August 1997



01.08.97 - Stena Line Ulster Rally

LEADERBOARD after 8 of 19 stages:
(interim)                      hr min sec
 1 Higgins/Mills      Nissan     1:03:36
 2 Nesbitt/Kennedy    Toyota     1:03:44
 3 Evans/Davies       Ford       1:03:53
 4 McRae/Senior       Volkswagen 1:04:04
 5 Boland/Morrissey   Ford       1:04:08
 6 Head/Thomas        Renault    1:04:49
 7 Rowe/Beech         Renault    1:04:56
 8 Laukkanen/Man'maki Volkswagen 1:05:38
 9 Cathers/Porter     Subaru     1:06:00
10 McKinstry/McCrea   SEAT       1:06:15
Nissan's Mark Higgins holds the overnight lead of the Ulster Rally, following today's eight stages. But Renault driver Robbie Head has set fastest times on all but one of today's stages. Head was leading the rally until engine sensor failure on the fifth stage forced him to stop and disconnect the faulty component. "It has been a very big fight today and it will be the same tomorrow," said Head.

Carno-based Mark Higgins took over the lead on stage six from Andrew Nesbitt's four-wheel drive Toyota Celica. He praised his Yokohama tyres in the process: "The tyres were very good on that stage and everything is going well." Nesbitt, who is contesting the Irish Tarmac Championship and is therefore not eligible for British Championship points, holds second place in the overall leaderboard.

A mis-fire hampered defending champion Gwyndaf Evans in the new Ford Escort Super Rally car for much of the day, although the Welshman retains third place overall. British title adversary Alister McRae in fourth in the Volkswagen Golf GTi, admitting to taking things easy to preserve his eight point championship lead. The second leg of the Ulster Rally is 179 stage miles finishing in Belfast city centre at 16.00 on Saturday.





02.08.97
GTs:- Steve Soper and JJ Lehto came fourth in final qualifying for the sixth round of the FIA GT Championship. Their time of 1:23.718 was just ahead of Allan McNish and Yannick Dalmas who were fifth in 1:24.219.



TOURING CARS (Knockhill):- John Bintcliffe and Frank Biela led the way as they claimed pole for rounds 15 and 16 in the Audi A4 quattros. The Harrogate driver claimed his first ever BTCC pole only for Biela to scorch round in 52.451 secs. Biela's fastest lap was over one second under his own lap record - a perfect 33rd birthday present for the Monaco-based German. It is the first time ever that Audi has claimed both front row positions for each race.

Saturday's qualifying times (round 15):
                              mins:secs
 1 J Bintcliffe Audi A4 Q      0:52.608
 2 F Biela      Audi A4 Q      0:52.715
 3 A Menu       Renault Laguna 0:52.810
 4 R Rydell     Volvo S40      0:52.996
 5 A Reid       Nissan Primera 0:53.036
 6 J Thompson   Honda Accord   0:53.114
 7 G Tarquini   Honda Accord   0:53.145
 8 P Radisich   Ford Mondeo    0:53.178
 9 D Leslie     Nissan Primera 0:53.192
10 J Plato      Renault Laguna 0:53.259

Saturday's qualifying times (round 16):
                              mins:secs
 1 F Biela      Audi A4 Q      0:52.451
 2 J Bintcliffe Audi A4 Q      0:52.509
 3 J Thompson   Honda Accord   0:52.638
 4 A Menu       Renault Laguna 0:52.665
 5 R Rydell     Volvo S40      0:52.785
 6 A Reid       Nissan Primera 0:52.828
 7 G Tarquini   Honda Accord   0:52.869
 8 D Leslie     Nissan Primera 0:53.173
 9 P Radisich   Ford Mondeo    0:53.280
10 K Burt       Volvo S40      0:53.314


NEW ZEALAND RALLY
Leaderboard after stage 2:     mins
 1 C McRae      Subaru         20:16
 2 Makinen      Mitsubishi     20:20
 3 Burns        Mitsubishi     20:47
 4 Sainz        Ford           20:48
 5 Eriksson     Subaru         20:56
 6 Kankkunen    Ford           20:58
 7 Bourne       Subaru         21:21
 8 McAndrew     Subaru         21:58
 9 Graham       Subaru         22:07
10 Argyle       Mitsubishi     22:19

ULSTER RALLY:- Mark Higgins claimed his first ever Mobil 1 British Rally Championship victory when he won the Ulster Rally. "It was great to get through without any problems," said the delighted Nissan driver, who becomes the fourth different winner of this year's event. "It's a great result for both myself and my co-driver Phil Mills. It puts us back in with a chance of winning the championship."

Renault Maxi Megane driver Robbie Head had led the event for the opening five stages until he was delayed when an engine sensor failed. The Scot, who set fastest times on 12 of the 19 stages, finished third Mobil British Rally Championship contender. Gwyndaf Evans finished in second place overall in the brand new Ford Escort Super Rally car. That result means he has closed to within two points of championship leader Alister McRae.

Bradford sisters Stephanie and Rachael Simmonite have provisionally claimed their third consecutive Ladies Cup with their fifth class win this year. Their path to victory was eased when principal rivals Barbara Armstrong and Natalie Barrett both retired. The final round of the Mobil 1 British Rally Championship is the Manx Rally on 11th-13th September.

Result after 19 stages:       hr min sec
 1 Higgins/Mills     Nissan     2:53:54
 2 Evans/Davies      Ford       2:55:05
 3 Nesbitt/Kennedy   Toyota     2:55:21
 4 Boland/Morrissey  Ford       2:55:49
 5 Head/Thomas       Renault    2:58:06
 6 Rowe/Beech        Renault    2:58:26
 7 Cathers/Porter    Subaru     3:00:51
 8 McRae/Senior      Volkswagen 3:03:08
 9 McKinstry/McCrea  SEAT       3:03:46
10 Mann/Cook         Proton     3:04:19





03.08.97
BRITISH GTs:- Colin Blower and Jamie Campbell Walter took the sixth round of the Privilege Insurance GT Championship at Donington. The pair became the fifth different winners of a race this season.



TOURING CARS (Knockhill):- John Bintcliffe drove superbly to claim his first Touring Car victory in the first of the day's two races. The Audi driver dominated from his first-ever pole position to push Audi teammate Frank Biela into second place. Biela had the consolation of driving the fastest lap of 86.21 seconds and also of reversing the result in the second race. Alain Menu and Gabriele Tarquini were both forced to retire due to problems with their cars.

Sunday's round 15 result:    mins secs
 1 J Bintcliffe Audi         31:46.368
 2 F Biela      Audi           @ 0.721
 3 A Menu       Renault        @24.470
 4 R Rydell     Volvo          @26.837
 5 A Reid       Nissan         @27.150
 6 J Thompson   Honda          @27.514
 7 G Tarquini   Honda          @27.951
 8 K Burt       Volvo          @32.423
 9 D Warwick    Vauxhall       @43.112
10 J Cleland    Vauxhall       @45.751

Sunday's round 16 result:    mins secs
 1 F Biela      Audi         38:41.554
 2 J Bintcliffe Audi           @ 2.987
 3 G Tarquini   Honda          @21.891
 4 K Burt       Volvo          @28.953
 5 J Plato      Renault        @43.056
 6 J Cleland    Vauxhall       @46.202
 7 R Rydell     Volvo          @46.475
 8 P Watts      Peugeot        @48.915
 9 T Harvey     Peugeot        @49.075
10 R Gravett    Honda          @ 1 lap
Total Cup winner: R Gravett

Standings after round 16:
1 A Menu       Renault Laguna  210 pts
2 F Biela      Audi            107
3 R Rydell     Volvo           101
4 J Plato      Renault Laguna  100
5 J Bintcliffe Audi             90
6 G Tarquini   Honda Accord     82

Constructors's standings:
1 Renault           212 pts
2 Honda             150
3 Audi              147
4 Volvo             145
5 Nissan            101

NEW ZEALAND RALLY:- Colin McRae's hopes of victory were dashed - just as he looked set to make it four wins on the trot. The Scot was 57 seconds ahead of Carlos Sainz on stage four after Tommi Makinen rolled out of contention. McRae could do little on stage nine as his Subaru ground to a halt with a cam belt pulley failure. He said: "We were well on course for a much-needed win. Fortunately for us Tommi has not scored either but it might have helped Carlos's cause."

Leaderboard after stage 10:
 1 C Sainz      Ford          1:26:14
 2 K Eriksson   Subaru        1:26:36
 3 J Kankkunen  Ford          1:27:26
 4 R Burns      Mitsubishi    1:28:23
 5 P Bourne     Subaru        1:29:17
 6 N Bates      Toyota        1:31:06
 7 G Trelles    Mitsubishi    1:33:07
 8 J McAndrew   Subaru        1:33:41
 9 B Stokes     Ford          1:33:44
10 R Jones      Mitsubishi    1:34:15
McRae out SS9 - engine problem




04.08.97

WORLD DRIVER RANKINGS
August 4 standings:             Points
 1 M Schumacher  Formula 1        656
 2 A Zanardi     CART             570
 3 J Gordon      NASCAR           568
 4 P Tracy       CART             553
 5 H C'sro Neves Indy Lights      551
 6 T Kanaan      Indy Lights      524
 7 G Seton       Aus Tour Cars    518
 8 T Kristensen  Formula 3000     496
 9 G de Ferran   CART             493
10 A Menu        Brit Tour Cars   484
11 J Villeneuve  Formula 1        478
12 M Andretti    CART             466
13 D Jarrett     NASCAR           459
14 S Goodyear    Indy Racing Lge  457


NEW ZEALAND RALLY:- Kenneth Eriksson took the lead from Carlos Sainz on the opening stage of the second leg and remained eight seconds ahead at the end of the day. Eriksson, in his Subaru Impreza, was just ahead of the Ford Escort of double world champion Sainz and 32 seconds clear of Finn Juha Kankkunen. Briton Richard Burns remains fourth in his Mitsubishi Carisma. Sainz had held a 12-second lead as the cars went south from Auckland before Eriksson took charge.

Leaderboard after stage 18:(end of leg two)
 1 K Eriksson   Subaru        3:18:53
 2 C Sainz      Ford          3:19:01
 3 J Kankkunen  Ford          3:19:25
 4 R Burns      Mitsubishi    3:20:24
 5 P Bourne     Subaru        3:23:04
 6 N Bates      Toyota        3:27:18
 7 G Trelles    Mitsubishi    3:29:28
 8 S Sufan      Toyota        3:30:28
 9 B Stokes     Ford          3:31:18
10 R Jones      Mitsubishi    3:31:46





05.08.97
F1:- Gianni Morbidelli will return to the Formula One circuit this weekend after breaking his arm in June. The Sauber driver had been replaced by Argentina's Norberto Fontana in the last three races but will return to the track in the Hungarian Grand Prix. Morbidelli broke his arm in testing ahead of the Magny-Cours race. In a statement, Sauber said: "The team's decision has been taken following last week's successful test at Fiorano. He has recovered."



NEW ZEALAND RALLY:- Kenneth Eriksson of Sweden won the New Zealand rally for the first time, ending 13 seconds clear of nearest rival Carlos Sainz of Spain. Eriksson's win consolidated the Subaru team's lead in the manufacturer's championship. But the result left defending champion Tommi Makinen of Finland in command of the drivers' series for Mitsubishi. Sainz's chances of catching Eriksson faded when he hit a sheep on the opening stage of the last leg.

Final leaderboard after stage 24:
 1 K Eriksson   Subaru        4:14.11
 2 C Sainz      Ford          4:14.24
 3 J Kankkunen  Ford          4:14.30
 4 R Burns      Mitsubishi    4:15.29
 5 P Bourne     Subaru        4:20.05
 6 N Bates      Toyota        4:25.53
 7 G Trelles    Mitsubishi    4:27.55
 8 S Sufan      Toyota        4:29.23
 9 B Stokes     Ford          4:29.38
10 R Jones      Mitsubishi    4:29.57

DRIVERS STANDINGS
1 T Makinen   Fin Mitsubishi  42 pts
2 C Sainz     Sp  Ford        34
3 C McRae     GB  Subaru      32
4 K Eriksson  Swe Subaru      24
5 P Liatti    It  Subaru      18
6 R Burns     GB  Mitsubishi  12
7 A Schwarz   Ger Ford        11
8 J Kankkunen Fin Ford        10

MANUFACTURERS' STANDINGS
1 Subaru       74 pts
2 Mitsubishi   56
3 Ford         55





06.08.97
F1: THE HUNGARIAN GP
The 11th round of the FIA World Championship could prove crucial for Michael Schumacher and Ferrari. The German is 10 points clear of Jacques Villeneuve in the drivers' title race and another win would put pressure on the Williams driver. Schumacher won at the Hungaroring for Benetton in 1994 and he said: "You have to concentrate very hard for 77 laps and almost two hours. When it's hot, which it usually is, it's a very physical race."

Jacques Villeneuve will be looking to repeat his 1996 Hungary win on Sunday and keep on track in the title race. The Williams-Renault driver trails Michael Schumacher by 10 points in the drivers' championship. But the Canadian triumphed last year in the 77-lap race and admitted: "The Hungaroring is a very difficult circuit for overtaking so qualifying is vital. Michael might have gained six points in Hockenheim but the championship is far from over."

The Williams team suffered a setback in the last race in Germany with both Jacques Villeneuve and Heinz-Harald Frentzen failing to finish. Frentzen is under pressure to perform in Hungary on Sunday after failing to impress since replacing Damon Hill. He said: "The track is likely to be dirty so if you have driven in the dirt it's at least a lap before the tyres start to work properly again. I hope this change of pace in Hungary will see a change in my luck."

Damon Hill's Arrows team appear to be winning the reliability race but the speed factor is hindering their chances of claiming more points. Their solitary point came from Hill's sixth place at Silverstone but the slow track in Hungary could be an advantage. Hill said: "The Hungarian circuit is like a big go-kart track. It is similar to Monaco. The car is quite fun to drive. You can slide it a bit. I like Hungary. I had my first victory in F1 there in 1993."

The Jordan team travel to Hungary still looking for that elusive first victory. Giancarlo Fisichella came agonisingly close in Germany before a puncture dashed his hopes. Neither he nor Ralf Schumacher have driven in Hungary. But technical director Gary Anderson said: "In many ways it resembles Argentina. The drivers learnt that circuit quickly so it is encouraging. High tyre wear will create the need for more pit stops than usual so race strategy is crucial."

Gerhard Berger kick-started Benetton's season with his Hockenheim victory and the revitalised team are eager to build on that success. Jean Alesi also earned a point in Germany and technical director Pat Symonds revealed: "Everyone is highly motivated, especially Gerhard and Jean. "But Hockenheim and the Hungaroring are at opposite ends of the spectrum so we can make no assumptions." The team are also set to introduce some new parts to the B197 cars in Hungary.

The Tyrrell team believe the Hungarian circuit will suit their cars more than the previous two races at Silverstone and Hockenheim. Harvey Postlethwaite, managing director of the Woking-based team, said: "We are looking forward to Hungary. "It is because a well-balanced car rather than straight-line speed is important to go well there." And driver Mika Salo added: "It is narrow and twisty, requiring good handling, so should suit the Tyrrell."

PREVIOUS WINNERS
1996 J Villeneuve  Can  Williams
1995 D Hill        GB   Williams
1994 M Schumacher  Ger  Benetton
1993 D Hill        GB   Williams
1992 A Senna       Brz  McLaren
1991 A Senna       Brz  McLaren
1990 T Boutsen     Bel  Williams
1989 N Mansell     GB   Ferrari
1988 A Senna       Brz  McLaren
1987 N Piquet      Brz  Williams

TOURING CARS:- Alain Menu is poised to collect his first BTCC title this weekend after finishing runner-up three times. The Renault driver has won 10 races this season ánd needs two good finishes at Snetterton to secure the crown. The Audi duo of Frank Biela and John Bintcliffe have burst into form, with the German lying second overall. But current champion Biela admitted: "Alain only needs to score well to wrap up things. Keeping second place must be my main target."





08.08.97
F1: THE HUNGARIAN GP
Michael Schumacher showed he is out to extend his championship lead by topping the provisional practice times. The German clocked one minute, 538 seconds in his Ferrari to finish ahead of David Coulthard's McLaren. And Damon Hill pushed his Arrows to the limit to be fifth fastest. Eddie Irvine was ninth. The circuit was expected to suit the Williams cars but while Heinz-Harald Frentzen was fifth fastest, Jacques Villeneuve was down in 11th.

David Coulthard boosted his chances of keeping his McLaren drive for next season with an excellent performance in practice for Sunday's race. The Scot was second fastest behind Ferrari's Michael Schumacher. But with Damon Hill and Gerhard Berger both linked with McLaren, Coulthard and team-mate Mika Hakkinen may be battling for one place in the team. Coulthard said: "I feel we have made progress this year and McLaren would be my first choice for next season."

World champion Damon Hill returned to the scene of his first ever grand prix win to clock the fifth fastest time in practice for Sunday's race. A gearbox problem had threatened to leave the Arrows driver bottom of the pile but with two minutes of the session to go he produced a flying lap. "It's evidence we've made progress," he said. "With five minutes of the session left the car had no floor. I must have got over the start-line with just a few seconds to spare."

Damon Hill has admitted he may not be able to drive for one of the top teams next year. The world champion has had a disappointing season with TWR Arrows and has been talking to Sauber about next year. But he said: "I don't want to rush a decision about my future. The situation may arise where the car I end up in next year will not automatically be in front but there's the chance it can make progress."

Friday's practice times:       min secs
 1 M Schumacher   Ger Ferrari  1:17.583
 2 D Coulthard    GB  McLaren  1:17.810
 3 J Trulli       It  Prost    1:17.848
 4 H-H Frentzen   Ger Williams 1:17.884
 5 D Hill         GB  Arrows   1:18.161
 6 R Schumacher   Ger Jordan   1:18.368
 7 R Barrichello  Brz Stewart  1:18.565
 8 G Fisichella   It  Jordan   1:18.686
 9 E Irvine       GB  Ferrari  1:18.734
10 J Herbert      GB  Sauber   1:18.796
11 J Villeneuve   Can Williams 1:18.805
12 J Magnussen    Den Stewart  1:18.856
13 G Berger       Aut Benetton 1:18.923
14 J Verstappen   Hol Tyrrell  1:19.346
15 J Alesi        Fr  Benetton 1:19.358
16 U Katayama     Jpn Minardi  1:19.521
17 G Morbidelli   It  Sauber   1:19.567
18 P Diniz        Brz Arrows   1:20.002
19 M Salo         Fin Tyrrell  1:20.106
20 M Hakkinen     Fin McLaren  1:20.176
21 S Nakano       Jpn Prost    1:20.414
22 T Marques      Brz Minardi  1:20.707

TOURING CARS (Snetterton):- Honda's James Thompson topped the times in official testing, edging out Anthony Reid's Nissan by 100th of a second. Championship leader Alain Menu, who needs a couple of good results in rounds 17 and 18 on Sunday to take the title, was fourth fastest. He has a 103-point advantage over 1996 champion Frank Biela and Menu will take the crown if he leaves Norfolk with a lead of more than 97 points. Gabriele Tarquini was third fastest in his Honda.

Friday's testing times:       mins secs
 1 J Thompson   GB  Honda Acc  1:08.298
 2 A Reid       GB  Nissan Pr  1:08.938
 3 G Tarquini   It  Honda Acc  1:09.010
 4 A Menu       Swi Renault L  1:09.056
 5 P Radisich   NZ  Ford Mon   1:09.193
 6 R Rydell     Swe Volvo S40  1:09.365
 7 T Harvey     GB  Peugeot    1:09.554
 8 K Burt       GB  Volvo S40  1:09.589
 9 J Plato      GB  Renault L  1:09.596
10 D Leslie     GB  Nissan Pr  1:09.610
11 P Watts      GB  Peugeot    1:09.849
12 F Biela      Ger Audi A4    1:09.858

INDYCAR:- Mark Blundell is chasing his third win of the season as the CART series moves to Mid Ohio this weekend. Blundell has two victories so far this season and is in eighth place in the drivers' championship. "I've been on the podium in three of the last four races and want to be up there again this weekend," he said. "I haven't had a pole in CART racing yet so that is definitely a goal for me. I think we have a good chance and we'll certainly be going for it."





09.08.97
F1: THE HUNGARIAN GP
World champion Damon Hill earned his highest grid position of the season by finishing third fastest in his Arrows after a stunning final qualifying lap. Hill's replacement in the Williams team Germany's Heinz-Harald Frentzen was down in sixth spot. Championship leader Michael Schumacher took pole for Sunday's race with a time of one minute, 14.672 seconds, with Jacques Villeneuve also on row one. Eddie Irvine was fifth in his Ferrari after clinching a new deal for 1998.

Damon Hill admitted his performance had taken him by surprise as he stormed to third place in qualifying. He said: "I am absolutely delighted, although I must say this is a bit unexpected. I thought I had a chance of making the top 10 or even the top six, but third is truly fantastic. I owe this to my team, who have worked brilliantly, and to Bridgestone, who have got the tyre mixture just right."

Saturday's qualifying times:   min secs
 1 M Schumacher   Ger Ferrari  1:14.672
 2 J Villeneuve   Can Williams 1:14.859
 3 D Hill         GB  Arrows   1:15.044
 4 M Hakkinen     Fin McLaren  1:15.140
 5 E Irvine       GB  Ferrari  1:15.424
 6 H-H Frentzen   Ger Williams 1:15.520
 7 G Berger       Aut Benetton 1:15.699
 8 D Coulthard    GB  McLaren  1:15.705
 9 J Alesi        Fr  Benetton 1:15.905
10 J Herbert      GB  Sauber   1:16.138
11 R Barrichello  Brz Stewart  1:16.138
12 J Trulli       It  Prost    1:16.297
13 G Fisichella   It  Jordan   1:16.300
14 R Schumacher   Ger Jordan   1:16.686
15 G Morbidelli   It  Sauber   1:16.766
16 S Nakano       Jpn Prost    1:16.784
17 J Magnussen    Den Stewart  1:16.858
18 J Verstappen   Hol Tyrrell  1:17.095
19 P Diniz        Brz Arrows   1:17.116
20 U Katayama     Jpn Minardi  1:17.232
21 M Salo         Fin Tyrrell  1:17.482
22 T Marques      Brz Minardi  1:18.029


INDYCAR (Mid-Ohio)
Friday's practice times:     mins secs
 1 B Herta      US  Reynard   1:06.277
 2 A Zanardi    It  Reynard   1:06.303
 3 G Moore      US  Reynard   1:06.473
 4 G de Ferran  Brz Reynard   1:06.653
 5 D Franchitti Sco Reynard   1:06.689
 6 S Pruett     US  Reynard   1:06.724
 7 C Fittipaldi Brz Swift     1:06.751
 8 J Vasser     US  Reynard   1:06.861
 9 M Gugelmin   Brz Reynard   1:06 956
10 R Boesel     Fr  Reynard   1:06.995
13 M Blundell   Eng Reynard   1:07.235
Bryan Herta broke the course record in Friday's first day of qualifying at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Herta drove a fastest lap of 122.649mph to beat Alex Zanardi's previous best speed of 122.100mph last year. Zanardi himself also beat the time but had to settle for second place after his last lap of 122.601mph. Scotland's Dario Franchitti was fifth fastest while Mark Blundell was 13th after suffering a pinched nerve in his back during the morning.



TOURING CARS (Snetterton):- Championship leader Alain Menu celebrated his 34th birthday by claiming pole for both of Sunday's British Touring Car Championship races. He claimed a time of 1 min 08.839 secs in round 17 and said: "All the corners were good. If I can win the title on my birthday weekend I'll be happy." Anthony Reid, second in the first race, thought he had exacted a quick revenge in round 18 - but his hopes were dashed. He beat Menu but his Primera failed the pit-lane ride height check.

Saturday's round 17 qualifying:mins secs
 1 A Menu       Swi Renault L  1:08.839
 2 A Reid       GB  Nissan Pr  1:08.957
 3 J Thompson   GB  Honda Acc  1:09.057
 4 F Biela      Ger Audi A4    1:09.071
 5 J Plato      GB  Renault L  1:09.238
 6 R Rydell     Swe Volvo S40  1:09.348
 7 P Radisich   NZ  Ford Mon   1:09.442
 8 P Watts      GB  Peugeot    1:09.449
 9 T Harvey     GB  Peugeot    1:09.478
10 J Cleland    GB  Vauxhall   1:09.556


Saturday's round 18 qualifying:mins secs
 1 A Menu       Swi Renault L  1:09.346
 2 J Plato      GB  Renault L  1:09.585
 3 D Leslie     GB  Nissan Pr  1:09.675
 4 G Tarquini   It  Honda Acc  1:09.682
 5 R Rydell     Swe Volvo S40  1:09.687
 6 J Thompson   GB  Honda Acc  1:09.701
 7 W Hoy        GB  Ford Mon   1:09.750
 8 K Burt       GB  Volvo S40  1:09.950
 9 P Watts      GB  Peugeot    1:10.026
10 T Harvey     GB  Peugeot    1:10.090

F.FORD:- Brazil's Rodrigo Sperafico grabbed pole from Holland's Jacky van der Ende in the last minute of the Formula Ford qualifying session at Snetterton.



RENAULT SPIDER CUP:- Nick Hart took pole position for Sunday's round 11 of the Renault Sport Spider Cup at Snetterton.



F.RENAULT:- Etienne van der Linde is on pole for for Sunday's 10th round of the Formula Renault Sport series.







10.08.97
F1: THE HUNGARIAN GP
Damon Hill lost the race on the final lap after a throttle problem ended his hopes of his first ever win for Arrows. Hill moved from third to second at the start and then he overtook Michael Schumacher on lap 10 to take the lead. He lost the lead briefly to Williams driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen after a pit-stop but retook the initiative when the German retired with fuel problems. But he was forced to slow down on the final lap and was pipped for first place by Jacques Villeneuve.

Damon Hill returned to the scene of his first ever grand prix victory and earned his best-ever finish for Arrows. A throttle problem cost him victory on the last lap and he finished second to Jacques Villeneuve. "I was getting to the point where I thought I could count on victory but then I had a hydraulic pump problem that affected the throttle," he said. "I needed 40 seconds over Jacques not 30. I am disappointed for the team and for Bridgestone."

It was a good day for Britain, despite Damon Hill's last-lap heartache as he and Johnny Herbert both finished on the podium in Hungary. Hill was second in the Arrows and Herbert was third in his Sauber. Eddie Irvine and David Coulthard had also looked set to get into the points at one stage. But the Ferrari driver eventually finished ninth, while Coulthard's poor fortune continued and he retired from the race on lap 65.

Arrows boss Tom Walkinshaw was gutted after Damon Hill lost the chance of his first win for the team on the last lap. "It's not easy," he said. "Damon did a fantastic job and deserved to win." But Jacques Villeneuve was able to close the gap on championship leader Michael Schumacher to three points after relegating Hill to second. "Damon was worth a win," said the Williams driver. "But it is better for us this way because we are still fighting in the championship."

Damon Hill has been linked with Sauber and a tie-up with Johnny Herbert for 1998 and they proved a formidable team by both finishing on the podium. Hill was second behind Jacques Villeneuve in his Arrows, while Herbert drove his Sauber to third place. "It's good for the team and very good for morale," said Herbert. "If we carry on like this, I'm sure we can get in the points again this season." His four points gives Sauber a 12-point total in the constructors' race.


Race result:                   hr min sec
 1 J Villeneuve  Can   Williams 1:45.47
 2 D Hill        GB    Arrows    @ 0.09
 3 J Herbert     GB    Sauber    @ 0.20
 4 M Schumacher  Ger   Ferrari   @ 0.30
 5 R Schumacher  Ger   Jordan    @ 0.30
 6 S Nakano      Jpn   Prost     @ 0.41
 7 J Trulli      It    Prost     @ 1.15
 8 G Berger      Aut   Benetton  @ 1.16
 9 E Irvine      GB    Ferrari   1 lap
10 U Katayama    Jpn   Minardi   1 lap
11 J Alesi       Fr    Benetton  1 lap
12 T Marques     Brz   Minardi  2 laps
13 M Salo        Fin   Tyrrell  2 laps

Not classified:
14 D Coulthard   GB    McLaren  65 laps
15 J Verstappen  Hol   Tyrrell  61 laps
16 P Diniz       Brz   Arrows   53 laps
17 G Fisichella  It    Jordan   42 laps
18 H-H Frentzen  Ger   Williams 29 laps
19 R Barrichello Brz   Stewart  29 laps
20 M Hakkinen    Fin   McLaren  12 laps
21 G Morbidelli  It    Sauber    7 laps
22 J Magnussen   Den   Stewart   5 laps
Fastest lap: Frentzen 1.18.372


DRIVERS' STANDINGS 
 1 M Schumacher  Ger  Ferrari   56 pts 
 2 J Villeneuve  Can  Williams  53 
 3 J Alesi       Fr   Benetton  22 
 4 G Berger      Aut  Benetton  20 
 5 HH Frentzen   Ger  Williams  19 
 6 E Irvine      GB   Ferrari   18
 7 O Panis       Fr   Prost     15
 8 D Coulthard   GB   McLaren   14
 = M Hakkinen    Fin  McLaren   14
10 J Herbert     GB   Sauber    11
 = R Schumacher  Ger  Jordan    11
12 G Fisichella  It   Jordan     8
13 D Hill        GB   Arrows     7


CONSTRUCTORS' STANDINGS
 1 Ferrari               74 points
 2 Williams-Renault      72
 3 Benetton-Renault      46
 4 McLaren-Mercedes      28
 5 Prost-Mugen-Honda     20
 6 Jordan-Peugeot        19
 7 Sauber-Petronas       12
 8 Arrows-Yamaha          7
 9 Stewart-Ford           6
10 Tyrrell-Ford           2

TOURING CARS (Snetterton):- Alain Menu won the British Touring Car Championship after notching his 11th race victory of the season. The Williams-Renault driver led round 17 from start to finish on the weekend of his 34th birthday and admitted: "It is marvellous. I am sure Frank Williams will be very happy and he'll be even happier when we also win the manufacturers' title." Menu was second behind rookie team-mate Jason Plato in round 18. It was Plato's debut BTCC win.

Sunday's round 17 results:    mins secs
 1 A Menu       Swi Renault L  27:12.65
 2 J Thompson   GB  Honda Acc   @ 01.94
 3 F Biela      Ger Audi A4     @ 20.18
 4 J Plato      GB  Renault L   @ 20.72
 5 R Rydell     Swe Volvo S40   @ 22.84
 6 P Radisich   NZ  Ford Mon    @ 26.21
 7 J Cleland    GB  Vauxhall    @ 27.77
 8 T Harvey     GB  Peugeot     @ 34.74
 9 D Leslie     GB  Nissan Pr   @ 35.15
10 W Hoy        GB  Ford Mon    @ 36.74

Total Cup independents
13 L Brookes    GB  Peugeot   @ 1:04.05


Sunday's round 18 results:    mins secs
 1 J Plato      GB  Renault L  27:15.14
 2 A Menu       Swi Renault L   @ 00.38
 3 G Tarquini   It  Honda Acc   @ 00.68
 4 J Thompson   GB  Honda Acc   @ 04.93
 5 R Rydell     Swe Volvo S40   @ 08.46
 6 D Leslie     GB  Nissan Pr   @ 08.90
 7 W Hoy        GB  Ford Mon    @ 14.82
 8 K Burt       GB  Volvo S40   @ 15.78
 9 F Biela      Ger Audi A4     @ 16.11
10 A Reid       GB  Nissan Pr   @ 16.52

Total Cup independents
12 M Neal       GB  Nissan Pr   @ 56.69

RENAULT SPORT:- David Shaw claimed the 11th round of the Renault Sport Spider Cup at Snetterton when winner Bryce Wilson was disqualified after a collision. Wilson and Nick Hart clashed on lap two as they were battling for the lead.


PORSCHES:- Johnny Mowlem took his Team AFN Class 1 Porsche to his 12th race win in a row in the Porsche Cup at Castle Combe.


F.RENAULT:- Darren Malkin won his second Formula Renault Sport race of the year in round 10 at Snetterton after leader Hoover Orsi retired in sight of the finish.


INDYCAR (Mid-Ohio):- Bryan Herta broke the course record in Friday's first day of qualifying and it proved enough to give him pole. Herta drove a fastest lap of 122.649mph to beat Alex Zanardi's previous best speed of 122.100mph last year. Zanardi himself also beat the time but had to settle for second place. Greg Moore was third fastest. Scotland's Dario Franchitti will be fifth on the grid and Mark Blundell is 13th. He was hampered by a pinched nerve in qualifying.


Final qualifying times:      mins secs
 1 B Herta      US  Reynard   1:06.277
 2 A Zanardi    It  Reynard   1:06.303
 3 G Moore      US  Reynard   1:06.473
 4 G de Ferran  Brz Reynard   1:06.653
 5 D Franchitti Sco Reynard   1:06.689
 6 M Gugelmin   Brz Reynard   1:06 696
 7 S Pruett     US  Reynard   1:06.724
 8 C Fittipaldi Brz Swift     1:06.751
 9 J Vasser     US  Reynard   1:06.857
10 M Andretti   US  Swift     1:06.919
13 M Blundell   Eng Reynard   1:07.235





11.08.97
F1:- Damon Hill has put into perspective his stunning re-emergence as a Formula One force after his Hungarian GP heroics. "The next race will be twice as hard," confessed Hill, as he looks forward to next week's Belgian GP at Spa. Jacques Villeneuve snatched victory on the final lap as throttle failure cost Hill victory in his troubled Arrows. "I think it will be more difficult at Spa and it's not the type of circuit where we can repeat that performance," said the world champion.



DRIVER RANKINGS:- Alessandro Zanardi has moved to within 54 points of Michael Schumacher at the top of the Championship Spark Plug World Driver rankings. The Italian added 95 points to his rankings total following his victory in round 13 of the PPG CART World Series at Mid-Ohio last weekend. Schumacher failed to capitalise on his Hungarian GP pole position, slipping to fourth place at the finish. Jacques Villeneuve's win in Hungary moved him from 11th place to fourth.

August 11 standings:             Points
 1 M Schumacher  Formula 1        719
 2 A Zanardi     CART             665
 3 J Gordon      NASCAR           618
 4 J Villeneuve  Formula 1        578
 5 P Tracy       CART             553
 6 H C'sro Neves Indy Lights      551
 7 A Menu        Brit Tour Cars   549
 8 G de Ferran   CART             531
 9 T Kanaan      Indy Lights      524
10 G Moore       CART             523
11 G Seton       Aus Tour Cars    518
12 T Kristensen  Formula 3000     496
13 M Andretti    CART             485
14 T Kendall     Trans-Am         472

INDYCAR:- Alex Zanardi won his fourth race of the season to extend his points lead in the CART Championship standings. The Italian beat Canadian Greg Moore into second place to stretch his overall lead from six to 27 points. "I thought I had the speed to win and if we keep up the same effort I'm sure nobody can catch us," he said. Scotland's Dario Franchitti finished in 12th place but Mark Blundell failed to finish after suffering engine problems in the seventh lap.

Sunday's race result:
 1 A Zanardi    It  Reynard 83 laps
 2 G Moore      US  Reynard same lap
 3 B Rahal      US  Ford    sl
 4 R Boesel     Brz Ford    sl
 5 J Vasser     US  Reynard sl
 6 G de Ferran  Brz Honda   sl
 7 M Gugelmin   Brz Reynard sl
 8 M Andretti   US  Swift   sl
 9 S Pruett     US  Reynard sl
10 A Ribeiro    Brz Reynard sl
11 D Franchitti Sco Reynard sl
DNF M Blundell  Eng Reynard





15.08.97
F1:- Minardi will celebrate their 200th Grand Prix in the Belgian race at Spa on Sunday week. They made their debut in 1985 and have fielded 17 drivers since entering the world championship. Their best finishing position in the manufacturers championship was seventh in 1991. Giancarlo Minardi said: "This is a milestone in the team's life. My objective is always to improve our performance from one race to the next."



WORLD SUPERSPORTS:- Teenager James Toseland will race for Honda in the inaugural World Supersport Championship next year. The 16-year-old has won the last two rounds of the British series at Mallory Park and Knockhill.



BRITISH GTs:- BBC commentators Charlie Cox and Tiff Needell will be battling for glory in the GT Championship at the weekend. They race for the factory Harrier and Lister teams respectively and both are in with a chance of outright victory. Cox, who shares the Harrier with Win Percy, said: "We won at Brands the last time the series visited there in April. "If we are going to stand a chance of winning the title, victory is a must." Needell is deputising for 1996 GT1 champion Ian Flux in the Lister Storm.



MCRAE FOREST STAGES:- Brian Lyall could clinch the title in this weekend's McRae Forest Stages Rally, the penultimate round of the 1997 Scottish Championship. He has a 19 point lead over rival Sandy Dalagrno, but a top 13 finish would be good enough for the Subaru driver to win his first national crown. The opposition includes former winner Neale Dougan and former Scottish champion Murray Grierson, with Chris Wagner's Audi also likely to do well. The rally starts at 9:30am on Saturday.





17.08.97
INDYCAR:- The start of the CART Series race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, has been delayed by rain. Officials advise that the race will be run today if it can be started by 2300 BST. If not, it will be rescheduled to a later date.

Saturday's final practice times:mins secs
 1 M Gugelmin   Brz Reynard  1:42 379
 2 M Blundell   Eng Reynard  1:42.451
 3 A Zanardi    It  Reynard  1:42.546
 4 D Franchitti Sco Reynard  1:42.689
 5 M Andretti   US  Swift    1:42.795
 6 S Pruett     US  Reynard  1:42.797
 7 G de Ferran  Brz Reynard  1:43.160
 8 B Herta      US Reynard   1:43.220
 9 R Boesel     Fr Reynard   1:43.452
10 G Moore      US Reynard   1:43.546

F3 (Pembrey):- Jonny Kane extended his lead in the Formula Three Championship after rounds nine and 10 in Wales. Argentine Brian Smith won the ninth round in the Fortec MotorSport Mitsubishi car for his first ever F3 championship win. Nicolas Minassian won the second race of the day from Promatecme-renault teammate Enrique Bernoldi. Kane took second and fifth places respectively to extend his series lead to 23 points over Peter Dumbreck.




18.08.97
INDYCAR (Road America):- Alex Zanardi won his third straight race on the CART circuit when he roared to victory in Wisconsin. It was his fourth win in the last five races and puts him 38 points clear of Brazil's Gil de Ferran on 168 points in the Championship. The Italian can seal the Championship title at Vancouver in two weeks. Britain's Mark Blundell kept Zanardi under pressure until he was overtaken at a pit stop but he had to retire with an engine fire three laps from the end.

Final results:                 Laps
 1 A Zanardi    It  Reynard     50
 2 M Gugelmin   Brz Reynard     50
 3 G de Ferran  Brz Reynard     50
 4 C Fittipaldi Brz Swift       50
 5 S Pruett     US  Reynard     50
 6 B Rahal      US  Reynard     50
 7 A Unser Jr   US  Penske      50
 8 J Vasser     US  Reynard     50
 9 R Hearn      US  Lola        50
10 J Fangio II  Arg Reynard     50
16 M Blundell   Eng Reynard     47
25 D Franchitti Sco Reynard     15


August 18 standings:             Points
 1 A Zanardi     CART             760
 2 M Schumacher  Formula 1        719
 3 J Gordon      NASCAR           658
 4 G de Ferran   CART             598
 5 J Villeneuve  Formula 1        578
 6 P Tracy       CART             553
 7 H C'sro Neves Indy Lights      551
 8 A Menu        Brit Tour Cars   549
 9 T Kendall     Trans-Am         525
10 T Kanaan      Indy Lights      524
Alex Zanardi replaced Michael Schumacher at the top of the rankings after his fifth CART win of the season.





20.08.97
F1: THE BELGIAN GP
Championship leader Michael Schumacher won his first ever grand prix in Belgium in 1992 and is looking for his third straight Spa victory on Sunday. He triumphed for Benetton at the circuit in 1992 and 1995 and last year won the race for Ferrari. Schumacher's home town of Kerpen is a few miles over the German border and he admitted: "It's almost my home circuit. It has been modified over the years without losing it challenging character or the driving pleasure it offers."

The aim of the Williams team this weekend is to regain the initiative in the driver and constructor races. The Oxfordshire-based outfit have closed the gap on Ferrari and Michael Schumacher, with Jacques Villeneuve just three points behind the German. Villeneuve was runner-up to Schumacher in Belgium last year after taking pole. "It's a demanding track which gives you a buzz," he said. "When you manage to go quick through Eau Rouge you really stop breathing through the corner."

World champion Damon Hill won at Spa in 1993 and 1994 for Williams and will be out to build on his superb second place in Hungary this season for Arrows. Throttle problems saw victory snatched from Hill's grasp on the last lap. But while the Hungaroring suited the Arrows car because it is a relatively slow circuit in Formula One terms, Belgium provides a different challenge. Hill has been linked with Sauber and McLaren for 1998 but has doggedly stuck to his task this year.

Jordan are hoping for an upturn in fortunes after missing out on that elusive first win in Germany and then having a low key time in Hungary. Both Giancarlo Fisichella and Ralf Schumacher have driven on the circuit this year, although not in Formula One. "Spa is possibly the best circuit in the world," said Fischella. "I raced there for Peugeot earlier this year." Schumacher added: "I raced at Spa on July 20 in a GT1 AMG Mercedes with Klaus Ludwig. We came fifth."

The Stewart-Ford team will be making modifications to their V10 engines ahead of Sunday's race. Technical director Alan Jenkins said: "Despite our successful testing at Monza, we will be making further modifications to improve reliability." Rubens Barrichello earned his first pole position back in 1994 at Spa. "And I enjoyed several wins there in my Opel-Lotus days," added the Brazilian. "Now we are hoping for the reliability that will take us to the finish."

Spa is the longest circuit on the calendar at 6.968km and its sweeping curves, fast turns and sharp hairpin make it a favourite with the drivers. Tyrrell drivers Mika Salo and Jos Verstappen think the track is the best of the bunch and the Finn just missed out on the points in Belgium last year. Salo was seventh and his then team-mate Ukyo Katayama eighth. And Vestappen was third for Benetton in Spa in 1994. "I'll be trying 110 per cent to score this time out," revealed Salo.

PREVIOUS WINNERS
1996 M Schumacher  Ger  Ferrari
1995 M Schumacher  Ger  Benetton
1994 D Hill        GB   Williams
1993 D Hill        GB   Williams
1992 M Schumacher  Ger  Benetton
1991 A Senna       Brz  McLaren
1990 A Senna       Brz  McLaren
1989 A Senna       Brz  McLaren
1988 A Senna       Brz  McLaren
1987 A Prost       Fr   McLaren
1986 N Mansell     GB   Williams

TOURING CARS:- Alain Menu has already clinched the drivers' crown but also wants to sew up the manufacturer and team titles for Renault and Williams. Thruxton plays host to rounds 19 and 20 of the BTCC on Monday and Menu said: "I've had my little bit of glory. Now everyone who made it happen should enjoy the rewards." Menu's Renault team-mate Jason Plato is second in the championship after his debut victory at Snetterton, while 1996 champion Frank Biela is third.



F3 (Donington Park):- Jonny Kane wants to extend his lead in the British Formula Three Championship, a proven training ground for future grand prix drivers. The Ulsterman is 23 points clear of Paul Stewart Racing team-mate Peter Dumbreck ahead of Sunday's round 11. "I don't want to think about the championship just yet as there is still a long way to go," said Kane. He hopes to emulate Rubens Barrichello and Jan Magnussen, both F3 champions who now race for Stewart-Ford in F1.






22.08.97
F1: THE BELGIAN GP
McLaren have announced they are to keep current drivers David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen for the 1998 season. And the news comes after Damon Hill admitted he turned down an offer to join the team. In a statement, Hill said: "There were negotiations over recent weeks, during which time an offer to drive for McLaren-Mercedes in 1998 was made. After consideration of the terms of the offer, I was left with no alternative but to reject it."

World champion Damon Hill has revealed he turned down a £13m deal for the next two years from an unnamed team. Swiss-based team Sauber are believed to have made the offer and the news comes after Hill said he had rejected an offer from McLaren. The McLaren deal was thought to be a basic £1.3m for next year, with a £650,000 win bonus. Hill confirmed: "I have turned away deals for the next two years in excess of $20m."

David Coulthard is more than happy to be kept on by McLaren for 1998. He and team-mate Mika Hakkinen have been confirmed as the team's drivers for 1998 after weeks of uncertainty. "I am delighted to extend my contract with West McLaren-Mercedes," said the Scot. "I am looking forward to healthy and productive competition with Mika." And McLaren boss Ron Dennis said: "Both have contributed to the re-shaping of our team and should benefit from the fruits of these efforts next year."

Benetton duo Gerhard Berger and Jean Alesi set the pace in the free practice sessions for Sunday's race. Berger topped the standings, with Alesi just over half-a-second behind. Damon Hill was third fastest in the first run-out but dropped to fourth behind Stewart's Rubens Barrichello in the next rain-hit session. Championship leader Michael Schumacher was fifth fastest but Williams rival Jacques Villeneuve was 17th. David Coulthard was sixth fastest.

Friday's practice times:       min secs
 1 G Berger      Aut  Benetton 2:06.802
 2 J Alesi       Fr   Benetton 2:07.371
 3 R Barrichello Brz  Stewart  2:08.238
 4 D Hill        GB   Arrows   2:08.372
 5 M Schumacher  Ger  Ferrari  2:09.272
 6 D Coulthard   GB   McLaren  2:09.288
 7 J Herbert     GB   Sauber   2:09.772
 8 J Trulli      It   Prost    2:09.772
 9 P Diniz       Brz  Arrows   2:10.153
10 U Katayama    Jpn  Minardi  2:10.231
11 S Nakano      Jpn  Prost    2:10.272
12 M Hakkinen    Fin  McLaren  2:10.413
13 H-H Frentzen  Ger  Williams 2:10.914
14 E Irvine      GB   Ferrari  2:10.993
15 F Fisichella  It   Jordan   2:11.093
16 G Morbidelli  It   Sauber   2:11.262
17 J Villeneuve  Can  Williams 2:11.709
18 T Marques     Brz  Minardi  2:11.778
19 J Magnussen   Den  Stewart  2:12.545
20 R Schumacher  Ger  Jordan   2:12.750
21 M Salo        Fin  Tyrrell  2:13.256
22 J Verstappen  Hol  Tyrrell  2:14.048

TOURING CARS (Thruxton):- Alain Menu smashed the record for the fastest-ever touring car qualifying lap of a British circuit in final testing for Monday's rounds 19 and 20. The 34-year-old clocked one minute, 16.104 seconds in his Renault Laguna, while averaging a speed of 111.44mph. Menu claimed the BTCC championship at Snetterton two weeks ago. And the Swiss driver now wants to win the manufacturers' crown for Renault and the team prize for Williams at the Bank Holiday event.

Friday's testing times:        min secs
 1 A Menu     Swi Renault Lag  1:16.104
 2 J Thompson GB  Honda Acc    1:16.269
 3 F Biela    Ger Audi A4      1:16.697
 4 R Rydell   Swe Volvo S40    1:16.845
 5 G Tarquini It  Honda Acc    1:16.871
 6 A Reid     GB  Nissan Prim  1:16.949
 7 W Hoy      GB  Ford Mondeo  1:17.300
 8 D Leslie   GB  Nissan Prim  1:17.340
 9 J B'cliffe GB  Audi A4      1:17.354
10 P Radisich NZ  Ford Mondeo  1:17.398
11 J Plato    GB  Renault Lag  1:17.414
12 K Burt     GB  Volvo S40    1:17.484

F3:- Jonny Kane wants to extend his lead in the British Formula Three Championship - a proven training ground for future grand prix drivers. The Ulsterman is 23 points clear of Paul Stewart Racing team-mate Peter Dumbreck ahead of Sunday's round 11. "I don't want to think about the championship just yet as there is still a long way to go," said Kane. He hopes to emulate Rubens Barrichello and Jan Magnussen, both F3 champions who now race for Stewart-Ford in F1.





23.08.97
F1: THE BELGIAN GP
Williams ace Jacques Villeneuve will be on pole for Sunday's grand prix as he pushes to overtake leader Michael Schumacher in the drivers' race. The Canadian clocked one minute, 49.450 seconds in qualifying to finish just ahead of Benetton's Jean Alesi. Damon Hill repeated his Hungary feat of coming out for a last-gasp lap but failed to improve on ninth position and was out-paced by team-mate Pedro Diniz. Schumacher was third in the Ferrari and McLaren's David Coulthard was 10th.

Finland's Mika Hakkinen will start from the back of the grid after his qualifying times were cancelled on because of fuel irregularities. The problem arose when his McLaren car underwent a technical check. The team were also fined after the sample of fuel taken from the car was found not to conform with that lodged at the beginning of the season. Hakkinen used his spare car during Saturday's qualifying when he recorded the fifth fastest time.

Saturday's qualifying times:   min secs
 1 J Villeneuve  Can Williams  1:49.450
 2 J Alesi       Fr  Benetton  1:49.759
 3 M Schumacher  Ger Ferrari   1:50.293
 4 G Fisichella  It  Jordan    1:50.470
 5 M Hakkien     Fin McLaren   1:50.503
 6 R Schumacher  Ger Jordan    1:50.520
 7 H-H Frentzen  Ger Williams  1:50.656
 8 P Diniz       Brz Arrows    1:50.853
 9 D Hill        GB  Arrows    1:50.970
10 D Coulthard   GB  McLaren   1:51.610
11 J Herbert     GB  Sauber    1:51.725
12 R Barichello  Brz Stewart   1:51.916
13 G Morbidelli  It  Sauber    1:52.094
14 J Trulli      It  Prost     1:52.274
15 G Berger      Aus Benetton  1:52.391
16 S Nakano      Jpn Prost     1:52.749
17 E Irvine      GB  Ferrari   1:52.793
18 J Magnussen   Den Stewart   1:52.886
19 M Salo        Fin Tyrrell   1:52.897
20 U Katayama    Jpn Minardi   1:53.544
21 J Verstappen  Hol Tyrrell   1:53.725
22 T Marques     Brz Minardi   1:54.505
Hakkinen due to start from back of grid due to fuel irregularities, but allowed to start under appeal.


TOURING CARS (Thruxton):- 
Round 19
Saturday's qualifying times:   min secs
 1 R Rydell   Swe Volvo S40    1:16.341
 2 J Thompson GB  Honda Acc    1:16.762
 3 J B'cliffe GB  Audi A4      1:16.811
 4 A Menu     Swi Renault Lag  1:16.859
 5 F Biela    Ger Audi A4      1:16.944
 6 G Tarquini It  Honda Acc    1:16.962
 7 A Reid     GB  Nissan Prim  1:17.219
 8 D Leslie   GB  Volvo S40    1:17.487
 9 D Warwick  GB  Vauxhall Vec 1:17.583
10 P Radisich NZ  Ford Mondeo  1:17.611
11 J Cleland  GB  Vauxhall Vec 1:17.677
12 W Hoy      GB  Ford Mondeo  1:17.765

Round 20
Saturday's qualifying times:   min secs
 1 J Thompson GB  Honda Acc    1:16.392
 2 F Biela    Ger Audi A4      1:16.413
 3 A Menu     Swi Renault Lag  1:16.452
 4 R Rydell   Swe Volvo S40    1:16.526
 5 G Tarquini It  Honda Acc    1:16.700
 6 A Reid     GB  Nissan Prim  1:17.023
 7 J B'cliffe GB  Audi A4      1:17.266
 8 J Plato    GB  Renault Lag  1:17.394
 9 D Leslie   GB  Volvo S40    1:17.580
10 P Radisich NZ  Ford Mondeo  1:17.601

F.FORD:- Jacky Van Der Ende qualified on pole for round 12 of the Formula Ford Championship at Thruxton with a time of one minute, 18.958 seconds. He only needs to win two more rounds to win the title.



RENAULT SPIDER CUP:- Bryce Wilson took the Renault Sport Spider Cup title with his eighth win in round 12 at Thruxton. Gareth Downing, the current Ford Fiesta champion, set the fastest time in qualifying for round 12, clocking one minute, 37.873 seconds.





24.08.97

F1: THE BELGIAN GP

Result after 44 laps:
 1 M Schumacher  Ger Ferrari 1:33:46.7
 2 G Fisichella  It  Jordan  @    26.7
 3 M Hakkinen    Fin McLaren      30.8
 4 HH Frentzen   Ger Williams     32.1
 5 J Herbert     GB  Sauber       39.0
 6 J Villeneuve  Can Williams     42.1
 7 G Berger      Aut Benetton   1:03.7
 8 P Diniz       Brz Arrows     1:25.9
 9 J Alesi       Fr  Benetton   1:42.0
10 G Morbidelli  It  Sauber     1:42.5
11 E Irvine      GB  Ferrari    1 lap
12 M Salo        Fin Tyrrell    1 lap
13 J Magnussen   Den Stewart    1 lap
14 D Hill        GB  Arrows     2 laps
15 U Katayama    Jpn Minardi    2 laps
16 J Trulli      It  Prost      2 laps

DRIVERS' STANDINGS
 1 M Schumacher  Ger  Ferrari   66 pts
 2 J Villeneuve  Can  Williams  54
 3 J Alesi       Fr   Benetton  22
 4 HH Frentzen   Ger  Williams  22
 5 G Berger      Aut  Benetton  20
 6 E Irvine      GB   Ferrari   18
 7 M Hakkinen    Fin  McLaren   18
 8 O Panis       Fr   Prost     15
 = D Coulthard   GB   McLaren   14
10 G Fisichella  It   Jordan    14
 = J Herbert     GB   Sauber    13
12 R Schumacher  Ger  Jordan    11
13 D Hill        GB   Arrows     7

CONSTRUCTORS' STANDINGS
 1 Ferrari               84 points
 2 Williams-Renault      76
 3 Benetton-Renault      46
 4 McLaren-Mercedes      32
 5 Jordan-Peugeot        25
 6 Prost-Mugen-Honda     20
 7 Sauber-Petronas       14
 8 Arrows-Yamaha          7
 9 Stewart-Ford           6
10 Tyrrell-Ford           2
Rainmaster Michael Schumacher produced a consummate performance as he extended his Championship lead with a dominant drive at rain-lashed Spa. The German star made light of the typically unpredictable conditions to simply storm away leaving his Ferrari crew to twiddle their thumbs. One of them looked to be nodding off as Schumacher opened a 60-second lead. Jacques Villeneuve battled back from 14th to sixth while Damon Hill never challenged and retired on the last lap.

Michael Schumacher took a giant step towards the world crown but was characteristically nonchalant after a brilliant display in Belgium. He cruised to his third Belgian GP win in a row after a breathtaking early move which saw him charge past both Jean Alesi and Jacques Villeneuve. He said: "It was fairly straightforward and I managed to pull out a gap. I think we took the right decision on set-up and tyres and when the circuit gets difficult it suits me."

Damon Hill's taste of glory in Hungary proved to a be a brief one as he suffered another frustrating race in the Arrows at Spa. Hill, second last time out, appeared to make a mistake on tyre choice and one stop too many saw him slip back before he limped out on the final lap. Johnny Herbert produced a brave drive to hold for fifth place in the Sauber. David Coulthard spun off on lap 21 while Eddie Irvine failed to finish after a last-lap shunt with Pedro Diniz.

Disappointed Damon Hill had to admit he blundered after losing his way on a rainy afternoon at Spa. Hill, experiencing the highs and lows of Formula One after being so close to victory two weeks ago, finished 14th. He said: "It was a bad one for me. I called for intermediates. It was my choice because I could see some rain. As it turned out I called the wrong shot. I've only got myself to blame. It's a shame. I had to come in at the end because there was a loose wheel."

The notoriously fickle weather in the Ardennes forest created pre-race panic at the Belgian Grand Prix. The drivers had just begun lining up on the grid for the start when the circuit was hit by a sudden heavy downpour. Mechanics had already begun taking the wet-weather tyres back to the pits when they were forced to ferry them back. Organisers had no option but to start the race with the safety car before drivers were finally let loose after three laps.


F3 (Donington):-
11th ROUND RESULT             mins secs
 1 N Minassian Dallara-Renault 24:47.01
 2 J Kane      Dallara-Mugen-H 24:47.53
 3 M O'Connell Dallara-Toyota  24:47.61
 4 M Webber    Dallara-Mugen-H 24:48.79
 5 P Dumbreck  Dallara-Mugen-H 25:07.12
 6 G Smith     Dallara-Opel    25:11.64
 7 B Smith     Dallara-Mitsub' 25:17.59
 8 E Bernoldi  Dallara-Renault 25:19.16
 9 W Hughes    Dallara-Mitsub' 25:25.20
10 H Stanton   Dallara-Mugen-H 25:25.32

STANDINGS:
1 Kane      149
2 Dumbreck  121
3 Minassian 104
4 Webber     99
5 Haberfeld  72
6 B Smith    67

GTs:- Britain's Steve Soper and Finland's JJ Lehto retained their lead in the FIA Grand Touring Championship despite coming fourth in the Suzuka 1,000km endurance race in Japan. The McLaren duo have won three rounds so far this season, but they finished around three minutes behind Mercedes trio Alessandro Nannini, Marcel Tiemann and Bernd Schneider.



MEWLA RALLY:- John Price has won the Marketing Mewla National Rally and secured the National Rally series for a record seventh time in 1h:44m.09 secs driving a Metro 6R4.





25.08.97
F1:- Damon Hill could be driving for Jordan next year if the Silverstone-based team lose Giancarlo Fisichella. The Italian was recently named as a Benetton driver for 1998 by their team chief but Eddie Jordan is battling to keep him for at least another season. If Jordan is successful then there would be no chance of signing Hill as Ralf Schumacher is staying. Sauber are still willing to discuss terms with Hill while Prost and his current Arrows team are other options.



TOURING CARS (Thruxton):- Williams-Renault clinched the teams and manufacturers' titles in the Auto Trader RAC Touring Car Championship even though Audi won both rounds. Alain Menu finished runner-up behind the man he succeeded as drivers' champion, Frank Biela, in the second race to give Renault both titles. Menu challenged for the lead throughout the contest but the German passed the flag with two seconds to spare. Biela's teammate John Bintcliffe won the opening race the 19th round.

Round 19 result after 20 laps:mins secs
 1 J Bintcliffe GB  Audi A4   26:30.915
 2 F Biela      Ger Audi A4    @  0.358
 3 J Thompson   GB  Honda Acc  @  1.772
 4 G Tarquini   It  Honda Acc  @  1.968
 5 W Hoy        GB  Ford Mond  @ 15.445
 6 T Harvey     GB  Peugeot    @ 25.907
 7 J Plato      GB  Renault    @ 26.307
 8 D Leslie     GB  Nissan     @ 32.959
 9 D Warwick    GB  Vauxhall   @ 42.133
10 L Brookes    GB  Peugeot    @ 43.233

Round 20 result after 20 laps:mins secs
 1 F Biela      Ger Audi A4   26:25.410
 2 A Menu       Swi Renault    @  2.394
 3 J Thompson   GB  Honda Acc  @ 11.673
 4 G Tarquini   It  Honda Acc  @ 14.237
 5 J Bintcliffe GB  Audi A4    @ 19.836
 6 J Plato      GB  Renault    @ 23.805
 7 R Rydell     Swe Volvo      @ 23.845
 8 D Warwick    GB  Vauxhall   @ 25.247
 9 W Hoy        GB  Ford Mond  @ 29.813
10 D Leslie     GB  Nissan     @ 30.089


DRIVER STANDINGS                  Pts
1 A Menu     Swi Renault Laguna   251
2 F Biela    Ger Audi A4          146
3 J Plato    GB  Renault Laguna   132
4 J Thompson GB  Honda Accord     120
5 R Rydell   Swe Volvo S40        118
6 J B'cliffe GB  Audi A4          111

CONSTRUCTOR STANDINGS
1 Renault              260 pts
2 Honda                196
3 Audi                 192
4 Volvo                171
5 Nissan               121





26.08.97 - F1
Eddie Jordan has ruled out any chance of Damon Hill joining his team for next year's Formula One championship. The Jordan boss said he will be keeping the same line-up of Italian Giancarlo Fisichella and German Ralf Schumacher. Hill had been linked to the Jordan team after his rejection of a £13m two-year deal with Sauber and an offer of £1.3m, with win bonuses, with McLaren. But Jordan said: "Youth has been a key to our success and it would be foolish to overturn that decision."





27.08.97
F1:- Alain Prost is hoping to sign Damon Hill if the two can agree on money, according to French press reports. Prost is quoted in L'Equipe as saying: "I want the best driver possible on condition that he is not too expensive. I have my budget." Both Hill and Prost are believed to be holding talks this week to see if an agreement can be reached. Peugeot are keen to have a high profile name alongside Olivier Panis who signed a new two year contract last week.


WORLD DRIVER RANKINGS
August 27 standings:             Points
 1 M Schumacher  Formula 1        819
 2 A Zanardi     CART             760
 3 J Gordon      NASCAR           658
 4 J Villeneuve  Formula 1        621
 5 G de Ferran   CART             598
 6 A Menu        Brit Tour Cars   577
 7 P Tracy       CART             553
 8 H C'sro Neves Indy Lights      551
 9 D Jarrett     NASCAR           534
10 M Martin      NASCAR           529
11 T Kendall     Trans-am         525
12 T Kanaan      Indy Lights      524
13 G Moore       CART             523
14 G Seton       Aus Touring Cars 518





28.08.97 - RALLY FINLAND
Tommi Makinen is targeting his fourth consecutive win when the 10th round kicks off on his home turf on Friday. The world champion leads the series by six points from Carlos Sainz. "It's nice to drive at home and I like the Finnish stages so much," he said. Britain's Colin McRae, in a Subaru, is likely to be Makinen's biggest threat. He has set the pace for much of the season and added: "It's not so much the individual result as what is happening overall from now on."





29.08.97
RALLY FINLAND:- Finland's Marcus Gronholm delighted the home fans as he drove Toyota's new Corolla into the lead in the first leg. The 29-year-old heads Juha Kankkunen and reigning champion Tommi Makinen. But it seemed obvious Kankkunen and Carlos Sainz avoided high finishes as the first driver out on Saturday will face loose gravel and slippery roads. Kankkunen slowed down on the fourth stage, a sprint special, and Sainz accepted a 10-second penalty for being late to a service point.

Leaderboard at end of first leg:mins sec
 1 Gronholm/R'tanen Fin Toyota   36.00
 2 Kytolehto/K'pnen Fin Ford     36.04
 3 Kankkunen/Repo   Fin Ford     36.06
 4 Makinen/Harjanne Fin Mits'bhi 36.08
 5 McRae/Grist      GB  Subaru   36.09
 6 Sainz/Moya       Sp  Ford     36.11
 7 Eriksson/P'mnder Swe Subaru   36.15
 8 Auriol/Giraudet  Fr  Toyota   36.24
 9 Lindholm/H'tunen Fin Ford     36.35
10 Jansson/Svensson Swe Toyota   36.45
10-second penalty imposed on Sainz for
checking in one minute late

MINTEX RALLY SERIES:- Silverstone plays host to its first ever rally sprint on Saturday, with top drivers from the Mintex National Rally Series taking part. Over 40 drivers will contest the stage, which has been designed for use in November's Network Q RAC Rally.





30.08.97
F1:- German car firm BMW are reportedly looking to make a Formula One comeback and are tipped to link up with the Williams team. A German publication has said BMW would almost certainly opt to supply engines to Williams and that the partnership would start in 1999 at the latest. BMW currently have an engine deal with McLaren in the World GT Championship.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen is set to see out his Williams contract after being backed by Frank Williams in an interview with a German publication. Frentzen has failed to shine since replacing Damon Hill this season. However, Williams revealed: "I am very happy with him and he has a two-year contract with us. "He's a fantastic driver, he's got plenty of talent but he still needs time to learn how to use the Williams' potential to the full."



INDYCAR (Vancouver):- Alex Zanardi made a good start in his bid to seal the title this weekend by leading the way in Friday's practice. The Italian was over 1mph faster than second-placed Scott Pruett as he took provisional pole. "I'm very determined to get this championship because I know you don't get this chance every year," he said. England's Mark Blundell was 12th fastest after hitting the tyre barrier at one point while Dario Franchitti of Scotland was 14th.

Friday's practice times:     mins secs
 1 A Zanardi    It  Reynard   0:54.184
 2 S Pruett     US  Reynard   0:54.750
 3 M Andretti   US  Swift     0:54.810
 4 J Vasser     US  Reynard   0:54.888
 5 G de Ferran  Brz Reynard   0:55.088
 6 G Moore      US  Reynard   0:55.141
 7 A Ribeiro    Brz Lola      0:55.146
 8 B Herta      US  Reynard   0:55.186
 9 M Gugelmin   Brz Reynard   0:55.260
10 C Fittipaldi Brz Swift     0:55.334
12 M Blundell   Eng Reynard   0:55.622
14 D Franchitti Sco Reynard   0:55.677

RALLY FINLAND:- Colin McRae's hopes of a crucial win in Finland ended when he had to retire with engine failure after stage five. McRae had finished joint eighth on the stage, the first of the second day, putting him in seventh place overall but he could not continue the race. "As we crossed the finish the engine just died and there was nothing we could do to get it re-started," he said. "The engineers will look at it." Current champion Tommi Makinen heads the field at the end of the second day.

Leaderboard at the end of second day:
                              hr min sec
 1 Makinen/H'nne  Fin Mits'bhi 2.11.58
 2 Sainz/Moya     Sp  Ford     2.12.00
 3 Kankkunen/Repo Fin Ford     2.12.02
 4 Gronholm/R'nen Fin Toyota   2.12.35
 5 Kytolehto/K'n  Fin Ford     2.13.07
 6 Lindholm/H'nen Fin Ford     2.13.45
 7 Jansson/S'sson Swe Toyota   2.15.31
 8 Hagstrom/G'str Fin Toyota   2.16.12
 9 Nittel/Thorner Ger Mits'bhi 2:17.37
10 Puhakka/Eerola Fin Mits'bhi 2.19.42





31.08.97
INDYCAR:- Alex Zanardi took another step toward the CART Indy-car season title by claiming pole position and a championship point with it. Zanardi turned a lap of 54.025 seconds on the 2.704km temporary street circuit He now holds a 39-point lead over Gil de Ferran and can wrap up the title if he adds five points to that margin in Sunday's 100-lap event. "I'll try to win the race but if Bobby Rahal gets in front, I won't try to pass him. Second place would be good."

Saturday's top ten qualifiers:mins secs
 1 A Zanardi    It  Reynard   0:54.025
 2 B Rahal      US  Reynard   0:54.351
 3 J Vasser     US  Reynard   0:54.386
 4 M Andretti   US  Swift     0:54.419
 5 M Gugelmin   Brz Reynard   0:54.505
 6 B Herta      US  Reynard   0:54.542
 7 G de Ferran  Brz Reynard   0:54.553
 8 M Blundell   GB  Reynard   0:54.600
 9 G Moore      Can Reynard   0:54.614
10 D Franchitti GB  Reynard   0:54.655
Mark Blundell, the leading British driver in the Indy Car series, has signed a two-year extension to his contract with the PacWest Racing Group.



RALLY FINLAND:- Reigning world champion Tommi Makinen sealed an unpredecented fourth straight victory in his home country's championship event. Only Shekhar Mehta of Kenya has won four championship rally events in a row - the Safari rally in Kenya 1979-82. Makinen edge closer to a second world drivers' title in succession for as his closest contenders went pointless. Carlos Sainz of Spain, second in the standings behind Makinen, had to retire on Sunday with gear box trouble.

Result after 22 stages:       hr min sec
 1 Makinen/H'nne  Fin Mits'bhi 3.16.18
 2 Kankkunen/Repo Fin Ford     3.16.25
 3 Kytolehto/K'n  Fin Ford     3.18.18
 4 Lindholm/H'nen Fin Ford     3.18.53
 5 Jansson/S'sson Swe Toyota   3.21.12
 6 Hagstrom/G'str Fin Toyota   3.22.48
 7 Nittel/Thorner Ger Mits'bhi 3:25.15
 8 Auriol/G'det   Fr  Toyota   3.26.57
 9 Puhakka/Eerola Fin Mits'bhi 3.27.59
10 Rovanpera/S'dr Fin Seat     3.28.21

DRIVERS STANDINGS
1 T Makinen   Fin Mitsubishi  52 pts
2 C Sainz     Sp  Ford        34
3 C McRae     GB  Subaru      32
4 K Eriksson  Swe Subaru      24
5 P Liatti    It  Subaru      18
6 J Kankkunen Fin Ford        16
7 R Burns     GB  Mitsubishi  12
8 A Schwarz   Ger Ford        11

MANUFACTURERS' STANDINGS
1 Subaru       74 pts
2 Mitsubishi   66
3 Ford         61