01.06.97GTs:- Ian Flux's Lister Storm dominated the third round of the Privilege Insurance GT Championship at Donington to earn the team's first win since 1959. Flux beat Tim Sugden into second place by 48 seconds.
INDYCAR:- Canadian Greg Moore took his first Cart Indy car victory at the Milwaukee 200 - and denied Paul Tracy a fourth straight win. Tracy, who had been on pole, finished sixth after a costly pit stop during the final caution flag with 67 laps of the race remaining. Pit stops were crucial and Moore admitted: "We probably had about a cup of fuel left." Michael Andretti finished second followed by Jimmy Vasser.
Sunday's result: Laps 1 G Moore Can Reynard 200 (119.597 mph) 2 M Andretti US Swift Ford 200 3 J Vasser US Reynard 200 4 R Boesel Brz Reynard 200 5 M Gugelmin Brz Reynard 200 6 P Tracy Can Penske 200 7 G de Ferran Brz Reynard 200 8 P Carpentier Can Reynard 200 9 S Pruett US Reynard 200 10 R Moreno Brz Swift Ford 200F1:- Villeneuve's win in the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya was Goodyear's 350th win. The other wins were at:-
1965 1 MEXICAN GP RICHIE GINTHER HONDA RA272 1966 2 FRENCH GP JACK BRABHAM BRABHAM BT19-REPCO 3 BRITISH GP JACK BRABHAM BRABHAM BT19-REPCO 4 DUTCH GP JACK BRABHAM BRABHAM BT19-REPCO 5 GERMAN GP JACK BRABHAM BRABHAM BT19-REPCO 1967 6 MONACO GP DENNY HULME BRABHAM BT2O-REPCO 7 BELGIAN GP DAN GURNEY EAGLE AAR104-WESLAKE 8 FRENCH GP JACK BRABHAM BRABHAM BT24-REPCO 9 GERMAN GP DENNY HULME BRABHAM BT24-REPCO 10 CANADIAN GP JACK BRABHAM BRABHAM BT24-REPCO 1968 11 BELGIAN GP BRUCE McLAREN McLAREN M7A-FORD 12 ITALIAN GP DENNY HULME McLAREN M7A-FORD 13 CANADIAN GP DENNY HULME McLAREN M7A-FORD 1969 14 GERMAN GP JACKY ICKX BRABHAM BT26-FORD 15 CANADIAN GP JACKY ICKX BRABHAM BT26-FORD 16 MEXICAN GP DENNY HULME McLAREN M7A-FORD 1970 17 SOUTH AFRICAN GP JACK BRABHAM BRABHAM BT33-FORD 1971 18 SPANISH GP JACKIE STEWART TYRRELL 003-FORD 19 MONACO GP JACKIE STEWART TYRRELL 003-FORD 20 FRENCH GP JACKIE STEWART TYRRELL 003-FORD 21 BRITISH GP JACKIE STEWART TYRRELL 003-FORD 22 GERMAN GP JACKIE STEWART TYRRELL 003-FORD 23 CANADIAN GP JACKIE STEWART TYRRELL 003-FORD 24 UNITED STATES GP FRANCOIS CEVERT TYRRELL 002-FORD 1972 25 ARGENTINIAN GP JACKIE STEWART TYRRELL 003-FORD 26 SOUTH AFRICAN GP DENNY HULME McLAREN M19A-FORD 27 FRENCH GP JACKIE STEWART TYRRELL 003-FORD 28 CANADIAN GP JACKIE STEWART TYRRELL 005-FORD 29 UNITED STATES GP JACKIE STEWART TYRRELL 005-FORD 1973 30 ARGENTINIAN GP EMERSON FITTIPALDI LOTUS 72D-FORO 31 BRAZILIAN GP EMERSON FITTIPALDI LOTUS 72D-FORD 32 SOUTH AFRICAN GP JACKIE STEWART TYRRELL 006-FORD 33 SPANISN GP EMERSON FITTIPALDI LOTUS 720-FORD 34 BELGIAN GP JACKIE STEWART TYRRELL 006-FORD 35 MONACO GP JACKIE STEWART TYRRELL 006-FORD 36 SWEDISH GP DENNY HULME McLAREN M23-FORD 37 FRENCH GP RONNIE PETERSON LOTUS 720-FORD 38 BRITISH GP PETER REVSON McLAREN M23-FORD 39 DUTCH GP JACKIE STEWART TYRRELL 006-FORD 40 GERMAN GP JACKIE STEWART TYRRELL 006-FORD 41 AUSTRIAN GP RONNIE PETERSON LOTUS 720-FORD 42 ITALIAN GP RONNIE PETERSON LOTUS 720-FORD 43 CANADIAN GP PETER REVSON McLAREN M23-FORD 44 UNITED STATES GP RONNIE PETERSON LOTUS 720-FORD 1974 45 ARGENTINIAN GP DENNY HULME McLAREN M23-FORD 46 BRAZILIAN GP EMERSON FITTIPALDI McLAREN M23-FORD 47 SOUTH AFRICAN GP CARLOS REUTEMANN BRABHAM BT44-FORD 48 SPANISH GP NIKI LAUDA FERRARI 312B3 49 BELGIAN GP EMERSON FITTIPALDI McLAREN M23-FORO SO MONACO GP BONNIE PETERSON LOTUS 72E-FORD 51 SWEDISH GP JODY SCHECKTER TYRRELL 007-FORD 52 DUTCH GP NIKI LAUDA FERRARI 312B3 53 FRENCH GP RONNIE PETERSON LOTUS 72E-FORD 54 BRITISH GP JODY SCHECKTER TYRRELL 007-FORD 55 GERMAN GP CLAY REGAZZONI FERRARI 312B3 56 AUSTRIAN GP CARLOS REUTEMANN BRABHAM BT44-FORD 57 ITALIAN GP RONNIE PETERSON LOTUS 72E-FORD 58 CANADIAN GP EMERSON FITTIPALDI McLAREN M23-FORD 59 UNITED STATES GP CARLOS REUTEMANN BRABHAM BT44-FORD 1975 60 ARGENTINIAN GP EMERSON FITTIPALDI McLAREN M23-FORD 61 BRAZILIAN GP CARLOS PACE BRABHAM BT44B-FORD 62 SOUTH AFRICAN GP JODY SCHECKTER TYRRELL 007-FORD 63 SPANISH GP JOCHEN MASS McLAREN M23-FORD 64 MONACO GP NIKI LAUDA FERRARI 312T 65 BELGIAN GP NIKI LAUDA FERRARI 312T 66 SWEDISH GP NIKI LAUDA FERRARI 312T 67 DUTCH GP JAMES HUNT HESKETH 308-FORD 68 FRENCH GP NIKI LAUDA FERRARI 312T 68 BRITISH GP EMERSON FITTIPALDI McLAREN M23-FOBD 70 GERMAN GP CARLOS REUTEMANN BRABHAM BT44B-FORD 71 AUSTRIAN GP VITTORIO BRAMBILLA MARCH 751-FORD 72 ITALIAN GP CLAY REGAZZONI FERRARI 312T 73 UNITED STATES GP NIKI LAUDA FERRARI 312T 1976 74 BRAZILIAN GP NIKI LAUDA FERRARI 312T 75 SOUTH AFRICAN GP NIKI LAUDA FERRARI 312T 76 LONG BEACH GP CLAY REGAZZONI FERRARI 312T 77 SPANISH GP JAMES HUNT McLAREN M23-FORD 78 BELGIAN GP NIKI LAUDA FERRARI 312T2 79 MONACO GP NIKI LAUDA FERRARI 312T2 80 SWEDISH GP JODY SCHECKTER TYRRELL P34-FORD 81 FRENCH GP JAMES HUNT McLAREN M23-FORD 82 BRITISH GP NIKI LAUDA FERRARI 312T2 83 GERMAN GP JAMES HUNT McLAREN M23-FORD 84 AUSTRIAN GP JOHN WATSON PENSKE PC4-FORD 85 DUTCH GP JAMES HUNT McLAREN M23-FORD 86 ITALIAN GP RONNIE PETERSON MARCH 761-FORD 87 CANADIAN GP JAMES HUNT McLAREN M23-FORD 88 UNITED STATES GP JAMES HUNT McLAREN M23-FORD 89 JAPANESE GP MARIO ANDRETTI LOTUS 77-FORD 1977 90 ARGENTINIAN GP JODY SCHECKTER WOLF WR1-FORD 91 BRAZILIAN GP CARLOS REUTEMARN FERRARI 312T2 92 SOUTH AFRICAN GP NIKI LAUDA FERRARI 312T2 93 LONG BEACH GP MARIO ANDRETTI LOTUS 78-FORD 94 SPANISH GP MARIO ANDRETTI LOTUS 78-FORD 95 MONACO GP JODY SCHECKIER WOLF WR1-FORD 96 BELGIAN GP GUNNAR NILSSON LOTUS 78-FORD 97 SWEDISH GP JACQUES LAFFITE LIGIER J57-MATRA 98 FRENCH GP MARIO ANDRETTI LOTUS 78-FORD 99 BRITISH GP JAMES HUNT McLABEN M26-FORD 100 GERMAN GP NIKI LAUDA FERRARI 312T2 101 AUSTRIAN GP ALAN JONES SHADOW DN8A-FORD 102 DUTCH GP NIKI LAUDA FERRARI 312T2 103 ITALIAN GP MARIO ANDRETTI LOTUS 78-FORD 104 UNITED STATES GP JAMES HUNT McLAREN M26-FORD 105 CANADIAN GP JODY SCHECKTER WOLF WR1-FORD 106 JAPANESE GP JAMES HUNT McLAREN M26-FORD 1978 107 ARGENTINIAN GP MARIO ANDRETTI LOTUS 78-FORD 108 SOUTH AFRICAN GP RONNIE PETERSON LOTUS 78-FORD 109 MONACO GP PATRICK DEPAILLER TYRRELL 008-FORD 110 BELGIAN GP MARIO ANDRETTI LOTUS 79-FORD 111 SPANISH GP MARIO ANDRETTI LOTUS 79-FORD 112 SWEDISH GP NIKI LAUDA BRABHAM BT46B-ALFA ROMEO 113 FRENCH GP MARIO ANDRETTI LOTUS 79-FORD 114 GERMAN GP MARIO ANDRETTI LOTUS 79-FORD 115 AUSTRIAN GP RONNIE PETERSON LOTUS 79-FORD 116 DUTCH GP MARIO ANDRETTI LOTUS 79-FORD 117 ITALIAN GP NIKI LAUDA BRABHAM BT46-ALFA ROMEO 1979 118 ARGENTINIAN GP JACQUES LAFFITE LIGIER JS11-FORD 119 BRAZILIAN GP JACQUES LAFFITE LIGIER JS11-FORD 120 SPANISH GP PATRICK DEPAILLER LIGIER JS11-FORD 121 BRITISH GP CLAY REGAZZONI WILLIAMS FWO7-FORD 122 GERMAN GP ALAN JONES WILLIAMS FWO7-FORD 123 AUSTRIAN GP ALAN JONES WILLIAMS FWO7-FORD 124 DUTCH GP ALAN JONES WILLIAMS FWO7-FORD 125 CANADIAN GP ALAN JONES WILLIAMS FWO7-FORD 1980 126 ARGENTINIAN GP ALAN JONES WILLIAMS FWO7-FORD 127 LONG BEACH GP NELSON PIQUET BRABHAM B149-FORD 128 BELGIAN GP DIDIER PIRONI LIGIER J511/15-FORD 129 MONACO GP CARLOS REUTEMANN WILLIAMS FWO7B-FORD 130 FRENCH GP ALAN JONES WILLIAMS FWO7B-FORD 131 BRITISH GP ALAN JONES WILLIAMS FWO7B-FORD 132 GERMAN GP JACQUES LAFFITE LIGIER J511/15-FORD 133 DUTCH GP NELSON PIQUET BRABHAM BT49-FORD 134 ITALIAN GP NELSON PIQUET BRABHAM B149-FORD 135 CANADIAN GP ALAN JONES WILLIAMS FWO7B-FORD 136 UNITED STATES GP ALAN JONES WILLIAMS FWO7B-FORD 1981 137 GERMAN GP NELSON PIQUET BRABHAM BT49C-FORD 138 LAS VEGAS GP ALAN JONES WILLIAMS FWO7C-FORD 1982 139 SAN MARINO GP DIDIER PIRONI FERRARI 126C2 140 MONACO GP RICCARDO PATRESE BRABHAM BT49D-FORD 141 CANADIAN GP NELSON PIQUET BRABHAM BT5O-BMW 142 DUTCH GP DIDIER PIRONI FERRARI 126C2 143 GERMAN GP PATRICK TAMBAY FERRARI I26C2 144 AUSTRIAN GP ELIO DE ANGELIS LOTUS 91-FORD 145 SWISS GP KEKE ROSBERG WILLIAMS FWO5-FORD 146 LAS VEGAS GP MICHELE ALBORETO TYRRELL 011-FORD 1983 147 SAN MARINO GP PATRICK TAMBAY FERRARI 126C2B 148 MONACO GP KEKE ROSBERG WILLIAMS FWO5C-FORD 149 DETROIT GP MICHELE ALBORETO TYRRELL 01l-FORD 150 CANADIAN GP RENE ARNOUX FERRARI 126C2B 151 GERMAN GP RENE ARNOUX FERRARI 126C3 152 DUTCH GP RENE ARNOUX FERRARI 126C3 1984 153 BELGIAN GP MICHELE ALBORETO FERRARI 126C4 154 DALLAS GP KEKE ROSBERG WILLIAMS FWO9-HONDA 1985 155 BRAZILIAN GP ALAIN PROST McLAREN MP4/2B-TAG 156 PORTUGUESE GP AYRTON SENNA LOTUS 97T-RENAULT 157 SAN MARINO GP ELIO DE ANGELIS LOTUS 97T-RENAULT 158 MONACO GP ALAIN PROST McLAREN MP4/2B-TAG 199 CANADIAN GP MICHELE ALBORETO FERRARI 156/85 160 DETROIT GP KEKE ROSBERG WILLIAMS FW1O-HONDA 161 BRITISH GP ALAIN PROST McLAREN MP4/2B-TAG 162 GERMAN GP MICHELE ALBORETO FERRARI 156/85 163 AUSTRIAN GP ALAIN PROST McLAREN MP4/2B-TAG 164 DUTCH GP NIKI LAUDA McLAREN MP4/2B-TAG 165 ITALIAN GP ALAIN PROST McLAREN MP4/2B-TAG 166 BELGIAN GP AYRTON SENNA LOTUS 97T-RENAULT 167 EUROPEAN GP NIGEL MANSELL WILLIAMS FW1O-HONDA 168 SOUTH AFRICAN GP NIGEL MANSELL WILLIAMS FW1O-HONDA 169 AUSTRALIAN GP KEKE ROSBERG WILLIAMS FW1O-HONDA 1986 170 BRAZILIAN GP NELSON PIQUET WILLIAMS FW11-HONDA 171 SPANISH GP AYRTON SENNA LOTUS 98T-RENAULT 172 SAN MARINO GP ALAIN PROST McLAREN MP4/2C-TAG 173 MONACO GP ALAIN PROST McLAREN MP4/2C-TAG 174 BELGIAN GP NIGEL MANSELL WILLIAMS FW11-HONDA 175 CANADIAN GP NIGEL MANSELL WILLIAMS FW11-HONDA 176 DETROIT GP AYRTON SENNA LOTUS 98T-RENAULT 177 FRENCH GP NIGEL MANSELL WILLIAMS FW11-HONDA 178 BRITISH GP NIGEL MANSELL WILLIAMS FW11-HONDA 179 GERMAN GP NELSON PIQUET WILLIAMS FW11-HONDA 180 HUNGARIAN GP NELSON PIQUET WILLIAMS FW11-HONDA 181 AUSTRIAN GP ALAIN PROST MCLAREN MP4/2C-TAG 182 ITALIAN GP NELSON PIQUET WILLIAMS FW11-HONDA 183 PORTUGUESE GP NIGEL MANSELL WILLIAMS FW11-HONDA 184 AUSTRALIAN GP ALAIN PROST McLAREN MP4/2C-TAG 1987 185 BRAZILIAN GP ALAIN PROST McLAREN MP4/3-TAG 186 SAN MARINO GP NIGEL MANSELL WILLIAMS FW11B-HONDA 187 BELGIAN GP ALAIN PROST McLAREN MP4/3-TAG 188 MONACO GP AYRTON SENNA LOTUS 99T-HONDA 189 DETROIT GP AYRTON SENNA LOTUS 99T-HONDA 190 FRENCH GP NIGEL MANSELL WILLIAMS FW11B-HONDA 191 BRITISH GP NIGEL MANSELL WILLIAMS FW11B-HONDA 192 GERMAN GP NELSON PIQUET WILLIAMS FW11B-HONDA 193 HUNGARIAN GP NELSON PIQUET WILLIAMS FW1lB-HONDA 194 AUSTRIAN GP NIGEL MANSELL WILLIAMS FW1IR-HONDA 195 ITALIAN GP NELSON PIQUET WILLIAMS FWIlB-HONDA 196 PORTUGUESE GP ALAIN PROST McLAREN MP4/3-TAG 197 SPANISH GP NIGEL MANSELL WILLIAMS FW1lB-HONDA 198 MEXICAN GP NIGEL MANSELL WILLIAMS FW11B-HONDA 199 JAPANESE GP GERHARD BERGER FERRARI F187 200 AUSTRALIAN GP GERHARD BERGER FERRARI F187 1988 201 BRAZILIAN GP ALAIN PROST McLAREN MP4/4-HONDA 202 SAN MARINO GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/4-HONDA 203 MONACO GP ALAIN PROST McLAREN MP4/4-HONDA 204 MEXICAN GP ALAIN PROST McLAREN MP4/4-HONDA 205 CANADIAN GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/4-HONDA 206 DETROIT GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN WP4/4-HONDA 207 FRENCH GP ALAIN PROST McLAREN MP4/4-HONDA 208 BRITISH GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/4-HONDA 209 GERMAN GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP414-HONDA 210 HUNGARIAN GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP414-HONDA 211 BELGIAN GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP414-HONDA 212 ITALIAN GP GERHARD BERGER FERRARI F187/88C 213 PORTUGUESE GP ALAIN PR0ST McLAREN MP4/4-HONDA 214 SPANISH GP ALAIN PROST McLAREN MP4/4-HONDA 215 JAPANESE GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/4-HONDA 216 AUSTRALIAN GP ALAIN PROST McLAREN MP4/4-HONDA 1989 217 BRAZILIAN GP NIGEL MANSELL FERRARI 640 218 SAN MARIHO GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/5-HONDA 219 MONACO GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/5-HONDA 220 MEXICAN GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/5-HONDA 221 UNITED STATES GP ALAIN PROST McLAREN MP4/5-HONDA 222 CANADIAN GP THIERRY BOUTSEN WILLIAMS FW12C-RENAULT 223 FRENCH GP ALAIN PROST McLAREN MP4/5-HONDA 224 BRITISH GP ALAIN PROST McLAREN MP4/5-HONDA 225 GERMAN GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/5-HONDA 226 HUNGARIAN GP NIGEL MANSELL FERRARI 640 227 BELGIAN GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/5-HONDA 228 ITALIAN GP ALAIN PROST McLAREN MP4/5-HONDA 229 PORTUGUESE GP GERHARD BERGER FERRARI 640 230 SPANISH GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/5-HONDA 231 JAPANESE GP ALESSANDRO NANNINI BENETTON B189-FORD 232 AUSTRALIAN GP THIERRY BOUTSEN WILLIAMS FW13-RENAULT 1990 233 UNITED STATES GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/5B-HONDA 234 BRAZILIAN GP ALAIN PROST FERRARI 641 235 SAN MARINO GP RICCARDO PATRESE WILLIAMS FWl3B-RENAULT 236 MONACO GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/5B-HONDA 237 CANADIAN GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/5B-HONDA 238 MEXICAN GP ALAIN PROST FERRARI 641/2 239 FRENCH GP ALAIN PROST FERRARI 641/2 240 BRITISH GP ALAIN PROST FERRARI 641/2 241 GERMAN GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/5B-HONDA 242 HUNGARIAN GP THIERRY BOUTSEN WILLIAMS FW13B-RENAULT 243 BELGIAN GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/5B-HONDA 244 ITALIAN GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP455B-HONDA 245 PORTUGUESE GP NIGEL MANSELL FERRARI 641/2 246 SPANISH GP ALAIN PROST FERRARI 641/2 247 JAPANESE GP NELSON PIQUET BENETTON B190-FORD 248 AUSTRALIAN GP NELSON PIQUET BENETTON B190-FORD 1991 249 UNITED STATES GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/6-HONDA 250 BRAZILIAN GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/6-HONDA 251 SAN MARINO GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/6-HONDA 252 MONACO GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/6-HONDA 253 MEXICAN GP RICCARDO PATRESE WILLIAMS FW14-RENAULT 254 FRENCH GP NIGEL MANSELL WILLIAMS FW14-RENAULT 255 BRITISH GP NIGEL MANSELL WILLIAMS FWI4-RENAULT 256 GERMAN GP NIGEL MANSELL WILLIAMS FW14-RENAULT 257 HUNGARIAN GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/6-HONDA 258 BELGIAN GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/6-HONDA 259 ITALIAN GP NIGEL MANSELL WILLIAMS FW14-RENAULT 260 PORTUGUESE GP RICCARDO PATRESE WILLIAMS FW14-RENAULT 261 SPANISH GP NIGEL MANSELL WILLIAMS FW14-RENAULT 262 jAPANESE GP GERHARD BERGER McLAREN MP4/6-HONDA 263 AUSTRALIAN GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/6-HONDA 1992 264 SOUTH AFRICAN GP NIGEL MANSELL WILLIAMS FW14B-RENAULT 265 MEXICAN GP NIGEL MANSELL WILLIAMS FWl4B-RENAULT 266 BRAZILIAN GP NIGEL MANSELL WILLIAMS FW14B-RENAULT 267 SPANISH GP NIGEL MANSELL WILLIAMS FW14B-RENAULT 268 SAN MARINO GP NIGEL MANSELL WILLIAMS FW14B-RENAULT 269 MONACO GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/7A-HONDA 270 CANADIAN GP GERHARD BERGER McLAREN MP4/7A-HONDA 271 FRENCH GP NIGEL MANSELL WILLIAMS FW14B-BENAULT 272 BRITISH GP NIGEL MANSELL WILLIAMS FW14B-RENAULT 273 GERMAN GP NIGEL MANSELL WILLIAMS FWl4B-RENAULT 274 HUNGARIAN GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/7A-HONDA 275 BELGIAN GP MICHAEL SCHUMACHER BENETTON B192-FORD 276 ITALIAN GP AYRTON SENHA McLAREN MP4/7A-HONDA 277 PORTUGUESE GP NIGEL MANSELL WILLIAMS FW14B-RENAULT 278 JAPANESE GP RICCARDO PATRESE WILLIAMS FW14B-RENAULT 279 AUSTRALIAN GP GERHARD BERGER McLAREN MP4/7A-HONDA 1993 280 SOUTH AFRICAN GP ALAIN PROST WILLIAMS FW15C-BENAULT 281 BRAZILIAN GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/8-FORD 282 EUROPEAN GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/8-FORD 283 SAN MARINO GP ALAIN PROST WILLIAMS FW15C-RENAULT 284 SPANISH GP ALAIN PROST WILLIAMS FW15C-RENAULT 285 MONACO GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/8-FORD 286 CANADIAN GP ALAIN PROST WILLIAMS FW15C-RENAULT 287 FRENCH GP ALAIN PROST WILLIAMS FW15C-RENAULT 288 BRITISH GP ALAIN PROST WILLIAMS FW15C-RENAULT 289 GERMAN GP ALAIN PROST WILLIAMS FW15C-RENAULT 290 HUNGARIAN GP DAMON HILL WILLIAMS FW15C-RENAULT 291 BELGIAN GP DAMON HILL WILLIAMS FW15C-RENAULT 292 ITALIAN GP DAMON HILL WILLIAMS FW15C-RENAULT 293 PORTUGUESE GP MICHAEL SCHUMACHER BENETTON B193B-FORD 294 JAPANESE GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/8-FORD 295 AUSTRALIAN GP AYRTON SENNA McLAREN MP4/8-FORD 1994 296 BRAZILIAN GP MICHAEL SCHUMACHER BENETTON B194-FORD 297 PACIFIC GP MICHAEL SCHUMACHER BENETTON B194-FORD 298 SAN MARINO GP MICHAEL SCHUMACHER BENETTON B194-FORD 299 MONACO GP MICHAEL SCHUMACHER BENETTON B194-FORD 300 SPANISH GP DAMON HILL WILLIAMS FW16-RENAULT 301 CANADIAN GP MICHAEL SCHUMACHER BENETTON B194-FORD 302 FRENCH GP MICHAEL SCHUMACHER BENETTON B194-FORD 303 BRITISH GP DAMON HILL WILLIAMS FW16-RENAULT 304 GERMAN GP GERHARD BERGER FERRARI 412T1B 305 HUNGARIAN GP MICHAEL SCHUMACHER BENETTON B194-FORD 306 BELGIAN GP DAMON HILL WILLIAMS FW16B-RENAULT 307 ITALIAN GP DAMON HILL WILLIAMS FW16B-RENAULT 308 PORTUGUESE GP DAMON HILL WILLIAMS FW16B-RENAULT 309 EUROPEAN GP MICHAEL SCHUMACHER BENETTON B194-FORD 310 JAPANESE GP DAMON HILL WILLIAMS FW16B-RENAULT 311 AUSTRALIAN GP NIGEL MANSELL WILLIAMS FW16B-RENAULT 1995 312 BRAZILIAN GP MICHAEL SCHUMACHER BENETTON 8195-RENAULT 313 ARGENTINIAN GP DAMON HILL WILLIAMS FW17-RENAULT 314 SAN MARINO GP DAMON HILL WILLIAMS FWl7-RENAULT 315 SPANISH GP MICHAEL SCHUMACHER BENETTON B195-RENAULT 316 MONACO GP MICHAEL SCHUMACHER BENETTON B195-RENAULT 317 CANADIAN GP JEAN ALESI FERRARI 412T2 318 FRENCH GP MICHAEL SCHUMACHER BENETTON B195-RENAULT 319 BRITISH GP JOHNNY HERBERT BENETTON B195-RENAULT 320 GERMAN GP MICHAEL SCHUMACHER BENETTON B195-RENAULT 321 HUNGARIAN GP DAMON HILL WILLIAMS FW17-RENAULT 322 BELGIAN GP MICHAEL SCHUMACHER BENETTON B195-RENAULT 323 ITALIAN GP JOHNNY HERBERT BENETTON B195-RENAULT 324 PORTUGUESE GP DAVID COULTHARD WILLIAMS FW17-RENAULT 325 EUROPEAN GP MICHAEL SCHUMACHER BENETTON B195-RENAULT 326 PACIFIC GP MICHAEL SCHUMACHER BENETTON B195-RENAULT 327 JAPANESE GP MICHAEL SCHUMACHER BENETTON B195-RENAULT 328 AUSTRALIAN GP DAMON HILL WILLIAMS FW17B-RENAULT 1996 329 AUSTRALIAN GP DAMON HILL WILLIAMS FW18-RENAULT 330 BRAZILIAN GP DAMON HILL WILLIAMS FW18-RENAULT 331 ARGENTINIAN GP DAMON HILL WILLIAMS FW18-BENAULT 332 EUROPEAN GP JACQUES VILLENEUVE WILLIAMS FW18-RENAULT 333 SAN MARINO GP DAMON HILL WILLIAMS FW18-RENAULT 334 MONACO GP OLIVIER PANIS LIGIER J543-MUGEN 335 SPANISH GP MICHAEL SCHUMACHER FERRARI F310 336 CANADIAN GP DAMON HILL WILLIAMS FWl8-RENAULT 337 FRENCH GP DAMON HILL WILLIAMS FWl8-RENAULT 338 BRITISH GP JACQUES VILLENEUVE WILLIAMS FW18-RENAULT 339 GERMAN GP DAMON HILL WILLIAMS FW18-RENAULT 340 HUNGARIAN GP JACQUES VILLENEUVE WILLIAMS FWl8-RENAULT 341 BELGIAN GP MICHAEL SCHUMACHER FERRARI F310 342 ITALIAN GP MICHAEL SCHUMACHER FERRARI F310 343 PORTUGUESE GP JACQUES VILLENEUVE WILLIAMS FWl8-BENAULT 344 JAPANESE GP DAMON HILL WILLIAMS FW18-RENAULT 1997 345 AUSTRALIAN GP DAVID COULTHARD McLAREN MP4/12-MERCEDES 346 BRAZILIAN GP JACQUES VILLENEUVE WILLIAMS FW19-RENAULT 347 ARGENTINIAN GP JACQUES VILLENEUVE WILLIAMS FW19-RENAULT 348 SAN MARINO GP HH FRENTZEN WILLIAMS FWl9-RENAULT 349 MONACO GP MICHAEL SCHUMACHER FERRARI F31OB 350 SPANISH GP JACQUES VILLENEUVE WILLIAMS FW19-RENAULT 02.06.97 - F1Damon Hill has given evidence at the trial in Italy over the events leading up to the death of Ayrton Senna. Hill was Senna's teammate at Williams at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix when Senna's car crashed into a track wall. Hill was asked if Senna had complained to him that his steering was not right. "I can't remember. It was too long ago," said Hill. He added the car seemed to oversteer just before the crash and that may have been due to low tyre pressure or the state of the track.
04.06.97 - TOURING CARSThe Renault team and Alain Menu led the way in the championship with the Swiss ace heading team-mate Jason Plato in official testing at Donington Park. Menu - runaway leader of the driver's championship - knocked more than half a second off his own qualifying record, lapping in 1m:10.93secs. Plato came home a quarter of a second behind his Renault colleague. Kelvin Burt in a Volvo finished third with Gabriele Tarquini trailing in fourth place in a Honda Accord.
TESTING, Donington mins secs A Menu Renault Laguna 1:10.93 J Plato Renault Laguna 1:11.24 K Burt Volvo S40 1:11.38 G Tarquini Honda Accord 1:11.41 R Rydell Volvo S40 1:11.46 J Thompson Honda Accord 1:11.61 F Biela Audi A4 Quattro 1:11.77 D Leslie Nissan Primera 1:11.80 P Watts Peugeot 406 1:11.86 J Bintcliffe Audi A4 Quattro 1:11.91 05.06.97 - Scottish International Rally Scottish rally timetable (Friday): Start Whitesands, Dumfries 9.00am Stage 1 Twiglees 9.55 Stage 2 Craik 1 10.45 Stage 3 Yair 1 12.36pm Stage 4 Elibank 1 12.55 Stage 5 Cardrona 1 13.40 Stage 6 Yair 2 15.32 Stage 7 Elibank 2 15.50 Stage 8 Cardrona 2 16.35 Stage 9 Craik 2 18.40 Stage 10 Castle O'Er 19.25 Scottish rally timetable (Saturday): Restart Dumfries 8.00am Stage 11 Dalbeattie 8.35 Stage 12 Black Loch 10.01 Stage 13 Glentrool 11.15 Stage 14 Clatteringshaws 13.10pm Stage 15 Ae 15.45 Finish Dumfries 16.45 06.06.97 - SCOTTISH INTERNATIONAL RALLY LEADERBOARD after 8 of 15 stages: (interim) min sec 1 McRae/Senior Volkswagen 55:04 2 Laukkanen/M'maki Volkswagen 55:04 3 Evans/Davies Ford 55:11 4 Higgins/Mills Nissan 55:16 5 Rovanpera/Silander SEAT 56:22 6 Rowe/Beech Renault 56:28 7 Mann/Wray Proton 57:38 8 Higgins/Wood Subaru 57:44 9 Porter/Rabbett Mitsubishi 58:57 10 Reynolds/Jones Ford 58:57VW team-mates Alister McRae and Tapio Laukkanen are tying for the lead of the Scottish Rally, round four of the Mobil 1 British Rally Championship, after the eighth stage. Laukkanen had been leading after stage seven but complained of steering problems, and one of his car's front wheels was reported as being askew. Gwyndaf Evans continues to shadow the duo in his Ford Escort, having earlier set the fastest time on the second stage.
Mark Higgins survived an incident in the Nissan on stage four when he hit a pile of logs and the tailgate sprung open, forcing him to drive the rest of the stage with a huge 'air-brake'. Robbie Head suffered a punctured front tyre which cost him four valuable minutes on the sixth stage. Fellow Renault Maxi Megane runner Martin Rowe holds sixth overall behind the SEAT of Harri Rovanpera.
The battle for the Group N Production Cup is being headed by Suffolk Mushroom farmer David Mann although David Higgins continues to close. Barbara Armstrong was leading the Ladies Cup after stage six, having been faster than points leader Stephanie Simmonite throughout the day. The final stage today is due to finish at 19.50, before the cars had back to the overnight halt in Dumfries at 21.30. The rally is due to finish in Dumfries at 16.49 tomorrow.
LEADERBOARD after 10 of 15 stages: (interim) hr min sec 1 Laukkanen/M'maki Volkswagen 1:08:17 2 McRae/Senior Volkswagen 1:08:19 3 Evans/Davies Ford 1:08:29 4 Higgins/Mills Nissan 1:08:31 5 Rovanpera/Silander SEAT 1:09:43 6 Rowe/Beech Renault 1:10:03 7 Higgins/Wood Subaru 1:11:22 8 Mann/Wray Proton 1:11:25 9 Head/Thomas Renault 1:12:19 10 Porter/Rabbett Mitsubishi 1:12:39Volkswagen team-mates Tapio Laukkanen and Alister McRae ended the first day of the Scottish Rally just two seconds apart. After setting joint fastest time on the opening stage the pair have swapped the lead on five occasions. "It was just a very good day for us" commented Laukkanen. "We will check the car out tonight and go flat out again tomorrow."
"We always thought Tapio was going to be quick " conceded McRae, "but tomorrow will be the same as today - flat out all the way."
The battle for third was equally tight. Gwyndaf Evans set two fastest times in his Ford Escort. Harri Rovanpera lies fifth in his SEAT Ibiza, ahead of the leading Renault Megane of Martin Rowe. The Production Cup also saw a titantic struggle. David Mann led the Production Cup for most of the day in his Proton Persona, but was overhauled by the Subaru Impreza of David Higgins. After eight stages Barbara Armstrong led the Ladies Cup battle convincingly, faster than defending champion Stephanie Simmonite on every stage.
Jimmy McRae completed the first leg of a potential triple honours for the Scottish clan by winning the Scottish Historic Rally. The former British Champion dominated the event, setting fastest time on every stage in his Lotus Cortina. McRae now jets off to watch his eldest son Colin on the Acropolis Rally, a round of the World Rally Championship. Back in Scotland, brother Alister will be hoping win the Scottish Rally. Half way through round 4 of the Mobil 1 British Championship he is tied for the lead with VW team-mate Tapio Laukkanen.
07.06.97F1:- Jacques Villeneuve has been ordered to appear before the FIA next Wednesday to explain his opposition to next season's rule changes. Villeneuve has spoken out about the proposals and said: "I think they'll take a lot away from the driver." The timing of the meeting will disrupt his preparation for next Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix. It will involve him in two flights across the Atlantic but FIA officials refused to change the meeting date.
ACROPOLIS RALLY:- Tommi Makinen and Colin McRae resume battle on Sunday at the start of the Acropolis Rally. Makinen won his third race of the year in Argentina last month to extend his world championship lead over McRae to six points. But McRae is confident of of turning the tables on his rival despite the sweltering conditions and rough roads. "We've got the strongest car for sure so this is never something we are concerned about," he said.
INDYCAR (DETROIT):- Scott Pruett claimed provisional pole for Sunday's race despite crashing during Friday's opening session. Pruett wrecked his primary car in the morning but his crew pieced it back together in time for him to break Nigel Mansell's track record later on. He roared round the circuit in one minute, 9.572 seconds to finish ahead of Greg Moore and Mauricio Gugelmin. Mark Blundell was 11th after coming fourth in the morning. "I am slightly disappointed with that," he said.
SCOTTISH INTERNATIONAL RALLY Leaderboard after 15 of 15 stages: hr min sec 1 McRae/Senior Volkswagen 2:14:35 2 Laukkanen/M'maki Volkswagen 2:14:43 3 Evans/Davies Ford 2:14:57 4 Rovanpera/Silander SEAT 2:17:11 5 Head/Thomas Renault 2:20:32 6 Higgins/Wood Subaru 2:21:09 7 Rowe/Beech Renault 2:21:19 8 Champion/Thorley Subaru 2:23:43 9 Milner/Turvey Toyota 2:25:57 10 Porter/Rabbett Mitsubishi 2:27:39 AMATEUR CUP 1 Blenkhorn/Haynes Volkswagen 2:29:58 2 Whitehurst/Ather'n Vauxhall 2:33:42 3 Wilson/Mooney Honda 2:35:22 JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP 1 Wilson/Mooney Honda 2:35:22 2 Sisson/Sisson Vauxhall 2:42:44 3 Barratt/Champion Honda 2:57:30 LADIES AWARD 1 Simmonite/Sim'nite Ford 2:30:03 2 Barratt/Champion Honda 2:57:30Home favourite Alister McRae scored a dramatic last stage win to extend his Mobil 1 British Rally Championship lead The 26-year-old from Lanark edged out VW teammate Tapio Laukkanen after a two-day struggle which had seen the lead change nine times in 15 stages. But Laukkanen was left to rue a 20-second penalty incurred on stage 13. The victory adds a third McRae to the list of Scottish Rally winners Alister repeating father Jimmy and brother Colin's successes.
Alister McRae was a relieved man after snatching victory from VW teammate Tapio Laukkanen on the final stage. "The stage went fairly well but we slid wide in a couple of places. It was really close all the way through the rally and Tapio put up a great fight. But to win is just spot on," said McRae. "Obviously I'm disappointed not to have won but the tyres went off on the final stage, that's rallying. It was a crazy event for everyone," said Laukkanen.
Gwyndaf Evans finished third after shadowing the VW Golfs throughout the event to maintain second in the title race in his Ford Escort. After battling with Higgins for most of the rally Mark Higgins retired when the engine of his Nissan Sunny burst into flames, without hurting the crew. Harri Rovanpera finished fourth in his SEAT Ibiza, ahead off Robbie Head, who fought back in his Renault Megane after he lost time with two punctures.
There was heartbreak for local lass Barbara Armstrong when the engine of her SEAT Ibiza finally expired on the last stage. Despite a down on power engine she had set fastest Ladies time on every stage, well ahead of eventual category winner Stephanie Simmonite. David Higgins claimed Production Cup honours in his Subaru Impreza, ahead of yan Champion and Jonny Milner in a Toyota Celica.
Ashley lenkhorn continued Volkswagen's ood day with victory in the Amateur class in his Golf GTi, over 3 minutes ahead of Don Whitehurst. Philip Wilson from Northern Ireland won the British Junior Rally Championship class in his Honda Civic, beating the Vauxhall of Wayne Sisson. Stuart Egglestone retaines the Junior series lead despite retiring at the end of the first day. Next event the Ulster Rally - 1/2 Aug.
Provisional Championship points 1 Alister McRae Volkswagen 72pts 2 Gwyndaf Evans Ford 64 3 Robbie Head Renault 61 4 Tapio Laukkanen Volkswagen 48 5 Martin Rowe Renault 45 6 Mark Higgins Nissan 41 7 Stephanie Simmonite Ford 38 = Don Whitehurst Vauxhall 38 9 Stuart Egglestone Vauxhall 32 10 Justin Dale Peugeot 31 = Harri Rovanpera SEAT 31 = Neil Wearden Honda 31 Manufacturers 1 Volkswagen 40 2 Ford 35 3 Renault 24 4 Skoda 19 5 Nissan 18 6 SEAT 17 7 Peugeot 16 8 Honda 14 08.06.97ACROPOLIS RALLY:- Colin McRae's challenge ended on the opening morning when the steering failed on his Subaru. McRae, six points behind Tommi Makinen at the top of the world championship standings, led after the first stage before running into trouble. Makinen took advantage of McRae's misery to move into the lead at the end of the third stage. Kenneth Eriksson took up the mantle on stage four but he rolled off on stage six and Juha Kankkunen moved in front.
Colin McRae admitted his early exit from the race had damaged his championship hopes but refused to admit he was out of contention. "It's still early in the rally and anything can happen to anyone," he said "We were on a fast right-hander, ran wide because of a bit of understeer and clipped the outside bank," he explained. "We did as much as we could to repair the damage, got going again, but in the end the pressure on the joint proved too much and it broke."
Positions after stage 7 (End of day one) mins:secs 1 J Kankkunen Fin Ford Esc 1:43.25 2 T Makinen Fin Mitsubishi 1:43.52 = R Burns GB Mitsubishi 1:43.52 4 C Sainz Sp Ford 1:44.47 5 T Radstrom Swe Toyota 1:46.01 6 A Vovos Gre Subaru 1:48.27 7 U Nittel Ger Mitsubishi 1:49.27 8 M Kamioka Jpn Subaru 1:49.47 9 Y Sakurai Jpn Subaru 1:50.12 10 L Kirkos Gre Ford Esc 1:51.07INDYCAR (DETROIT):- Brazilian Gil de Ferran took a massive gamble but it paid off in Detroit as he claimed pole for Sunday's race. De Ferran put up his fast lap of 1 min 9.052 secs with seven minutes left in the final qualifying session, then he climbed out of his Reynard-Honda. He stood watching the timing monitor as the clock ticked toward zero and no-one could post a better lap. "I didn't feel secure at all," de Ferran said. "I was fairly anxious right until the end."
Leading qualifying times for Sunday: mins.secs 1 G de Ferran Brz Reynard 1:09.052 2 S Pruett US Reynard 1:09.082 3 R Moreno Brz Swift 1:09.104 4 A Zanardi It Reynard 1:09.188 5 D Franchitti Sco Reynard 1:09.267 6 M Andretti US Swift 1:09.352 7 G Moore Can Reynard 1:09.553 8 M Gugelmin Brz Reynard 1:09.652 9 B Herta US Reynard 1:09.766 10 M Blundell GB Reynard 1:09.791 09.06.97ACROPOLIS RALLY:- Ford drivers Juha Kankkunen and Carlos Sainz moved into a clear lead at the end of the second day in Greece. Finn Kankkunen started the day with a 27 second lead over Richard Burns and Tommi Makinen, but Burns was unable to keep pace with the Fords. Double champion Sainz was in unstoppable form and set the fastest time in six of the day's seven stages. Kankkunen will be keen to secure his first win since 1994, but Sainz's form is looking ominous.
Positions after day two: hr min sec 1 J Kankkunen Fin Ford Esc 3:26.37 2 C Sainz Sp Ford 3:27.14 3 R Burns GB Mitsubishi 3:27.38 4 T Makinen Fin Mitsubishi 3:31.46 5 T Radstrom Swe Toyota 3:34.09 6 U Nittel Ger Mitsubishi 3:36.27 7 G de Mevius Bel Ford Esc 3:37.08 8 M Kamioka Jpn Subaru 3:37.22 9 Y Sakurai Jpn Subaru 3:38.27 10 A Vovos Gre Subaru 3:40.51INDYCAR (DETROIT):- Luckless Briton Mark Blundell missed out on a maiden CART series win when he ran out of fuel on the final lap. Mauricio Gugelmin and Blundell both gambled on completing the 77 laps with only one pit stop but came to a halt in a thrilling finish. Canadian Greg Moore made the most of their misfortune as he swept through to win for the second week running. He finished 1.818 secs clear of Michael Andretti, with Brazilian Gil de Ferran taking third place.
Briton Mark Blundell said he felt "gutted" when he ran out of fuel on the final lap. "As I came through the final turn I thought the race was mine. I honestly thought I had it," said Blundell. "I knew I was tight on fuel, obviously, and I knew Mauricio was tight, but when he ran out I felt confident I could make it to the end," he added. "I probably only needed another cupful of fuel, but that's racing," said the British driver regretfully.
Final result: 1 G Moore Can Reynard 77 laps (average speed 86.047 mph) 2 M Andretti US Swift 77 3 G de Ferran Brz Reynard 77 4 J Vasser US Reynard 77 5 R Moreno Brz Swift F 77 6 R Boesel Brz Reynard 77 7 B Herta US Reynard 77 8 A Unser jr US Penske 77 9 B Rahal US Reynard 77 10 JM Fangio II Arg Reynard 77 13 D Franchitti Sco Reynard 77 Series standings: 1 P.Tracy 94, 2 M.Andretti 86, 3 G.Moore 85 10.06.97F1:- Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has warned that a ban on tobacco sponsorship would hit the sport hard. He believes a ban could lead to cutbacks in races or more grands prix being run in Asia. Speaking in an Italian paper, he said: "We have the right to cancel any race when the running of it is in danger." Ecclestone said the proposed British ban and talk of legislative action in Italy could mean the latter losing one of its two races, Imola or Monza.
ACROPOLIS RALLY:- Carlos Sainz won in Greece after the Ford team ordered Juha Kankkunen to let him pass in the final stage. The Finn had throughout the last day until he let Sainz overtake him because of team orders. Richard Burns had to settle for fourth place after a heavy landing from a jump damaged his engine. He was also ordered to move back by his Mitsubishi team to let championship leader Tommi Makinen claim third place and increase his lead at the top.
Final positions: hr min sec 1 C Sainz Sp Ford WRC 4:56.24 2 J Kankkunen Fin Ford WRC 4:56.41 3 T Makinen Fin Mitsubishi 5:01.27 4 R Burns GB Mitsubishi 5:01.31 5 T Radstrom Swe Toyota 5:04.11 6 U Nittel Ger Mitsubishi 5:06.26 7 G de Mevius Bel Ford WRC 5:07.49 8 Y Sakurai Jpn Subaru 5:11.15 9 A Vovos Gre Subaru 5:12.05 10 L Kirkos Gre Ford Esc 5:14.33 DRIVERS STANDINGS 1 T Makinen Fin Mitsubishi 42 pts 2 C McRae GB Subaru 32 3 C Sainz Sp Ford 28 4 P Liatti It Subaru 18 5 K Eriksson Swe Subaru 14 6 A Schwarz Ger Ford 11 7 R Burns GB Mitsubishi 9 8 G Panizzi Fr Peugeot 8 MANUFACTURERS' STANDINGS 1 Subaru 64 pts 2 Mitsubishi 53 3 Ford 45F.RENAULT:- Kristian Kolby and Hoover Orai, each driving Van Diemen Renaults, were fastest in Swan National Formula Renault Sport testing on Tuesday. The sixth round race takes place at Donington on Sunday.
11.06.97F1:- THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
Jacques Villeneuve returns to his birthplace on Sunday with a three-point lead in the Formula One drivers' race. The 2.75-mile circuit is named after his late father Gilles and even though his family moved to France when he was six, he regards Canada as his home. "This race is so important to me personally," said Villeneuve, who was pipped for victory in the 1996 race by then Williams team-mate Damon Hill. "I want to go one better and win the race in front of my home crowd."
The Williams-Renault team are banking on Jacques Villeneuve and Heinz-Harald Frentzen to return them to the top of the constructors' table on Sunday. The Oxfordshire-based team are just one point behind Ferrari after six races and earned a one-two in Canada last year with Damon Hill and Villeneuve. It will be Frentzen's fourth visit to Montreal and he admitted: "Jacques will be motivated at his home circuit. But I won't be doing him any favours with the points the way they are."
Ex-world champion Michael Schumacher believes his Ferrari will be better suited to Montreal than to Barcelona. He lost the lead in the drivers' championship after only finishing fourth in the Spanish Grand Prix. But he added: "The team are a lot better placed at this stage of the season than I thought we would be. We should be in better shape for Montreal and I'm sure we can stay in contention for the title even though we are not the quickest outright package."
Ulsterman Eddie Irvine is hoping to reclaim a place on the podium on Sunday after his hopes in Barcelona were hit by tyre problems on the Ferrari. Irvine was second in Argentina and third in San Marino and Monaco and is currently fourth in the title race. "Goodyear have made big advances against Bridgestone but to do that they are running closer to the limits. A change of weather can leave us sailing close to the wind but that's what it's like in a tyre war," he said.
World champion Damon Hill enters the seventh race of the 1997 campaign hoping his luck is about to change. Hill has failed to finish any of the races for Arrows but briefly pushed his car into the points in Barcelona before retiring with oil pressure problems. However, despite the constant setbacks, Hill insists he is not despondent. And Arrows owner Tom Walkinshaw said: "I know the effort being put into the car by everyone is enormous. Yamaha and Bridgestone are working flat out."
TOURING CARS:- Alain Menu has the chance to extend his already commanding lead in the drivers' standings when the championship reaches the half-way point at Donington Park. Menu already has seven wins under his belt in the Renault Laguna and holds a 72-point lead over Rickard Rydell. But he said: "There's a long way to go this season and I want another good weekend at Donington." Gabriele Tarquini and James Thompson will also be pressing hard, with both races to be screened live on BBC TV.
LE MANS 24 HRS:- Saturday's line-up has been bolstered by the inclusion of top racing names. Three-time Formula One world champion Nelson Piquet joins Steve Soper and former Le Mans winner JJ Lehto as part of the BMW Motorsport team. And Mario Andretti, his son Michael, Martin Brundle, Riccardo Patrese, Thierry Boutsen and Michele Alboreto will also be taking part. Tiff Needell, presenter of the BBC's Top Gear programme will co-drive one of the Newcastle United entries.
Ex-Formula One driver Martin Brundle heads the Nissan outfit entered by Tom Walkinshaw and is out to emulate his Le Mans victory with Jaguar in 1990. Walkinshaw is Damon Hill's Arrows boss and his team is favourite after Brundle set the fastest pre-qualifying time. And Brundle admitted: "This is my one race of the year and I want to win it." Nissan are fielding three cars, with grand prix ace Riccardo Patrese coming out of retirement. He said: "I was missing something interesting to do."
Newcastle United are aiming for glory at the French circuit by backing the Lister Storm GTL two-car challenge. The familiar black and white stripes were first seen at the track in 1996 and the team was 19th after gearbox problems dropped them from 10th. Lister team manager Lawrence Pearce said: "We had aimed for the top 10 but after such a major failure to a key part we couldn't really complain. But this time we're looking for one of our cars to finish in the top six."
The David Price Racing team's Panoz GTR cars have star quality, with backing from a TV personality and a movie star. BBC favourite Noel Edmonds is involved with the set-up run by old friend Price and is a fan of US businessman Don Panoz, seen as a modern-day Henry Ford. Edmonds bought the first GTR for the road, while film star Paul Newman, second at Le Mans in 1979, raced one in the North America GT series. "I looked at the Panoz's pedigree and it became compulsive," said Edmonds.
The three-car Gulf McLaren team believe they have one of the strongest line-ups for the 65th running of the race. Britain's Global Endurance GT champion Ray Bellm joins Andrew Gilbert-Scott and Masanori Sekiya in the first car. Thomas Bscher and John Nielsen, the 1995 Global Endurance GT champions, are in the second entry with Chris Goodwin, who is making his Le Mans debut. And Jean Marc Gounon, Pierre-Henri Raphanel and Anders Olofsson make up the third entry.
Motor racing legend Mario Andretti first competed in the French classic 31 years ago but has yet to taste victory. He has won the Formula One and IndyCar championships and triumphed in the Indianapolis and Daytona 500 races. But ahead of a third consecutive visit with the Courage team, the 57-year-old admitted: "It's unfinished business. "Whether I can finish it before I get too old, I don't know." He is joined in his Courage-Porsche by son Michael and Olivier Grouillard.
12.06.97 - F1Gerhard Berger has withdrawn from this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix on doctors' advice after a sinus infection became aggravated. The Austrian had surgery on the problem two weeks ago and has been advised to intensify his treatment to ensure he makes a full recovery. His place in the team will go to their official test driver Alexander Wurz. "It is obviously a disappointment for both Gerhard and the team, said managing director Flavio Briatore.
13.06.97F1:- World Champion Damon Hill has been hit by yet more mechanical problems in the build-up to Sunday's race. Hill was lying eighth fastest in first practice when the new engine he was using for the first time died. "The engine broke," said Hill after being forced to park the car off the circuit and he eventually slipped back to 17th place. "It is not anything to happy about. Clearly there is still a problem with the engine," he added.
Scotland's David Coulthard was involved in a high speed crash during opening practice for Sunday's race. Coulthard lost control of his McLaren at the last chicane and careered into the barriers. The front right wheel was ripped off his car, but he was unhurt. Heinz-Harald Frentzen spoiled teammate Jacques Villeneuve's homecoming when he clocked 1:20.289 to set the pace, eight-tenths of a second inside Damon Hill's lap record set in 1996.
Friday's free practice times: mins secs 1 H Frentzen Ger Williams 1:20.289 2 G Fisichella It Jordan 1:20.416 3 J Villeneuve Can Williams 1:20.552 4 J Alesi Fr Benetton 1:20.624 5 O Panis Fr Ligier 1:20.727 6 J Herbert GB Sauber 1:20.876 7 R Schumacher Ger Jordan 1:20.930 8 E Irvine GB Ferrari 1:20.987 9 M Schumacher Ger Ferrari 1:21.201 10 R Barrichello Brz Stewart 1:21.269 11 A Wurz Aut Benetton 1:21.315 12 M Hakkinen Fin McLaren 1:21.372 LE MANS 24 HRS Leading qualifying times: mins secs 1 M Alboreto It Porsche 3:41.581 2 T Boutsen Bel Porsche 3:43.363 3 E v-d Poele Bel Nissan 3:45.324 4 JJ Lehto Fin McLaren 3:45.402 5 E Collard Fr Porsche 3:45.490 6 P Martini It Porsche 3:45.490 7 M Brundle GB Nissan 3:46.228 8 C Bouchut Fr Porsche 3:46.389 9 M Papis It Ferrari 3:46.431 10 M Tsuchiya Jpn McLaren 3:47.108KERRIDGE NATIONAL RALLY:- Scottish drivers will be bidding to continue their dominance of the Mintex National Rally Series when the Kerridge event gets underway today. Subaru driver Brian Lyall has taken maximum points during the last two rounds but still trails Steve Hill, who has yet to finish outside the top five. Murray Grierson, currently lying second, will also be bidding to win. Last year's Kerridge runner-up Mark Perrott is in the field but unlikely to trouble the overall leaders.
DRIVERS RANKINGS:- A scheme aimed at ranking motor racing drivers in different disciplines has been launched. The Champion Spark Plug World Driver Rankings will consider up to 25 championships around the world. Points will be awarded to drivers according to their performances in the various competitions. A ratings system is based around the number of races and the individual performances. Michael Schumacher is the top Formula One driver, ranked at 6th.
June 13 standings: Points 1 P Tracy CART 434 2 J Gordon NASCAR 433 3 G Moore CART 399 4 M Andretti CART 390 5 H Neves Indy Lights 383 6 M Schumacher Formula 1 370 7 A Menu GB Tour Cars 322 8 D Jarrett NASCAR 316 9 J Villeneuve Formula 1 315 10 J Vasser CART 307 11 M Martin NASCAR 306 12 A Zanardi CART 301 14.06.97F1: THE CANADIAN GP
Jacques Villeneuve was disappointed to have missed out on pole position in front of his home fans. "It's disappointing to lose pole to Michael, but there are two races to come in Germany so there are two times I can pay him back," said Villeneuve. "The support from the crowd has been great. I could see their reaction while I was on the circuit, but I always knew that it was going to be a tough. It's a little frustrating not getting pole," he added.
Saturday's qualifying times: mins secs 1 M Schumacher Ger Ferrari 1:18.095 2 J Villeneuve Can Williams 1:18.108 3 R Barrichello Brz Stewart 1:18.388 4 H Frentzen Ger Williams 1:18.464 5 D Coulthard GB McLaren 1:18.466 6 G Fisichella It Jordan 1:18.750 7 R Schumacher Ger Jordan 1:18.869 8 J Alesi Fr Benetton 1:18.899 9 M Hakkinen Fin McLaren 1:18.916 10 O Panis Fr Prost 1:19.034 11 A Wurz Aut Benetton 1:19.286 12 E Irvine GB Ferrari 1:19.503 13 J Herbert GB Sauber 1:19.622 14 J Verstappen Hol Tyrrell 1:20.102 15 D Hill GB Arrows 1:20.129 16 P Diniz Brz Arrows 1:20.175 17 M Salo Fin Tyrrell 1:20.336 18 G Morbidelli It Sauber 1:20.357 19 S Nakano Jpn Prost 1:20.370 20 J Trulli It Minardi 1:20.370 21 J Magnussen Den Stewart 1:20.491 22 U Katayama Jpn Minardi 1:21.034TOURING CARS:- Alain Menu produced a last-lap charge to make sure of pole for both races in Sunday's double-header at Donington. The championship leader was the only man under 1 min 18 secs as he clocked 1:17.534 in qualifying for round 11. Britain's Kelvin Burt looked set to take pole for Volvo after a lap of 1:10.877 in the second session. But Menu shaved seven-hundredths of a second of his time with his last lap of the session, nearly a second inside his own qualifying record at the circuit.
ROUND 11 qualifying times: mins secs 1 A Menu Swi Renault 1:17.534 2 T Harvey GB Peugeot 1:18.448 3 J Thompson GB Honda 1:18.538 4 J Plato GB Renault 1:18.555 5 D Leslie GB Nissan 1:18.785 6 F Biela Ger Audi 1:18.833 7 J Bintcliffe GB Audi 1:18.857 8 A Reid GB Nissan 1:19.129 9 W Hoy GB Ford 1:19.161 10 R Rydell Swe Volvo 1:19.200 ROUND 12 qualifying times: mins secs 1 A Menu Swi Renault 1:10.803 2 K Burt GB Volvo 1:10.877 3 G Tarquini It Honda 1:10.973 4 J Thompson GB Honda 1:11.018 5 J Plato GB Renault 1:11.178 6 T Harvey GB Peugeot 1:11.376 7 R Rydell Swe Volvo 1:11.411 8 P Radisich NZ Ford 1:11.520 9 J Bintcliffe GB Audi 1:11.543 10 A Reid GB Nissan 1:11.575 LE MANS 24-HOUR RACE - Leaders after three hours: 1 Y Dalmas Fr Porsche 45 laps 2 H Stuck Ger Porsche 45 3 M Alboreto It Porsche 45 4 J Gounon Fr McLaren 45 5 E v-d Poele Bel Nissan 44 6 A Gilbert-Sc GB McLaren 44 7 P Kox Hol McLaren 44 8 C Bouchut Fr Porsche 44 9 K Hoshino Jpn Nissan 44 10 D Cottaz Fr Courage 44 11 P Lamy Por Porsche 44 12 K Tsuchiya Jpn McLaren 44KERRIDGE NATIONAL RALLY:- Aberdeen's Brian Lyall stepped up his Mintex National title bid with a third victory in four events. He took the lead on the second of eight stages and had 41 seconds in hand over Andrew Burton's Peugeot at the finish. Murray Grierson took third place and top the driver standings on 78 points. But Lyall is in a strong position with only the best five results from seven rounds to count towards the title.
Final result after 8 stages:hrs mins secs 1 B Lyall Subaru 1:20.06 2 A Burton Peugeot 1:20.47 3 M Grierson Subaru 1:22.44 4 S Dalgarno Ford 1:23.23 5 G Smith Ford 1:23.42 6 R Gough Mitsubishi 1:24.39 7 N Worswick Ford 1:24.43 8 R Duckworth Subaru 1:26.23 9 N Foster Ford 1:27.16 10 R Davies Ford 1:27.44 15.06.97 F1: THE CANADIAN GP Result after 54 laps: hrs mins secs 1 M Schumacher Ger Ferrari 1:17.40.64 2 J Alesi Fr Benetton @ 2.56 3 G Fisichella It Jordan @ 3.22 4 H Frentzen Ger Williams @ 3.77 5 J Herbert GB Sauber @ 4.72 6 S Nakano Jpn Prost @ 36.70 7 D Coulthard GB McLaren @ 37.75 8 P Diniz Brz Arrows 1 lap b/h 9 D Hill GB Arrows 1 lap b/h 10 G Morbidelli It Sauber 1 lap b/h Race stopped after Panis crash; cars completed 56 laps DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP 1 M Schumacher Ger Ferrari 37 pts 2 J Villeneuve Can Williams 30 3 O Panis Fr Prost 15 4 E Irvine GB Ferrari 14 5 HH Frentzen Ger Williams 13 = J Alesi Fr Benetton 13 7 D Coulthard GB McLaren 11 8 G Berger Aut Benetton 10 = M Hakkinen Fin McLaren 10 10 G Fisichella It Jordan 8 11 J Herbert GB Sauber 7 12 R Barrichello Brz Stewart 6 CONSTRUCTORS' CHAMPIONSHIP 1 Ferrari 51 points 2 Williams 43 3 Benetton Renault 23 4 McLaren-Mercedes 21 5 Prost Honda 16 6 Jordan 12 7 Sauber 8 8 Stewart 6 9 Tyrrell 2Michael Schumacher scored the 24th win of his GP career when officials were forced to halt the race after a crash involving Olivier Panis. Schumacher inherited the lead when Scot David Coulthard came into the pits to replace a blistered left tyre. The accident occurred soon afterwards on lap 52 and the race was called off after the drivers had followed the pace car round the circuit for four laps. It left Jean Alesi in second place, with Giancarlo Fisichella third.
Championship leader Michael Schumacher was in sombre mood after being handed victory when a crash involving Olivier Panis ended the race on lap 56. "I am pleased with the ten points but there is no point celebrating a victory in these circumstances," he said. Schumacher had to make an unscheduled third pit-stop due to a blistered tyre but regained the lead when David Coulthard suffered a similar problem. "I don't know if my last set of tyres would have lasted," he admitted.
Frenchman Olivier Panis was lucky to suffer nothing worse than a fractured right leg in the accident which forced an early end to the race. His Prost Mugen Honda went off into a tyre wall and the 30-year-old from Lyon had to be lifted from the car. A pace car was sent out as Panis was treated by the side of the track but officials quickly called a halt, with Michael Schumacher declared the winner. Panis was eventually airlifted to a local hospital.
Scot David Coulthard was the victim of misfortune as he missed out on possible victory at the Gilles Villeneuve track. He was leading by 31 seconds from Michael Schumacher when forced to make an second tyre stop, but was held up in the pits by a clutch problem. It cost him over a minute and he was back in seventh place when Olivier Panis suffered the crash which brought a premature end to the race. Schumacher was declared the winner by race officials.
Local hero Jacques Villeneuve suffered total frustration as he lasted less than three laps on the circuit named after his late father Gilles. He made a clean start from the front row and settled in behind Michael Schumacher's Ferrari. But Villeneuve oversteered going into the bends before the pit lane and his Williams Renault slid into the wall. Irishman Eddie Irvine's race was even shorter as his Ferrari went off at the opening corner.
Jacques Villeneuve was furious with himself after his third lap exit left the home fans disconsolate. "The track was very slippery but I just midjudged the corner and didn't expect to go sideways. "I'm totally disappointed because I thought we had a strong car," said the 26-year-old, who was second last year. Ulsterman Eddie Irvine, who went out at the first corner, said: "Someone's nose cone came flying out of nowhere, hit my rear wheel and I spun. End of story."
Damon Hill finally recorded his first finish in the trouble Arrows, but it was a hollow achievement as Olivier Panis' crash ended the race early. It looked like the same old story for the reigning world champion as he was forced to make two early stops to sort out a vibration problem. He battled on grimly before Panis had his accident and ninth place provided some reward for his efforts. Johnny Herbert picked up two points for Britain with fifth place for Sauber.
World champion Damon Hill voiced his relief at finally finishing a race after taking ninth place after Olivier Panis' crash forced a premature end. Panis suffered a broken leg and Hill commented: "It goes without saying that we are all thinking about Olivier" Hill added: "I think we can be satisfied, the cars ran reliably and got to the end. It still counts as a finish."
TOURING CARS:- Alain Menu stretched his Championship lead to a massive 91 points after a second and a first at Donington. The Swiss star was left behind at the start of round 11 as the 4WD Audis of Frank Biela and John Bintcliffe left him standing in the wet. Menu stuck to his task and finally overhauled Bintcliffe as a dry line appeared - but Biela held on. Menu emerged from a messy round 12 to come home comfortably ahead of Tim Harvey and Biela.
Result of round 11 after 25 laps: mins secs 1 F Biela Ger Audi 33:27.902 2 A Menu Swi Renault @ 0.977 3 J Bintcliffe GB Audi @ 2.792 4 J Plato GB Renault @ 7.169 5 R Rydell Swe Volvo @ 8.953 6 J Thompson GB Honda @ 10.339 7 T Harvey GB Peugeot @ 10.937 8 K Burt GB Volvo @ 12.767 9 D Leslie GB Nissan @ 13.634 10 P Watts GB Peugeot @ 17.250 Result of round 12 after 26 laps: mins secs 1 A Menu Swi Renault 32:13.115 2 T Harvey GB Peugeot @ 2.017 3 F Biela Ger Audi @ 2.369 4 J Bintcliffe GB Audi @ 3.610 5 P Watts GB Peugeot @ 25.824 6 G Tarquini It Honda @ 29.259 7 R Rydell Swe Volvo @ 31.159 8 J Cleland GB Vauxhall @ 31.472 9 W Hoy GB Ford @ 33.917 10 D Warwick GB Vauxhall @ 41.428 Next rounds: Croft, June 29 Drivers' standings after round 12: 1 A Menu Renault Laguna 168 pts 2 R Rydell Volvo 77 3 J Plato Renault Laguna 74 4 F Biela Audi 71 5 G Tarquini Honda Accord 68 6 J Thompson Honda Accord 56 Constructors's standings: 1 Renault 162 pts 2 Honda 112 3 Volvo 109 4 Audi 101LE MANS 24 HRS:- A Joest Porsche won the Le Mans 24 Hours for the second consecutive year Sunday after factory-backed Porsches dropped out while comfortably in front. Michele Alboreto, Stefan Johansson and Tom Kristensen combined for the victory with more than 360 laps completed. It had led qualifying on the 13.605- kilometre (8.456-mile) circuit. This was Porsche's 15th title although this time it was from a private team with a Porsche engine.
Le Mans proved to be a nightmare for the factory-backed Porsches. The first Porsche had held first for nearly 14 hours before Bob Wollek went off the road and stīpped. The second factory Porsche was holding a lap lead when it burst into flames. Ralf Kelleners got out unhurt but the car was out of the race after 327 laps. Within minutes after the factory Porsche burned on the track, a McLaren F1 GTR also caught fire with Andrew Gilbert Scott jumping out of the car.
LE MANS 24-HOUR RACE RESULT (finishers only) 1 M Alboreto It Porsche 361 laps 2 J Gounon Fr McLaren 360 3 P Kox Hol McLaren 358 4 D Cottaz Fr Courage 336 5 P Lamy Fr Porsche 331 6 M Papis It Ferrari 321 7 E Clerico Fr Courage 319 8 P Martini It Porsche 317 9 M Neugarten MC Porsche 307 10 A Pilgrim GB Porsche 306 11 M Breyner Por Porsche 295 12 K Hoshino Jpn Nissan 294 13 C Hurtgen Ger Porsche 287 14 J Bell GB Chrysler 278 15 J Nurminnen Fin Chrysler 269 16 F Ekblom Swe Courage 265 17 F Freon Jpn Mazda 263 16.06.97 - F1Formula One chiefs will launch a probe into the serious accident which left Olivier Panis with two broken legs. They brought the Canadian Grand Prix to a halt 13 laps early as Frenchman Panis suffered a horrifying crash, which left many fearing for the worst. Team owner Alain Prost revealed that Panis had had a problem with the car which probably sent it into a spin. Panis has undergone an operation and Prost hopes to fly him home to Paris by air ambulance later this week.
17.06.97 - F1Frenchman Emmanuel Collard has been to called in to test drive for Prost following the injury to Olivier Panis. The move heightens speculation he will fill the driver's seat for the rest of the season. Martin Brundle and Jean-Christophe Boullion have also been linked with the Prost drive. Panis suffered multiple fractures to his legs when he crashed in Canada on unday and he is not expected to race again this season.
18.06.97 - F1Olivier Panis has had more surgery after breaking both legs in a crash in Sunday's Montreal Grand Prix. The operation, which was not said to be major, took 45 minutes but there was no word on how long it would take Panis to recover or drive again. Panis was enjoying a good season before he slammed into a tyre barrier on the 53rd lap in Canada. The incident forced the race to be halted with leader Michael Schumacher declared the winner.
Austrian Gerhard Berger has undergone futher surgery on the sinus infection that forced him to miss last weekend's Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. The veteran Benetton driver originally had surgery on the problem three week's ago but has remained in discomfort. The next three days will be decisive, although no decision will be made on his participation in the French Grand Prix on June 29, until next week. "It's possible he can recover quickly," said managing director Flavio Briatore.
Canadian Grand Prix winner Michael Schumacher will not be punished for breaking the rules in Sunday's race. The driver's championship leader used too many tyres during practice, according to a Montreal newspaper. But the mistake by his Ferrari team will go unpunished by Grand Prix's governing body, the FIA, because of an error in paperwork, it is reported. The German driver has a seven-point championship lead over Canadian Jacques Villeneuve of the Williams team.
19.06.97F1:- Italian Gianni Morbidelli fractured his left arm in a crash during testing with the Sauber team in France. The 29-year-old lost control on a bend at the Magny Cours circuit and his car struck a safety barrier. He was taken to hospital at nearby Nevers for treatment before being transferred to Paris. Morbidelli has taken part in two Grands Prix this season since replacing Nicola Larini as Johnny Herbert's teammate with Sauber.
Leading times from three-day tyre tests at Magny Cours: mins secs 1 J Villeneuve Can Williams 1:15.16 2 A Wurz Aut Benetton 1:15.38 3 H Frentzen Ger Williams 1:15.43 4 M Schumacher Ger Ferrari 1:15.60 5 R Schumacher Ger Jordan 1:15.68 6 J Alesi Fr Benetton 1:15.84 7 D Coulthard GB McLaren 1:15.92 8 E Irvine GB Ferrari 1:16.10 9 J Herbert GB Sauber 1:16.16 10 J Trulli It Minardi 1:16.28 11 M Hakkinen Fin McLaren 1:16.29 12 E Collard Fr Prost 1:16.39TOURING CARS:- Drivers' safety fears delayed the start of the first Auto Trader RAC BTTC testing session at the recently reopened Croft circuit near Darlington The test, ahead of next weekend's (June rounds of the championship, eventually got underway in the afternoon following changes to run-off areas and barriers. Renault's Jason Plato topped testing time-sheets ahead of team-mate and championship leader Alain Menu. James Thompson and Gabriele Tarquini lead the pursuers in their Hondas.
mins secs 1 J Plato Renault Laguna 1:21.14 2 A Menu Renault Laguna 1:21.30 3 J Thompson Honda Accord 1:21.38 4 G Tarquini Honda Accord 1:21.53 5 F Biela Audi A4 Quattro 1:21.74 6 D Leslie Nissan Primera 1:21.75 7 A Reid Nissan Primera 1:21.85 8 J Bintcliffe Audi A4 Quattro 1:21.86 9 R Rydell Volvo S40 1:21.87 10 J Cleland Vauxhall Vectra 1:22.04 20.06.97 - F1Norberto Fontana will replace injured driver Gianni Morbidelli in Sauber's team for the French Grand Prix at Magny Cours on June 29.
22.06.97 INDYCAR (Portland):- Friday's practice times: mins:secs 1 S Pruett US Reynard 0:59.584 2 D Franchitti Sco Reynard 0:59.878 3 G de Ferran Brz Reynard 0:59.922 4 M Andretti US Swift 0:59.952 5 J Vasser US Reynard 1:00.024 6 B Herta US Reynard 1:00.229 7 P Tracy Can Penske 1:00.245 8 M Blundell Eng Reynard 1:00.321 9 C Fittipaldi Brz Swift 1:00.331 10 G Moore Can Reynard 1:00.369 555 CHINA RALLY Positions after stage 16: (end of day two) hrs:mins.secs 1 McRae Subaru Impreza 3:12.50 2 Eriksson Subaru Impreza 3:14.27 3 Fujimoto Toyota Celica 3:23.58 4 Konishi Subaru Impreza 3:30.03 5 Stohl Audi Coupe 3:35.09 6 Chan Mitsubishi Lan 3:38.46 7 Lu Mitsubishi Lan 3:39.58 8 Zhou Subaru Impreza 3:47.06 9 Wong Subaru Impreza 3:49.46 10 Park Kia Sephia 3:50.40 23.06.97F1:- Italian Jarno Trulli has been signed up by the Prost team to replace Frenchman Olivier Panis who broke both legs in a crash during the Canadian Grand Prix. Team manager Alain Prost said the 22-year-old Minardi driver would make his debut with the Prost-Honda team in the French Grand Prix on Sunday. "I want to thank Giancarlo Minardi for letting Trulli go before the French Grand Prix," Prost said in a statement. "During tests Jarno showed he is a fast and reliable driver," he added.
INDYCAR:- England's Mark Blundell has earned his first CART series win, coming from two positions down to edge Gil de Ferran by a nose in the rain-soaked GI Joe's 200. Less than five-hundredths of a second separated Blundell, de Ferran and Raul Boesel in third as they crossed the finish line side-by-side. Christian Fittipaldi, returning after a three-month absence nursing a broken leg, finished fourth. The race was the ninth of 17 in the CART World Series.
Mark Blundell was delighted after earning his first series victory. "We said last time (at Detroit) it's not a matter of how but when we'll win a race and today was the day. The fact that it was probably one of the closest finishes in history makes it even sweeter," said Blundell. "To be honest, when we crossed the line I didn't have a clue who won. I saw 18 P1 on the scoreboard and I gave the biggest 'Yahoo!' you've ever heard," added the Englishman.
Sunday's result: (Rain halted race after two-hour limit) 1 M Blundell GB Reynard 2 G de Ferran Brz Reynard 3 R Boesel Brz Reynard 4 C Fittipaldi Brz Swift 5 G Moore Can Reynard 6 M Gugelmin Brz Reynard 7 P Tracy Can Penske 8 M Andretti US Swift 9 P Johnstone US Reynard 10 A Fernandez Mex Lola 11 A Zanardi It Reynard 12 M Jourdain Mex Lola 13 A Ribiero Brz Lola555 CHINA RALLY:- Colin McRae and co-driver Nicky Grist romped to a spectacular victory having dominated from the outset on the mountainous stages north of Beijing. Double Asia-Pacific Rally Champions Kenneth Eriksson and Staffan Parmander came second, a mere 45 seconds behind. McRae's win in China puts him at the head of the Driver's Championship in the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship. "It feels great to win in China on the first running of the rally in its new format," said a delighted McRae.
Final result after 21 stages:hrs:mins.secs 1 McRae Subaru Impreza 4:12.07 2 Eriksson Subaru Impreza 4:12.52 3 Fujimoto Toyota Celica 4:24.49 4 Konishi Subaru Impreza 4:35.04 5 Stohl Audi Coupe 4:40.30 6 CW Chan Mitsubishi Lan 4:44.51 7 Lu Mitsubishi Lan 4:47.07 8 Park Kia Sephia 4:59.22 9 Zhou Subaru Impreza 4:59.53 10 Y Chan Subaru Impreza 5:05.11 25.06.97F1: THE FRENCH GP
The French Grand Prix circuit stands out on the Formula One scene because it has the smoothest surface of any track on the calendar. Championship leader Michael Schumacher believes the quick corners and tight chicanes will suit his Ferrari. Indeed, the German set the qualifying record for the circuit last year and also claimed pole position. "For sure, that will be beaten this season because of the development in tyres," Schumacher said.
Jordan are hoping their familiarity with the French circuit will give Ralf Schumacher and Giancarlo Fisichella further podium finishes. Schumacher was third in Argentina and Fisichella third in Canada. And both have tested frequently at Magny-Cours. Fisichella said: "It is a good circuit for me because I love chicanes." And Jordan technical director Gary Anderson added: "The weather will play a part at the French track because it usually becomes hot and slippery."
Ferrari lead the constructors' title charge and Michael Schumacher heads the drivers' race but the Italian team are still not happy. Team director Jean Todt revealed: "I will never be happy until we are in a winning position. Having said that, I remember that when I arrived at Ferrari we were in a very difficult situation. We have a proper team but there's still a lot to achieve. It was a question of a year, now it's months."
TOURING CARS:- Team Mondeo's Paul Radisich and Will Hoy have been testing the new Croft circuit ahead of rounds 13 and 14, which take place on Sunday. The Darlington track will be hosting its first BTCC race since a Ŗ1.5m refurbishment and Radisich revealed: "It's an exciting little track. It's difficult to overtake. The only real overtaking point is the hairpin." Hoy added: "I've been looking at the track in segments with the engineers to see how we can get the best results."
26.06.97F1:- Olivier Panis is aiming to return to the grand prix circuit this year after his horror crash in Montreal. The Frenchman broke both his legs in the accident at the Canadian Grand Prix and is staying at a rehabilitation centre in Brittany. But the Prost driver has a comeback target of two to two-and-a-half months and revealed: "I want to win races, from this year I hope. I remember the accident. I never lost consciousness. That helps my morale."
Michael Schumacher is praying for rain ahead of Sunday's French Grand Prix. He believes his lead in the drivers' race and Ferrari's constructors' advantage could be overhauled at Magny-Cours and then Silverstone. "It's possible we won't get any points on Sunday as we face strong opposition from Williams, McLaren and Jordan," said the German. "Magny-Cours is a circuit where we suffer a lot. We will just have to employ some people to get rain."
TOURING CARS:- Audi and current champion Frank Biela are expected to have the edge in rounds 13 and 14 at Croft, with the twisting circuit known to be tough on tyres. Rain is also a possibility as the track gets ready to host its first modern-day BTCC rounds, and Biela's two wins this season were in wet conditions. "It's a bit bumpy in parts," the German said. "And there are still some safety concerns - there are a lot of dangerous places - but the shape is fantastic. And it's quite hard for the drivers."
28.06.97F1: THE FRENCH GP
For the first time in Formula One history, three German drivers fill the top three places after qualifying. Michael Schumacher took pole position, Heinz-Harald Frentzen's Williams was second and Schumacher's younger brother Ralf drove his Jordan into third spot. But the Ferrari driver and championship leader still insists his car could struggle in Sunday's 72-lap race. "We struggled here in the tests," he said. "I cannot explain what has happened. I don't know what to say."
Saturday's qualifying times: mins secs 1 M Schumacher Ger Ferrari 1:14.548 2 H-H Frentzen Ger Williams 1:14.749 3 R Schumacher Ger Jordan 1:14.755 4 J Villeneuve Can Williams 1:14.800 5 E Irvine GB Ferrari 1:14.860 6 J Trulli It Prost 1:14.957 7 A Wurz Aut Benetton 1:15.986 8 J Alesi Fr Benetton 1:15.228 9 D Coulthard GB McLaren 1:15.270 10 M Hakkinen Fin McLaren 1:15.339 11 G Fisichella It Jordan 1:15.453 12 S Nakano Jpn Prost 1:15.857 13 R Barrichello Brz Stewart 1:15.876 14 J Herbert GB Sauber 1:16.018 15 J Magnussen Den Stewart 1:16.149 16 P Diniz Brz Arrows 1:16.536 17 D Hill GB Arrows 1:16.729 18 J Verstappen Hol Tyrrell 1:16.941 19 M Salo Fin Tyrrell 1:17.256 20 N Fontana Arg Sauber 1:17.538 21 U Katayama Jp Minardi 1:17.563 22 T Marques Brz Minardi 1:18.280TOURING CARS:- Race organisers were forced to abandon all qualifying ahead of rounds 13 and 14 but Sunday's races are set to go ahead based on championship positions. TOCA gave the teams a free vote on how to decide grid placings. Puddles six to eight inches deep have formed and Volvo driver Rickard Rydell admitted: "There are four or five places where you could go waterskiing." Therefore, Renault's Alain Menu is on pole for both rounds, bringing his tally of top slots to 10 this season.
Friday's official testing: mins secs 1 A Menu Renault Laguna 1:20.90 2 G Tarquini Honda Accord 1:21.03 3 J Thompson Honda Accord 1:21.14 4 R Rydell Volvo S40 1:21.48 5 J Bintcliffe Audi A4 Quattro 1:21.51 6 K Burt Volvo S40 1:21.52 7 P Radisich Ford Mondeo 1:21.67 8 J Plato Renault Laguna 1:21.68 9 D Leslie Nissan Primera 1:21.69 10 F Biela Audi A4 Quattro 1:21.74F.VAUXHALL:- Heavy rain forced ensured that qualifying for Sunday's round seven was scrapped at the northern circuit. Grid positions will be decided on current points standings, meaning Britain's Marc Hynes takes pole. South African Etienne van der Linde joins him on the front row.
29.06.97 F1:- FRENCH GRAND PRIX Result after 72 laps: hr min sec 1 M Schumacher Ger Ferrari 1:38:50 2 H-H Frentzen Ger Williams @ 23s 3 E Irvine GB Ferrari @ 01:14 4 J Villeneuve Can Williams @ 01:21 5 J Alesi Fr Benetton @ 01:22 6 R Schumacher Ger Jordan @ 01:29 7 D Coulthard GB McLaren 1 lap 8 J Herbert GB Sauber 1 lap 9 G Fisichella It Jordan 1 lap 10 J Trulli It Prost 2 laps 11 U Katayama Jpn Minardi 2 laps 12 D Hill GB Arrows 3 lapsMichael Schumacher produced another masterful display to triumph in France and stretch his championship lead. The German ace was supreme in the Ferrari as he carved open a 30-second lead and rarely looked threatened. He almost lost it late on when he drifted into gravel as the rain poured down but he held his nerve - and on slicks - to make it 25 career wins. Heinz-Harald Frentzen was a comfortable second with Eddie Irvine third - but Damon Hill struggled and was 12th.
Michael Schumacher turned weatherman to help him clinch the French Grand Prix and stretch his championship lead. He said: "There was about nine laps to go when it started raining. I saw the sky very dark but clearing up so I knew it would be a short shower. You are advised by the team, they give you the offer, and then you sit there and make up your mind." Second-placed Frentzen said: "Ferrari are a lot more competitive now and Michael is the one to catch."
Damon Hill's season of misery continued even though he finished the race - in 12th and last place. Hill had a nightmare start at the very first bend when he was pushed out onto the gravel. He said: "I'm pleased we got a finish in. That was progress I suppose but the race was a shambles as I got pushed out at the first corner onto the gravel. It was a shame as I think we could have been a lot more competitive in the race if I had had a better start."
David Coulthard was seriously unhappy after his hopes of a points finish were dashed in a dramatic finish at slippery Magny-Cours. The Scot went spinning in the McLaren on the final lap - while Jacques Villeneuve held onto third despite careering through safety cones. But Coulthard's beef was with Ralf Schumacher and Jean Alesi. He said: "Ralf took a silly dive inside and Alesi rammed the back of me. It's not acceptable and I'm disappointed."
DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP 1 M Schumacher Ger Ferrari 47 pts 2 J Villeneuve Can Williams 33 3 HH Frentzen Ger Williams 19 4 E Irvine GB Ferrari 18 5 O Panis Fr Prost 15 = J Alesi Fr Benetton 15 7 D Coulthard GB McLaren 11 8 G Berger Aut Benetton 10 = M Hakkinen Fin McLaren 10 10 G Fisichella It Jordan 8 11 J Herbert GB Sauber 7 12 R Barrichello Brz Stewart 6 13 R Schumacher Ger Jordan 5 CONSTRUCTORS' 1 Ferrari 65 points 2 Williams 52 3 Benetton Renault 25 4 McLaren-Mercedes 21 5 Prost Honda 16 6 Jordan 13 7 Sauber 8 8 Stewart 6 9 Tyrrell 2GTs:- Bernd Schneider and Klaus Ludwig led from start to finish to give Mercedes victory at the Nurburgring. Ludwig and Alessandro Nannini passed championship leader JJ Lehto at the first corner and the positions stayed the same for 36 laps. Schneider took over for a double stint and brought the car home 1 mins 7 secs clear of Nannini's German partner Marcel Tiemann. "The car was as quick at the end as the start," Schneider commented.
Result of round four at Nurburgring after 147 laps: hr min sec 1 Schneider/Ludwig Ger 4:00.11 2 Nannini/Tiemann It/Ger @ 1.07 3 Lehto/Soper Fin/GB 1 lap b/h 4 Kox/Ravaglia Hol/It 1 lap b/h 5 Raphanel/Gounon Fr 1 lap b/h 6 Goodwin/Ayles GB 3 lps b/h Championships standings: 1 Lehto McLaren 28 pts = Soper McLaren 28 3 Schneider Mercedes 16 4 Raphanel McLaren 14TOURING CARS:- Alain Menu and the Renault team beat the weather to record a double win at the revitalised Croft circuit. Torrential rain washed out Saturday's qualifying rounds but circuit staff toiled overnight to clear 140,000 gallons of water off the track. Menu edged out Jason Plato in round 13 with Rickard Rydell in a Volvo taking third spot. Round 14 was another incident-packed affair with the race curtailed after a heavy crash involving James Thompson.
Result of round 13 after 25 laps:mins secs 1 A Menu Renault 35:03.301 2 J Plato Renault 35:06.150 3 R Rydell Volvo 35:06.904 4 F Biela Audi 35:07.574 5 J Thompson Honda 35:18.439 6 J Cleland Vauxhall 35:19.630 7 D Warwick Vauxhall 35:23.619 8 W Hoy Ford 35:26.672 9 J Bintcliffe Audi 35:38.815 10 T Harvey Peugeot 35:43.981 Result of round 14 after 17 laps:mins secs 1 A Menu Renault 28:41.470 2 J Thompson Honda 28:42.413 3 D Leslie Nissan 28:42.826 4 J Plato Renault 28:43.165 5 J Cleland Vauxhall 28:43.648 6 J Bintcliffe Audi 28:44.782 7 T Harvey Peugeot 28:45.567 8 A Reid Nissan 28:46.516 9 R Rydell Volvo 28:47.015 10 D Warwick Vauxhall 28:47.799 Drivers' standings after round 14: 1 A Menu Renault Laguna 192.5 pts 2 J Plato Renault Laguna 90 3 R Rydell Volvo 88 4 F Biela Audi 79 5 G Tarquini Honda Accord 68 = J Thompson Honda Accord 68 Constructors's standings: 1 Renault 184.5 pts 2 Honda 126 3 Volvo 123 4 Audi 114RAVENS ROCK RALLY:- Tony Davies took first place in the Waterford-based Ravens Rock Rally in a Metro 6R4, just ahead of John Price. Tapio Laukkanen in his Volkswagen Golf finished in third spot and might have won but for picking up road penalties during the day.
Final result after 10 stages: mins:secs 1 T Davies Metro 61:21 2 J Price Metro 61:24 3 T Laukkanen VW Golf 61:42 4 S Hendy Escort 62:51 5 R Davis Nissan 63:25 30.06.97F1:- Championship leader Michael Schumacher has finally revealed he believes a third world crown is within his grasp. After consistently playing down his chances, a win in Sunday's French Grand Prix has forced a change of heart. "For the first time during the race I began to think about the championship,"admitted the German. "If I carry on as I am, I could win the title. The next race at Silverstone is the halfway point and I will still be leading afterwards whatever happens."
TOURING CARS:- Esso Ultra Team Peugeot driver Tim Harvey was delighted to be in the points after the latest British Touring Car Championship stages. Sunday's rounds 13 and 14 at Croft were hit by the weather but Harvey still managed to pick up three points. Harvey was 10th and seventh and said: "Considering the terrible conditions, I'm pleased." Team-mate Patrick Watts was less lucky - damage to the spoiler in race one and the bonnet in race two, hampered him.