01.03.91 - F1Tyrrell have a two-year multi-million-pound deal with the Braun electronics giant. Stefano Modena and Satoru Nakajima will drive two V-10 Braun Tyrrell Hondas in the 1991 F-1 series, which starts next week in the US.
Larrousse have been reinstated among the official qualifiers for this season's Formula One world championship by the sports ruling body FISA, but will still lose all their points from last year's championship. The French team had been relegated to pre-qualifying sessions for incorrectly registering their cars.
Italian giants Ferrari have extended the contracts of drivers Alain Prost and Jean Alesi to cover the 1992 season. Ferrari's surprise announcement quoshed rumours that Brazilian Ayrton Senna, Prost's arch-rival, would be replacing one of the two Frenchman next year. The Fiat-owned team traditionally name the drivers for the next season after the Italian GP at Monza in September. The extension of the contracts was finalised on Friday as the two drivers prepared to travel to the United States for the opening GP at Phoenix next week.
03.03.91 - F3000Ukyo Katayama led from start to finish in his Lola T90-50 to win the opening round of the All Japan Formula 3000 championships. Britain's Johnny Herbert was fifth in an RT-23 with Eddie Irvine eighth in a Lola.
F.FORWARD:- Former kart racer Paul Evans, 18, held off Yorkshire's Adrian Wood to win the Formula Forward championship round at Brands Hatch. All competitors drive identical Van Diemens.
05.03.91 - PORTUGUESE RALLYWorld champion Carlos Sainz and Finn Markku Alen mastered mud and rain to share the lead after the opening stage of the Port Wine Rally. Sainz attacked the 1.4-mile special stage in Lisbon's Jamor Valley parkland to finish in a record 1 min 42 secs in the Toyota Celica GT4. Veteran Alen, five-times winner of the Portuguese, followed up in his Subaru Legacy to join Sainz up front. Massimo Biasion, after his fourth successive win in the event, was in third, a second behind.
Leaderboard after 1 of 38 stages:
mins secs
1 C Sainz Sp Toyota 1:42
= M Alen Fin Subaru 1:42
3 M Biasion It Lancia 1:43
= J Kankkunen Fin Lancia 1:43
= D Auriol Fr Lancia 1:43
6 M Duez Bel Toyota 1:45
7 H Mikkola Fin Mazda 1:46
8 F Delecour Fr Ford Cos 1:47
= A Fiorio It Ford Cos 1:47
= H Mikkola Fin Mazda 1:47
F3000:- Julian Westwood has signed to drive for new team CaneCordy Motorsport and will contest the British F3000 championship driving a Lola T90/50. CaneCordy, formed by ex-Canon Williams personnel Michael Cane and Colin Cordy, will run two Lolas in the championship and the identity of the team's other driver will be announced shortly.06.03.91 - PORTUGUESE RALLYArmin Schwarz won three consecutive stages to build up a 41-second lead after eight stages on the second day. The two early leaders, Spain's Carlos Sainz and Finn Markku Alen, both lost time with tyre problems and the German was quick to cash in. In heavy rain which made the notorious road surfaces even more difficult, Ford drivers Malcolm Wilson of Britain and Italy's Alex Fiorio both went off the road in the seventh stage. Wilson ran out of time before he could get his car back on the course.
Leaderboard after 8 of 38 stages:
hrs mins secs
1 A Schwarz Ger Toyota 1:04:54
2 F Delecour Fr Ford Cos 1:05:35
3 D Auriol Fr Lancia 1:05:36
4 C Sainz Sp Toyota 1:05:40
5 M Biasion It Lancia 1:05:56
6 M Alen Fin Subaru 1:06:08
7 J Kankkunen Fin Lancia 1:06.41
8 H Mikkola Fin Mazda 1:06:44
9 C Bica Por Lancia 1:11:38
10 F Chatriot Fr Mazda 1:11:42
HISTORIC RALLY:- Britain's Roger Clark and flying Finn Timo Makinen lead the way in Britain's only international rally for historic cars starting in Bath on Thursday. Almost 70 pre-1965 cars are expected to start the 1,000-mile route which includes 19 high-speed special tests and ends in Torbay on Sunday. Freddie Giles's 1932 Frazer Nash is the oldest car entered and the most powerful, a 1965 Ford GT40, belongs to David McErlain. Jaguar E-types, Mini-Coopers, MG MGBs and Austin-Healeys will all be on show.F1:- PHOENIX NEWS
Brazilian Nelson Piquet is tipped by his old rival Nigel Mansell to complete a hat-trick of victories when the season opens at Phoenix at the weekend. The Benetton driver won the Japanese and Australian GPs at the end of 1990 and Mansell believes the proven car, engine and driver plus newly-acquired Pirelli tyres, will be unbeatable. But Britain's top GP driver warned: "After the first couple of races it could be a very different matter." Piquet has named Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost as his main rivals in the US GP.
Nigel Mansell will be aiming only to finish among the points in the first two races of the season. Mansell, back with Williams after two eventful years with Ferrari, says Phoenix and Brazil would be "very much a testing ground to sort out problems which arise inevitably with a new car." He added: "I'm looking forward to the season with more enthusiasm than ever before. I plan to be in the points in both races before we return to Europe." His Williams has a new chassis and a revised Renault V10 engine.
JOHN WATSON ON THE TEAMS AND THE PHOENIX GRAND PRIX
HONDA MARLBORO McLAREN: The two McLaren-Hondas should still be the cars to beat when the 1991 season gets underway at Phoenix this weekend. Their new V12 Honda engines may not initially be better than the V10 but have a lot of potential. McLaren lost ground technically towards the end of the season, in particular to Ferrari, but have further developed the evolutionary chassis. They have good reliability and sound financial back-up. They are among the favourites for the title but face a tough job with the opposition getting better and better.
TYRRELL RACING ORGANISATION LIMITED: The team have a real chance of winning races this year with a driveable car, a great engine and good tyres. They benefit from a marketing deal with McLaren and are the first customers to receive the V10 Honda engines, formerly raced by McLaren and, I believe, as good as the V12 on a street circuit. They have a top class driver in Stefano Modena who, if he could find his F3000 form of 1987, could clinch his first GP victory - and Tyrrell's first since '83. Saturo Nakajima can be relied upon to do a workmanlike job in the second car.
CANON WILLIAMS TEAM: This team will be the focus of much interest from British supporters with the return of Nigel Mansell for 1991. Mansell has become the catalyst in a professional team which last season seemed at times to lack direction. They have a brand new car using a further revised Renault engine and the option of a semi-automatic gearbox which should combine to place Williams back at the forefront of F1 technology. Mansell and his team-mate Riccardo Patrese will ensure that the team are serious Championship contenders.
CAMEL BENETTON FORD: Very much a team to watch in Phoenix - and boosted by the prospect of the new John Barnard car later in the season. Leading driver Nelson Piquet showed a return to his former brilliance in '90. Benetton will also benefit from being Pirelli's undisputed number one team and can expect to receive 'designer' tyres - for the fashion house that owns the team it could not be more fitting! Benetton using the V8 Ford, plus Roberto Moreno in the driver line-up, could well continue the winning streak on which they finished last season.
FERRARI SpA: The winning team of 1991, in the opinion of many experts, with Alain Prost and Jean Alesi potentially the strongest driver line-up in Formula One. Prost, with his tremendous commitment, knowledge and experience has got to be - along with Ayrton Senna - my favourite for the driver's crown. Alesi will undoubtedly be fast and, unwittingly, has enrolled himself in the adult education class of Formula One politics conducted by his team-mate. A very exciting duo...
TEAM LOTUS: This team can still expect tremendous emotional support as it remains among the most famous racing names in Britain. Martin Donnelly misses the start of the season as he continues his recovery and Julian Bailey grabs the opportunity to substitute for him. This will be a low-budget year for Lotus but, as some consolation, they have a user-friendly car. The Judd V8 engine may not be the most powerful but it is reliable, a big advantage over teams switching to complex V10 or V12 engines.
MOTOR RACING DEVELOPMENTS LIMITED: Brabham are the only team in Formula One using two English drivers - Martin Brundle and GP new boy Mark Blundell. The Yamaha V12 engine has a great future and I believe this team is a good long term prospect.
FOOTWORK PORSCHE: Another team not expecting to appear among results of the early races. The Porsche V12 engine is too large and heavy but a revised engine is due to appear mid-season and the Alan Jenkins-designed chassis is planned for Imola.
FONDMETAL F1 SpA: This team, formerly Osella, is better structured and financed than it has been in the past but will remain part of the support show. Driver Olivier Grouillard must pre-qualify in the Fomet-Ford Cosworth car which is always a difficult hurdle.
AGS: The best pre-season news for the little French team is that the experienced Swede Stefan Johansson has joined Gabriele Tarquini in the driver line-up. They are not technically sophisticated and you need more than reliability.
LEYTON HOUSE RACING LIMITED: There have been lots of changes in management and engineering personnel as well as starting the season boosted by a new Ilmor V10 engine. The engine should be very good and the car will be more consistent than in the past giving the team a great chance to re-establish themselves after a couple of disappointing seasons.
LIGIER-GITANES: The Ligier-Lamborghini V12s will not be expected to rock the form book despite the efforts of Thierry Boutsen and rising French star Eric Comas. Their biggest asset must be reliability.
MINARDI TEAM SpA: Last year a Minardi Ford started ahead of the two Ferraris and, as a result, this year both Minardis have Ferrari V12 engines. Sadly a V12 engine is no guarantee of greater success and is more likely to result in a more complicated car.
SCUDERIA ITALIA SpA: Pre-season testing times were very good indicating that the team will make progress with the new Judd V10 engine. Both cars should survive pre-qualifying but the team must concentrate on making a steady improvement during the season.
LARROUSSE: It would be hard not to feel sorry for this team who lost the Lamborghini engine, sponsorship and then, due to a registration mistake, all their points. FISA now say they need not pre-qualify but the cars, with Brian Hart-developed Cosworth V8 engines, are too new to do much early on despite young chargers Eric Bernard and Aguri Suzuki.
COLONI RACING: Pedro Chaves, the 1990 British F3000 champion, will do well if he even survives pre-qualifying. I admire team owner Enzo Coloni's commitment to F1 but I doubt the wisdom of it.
TEAM 7UP JORDAN: Irish entrepreneur Eddie Jordan scooped more established teams by securing the Ford HB engine for his new team and winning a major corporate sponsor. Strong pre-season testing indicates that the team could soon be among the points despite having to pre-qualify. Bertrand Gachot and Andrea de Cesaris are the jockeys.
MODENA TEAM: The second all-new team but they are likely to find pre-qualifying difficult at first. Nicola Larini is joined by GP newcomer Eric van de Poele who is a bit tall for the Lamborghini-engined car.
The 1991 Formula One season kicks off at Phoenix, a street track which has undergone many changes since last year. It has been much criticised for its many 90-degree corners and a number of these have now been altered to increase lap speeds and make the circuit more interesting for spectators and drivers. Phoenix is now 2.28 miles long and lap speeds are already being predicted to be considerably quicker this weekend. The new track, improved cars and tyres will see lap times come down by up to five seconds.
We are in the third season of normally-aspirated GP cars and the difference in horsepower between the Hondas and the rest has narrowed considerably. This should mean fierce competition at the front from round one and closely-fought battles throughout the field. In my opinion there are currently five teams capable of winning GPs regularly - McLaren, Ferrari, Williams, Benetton and Tyrrell. Victories are going to be much harder to come by than before. Tyres could provide that vital edge and it will be crucial to see what Pirelli and Goodyear produce for their teams.
1991 sees a number of changes in the Formula One rules, with one of the mostsignificant affecting the points system. All 16 races will now count towards the drivers' standings rather than the best 11 as in the past. This will cause some competitors to reappraise their tactics. The odd 'off' or attack of brain-fade may not have mattered too much before but, with the Championship likely to be very tight, drivers may be a lot more reluctant to attempt risky manoeuvres. Gone are the complex calculations. The winner will be the driver with the most points at the end of the final race.
Much more severe penalties will be enforced than ever before for bad, inconsiderate or dangerous driving. These will vary from a stop-go penalty to exclusion from the rest of the race and will be imposed immediately. I would have liked to see one person controlling driver discipline at all events, rather than a committee of three stewards as suggested. I believe the drivers would rather be dealt with by someone who understands the situations which arise during GP racing rather than faceless stewards who may never have sat in a F1 car.
07.03.91 - PORTUGUESE RALLYWorld champion Carlos Sainz ended the third day with a 24-second advantage over nearest rival Didier Auriol. Sainz set the fastest times on every one of the seven special speed tests to wrestle the leadership from Italian Massimo Biasion. Also performing well is Tomi Makinen of Finland, who cut a five-minute penalty down to just 43 seconds to challenge Gregoire de Mavius in the Group N class. Lancia drivers Miki Biasion and Juha Kankunnen lie in third and fourth place with Marrku Alen fifth in his Subaru.
Leaderboard after 19 of 38 stages:
hrs:mins.secs
1 C Sainz Sp Toyota 2:54.00
2 D Auriol Fr Lancia 2:54.24
3 M Biasion It Lancia 2:54.27
4 J Kankkunen Fin Lancia 2:56.22
5 M Alen Fin Subaru 2:57.15
6 H Mikkola Fin Mazda 2:58.07
7 J Puras Sp Mazda 2:02.19
8 F Chatriot Fr Subaru 2:03.13
9 C Bica Por Lancia 2:12.04
10 G de Mevius Bel Mazda 2:14.32
AUTOGLASS HISTORIC RALLY
Leaderboard after 5 of 19 stages: mins.secs
1 L Ytterbring Mini Cooper S 9.55
2 T Makinen Mini Cooper S 9.56
3 T Dron MG MGB 9.59
4 R Aaltonen Mini Cooper S 10.10
5 J Everard Austin Healey 10.39
6 E Leerdam Lotus-Cortina 10.41
7 C Anderson Jaguar E-Type 10.45
8 R Hudson-Evans Austin Healey 10.46
9 T Butt Austin Healey 10.47
10 J Handley Lotus Elan 10.49
Fifth stage results ruled invalid after the timing apparatus developed a fault.Rosemary Smith's Hillman Rallye Imp has fuel supply problems and the engine is now feeding from a petrol can on the back seat. David McErlain's 350bhp Ford GT40 went off on the second test but was recovered by officials, only to be hit from the rear by another car. Roger Clark, twice Lombard-RAC rally winner, picked up a 15 second penalty on the first stage for taking the wrong route in his Ford Lotus-Cortina. Ola Larsson's Porsche 911 windscreen wiper motor has failed and the wipers are being operated by the co-driver using a length of string. Mats Adolfsson's Volvo Amazon broke its propeller shaft at the start of Test 4 but the crew replaced it and completed the two mile test in 61 minutes.
08.03.91 - PORTUGUESE RALLYWorld champion Carlos Sainz overcame fog, rain, snow and a chasing trio of Lancia drivers to retain the lead at the end of a demanding third day. Deep snow blocking the route caused stage 28 to be cancelled, leaving the Toyota star with a 15-second overnight lead from Didier Auriol. Italian Massimo Biasion, chasing his fourth successive victory in Portugal, was only 43 seconds off the pace in third place ahead of Juha Kankkunen. Veteran Finn Hannu Mikkola retired when the alternator failed on his Mazda.
Five times Portuguese rally winner Markku Alen revelled in the treacherous conditions on Friday. "Conditions are very bad, very slippery but the Legacy handles really well on these narrow, twisty stages. No car is better," said the Subaru driver, who was lying fifth after 26 stages. Finland's rising star young Tommi Makinen took the Group N lead in his showroom-standard Ford Sierra Cosworth, overhauling Gregoire de Mevius's Mazda. He was quickest in class on all but one of Friday's tough stages.
Leaderboard after 28 of 38 stages:
hrs mins secs
1 C Sainz Sp Toyota 3:58:12
2 D Auriol Fr Lancia 3:58:27
3 M Biasion It Lancia 3:59:05
4 J Kankkunen Fin Lancia 4:01:37
5 M Alen Fin Subaru 4:03:12
6 F Chatriot Fr Subaru 4:10:44
7 J Puras Sp Mazda 4:11:34
8 C Bica Por Lancia 4:24:10
9 T Makinen Fin Ford 4:27:35
10 G de Mevius Bel Mazda 4:29:06
AUTOGLASS HISTORIC RALLY
Leaderboard after 10 special tests:
mins secs
1 T Makinen Mini Cooper S 22:36
2 R Aaltonen Mini Cooper S 23:48
3 T Dron MG MGB 23:58
4 L Ytterbring Mini Cooper S 24:39
5 R Bourne Morgan Plus 4 24:48
6 R Martin-Hurst Mini Cooper S 25:01
7 R Clark Lotus-Cortina 25:12
8 R Hudson-Evans A-Healey 3000 26:14
9 R Dixon Ford Zephyr 6 26:40
10 T Hands-Heart Morgan Plus 4 27:34
Second-placed Rauno Aaltonen faces serious engine trouble with the
Mini-Cooper S, including a bent push rod. He lost time while the cylinder head
was replaced before the Bath overnight halt. John Handley was forced to retire
his Lotus Elan, seventh at the re-start, when it suffered broken
transmission. The 'national' rally for post-historic cars is led by Tony Fall
in a Datsun 240Z with a time of 23 mins 14 secs. The rally heads for the west
country on Saturday and finishes in Torbay on Sunday morning.MINTEX NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP:- Burford's Trevor Smith will be first away in the second round of the championship at Bala in Wales on Saturday after winning the opener. Smith can expect a strong challenge from Dave Metcalfe, making his first outing of the year in the Nova GTE. The Mitsubishi of Japan's Hideaki Myoshi is expected to mount a strong challenge, whilst Steve Hill's Sierra Sapphire should set the Group N pace. The second round also doubles as the first event in the new œ100,000 Vauxhall Nova GSi Super Challenge.
TOP TEN ENTRIES 1 Smith/Jones Ford Sapphire 4x4 2 Myoshi/Moss Mitsubishi Galant 3 Bothwell/Jones Toyota GT4 4 Metcalfe/Grindrod Vauxhall Nova GTE 5 Hill/Goff Ford Sapphire 4x4 6 Sharam/Jefferies Toyota GT4 7 Jones/James Toyota GT4 8 Davies/Watts Ford Sapphire 4x4 9 Mann/Wray Toyota GT4 10 Dyas/Derry Ford Sapphire 4x4F1:- THE US GRAND PRIX
Frenchman Jean Alesi in a Ferrari took provisional pole position for Sunday's Grand Prix from Ayrton Senna with only seconds remaining. He produced an inspired lap of 1 min 23.519 secs in the final minute of the qualifying session after the Brazilian in his McLaren appeared destined for top position with 1 min 23.530 secs. Earlier, Britain's Nigel Mansell badly damaged his new Williams-Renault during free practice for the race. Mansell was unhurt and later clocked 1 min 25.277 secs for ninth position.
FIA WORLD FORMULA ONE CHAMPIONSHIP: Friday practice times: mins secs 1 J Alesi Fr Ferarri 1:23.519 2 A Senna Brz McLaren 1:23.530 3 A Prost Fr Ferrari 1:24.507 4 R Patrese It Williams 1:24.726 5 E Pirro It Dallara 1:24.876 6 N Piquet Brz Benetton 1:25.026 7 S Modena It Tyrrell 1:25.065 8 R Moreno Brz Benetton 1:25.170 9 N Mansell GB Williams 1:25.277 10 P Martini It Minardi 1:25.815 11 G Berger Aus McLaren 1:25.914 12 S Nakajima Jap Tyrrell 1:26.058 13 JJ Lehto Fin Dallara 1:26.765 14 M Gugelmin Brz L House 1:26.865 15 A Suzuki Jap Lola-Ford 1:26.987 18 G Tarquini It AGS-Ford 1:27.164 19 M Brundle GB Brabham 1:27.184 20 E Bernard Fr Lola-Ford 1:27.446 21 B Gachot Bel Jordan 1:27.568 22 G Morbidelli It Minardi 1:27.625 23 N Larini It Modena 1:27.761 24 M Hakkinen Fin Lotus 1:27.976 25 T Boutsen Bel Ligier 1:27.984 26 E Comas Fr Ligier 1:28.904 27 M Alboreto It Footwork 1:29.067 28 A Caffi It Footwork 1:29.388 29 S Johansson Swe AGS-Ford 1:29.857 30 M Blundell GB Brabham 1:30.061 31 J Bailey GB Lotus 1:30.758 32 I Capelli It L House 1:54.845 FIA WORLD FORMULA ONE CHAMPIONSHIP Pre-qualifying times (four go through): mins secs 1 E Pirro It Dallara 1:28.288 2 JJ Lehto Fin Dallara 1:28.792 3 N Larini It Lamborghini 1:30.244 4 B Gachot Bel Jordan-Ford 1:30.304 *************************************** 5 A de Cesaris It Jordan-Ford 1:30.937 6 P Chaves Por Coloni 1:31.113 7 O Grouillard Fr Fomet-Ford 1:32.126 8 E v d Poele Bel Lamborghini 1:37.046 Weather: cool Track: dusty 09.03.91 - PORTUGUESE RALLY Result after 38 stages: hrs mins secs 1 C Sainz Sp Toyota 6:06:36 2 D Auriol Fr Lancia 6:07:23 3 M Biasion It Lancia 6:08:41 4 J Kankkunen Fin Lancia 6:13:57 5 M Alen Fin Subaru 6:34:12 6 F Chatriot Fr Subaru 6:35:34 7 J Puras Sp Mazda 6:50:17 8 G de Mevius * Bel Mazda 6:55:38 9 E Harrach Aut Lancia 7:09:18 10 C Bica Por Lancia 7:10:44 * Group N winnerSpaniard Carlos Sainz produced a powerful display in his works Toyota to clinch his second victory of the 1991 FIA World Rally Championship. The defending world champion set best times on 18 of the 38 stages, holding off a fierce challenge from the Lancias. Didier Auriol was runner-up 47 seconds back with twice winner Miki Biasion third ahead of team-mate Juha Kankkunen. Both Subarus finished with Markku Alen fifth and Francois Chatriot sixth. Sainz now leads the drivers' standings with 40 points. Biasion is second on 27.
DRIVERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS after round 3 1 C Sainz Sp Toyota 40 pts 2 M Biasion It Lancia 27 3 K Eriksson Swe Mitsubishi 20 = M Alen Fin Subaru 20 5 J Kankkunen Fin Lancia 18 6 D Auriol Fr Lancia 17 7 M Jonsson Swe Toyota 15 8 F Delecour Fr Ford 12 9 A Schwarz Ger Lancia 10 = I Carlsson Swe Mazda 10 CONSTRUCTORS STANDINGS 1 Toyota 40 2 Lancia 34 3 Ford 14 4 Subaru 10 5 Mazda 6 6 Mitsubishi 4 AUTOGLASS HISTORIC RALLY Leaderboard after 17 special tests: (end of day three) mins secs 1 T Makinen Mini Cooper S 37:04 2 T Dron MG MGB 38:19 3 L Ytterbring Mini Cooper S 39:20 4 J Larsson Porsche 911 39:38 5 R Martin-Hurst Mini Cooper S 40:22 6 R Bourne Morgan Plus 4 40:24 7 R Clark Lotus-Cortina 41:03 8 R Aaltonen Mini Cooper S 41:49 9 R Hudson-Evans A-Healey 3000 42:05 10 B Taylor Morgan Plus 4 42:30Timo Makinen led throughout day three and was 75 seconds clear in his BMC Mini-Cooper S as the cars arrived at the overnight rest halt in Torbay. Rauno Aaltonen finally fixed the serious engine problem in his Mini-Cooper S. The car set blistering test times on Saturday and was lying eighth at the end of the day. The cars restart at 8am on Sunday and will tackle two special test, one at Oddicombe Hill. The rally finishes on the promenade in Paignton at 10.15am.
MINTEX NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP - VAUXHALL SPORT RALLY Provisional result after 10 stages:mins secs 1 H Miyoshi Mitsubishi Gal 97:48 2 D Mann Toyota Celica 99:07 3 K Furber Peugeot 205 99:59 4 J Easson Ford Cos 4x4 100:21 5 D Metcalfe Vaux Nova GTE 100:37 6 D Buckley jnr Mazda 323 100:56 7 J Milner Peugeot 205 GTI 101:00 8 J Bothwell Toyota GT4 101:01 9 S Davies Ford Sapphire 101:04 10 S Hill Ford Cos 4x4 101:17Japanese journalist Hideaki Miyoshi in a Mitsubishi Galant led from start to finish in the Gwynedd-based Vauxhall Sport Rally, winning by 79 seconds. Miyoshi was fastest over five of the 10 special stages despite gear selection and fuel trouble. He was the first Japanese ever to win a British round. Suffolk mushroom farmer David Mann revelled in the slippery conditions in his four-wheel-drive Toyota to clinch a career-best second place. Group N honours went to Jeremy Easson in his Ford Sierra, fourth overall.
Trevor Smith's hopes of a second successive victory were ended by a blown head gasket three miles into stage 3, forcing him to retire. Dave Metcalfe survived a nasty moment when the rear wheel assembly of his Nova, including brakes, broke away on a downhill part of stage 1. He later lost his rear bumper but held on for fifth. David Mann went off on stage 1 but lost little time and suffered no damage; Glyn Jones rolled his Toyota on stage 3 but managed to reach the finish; Steve Davies hit a log on stage 4 but his Ford Sierra Sapphire was undamaged.
Steve Hill broke his gear lever on stage 2 while Paul Dyas had trouble with first and second gears on stage 4. Conditions were very slippery after heavy rain. Fog was also a problem on stage 6 but Kevin Furber was undaunted, clocking a best time of 13 mins 38 secs. Alister McRae stopped on stage 7 while leading his class and the Nova Challenge. He had been 18th overall.
Leaders after two rounds: 1 H Miyoshi Jap 43 points 2 S Hill Oxford 36 3 D Mann Bungay 34F1:- THE US GRAND PRIX:-
Ayrton Senna earned pole position in the opening Grand Prix of the season after finishing the final practice run over a second clear of the field. Senna clocked a time of 1 minute 21.434 seconds - 1.21 seconds faster than second-placed Alain Prost. Britain's Nigel Mansell, who earlier badly damaged his new Williams-Renault during free practice for the race, recovered with a final run of 1:23.218 to claim fourth spot. Provisional leader Jean Alesi hit a wall and will start in sixth spot.
Nigel Mansell and the Williams team were delighted after showing that the new FW14, powered by the Renault V10 engine, is a real competitor. Mansell said: "The nice thing is that we got two laps in. I'm very happy. Considering this is the first time the car has run in anger it should give the team a little bit of optimism. There's a lot of potential." Mark Blundell, facing his first Grand Prix, said: "I'm relieved to be on the grid and taking part."
FIA WORLD FORMULA ONE CHAMPIONSHIP:
Final practice times: mins secs
1 A Senna Brz McLaren 1:21.434
2 A Prost Fr Ferrari 1:22.555
3 R Patrese It Williams 1:22.833
4 N Mansell GB Williams 1:23.218
5 N Piquet Brz Benetton 1:23.384
6 J Alesi Fr Ferrari 1:23.519
7 G Berger Aut McLaren 1:23.742
8 R Moreno Brz Benetton 1:23.881
9 E Pirro It Dallara 1:24.792
10 JJ Lehto Fin Dallara 1:24.891
11 S Modena It Tyrrell 1:25.065
12 M Brundle GB Brabham 1:25.385
13 M Hakkinen Fin Lotus 1:25.448
14 B Gachot Bel Jordan 1:25.701
15 P Martini It Minardi 1:25.715
16 S Nakajima Jap Tyrrell 1:25.752
17 N Larini It Modena 1:25.791
18 I Capelli It L House 1:26.121
19 E Bernard Fr Lola-Ford 1:26.426
20 T Boutsen Bel Ligier 1:26.500
21 A Suzuki Jap Lola-Ford 1:26.548
22 G Tarquini It AGS-Ford 1:26.851
23 M Gugelmin Brz L House 1:26.865
24 M Blundell GB Brabham 1:26.915
25 M Alboreto It Footwork 1:27.015
26 G Morbidelli It Minardi 1:27.042
Non-qualifiers
27 E Comas Fr Ligier 1:27.159
28 A Caffi It Footwork 1:27.519
29 S Johannson Swe AGS-Ford 1:27.753
30 J Bailey GB Lotus 1:28.570
10.03.91 - AUTOGLASS HISTORIC RALLY
Provisional result after 19 special tests:
mins secs
1 T Makinen Mini Cooper S 38:58
2 T Dron MG MGB 40:09
3 L Ytterbring Mini Cooper S 41:05
4 J Larsson Porsche 911 41:19
5 R Bourne Morgan Plus 4 42:08
6 R Martin-Hurst Mini Cooper S 42:09
7 R Clark Lotus-Cortina 42:58
8 R Aaltonen Mini Cooper S 43:32
9 R Hudson-Evans A-Healey 3000 44:06
10 B Taylor Morgan Plus 4 44:18
Three-times RAC rally winner Timo Makinen won the first-ever Autoglass RAC
international historic rally in a Mini-Cooper S. The flying Finn, partnered by
Paul Easter, took the honours at the finish in Paignton to bring back memories
of his 1965 Monte Carlo win in a Cooper-S. Journalist Tony Dron took second
spot in the MG MGB, stopping a Cooper-S 1-2 double, with L-I Ytterbring taking
third in his Mini. The national section of the rally was won by Tony Fall's
Datsun 240Z.11.03.91 - F1:- US GRAND PRIXBrazilian Ayrton Senna launched the defence of his world title with a convincing victory in round one of the 1991 FIA Formula One Championship. Senna, starting from pole, was never headed as he scorched around the new circuit in his McLaren-Honda leaving the excitement to happen behind him. Frenchman Alain Prost drove superbly into runner-up spot, overhauling his new Ferrari team-mate Jean Alesi who ran into trouble in the closing laps. Nelson Piquet, who had earlier been critical of the track, came home third.
Alain Prost looked set to be upstaged by his new Ferrari team-mate Jean Alesi as the US GP reached its closing stages. Prost, who suffered a long pit stop for tyres, was lying fourth with 14 laps to go with Alesi set to take second place ahead of Nelson Piquet in a Benetton. But Alesi suddenly slowed with car trouble, allowing Piquet to pass and Prost grabbed the chance to race through into the runner-up spot.
"The track was not suited to the Ferrari so that was a good result," the Frenchman commented later. Nigel Mansell's return to Williams ended in disappointment when he was sidelined by car trouble before halfway. Mansell, competing in his 150th GP, made a good start and was lying third when his car came to a halt. He was among a long list of retirements which also included his team-mate Italian Riccardo Patrese who spun and hit the tyre wall. Patrese then endured a frightening moment, left out on the track where his car was struck by Roberto Moreno in the Camel Benetton Ford.
Bertrand Gachot looked set to give GP newcomers Jordan-Ford some joy on their Formula One debut when his car ground to a halt with just a few laps to go. Gachot had earlier survived a heart-stopping spin - which almost took out Jean Alesi and then Nelson Piquet. Italy's Pierluigi Martini also suffered a disappointing exit when his new Minardi-Ferrari stopped in the closing stages, having looked set for a place among the points. Only nine cars were running at the end of the 81-lap race.
Defending champion Ayrton Senna was delighted with his winning start to the season - which earned him 10 points for the first time. But he insisted his McLaren-Honda had been difficult to drive. "The car ran well but I had problems with the gearbox and the balance was not quite right," he explained. "I was able to maintain a good pace and got through the backmarkers safely. I also came in for tyres at the right time. It was a great way to start the season," he added.
Result after 81 laps: 1 A Senna Brz McLaren 2h 00m 47.828s 2 A Prost Fr Ferrari 16.322 3 N Piquet Brz Benetton 17.376 4 S Modena It Tyrrell 25.409 5 S Nakajima Jap Tyrrell 1 lap 6 A Suzuki Jap Lola-Ford 2 laps 7 N Larini It Modena 3 8 G Tarquini It AGS-Ford 4 9 P Martini It Minardi 6 10 B Gachot Bel Jordan 6 11 M Brundle GB Brabham 8 12 J Alesi Fr Ferrari 9 FIA WORLD FORMULA ONE CHAMPIONSHIP Drivers' standings after one round: 1 A Senna Brz McLaren 10 points 2 A Prost Fr Ferrari 6 3 N Piquet Brz Benetton 4 4 S Modena It Tyrrell 3 5 S Nakajima Jap Tyrrell 2 6 A Suzuki Jap Lola-Ford 1 Constructors' standings: 1 McLaren 10 points 2 Ferrari 6 3 Tyrrell 5 4 Benetton 4 5 Lola 1 14.03.91 - NATIONAL TARMAC CHAMPIONSHIPVeteran John Price starts favourite of a record 60-car entry for this weekend's West Cork Rally. Price, in a Metro 6R4, bids to win the event for the fifth time. But to do that he will have to overcome Bertie Fisher's state-of-the-art Ford Cosworth and Vincent Bonner, the star of last year's event in an Opel Manta.
Rover uses the opening round of the championship to launch its new 16-valve Metro GTi against a strong field including Tony Pond, Bill Connelly, Mika Sohlberg and Mike Pattison.
LEADING ENTRIES FOR WEST CORK RALLY 1 Bertie Fisher N Ire Ford Cosworth 2 Bill Connelly Ire BMW M3 3 Vincent Bonner Ire Opel Manta 400 4 John Price Wal Metro 6R4 5 Mike Pattison Eng Ford Cosworth 6 Bob Fowden Wal Ford Cosworth 7 Mika Sohlberg Fin Mitsubishi 8 Bernard O'Brn Ire Ford Escort GR4 9 Peter Lloyd Wal MG Metro 6R4 10 Luke McCarthy Ire Opel Manta 400 11 Steven Sofr'u Eng MG Metro 6R4 12 Gwyndaf Evans Wal Ford Escort G3 16.03.91 - WEST CORK RALLY Leaderboard after 10 of 19 stages: (overnight halt) mins secs 1 Bonner/O'Gorman Manta 400 84:47 2 Price/Bowen Metro 6R4 85:05 3 Connolly/Meaney BMW M3 85:16 4 Pattison/Mo'han Sierra Cos 87:16 5 Cole/Morgan Darrian 89:56 6 Stangle/Moore Darrian 90:36 7 Dineen/Buckley Escort RS 90:38 8 Price/Tinsley Vaux Nova 90:52 9 Grandon/Murphy Lancia 91:22 10 Meade/Cashman Escort 92:02WILSON RALLY:- Tony Snell took a 5-second victory over Carlisle's Dougie Watson-Clarke after 50 miles of the competition in the Malcolm Wilson Motorsport Lakeland Stage Rally in Cumbria.
SCOTPHONE STAGES RALLY:- Banchory's Don Milne won the Scotphone Stages Rally to stretch his lead in the Esso Scottish Championship after the second round. Bob Locke was second.
F.FORD:- Australian FF1600 title-holder Russell Ingall set the time in unofficial testing for the first round of the Motocraft Open Formula Ford championship at Silverstone with a lap of 1 min 3.2 secs in a Van Diemen.
Loius Di Resta of Scotland won the first round of the Champion of Oulton F1600 series in his Van Dieman RF90. Defending champion Peter Kay was second in a Reynard FF90, ahead of Mike Waite.
17.03.91 - NATIONAL TARMAC CHAMPIONSHIP
WEST CORK RALLY
Leaderboard after 14 of 19 stages:
mins secs
1 Price/Bowen Metro 6R4 122:52
2 Connolly/Meaney BMW M3 122:55
3 Bonner/O'Gorman Manta 400 123:01
4 Pattison/Mo'han Sierra Cos 129:05
5 Cole/Morgan Darrian 129:11
6 Stangle/Moore Darrian 130:05
7 Lynch/Lynch Escort 132:29
8 Grandon/Murphy Lancia 132:43
9 Griffiths/Morgan Manta 400 132:50
10 McCarthy/O'S'van Escort 132:52
INDYCAR:- Lola driver John Andretti won the inaugural Gold Coast Indy Grand
Prix over 65 laps in Australia. Bobby Rahal and Rick Mears were second and
third as Americans filled the first six places.F3:- Rickard Rydell was fastest in the first practice session for the British F3 championship round at Silverstone with a lap of 56.06 secs. Gil De Ferran was second quickest with 56.22.
ROVER GTi's:- Dave Edwards, the 1990 Metro Challenge champion, is one of the favourites for today's first round of the new Dunlop Rover GTI championship at Silverstone.
F.FORD:- Marc Goossens pipped Australian Russell Ingall to win the opening round of the Motorcraft Formula Ford championship at Silverstone with an average speed of 91.23mph in his Van Diemen.
RALLYCROSS:-Will Gollop dominated the opening round of the British Rallycross championship at Brands Hatch in his twin-turbo Metro 6R4. Defending champion Steve Palmer took second place.
TOURING CAR:- The 1991 Esso RAC Touring Car championship will begin on April 1 at Silverstone instead of March 29 at Oulton Park as originally announced.
21.03.91 - F1:- JOHN WATSON ON THE BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX"Mr Perfect" Ayrton Senna blitzed the streets of Phoenix in the opening round but has yet to achieve the same result at his home circuit in Sao Paulo. After seven years of trying, Senna is still without a win at the place that means more to him than any other. He has as good a chance this time as he has ever had - but in the past that has not always guaranteed success. I must give credit to both McLaren and Honda. Senna gets the praise but they deserve an equally large share for producing such a competitive car straight out of the box.
McLaren's level of performance has got all the other team's scratching their heads once again trying to figure out what they need to do. Williams, Ferrari and Benetton hoped they had found the doorway to an equal performance this year but McLaren have firmly slammed it in their faces. Will things be different in Brazil? In my opinion the situation looks even worse for the opposition. I have a strong suspicion that the rest of the year will centre around the battle for second place.
So who are McLaren's main rivals now? Ferrari have still got to be considered the chief challengers. Prost and Alesi are Formula One's best balanced pairing and Alesi's "press on" attitude will, in time, make him more than just a thorn in Prost's side. Just watch the political fireworks at Ferrari when that starts happening! Brazil is more suited to their car than Phoenix and Prost looks to repeat his victory last year at Interlagos.
Williams impressed me greatly even if the unreliabilty of the new semi-automatic gearbox was anticipated. In the few days between these races a team like Williams can perform miracles and if this is the case then the car will undoubtedly be right there. The one area of clarification is what the team will do if the number two driver (Patrese) overtakes the number one driver (Mansell). A repeat of their Phoenix pantomime is unnecessary from two such experienced Formula One drivers.
Sao Paulo will the last race for the Benetton B190B before we see John Barnard's new state-of-the-art car at San Marino in the third round. Benetton are the only team of the top four on Pirelli tyres, which have not been as consistent as the Goodyears. If that should change then Benetton could easily depose the three front-running Goodyear teams. With Nelson Piquet and Roberto Moreno at the wheel they have enough experience to make any advantage tell. In Sao Paulo the two Brazilians will have all the motivation they need.
A number of other teams made favourable impressions. Without doubt everybody smiled for Larrousse when they picked up the final point in Arizona. It was a remarkable achievement by the team and driver Aguri Suzuki, after the dire circumstances of recent months. The three others doing a good job were Scuderia Italia, Jordan-Ford and the Modena-Lamborghini team. Tyrrell-Honda took fourth and fifth places in Phoenix and before long will be in a position to fully use the Honda V10 power.
The star of qualifying, in my mind, was young Mika Hakkinen. He dragged his Lotus to 13th on the grid - material of which stars are made. He kept calm when the steering wheel came off during the race at 150mph. Assuming his steering wheel stays on only a lack of grunt will stop him repeating that performance in Sao Paulo. Interlagos is an impressive circuit where power plays a key part. Let us hope the monsoon rains keep away - Brazil rains are no Irish mist!
22.03.91F.VAUXHALL LOTUS:- Mark Albon and Scott Lakin recorded the fastest time on the final test session prior to the first race in the 1991 Formula Vauxhall Lotus Championship at Mallory Park.
F.RENAULT:- Jason Plato blazed his Van Diemen around Oulton Park in 1 min 36.73 secs to set the fastest time in unofficial practice for round one of the European Ferries Formula Renault championship. F1:- BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX
World champion Ayrton Senna chose his moment expertly on a drying circuit to post the fastest time in Friday's first practice session. Heavy morning rain left the Interlagos track wet throughout and produced a very exciting session as drivers' best times fell regularly. But Senna bided his time before going out in the Mclaren-Honda for a lap of 1 minute 18.711 secs. Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger were the only other men under 1 minute 20, with Nigel Mansell's Williams fourth fastest.
FIA WORLD FORMULA ONE CHAMPIONSHIP: Friday practice times: mins secs 1 A Senna Brz McLaren 1:18.711 2 J Alesi Fr Ferrari 1:19.350 3 G Berger Aut McLaren 1:19.557 4 N Mansell GB Williams 1:20.056 5 A Prost Fr Ferrari 1:20.079 6 N Piquet Brz Benetton 1:20.105 7 I Capelli It Leyton H 1:21.171 8 R Moreno Brz Benetton 1:21.266 9 E Pirro It Dallara 1:21.286 10 B Gachot Bel Jordan-F'd 1:21.493 11 S Modena It Tyrrell 1:21.709 12 A De Cesaris It Jordan-F'd 1:21.710 13 S Nakajima Jpn Tyrrell 1:21.825 14 R Patrese It Williams 1:22.069 15 E Bernard Fr Lola-Ford 1:22.127 16 M Gugelmin Brz Leyton H 1:22.196 17 JJ Lehto Fin Dallara 1:22.243 18 A Suzuki Jpn Lola-Ford 1:22.281 19 E Comas Fr Ligier 1:22.682 20 P Martini It Minardi 1:22.852 21 T Boutsen Bel Ligier 1:23.197 22 M Brundle GB Brabham 1:23.271 23 M Blundell GB Brabham 1:23.547 24 G Tarquini It AGS-Ford 1:23.618 25 S Johansson Swe AGS-Ford 1:24.698 26 J Bailey GB Lotus-Judd 1:24.947 27 A Caffi It Footwork 1:25.555 28 M Hakkinen Fin Lotus-Judd 1:25.587 29 M Alboreto It Footwork 1:25.795 30 G Morbidelli It Minardi 1:26.147 FIA WORLD FORMULA ONE CHAMPIONSHIP Pre-qualifying times (four go through) 1 JJ Lehto Fin Dallara 1:19.540 2 A de Cesaris It Jordan-Ford 1.20.150 3 B Gachot Bel Jordan-Ford 1:20.184 4 E Pirro It Dallara 1:20.567 *************************************** 5 E v de Poele Bel Modena-Lamb 1:21.919 6 N Larini It Modena-Lamb 1:22.944 7 P Chaves Por Coloni-Ford 1:23.231 8 O Grouillard Fr Fomet-Ford 1:23.951 23.03.91 - F1:- BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIXWorld champion Ayrton Senna in his McLaren-Honda snatched pole position from Riccardo Patrese in the closing minutes of final practice on Saturday. Senna clocked an impressive lap of 1 min 16.392 secs - but it was the two Williams-Renaults who stole the show. Both were very fast and handled well, with Patrese confidently clocking 1:16.775 to line up alongside Senna on the front row of the grid.
Ayrton Senna thanked his home crowd for helping him to the 54th pole position of his Formula One career. "The support they gave me was truly inspirational," said the Brazilian. "At one point on my second run I went over the limit, riding one of the kerbs which certainly cost me some time. "McLaren-Honda team-mate Gerhard Berger was fourth fastest in final practice. "On my first run we had gear selection trouble which caused the car to jump out of gear. This was rectified."
Briton Nigel Mansell was enthusiastic about his chances in Sunday's race after qualifying third fastest. "The team have done a fantastic job and as far as the race set-up is concerned, I think we are in very good shape," said the Canon Williams-Renault driver. Team-mate Riccardo Patrese, edged off pole in the closing minutes, said he could have done no better. "The car's handling has improved a lot and the gearbox gave me no trouble. It looks very promising for the race," said the Italian. The Footwork Porsche team said they were looking forward to getting their new car after both Michele Alboreto and Alex Caffi failed to qualify.
Bertrand Gachot is hopeful of earning the 7Up Jordan team their first world points after qualifying 10th fastest. "The car was understeering a little but it is going well and suits the track." Mark Blundell was 25th, one place ahead of Brabham-Yamaha team-mate Martin Brundle, after a difficult two days for the team. "We know where we are lacking and are looking forward to getting our hands on the new car," admitted Brundle.
FIA WORLD FORMULA ONE CHAMPIONSHIP
Final practice times from Interlagos:
mins secs
1 A Senna Brz McLaren 1:16.392
2 R Patrese It Williams 1:16.775
3 N Mansell GB Williams 1:16.843
4 G Berger Aut McLaren 1:17.471
5 J Alesi Fr Ferrari 1:17.601
6 A Prost Fr Ferrari 1:17.739
7 N Piquet Brz Benetton 1:18.577
8 M Gugelmin Brz Leyton Hse 1:18.664
9 S Modena It Tyrrell 1:18.847
10 B Gachot Bel Jordan-For 1:18.882
11 E Bernard Fr Lola-Ford 1:19.291
12 E Pirro It Dallara 1:19.305
13 A De Cesaris It Jordan-For 1:19.339
14 R Moreno Brz Benetton 1:19.360
15 I Capelli It Leyton Hse 1:19.517
16 S Nakajima Jpn Tyrrell-H 1:19.546
17 A Suzuki Jpn Lola-Ford 1:19.832
18 T Boutsen Bel Ligier 1:19.868
19 JJ Lehto Fin Dallara 1:19.954
20 P Martini It Minardi 1:20.175
21 G Morbidelli It Minardi 1:20.502
22 M Hakkinen Fin Lotus-Judd 1:20.611
23 E Comas Fr Ligier 1:21.168
24 G Tarquini It AGS-Ford 1:21.219
25 M Blundell GB Brabham 1:21.230
26 M Brundle GB Brabham 1:21.280
NON-QUALIFIERS
27 A Caffi It Footwork 1:22.190
28 S Johansson Swe AGS-Ford 1:22.432
29 M Alboreto It Footwork 1:22.739
30 J Bailey GB Lotus-Judd 1:23.590
24.03.91
F.VAUXHALL LOTUS:- Sunderland's Warren Hughes won the opening round of the
Formula Vauxhall Lotus Championship at Mallory Park, ahead of Scott Lakin and
Jason Elliott.F.FORD:- Belgian Marc Goosens won the second round of the Motorcraft Open Formula Ford Championship at Mallory Park, with Australian Russell Ingall second.
F1:- BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX FIA WORLD FORMULA ONE CHAMPIONSHIP Warm-up times from Interlagos:mins secs 1 N Mansell GB Williams 1:20.248 2 A Prost Fr Ferrari 1:20.557 3 R Patrese It Williams 1:20.811 4 A Senna Brz McLaren 1:21.000 5 J Alesi Fr Ferrari 1:21.292 6 G Berger Aut McLaren 1:21.590 7 P Martini It Minardi 1:21.890 8 N Piquet Brz Benetton 1:22.104 9 B Gachot Bel Jordan-For 1:22.119 10 E Bernard Fr Lola-Ford 1:22.367 11 A De Cesaris It Jordan-For 1:22.433 12 G Morbidelli It Minardi 1:22.453 13 A Suzuki Jpn Lola-Ford 1:22.564 14 R Moreno Brz Benetton 1:22.692 15 E Comas Fr Ligier 1:23.182 16 T Boutsen Bel Ligier 1:23.418 17 E Pirro It Dallara 1:23.473 18 I Capelli It Leyton Hse 1:23.583 19 M Hakkinen Fin Lotus-Judd 1:23.674 20 S Modena It Tyrrell 1:23.932 21 JJ Lehto Fin Dallara 1:24.072 22 S Nakajima Jpn Tyrrell-H 1:24.533 23 M Blundell GB Brabham 1:25.542 24 G Tarquini It AGS-Ford 1:25.574 25 M Brundle GB Brabham 1:26.057 26 M Gugelmin Brz Leyton Hse 1:50.300 FIA WORLD FORMULA ONE CHAMPIONSHIP Brazilian Grand Prix, Interlagos Leaderboard on lap 64 of 71: 1 A Senna Brz McLaren * 36.0 secs 2 R Patrese It Williams * 3 G Berger Aut McLaren * 4 A Prost Fr Ferrari ** 5 N Piquet Brz Bennetton * 6 J Alesi Fr Ferrari * Mansell retired lap 59 - spun * = Tyre stopBritain's Nigel Mansell was desperately unlucky as his Williams spun on the 60th lap with a broken gearbox after recovering from two slow pit stops. Mansell clocked the fastest lap of 1 min, 20.436 seconds as he and Senna opened a big gap but a 14 second pit stop gave the Brazilian the upper-hand. But Mansell clawed his way back only to have to stop for a further nine seconds for more tyres after a puncture. Senna saw his lead of over 36 seconds reduced by Mansell's teammate Riccardo Patrese but he held on for victory.
Brazilian Ayrton Senna won his 28th Grand Prix in front of his home crowd after a tense finish, with Patrese on his heels and his gearbox failing. "I finished the race with nothing left at all." he declared, "Physically I was exhausted but God gave me this race and I am very happy." Nigel Mansell, who had challenged for much of the race, spun when his car's semi-automatic gearbox selected first gear instead of fourth. "It was very disappointing," commented the unlucky Mansell.
FIA WORLD FORMULA ONE CHAMPIONSHIP - Brazilian Grand Prix, Interlagos Result after 71 laps hr:mins.secs 1 A Senna Brz McLaren 1:38:28.128 2 R Patrese It Williams 1:38:31.119 3 G Berger Aut McLaren 1:38:33.544 4 A Prost Fr Ferrari 1:38:47.497 5 N Piquet Brz Benetton 1:38:50.088 6 J Alesi Fr Ferrari 1:38:51.769 12 M Brundle GB Brabham four laps Fastest lap: N Mansell GB Williams 1 min 20.436 secs (193.5 kph) WORLD F1 DRIVERS STANDINGS 1 A Senna Brz McLaren 20 points 2 A Prost Fr Ferrari 9 3 R Patrese It Williams 6 = N Piquet Brz Benetton 6 5 G Berger Aut McLaren 4 6 S Modena It Tyrrell 3 7 S Nakajima Jpn Tyrrell 2 8 A Suzuki Jpn Lola-Ford 1 = J Alesi Fr Ferrari 1 WORLD FORMULA ONE CONSTRUCTORS TABLE Standings (after two rounds) 1 McLaren 24 points 2 Ferrari 10 3 Benetton 6 = Williams 6 5 Tyrrell 5 6 Lola 1 26.03.91 - CAMEL TROPHYAndrew Street from Worcestershire and Tim Dray of South Humberside will be Britain's representatives in the Camel Trophy in Tanzania and Burundi from May 9-26.
SAFARI RALLY: The onset of the Kenyan rainy season has guaranteed tough conditions for the start of the 2,800-mile six-day event on Wednesday. World champion Carlos Sainz heads a 58-strong field but Toyota team-mate Bjorn Waldegaard, who has won the event on five occasions, is a big threat. Lancia also look strong with Miki Biasion, second to Sainz in the current standings, confident of victory.
"Lancia have prepared well for this rally. We should have no problems winning," the Italian insisted.
RALLY NEWS:- Ireland's James Cullen is to be sponsored by Autoglass in selected rounds of the Open and Irish Tarmac Championships.
27.03.91 - F1The Camel Benetton team have unveiled their new Formula One car, which they hope will enable them to challenge the dominance of McLaren this season. The B191, designed by John Barnard, has a V8 Ford engine and was built using techniques new to motor racing. The car will makes its debut at the San Marino GP but the active suspension and semi-automatic gearbox systems are unlikely to be used until later.
"This will give us a real chance to start winning races and have a go at the championship," said Brazilian driver Roberto Moreno.
SAFARI RALLY: World champion Carlos Sainz was again in superb form as he opened up an early lead on the opening day of the 4,500km event in Kenya. He arrived at the eighth control point almost two minutes clear of Toyota team-mate Bjorn Waldegaard, the winner of the event on five occasions. Argentine Jorge Recalde lay third after driving for several kilometres with a punctured tyre on his Lancia. Britain's David Llewellyn reached the control point sixth in the Nissan Sunny, but ten minutes behind Sainz.
Leading positions after 8 stages:mins secs 1 C Sainz Sp Toyota Celica 11:19 2 B Waldeg'd Swe Toyota Celica 13:18 3 J Recalde Arg Lancia Interg 14:21 4 M Biasion It Lancia Interg 16:12 5 J Kankkunen Fin Lancia Interg 17:20 6 D Llewellyn GB Nissan Sunny 21:25 7 M Ericsson Swe Toyota Celica 21:43 8 I Durcan Ken Subaru Legacy 25:28 9 M Kirkland Ken Nissan Sunny 25:35 10 K Shinozuka Jap Mitsubishi Gal 33:33 28.03.91 - SAFARI RALLYItalian Massimo Biasion crashed out of the event on the second day as world champion Carlos Sainz continued to set the pace in Kenya in his Toyota. Biasion was lying in fifth place when his Lancia hit a lorry as he tried to overtake. He was unhurt but the car was badly damaged. "In taking evasive action he hit the underside of the lorry. There was extensive damage to the roof and roll bar," said a rally official. Sainz ended the day one minute clear of Toyota team-mate Bjorn Waldegaard.
Leading positions after 26 stages: Accumulated penalties hrs:mins.secs 1 C Sainz Sp Toyota Celica 17.08 2 B Waldeg'd Swe Toyota Celica 18.08 3 J Kankkunen Fin Lancia Interg 24.10 4 J Recalde Arg Lancia Interg 24.13 5 M Ericsson Swe Toyota Celica 29.34 6 I Duncan Ken Subaru Legacy 41.32 7 K Shinozuka Jap Mitsubishi G 1:22.35 8 S Blomqvist Swe Nissan Sunny 1:30.24 9 P Njiru Ken Subaru Leg 1:32.40 10 M Kirkland Ken Nissan Sunny 1:37.35 29.03.91F3000:- Paul Warwick won the opening round of the British Formula 3000 Championship in a Reynard 900 at Oulton Park despite losing ground at the start with a wheelspin. Julian Westwood was second.
F.RENAULT:- Tommi Anttalainen of Finland won the P & O European Ferries Formula Renault in a Swift FR91 at Brands Hatch. Tim Stafford was second and Bobby Verdon-Roe third, also in Swifts.
TOURING CAR:- Will Hoy headed the timesheets in the Securicor-BMW in unofficial testing at Silverstone for Monday's Esso RAC British Touring Car championship opener.
F3:- Steve Robertson was fastest in testing at Thruxton for the second round of the British F3 Championship due to be held on Easter Monday. Robertson in a Ralt RT35 Volkswagen Spiess was one of three drivers inside the existing lap record.
FF1600:- Mike Waite scored his first ever win in the Champion of Oulton FF1600 race, with Peter Kay second.
SAFARI RALLY:- Spaniard Carlos Sainz retained the lead despite problems on the third day as the rally headed for Nakuru. Sainz lost time while an intercooler pump was changed on his Toyota and then had to return to a time control when co-driver Luis Moya noticed they had been awarded an incorrect time. Team-mate Bjorn Waldegaard rolled at Eldeburgon and later needed a new clutch, slipping from second to fifth. Juha Kankkunen in a Lancia is now lying second ahead of team-mate Jorge Recalde who was hit by power steering failure.
Bjorn Waldegaard was in reach of leader Carlos Sainz, his Toyota team-mate, when he rolled his car on a stage. "I was having to pump the brakes and eventually I misjudged a corner. We overturned very slowly but the damage dropped us to third," said the Swede. "We lost more time with the clutch." Stig Blomqvist and Mike Kirkland made good progress in the Nissan Sunny cars, moving into sixth and seventh places. "It's been another good day," said Blomqvist. "We had a little delay with a puncture but no other problems."
Leading positions after 41 stages: Accumulated penalties hrs mins secs 1 C Sainz Sp Toyota Celica 44:08 2 J Kankkunen Fin Lancia Interg 58:10 3 J Recalde Arg Lancia Interg 58:13 4 M Ericsson Swe Toyota Celica 1:00:34 5 B Waldeg'd Swe Toyota Celica 1:46:08 6 S Blomqvist Swe Nissan Sunny 2:12:24 7 M Kirkland Ken Nissan Sunny 2:32:35 8 I Duncan Ken Subaru Legacy 2:39:32 9 K Shinozuka Jap Mitsubishi G 2:46:35 10 P Njiru Ken Subaru Legacy 3:47:40CIRCUIT OF IRELAND: Scot Colin McRae will be hoping to follow in father Jimmy's footsteps in the traditional Easter round of the Shell RAC Open Rally Championship. McRae senior has won the event seven times while Colin, winner of the series opener, was third last year. He faces a strong home challenge from Bertie Fisher in his Ford Sapphire Cosworth 4x4, fully recovered from a major accident in the West Cork Rally. Austin McHale in a BMW M3 is also among the favourites but round one runner-up Russell Brookes misses the Circuit.
Top seeds 1 Colin McRae Subaru Legacy 2 Bertie Fisher Ford Sapphire Cos 4 Austin McHale BMW M3 5 James Cullen Ford Sapphire Cos 6 Paul Frankland Peugeot 309 GTi 8 Robbie Head Honda Civic 9 Mika Sohlberg Mitsubishi Galant 10 Frank Meagher Ford Sierra Cos 11 David Maslen Ford Sapphire Cos 12 Kenny McKinstry Ford Sapphire CosSHELL OPEN RALLY:- The fourth round of the Shell RAC Open Rally Championship is to be known as the Perth and Kinross Scottish Rally. It will be based in Perth for the first time, from May 31 to June 2.
30.03.91 - TOURING CARRobb Gravett launches the defence of his crown in the new-look Esso RAC British Touring Car Championship at Silverstone on Easter Monday. Gravett drives a Shell Trakstar Ford Sapphire Cosworth modified to conform with a two-litre single class formula. All cars will be using unleaded fuel. Former GP ace Jonathan Palmer will be among his many rivals, in the Prodrive BMW M3, with 'fearless' Frank Sytner, the 1988 overall champion, driving a similar car for Pyramid Sport. Eight major manufacturers are involved in this year's 13-round series.
At least 26 drivers are expected to compete in the highly competitive BBC televised British Touring Car series. Salisbury's Kieth Odor, star of Group N in 1990, gives the British-built Nissan Primera its first outing on Monday confident of making a serious challenge. Four times overall champion Andy Rouse drives an all-new Toyota Carina while 1989 champion John Cleland is among the favourites in his Vauxhall Cavalier. Other front-runners should include Team Labatt's drivers Tim Harvey and Laurence Bristow in their BMW M3s.
SAFARI RALLY:- Finn Juha Kankkunen closed the gap on leader Carlos Sainz on day four, with fastest times on 12 of the 18 sections. The Lancia star coped best with the deep mud and thick fog to move within just four minutes of Sainz in a Toyota before the 14-hour rest halt at Eldoret. "It was very slippery," said Kankkunen. "We caught Carlos but could not pass with mud and stones being thrown up." Swede Mikael Ericsson has moved into third place in his Toyota, overhauling Lancia's Jorge Recalde who broke his steering rack in the rough conditions.
Swede Stig Blomqvist's Safari problems continued as he slipped back to seventh in his factory Nissan after a broken driveshaft cost him an hour. Team-mate Kenyan Mike Kirkland moved ahead of him. Kenyan Jayant Shah's Nissan was hit by a train while lying 11th overall. The car was pushed 200 metres up the track and badly damaged but Shah and his co-driver Lofty Drews escaped unhurt. Just 29 of the event's 59 starters reached the Saturday halt. The Safari gets underway again at 2am on Sunday for the fifth of the six legs.
Leading positions after 59 stages: Accumulated penalties hrs mins secs 1 C Sainz Sp Toyota Celica 1:28:08 2 J Kankkunen Fin Lancia Interg 1:32:10 3 M Ericsson Swe Toyota Celica 1:49:34 4 J Recalde Arg Lancia Interg 1:58:13 5 B Waldeg'd Swe Toyota Celica 2:58:13 6 M Kirkland Ken Nissan Sunny 3:53:35 7 S Blomqvist Swe Nissan Sunny 4:03:24 8 I Duncan Ken Subaru Legacy 4:16:32 9 K Shinozuka Jap Mitsubishi G 5:18:35 10 Jack Ken Daihatsu Char 7:07:34 CIRCUIT OF IRELAND Leaders after 12 of 29 stages: (end of leg 1) mins secs 1 C McRae Subaru 1:24:26 2 A McHale BMW M3 1:26:26 3 B Fisher Ford 1:27:24 4 J Cullen Ford 1:27:54 5 F Meagher Ford 1:29:01 6 R Smyth Ford 1:30:12 7 B Connolly BMW 1:30:23 8 S Murphy Ford 1:30:50 9 K McKinstry Ford 1:31:36 10 D Maslen Ford 1:31:48Scot Colin McRae set a furious early pace clocking fastest times by at least 10 seconds on the first five stages. He later suffered rear suspension trouble but held the lead after the first day. Home favourite Bertie Fisher suffered a broken gear lever on his Ford during stage 2 and slipped back to third place behind Austin McHale in a BMW M3. He continued to struggle, finding tyre choice difficult on the slippery stages and then damaging his rear suspension. Mike Dunnion stopped his Ford in the wrong place on the opening speed test.
Enda Nolan, co-driven by TV presenter Michael Lyster, failed to make the start of stage one. He was reported to have been arrested for allegedly speeding in a restricted area. Kenny McKinstry, sixth after stage 5, struggled with a clutch problem on his showroom-standard Ford and received 90 seconds of road penalties while repairs were carried out. Shrewsbury's Roger Davies slid straight on in his Peugeot at a hairpin, losing time and his lead in the two-litre showroom-standard category.
Richard Smyth wrecked the rear suspension beam on his Ford on stage 8. He managed to make a repair at a nearby factory but damaged the car's electrics in the process, leaving his service crew with a lot of work to do. Austin McHale just missed a spectator who was standing too close, lost his concentration and went off the road on the next corner wasting 15 seconds. Group N leader David Maslen was in trouble with a front suspension strut on his Ford and no spare unit. His nearest class rival Bob Fowden has a leaking front differential on his Ford.
PARIS-DAKAR RALLY:- The Paris-Dakar rally is set for major changes next year with organisers planning a 12,000km trek finishing in South Africa and running the length of the continent, says a newspaper report.
31.03.91F.FORD:- Chris Hall won round two of the HEAT Champion of Brands Hatch Formula Ford series but Andy Charsley still heads the title chase.
SAFARI RALLY Positions after 76 stages: (end of fifth day) Accumulated penalties hrs mins secs 1 J Kankkunen Fin Lancia Integ 1:51:10 2 M Ericsson Swe Toyota Celica 2:12:34 3 J Recalde Arg Lancia Interg 2:22:13 4 B Waldeg'd Swe Toyota Celica 3:23:08 5 S Blomqvist Swe Nissan Sunny 4:49:24 6 I Duncan Ken Subaru Legacy 4:59:32 7 M Kirkland Ken Nissan Sunny 5:31:35 8 K Shinozuka Jap Mitsubishi G 7:00:35 9 G Jack Ken Daihatsu Char 8:53:34 10 S Anthony Ken Daihatsu Char 9:38:20Finn Juha Kankkunen holds a 21 minute lead at the end of fifth day after world champion Carlos Sainz was forced to retire. Sainz had led the first four days but shortly after the start of Sunday's leg his Toyota put a rod through the side of the engine leaving Kankkunen's Lancia Integrale clear. Swede Mikael Ericsson in a Toyota moves up into second with Argentine driver Jorde Recalde third in a Lancia just 10 minutes behind. The final leg to Nairobi is on Monday.
CIRCUIT OF IRELAND
Leaders after 20 of 29 stages:
mins secs
1 C McRae Subaru 2:18:47
2 A McHale BMW M3 2:21:50
3 B Fisher Ford 2:22:53
4 J Cullen Ford 2:23:45
5 B Connolly BMW 2:28:12
6 K McKinstry Ford 2:29.32
7 R Smyth Ford 2:29:45
8 D Maslen Ford 2:31:35
9 P Frankland Peugeot 2:32:58
10 B Fowden Ford 2:33:48