rocketsports) had already been named prior to the official news today. Paul Gentilozzi, owner of Rocketsports Racing and new owner Dan Pettit of RuSPORT confirmed today that they have not only merged the two operations, but the team now has a new name. "The joining of Rocketsports and RuSPORT is both a strategic and economic alliance," said Gentilozzi. "Two single car entries leave themselves without a technical sounding board that is certainly required today. Two drivers working together can expand the performance envelope when one is perhaps still looking for the right combination." The new name is RSPORT. "I am really looking forward to working together. This dual-effort gives us the strength we need to succeed this season in Champ Car by having two cars to work with. We have two veteran drivers that work well together and we can take advantage of a great engineering staff. It is going to be a great effort and strengthen both programs overall," commented Pettit.

The Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda take the first green flag of the season at the inaugural Vegas Grand Prix next weekend as the championship contenders begin their quest for the Atlantic title and the $2 million bonus designed to help the champion move up to the Champ Car World Series in 2008. The Atlantic Championship is expecting at least 30 cars on the starting grid at Las Vegas. That would mark the largest field for a series race in over eight years. The last time 30 cars took the green flag in an Atlantic event was at Montreal during the 1999 season. At least 13 different countries are expected to be represented to start the season. Yet with all the international flavor, the future of American open-wheel racing will also be well represented in North America's premier open-wheel development series as nearly half the Atlantic field will be made up of racers from the US.  "We fully expect the level of competition in Atlantic this season to be the best it's ever been," said Vicki O'Connor, Managing Director of the Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda. "With so many of the top young drivers from around the world battling it out on the track, this is shaping up to be one of the best seasons in the history of the series. We can't wait until we get to Vegas and see these future stars of Champ Car in action."

25-03-07

Championship-winning team Force Ten Motorsport is to join the ranks of the Volkswagen Racing Cup, it is announced today. The squad will be fielding sports car championship title winner Jamie Perry in a 2.8-litre V6 Golf.  Force Ten are joining forces with Aylesbury Volkswagen retailer Keith Garages to contest the Hankook-backed championship, which gets underway at Oulton Park on Easter Monday (9 Apr).  Keith Garages will maintain the Golf between events and provide senior technicians to work on it at events. 'It's a superb arrangement for us,' says Force Ten Motorsport team principal Simon Kemp, 'because the unrivalled technical knowledge of Keith's staff will dovetail with the racing expertise of our own team members.'  Kemp says Force Ten has chosen the Racing Cup 'because we felt it had the right balance in terms of status and profile against cost to compete'. He believes Jamie will go well: 'It's our aim to be in a position to win the championship within three seasons.'  The team's assault has attracted additional backing from Hanson Holdings Worldwide and Herald Insurance Brokers.  Perry's previous successes have come at the wheel of an MG. He started competing in the MG Owners Club championship in 1999 and, at the wheel of an MGF prepared by Kemp and his team, won the series outright in 2004.  Jamie is one of a host of experienced newcomers to the Racing Cup in 2007. Also moving up to the championship are saloon racers Darren Blumson, Doug Ross and Richard Kingsnorth.

The Luggage Express Team Sigalsport BMW Riley driven by Bill Auberlen and Matthew Alhadeff scored their first career Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve  victory in Saturday's Linder Industrial Komatsu Grand Prix of Miami at Homestead-Miami Speedway. With just 11 laps left, Auberlen swept to the inside of 2005 Daytona Prototype co-champion Max Angelelli in the  SunTrust Pontiac Riley to take the lead in a textbook maneuver. Auberlen then spent the remaining laps keeping Angelelli and the rest of the field in his mirrors to win the race by 1.759 seconds.   Nick Ham and Sylvain Tremblay in the  SpeedSource Mazda/Mazdaspeed RX-8 extended their points lead in the GT class by taking their second straight class victory ahead of RJ Valentine and Andy Lally in the  CRG  Maxter Rotax MBA NFP F1Air Porsche GT3. Tremblay led 16 laps, but had to hold off a hard-charging Lally over the closing laps to secure the victory in the "hometown" race for his Sunrise, Fla.-based team. He crossed the stripe just .103 seconds ahead of the defending Rolex Series GT co-champion.

Jean-Karl Vernay and Dani Clos join Edoardo Mortara and Yann Clairay to complete the Signature driver line-up for the 2007 Formula 3 Euro Series season. It will be the first Formula Euro Series season the French squad is going to contest with four rookies.Jean-Karl Vernay and Dan Clos have got several similarities. Both competed in the Formula Renault, last year and both did so successfully. Clos, 18-year old Spaniard from Barcelona who refers to his compatriot, the two-time Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso, as his role model, secured the Italian Formula Renault Championship title, in 2006.

Britain's Alex Lloyd won the incident shortened Miami 100 Indy Pro Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway when the race was ended ten laps early under caution. It was Lloyd's third series victory and his first on an oval. There were three caution periods during the race, which had been scheduled to run for 67 laps.  Wade Cunningham was involved in one major incident on lap 22 when he swerved towards the wall while trying to pass eventual second place finisher Chris Festa , |Cunningham's car did a 360 spin before hitting the wall. Cunningham was checked at the mdical centre before being release unhurt.In a separate incident, Ryan Justice hit the wall at turn 2. He was airlifted him to Jackson Memorial Hospital for precautionary reasons and reports indicate Justice was awake and alert prior as he was being moved. After more than 20 laps to clear up- the mess racing resumed for two laps when a multi-car accident stopped the action for the third and final time. Pablo Perez and Sean Guthrie came together puting Guthrie into the wall. Perez's car was launched into the catch fence in a fiery crash that collected Micky Gilbert. Two more drivers, Joey Scarallo and Shane Lewis stopped on the track to avoid debris. Guthrie, Gilbert, Scarallo and Lewis were taken to the medical centre for checkups. All were cleared to drive. Perez meanwhile was also airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital with  injuries to both legs. Lloyd and Festa battled at the front during the limited number of green flag laps. "We're a little disappointed that the race got cut short by the yellows," said Festa, who equaled his career best finish. "The car was so good that I could put it anywhere on the track. We were just hoping for more laps so Alex (Lloyd) and I could shoot it out at the end."  Lloyd said he had mixed feelings after winning his first oval race. "I feel great that we won the race," said Lloyd, . "At the same time, I'm thinking about everybody else that got hurt and hoping they are all right. My teammate (Ryan Justice) was in one of the wrecks." Hideki Mutoh finished third withJaime Camara fourth and Andrew Prendeville fifth

Dan Wheldon won the XM Satellite Radio Indy 300 at Homestead Miami Speedway last (Saturday 24) night after lelding 179 of the 200 laps . It was his third victory on the 1.5-mile superspeedway. He led all but 21 of the 200 laps. "It's great to be at Homestead and win three in a row," said Wheldon. "I'm not sure how we've done it, because I've done it with two different teams." His team mate Scott Dixon was second and  Sam Hornish third. Dario Franchitti was back in seventh.

23-03-07

The British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) held a presentation at Silverstone Circuit on Tuesday (20 March), outlining proposals for a Silverstone Master Plan which, out of its own resources, the BRDC is determined to take through the planning process. Attended  by  Sports  Minister,  the  Rt.  Hon  Richard  Caborn  MP,  and  BRDC  President  and  1996 FORMULA 1™ World Champion, Damon Hill, the presentation was made to a select number of guests  which  included  heads  of  local  County  Councils,  District  Councils,  planners,  higher education authorities and Regional Development Agencies….read more

The largest ever grid of SEAT Leons will start the Blaupunkt SEAT Cupra Championship at Brands Hatch, when 22 cars are expected to line up for Rounds 1 and 2 of the 2007 series on Sunday 1 April…read more

RENAULT SERIES SECURE SATELLITE AND TERRESTRIAL AIRTIME.  Both the ELF Renault Clio Cup and Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship will receive a combination of live and recorded television coverage during the 2007 season. A broadcast agreement was reached for the British Touring Car Championship support races after the BTCC finally concluded its own negotiations.   In a change from 2006, dedicated sports satellite channel Setanta will host live coverage on the Sunday of each race meeting. The Irish-based international broadcaster, which has 12 channels in 24 countries, is available in the UK via Freeview, Virgin Media and BSkyB platforms, ensuring a wide potential audience for the season.   Exact scheduling for the live coverage is currently being finalised but the bulk of the Sunday action, when a large majority of points-scoring championship rounds are held, is expected to be aired live.  The second part of the coverage sees the return of the hugely successful Motorsport UK on main terrestrial channel ITV1. In 2006, nine programmes featured action from the ELF Renault Clio Cup drawing a total audience of 5,783,000. The picture was similar regarding Formula Renault UK, where a total of 5,750,000 viewers tuned in over the course of 10 episodes.   Motorsport UK switches to a Sunday night slot for the new season, with the first of 26 episodes scheduled for Sunday, 20^th May. The show will run every Sunday with two exceptions, 3^rd June and 24^th June, when BTCC highlights will be shown. The final episode is due for broadcast on Sunday, 25^th November. Each championship is projected to receive a total of 2hrs 15min airtime during the course of the season.  This season also sees a change of host for Motorsport UK, with Louise Goodman, who is well-known for her work on ITV’s Formula One coverage, taking over from Fran Robinson. Simon Hill and John Hindhaugh return to the commentary booth to add their passionate views to the thrilling action.   Commenting on the new television agreement, Tim Jackson, Renault UK’s Motorsport Manager, said: “I am delighted we have been able to agree a new deal that promises the continuation of both live coverage and highlights. Negotiations had stalled while the BTCC agreed its deal so to emerge with more than two hours of coverage is a great result for our teams, drivers and most importantly sponsors.”

Racing For Ireland are pleased to announce today that rising Irish Karting star Cillian McMullen has joined its team to contend the upcoming 2007 Irish Karting season.  At 12 years old, McMullen from Limerick is Racing For Ireland's youngest driver. McMullen only started Karting in the second half of 2006 in the highly competitive Cadet Championship. However it didn't take long for him to make an impression. In his final race of the season, McMullen in the pouring rain, having led the final for a time went onto secure a highly impressive 2nd place. This performance along with others allowed McMullen to collect the coveted Novice Driver of the Year Award.This season McMullen, running with DMK Racing, steps up to the highly competitive and ultra fast JICA Championship. Despite being one of the youngest in the class many expect him to be battling at the sharp end for podiums, wins and possibly even a championship.   Racing For Ireland commented, "Having Cillian onboard is fantastic, he is exceptionally quick and can really go places. It's good that we are helping such a young driver. In a few  years when he is older there will be an opportunity with Racing For Ireland and Skip Barber to step into cars. This gives Cillian's racing direction and something for him to work towards. Furthermore he is now in the position where he can learn from our senior drivers Barry and Eoin who have already moved into cars".  McMullen's season kicks off this weekend at Mondello Park in round 1 of the Irish and National Karting Championship.

The second day of Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 testing at the Nürburgring has been cancelled after it was disrupted due to snow. The best time was set by Oliver Oakes (Motopark Academy).  After packing up and leaving Barcelona, the teams headed straight for Germany for two more day's testing. But while the conditions may have been ideal in Catalonia, in the Eifel mountains they were far from it!On Wednesday morning, the track was dry but the track temperature did not get up above five degrees.          Most drivers put in thirty or so laps in the morning with the fastest time being set by Fabio Onidi. Motopark Oschersleben thus secured the three best times with Oliver Oakes and Tobias Hegewald behind Onidi.The dry conditions held until the middle of the afternoon. As the sun tried to peek through, the Motopark team continued to show it was in control. This time, Oakes set the fastest time becoming the only driver to go faster than 1’59’’. Fabio Onidi and Frank Kechele completed a new one-two-three for the German team.     Then, at four in the afternoon, the snow started to fall, forcing all the cars back into the pits. By dusk, the paddock was covered in a white blanket of snow. On Thursday morning, the track was nowhere to be seen with nearly 20 centimetres of snowfall overnight! There was no choice but to cancel the second day of testing.

SEAT aims for repeat performance at BTCC opener SEAT will begin the defence of its Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Manufacturers’ title at one of its strongest circuits, Brands Hatch, when the 2007 series begins on March 31-April 1.  SEAT is aiming to repeat the whitewash of three race victories out of three that it achieved at the opening race meeting last year, although with 26 drivers in seven different makes of car (SEAT, Alfa Romeo, BMW, Honda, Lexus, MG and Vauxhall) expected on the 2007 grid, the challenge is year is a lot harder. In addition to winning the Manufacturers’ title for a second time, the SEAT Sport UK team has an ambitious aim this year, and that is to win all three major awards – the Teams’ trophy and the Drivers’ title with Jason Plato and Darren Turner. This is Jason’s fourth consecutive season in competition with the team. Piers Phillips, SEAT Sport Race Engineer: “The undulating and sweeping layout of the short Brands Hatch Indy Circuit really plays into the strengths of the SEAT Leon.  It was a good track for us last year and we want to repeat that performance, although we expect the Vauxhalls and the BMWs to be very quick.  We need to concentrate on Saturday, get a good set-up during free practice and nail pole in qualifying.  Our performance as a team on Saturday is crucial if we want to win on race day.”

Official pre-season testing for the Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship ended on Wednesday, 21^st March with Riki Christodoulou setting the fastest time in each of the day’s two sessions at Oulton Park Island circuit. The Fortec Motorsport ace lapped the 2.23-mile circuit in 1min 18.126s (102.57mph) in the afternoon stint, bettering his earlier mark of 1min 18.872s (101.60mph)

Reigning ELF Renault Clio Cup champion Tom Onslow-Cole caught the attention of Eurocup Mégane Trophy teams with an outstanding performance in his first outing in the Mégane Trophy racer. Onslow-Cole, 19, took part in the test arranged by Renault Sport as the top part of his prize for winning the 2006 Clio Cup title. Joining the Surrey teenager on-track were Spanish Clio Cup champion Luis Calleja and Dutch and German Clio Cup champion Mike Verschuur. The car was engineered at the Circuit Paul Armagnac, in Nogaro, France, by reigning Eurocup Mégane Trophy champion team Equipe Verschuur.

Ultimate Motorsport progressed through an intensive programme of testing and development in a two-day test at Croft this week as preparations continue for the team's British Formula 3 debut.The new Northamptonshire-based outfit, which will run an all-new Mygale-Mercedes combination, has been hard at work with Mygale developing the car for its debut race and came away positive despite several challenges at the Yorkshire circuit.Ben Clucas joined the team for his second test as an official team driver while experienced Brazilian Fabio Carbone was drafted in to take the place of Esteban Guerrieri, who is back home in Argentina due to family issues.Team Principal Simon Armstrong said: "At each test we learn a little bit more and we continue to develop both the car and the team. The last two days have been challenging, but we still have a tremendous amount to take away with us.  Ben put in plenty of miles on his car and that allowed us to follow up some successful four-post rig testing from last week and get some matching on-track data to confirm the direction we are taking in this area.  Unfortunately, we had some braking problems with Fabio's car limiting his running. There was also some difficulty with the weather conditions on Tuesday, when snow fell sporadically throughout the day, and although the conditions improved on Wednesday we were forced to curtail our running due to a technical issue affecting both cars.   But the next test will take place at Oulton Park next week and we are confident the issues will be resolved."The team will make its much-anticipated debut in the British F3 series,at Oulton Park on Easter weekend.

Hitech Racing reaffirmed themselves as one of the pre-season  favourites for the Lloyds TSB Insurance British F3 International Series after a dominant performance in the official two-day test at Croft this week. Marko Asmer, returning to the team he drove for in 2004/5, topped the timesheets in 3 of the 4 sessions around the track. It was Stephen Jelley (Raikkonen Robertson Racing Dallara Mercedes) who set the fastest time with a 1m12.858 lap, just 0.019 seconds ahead of  Asmer. The top 12 runners set a time that was faster than the existing British F3 lap record for Croft which currently stands at 1m14.292, set by Takuma Sato in July 2000.

Bahrain’s rising motor sport star Hamad Al Fardan will race for Performance Racing in the 2007 British Formula Three International Series. The son of one of the Middle East’s most illustrious rally drivers, Ahmed Al Fardan, Hamad inherited his father’s sporting prowess and put it to good use from an early age. Having conquered the world of Karting, the training ground for all budding racing drivers, Hamad completed his first season in single-seater racing at just 16 years of age, racing in the 2004 Formula BMW Asia series. Competing with team Belgravia, Hamad finished an impressive third in the Rookie Championship.       In 2005 Hamad joined championship winning team Meritus for a full-scale assault on the Formula BMW Asia title as the second youngest driver in the championship. Hamad finished the season in third place notching up four wins, two pole positions and seven podiums, then moved on in 2006 to New Zealand to compete in the Toyota Racing Series with Meritu

Will Bratt made the most of his 7 hour Formula Renault  test at Oulton Park and took the opportunity to concentrate on set-up work for his Apotex Scorpio Motorsport car during the test ending the day inside the top 10 with a time of 1m 19.050 seconds (101.374mph).                      “We stuck to our own programme today and made some very good progress with the set-up of the car”, explained Will, “The car was very nicely balanced this afternoon and if we had used new tyres I’m sure we would have been within a few 10ths of a second of the front-runners. There aren’t any points on offer for being quickest in testing though so rather than get caught up trying to chase an out-and-out quick time and waste tyres, we decided the best idea would be to do as much work on the car as possible which will hopefully pay dividends throughout the season.”

SAMAX Motorsport driver Milka Duno will be visiting her favorite racetrack this weekend as the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series heads into Homestead-Miami Speedway. The 400-kilometer Grand Prix of Miami, Round 3 of the 14-race 2007 season, is scheduled to start Saturday March 24 at 2:00 p.m. Duno, who shares the No. 11 CITGO Racing Pontiac Riley Daytona Prototype with Las Vegas resident Patrick Carpentier, has scored two of her three Rolex overall wins at the 2.3-mile 11-turn South Florida road course. When she won the Grand Prix of Miami in February 2004 with co-driver Andy Wallace, Duno became the first woman to win a major North American sports car race. She repeated the feat later that year in the second race of the season at Homestead in late September to sweep both events.

Marko Asmer (Hitech Dallara Mercedes) set the fastest times in both morning and afternoon sessions of Day 1 of the two day test at Croft. 'Frankie' Cheng ( Performance Racing Dallara Mugen Honda) was the quickest driver in the National Class in both sessions since announcing his participation in the 2007 series last week for Performance Racing.With changable weather conditions prevailing at the Yorkshire circuit, Asmer sliced 1.4 seconds off his morning time with Greg Mansell (Fortec Dallara Mercedes) keeping pace with the vastly more experienced Estonian to post a lap time just 0.081 seconds behind. Atte Mustonen (Raikkonen Robertson Dallara Mercedes) was the quickest of the Raikkonen Robertson Racing runners, with reigning British F3 National Champion Rodolfo Gonzalez continuing his preparations to challenge for the overall title in his Mugen Honda powered T Sport Dallara.                                                                                                                                        In the National Class China's 'Frankie' Cheng put in two solid performances in during the day to post the 12th fastest time overall, 0.533 seconds ahead of nearest rival Michael Meadows (Master Motorsport Dallara Mugen-Honda) and Sergio Perez (T Sport Dallara Mugen-Honda).

Liam Kenney's hopes of a positive return to the California Speedway for Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2007 Formula TR Pro Series 2000 Championship last weekend were dashed after another eventful double-header meeting left the 15-year-old racer frustrated.. Having had a DNF and a 4th place at the season-opener the previous weekend, Kenney was hoping to build on his debut performance. His practice time of 1m38.036s puit him on the second row of the grid.. At the start of Round 3 Liam was right in the thick of the action until his rear suspension collapsed under braking forcing him out. Starting fourth for Sunday's 13-lap sprint Liam was reveling in a much improved race car, his team having worked hard to repair Saturday's damage. Unfortunately the teenager's run of bad luck continued whe a puncture pitched him off-track and into the barriers to force a second straight retirement from the weekend.. "Well this definitely wasn't the weekend we were expecting," reflected Kenney after Sunday's retirement. "We learned a lot more about the set-up of the car this time round and we proved on Sunday that the car could be competitive as we were running strong in the race before the accident. We're still on a massive learning curve so while we didn't necessarily get the results we'd have wanted we're continuing to educate ourselves and that'll undoubtedly help us next time out in the car. Roll on Willow Springs!"

After a strong showing at the opening round of the 2007 V8 Supercar Championship Series at the Clipsal 500 three weeks ago Caltex drivers are aiming to continue that form at the BigPond 400 at Barbagallo Raceway in Perth, Western Australia this weekend. Caltex Racing's Russell Ingall and Jeld-Wen Motorsport driver James Courtney led the resurgence of Stone Brothers Racing at the Clipsal 500 and both lie in the top five in the championship standings heading into Perth.  Courtney's third V8 Supercar podium came on the streets of Adelaide and he is confident that his Falcon will be even stronger at Barbagallo this weekend.   Ingall is buoyed by his Caltex Racing Ford Falcon's performance in Adelaide and realises the importance of momentum and will strive to regain the V8 Supercar crown he won in 2005.  Craig Lowndes encountered several problems in Adelaide that prevented him from netting a top 10 result. The former Champion is a 3-time winner at the 2.415-kilometre Barbagalllo circuit and is confident that his Caltex Team Vodafone Ford Falcon will be back to its best in WA.

British fans have a new sporting hero in Lewis Hamilton following  his success at last weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, where he took a podium finish in his first ever Formula One race. Silverstone, hosts of the FORMULA 1™ Santander British Grand Prix, on 6- 8 July, has seen ticket sales soar since Hamilton’s sensational debut. The  Silverstone  call  centre  and website  have  been  inundated  with enquiries, with ticket sales over the last three days up by more than 200% compared with the equivalent three days leading up to last weekend’s F1 season opener. Having four British drivers racing in this year’s FORMULA 1™ World Championship, has already fuelled  interest  in  this  year’s  British GP -  one  of  the biggest  occasions  on  the  British sporting calendar – and Hamilton’s podium finish has taken this to an entirely new level. At  the  recent  launch  of  Silverstone’s  ‘Back  the  Brits’  campaign,  a season-long  initiative  to generate support for all four British drivers, BRDC President and 1996 FORMULA 1™ World Champion  Damon  Hill  predicted  that  2007  would  be  an  exciting  year  for  all  four  drivers,  in particular Lewis Hamilton. Hill commented, “Lewis is with the right team at the right time and has every chance of going on to win Grands Prix this season. He can expect a fantastic reception at his home race and he would go down as a legend in the sport if he were to win the British Grand Prix in his first ever season.” Tickets for the 2007 FORMULA 1™ Santander British Grand Prix are available from £99 (£50 for Children). For further information, or to purchase tickets, visit www.silverstone.co.uk, or call 08704 588 300

Jonathan Fildes begins his 2007 ELF Renault Clio Cup campaign at Brands Hatch next weekend, 31st March/1st April, knowing consistency will be the determining factor in who becomes the first champion of the new generation Clio series.During his superb title-winning Clio Cup season in 2003, the Co.Meath racer won 4 of the 18 rounds but his consistency throughout the year saw him take the crown over 40 points clear of his closest rival.Jonathan’s performances confirmed his position as a top saloon car driver and now, with the advent of the new Clio, his back with the Total Control Racing  with the sole aim of winning the  championship. “At the moment anyone can say a win is on the cards at Brands Hatch but nobody truly knows where they are until we take part in qualifying”, said the Applied Signs & Display, Asgard Taverns and Barry Evans Plastics-backed man.His tests I the new car were halted last week at Brands Hatch by Renault Sport UK officials after Jonathan’s Clio suffered from an unexplained breakage to the right-front upright after just five laps of testing. With concerns for the safety of the new Clio, especially taking into account similar incidents at Silverstone in a previous test, Renault Sport UK imposed a ban while investigations took place into the cause of the failures.Series organisers have now confirmed brand new EE Support Brackets, of a revised design are to be fitted for a newly announced test at Rockingham Motor Speedway this coming Monday, 26th March.   “I’m pleased we have an extra test at Rockingham now to try out the new parts and hopefully it will give us an opportunity to work on a set-up for the race there in April.  Podiums are definitely on at Brands Hatch, there’s no doubt about that”, he said, “You don’t have to go out there and win every race to win a championship, that’s not what it’s all about and I proved that when I won the Clio title in 2003. We’ll be trying very hard to win next weekend but if we make a strong and consistent start to the year, I’ll be happy.”

Formula Renault UK Championship title contender Jeremy Metcalfe was fourth fastest in the final test of the pre-season at Oulton Park on Wednesday, 21st March with the BillChaser-backed driver was happy with his performance.  During the first session he set a fastest lap of 1m 19.160 seconds (101.233mph),third quickest that morning and although slipping to fourth fastest overall in the afternoon he improved his time to 1m 18.502 seconds (102.081mph), “We were very fast on old tyres and although I didn’t quite get as much time as I should have from my new tyres, overall it was a good test as we were consistently quick again and a genuine front-runner”, said the BRDC Rising Star. “I’m feeling very confident with the work we’ve done during the pre-season, the last couple of tests in particular have been highly productive. We may not have topped the times in testing but that isn’t where races and championships are won. I’m confident in race trim we’re going to be very fast.”

21-03-07

Juno Romp Home For Maiden VdeV Win. It was a stunning start for Juno in the 2007 VdeV opener at Jarama, Spain as Adrian Mardlin and Rob Croydon took an impressive maiden win in the series. 

Aaron Steele has committed to his second season of Formula Palmer Audi in 2007 in what he calls his 'shot at the title'. Rochester's Steele, 17, scored a podium at Snetterton in the main championship, before going on to take second and top Brit in the Autumn Trophy last November. With 16 FPA races already under his belt, Aaron is under no illusions that he has to perform this year."This is definitely a championship year for me," explained the teenager. "Racking up the points right from the word go will be crucial and I think my year's experience will give me an advantage over the rookies."
After an Autumn Trophy which saw him finish on the podium for every race but still miss out on his first win, Aaron is determined to step atop the rostrum this year. "Although I was happy with how the Autumn Trophy went, not winning a race was frustrating to say the least. It's going to be important to get that out of the way, but I've got to bear the championship in mind."  pic : James Bearne

GRANDAM- Heading into Round 3 of the Daytona Prototype season at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the top nine drivers are separated by just 13 points, and a few that are a little further back have plenty of time--and have shown to be plenty competitive--to put together a charge to the championship.   As he has done since his win in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Scott Pruett continues to lead the 2007 title chase. After co-driving to the Daytona victory with  Juan Pablo Montoya and Salvador Duran, Pruett will share his TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley with Memo Rojas.  Just three points behind Pruett (63-60) is Max Angelelli and Jan Magnussen in the SunTrust Pontiac Riley.  Eleven points behind Pruett there is a 4-way tie  including  Krohn Racing Pontiac Riley co-drivers Colin Braun and Max Papis as well as the  CITGO/SAMAX Pontiac Riley teammates Patrick Carpentier and Milka Duno.  Venezuela-born Duno  has had 2 of her three Rolex Series victories at the Homestead Speedway, and while this will be Carpentier's first Daytona Prototype event in Homestead, he brings experience from Indy Racing League IndyCar Series and Champ Car World Series events on the oval course. Canadian Mark Wilkins is just two points behind the drivers in the Daytona Prototypes and will welcome Burt Frisselle back to the Exchange Traded Gold/AIM Autosport Lexus Riley this weekend after sharing the ride with Brian Frisselle in Mexico City. Both 2007 races for the new team have seen the No. 61 machine charge from deep in the field to record top-seven results, proving that the car is plenty fast to challenge at the front. The GT field is also extremely impressive with class points leaders Sylvain Tremblay and Nick Ham in the Mazda/Mazdaspeed RX-8 headlining the class for the SpeedSource team's "hometown" race. Ham started the Mexico City race from the class pole position and combined with Tremblay to bring the Mazda RX-8 its first GT class victory. Last year, Tremblay and David Haskell drove the car to its best result of the year with a second-place performance in Homestead, and buoyed by its recent triumph in Mexico, the No. 70 machine could pick up a second straight victory this weekend.  Tremblay and Ham lead by 7 points over a tie consisting of their teammates in the FXDD Mazda RX-8, Emil Assentato and Nick Longhi and Gatorade/TodayMD.com Porsche GT3 co-drivers Carlos de Quesada and Jean-Francois Dumoulin. De Quesada and Dumoulin are still riding the wave of their class victory in the 2007 Rolex 24, while Assentato and Longhi are reaping the benefits of a solid RX-8 package. On-track activities get underway for the Rolex Series with practice sessions on Thursday afternoon, followed by practice and qualifying on Friday. The Linder Industrial Komatsu Grand Prix of Miami will take the green flag at 2:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 24 with a scheduled distance of 400 km or 250 miles (109 laps) and a two-hour and 30-minute time limit.

Gerardo Bonilla, the 2006 Star Mazda Sebring race winner, won both IMSA Lites races held this weekend in support of the American LeMans Series 12-Hours of Sebring. Bonilla has extended his Sebring winning streak to five races dating back to his 2005 Skip Barber National Championship double-win.

BP and CJ Motorsport have announced  that BP is backing Sam Bird in his bid for the British F3 title.   The sponsorship will showcase the BP Ultimate range of premium fuels, including BP Ultimate 102 unleaded - the highest-octane petrol available on British forecourts.  Said Mark Reader, UK Fuels Marketing Manager at BP: "Teaming up with Sam Bird is a showcase for the performance benefits of BP Ultimate fuels.   "The brand is already prominent in the World Rally Championship and this gives us a platform to engage with a different group of motorsports fans as well as a presence at race circuits. Said Sam Bird: "I am delighted to have the support of BP, a household name and one of the world's leading energy producers, and I hope our relationship will be a long and fruitful one".

Ford Performance Racing V8 Supercar team drivers Steve Richards and Mark Winterbottom are planning a major assault on the second round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series this weekend at Perth’s Barbagallo Raceway.  Richards will be attempting to complete a hat-trick of V8 wins at the Perth circuit, having won last two Western Australian rounds. The Castrol FPR Falcon driver boasts an impressive record at this track, making his 11th appearance this weekend. Team mate Mark Winterbottom is planning to step up to his first podium in Perth having gained fifth, his best result there, last season.  The Perth round comprises of three races in total, one 120 kilometre sprint on Saturday and two 120 kilometre races on Sunday. Each 50-lap race will see the FPR pit crew complete a compulsory pitstop for tyres

Eight of the ten Formula 3 Euro Series events will be part of the DTM support package this year with the other two being supporting F1 and the FIA GT Championship respectively. For the F3 Euro Series the appearance in the support programme of the French Grand Prix, at Magny-Cours, France, quite clearly represents the season highlight. On 30th June and 1st July, the young drivers can prove their skills in front of the eyes of the Formula 1 Team principals, thus having the chance of attracting their interest with a great performance. The second event in France will be the series’ debut appearance at the circuit of Nogaro supporting the  FIA GT Championship event.  Plus there will be another Formula 3 Euro Series debut, this year: at Mugello. For the first time since the series’ creation back in 2003, its young drivers are going to race at the circuit located in Italy’s picturesque Tuscany region.

20-03-07

The Connell family racing team, who race a Spar sponsored VW in the Uniroyal Fun Cup have recruited ex-BTCC racer Peter Cate for the 2007 Fun Cup campaign. Cate will drive alongside Ian Connell and his sons Richard and Marc.   "Pete joins us for more races in 2007 after raced with us at the Spa 25 hours in 2006, when he helped us to 9th overall and 2nd in the UK class out of  152 starters2 said Ian . The team need Pete’s services now as Richard Connell can only do 2 races in 2007 due to his commitments as Takuma Sato’s race engineer at Super Aguri F1. The Connell racing car will be run in 2007 by Abbey Motorsport in the Uniroyal UK Fun Cup which has over 40 cars registered for the UK  Series. The team also plans race at Mondello Park, Spa and the end of season race at Jarama. 

Further to the halt in testing imposed at Brands Hatch on Monday, 12th March, Renault Sport UK is delighted to announce ELF Renault Clio Cup official testing will resume at Rockingham Motor Speedway on Monday, 26th March in preparation for the opening rounds of the championship at Brands Hatch.   Renault Sport will supply new EE Support Brackets of a revised design.   Production has now started and the supplier is working around the clock to deliver the new parts direct to Rockingham, enabling all teams to fit them before testing starts. "This has been a very difficult time for all those involved in the Clio Cup and I am very pleased we have found a solution which enables teams and drivers to test before the first race meeting. I particularly want to praise the spirit amongst our competitors which has been very supportive despite the difficulties caused by the enforced break in testing", commented Tim Jackson, Motorsport Director, Renault UK.

Jason Moore will make his car racing debut in 2007 after becoming the latest young talent to sign for the Formula Palmer Audi Championship.  Bedford-based Moore, 18, has tested a FPA car twice recently at the Bedford Autodrome, and has committed to the 20-race season after setting some impressive times. Jason’s debut will be in the opening rounds at Silverstone on Easter Saturday.    "I'm really looking forward to competing in FPA this year," said the teenager, who has nine years' karting experience and is being supported by his father's business, G. Moore Haulage. "It's going to be a really steep learning curve in these powerful cars, but I expect to be running at the front of the field come the end of the season."  The FPA Championship features 22 identical cars, all run by the same team to ensure a level playing field. With the cars also being equipped with a turbo-boost button providing an extra 60bhp, Jason anticipates a tough challenge to handle his machine. "These cars are capable of doing 160mph, which is a big step up from karting to say the least! I've got one more test at Bedford next week, and after that I think I'll be ready."   FPA series boss Jonathan Palmer offered Jason a hearty welcome, and tipped him for success: "Jason has shown promise in karting over the last few seasons and I think he has a lot to offer this extremely competitive championship."

Alexander Rossi shines on the opening day of FBMW USA official testing.  After hours of intensive private testing over the winter months, the wait for Alexander Rossi was finally over as he turned his first lap as an official Formula BMW USA driver.  “It’s awesome,” Rossi said of his first morning on the circuit, “I just got comfortable with the car and I look forward to the afternoon.” Although he was being a touch modest, having set very competitive times at this, a track he had never seen before today.  The afternoon sessions saw the 15 year old Californian improve his times; gaining over half a second to the opposition and ending his day with the seventh quickest lap overall of the 19 drivers.  “We closed the gap to the leaders but if I could figure out my braking on one turn; it’s only 300 feet of track I’m struggling on!” Said Rossi that evening. “But overall today was positive. It was good to finally be on-track with other drivers because you had a mark and you knew what to shoot for. We’re knocking on the door and if I can fine-tune myself then we’ll be good for tomorrow.

TeamVodafone are aiming to cover the podium with chrome and red at this weekend's round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series. Both Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup are confident of challenging for the top spot at Barbagallo Raceway,near Perth for the second round of the Aussie V8 Championship.  Situated in a dry and sandy region inland from the state's capital city, the 2.415km circuit is notorious for its low grip levels, making the need to lap cleanly and consistently on the racing line paramount for drivers.  Lowndes set the current V8 Supercar qualifying record at the circuit in his first year with Triple Eight Race Engineering in 2005, and said he would be pushing for speed to ensure a clean progression through the new elimination-style qualifying format. "Barbagallo Raceway is probably the hardest track to qualify on as you have 31 cars all lapping within a second on a relatively small circuit," Lowndes said.   Two top three finishes from three races in 2006 at Barbagallo ensures the team is confident when it comes to car setup.  Jamie Whincup is coming off a particularly pleasing result at the Clipsal 500, where he stood on the podium for the first leg and finished 5th in the second to begin his championship campaign in 4th place. "I'm looking forward to racing at Barbagallo, I definitely want to improve on last year's result and build on the championship point score we earned at Adelaide."

The second of 10 weekends of the 2007 Formula TR PRO Series is complete with four of the twenty rounds of competition in the record books.  Only a week after the series last visit to California Speedway the drivers were still fresh and anxious to improve there times on the road course which includes a large section of the oval.

Timmy Megenbier and Ricky Taylor each left Sebring International Raceway with first-place hardware in the opening two rounds of the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda. Both races saw multiple lead changes, sometimes two and three per lap, due in part to the introduction this year of Handford Devices on the Skip Barber Formula 2000 racecars. The depth of talent in this year's championship had something to do with it, too. 

On the evening of Saturday 17 March 2007, Johnny Herbert, Tiff Needell, Jason Plato and Bruno Senna attended the ‘FORMULA ONE™ CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION’ PlayStation®3 Aussie Party. The event was held at 3Rooms - an exclusive bespoke designer venue for PlayStation 3 in East London - presenting guests with the opportunity to stay up and watch the Australian GP ‘live’. ‘FORMULA  ONE™  CHAMPIONSHIP  EDITION’ 

19-03-07

JAMES HUNT'S SON TO JOIN THE FORMULA FORD GRID.  Nineteen-year-old Freddie Hunt, son of 1976 World Champion James, is to race in the British Formula Ford Championship, it is announced today.Having tested several single-seaters over the winter, including Formula BMW and Formula Palmer Audi, Hunt has opted to take his first steps in motor racing with Formula Ford.Freddie last week tested the latest Van Diemen chassis at Snetterton, and signed with the championship straight after. He is talking to several teams and has yet to take a final decision about which chassis he will race. Likewise, negotiations with potential sponsors are ongoing to complete the necessary budget for the season. A further announcement will be made in due course once Freddie's funding package is finalised."I am relieved and excited to have made this decision," said Freddie, ahead of his maiden season of competition. "There is a range of racing categories for young drivers to choose from nowadays, but after long deliberations I have concluded that Formula Ford is the best option for me."The fact that my father and my uncle, David, both raced in Formula Ford is a bonus and I am proud to be carrying on the family tradition with Ford. I can't wait to get started."Mike Norton, UK Motorsport Manager for Ford TeamRS, is delighted by Freddie's decision: "We could not be happier to welcome Freddie to Formula Ford, the established training ground for Grand Prix drivers of the future.  "Freddie's late father cut his racing teeth in Formula Ford in the late '60s and James's World Championship-winning McLaren Formula 1 car was powered by Ford. It's marvellous to see another generation ready to gain vital and valuable track experience with us, just as did 50% of the drivers on the 2007 Grand Prix grid."Formula Ford celebrates its 40th anniversary this season: it was conceived in 1967 and caught on like wildfire: in 1968 there were three separate championships being organised in Britain and two years on that number had grown to seven. Formula Ford reached mainland Europe and the USA in 1969 and by 1971 had spread as far afield as Brazil.The record books read like a who's who of international motor sporting endeavour. Ayrton Senna won two British Formula Ford championships, and Formula Ford was instrumental in the development of the careers of many World Champions, not least Senna, Mansell and the most successful driver in the history of the sport, Michael Schumacher. Hunt and his fellow F1 Champions Emerson Fittipaldi, Jody Scheckter, Damon Hill and Mika Hakkinen all started in Formula Ford.The most recent graduate to be elevated to the rank of Grand Prix winner is the 1998 British Formula Ford Champion, Jenson Button.

Back in1972 one Emerson Fittipaldi (pictured right in GP masters last year) took his Lotus72 to victory in the Race of Champions at Brands Hatch while  on March 20th 2002 Giulio Alfieri, mechanical engineer with Maserati dies at the age of 77.  In 1969 the Sebring 12 hours was won by  Ickx and Oliver in a Ford GT40. while tragically 26 years ago on march 23 the great Mike Hailwood died from his injuries after a road crash two days earlier.

The BRSCC will be holding its Annual General Meeting at The Courtyard by Marriott, Bedford Road, Northampton NN4 7YF on Sunday 25th March 2007 at 2.30pm.  Along with the statutory requirements of approval of the financial statements, election of Directors and election of the Auditors, members are also given an open question and answer session after the meeting to discuss all aspects of the BRSCC.  Members will need to produce a paid up membership card in order to attend the meeting.    

Nominations for directors have now closed and members will be asked to vote for a maximum of three candidates from the following; Keith Baldwin, Iain Brown, Mike Hibbins, Rodger Tello, Gavin Wills.

CASH-BACK BOOST FOR MIGHTY MINIS RACING DRIVERS.  To celebrate its 10 year anniversary Mighty Minis Racing is launching an innovative cash back scheme. TV production company Race Television is to sponsor loyalty rewards open to all Mighty Minis and Super Mighty Minis drivers.   

When there are more than 40 cars in total on the two grids at any meeting, at least £150 will be donated to the kitty for every additional car. So, a total of 50 cars entered means £1,500 goes into the kitty. Drivers gain a credit every time they race and at the end of the season every driver with eight or more credits will get a share of the kitty. So the more they race, the bigger their share. With an initial donation of £500, Race Television and Mighty Minis Racing are making sure the scheme is off to a flying start.

Charlie Hollings (Astuti Motorsport) has been declared the race winner of the fourth and final Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 race held at Albert Park on Sunday. Hollings’ team appealed a decision - made during the race - to not penalise rival driver Tim Macrow after he allegedly passed Hollings under yellow flag conditions at turn one, on the fourth lap of the race.  Macrow had received no penalty during the race and took the chequered flag first ahead of Hollings and Walter Grubmuller.  After initially declaring that Macrow was clear of any wrongdoing and awarding him the race win, a steward’s panel overturned the provisional race results in a post-race hearing.  Macrow was penalised 1.5 seconds for overtaking under a yellow flag - relegating him to second position and leaving Hollings as the race winner.  This means that the pair now leaves the weekend with two wins and two second place finishes each.

EERC race secretary Claire Williams has registered to do the 2007 Race For Life on 20th May in Richmond-upon-Thames to raise money for Cancer Research. Claire, whose mother was recently diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer, raised £8,000 for the charity in 2006 with the generous support of many EERC & BRSCC members and this year she is aiming to top £20,000.   

Claire has made a good start with £2,000 already raised through the kind donations from EERC members at their annual Dinner & Dance in January. It’s simple to make a donation – just click the link below and following the instructions www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/claireswilliams

The first test of the Ford Fiesta Championship's newest class for Fiesta ST was a resounding success at Silverstone last Saturday 10th March. A car, owned, fettled and driven by current Fiesta Zetec Champion, Daniel Rose saw a significant amount of test miles completed on the track, all without mishap. Rose declared himself well satisfied with the test and echoed championship organiser’s thoughts that this class will add some modern glitter and impetus to the very near fully subscribed Fiesta Championship, which also has classes for the Fiesta Zetec and Fiesta Si. There are still more drivers looking for cars than cars for sale, so if anyone has one please contact Ford Racing UK on 01323 423767.

The Formula BMW UK Championship was testing at Brands Hatch last week and its new drivers got to grips with the Indy circuit ahead of their first races there in two weeks time. In the glorious sunshine, the 18 young drivers made the most of the 14 hours of track time made available over the two days. Josef Kral (Double R Racing) proved once again the man to beat clocking quickest overall times on each of the two test days. Kral commented: "It's going well and I'm happy to still be up at the top following the first test session at Rockingham. I want to win!" Carlin's Henry Surtees again emerged as one of the quickest rookies. "The last two days have been all about preparing for the first race and we've had really good sessions. It's a steep learning curve at the moment as even though I've raced here in Ginetta Junior, Formula BMW is very different." Swedish Rookie Marcus Ericsson (Fortec)topped the afternoon times reaffirming that the 2007 Rookies look ready to challenge at the front right from the start of the season.  Stephen Jelley in his Double R Racing F3 car took to the track in the lunch hour, giving drivers a close up view of the prize they are competing for. This year's Formula BMW UK Champion will also receive a test drive in the F3 car. Peter Walker, General Manager, Sports Marketing, BMW (UK) commented: "The Formula BMW UK Championship provides a fantastic introduction to competitive single seater racing and is committed to offering young drivers the chance to realise their potential. An F3 test with Double R Racing is a great incentive and will offer this season's Champion valuable experience as they pursue their F1 dream."   The final official pre-season test for all teams is at Croft on 22/23 March

17-03-07

The reigning Caterham CSR champion team of 2005 and 2006, Hyperion Motorsport,  is to return to the evo Caterham Eurocup this season to try to secure a hat-trick of victories. Signed to drive the team's Acre Jean-backed CSR 260 are former Caterham champion Oliver Bull and 18-year-old Ed Morris, the youngest ever British competitor at Le Mans.Hyperion and Ross Maxwell's Acre Jean concern won the CSR Masters teams title in its inaugural season with Jon Barnes and Luke Stevens, and triumphed again last year with Nathan Bell/Rob Jenkinson.

Northwest Autosport’s Mandarino scores top five finish in series debut. The skies let loose over Sebring yesterday afternoon for the opening round of the 2007 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, dropping several inches of rain in just a couple of hours, but Northwest Autosport drivers Lorenzo Mandarino, Eric Freiberg and Phil Fogg Jr. weathered the storm to place fifth, eleventh and thirteenth respectively.   Mandarino, from Vancouver led the charge for the team in the #23 Newway Forming Northwest Autosport Mazda. The runner-up in the Discovery Channel Star Racer driver search program, despite winning the series finale, was thrilled to post a top five finish in his series debut.  “After not getting selected as the Star Racer I was emotionally down on myself but I started talking to my sponsors and some teams and we got together with Northwest Autosport and I’m super happy with the outcome,” Mandarino explained. “The team did an excellent job all weekend, giving me every thing I needed and the car was fast.. I hadn’t driven one of these cars in the rain before so today’s race was interesting. I started eighth on the grid and by turn five I was up into fifth when a full course caution came out, as a result I came up upon the cars in front of me that had already taken the flag pretty quick and locked things up and spun through the apex and dropped back down to ninth place as a result. There was so much mist and spray out there making it difficult but on the restart I was able to gain back a couple of spots, then another and on the final lap I was able to get the inside line on the final corner and get that fifth place finish.”  Freiberg, from  Illinois, worked his way up in the race, which was shortened to 30 mins due to the conditions, despite several caution periods after starting thirteenth on the grid. “This weekend was a roller coaster,” the Lockport Township High School graduate explained. “We came in expecting to be fast and had some fuel pump difficulties which hurt us a bit. We had worked past those problems when the rain just dumped down on us two hours before the race. This was my first time running the car in the rain and after a few laps was just starting to get a feel for it when the checkered flag came  out.”   Fogg completed the finishing order for the Northwest Autosport drivers with his thirteenth place finish after starting seventeenth in the field of 32 drivers, bringing home the #29 Consonus Mazda at the top of the class for the Star Mazda Expert Series, for drivers aged 30 through 44 years of age

16-03-07

Dane Cameron breaks record with pole winning effort at Sebring.  Cameron from California, charged to the pole position for the opening round of the 2007 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear at Sebring International Raceway yesterday afternoon(Thursday), posting a time of 1:59.986 (111.03 MPH) in the #19 JDC Motorsports Pro Formula Mazda to shatter the year old record previously held by Brad Jaeger.  
Cameron, who has topped the time sheets in every session of the weekend, was pleased with his effort so far, "We've been the fastest so far in practice the past couple of days and managed to come in first today,” Cameron said. “It was pretty close out there. Towards the end, we lost some grip, but I couldn't have a better spot to start from for tomorrow. I just need to get out front, stay out front and try to get a win.” 
The front row for tomorrow's race will be an all-rookie affair as Cameron will be joined by series newcomer Marco DiLeo, brother of 2004 Sebring winner Dan DiLeo, in the #21 Ross Smith Racing Pro Formula Mazda. DiLeo, from Toronto, Canada, clocked a time of 2:00.190 (110.84 MPH)) in the session to edge out Australian James Davison in the #7 Velocity Motorsports Pro Formula Mazda by 0.039 seconds for the second position.
Ricardo Vassmer, from Caracas, Venezuela, was fourth fastest on the day in the #25 Andersen Racing Team Pro Formula Mazda with a lap of 2:00.517 (110.54 MPH) while the aforementioned Dan DiLeo will line up fifth on the grid in the #20 Ross Smith Racing Pro Formula Mazda.  ,….Qualifying times

Charlie Hollings won the first of four non-championship races in Melbourne yesterday and God Save the Queen rang out across Albert Park.  Charlie, racing for Astuti Motorsport,battled through an intense eight-lap race with poor weather conditions to win ahead of Tim Macrow and Italian driver Marco Mapelli.   Fresh from his live appearance on the motorsport programme Pit Lane TV the 24 year old Yorkshireman started in third place after qualifying but dropped back two places at the first corner. However, following the safety car period half-way through after Henri Karjalainen made contact with Charlie’s front wheel  which left the Finn in the sand trap., Hollings was up to fourth                                              Just before the caution had been called, Charlie’s Astuti team mate Walter Grubmuller, who had been pushing the leader Reindler throughout the race, made a mistake as he exited turn seven and spun, losing second place as Charlie passed him and the Italian driver Mapelli. By the sixth lap the young Brit had caught up with Reindler, just before Reindler had to serve a time penalty for a jump start, handing Hollings the lead he held to the flag.  ”It was fantastic to win my first race of the season here at the Melbourne GP with all the F1 teams and fans. It was a hard race, especially with 31 drivers in the frame, but at least I am used to a bit of rain!” said the Astuti driver.”                                                                The second F3 race in the Melbourne Grand Prix will take place in the early hours of Friday morning (GMT) with the third and fourth races contested Saturday morning and Saturday evening. The 2007 Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship continues at the Oran Park on the 21-22 April 2007.

Race results Melbourne Grand Prix Formula 3 – Race 1 (8 Laps) 

1. Charlie Hollings (Astuti Motorsport)
2. Tim Macrow (Team BRM)
3. Macro Mapelli (Team BRM)
4. James Winslow (Team Opes Prime)
5. Leanne Tander (Fleetcare TanderSport)

Ultimate Motorsport welcomed new British signing Ben Clucas for his first test as an official team driver on Thursday as preparations for the team's British F3 debut continued at full pace.The new team's distinctive orange and black car was on track at Silverstone for a three-hour test with Clucas at the wheel as the much-changed British Formula Three International series was given its official media launch at the team's home circuit.Ultimate Motorsport Team Principal Simon Armstrong said: "We had a productive day and were able to continue our focus on the development of the Mygale car now that our driver line-up is confirmed.  "We are delighted to have confirmed Ben officially and he worked with the whole team very professionally as we continued to drive through the usual processes involved with developing a new car and team. "We made some good progress and completed a full test programme. The car responded to the changes we made and the engineers have acquired further data on which to build our understanding of the car."               Ultimate Motorsport ran just one car at Silverstone because Esteban Guerrieri, who was signed before the team's February launch, was absent due to family issues but there was still plenty of mileage put in by the end of the short three-hour session.

The 2007 Lloyds TSB Insurance British F3 International Series was officially launched at Silverstone yesterday(Thursday)with a flurry of last minute entries pushing the grid to 33 entries for the season.   British F3 will also live up to it's 'International' title with 20 countries across the globe represented.    The Championship Class will feature 22 cars, with 2006 race winner Maro Engel confirming at Carlin this morning. The National Class has been boosted to 11 cars for 2007, an 85% increase on last season, with 'Frankie' Cheng and Salman Al Khalifa signing up today to drive for Performance Racing and Promatecme.

The World Series Formula Renault 3.5 teams continued their pre-season preparations at the Barcelona circuit today with a second day of collective testing. Davide Valsecchi (Epsilon Euskadi) took the best overall time in the morning, with Mikhail Aleshin (Carlin Motorsport) and Alvaro Parente (Tech 1 Racing) completing the top three in the first session.

Franck Perera will get a chance to fly this season with Condor Motorsports. Perera, from Montpellier in France  has signed to drive with the Condor team in the 2007 Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda. The announcement comes on the heels of Perera's dynamic Atlantic debut last week at Champ Car Spring Training in Monterey, California, and it immediately makes the talented racer a top contender for this season's series title.

Carlin has signed Maro Engel to compete in the 2007 British F3 championship. The last minute signing brings the championship winning team to five entries this year, with Engel joining the existing line up of Sam Bird, Alberto Valerio, Niall Breen and former team mate Mario Moraes.      Engel put in a strong performance last season with Carlin, to record eight podium positions, including four second places and one win to finish fifth in the championship.

Toyota's ace Kazuya Oshima (TOM'S) was quickest  with a record breaking lap in the second day of All-Japan Formula 3 Championship official test at Suzuka Circuit.  Testing in better conditions than day one saw all three of TOM'S drivers,  Oshima, Oliver Jarvis and Hiroaki Ishiura put in a good performance.   In the morning Oshima drove his TDP TOM'S F307 using the new spec 1AZ-FE engine setting a new (unofficial) lap record of 1'53.189.  Second was Honda's Kodai Tsukakoshi, some 0.8 secs down, Oshima's team-mate Ishiura was the third with Takuya Izawa (Honda Team Real) and Yuki Nakayama (Honda Toda Racing) fourth and fifth. In the afternoon TOM'S drivers continued to lead with Oshima, Jarvis and Ishiura quickest with Tsukakoshi and Izawa next up.   The opening round of 2007 All-Japan Formula 3 Championship will be held as Formula Nippon support race at Fuji Speedway on 31 Mar and 1 Apr.

As biggest Team of Formula BMW in 2007 GU-Racing will also run 4 test-drivers. 2 test-driver are confirmed while team-principal Günther Unterreitmeier is still on the look out for the other two.  This means that GU-Racing offers a useful test-package for  drivers planning  FBMW in 2008. The deal includes 10 test-days where the drivers are prepared for the FBMW scholarship in Valencia.  .The  drivers can also present themselves as test-drivers of GU-Racing and they can invite potential sponsors to race-weekends.

Marco Werner returned to the American Le Mans Series in top form by grabbing the 55th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring pole with a lap of 1:44.974 (126.889mph) for a new LM P1 qualifying record in the No. 2 Audi R10 TDI.   "We are very well prepared," commented Werner who landed his first pole at Sebring. "Practice before qualifying went very well." Second in P1 will be the Audi Sport North America sister car belonging to last year's P1 title holders, Rinaldo Capello and Allan McNish. Joining them in the Audi R10 TDI will be 7 time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen.  Capello ‘s time of 1:45.326 was just 0.352-seconds adrift of Werner.  "I waited a couple of laps for the track to be clean," Werner said. "I peaked in my first lap, that was the limit for