| |
RACING FROM A FANS PERSPECTIVE - |
|
|
EXPERIENCES HOME EVENTS 2007 EVENTS 2008 EVENTS 2009 EVENTS 2010 IMAGES 2007 IMAGES 2008 IMAGES 2009 IMAGES 2010 ARCHIVES INDEX
NEWS LATEST NEWS NEWS BLOG NEWS RSS INDUSTRY NEWS RACE SCHEDULES CALENDAR WEATHER RADAR
TRACKS MOSPORT C. M. SPEEDWAY
SPORTS CAR 24 HOUR LE MANS ALMS ASIAN LMS BMW M1 PROCAR CCTCC DTM GT CHALLENGE LE MANS SERIES ONT GT SPRINTS SCCA WC SPEED WC-TC TRANS-AM
OPEN WHEEL A1GP ATLANTIC BMW AMERICAS FORMULA 1 FORMULA 1200 FORMULA 2 FORMULA 2000 FORMULA LIBRE INDYCAR INDY LIGHTS OFFC
STOCK CAR 6 OR LESS CAN VINTAGE MOD CUP LITES LATE MODEL MODIFIED NCATS ONT LEGENDS OSS PRO CHALLENGE SPORTSMAN
RALLY CANADIAN RALLY DAKAR RALLY TARGA NL WRC
MEDIA AUTOSPORTBLOG BLEACHER GREEN AUTO CLASSIC CLASSIC EVENTS CLASSIC PICTURES INSIDE TRACK JALOPNIK MOTORSPORT SCCA/PRO SPEED
SERVICES CONTACT US LINKS GIFT STORE
LINKS
|
MOTORSPORTS RACING NEWSNews about local racing series, events and drivers
LATEST WORLD RACING NEWS HEADLINESDTM tyres: a challenging task on a new asphalt Five Audis up front at Brands Hatch F2000 Championship: Nicholas Leads Twilight Testing at Mid-Ohio USF2000: 2011 Winterfest Race Series Announced Italy preview quotes - McLaren, BMW Sauber, Mercedes GP & more Stereophonics to headline F1 Rocks™ in Italy Livengood Paces Practice 1: 1:23.9 Mid-Ohio Testing: Nicholas Fastest, Carbone Solid Points analysis: How Loeb could clinch the 2010 WRC title in Japan Q&A with the DTM Motorsport Directors OSCAAR Heads To Peterborough Speedway With The Return of Dave Taylor and Debut F.. Superleague: Charity Karting Event Organized for van der Drift F2000 Championship: Quantum Racing to Skip Season Finale Skip Barber: Three National Series Racers Set fo Team USA Scholarship Shoot-Out F2000 Championship: Title Comes Down to Mid-Ohio Season-Finale The Insider: Open Wheel News and Rumors 
December 22, 2009- THE DAKAR RALLY - GLOBAL MEDIA EVENT OF SUPERLATIVE NATURE December 1, 2009- GRANDE BRASILE TAKES "DAKAR" WINNER VOLKSWAGWN TO SOUTH AMERICA October 23, 2009- UNIQUE FAREWELL GIFT FOR TOM KRISTENSEN August 4, 2009- F1 RETURNS TO MONTREAL IN 2010 SAYS ECCLESTONE July 29, 2009- BMW TO EXIT FORMULA ONE AT END OF 2009 SEASON July 19, 2009- HENRY SURTEES INJURED AT BRANDS HATCH July 4, 2009- "SERTOES IS AMONG THE BEST IN THE WORLD", SAYS SAINZ May 19, 2009- HANS-JOACHIM STUCK JOINS AUDI FOR 24-HOUR RACE ON THE NUERBURGRING May 8, 2009- DTM SEASON STARTS MAY 17, 2009 Apr 29, 2009- A1GP MEXICO CITY CANCELLED Mar 7, 2009- VOLKSWAGEN TO TAKE ON "DAKAR" CHALLENGE AGAIN IN 2010 Jan 21, 2009- INTERSPORT RACING SIGNS KYLE MARCELLI FOR 2009 Dec 26,
2008- RAHAL LETTERMAN TO RUN FORMULA BMW AMERICAS Dec 14, 2008- LOEB WINS RACE OF CHAMPIONS TRANS-AM SERIES MAKES COMEBACK
__________________________________________ THE DAKAR RALLY - GLOBAL MEDIA EVENT OF SUPERLATIVE NATURE
WOLFSBURG, DEC 22, 2009
Millions lining the route, billions worldwide in front of television screens - the longest marathon that motorsport has on offer, mesmerizes everybody with its fascinating and dramatic pictures: The Dakar Rally.
"The media interest during the Dakar Rally is unique. The fascinating pictures are broadcast on television in approximately 190 countries," says Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. "Compared with other leading motorsport categories the 'Dakar' provides an outstanding platform. This event is seen worldwide by billions of people. Whoever demonstrates technical expertise within this environment can be sure of huge publicity. This is also a reason for our involvement in the 'Dakar'." The Dakar Rally achieved a substantial range on its premiere in South America in 2009. The number of TV features amounted to 1,130 in the 189 countries where television reports about the desert classic were shown. On the South American continent alone, where only five countries were evaluated, there were almost 300 million viewers. However, in the other nations around the world - from China to Canada, from New Zealand to Russia, from South Africa to Denmark - the "Dakar" is a hip subject immediately after the New Year, and not only in the sports programmes. In 2009, 2.2 billion television viewers worldwide followed the television reports - tendency increasing. Eurosport provides the most comprehensive coverage from South America in Europe: Daily from 11 p.m. there is live coverage from the bivouac and a summary of the highlights of the day's stage. The German television station RTL broadcasts impressions and news from the 32nd running of the Dakar Rally in its programmes "Punkt sechs", "Punkt zwölf", and the daily newscasts "RTL aktuell" and "Nachtjournal". In addition, a documentary is planned after the "Dakar". The public television stations ARD and ZDF plan to make the Dakar Rally a subject in breakfast television and also in the 'Tagesschau' (News) and 'der Sportschau' (sports show).
GRANDE BRASILE TAKES "DAKAR" WINNER VOLKSWAGWN TO SOUTH AMERICA
WOLFSBURG, DEC 1, 2009
60 tons of material, 17 support vehicles - Volkswagen's "Dakar" crew embarked on its voyage across the Atlantic ocean to South America. The winning team of the past Dakar Rally in Argentina and Chile will tackle the title defence project from 02 to 16 January 2010 by fielding five Volkswagen Race Touareg vehicles. To successfully master the challenge of the world's toughest rally Carlos Sainz, Giniel de Villiers and company will be supported on location by a service crew consisting of some 80 members. In Le Havre, France, five service trucks, three equipment trucks and two race trucks of the Volkswagen factory team set out on the longest part of the journey, the roughly four week passage to Buenos Aires in Argentina. The cargo ship Grande Brasile that takes the equipment to the starting location was loaded the day before.
The Grande Brasile and its precious cargo: joint passage of all participants Dakar Rally organiser A.S.O. (Amaury Sport Organisation) made it possible for all European participants to transport their material to South America by ship by centrally organising the voyage. The Grande Brasile carries a major portion of the material of the total of 373 participating teams in its bowels. On 28 December - exactly 27 days after the Grande Brasile's departure - the teams will receive their trucks and other support vehicles again, including six Volkswagen Panamericana Multivans that will transport the Volkswagen crew through South America. For the roughly 80 team members work will then start on location: Immediately after clearing customs the support vehicles will be checked again. On 29 and 30 December they will undergo scrutineering, just like the actual rally vehicles. Every vehicle has to prove that the required modifications - from safety features all the way to sufficient water supply - were made. On 01 January when the starting signal is given at the ceremonial "Dakar" start the armada will embark on its tour of Argentina and Chile.
UNIQUE FAREWELL GIFT FOR TOM KRISTENSEN
HOCKENHEIM, Oct 23, 2009
Tom Kristensen will contest his 60th and last DTM race at Hockenheim. The 42-year-old Dane's sporting track record includes nine pole positions, four race victories, 18 podium places and 212 points. Audi honors the achievements of its "factory" driver, who was part of the DTM driver line-up for six years since the brand's return to the
Several executive board members of AUDI AG would not miss being personally present at the title decision at Hockenheim. Rupert Stadler, the Chairman of the Executive Board, as well as his colleagues Michael Dick (Technical Development) and Frank Dreves (Production) will support the brand's DTM squad on location at the crucial tenth round. At the finale, Mattias Ekström and Martin Tomczyk will be visited by a Red Bull pilot who matches their speed: The Austrian stunt flyer Hannes Arch, last year's world champion and this year's runner-up in the Red Bull Air Race Series, will keep his fingers crossed for his colleagues in automobile racing. Bill and Tom Kaulitz from the band "Tokio Hotel" will also visit Audi. The large number of other prominent guests of the Audi Group at Hockenheim include: Django Asul, Andi Brehme, Leonard Diepenbrock, Charlotte Engelhard, Eva Habermann, Hubertus von Hohenlohe, Rainer Hunold, Edgar Itt, Prof. Dr. Werner Mang, Karl-Heinz Riedle, Max Schautzer, Jumbo Schreiner, Dieter Thoma, Fritz Wepper and Joachim Winterscheidt. At the Audi Drive Away on race Sunday at 12:20 hrs, 25 Audi TT RS and 14 Audi A5 Sportback cars will drive around the circuit in a parade. The vehicles will be handed over to dealerships at Hockenheim by the German sales organization. For its VIP guests at Hockenheim, Audi will host a race party at the Audi Lounge on Saturday night. A band and a DJ will guarantee top-class musical entertainment. Some 1,600 Audi employees will keep their fingers crossed for the Audi drivers at Hockenheim. Prior to the start of the race they will attract attention to their group with a 25 by 10 meter banner. Audi's 100th anniversary celebrations at the Neckarsulm location on October 16 and 17 included a large motorsport presence. One week before the DTM finale, Mattias Ekström, Timo Scheider, Markus Winkelhock and Mike Rockenfeller treated the fans to autographs and driving demonstrations of current and historic race cars, from the quattro to the DTM vehicle. The Audi Sport teams Abt Sportsline, Joest and Rosberg were on hand at Neckarsulm as well.
F1 RETURNS TO MONTREAL IN 2010 SAYS ECCLESTONE
MONTREAL, Aug 4, 2009
"I promise we will be in Montreal in 2010, we'll be driving in Montreal again in 2010." Bernie Ecclestone, the F1 chief executive told Switzerland's Motorsport Aktuell. The Canadian Grand Prix was taken off the F1 calendar this year after a contractual dispute and the date was given to Turkey. The Turkish Grand Prix turned out to be a flop. No word whether Turkey is off the calander for 2010. Ecclestone did rule out a return to Indianapolis Speedway which was dropped after the 2007 season 2007. The months of negotiations with the city of Montreal and the province of Quebec seem to have come to a fruitful conclusion. Well Done!
BMW TO EXIT FORMULA ONE AT END OF 2009 SEASON
29.07.2009 - Munich.The BMW Group will not continue its Formula One campaign after the end of the 2009 season. Resources freed up as a result are to be dedicated to the development of new drive technologies and projects in the field of sustainability. BMW will continue to be actively involved in other motor sports series. The landmark decision to restructure BMW Motorsport's activities was made at the Board of Management's meeting yesterday.
Dr. Klaus Draeger, the member of the Board of Management responsible for development, said: "It only took us three years to establish ourselves as a top team with the BMW Sauber F1 Team. Unfortunately, we were unable to meet expectations in the current season. Nevertheless, our ten years of Formula One experience have had a major impact on our development engineers. We have racing to thank for numerous technological innovations as well as the competitive spirit that drives us to develop mass-produced cars." Possible redundancies in Munich and Hinwil cannot be quantified at present. Says Draeger: "Since we only made this decision yesterday, we cannot provide any more precise information. We will develop and assess various scenarios and do our best to find a solution for the employees in Hinwil and the staff members involved in the Formula One project in Munich. We are aware of the responsibility we shoulder and will inform the staff as soon as we can make a clear statement." Says BMW Motorsport director Dr. Mario Theissen: "Of course, we, the employees in Hinwil and Munich, would all have liked to continue this ambitious campaign and show that this season was just a hiccup following three successful years. But I can understand why this decision was made from a corporate perspective. We will now focus sharply on the remaining races and demonstrate our fighting spirit and put in a good result as we bid farewell to Formula One racing." BMW will continue its programs in a number of motor sports series: BMW will appear on the starting grid in the touring car series and young driver promotion program in Formula BMW. This will be supplemented by BMW's participation in ALMS, the American Le Mans Series, endurance races and close-to-production customer sports. Furthermore, BMW Motorrad Motorsport will continue its campaigns, with the super bike world championship leading the way.
BMW looks back on a long track record of success in the field of motor sports: In its debut season in 2006, the newly established BMW Sauber F1 Team wound up fifth in the constructor's championship. In 2007, the German-Swiss team came in second after McLaren-Mercedes' exclusion from the points standings. The 2008 season saw the team in the hunt for the world championship until the end of the season, winding up third. Polish-born Robert Kubica achieved the first and hitherto only GP victory in Canada on June 8, 2008. So far, the BMW Sauber F1 Team has taken one pole position (Kubica in Bahrain in 2008) and 16 podium finishes. The BMW Sauber F1 Team occupies the eighth spot in the manufacturer's standings in the season presently underway.
HENRY SURTEES INJURED AT BRANDS HATCH
July 19, 2009 - Henry Surtees has been injured in an accident in today's second Formula 2 race at Brands Hatch.
On lap ten the 18-year-old son of 1964 F1 world champion John was struck on the head by a flying rear wheel after Jack Clarke spun into the wall and making heavy contact with the barriers exiting Westfield Bend during Sunday July 19th. race. Surtees' car then ploughed straight ahead into the barrier on the approach to Sheene Curve. The race was immediately red flagged. Surtees was extricated from the car and taken to the circuit's medical centre, where he was stabilised before being transfered to hospital by the circuit's medical helicopter. No further news on his condition is currently available.
Formula Two Chief Executive, Jonathan Palmer:
HENRY SURTEES' ACCIDENT AT BRANDS HATCH
"SERTOES IS AMONG THE BEST IN THE WORLD", SAYS SAINZ
July 4, 2009-Huge success in 2009 in the audience opinion, the 17th edition of Sertoes International Rally officially ended this Saturday (July 4th) with a press conference in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, and was also a unanimity among pilots and teams. All of them highlighted different degrees of difficulty, the variety of terrains along the 5,056 kilometers, and the degree of detail of the road books, besides the organization of the whole race.
"This was a very hard race, but is also one of the best in the world", said Spanish driver Carlos Sainz, world off-road legend, who debuted in Brazil racing - and winning, in cars category - Sertoes 2009. "Congratulations to the organization and the audience, that has always been caring and nice to us. But, before anything else, I would like to thank the Volkswagen. It may look easy, because we were always first or second, but it was not. We only achieved this prize as a result of serious and professional work". Two times world champion in speed rally in the 90s, a time when there were many talented drivers, Sainz declared that he would like to race Sertoes again. "If the team wishes to, I'll vote yes", he said. Sainz highlighted the high degree of difficulties offered by the race route: "We had it all, from rock grounds, sand, narrow and wide roads, flooded areas, many jumps... We had a dispute for the first place within our team, but honestly, getting to the end was not easy at all". In his first time at Sertoes, the Spanish pilot was surprised by the level of detail offered by the scouting made by the Brazilian Eduardo Sachs, technical director of the race. In 2009, the task had a new item: "For the first time, we used an aircraft to do the scouting, and that made a difference", explained Marcos Moraes, Dunas Race CEO, the organizer of the race. "The aerial phase, that is checked afterwards by a land team, enabled us to find the best route possible. Each year we have managed to get better and better in this aspect. This is also due to a great job performed by my team along the race. My team is really awesome", completed Moraes, another off-road specialist. Sertoes and Dakar - Besides Sainz, other winners also took part in the press conference. Ze Helio, the winner on bikes, won his fifth Sertoes title, equaling Jean Azevedo record. The new champion said that he is going to try and win again in 2010, but he also mentioned trying to win the Dakar Rally. "I hope to come back to Sertoes International Rally next year as a winner, or just as a competitor, what is already something important", he said, referring to the difficulty of getting to the end of the race. "The Dakar is a dream, and the Brazilian Honda and myself are going to try and race next edition, trying to break KTM's hegemony. If it is not next year, than we will go on trying", he fired. Partners with navigator Sólon Mendes and supporter Davi Fonseca, the winner truck driver Edu Piano, highlighted the hard dispute with the trio Amable Barrasa/Guilherme Signoretti/Raphael Bettoni. "Considering my voice - he had a hoarse voice - you can see how tired I am. This was my fourth victory this year (the third in trucks category), but it was the most exciting one", he emphasized. "In the previous years, we practically won the race in the seventh stage, but it was the contrary now, because we fell to the second place in the seventh stage. The team worked so much it was so exciting. We got it (the title) at 45 minutes in the second period, he compared, using an analogy with soccer. "In 2010, Ford is going to put a heavy truck in the race. The team starts working in the project from August on, and I am going to race in it", revealed the champion. Quads champion Cristiano Batista lived the inverse situation. "I pushed hard during the first five days, and opened a large advantage", he remembered. "After that, I just had to manage. This is a complicated situation for somebody that is used to push hard on the gas, like me. That's why I ended up missing a curve, and making a navigation mistake. But in the end everything went right, and I am very happy now", summarized the champion of Sertoes International Rally 2009.
HANS-JOACHIM STUCK JOINS AUDI FOR 24-HOUR RACE ON THE NUERBURGRING
Hans-Joachim Stuck will co-drive the Audi R8 LMS #98 for Phoenix Racing May 23- 24, 2009 on the Nuerburgring.
He says:"In 1970, I won the first 24-hour race on the Nuerburgring. While browsing through Audi's media booklet, I noticed that eight of my current driver colleagues had not even been born then! Although I've contested as many as 60 single 24-hour races, there's always something new: The start next weekend will be my first with Audi at a 24-hour race. I'm really looking forward to that."
DTM SEASON STARTS MAY 17, 2009
The waiting is over: After exactly 203 race-free days, the lights starting the most popular international touring car racing series will switch from red to green for the first time again on Sunday, May 17, 2009, at exactly 2:03 pm (local time). It will be the 100th race in the history of the "new" DTM - and the beginning of an ambitious task: In the year of its 100th anniversary Audi wants to become the first automobile manufacturer to win the prestigious DTM title for the third time in a row.
ARD will broadcast live from Hockenheim on "das Erste" starting at 1:45 pm (local time). Tickets are available on the internet at www.audi-dtm.de.
A1GP MEXICO CITY CANCELLED
London, Great Britain, Apr 29, 2009 -A1GP World Cup of Motorsport has been forced to cancel round eight of the 2008/09 season, A1GP Mexico City, Mexico on 22-24 May after the recent outbreaks of swine flu and the advisory from the UK Foreign Office to cancel non essential travel to the country.
"To say we are disappointed to have to make this call is an understatement,"said A1GP Chairman, Tony Teixeira. "When the news of the health problems broke last week we made sure we kept ourselves up to date with the latest information. It soon became obvious this was not an isolated health risk, and when the UK Foreign Office put out its advisory and the World Health Organization raised the level of influenza pandemic alert that was when we had to make our decision. We must have the safety of all members of the A1GP community as well as the thousands of loyal fans in Mexico City as our prime concern,"he added. The cargo was due to be flown out to Mexico directly after the Brands Hatch race and so this was another factor in the decision. "If we had flown our cars out and not been able to send the teams to run them it would have been a waste of time and money. However, this cancellation does not impact on the future of the series and once Brands Hatch is over we shall be concentrating on Season Five, for which plans are already well advanced," said Teixeira. Now this weekend's race A1GP Brands Hatch, Great Britain will be the final round of the championship. Going into this race there are three teams A1Team Switzerland, A1 Team Ireland and A1 Team Portugal who can still win the coveted trophy. This will mean the title race will go down to the wire as none of these teams can win the title in the Sprint race.
Wolfsburg (March 7, 2009): Volkswagen will again participate in the legendary Dakar Rally in 2010. After the one-two victory and the historic first "Dakar" triumph of a diesel-powered car this year, the automobile manufacturer from Wolfsburg will yet again take on one of the major challenges of international motorsport.
"No doubt, the 2009 Dakar Rally contributed to the fact that the Volkswagen brand is now shining even brighter around the world," said Prof Dr Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Executive Board of the Volkswagen Group, on the occasion of the "Dakar" victory celebration at the Wolfsburg "Autostadt". "Therefore, our participation in this event is a good investment in the future of our company and that's why we decided to again compete in the Dakar Rally in 2010."
"Besides our joy about this sporting exploit, the positive response by media around the world convinced us," said Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Executive Board of the Volkswagen Brand with responsibility for Technical Development including the manufacturer's motorsport commitment. "Our 'Dakar' win stands for enormous reliability and innovative technology - and these are values which substantially stand for all Volkswagen vehicles. Particularly in TDI technology, the development activities for motorsport result in valuable synergies benefiting our production vehicles as well," commented Dr Ulrich Hackenberg. Preparations for the two-week cross-country rally covering 9,500 kilometres across the desert and the pampas have already started. "We've got quick drivers, a reliable car and an experienced team - in other words, everything we need to again contest the 'Dakar' and to fight for victory," said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. That is why in 2010 the victorious Race Touareg 2 will compete in the event yet again. INTERSPORT RACING SIGNS KYLE MARCELLI FOR 2009Barrie, Ontario (January 21st 2009) - Canadian Kyle Marcelli has recently been signed by American LeMans Series LMP1 race winning team Intersport Racing. The experienced and well respected Intersport Racing team has signed Marcelli to a development program for 2009. The program consists of a full season behind the wheel in the IMSA Lites Championship in the L1 class and multiple tests behind the wheel of the team's LMP1 prototype car with the opportunity for a race drive.Team Manager of Intersport Racing Brian Alder commented: "We are very excited about signing Kyle to the 2009 IMSA Lites Presented by Frisby Performance Tires season. Kyle has already proven himself in other series and truly is a rising star of the sport. We are looking forward to competing for the 2009 championship beginning at Sebring in March. This is also a great opportunity for Kyle as he has taken the first step in our ladder system that could lead him into an American Le Mans Series LMP ride for 2010." Kyle Marcelli said: "I am very excited to be apart of the Intersport Racing team and be affiliated with the prestigious American LeMans Series for 2009. This is almost a dream come true for me. Ever since I can remember my Dad and I used to go to Mosport International Raceway for the American LeMans Series weekend and stand on the outside of corner two watching and cheering as the prototypes go by flat out, only dreaming that it would one day be me. Well I believe that day is almost here." Marcelli will be travelling down to the team's race shop in mid February for a fitment. The team then takes off for testing in the first week in March prior to the series opener at the famed Sebring International Raceway. They will be there supporting the 12 hr race in the American LeMans Series.
About Kyle Marcelli:
Dec 26, 2008/ Continuing to build upon a long and storied racing tradition, Rahal Letterman Racing announces today that the Ohio-based team will assume the management of the Formula BMW Americas series beginning on January 1, 2009.
The world's leading entry-level open-wheel racing series, Formula BMW provides young drivers with a safe, competitive and challenging car in which to hone their skills, while giving the youngsters exposure to many of the world top circuits and events. In 2008 the three Formula BMW series: Formula BMW Europe, Formula BMW Pacific and Formula BMW Americas, competed in the key motorsport markets of Europe and pan-Asia as well as in North and South America. Today's announcement means that a single team will both partner with BMW of North America in the American Le Mans Series with its two BMW M3 racers and oversee the Formula BMW series in America. "We are pleased to have found in Rahal Letterman Racing a professional, well integrated partner with great experience in US motorsport," commented BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen. "The Formula BMW races held in support of the ALMS will generate synergy effects in terms of PR, marketing and logistics. Lapwing Management already set the bar high last year as far as the organization of the series is concerned, and we thank them warmly for their work. The concept is also proving a success from a sporting perspective, as demonstrated not least by Alexander Rossi. The US driver recently backed up his Formula BMW Americas title triumph with victory in the Formula BMW World Final. We are hoping that the expansion of the race calendar into Mexico as part of the World Touring Car Championship event there will further increase interest from all the Americas in the line-up for 2009." Four Formula BMW graduates, Nico Rosberg, Adrian Sutil, Sebastian Vettel and Timo Glock, were among the 20 drivers lining up in Formula One in 2008. Test and reserve drivers Christian Klien, Sebastien Buemi and Nicolas Hulkenberg added three more to the tally. In the US, IndyCar GP of St. Petersburg winner Graham Rahal was among the list of FBMW graduates that were racing competitively in American open-wheel series after having cut their teeth in the BMW FB02 racer. "Formula BMW has long produced one of the finest entry-level open-wheel racing series in the world, and Rahal Letterman Racing is proud and excited about forging this new partnership with the series," said Rahal Letterman Racing co-owner Bobby Rahal. "We saw first-hand when my son Graham competed in the series that Formula BMW offers the complete package for the young driver, providing an affordable series with a level playing field that still exposes the drivers and teams to high-profile events and challenging circuits. When you add those benefits to the proven stewardship and support of BMW Motorsport, Formula BMW is easily the best choice for the young drivers that aspire to the higher levels of the sport." One of the top entry-level open-wheel cars in the world, the FB02is powered by a 140 hp BMW engine that takes it to a top speed of up to 145 mph. It ranks among the safest vehicles in its category and exceeds the FIA safety regulations that govern this class of car. Innovations such as the FORS (Formula Rescue Seat) were developed by BMW Motorsport specifically for Formula BMW. Following Formula One, Formula BMW was the first single-seater series outside the US in which the HANS (head-and-neck-restraint system) system was made mandatory. "With our worldwide Formula BMW concept, we offer drivers and teams a platform which, in this format, is unprecedented in a junior series and which allows them to benefit from our Formula One involvement," continued Dr. Theissen. "Through Formula BMW the drivers are equipped with the tools they need to assert themselves successfully in the world of professional motor racing." Rossi's victory in this year's Formula BMW World Final in Mexico City represents the first time in the history of Formula BMW that a Formula BMW Americas champion has also won the annual showpiece of the Formula BMW season. Rossi's success earned him a test in a BMW Sauber F1 Team car. A season review of the 2008 Formula BMW Americas championship is scheduled to be broadcast on Speed TV on Dec. 28th, 6:00 pm ET.
2009 Formula BMW Americas schedule:
LOEB WINS RACE OF CHAMPIONSDec 14, 2008/ Sebastian Loeb wins the 21st. Race of Champions Sunday Dec. 14th. at Wembley Stadium in London, England over David Coulthard by 3/10th of a second.Fresh from receiving his third ROC crown, Loeb said: "For sure, when you are on the start line, you want to win, but with this event there is not too much pressure. It's a very tight track and you have to give everything you can. I didn't get as much experience as some of the others, as I only did one ROC Nations Cup race, but it was a good weekend for me."
Despite finishing runner-up, Scotland's Coulthard was still smiling: The Race was seen by millions live on many world networks. In North America it could by seen on a netcast on raceofchampions.com. Earlier in the day, Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel retained Germany's title in The Race Of Champions Nations Cup with a win over Tom Kristensen and former German DTM champion, Mattias Ekstrom of Team Scandinavia. This year we had an impressive list of drivers from many series and nationalities. The were Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button, Andy Priaulx, Troy Bayliss, Jaime Alguersuari, Yvan Muller, Sebastien Loeb, Mattias Ekstrom, Tom Kristensen, Carl Edwards, Tanner Foust, David Coulthard, Jason Plato, Adam Carroll, and Gareth MacHale.
The Trans-Am Series is being resurected after being absent for two years.
SCCA Trans-Am Series will return in 2009. Eight races are planned for next year. Five of eight races were announced Dec. 11 at the Performance Racing Industry show, in Orlando, Fla. The series will be sponsored by Muscle Milk. The Trans-Am Series had been a staple in North American racing since its debut in 1966. Many racing legends such as Paul Gentilozzi, Tommy Kendall, Mark Donohue, Scott Pruett, Wally Dallenbach Jr., George Follmer, Peter Gregg, Horst Kwech, Boris Said, Scott Sharp and Bob Tullius, amongst others raced in Trans-Am. Here are the 5 set dates scheduled so far for 2009:
2009 DATE VENUE Mar 21-22 Road Atlanta,Braselton, Ga. Apr 17-19 VIRginia International Raceway,Alton,Va. May 15-17 Mosport International Raceway, Canada Jun 12-14 Portland International Raceway,Portland,Ore. Jul 11-12 Watkins Glen Int'l,Watkins Glen,N.Y.Good to see them back.
RACE OF CHAMPIONSThe Race of Champions will take place at London England's Wembley Stadium on the 14 December. This year will see 7 countries with 14 drivers take part. More could be named later. At stake is the title of "The Champion of Champions". The winner will be chosed using identical cars on a parallel track, which has proven to be exciting and decisive in determining an individual "Champion of Champions".Here is the impressive list of drivers entered so far.
TEAM GERMANY
MichaelSchumacher
SebastianVettel
TEAM AUTOSPORT GREAT BRITAIN
Jenson Button
Andy Priaulx
TEAM AUSTRALIA
Mark Webber
Troy Bayliss
TEAM FRANCE
Yvan Muller
Sebastien Loeb
TEAM SCANDINAVIA
Tom Kristensen
Mattias Ekstrom
TEAM USA
Carl Edwards
Travis Pastrana
TEAM F1 RACING GREAT BRITAIN
David Coulthard
*Yet unnamed*
TEAM IRELAND
Adam Carroll
Gareth MacHale
Good luck to all drivers.
AUDI'S NEW DIESEL SPORTS CAR FOR LE MANSAudi aims to demonstrate "Vorsprung durch Technik" specifically in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Audi is just one victory behind Ferrari in the French endurance classic's all time winners' list following its eighth victory last June. Only Porsche has more wins at Le Mans.Audi targets the ninth victory in probably the world's toughest car race, in which the development of alternative and fuel-saving power concepts are the focus of attention, in June 2009 with a newly developed LMP1 sports car. The Audi R15 TDI differs significantly from its predecessor, the R10 TDI, at first glance and features many technically innovative details with which Audi aims to maintain its supremacy in Le Mans. The new Le Mans prototype is equipped with a smaller, lighter and even more efficient TDI engine. During the chassis and aerodynamic development Audi Sport engineers followed similar routes to those exhibited on the current Audi A4 DTM. "It was clear to us that we must develop a new car if we wanted to continue to be successful in Le Mans," explains Head of Audi Motorsport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich. "The Audi R15 TDI is the result. The step from R10 to R15 is significantly larger than it was from the R8 to the R10." Only the basic concept was carried over from the predecessor model: The R15 TDI is also powered by a TDI engine and is an open-topped roadster. Audi does not wish to release any further details at this time. The first private tests with the new Le Mans sports car are scheduled for later this year. The R15 TDI will only be presented to the public immediately before its race debut in the 12-hour race in Sebring (USA) on 21 March 2009. Audi Sport Team Joest will field three new R15 TDI prototypes in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
MONTREAL F1 RACE OFFICALLY OFFNOVEMBER 17, 2008/ MontrealQuebec Premier Jean Charest, Montreal mayor Gerald Tremblay and Quebec provincial tourism minister Raymond Bachand, made the anouncements Sunday November 16th. "Despite our endeavours and those of the business community, the unreasonable demands of Formula One exceeded the taxpayer's ability to pay," Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay said in a statement on the city's website. Bernie Ecclestone had made a final offer on October 28 demanding that an eventual race promoter should put up a government or bank guarantee of some $175 million over the next five years. Montreal couldn't find a anyone to put up that kind of cash. Between all Government levels the could only come up with a little over $100 million. Quebec economic development minister Raymond Bachand said "We cannot meet Mr Ecclestone's unworkable demands. Unless he eases his requirements and adopts a different approach, there will be no Grand Prix in Montreal in 2009. As I recently said; 'yes to a Grand Prix, but not at any price.'" We might not have heard the end of this saga as the F1 manufacturers wont have any North American races to bring to their most lucrative markets.
FOR ARCHIVED NEWS (2007, 2008) PLEASE VISIT ROLFSRACING.COM ARCHIVES - NEWS |
| © Rolfsracing.com / Rolfsracingexperiences.com - All rights reserved. |
In 2010 the mother of all desert rallies starts for the second time on the South American continent. Also competing: Five Race Touaregs with TDI diesel power prepared and fielded by the Volkswagen factory team. They face up to the challenge with the goal of defending the title, because whoever triumphs here is 'talk of the town'.
"For Volkswagen the preparation for the Dakar Rally entered its hot phase as early as at the end of September. Today the cargo loading and embarkation of the support crew marked the completion of another stage for the team," said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. "And of course every successful completion of these individual steps makes us look forward to the 'Dakar' in Argentina and Chile, which as the title defender we want to again decide in our favour, with even greater anticipation. Today, a major portion of the logistical effort was accomplished."
series in 2004, with special graphics on his car, for all the fans to see. The red white Audi A4 DTM will be emblazoned with an inscription in German, "Danke Tom fur tolle Jahre in der DTM" (Thank you, Tom, for fantastic years in the DTM) and "Held og lykke, Tom" in his Danish native tongue as well as a large portrait picture on the hood.
"Of course, this was a difficult decision for us. But it's a resolute step in view of our company's strategic realignment," explained Dr. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG. "Premium will increasingly be defined in terms of sustainability and environmental compatibility. This is an area in which we want to remain in the lead. In line with our Strategy Number ONE, we are continually reviewing all projects and initiatives to check them for future viability and sustainability. Our Formula One campaign is thus less a key promoter for us. Mario Theissen has been in charge of our motor sports program since 1999. We have scored a large number of successes in this period, including some in Formula One racing. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mario Theissen and his team for this," said, Reithofer.
In the Race Touareg powered by a 280-hp TDI diesel engine Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (RSA/D) had won the "Dakar" that was staged for the first time in South America; as the runners-up, Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/RSA) gave Volkswagen a one-two victory. In 2010, the Dakar Rally will be held in Argentina and Chile again, from 02 to 17 January."