|
The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
 |
|
The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
|
|
|
|
|
What's on? 11 - 13 Sahkir Bahrain – F1 13-14 March Sakhir Bahrain – GP2 Asia Sao Paulo – Indycar 13 March – Brands Hatch – Britcar 16-20 March Sebring – ALMS, Atlantic 20 March – Bristol – NASCAR Nationwide Series 20-21 March PF Int, Lincolnshire – Roax Super One Karts 26-28 March Melbourne – F1, V8 Supercars, FFord 27 March Oulton Park BARC 27-28 March Pembrey - BARC Brands Hatch Indy - MSVR 28 March Braga Portugal – FIA ETCC St Petersburg – Indycar Martinsville - NASCAR 3-5 April Oulton Park - F3 Nogaro – F Reanult Yas Marina – FIA GT 3 April Cadwell Park - BARC 4-5 April Silverstone - Superleague Formula Thruxton - BTCC 5 April Snetterton - AMOC Castle Combe - CCRC 9-11 Virginia Int Raceway – F2000 10-11 April Paul Ricard – LMS Rockingham – BARC Snetterton – CSCC Symmons Plains – Australian F3 Barber Motorsports Park - Indycar Brands Hatch Indy – MGCC 11 April Cadwell - HSCC
Get your car insurance quote online from Compare the Market Cheap car insurance quotes from Quoteline Direct
Photographers Power Images Photography www.power-images.co.uk Dennis Goodwin Photography http://www.dennisg-photography.co.uk/ www.raceinstructors.com UK based race driving instructors website ARPRO® improves impact resistance in motorsport Classified
Championship winning team, Unitec Motorsport, are seeking to complete their 2010 line-up and currently have 2 drives available for the 2010 BRSCC FF1600 National Championship. So for prospective drivers, to ensure that you're at the sharp-end of such a highly regarded championship, why not take advantage of one of Unitec Motorsport's drive offers. If you are serious about your racing and feel as though FF1600 is the category for you in 2010, then this opportunity is far too good to miss. read more Motorsports-Events can now offer your son or daughter a chance to learn to drive at their airfield events. This is an opportunity for junior drivers aged 12 -16 to be taught the basics and get a head start with learning all important driving skills.
Souriau to launch “convenience” and “performance” motorsport connectors at Autosport International read more
Zircotec coating cools hot racing cars Zircotec presents new range of colours and finishes for high-technology ceramic coating A new range of colours and metallic finishes is being developed by Zircotec for its successful plasma-sprayed ceramic coating. …read more
A cost-effective tyre pressure monitoring system for touring cars has been developed by industry leaders BERU f1systems. Specifically for closed- wheel, road car-derived saloons and sports cars, the system provides accurate tyre pressure and temperature information for drivers and engineers to optimise tyre pressures and wear, as well as offering puncture detection…more
|
Club Racers mail your news to editorthegrid@yahoo.co.uk NEWS 11/03/2010 Porsche Carrera Cup GB: Tom Bradshaw, one of last year’s Scholarship drivers, has signed to race with the JHR team in the 2010 Porsche Carrera Cup GB. Bradshaw will lead the JHR squad and has race wins and a bid for the championship as his goals for the coming season. The Blackburn racer finished eighth in the overall standings last season and is delighted to get the chance to build on his first year of Carrera Cup experience. "I'm very fortunate that the team has helped me put this deal together," said Bradshaw. "It is absolutely brilliant news and I can't wait to get started with JHR. The aim is to win some races and be at the sharp end of the championship. I want to build on last year's experience and build my consistency." Team manager Paul Leach is delighted to have the young charger on his squad. "He's had his learning and was very quick towards the end of 2009. The aim is race wins and a challenge for the title," said Leach. "We're very excited to have Tom on board and we feel we have a potential tile contender in the team." The team is now into a pre-season testing programme and Mark Hazell, the JHR contender in pro-am2, had a strong day of running at Brands Hatch yesterday (Wednesday 10 March). "Mark had an excellent day and set some very encouraging times without running new tyres," said Leach. Porsche Club: Peter Morris and Richard Lambert, both former class champions and the 2004 title challengers, have signed to challenge for Class One and outright honours in the 2010 Porsche Club Championship. Morris was Class One champion in 2004, while Lambert won dominated Class Two and took the overall title at the end of the season. Morris has been a long term supporter of Porsche Club GB’s race activities, having made his race debut with the club, and now supports the series through his PMC Midlands Ltd building company – and puts up a trophy for the final round of each season. Having raced in national GTs, Towcester-based Morris returned to Porsche Club racing in the final two meetings of 2009, testing a newly built-up 968CS in preparation for his 2010 assault. “I’m really looking forward to the season,“ says 50-year-old Morris. “The Porsche Club is really competitive value for money racing where you can race hard in a friendly environment. We tested the car at Silverstone and were pleased with the times and it felt good, so I am looking forward to the first race.” Lambert returned to Porsche Club action in 2009 with a 964 C2 he imported from the US . Run by Jaz Motorsport, last season Lambert did selected races in his new mount, and now the St Albans racer is chasing his first ever outright victory, having come close to an overall win several times in his Class Two career. “We have a new baby so it will be a limited season for me,” says Lambert, “and our first race will be at Zolder. I’ve never been there before so that will be new for me, and we will try to do as many rounds as possible.” The 2010 Porsche Club Championship opening round is at Brands Hatch on April 10th.
The FFSA French Karting Championship 2010 (Grand Prix Open) is a series like no other, both national and international. It also promises to be a success with the direction followed by the Federation and the interest shown already by a number of drivers and professionals. Given the challenge of these difficult economic times, the FFSA have kept a lid on the costs with GPOs less expensive this year and more open and more accessible at the different levels of competition. The FFSA Grand Prix Open Karting events offer an excellent opportunity to race in the international categories - KF2, KF3 and KZ2 either to race against top level competition or just to race at a reasonable cost. Thanks to FFSA’s efforts, the budget for a GPO season remains affordable in the CIK categories. With the debut of the Mini/Cadet, Nationale, Rotax and X30 categories, each round will host different groups of participants, thereby providing an interesting show for the public and all the people accompanying drivers. The FFSA have also reduced the tyre bill for competitors by offering a full set of racing tyres per meeting, that is a 50% bonus on this item. According to the contract awarded to Bridgestone last year (for a three-year period), the Japanese manufacturer will provide tyres type YKC for KF3, YKB for KF2 and KZ2, and YKP for all drivers in wet conditions. The second important point is the Championships standings will take 8 out of 10 results into account, this allows drivers and teams to miss one weekend without losing out in the title stakes. The FFSA has also shown its willingness to be more open by including important Cups in the calendar. The French Cups Rotax and Rotax Master, X30 and X30 Gentleman will be added to the GPO programme as well as the French Cups Mini and Cadet and the French Championship of the National category. The relevant registration procedures will be communicated by the FFSA soon.
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0: Kalle Kulmanen has been confirmed as MP Motorsport’s third driver for the 2010 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Championship – the team’s potential four car line-up nearing completion with just over five weeks remaining until the start of the season. The 18-year-old, from Tampere in Finland, has chosen to make the step-up to Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 this year with the front-running Dutch squad having spent the past two years racing in the Finnish Formula Renault 2.0 Championship. Ending last year fourth overall in the standings, Kulmanen also made his competitive debut in Formula Renault 2.0 NEC and Formula Renault 2.0 Sweden. Prior to his car racing graduation, the teenager had a successful karting career. Commenting on Kulmanen’s signing, MP Motorsport’s Sander Dorsman said: “We’re delighted to have secured Kalle to be our third driver for the coming season. It’s great news for us to have filled three of our cars with more than a month to go until the beginning of the new championship. We do have the potential to run four cars though, so we’re still on the look-out for an additional driver.Kalle is obviously totally new to Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 so we’re not expecting too much initially. He needs to get used to the new car first and then make steady improvements during the next few weeks as we head towards the first race of the season.”
Preparations for the Formula Renault 2.0 season continued this week with two days of testing at the Barcelona circuit. Like at Valencia, Daniel Mancinelli (One Racing) came away with the best time, beating the Formula Renault 2.0 lap record for the circuit. The Italian driver finished ahead of Luciano Bacheta (Interwetten) and Arthur Pic (SG Formula). On Tuesday morning, surprisingly, snow fell on the Catalunya circuit and the track was iced up in places meaning testing was not an option in the morning. By 2pm things warmed up allowing a green light at the pit exit. Once the cars emerged lap times came down regularly throughout the first hour, with Luciano Bacheta going to the top with 1'48''784. Miki Wekstrom (Koiranen Bros Motorsport) and Alex Riberas (Epsilon Euskadi) took turns to oust Bacheta from first place but the Italian came back stronger and did a 1'45''826. However in the last few minutes things changed with Aaro Vainio (SG Formula) posting a 1'45''811. The Finnish young gun finally surrendered the best time Adam Kout (Krenek Motorsport) who did a 1'45''801, the Czech driver finishing top the timesheets ahead of Aaro Vainio, Luciano Bacheta, Bart Hylkema (Koiranan Bros Motorsport) and Miki Weckstrom. Weather conditions were more settled on Wednesday, and performances inmproved over day 1. Vainio took the lead early on but it was Luchiano Bacheta who was first to get near then beat the previous day's times with a 1'44''849. Miguel Otegui (Epsilon Euskadi) then went above the Interwetten driver before Luciano Bacheta took the quickest lap of the morning in 1'44''566, ahead of Miguel Otegui and Daniel de Jong (MP Motorsport). In the final session teams devoted the start of the afternoon to setups before fitting fresh tires allowing Bacheta to beat the F Renault 2.0 lap record with a 1'44''086. At the end of the session, Daniel Mancinelli went even faster, lapping in 1'43''691, the only driver to dip below the 1'44 mark and was able to walk away from Barcelona with the best time overall, just as in Valencia. Formula 2: Jolyon Palmer has confirmed that he will return to the Formula Two line-up in 2010 for his second year in the F1 feeder series. Jolyon graduated to Formula 2 last season after finishing third in the 2008 Formula Palmer Audi Championship. One of the youngest competitors in the 2009 F2 field, he made a promising start to the season when he recorded his first top ten finish in the second round at Brno in the Czech Republic. The Comma-backed Briton also joined F2 for all four days of winter testing, setting the fastest time of day two at Portimao, Portugal. Palmer admits he will be looking to launch himself towards the front of the field this year. Jolyon Palmer said: "Last season was a little disappointing for me until towards the end of the year when I scored my first points. I was also quick during winter testing and hopefully I can carry this momentum into my second F2 campaign. The testing in Portimao in December was particularly competitive and I went really well there, so this is hopefully a good sign that I can run at the front and get my first win in F2 this season. I am used to the one team environment having been in FPA previously and then in F2, and I really feel I can get the best out of it. I will start the season on a race by race basis to see where I stand compared to the other drivers, but I really feel that I have the potential to be a contender and if things go my way, maybe even win the title." Historic Sportscar Racing's (HSR) season-opener at Sebring International Raceway (SIR) got off to a great start with nearly 200 vintage and classic cars featured in nine classes, competing over three days. Read report 10-03-10
Atech Grand Prix topped the times at its home track of Silverstone on Tuesday with Hungarian Tamás Pál Kiss fastest at the second official test ahead of the 2010 Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship. The 18 year-old, who’s backed by energy drink Hell, was second quickest in the morning session but jumped to the top of the time sheets in the afternoon, to end the day quickest overall. His team-mate Briton Nick Yelloly, runner up in the end-of-season Winter Cup, was fifth in both sessions, however was relegated to sixth overall at the end of the day. Team Principal David Hayle was delighted with the performance of both drivers as they now look to continue the programme at Rockingham Motor Speedway next week. “Tamás continued his good form today and completed a significant number of quick laps which sets him up well for the season. Nick too was fifth in both the morning and afternoon sessions, and I’m confident that when the season kicks off at Thruxton next month, both drivers will be right on the pace.” For Pál Kiss, the results marked his first time at the top of the leader board. “It was a good test today and I was really happy with the team, the whole thing worked really well, I really enjoy every minute being with them,” said Tamás. “They take the whole thing very seriously and are very professional and I think that shows in our performance today.We head to Rockingham next week where I don’t have that much experience. However I now feel very confident with the car and team and so I will do my best and hope that it’s enough.”
WTCC: The FIA, in agreement with promoter KSO, has decided to cancel the second event in the 2010 FIA World Touring Car Championship scheduled to take place in Puebla, Mexico, on April 11th. The FIA’s decision is based on security reports from the region and follows close consultation and guidance from OMDAI, the Mexican National Sporting Authority.
Superleague Formula: Atech Grand Prix has confirmed that Dutchman Yelmer Buurman will contest the 2010 Superleague Formula by Sonangol series under the AC Milan banner. The Silverstone-based team won the title last year with Liverpool FC and Adrian Vallés, and is the first team to confirm a driver in the series. Team Principal David Hayle is excited about the prospect of working with 23 year-old Buurman who finished second in the inaugural season of Superleague Formula and took fourth place last year. “I’m very pleased to have finally penned a deal with Yelmer who I’ve known from his Formula Renault days,” said Hayle. “Over the years I’ve watched him grow up and over the last two seasons he has proven to be a particularly strong contender in Superleague Formula, finishing second and fourth. This season we’ll be looking to go one stage further with him and I expect him to be in the fight for the championship.” In 2009, Buurman drove in the GP2 Asia series as well as in Superleague Formula, where he finished fourth in the final standings driving for RSC Anderlecht. He won two races in the final round of the series at Jarama. Buurman is relishing the prospect when the series kicks off next month. “I am happy to be back in Superleague Formula with last year’s championship-winning team and I look forward to scoring for a top club,” said Buurman. “After being second and fourth in the championship over the last two years I will now go for the top. I only have one aim and that is winning the championship for and with AC Milan. I am ready for it and I’d like to thank everyone at Atech GP for their confidence in my capabilities.” The 2010 Superleague Formula by Sonangol gets underway with the opening round at Silverstone over Easter weekend 3/4 April.
Hayden Duerson, 18, has signed with Juncos Racing for the first two races of the 2010 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear. "I am very excited to be competing in the Star Mazda Championship with Juncos Racing," said Duerson. "I am looking forward to working with my teammates, Conor Daly and Tatiana Calderon, and I believe with the help of Ricardo and the great team of people he has put together, we will be very competitive this year." From 2005-2007, Duerson was a member of the Italian Motors karting team. In 2008, Duerson entered in the Skip Barber National Series alongside Conor Daly. Duerson will make his debut in Star Mazda at Sebring on March 19. 09-03-10 Sir Stirling Moss is recovering in Hospital after he fell 3 floors down the lift shaft at his London home. Sir Stirling, 80, has broken ankles, damaged feet and chipped vertebrae but it is not considered a life-threatening. The lift in his house malfunctioned and got stuck on the fourth floor as Moss stepped into the shaft on the third floor when the door opened in error and he fell all the way to the concrete base. “Amazingly he did not suffer any internal injuries," confirmed BRDC secretary Stuart Pringle. "Lady (Susan) Moss has just telephoned me and although Sir Stirling is not in good shape, he is no longer in danger," he added.
Formula 3: Motul Oil UK have announced expansion of their sponsorship with Team West-Tec. The team will take to the grid in the National Class of the 2010 British International Formula 3 Championship, the cars carrying the French oil companie’s striking Motul livery and their famous red and white colours into the series this year. Renowned for their expertise with synthetic lubricants and the design and manufacture of high performance lubricants for motorsport, Motul's partnership will further enhance their brand and technical credentials in this highly competitive and prestigious championship. Gareth Burnett Managing Director of Pace Products, Motul's UK distributor said "We are delighted to have extended our partnership to become Motul Team West-Tec and add this to Motul's worldwide partnerships in motorsport which are the proving ground for our products. The pedigree of British Formula 3 speaks for itself and we look forward to seeing Motul Team West-Tec challenging for the National Class championship this year." Motul Team West-Tec's John Miller added "We are extremely pleased to have developed our sponsorship with Motul this year and represent this world famous and iconic motorsport brand. Our partnership with Motul also provides us with their superb range of products and access to their expert analysis and laboratory facilities which allows us to maximise our cars performance on the race track."
LMS: The Official Test has been the final rehearsal before the season kicks off at Paul Ricard later this month. Testing went well for Team ORECA Matmut with Soheil Ayari fastest overall in the ORECA 01-AIM followed by Olivier Panis, second in the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP. Danny Watts set the best time in LMP2, while Stefan Mucke ruled the GT1 class and Richard Westbrook did the same in the GT2 class. The weather conditions were difficult on both days, withj high winds and very low temperatures affecting the driving. Nevertheless the track remained dry. Oreca Matmut and Strakka Shine - Testing form is notoriously difficult to read - you never know for certain what fuel load or set-up a team is running at any one particular time. Despite an engine problem, Soheil Ayari, Didier Andre and Andy Meyrick drove well allowing the ORECA 01 - AIM to set the best time, but the signs are that they will have fearsome opposition. Soheil Ayari declared: "We did a good job. We tested many different kinds of tires and we found interesting things. The car is faster than last year and it is always a pleasure to top the time-sheets!" Team ORECA Matmut has very high hopes for their new Peugeot 908 HDi FAP that was unveiled two days ago in its brand-new livery. Olivier Panis, Nicolas Lapierre and Loic Duval had a productive first day with the most laps of the circuit under their wheels and the second fastest time in the two-day session. Meanwhile, Rebellion Racing is now focusing only on the LMP1 class with two Lolas-Rebellion and a very impressive drivers' line-up.(see separate story below) The prototypes set the third and fourth time while Marco Andretti was busy learning the track. We are used to Strakka Racing topping the time-sheets after the pole last year in Barcelona at the start of the season, but this time they are in LMP2 with the Honda Performance Development prototype. This car already has an impressive record of victories, but this is the very first time that it has run in an official event in Europe. During this two-day session, Danny Watts chalked up the best time in the class, but above all, the car has been very reliable, which is promising for the competition in the class, especially with the defending champion Quifel-ASM Team. Though the mood remained optimistic in the Portuguese camp, the season should be tougher than last year for Miguel Amaral and Olivier Pla, who couldn't do better than second, all the more so as Team RML is not too far behind with their Lola now running Dunlop tyres. In the Formula Le Mans class, the test days at Le Castellet saw Team Boutsen Energy Racing and Team DAMS almost evenly matched before Hope Pole Vision Racing set the best time. On the International Women's Day, the young French driver Corentine Quiniou made her debut on a Formula Le Mans, but could not make the most of the car because of a lack of grip. The GT1 class was well represented thanks to the three Fords. One of them (the Matech Competition's one) will participate to the 1000 Km of Spa-Francorchamps. The drivers line up will be 100% made of ladies! The Larbre Competition Saleen stayed only one day, but has been able to keep up with the pace. The dual between Porsche and Ferrari has been exciting for two days, and the German car-maker was fastest thanks to Prospeed Competition and Richard Westbrook. CRS Racing is very close and Pierre Kaffer and his Ferrari did their best time in the last lap. Knowing the circuit might have definitely helped Jaime Melo and Gianmaria Bruni and their AF Corse Ferrari F430: they completed their planned program with no problems and chalked up the third time. The fight between the GT2s is always fierce with many cars able to bring the trophy home. This season should meet the race-fans' expectations with several cars within one second. Jean Alesi and Giancarlo Fisichella had a good start. The Italian driver said at the Press Conference: "I know that I have a lot to learn because the GT car is fully different from a Formula One car, but I am very happy to be here for a new challenge." Greg and Leo Mansell join a growing group of second generation racers keen to emulate the successes of their fathers. The Mansell family didn't miss it’s entrance with the fifth time, and the father and sons could achieve their work program and should stay in ambush for the whole season.
The CRS Racing LMS squad has been out for two days at Paul Ricard, taking part in the official Le Mans Series pre-season test. Andrew Kirkaldy, Tim Mullen and Nicola Larini drove the 2010-spec No.91 CRS Ferrari 430. Pierre Ehret, Phil Quaife and Pierre Kaffer drove the Michelotto test car and will soon get their hands on the No.90 CRS Ferrari, which is being prepared for the new season. Despite the bitterly cold weather, the team managed to complete its test programme and is now looking forward to what promises to be a competitive first season in the Le Mans Series. This test was the first opportunity for CRS to run the Ferrari 430s in the new 2010 specification. Andrew Kirkaldy, who ran in second place for most of the first session on Sunday, explains the changes. "The 2010 car has bigger tyres, an engine upgrade and a higher weight limit," he said. "It definitely feels good and now we just need to do some more work on the set-up. Overall this has been a useful test for us. We have quite a few new team members and it has been good to see them all working together well from day one." Darren Turner is all set for a busy year after it was announced that he has joined JMW Motorsport for a full-season assault on the LMS. The British driver teams up with Rob Bell to race the No.92 Aston Martin Vantage for Jim McWhirter's championship-winning team. The Le Mans Series season fits in neatly around Darren's drive in the FIA GT1 World Championship for the Young Driver AMR Team and, of course, the Le Mans 24 Hours, which will see him back behind the wheel of the Aston Martin LMP1 car. "We are delighted to announce that, with the support of Aston Martin Racing, we have secured the services of Darren Turner for the full five-race LMS championship," said McWhirter. "This underlines our commitment to this championship and adds yet another strength to our very motivated team ethos. Darren brings a wealth of experience to the team as well as a working knowledge of the Vantage V8 GT2." Turner said, "I'm very happy to be joining JMW Motorsport for 2010,the team has already won the LMS GT2 title twice, outlining their winning capabilities. It's good to be teaming up with Rob again as we have won together before. I'm also looking forward to working with Dunlop who have a very competitive tyre in GT2 and have already achieved great success with JMW." Indy Lights: Andersen Racing will field a car for 21-year-old Carmen Jorda of Alcoy, Spain in Firestone Indy Lights this year. Jorda competed in the European Formula 3 Open Series and the Formula 3 Open Copa de España last year with two podiums in the latter series. She also made three starts in the LMP2 class of the Le Mans Series in 2009. Jorda tested with Andersen Racing at both Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama and Sebring International Raceway. Her first race as a member of the Palmetto based team will be March 28 on the street course at St. Petersburg, Florida. "I'm really excited to be racing in America this year!" Jorda said. "Firestone Indy Lights provides a different challenge to what I am used to in Europe, but I am very much looking forward to the journey. Andersen Racing is fantastic!" she added. "I have really enjoyed working with my engineer, Walter Preston, and all of the team members. We still have some important tests coming up before the season gets underway in St. Petersburg, but I am confident we will be ready. All of the tracks will be new for me, but this is something which I have to deal with," she continued. "I am sure the experience of the team will help me on this front." Jorda's goal is to reach the IZOD IndyCar Series and compete in the Indianapolis 500. "Racing at Indianapolis will be a highlight for me this year," she said, referring to the Firestone Freedom 100, a Firestone Indy Lights race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 28 prior to the Indy 500. Jorda will celebrate her 22nd birthday that day. FRMC: New Tyres can really help and Jason von Kluge used the new-specification BFGoodrich g-Force R1 tyre to excellent effect as he scored two convincing Ford Racing Mustang Challenge race victories at Homestead Miami Speedway to open the 2010 championship in strong style. In the opening race he had to battle hard in the end to earn his first race win over a hard charging Tony Buffomante. Dan Aweida finished in third. In race 2 he was joined on the podium in by pole-sitter Pratt Cole, with George Winkler emerging from a thrilling race with Dan Aweida to take third Read report 08-03-10
WTCC: History repeated in Brazil with Yvan Muller and Gabriele Tarquini taking a victory apiece for the second year in succession in Curitiba and leaving Brazil as joint leaders of the Drivers Championship, the only difference being the teams they are competing for. The Chevrolet team commanded Race 1 with all three of their drivers filling the podium. The good points haul means the USA brand comes away from Curitiba leading the Manufacturers' Championship with 70 points. All eyes were on the newly formed SEAT customer team, SR-Sport, to see what they had to offer. Race 1 provided a best result of fourth with Tarquini, but the defending champion came fighting back in Race 2 to take victory ahead of team mate Jordi Gene and making it a satisfactory end to the weekend for the team. BMW Team RBM struggled on race day after the weather went against them despite being the pace setters for most of the weekend. Local boy Augusto Farfus had to settle for two sixth places, while Andy Priaulx was forced out of the second race after a clash with his team-mate. The newcomers were impressive. Norbert Michelisz and Michel Nykjær showed they can chase the most experienced drivers, Fredy Barth opened the roll of honour of the new Rookie Challenge, while Darryl O'Young fought for the Independents' victory in Race 1 with Stefano D'Aste and Sergio Hernandez. Grand-Am: Scott Pruett held off a late charge by David Donohue to win Saturday's Grand Prix of Miami, Round 2 of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16. Pruett and Memo Rojas scored their second victory in three years at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the No. 01 TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates BMW Riley, holding off the No. 59 Brumos Porsche Riley of Donohue and pole winner Darren Law by .255 seconds. In GT, Jeff Segal passed SpeedSource teammate Sylvain Tremblay on the race's lone restart with 13 minutes remaining and went on to win in the No. 69 FXDD Mazda RX-8. It was the third triumph in the last six races for Segal and Emil Assentato. Read report
Porsche Carrera Cup Asia : Two-time Porsche Carrera Cup Asia champions Team Jebsen have signed Macau’s Rodolfo Avila to it’s line-up for its 2010 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia campaign. For Team Jebsen, this will be their sixth full season in the series having won the championship twice, in 2006 and 2008. Avila takes over the steering wheel from the team's former driver, Darryl O'Young, 29, who is this year contesting a full season of the FIA WTCC. Jebsen and Co Ltd Group Director, Mark Bishop said: "We are very pleased to welcome Rodolfo to Team Jebsen and to have the opportunity to nurture another exciting young talent, having seen Darryl develop together with the team to become a double PCCA champion. We have no doubt Rodolfo has the skill, commitment and potential to achieve similar success. At the same time, we are delighted that Darryl's success has given him the opportunity to contest a full season of the prestigious FIA WTCC, as we know that that has always been an ambition for him." For Avila, the chance to join the winning Team Jebsen represents another major step forward in his career: "I'm really looking forward to racing with Team Jebsen, and extremely excited to have this fantastic opportunity to work one of the best sportscar racing teams in Asia. We will be up against some strong competition, but I have every confidence that together we can achieve outstanding results." Silverstone promises a ‘better experience’ for MotoGP fans, at affordable prices - New circuit layout, with improved spectator viewing - Three day festival of world class racing and action packed entertainment - Improved experience for fans, at affordable prices - Adult tickets start at £12. Race day tickets from as little as £44 (£12 for children*)…read more
For earlier news click on March & February Archives The opinions expressed on this site are not necessarily shared by 11/56 MotorSport or any of theGrid team Material Copyright © 2008 11/56 MotorSport
|
.jpg)
Karts:.jpg)
As
LMS
Formula
Renault UK: Atech GP’s Tama’s Pa’l Kiss headed
the timesheets during the second official pre-season test for
the Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship at Silverstone
National circuit on Tuesday, 9th March. The 18-year-old
Hungarian racer, now in his second season after finishing as the
third highest Graduate Cup driver last year, recorded a best
time of 53.374s (110.54mph average) around the 1.64-mile circuit
– a full second quicker than the current lap record (54.386s –
James Calado).Meanwhile Scottish racer Lewis Williamson in the
Manor Competition run car was again among the quickest drivers
ending the day as the second fastest driver with a time of
53.401s.Brazilian Fabio Gamberini posted the fastest Graduate
Cup time with a 53.978s in his Mark Burdett Motorsport run car.
The day’s first session saw CRS Racing’s Harry Tincknell set the
early pace with a time of 53.627s closely followed by Pa’l Kiss,
Williamson and Manor Competition’s Will Stevens who went
quickest during the first official pre-season test at Brands
Hatch Indy last week. There were also strong times set by Atech
GP’s Nick Yelloly, Fortec Motorsport’s Ollie Millroy and
team-mate Swede Tom Blomqvist.The afternoon session though
belonged to Pa’l Kiss who used fresh rubber to set his best time
on his 38th lap of 48 completed. Williamson and Stevens both ran
well but were unable to match the Hungarian racer. Along with
Gamberini, karting star CRS Racing’s Robert Foster-Jones also
finished inside the top 10 for the day as did Manor
Competition’s Josh Mulholland.The day also provided the
opportunity for the Championship’s latest registered drivers to
get some valuable track time. Joe Crook joins Scorpio Motorsport
after moving up from the Protyre Formula Renault BARC
Championship in which he finished 10th. Meanwhile Fortec
Motorsport have completed their four-car line-up with the
signing of Chrissy Palmer. 
With
the official Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 pre-season now in full
swing
Formula3:
F2000:
FBMW:
Michelin
Formula Renault UK
Manor
Competition continued its strong start
Thomas
Hylkema continued his pre-season preparations
Grand-Am:
LMS:
The
Karts
Star
Mazda:
Silverstone
GP3:
Volkswagen
Racing Cup
On
the 7-8 March, REBELLION Racing attended the 2010 Le Mans
driver
trio is very homogeneous, both in terms of feedback and size.
And most importantly, we understand each other very well, which
bodes well for races like Le Mans 24 Hours. We still have to
work before realising all the performance of our cars. But we
will start the season with a team ready for the challenge. " Neel
Jani: "Despite the cold conditions this weekend, we managed to
find our tyre choice. I am pleased to have Marco in our team. I
knew he was a good driver. We now have confirmation that we can
aim at the highest level with the Lola-Rebellion. " Andrea
Belicchi: "I'm happy with what we achieved here at Paul Ricard.
We had no technical problems during these tests. The engine
seems reliable. We are moving in the right direction. We were
able to test and validate the tyre choice that we will use for
the first races of the season. " Jean-Christophe Boullion: "We
made good progress on the car technically both on the set-up and
on the comfort of driving. As always, we would have liked to
continue to work one or two more days on the development of the
car. Communication between drivers is excellent. The two cars
experienced the same progression bringing us to solutions that
are very close to each other. " The team feels ready to face
their rivals in the opening round of the Le Mans Series (10 and
11 April) at the 8 Hours of Paul Ricard.
Historics:
Skip
Barber: Daniel Lloyd made a great start to his
single-seater career 
FMBW:
LMS:
Sportscar
driver Karim Ajlani