May 1998




01.05.98
BRITISH GTs (Oulton Park):- The Cheshire circuit plays host to the Gold Cup meeting on Bank Holiday Monday, with Jamie Campbell-Walter brimming with confidence. The lead driver of the 180mph Harrier GT198 has excelled in testing and said: "I am planning to be on the top step of the podium." Scottish team Rotormotive are due to make their debut. Meanwhile, Graham Morris and Allard Kalff are optimistic about taking the GT2 honours.



EUROCARS (Knockhill):- Stevie Hodgson has won two of the four V8 races to date and will be aiming to grab his third victory on Sunday. Two-time V8 champion Mike Jordan won last time out and is third in the table, while V6 graduate Mark Willis lies second in the standings. At the top of the V6 standings, 15 points separate Mark Proctor and ex- world formula one stock car champion Peter Falding. Both races on Sunday carry 200 points for each winner.


TOURING CARS (Donington Park):-
Friday's practice for Monday's races:
                              min secs
 1 A Reid      Nissan Primera 1:10.065
 2 R Rydell    Volvo S40      1:10.155
 3 D Leslie    Nissan Primera 1:10.181
 4 A Menu      Renault Laguna 1:10.357
 5 J Thompson  Honda Accord   1:10.381
 6 J Plato     Renault Laguna 1:10.394
 7 J Cleland   V'xhall Vectra 1:10.509
 8 P Kox       Honda Accord   1:10.567
 9 D Warwick   V'xhall Vectra 1:10.635
10 G M'bidelli Volvo S40      1:10.646

TOUR DE CORSE:- Richard Burns is second in the world championship standings but will face a tough time hanging on to that position when the rally gets underway on Monday. "It will definitely benefit those with local knowledge," admitted the 27-year- old from Oxford. "Having now driven several of the special stages during the pre-event reconnaissance, I know the enormous task ahead. The roads are twisty, with little or no room for error."

Britain's Colin McRae won this event last year and will be hoping for a repeat after being hit by retirements this season. The Scot only led the event twice in 1997 ` after the first stage and, more importantly, after the last. He said: "Corsica is a very technical rally where it is vital to get the balance of everything right. It is one of the most important asphalt rallies in the world. Victory there last year was very special."

Mitsubishi will be out to extend their lead in the manufacturers' championship in the sixth round of the series. In the recent Catalunya Rally, the team unveiled their new cars and Tommi Makkinen was third and team-mate Richard Burns was fourth. Finn Makkinen said: "The new car is quite different to the old one. I want to make some small changes to the suspension but the car is at the beginning of its development so it is natural that we can improve it."



BTDRA SERIES:- The Plains Rally on Saturday marks the halfway stage of the series and Steve Winter will be out to build on last month's victory in Somerset. Current leader in the Silver Star Championships Theo Bengry was overhauled by Winter in the last round because of a bad tyre choice. Meanwhile, 1997 Plains Rally victor Dom Buckley will be eyeing a repeat win. David Hutchinson and Adam Kent are set to be Gold Star Championship leader Paul Wedgbury's main rivals.




03.05.98
BRITISH GTs (Oulton Park):- The Blue Coral Slick 50 Porsche GTI of John Greasley and Magnus Wallinder set the pace in Sunday's qualifying rounds. All top ten cars lapped at speeds in excess of 100 mph, and Wallinder's 1:31.558 was the best time of the day. Julian Bailey and Tiff Needell in the Newcastle United Lister Storm GTL were a mere 0.137 seconds behind in second. In the GT2, Geoff Lister and John Morrison were quickest in a Porsche GT2 ahead of Kurt Luby and Richard Dean. The new TVR team were seventh quickest.

Qualifying times (Sun):      mins secs
 1 Greasley/Wallinder Porsche 1:31.558
 2 Bailey/Needell     Lister  1:31.695
 3 Ulrich/Flux        Lister  1:33.248
 4 Thyrring/Nielson   Porsche 1:34.210
 5 Goode/Campbell-W   Harrier 1:35.261
 6 Hewland/Evans      Lister  1:35.767
 7 Kent/Verdon-Roe    TVR     1:38.579
 8 Lister/Morrison    Porsche 1:38.703
 9 Luby/Dean          Cr'sler 1:39.172
10 Blower/Erdos       TVR     1:39.788

F.RENAULT (Donington):- Brazilian Aluzio Coelho completed a hat-trick of wins after overtaking pole position holder Doug Bell at the start. Tim Mullen crashed out of the race when bidding for second, while Robbie Kerr earned a fifth straight Star Cup win finishing in fifth place.

Top six placings:          min secs
1 A Coelho  Br Tatuus     21:01.179
2 V Meira   Br Van Diemen 21:17.348
3 M Boost   GB Van Diemen 21:19.975
4 R Kerr    GB Tatuus     21:22.384
5 P E'wards GB Tatuus     21:35.300

F.FORD (Donington):- Daniel Wheldon took pole for Bank Holiday Monday's third round of the Slick 50 Formula Ford Championship. Wheldon beat Championship leader Jenson Button by two-tenths of a second and becomes the third different driver to take pole in as many races.

Leading Round 4 qualifying times:
                          min secs
1 D Wheldon    Van Diemen 1:11.983
2 J Button     Mygale     1:12.166
3 M Ambrose    Van Diemen 1:12.201
4 D Hayes      Mygale     1:12.278
5 C Murray     Van Diemen 1:12.453
6 R vd Ende    Van Diemen 1:12.513

FORD FIESTA'S (Donington):- Neal Gordon produced the upset of the day by qualifying on pole for the third round race on Monday. The Londoner edged out Silverstone pole-sitter Simon Clarke by a tenth of a second with championship leader Alan Morrison in third.

Leading Round 3 qualifying times:
                    min secs
1 N Gordon          1:29.765
2 S Clarke          1:29.919
3 A Morrison        1:30.107
4 M Cullen          1:30.190
5 R Claydon         1:30.200
6 P Cate            1:30.378

RENAULT SPIDER'S (Donington):- Nick Hart made a late charge to capture third place for the third round. Hart finished 7/100ths of a second ahead of first round winner Dan Eaves, while points leader Jamie Hunter was fifth fastest.

Leading Round 3 qualifying times:
                    min secs
1 N Hart            1:17.733
2 D Eaves           1:17.812
3 D Shaw            1:18.001
4 D Vercoe          1:18.110
5 J Hunter          1:18.154


TOURING CARS:- Rickard Rydell set a new qualifying lap record at Donington to take pole for the round five race on Monday but lost pole for round six following penalties. Rydell shaved more than half a second off Alain Menu's existing qualifying record in his Volvo S40. Disappointment was to follow when he failed a ride-height test during qualifying for round 6 and lost all his times by stopping for a re-check. David Leslie is on pole for Monday's round six pit-stop Feature Race.


Leading round 5 qualifying times:min secs
 1 R Rydell    Volvo S40      1:10.170
 2 J Thompson  Honda Accord   1:10.299
 3 J Cleland   V'xhall Vectra 1:10.592
 4 J Plato     Renault Laguna 1:10.709
 5 A Menu      Renault Laguna 1:10.736
 6 A Reid      Nissan Primera 1:10.827
 7 D Leslie    Nissan Primera 1:11.023
 8 Y Muller    Audi A4        1:11.065
 9 D Warwick   V'xhall Vectra 1:11.068
10 M Neal      Nissan Primera 1:11.087

Leading round 6 qualifying times:min secs
 1 D Leslie    Nissan Primera 1:10.424
 2 J Thompson  Honda Accord   1:10.551
 3 A Menu      Renault Laguna 1:10.839
 4 J Cleland   V'xhall Vectra 1:10.888
 5 A Reid      Nissan Primera 1:10.931
 6 D Warwick   V'xhall Vectra 1:10.999
 7 M Neal      Nissan Primera 1:11.024
 8 Y Muller    Audi A4        1:11.047
 9 P Kox       Honda Accord   1:11.186
10 W Hoy       Ford Mondeo    1:11.316

DRIVER STANDINGS
1 J Plato    GB  Renault Laguna    44 Pts
2 R Rydell   Swe Volvo S40         36
3 J Thompson GB  Honda Accord      36
4 A Menu     Swi Renault Laguna    22
5 J Cleland  GB  Vauxhall          22
6 D Warwick  GB  Vauxhall          20

CONSTRUCTOR STANDINGS
1 Renault               49 pts
2 Volvo                 39
3 Nissan                35
4 Honda                 35
5 Vauxhall              29

BTDRA SERIES:- Mike Brown won the third round of the SEAT Finance Super Six Series, the Plains Rally, in his Best F1 Database Ibiza on Saturday. Brown achieved his second maximum score of the season by setting an unbeaten number of fastest stage times to give him a nine-point lead in the series. "I was hoping for a good solid run but without any great knowledge of these stages I didn't expect to win," he said Wayne Sisson was second in his Millers Oils/Amside Motorsport Ibiza.





04.05.98
BRITISH GTs (Oulton Park):- Steve O'Rourke and Tim Sugden steered their McLaren F1 GTR to victory in the second round of the Championship at Oulton Park. The pair spent the weekend qualifying at Le Mans and only arrived at the Cheshire circuit at 7.00am. They took the lead for the first time with 19 minutes left as the last of the leading drivers made pit stops. "It's been a wonderful weekend," said O'Rourke. "The team have done a fantastic job."

Monday's result:              mins secs
 1 O'Rourke/Sugden    McLaren 51:01.858
 2 Greasley/Wallinder Porsche 51:16.291
 3 Bailey/Needell     Lister  51:24.201
 4 Thyrring/Nielson   Porsche 52:22.406
 5 Hewland/Evans      Lister  52:21.908
 6 Luby/Dean          Cr'sler 52:35.025
 7 Ulrich/Flux        Lister  52:39.671
 8 Day/Chambers       Porsche 52:42.248
 9 Morris/Kalfe       TVR     51:27.028
10 Lister/Morrison    Porsche 52:06.698

VAUXHALL VECTRA'S (Donington):- Simon Graves extended his lead in the race for a Touring Car drive with his second win of the season in round three Graves was in third place at the start, but overtook Flavio Figueiredo on the second lap to trail Mark Blair. After appearing totally in control, Blair slowed rapidly with mechanical trouble on the 14th lap and fell back. Figueiredo made a laet bid for the flag on the last lap and although unable to take top spot, his second place moves him above Blair in the championship.



F3 (Oulton Park):- Enrique Bernoldi extended his lead at the top of the championship to 26 points after winning from pole spot. Bristol-based Ben Collins, second on the grid, did not finish the race, which was stopped after six laps after a pile-up involving several cars.

Round 6 results:         min secs
1 E Bernoldi   Renault   19:59.895
2 M O'Connell  Toyota    20:03.952
3 L Burti      Mugen     20:12.909
4 J Spence     Renault   20:13.817
5 K Kolby      Mugen     20:17.489
6 W Hughes     Renault   20:18.332

EUROCARS (Knockhill):- Mike Jordan moved to the top of the V8 standings as he claimed two race victories on Sunday. Stevie Hodgson failed to finish the first encounter but was runner-up to Jordan in the second race. Midlothian's Davy Philip was third on the day after two consistent displays while Paul Eaton moves up to third place in the overall standings. Mark Proctor still leads the V6 standings after he and teenager Shane Bland claimed a win apiece.



F.RENAULT (Donington):- Doug Bell ended the winning streak of Brazilian Aluzio Coelho with victory in the fourth stage of the event. Robbie Kerr's fifth place earned him a fourth consecutive Star Cup triumph.

Top five results:         min secs
1 D Bell    GB Tatuus     21:03.405
2 A Coelho  Br Tatuus     21:03.832
3 T Mullen  GB Van Diemen 21:14.931
4 J Font    Yv Tatuus     21:17.923
5 R Kerr    GB Tatuus     21:18.323

F.FORD (Donington):- Jenson Button claimed his second win of the season on Monday in the Slick 50 Formula Ford Championship. Button lost his front row position early on before storming back to edge Riccardo van der Ende into second spot.

Leading Round 3 results:   min secs
1 J Button     Mygale     19:39.582
2 R vd Ende    Van Diemen 19:48.705
3 D Hayes      Mygale     19:50.108
4 D Wheldon    Van Diemen 19:50.495
5 B Horne      Van Diemen 20:00.414
6 N Kiesa      Van Diemen 20:02.243

FORD FIESTA'S (Donington):- Alan Morrison strengthened his position in the championship with his thirdwin of the season. Neal Gordon opened up an early lead from pole but ran wide on lap six, which gave Morrison the chance to pass. The pair traded places on the eighth lap but Morrison out-braked Gordon with five laps to go.

Round 3 result:    min secs
1 A Morrison       21:18.811
2 N Gordon         21:18.993
3 S Clarke         21:27.443
4 P Cate           21:27.877
5 C Stancombe      21:33.481
6 J Levy           21:33.831

RENAULT SPIDER CUP (Donington):- First round winner Dan Eaves took advantage of a spin by pole position holder Nick Hart to capture victory. In a dramatic race, Hart spun off when his throttle jammed with only a lap remaining. Jamie Hunter retained his points lead after securing second spot.

Round 3 result:    min secs
1 D Eaves          22:51.044
2 J Hunter         22:58.195
3 D Shaw           23:02.289
4 D Henderson      23:06.972
5 T Masini         23:19.852
6 S Wiseman        23:38.792

F.VAUXHALL JNR:- Antonio Pizzonia completed his second successive win of the weekend when he again eased to victory from pole spot. Pizzonia comfortably won Sunday's third race but was made to work harder in the fourth before sealing victory.

Round 4 results:min secs
1 A Pizzonia  19:31.686
2 R Lyons     19:31.809
3 T Scheckter 19:45.639
4 K Hall      19:45.834
5 M Pavlovic  19:46.240
6 G Pyper     19:53.866

Standings
1 Pizzonia    56 Pts
2 Scheckter   45
3 Lyons       39
4 Bell        27
5 Pyper       23
6 Hall        16

TOURING CARS (Donington):- John Cleland became the fifth different winner of the first five Touring Car races with a storming Sprint Race win. Cleland's victory was his first since his 1995 championship-winning season and ended Vauxhall's two-year drought. James Thompson took second to remain at the head of the championship table, while Honda's Rickard Rydell was third. Cleland said: "I've always considered myself a title contender. The driver is the same as 1995 it's just that I haven't had the kit in the meantime."

Round 5 result:              mins:secs
 1 J Cleland  V'xhall Vectra 21:39.927
 2 J Thompson Honda Accord   21:41.415
 3 R Rydell   Volvo S40      21:41.719
 4 A Menu     Renault Laguna 21:42.232
 5 M Neal     Nissan Primera 21:57.633
 6 Y Muller   Audi A4        21:58.718
 7 P Kox      Honda Accord   21:59.015
 8 W Hoy      Ford Mondeo    21:59.567
 9 T Harvey   Peugeot 406    22:02.410
10 J B'cliffe Audi A4        22:03.440

Round 6 result:               min secs
 1 D Leslie   Nissan Primera 43:50.894
 2 A Menu     Renault Laguna 43:57.152
 3 J Cleland  V'xhall Vectra 44:09.446
 4 J Thompson Honda Accord   44:10.294
 5 J Plato    Renault Laguna 44:10.680
 6 A Reid     Nissan Primera 44:23.149
 7 R Rydell   Volvo S40      44:23.273
 8 D Warwick  V'xhall Vectra 44:27.820
 9 M Neal     Nissan Primera 44:31.026
10 Y Muller   Audi A4        44:34.574

DRIVER STANDINGS
1 J Thompson GB  Honda Accord      56 Pts
2 R Rydell   Swe Volvo S40         52
3 J Plato    GB  Renault Laguna    50
4 J Cleland  GB  Vauxhall          48
5 A Menu     Swi Renault Laguna    42
6 D Leslie   GB  Nissan            36

CONSTRUCTOR STANDINGS
1 Renault               69 pts
2 Nissan                56
3 Volvo                 55
= Honda                 55
5 Vauxhall              54
6 Ford                  33


TOUR DE CORSE:- Colin McRae has won an appeal against disqualification from the Rally for allegedly breaking tyre rules and been reinstated as the race leader. The Scot led the standings after the opening day's six stages but was originally thrown out of the race. Subaru lodged an appeal against the decision and were successful. World champion Tommi Makinen was disqualified however just before the fifth stage when his car failed to start properly.

Positions after stage 6:      hr mn sec
 1 C McRae     GB  Subaru      1:31.46
 2 F Delecour  Fr  Peugeot     1:32.07
 3 P Liatti    It  Subaru      1:32.09
 4 C Sainz     Sp  Toyota      1:32.19
 5 B Thiry     Bel Ford        1:32.21
 6 D Auriol    Fr  Toyota      1:32.30
 7 G Panizzi   Fr  Peugeot     1:32.37
 8 R Burns     GB  Mitsubishi  1:32.44
 9 J Kankkunen Fin Ford        1:33.32
10 P Bugalski  Fr  Citroen     1:33.53

RALLYING:- SEAT's Gwyndaf Evans will compete in Saturday's Steyr-Puch Manx Rally, a round of the Mintex National Series.



MILBROOK NATIONAL STAGES RALLY:- Metro driver Chris Wood, a previous winner of the race, came home over a minute ahead of another former winner Steve Scott to clinch the fourth round. None of the leading competitors retired and John Price kept his Championship lead despite only finishing eighth.

Leading times:                min secs
1 C Wood      Metro 6R4        1:04.28
2 S Scott     Escort Cosworth  1:05.31
3 C Griffiths Subaru Impreza   1:05.57
4 S Hendy     Escort Cosworth  1:06.04
5 J Brodie    Escort Cosworth  1:06.12
6 T Ball      Darrian T90      1:06.15





05.05.98
F1: THE SPANISH GP
Spain plays host to round five of the campaign with David Coulthard having proved he is a serious title contender after an impressive Imola show. He is just three points behind McLaren team-mate and championship leader Mika Hakkinen following his San Marino win. "I am certain we will be quick in Barcelona because the nature of the circuit will play to our strenghths and tyres," insisted the Scot. "There is no reason to doubt that we will be in front."

McLaren have taken all the headlines this season but despite their domination Michael Schumacher has consistently been in the points. He is third overall but is just six points behind leader Mika Hakkinen after his second place in Imola. The German has claimed all season that his Ferrari is not quite the finished article but his performances so far are an ominous warning to his rivals. Schumacher won in Barcelona in 1995 and 1996 ` for Benetton and Ferrari.

Williams have done the majority of their testing at Barcelona this season and hope that counts in their favour as they bid to make ground on McLaren. The team have done well there in recent years and Jacques Villeneuve confirmed: "Obviously we will give it everything we have got. The track normally suits Williams but we should not forget we are still far behind the Ferraris and McLarens. It is one of the most physical tracks and is pretty good."

Barcelona could be the turning point of the season for Jordan after Damon Hill set the fourth fastest time of the week in a three-day test at the circuit. Only the two McLarens and Michael Schumacher were quicker and Hill said: "We know the circuit well. Since all the teams have tested extensively here it will be a good indication of everyone's potential. Now we have a good package to work with I am keen to see if we can pull off a result."

Ralf Schumacher finished the last race in Imola but is still not happy with his starts. The Jordan star revealed: "I was happy to finish the race but I was too nervous on the start after all the practices we had done at Silverstone. "I do not see any reason why we should not be between 5th and eighth position in Barcelona." The German has to fit in National Service between racing and testing and finishes his secondment in August.

Tora Takagi has been testing a new braking system on his Tyrrell ahead of Sunday's race. Barcelona is the first track this season that the Japanese driver has previous experience of. Managing director Harvey Postlethwaite said: "From his performances so far it is clear that Tora does not require a lot of time to learn a new circuit. "He knows this circuit well and I have a feeling he might spring even more of a surprise than normal."

Stewart undertook a three-day test session in Barcelona after a disappointing Imola display. Technical director Alan Jenkins said: "Rubens Barrichello ran the series four engine for the first time, which allows a considerable increase in rpm." Arrows driver Mika Salo is relishing the challenge in Spain. "Barcelona is a place I look forward to as I enjoy driving on the track and I particularly like the people," he said. "We were encouraged after Imola."

Spain held its first grand prix at Guadarrama in 1913, with Carlo de Salamanca triumphing in a Rolls-Royce. The grand prix switched to Sitges and Lasarte before the start of world championship racing in 1951. It has also been held at Jerez and Jarama as well as three different venues in Barcelona. Barcelona is characterised by medium speed turns and high-speed corners and its abrasive surface and long corners mean tyre wear is high.

Sunday's race will last for 64 laps or 188.032 miles (302.592km). Frank Williams missed the San Marino Grand Prix because of an infection but will be back for Barcelona. Heinz-Harald Frentzen was eighth in Spain last year but he is confident after testing at Barcelona. "I am positive we can make a decisive step and close the gap," he said.

Portugal's Estoril circuit hopes to reopen for Formula One testing in 1999.


1997 result:
1 J Villeneuve  Can  Williams
2 O Panis       Fr   Prost
3 J Alesi       Fr   Benetton
4 M Schumacher  Ger  Ferrari
5 J Herbert     GB   Sauber
6 D Coulthard   GB   McLaren
Fastest lap (record): G Fisichella It Jordan 1:22.242


Previous winners:
1997 J Villeneuve  Can  Williams
1996 M Schumacher  Ger  Ferrari
1995 M Schumacher  Ger  Benetton
1994 D Hill        GB   Williams
1993 A Prost       Fr   Williams
1992 N Mansell     GB   Williams
1991 N Mansell     GB   Williams
At Jerez:
1990 A Prost       Fr   Ferrari
1989 A Senna       Brz  McLaren
1988 A Prost       Fr   McLaren
1987 N Mansell     GB   Williams

TOUR DE CORSE:- Colin McRae extended his lead on the second day but Richard Burns was forced to retire. Scot McRae was cleared to resume when organisers accepted an explanation why his car had illegal tyres on Monday. He more than doubled his 20 second overnight lead after just three of the day's six stages and retained the lead. British rival Richard Burns went off the road at the end of stage 10 and a broken suspension and punctured tyre signalled his end during stage 11.

Positions after stage 12:    hr mn sec
 1 C McRae     GB  Subaru      2:49.21
 2 C Sainz     Sp  Toyota      2:50.08
 3 P Liatti    It  Subaru      2:50.13
 4 F Delecour  Fr  Peugeot     2:50.39
 5 D Auriol    Fr  Toyota      2:50.52
 6 B Thiry     Bel Ford        2:50.57
 7 G Panizzi   Fr  Peugeot     2:51.03
 8 P Bugalski  Fr  Citroen     2:52.07
 9 J Kankkunen Fin Ford        2:53.15
10 F Doenlen   Fr  Citroen     2:53.29






06.05.98
F1:- Michael Schumacher has proved he can master the Barcelona track and will be eyeing his second win of the season in Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix. The German has won on the circuit for Benetton and Ferrari and was second last time out in San Marino. "Barcelona is a circuit that can change in character a great deal from one day to the next," he said. "It is a very tactical race and the right tyre choice and pitstop strategy can win you the race."



TOUR DE CORSE:- Britain's Colin McRae claimed victory in Corsica just days after it seemed he was to be thrown out of the rally because of tyre irregularities. He was allowed to continue in the event after the explanation by his Subaru team was accepted by race chiefs. The Scot now leads the drivers' championship, while Subaru top the manufacturers' standings. Francois Delecour was second in his Peugeot, while Piero Liatti was third driving a Subaru.

Colin McRae predicted Subaru were on their way to another world title win after his victory in Corsica. McRae said: "This is a brilliant result and puts us exactly where we want to be and Subaru back on course for their fourth consecutive world title. Today has been tougher because the conditions have been much drier, but we were lucky to have established a good lead and didn't have to push like mad. The win is even sweeter after our disappointments in Spain."

Result after 18 stages:       hr mn sec
 1 C McRae     GB  Subaru      4:02.46
 2 F Delecour  Fr  Peugeot     4:03.14
 3 P Liatti    It  Subaru      4:03.16
 4 G Panizzi   Fr  Peugeot     4:03.23
 5 B Thiry     Bel Ford        4:03.32
 6 D Auriol    Fr  Toyota      4:05.26
 7 F Doenlen   Fr  Citroen     4:06.48
 8 C Sainz     Sp  Toyota      4:06.50
 9 J Kankkunen Fin Ford        4:07.34
10 P Magaud    Fr  Citroen     4:10.59

Stage 16 was cancelled because of volume of spectators


Driver standings
1 C McRae     GB    Subaru      24 Pts
2 C Sainz     Sp    Toyota      22
3 R Burns     GB    Mitsubishi  18
4 J Kankkunen Fin   Ford        16
5 D Auriol    Fr    Toyota      15
6 T Makinen   Fin   Mitsubishi  14

Manufacturer standings:
1 Subaru       35pts
2 Mitsubishi   32
= Toyota       32
4 Ford         25

MINTEX RALLY SERIES:- SEAT star Gwyndaf Evans will pilot the Ibiza Evo 2 kit car in a tarmac rally for the first time in the Steyr-Puch Manx Rally at the weekend. The aim is to test the car on asphalt before the final round of the Mobil 1 British Rally Championship ` the Manx International Rally ` in September. "The Ibiza we will drive is the same car in which we did all our pre-Pirelli Rally testing," revealed Evans. "We are going there to learn about the car and enjoy ourselves."

Volkswagen believe their Golf turbo-diesel car will be suited to the Manx Rally course. Neil Simpson and co-driver Steven Martin will be in the Golf TDI and were fifth in a Golf GTI last year. "We found on our first rally that the Golf TDI really flew on the tarmac stages and we have done a lot of work to improve its handling," said Simpson. Martin added: "We have always done well on the Manx but eye it with caution. "It is not forgiving of errors."

Welsh rally star of the eighties Steve Davies is coming out of retirement for Saturday's Manx Rally. He will be giving a UK debut to Cheshire-based SW Motorsport's Citroen Saxo kit car. The 35-year-old furniture retailer won the Manx national event in an Opel Manta in 1988. Team manager Gary Lendon said: "Steve has not competed for four years but has a wealth of experience on tarmac events and in front-wheel drive vehicles."





07.05.98
F1:- Damon Hill is confident that he can earn Jordan's first points of the season in Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix. Hill clocked the fourth fastest time in last week's testing session at the Circuit de Catalunya. "Now that we have a good package to work with I am very keen to get to the races and see if we can pull off a result," he said. "Barcelona will be a crucial test for us. We know the circuit well and the car felt good in testing there."



EUROCARS (Pembrey):- The Eurocar event moves to Pembrey in South Wales this weekend for round four of the 12-round championships. Mike Jordan will relish a return to the South Wales venue that delivered two victories last season. Second-placed Stevie Hodgson, Paul Eaton, Kevin Clarke and Mark Willis are also in contention. Mark Proctor and Peter Falding are 25 points apart at the top of the V6 table. Neither notched a podium finish at Pembrey last season.





08.05.98 - F1: THE SPANISH GP
Mika Hakkinen roared out a warning to team-mate and title rival David Coulthard in Barcelona. Hakkinen swept to the top of the practice standings just a day after Coulthard had vowed to turn up the heat on the Finn. Hakkinen was 8/10ths of a second quicker than Coulthard. Johnny Herbert finished an impressive third fastest for Sauber, with Eddie Irvine fourth, Michael Schumacher fifth and Damon Hill back in 14th.

Friday's practice times:
 1 M Hakkinen    Fin McLaren  1:22.147
 2 D Coulthard   GB  McLaren  1:22.965
 3 J Herbert     GB  Sauber   1:23.237
 4 E Irvine      GB  Ferrari  1:23.421
 5 M Schumacher  Ger Ferrari  1:23.468
 6 H-H Frentzen  Ger Williams 1:23.843
 7 R Barrichello Brz Stewart  1:24.037
 8 J Villeneuve  Can Williams 1:24.198
 9 J Alesi       Fr  Sauber   1:24.257
10 O Panis       Fr  Prost    1:24.272
11 G Fisichella  It  Benetton 1:24.286
12 A Wurz        Aut Benetton 1:24.311
13 R Schumacher  Ger Jordan   1:24.420
14 D Hill        GB  Jordan   1:24.888
15 J Trulli      It  Prost    1:24.897
16 S Nakano      Jpn Minardi  1:25.280
17 T Takagi      Jpn Tyrrell  1:25.336
18 E Tuero       Arg Minardi  1:25.525
19 P Diniz       Brz Arrows   1:25.770
20 M Salo        Fin Arrows   1:26.285
21 R Rosset      Brz Tyrrell  1:26.371
22 J Magnussen   Den Stewart  1:26.606





09.05.98
F1: THE SPANISH GP
Championship leader Mika Hakkinen grabbed pole position for Sunday's showdown in Barcelona. The Finn claimed his third top grid placing of the season and edged out McLaren team-mate David Coulthard by seven tenths of a second. Michael Schumacher was third quickest, with Benetton's Giancarlo Fisichella and Alexander Wurz close behind him. Eddie Irvine was sixth fastest, Johnny Herbert seventh, while Damon Hill claimed eighth spot on the grid.

Mika Hakkinen is hoping he can repeat his early-season form after claiming pole for Sunday's race. Hakkinen led qualifying in the first two races of 1998 and ended up triumphing in both grands prix. In the next two rounds he was second in qualifying and failed to win the races. "It is never good to lose," he said. "When you lose you do not look good. There have been some circumstances in the last couple of races when things did not go right."

Britain's David Coulthard admitted he was annoyed that he did not take pole position for Sunday's race after being pipped by team-mate Mika Hakkinen. "I am disappointed not to get pole but I am not down," said the Scot. "I have not felt as confident in the car as Mika all weekend. I have got a lot of work to do to try and catch up. I am still confident I can win the race. Qualifying is only one part of it but being in front on this track is very important."

Tyrrell may have to put this race down to experience after Toranosuke Takagi could only qualify in 21st spot, while Ricardo Rosset failed to make the race. Rosset said: "I just could not get completely comfortable with the balance of my car this afternoon. "Despite trying as hard as I could in the final qualifying run, I missed the cut-off point by six hundredths of a second. It is very disappointing."

"I lost time when I was caught behind other cars," added Takagi.

Saturday's qualifying times:
 1 M Hakkinen    Fin McLaren  1:20.262
 2 D Coulthard   GB  McLaren  1:20.996
 3 M Schumacher  Ger Ferrari  1:21.785
 4 G Fisichella  It  Benetton 1:21.894
 5 A Wurz        Aut Benetton 1:21.965
 6 E Irvine      Ire Ferrari  1:22.350
 7 J Herbert     GB  Sauber   1:22.794
 8 D Hill        GB  Jordan   1:22.835
 9 R Barrichello Brz Stewart  1:22.860
10 J Villeneuve  Can Williams 1:22.885
11 R Schumacher  Ger Jordan   1:22.927
12 O Panis       Fr  Prost    1:22.927
13 H-H Frentzen  Ger Williams 1:23.197
14 J Alesi       Fr  Sauber   1:23.327
15 P Diniz       Brz Arrows   1:23.704
16 J Trulli      It  Prost    1:23.704
17 M Salo        Fin Arrows   1:23.887
18 J Magnussen   Den Stewart  1:24.112
19 E Tuero       Arg Minardi  1:24.265
20 S Nakano      Jpn Minardi  1:24.538
21 T Takagi      Jpn Tyrrell  1:24.722
Did not qualify:
22 R Rosset      Brz Tyrrell  1:25.946

MINTEX RALLY SERIES:- John Price finished the Steyr Puch Manx Rally 20 seconds ahead of his nearest rival to at last taste triumph in an Isle of Man event. Price and co-driver Caroline Broad came home in one hour, 41 minutes, 43 seconds, with Murray Grierson's Subaru Impreza finishing in second spot. Tony Davies was third after having some problems on the last stage. Chris Mellors had to retire from the race and Martyn Harrison followed suit after an accident in his Metro.

Final positions:            hr mn sec
 1 J Price      Metro        1:41:43
 2 M Grierson   Subaru       1:42:03
 3 T Davies     Metro        1:44:55
 4 I Corkill    Metro        1:44:55
 5 N Simpson    VW Golf      1:45:18
 6 W Ph'liskirk Metro        1:48:04
 7 A Blair      Escort       1:48:19
 8 G Mills      Sierra Cos   1:48:30
 9 G Robinson   Escort       1:48:57
10 S Petch      Escort       1:49:09
Gwyndaf Evans retired after 8 stages

CHAMP CARS (Rio de Janeiro):- Scotland's Dario Franchitti claimed the second pole position of his career for Sunday's race in Brazil. Franchitti edged out Italy's Alex Zanardi with a best lap of 39.005 seconds, while Tony Kanaan was third in front of his home crowd. Mark Blundell, who was hoping to clinch his first podium finish in the fifth round of the series, could only manage 18th position on the grid. "Last year we were 20th and worked our way up to eighth," said Blundell.


F3000 (Barcelona):-
Race result after 44 laps:     hr min sec
 1 J Montoya   Col  Super Nova  1:12.05
 2 K Mollekens Bel  Arden/KTR   1:12.57
 3 B D R'bourg Fr   Super Nova  1:12.59
 4 D Schwager  Ger  RTL Team    1:13.00
 5 S Ayari     Fr   Durango     1:13.00
 6 M Wilson    Brz  Edenbridge  1:13.19
 7 J Watt      Den  Den Bla A   1:13.30
 8 G Montanari It   Draco R'ing 1:13.30
 9 O Martini   It   Auto Sport  1:13.30
10 A Muller    Ger  GP Racing   1:13.31





10.05.98
F1: THE SPANISH GP
Mika Hakkinen coasted to his third win of the season as the McLaren domination continued with another 1-2 finish. Hakkinen established a lead from pole, that saw him 14.2 seconds ahead at his first pit stop, after which he briefly dropped down to third position. Having quickly regained the lead, he pitted again on lap 45, 14.5 seconds in front, leaving David Coulthard ahead until he stopped for a second time. Coulthard reduced the advantage to 4.5 seconds but Hakkinen stayed in control.

Unflappable Fin Mika Hakkinen was quietly contented with his third victory of the season, which extended both his and McLaren's lead at the top. "It was great," he said. "It is never easy, you have to make sure your concentration is right and you have to be really careful throughout the race. "Overtaking the back-markers was quite demanding, sometimes the situation and the time is not ideal," he added. Hakkinen now leads the drivers' table by seven points from David Coulthard.

Runner-up David Coulthard rued a bad start after failing to dislodge McLaren colelague Mika Hakkinen for the lead. "If I had got to the first corner before Mika, I would have won because there was no way he would have overtaken me," Coulthard insisted. "The first part of the race was a real struggle, just to keep the car on the grid. But I was determined not to give up because you never know what happens. This was an important race but it was not the key to the championship."

Britain's Damon Hill lambasted German Heinz-Harald Frentzen after being forced to retire from the race. "He just pushed me off," Hill said. "He came out of the pits and pushed me wide at turn three deliberately and put me in the gravel. It was mindless. We had words over the weekend and I'll have a word with him now. He's a brick short of a full load if you ask me, and it's not acceptable driving." Hill rejoined after the spin, but went out with engine trouble two laps later.

Jubilant Brazilian Ruebens Barrichello could scarcely contain his delight after securing the first Championship points for Stewart with his fifth spot. "The team has done a great job with the car," he beamed. "The suspension is really good at the moment."

"It was a good race," he continued. "It was one of my best performances." World Champion Jacques Villeneuve remained on the tail of Barrichello, who said: "He was really pushing me, but I just kept my head down."


Result after 65 laps          hr mn secs
 1 M Hakkinen    Fin McLaren  1:33.37.6
 2 D Coulthard   GB  McLaren      @ 9.4
 3 M Schumacher  Ger Ferrari *    @47.0
 4 A Wurz        Aut Benetton     @62.6
 5 R Barrichello Brz Stewart    64 laps
 6 J Villeneuve  Can Williams   64 laps
 7 J Herbert     GB  Sauber     64 laps
 8 H-H Frentzen  Ger Williams   63 laps
 9 J Trulli      It  Prost      63 laps
10 J Alesi       Fr  Sauber     63 laps
11 R Schumacher  Ger Jordan     63 laps
12 J Magnussen   Den Stewart    63 laps
13 T Takagi      Jpn Tyrrell    63 laps
14 S Nakano      Jpn Minardi    63 laps
15 E Tuero       Arg Minardi    63 laps
16 O Panis       Fr  Prost      60 laps
17 D Hill        GB  Jordan     46 laps
18 E Irvine      GB  Ferrari    28 laps
19 G Fisichella  It  Benetton   28 laps
20 M Salo        Fin Arrows     21 laps
21 P Diniz       Brz Arrows     20 laps
Retirements: M Salo, E Irvine, G Fisichella, P Diniz, D Hill, O Panis

DRIVERS' STANDINGS
 1 M Hakkinen    Fin  McLaren   36 pts
 2 D Coulthard   GB   McLaren   29
 3 M Schumacher  Ger  Ferrari   24
 4 E Irvine      GB   Ferrari   11
 5 A Wurz        Aut  Benetton   9
 6 H-H Frentzen  Ger  Williams   8
 7 J Villeneuve  Can  Williams   6
 8 J Alesi       Fr   Sauber     3
 9 R Barrichello Brz  Stewart    2
10 J Herbert     GB   Sauber     1
=  G Fisichella  It   Benetton   1

CONSTRUCTORS' STANDINGS
1 McLaren-Mercedes      65 pts
2 Ferrari               35
3 Williams-Mecachrome   14
4 Benetton              10
5 Sauber-Petronas        4
6 Stewart                2


CHAMP CARS (Rio):- Scotland's Dario Franchitti claimed the second pole position of his career for Sunday's race in Brazil. Franchitti edged out Italy's Alex Zanardi with a best lap of 39.005 seconds, while Tony Kanaan was third in front of his home crowd. Mark Blundell, who was hoping to clinch his first podium finish in the fifth round of the series, could only manage 18th position on the grid. "Last year we were 20th and worked our way up to eighth," said Blundell.

Saturday qualifying times:      speed
 1 D Franchitti GB  Honda      172.039
 2 A Zanardi    It  Honda      171.341
 3 T Kanaan     Brz Honda      171.289
 4 G de Ferran  Brz Honda      171.284
 5 C Fittipaldi Brz Ford       171.166
 6 B Herta      US  Ford       170.944
 7 G Moore      Can Mercedes   170.779
 8 M Andretti   US  Ford       170.492
 9 P Tracy      US  Honda      169.983
10 B Rahal      US  Ford       169.931
18 M Blundell   GB  Mercedes   166.946





11.05.98 - F1
Defiant Ferrari chief Jean Todt refused to concede that rivals McLaren have an overwhelming grip on the championship. Todt, who promised a better technical performance from his team in time for the Monaco Grand Prix, said he believed the title race remained wide open. "The gap in the championship is not beyond our reach and I believe it remains open," said Todt. "But we have to improve our performance further, along with our technical partners, and then be more optimistic."





12.05.98 - TOURING CARS
Vauxhall Vectra's John Cleland and Derek Warwick will hope for BBC cameras to provide inspiration in rounds seven and eight at Brands Hatch this weekend. Cleland captured the only Vectra win of the season at Donington in round five. "That win is history now," Cleland said "Just because we finished first in one race does not mean we can relax. Hard work is the only thing needed to win." Warwick said: "I like Brands Hatch it's a good circuit for us. We were quick in testing and have made improvements."





13.05.98
F.RENAULT:- Formula Renault Sport points leader Aluizio Coelho has been declared fit to race in this weekend's round five at Brands Hatch. The Brazilian wrecked his car in a 100mph testing crash after being fastest overall before the accident.



RENAULT SPIDER'S:- Brands Hatch instructors Nick Hart and Simon Hill topped testing for Sunday's fourth round of the Renault Insurance Services Spider Cup.






14.05.98
TOURING CARS:- Former Formula One world champion Nigel Mansell could only finish 17th in testing in his Ford Mondeo for Sunday's Brands Hatch rounds seven and eight. Mansell will not be racing on Sunday, but will make his debut at Donington next month. He said: "The engine let down at the end, but it was a good test." Honda's James Thompson was fastest in the first official testing session. He was more than two-tenths of a second faster than Swede Rickard Rydell.


Leading testing times (Thu):      secs
 1 J Thompson GB  Honda Accord   44.848
 2 R Rydell   Swe Volvo S40      45.101
 3 J Plato    GB  Renault Laguna 45.160
 4 D Leslie   GB  Nissan Primera 45.190
 5 A Menu     Swi Renault Laguna 45.224
Selected others:
17 N Mansell  GB  Ford Mondeo    46.152


RAC RALLY:- The course for this year's Network Q RAC Rally has been redesigned and is shorter than in previous years. The rally will cover 237 miles on 28 timed stages.





15.05.98
TOURING CARS (Brands Hatch):- Nissan are pre-race favourites for both rounds of the championship on Sunday after three Primera GTs made the top five testing times. Anthony Reid led the way with 44.531 seconds, with Matt Neal fourth fastest and David Leslie fifth quickest. Volvo's Rickard Rydell ran Reid closest to be second fastest. Reid said: "I was fastest in official testing at Donington but it did not happen for me there in the race. We have learned the car is well balanced."

Leading testing times (Fri):     secs
 1 A Reid       GB  Nissan P    44.531
 2 R Rydell     Swe Volvo S40   44.646
 3 J Thompson   GB  Honda Acc   44.892
 4 M Neal       GB  Nissan P    44.911
 5 D Leslie     GB  Nissan P    45.008
 6 G Morbidelli It  Volvo S40   45.017
 7 J Plato      GB  Renault Lag 45.045
 8 J Bintcliffe GB  Audi A4     45.046
 9 P Kox        NL  Honda Acc   45.065
10 A Menu       Swi Renault Lag 45.125


GOLDEN JUBILEE AWARD:- Silverstone have announced nominations for the first Golden Jubilee Awards, run in conjunction with Ceefax. Next month viewers will be able to vote for the Greatest Sportscar driver in a unique telephone poll. The Jubilee awards scheme is part of this year's 50th anniversary celebrations at the famous Northamptonshire track. The BRDC have compiled a short-list of drivers which includes Britain's Derek Bell and Mark Blundell.



LE MANS:- Mercedes are to enter next month's Le Mans 24-hour race for the first time since 1991. They staged a test with a modified CLK GT car in southern France this week and will enter two cars for the race, which will be held on June 6-7. The drivers will be Bernd Schneider, Klaus Ludwig, Ricardo Zonta, Mark Webber, Christophe Bouchut and Jean-Marc Gounon. Michael Schumacher and Karl Wendlinger were fifth in the team's last outing.



ELF CAMPUS:- Britain's Westly Barber, Guarin Simpson and Jon Tee are hoping for a home victory in the UK's first ever race for the Elf Campus Cup at Silverstone. They race in the series after winning Elf's Fastrack young driver competition The hotline to enter Fastrack '98 is now open on - 01327 320358.





16.05.98
F1:- Championship leader Mika Hakkinen set the fastest time as several teams completed a four-day test session at Magny-Cours to prepare for Monaco. The McLaren star clocked one minute, 17.69 seconds to outpace team-mate David Coulthard in France. Coulthard had earlier led the way with 1:17.92, while Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Ralf Schumacher had encouraging sessions in preparation for May 24. However, Prost's Jarno Trulli and Sauber's Johnny Herbert struggled.



TOURING CARS:- Volvo star Rickard Rydell will start both of Sunday's races on pole after dominating the qualifying sessions. The BTCC Sprint and Feature Races will be screened live on BBC Grandstand and Nissan's Anthony Reid will line up on the front row in them alongside Rydell. Rydell took more than a 10th of a second from the Brands Hatch record in qualifying for the Feature Race. "We have worked hard at our qualifying set-up and it has been good throughout the year," said the Swede.

Qualifying times for round 7 (Sat):secs
 1 R Rydell     Swe Volvo S40   45.165
 2 A Reid       GB  Nissan P    45.364
 3 M Neal       GB  Nissan P    45.718
 4 W Hoy        GB  Ford Mondeo 45.721
 5 Y Muller     Fr  Audi A4     45.745
 6 A Menu       Swi Renault Lag 45.757
 7 J Plato      GB  Renault Lag 45.870
 8 J Bintcliffe GB  Audi A4     46.091
 9 J Cleland    GB  Vauxhall V  46.245
10 D Warwick    GB  Vauxhall V  46.363

Qualifying times for round 8 (Sat):secs
 1 R Rydell     Swe Volvo S40   44.441
 2 A Reid       GB  Nissan P    44.642
 3 J Thompson   GB  Honda Acc   44.877
 4 A Menu       Swi Renault Lag 44.890
 5 M Neal       GB  Nissan P    44.911
 6 D Leslie     GB  Nissan P    44.959
 7 G Morbidelli It  Volvo S40   44.964
 8 Y Muller     Fr  Audi A4     45.099
 9 J Plato      GB  Renault Lag 45.107
10 J Bintcliffe GB  Audi A4     45.251


F3000 (Silverstone)
Leading practice times (Fri):  min secs
 1 J Montoya    Co  Super N    1:38.602
 2 N Heidfeld   Ger West Comp  1:38.910
 3 J Watt       Dk  Den BA     1:39.162
 4 G Rees       GB  Den BA     1:39.198
 5 G Mazzacane  SA  Team Astro 1:39.476
 6 M Wilson     Brz Edenbridge 1:39.487
 7 B Junqueira  Brz Draco Eng  1:39.539
 8 N Minassian  Fr  West Comp  1:39.550
 9 G Rodriguez  Rou Team Astro 1:39.604
10 G Montanari  It  Draco Eng  1:39.674

FORD FIESTA'S (Brands Hatch):- Rae Claydon will start the fourth round of the series on pole after an impressive display in qualifying. "It was very close and very sticky on the track because of all the rubber left by the touring cars," he said.

Leading qualifying times (Sat):  secs
 1 R Claydon      Ford F Zetec  56.230
 2 N Gordon       Ford F Zetec  56.302
 3 S Clarke       Ford F Zetec  56.395
 4 C Stancombe    Ford F Zetec  56.504
 5 J Levy         Ford F Zetec  56.521

F.RENAULT:- Formula Renault Sport series leader Aluizio Coelho bounced back from a crash in midweek to take pole in qualifying at Brands Hatch. Ulsterman Tim Mullin was second with Doug Bell third.






17.05.98
F3:- Brazilian drivers continued their domination as they swept to first, second and third at Silverstone. For the fifth time this year victory went to Enrique Bernoldi with Luciano Burti second and Mario Haberfield in third place. The first Briton home was Martin O'Connell who finished fifth. Bernoldi was always in control as he got off to a flying start to lead by a full second by the end of lap one, that lead grew to a full five seconds later.

ROUND 7 RESULT                mins secs
 1 E Bernoldi  Dallara-Renault 26:16.17
 2 L Burti     Dallara-Mugen-H 26:19.28
 3 M Haberfeld Dallara-Spiess  26:20.52
 4 K Kolby     Dallara-Mugen-H 26:21.46
 5 M O'Connell Dallara-Toyota  26:25.67
 6 R Maurico   Dallara-Mugen-H 26:26.12
 7 W Hughes    Dallara-Mitsub' 26:30.46
 8 M Hynes     Dallara-Renault 26:32.03
 9 J Spence    Dallara-Mugen-H 26:35.53
10 M S'virta   Dallara-Mugen-H 26:36.66

Standings:
1 Bernoldi   119 pts
2 O Connell  80
3 Burti      69

FIA GTs (Silverstone):- Bernd Schneider and Mark Webber gave Mercedes their second win in two races. Current champion Schneider took the lead in round two when Uwe Alzen received a 30-second stop-go penalty over an incident with David Brabham. Brabham had been leading but his car was pushed off the track when Alzen tried to force his way past at Stowe and the Australian lost four laps. Schneider's win was his last FIA GT outing with the V12-engined Mercedes, which is being replaced with a V8.


Second round result after 98 laps:
                            hr min sec
1 B Schneider/  Ger  Mercedes 2:54.27
  M Webber      Aus
2 U Alzen/      Ger  Porsche     @.08
  J Muller      Ger
3 M Bartels/    Ger  Porsche   one lap
  A Hahne       Ger
4 K Ludwig/     Ger  Mercedes  one lap
  R Zonta       Ger
5 S Grau/       Ger  Porsche  two laps
  A Scheld      Ger
6 T Bscher/     Ger  McLaren    4 laps
  G Lees        GB
7 C Bouchet/    Fr   Mercedes   4 laps
  B Maylender   Ger
8 D Brabham/    Aus  Panoz      6 laps
  E Bernard     Fr


Standings after two rounds:
1 B Schneider   Ger 14 points
= M Webber      Aus 14
3 K Ludwig      Ger 13
= R Zonta       Ger 13
5 U Alzen       Ger  6
= J Muller      Ger  6
= M Tiemann     Ger  6
= J-M Gounon    Fr   6

TOURING CARS:- Rickard Rydell regained the lead in the Championship by winning the Sprint Race and the Feature Race. The Swede was on pole position in both events and is now 15 points clear of nearest rival James Thompson overall. Nissan's Anthony Reid claimed second place in round seven, while Thompson was runner-up in round eight. Reigning champion Alain Menu was third in the 25-lap opener and was followed home by Renault team-mate Jason Plato. Menu then finished fourth in race two.

After winning rounds seven and eight Rickard Rydell revealed he always felt his Volvo would run well at Brands. "We knew it would work well here," he said. "It is important to score points where you can because the championship is so much closer this year. "Nobody is going to win 12 races like Alain Menu did last year." Current champion and Renault driver Menu added: "I think Volvo and Nissan are stronger than us this year and some circuits suit some cars better."

Tommy Rustad earned his maiden win in the Autosport Independents Cup and also notched a second place to close the gap on series leader Robb Gravett. Norwegian star Rustad said: "I had to contend with a lot of understeer on the car. I had to concentrate really hard to stay on the road."

Standings after 8 rounds:
1 R Gravett   76 points
2 T Rustad    75
3 M Neal      60


Result of round 7 (Sun):     mins secs
 1 R Rydell     Swe Volvo    19:09.833
 2 A Reid       GB  Nissan   19:10.492
 3 A Menu       Swi Renault  19:16.671
 4 J Plato      GB  Renault  19:17.796
 5 Y Muller     Fr  Audi A4  19:22.258
 6 J Cleland    GB  Vauxhall 19:22.733
 7 W Hoy        GB  Ford     19:26.348
 8 P Radisich   NZ  Peugeot  19:26.414
 9 J Thompson   GB  Honda    19:28.973
10 J Bintcliffe GB  Audi A4  19:29.475


Result of round 8 (Sun):     mins secs
 1 R Rydell     Swe Volvo    39:17.876
 2 J Thompson   GB  Honda    39:20.248
 3 A Reid       GB  Nissan   39:20.840
 4 A Menu       Swi Renault  39:28.536
 5 M Neal       GB  Nissan   39:31.088
 6 D Leslie     GB  Nissan   39:22.056
 7 P Kox        NL  Honda    39:41.542
 8 J Bintcliffe GB  Audi     39:48.710
 9 J Cleland    GB  Vauxhall 39:49.150
10 G Morbidelli It  Volvo    39:53.136


DRIVER STANDINGS
1 R Rydell   Swe Volvo S40         85
2 J Thompson GB  Honda Accord      70
3 A Menu     Swi Renault Laguna    60
4 J Plato    GB  Renault Laguna    58
5 J Cleland  GB  Vauxhall          56
6 A Reid     GB  Nissan            44

CONSTRUCTOR STANDINGS
1 Renault               87 pts
2 Volvo                 85
3 Nissan                78
4 Honda                 70
5 Vauxhall              65
6 Audi                  42


F.RENAULT (Brands Hatch):- Aluizio Coelho shrugged off his 100mph crash in testing with a fourth lights-to-flag victory in five races to increase his championship position. Chris Buncombe, sixth overall, took his first win in the Star Cup division.

Result of round five (Sun): mins secs
1 A Coelho   Br  Tatuus     18:40.869
2 T Mullen   GB  Van Diemen 18:47.823
3 D Bell     GB  Tatuus     18:49.083
4 V Meira    Br  Van Dieman 18:54.633
5 J J Font   Vz  Tatuus     19:00.869
6 C Buncombe GB  Tatuus     19:04.194


RENAULT SPIDER CUP (Brands Hatch):- Nick Hart claimed his maiden win in round four of the series. Daniel Eaves was second and regains the lead in the championship from Jamie Hunter, who was fifth.

Result of round four (Sun):
1 N Hart     16:39.638
2 D Eaves    16:45.972
3 D Shaw     16:46.205
4 S Hill     16:48.790
5 J Hunter   16.49.643
6 D Vercoe   16.50.997


F.FIESTA'S (Brands Hatch):- Rae Claydon made the most of his pole position to claim victory in round four of the series.

Round four result (Sun):     mins secs
1 R Claydon    Ford F Zetec  19:08.661
2 N Gordon     Ford F Zetec  19:08.825
3 S Clarke     Ford F Zetec  19:09.749
4 M Cullen     Ford F Zetec  19:09.914
5 D Gibson     Ford F Zetec  19:10.534
6 N Hose       Ford F Zetec  19:11.174


F.FORD (Brands Hatch):-
Round four result (Sun):
               mins secs
1 D Hayes      18:37.179
2 D Wheldon    18:37.832
3 N Kiesa      18:39.265
4 M Ambrose    18:40.578
5 C Murray     18:40.689
6 T Field      18:52.697                                  



FORMULA OPEL
Race one result:            mins secs
1 A Kirkaldy  GB  P Stewart 32:44.306
2 A Piccinic  It  WP Rac Ac 32:45.185
3 T Scheckter SA  Vergani   32:52.858
4 S Saggers   GB  S Saggers 32:58.636

Race two result:
1 W Ebrahim   Brz Meritus   27:11.822
2 A Piccini   It  WP Rac Ac 27:16.058
3 A Kirkaldy  GB  P Stewart 27:19.248
4 S Haak      Ger WT Motor  27:22.917


F.RENAULT-ELF CAMPUS:- Briton Westley Barber stormed from 10th place to grab the runners-up spot with a fastest lap time almost under a second quicker than the time for pole. Fellow Brits Jonathan Tee and Guarin Simpson finished 6th and 10th.

Top six finishers (Sat):   mins secs
1 J Andanson    Fr         21:13.289
2 W Barber      GB         21:13.575
3 P Friesacher  Aut        21:13.759
4 D Cicero      Can        21:16.806
5 LY Kin        HK         21:21.939
6 J Tee         GB         21:23.463



F.VAUXHALL JUNIOR (Brands Hatch):-
Result of round five (Sun):
                    mins secs
1 A Pizzonia  Brz   18:44.182
2 R Lyons     GB    18:48.112
3 R Bell      GB    18:57.346
4 J Welsman   GB    18:57.474
5 G Paffett   GB    18:59.889
6 T Scheckter SA    18:59.973

Standings after 5 (of 16) rounds:
1 A Pizzonia   GB  72 points
2 R Lyons      Brz 51
3 T Scheckter  SA  50
4 R Bell       GB  37
5 G Pyper      GB  24



VECTRA SRi V6 CHALLENGE (Brands Hatch):-
Result of round four (Sun):
                    mins secs
1 S Graves          19:02.465
2 M Blair           19:06.921
3 D Pinkney         19:17.865
4 P Sears           19:18.885
5 D Edmonds         19:19.384
6 M Ticehurst       19:22.707

Standings after 4 (of 14) rounds:
1 S Graves         57 points
2 M Blair          41
3 F Figueiredo     34
4 D Pinkney        27
5 P Sowerby        22





18.05.98 - RALLY ARGENTINA
The Rally of Argentina, which begins on Wednesday, marks the halfway point of the World Championship campaign. Subaru's Colin McRae and Nicky Grist are the first crew to win two events this season and their efforts mean they lead the drivers' race by two points. McRae said: "It is a good feeling to be back on gravel. The high altitude in Argentina makes quite a difference to the performance of the engine nut unlike Corsica it is not an event dictated by tyres."

Britain's Richard Burns is optimistic of claiming his second victory of the season in his first full campaign. Burns and co-driver Robert Reid led briefly in Argentina in 1997 and Burns said: "It was the first time I had ever led a round of the World Championship. "But for the freak suspension damage that put us out, we were well set for a top-three finish. "My team-mate Tommi Makinen has won it for the past two years so the event is well matched to our Mitsubishi's."

Alister McRae will be tackling the South American event for the first time this week. "I have not done the rally before but I went two years ago to help my brother Colin with his preparation, so I know what terrain to expect," he confirmed. The event features 23 special stages and a competitive total of 400km. Golf GTI driver McRae added: "The way the car is flying I know we can do it. We have just got to hope that we do not hit any problems."





19.05.98 - F1: THE MONACO GP
Many drivers will have the luxury of being able to 'walk to work' on Sunday as several of them have adopted the Monte Carlo tax haven as their home. However, the circuit is one of the most unforgiving on the calendar because the narrow, bumpy streets are the city's main roads for 51 weeks of the year. The track has been resurfaced from the chicane after the tunnel and along the harbour front to the Rascasse hairpin. That and other changes have increased the circuit length by 3.3 metres.

Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard will be out to uphold McLaren's traditions on the streets of Monte Carlo. The duo are threatening to emulate the McLaren domination of the 80s and early 90s by Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. Prost kick-started McLaren's run in Monaco with a win in 1988 and Senna followed that up by winning the next five races in the Principality. Finnish star Hakkinen currently leads the championship but Coulthard is only seven points adrift.

Michael Schumacher is the most consistent driver at Monaco since the late, great Ayrton Senna dominated the event for McLaren. The former world champion has won at the circuit in three out of the last four years ` missing out in 1996 when he crashed on the opening lap. "It is a track where the smallest mistake can cost you dearly," he said. "It is lined by steel barriers or walls. You literally do not have an inch to spare on most of the corners."

Monte Carlo has never been a prosperous venue for Williams but world champion Jacques Villeneuve is nevertheless prepared for the challenge. "The tyres in Monaco will be very important because it is difficult to get the set-up right," he said. His team-mate Heinz-Harald Frentzen is amazed by the track. "Each year I am astonished that we race on this circuit," he said. "The demand on your concentation is so high as there are so many tricky spots."

Jordan are confident that improvements made in the previous two grands prix can reap dividends on Sunday. Technical boss Gary Anderson believes the most crucial factor will be to make the cars as comfortable as possible for Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher. "The bumps and having the barriers so close causes a strain on the drivers' concentration," he revealed. "Damon has always been good at Monaco and Ralf has far more experience so this is a reason to be optimistic."

Rubens Barrichello gave the rookie Stewart team their highest placing to date by finishing as runner-up in Monte Carlo in 1997. Managing director Paul Stewart said: "Returning to Monaco brings back fond memories because of last year. Despite this we are realistic in our approach to this race. We have seen our fortunes move in the right direction in Barcelona but we need more than that result to continue the progress we intended for 1998."

Monaco's circuit is 3.366km or 2.938 miles long and Sunday's race is set to last for 78 laps. The first Monaco Grand Prix was held in 1929 and the 100 laps took nearly four hours to complete. Ayrton Senna won a record six times at Monte Carlo between 1987 and 1993. Double world champion Graham Hill was the first driver to earn a hat-trick of wins at the circuit. He triumphed five times in all.


1997 result:
1 M Schumacher  Ger  Ferrari
2 R Barrichello Brz  Stewart
3 E Irvine      GB   Ferrari
4 O Panis       Fr   Prost
5 M Salo        Fin  Tyrrell
6 G Fisichella  It   Jordan
Fastest lap (record): M Schumacher Ger Ferrari 1:53.315

Previous winners:
1997 M Schumacher  Ger  Ferrari
1996 O Panis       Fr   Ligier
1995 M Schumacher  Ger  Benetton
1994 M Schumacher  Ger  Benetton
1993 A Senna       Brz  McLaren
1992 A Senna       Brz  McLaren
1991 A Senna       Brz  McLaren
1990 A Senna       Brz  McLaren
1989 A Senna       Brz  McLaren
1988 A Prost       Fr   McLaren
1987 A Senna       Brz  Lotus





20.05.98 - RALLY ARGENTINA

Positions after stage 1:        min sec
 1 C McRae     GB  Subaru        3.06.5
 2 T Makinen   Fin Mitsubishi    3.08.1
 3 J Kankkunen Fin Ford          3.08.2
 4 D Auriol    Fr  Toyota        3.10.2
 5 P Liatti    It  Subaru        3.10.7
 6 R Burns     GB  Mitsubishi    3.10.9
 7 C Sainz     Sp  Toyota        3.11.4
 8 K Holowczyc Pol Subaru        3.12.5
 9 B Thiry     Bel Ford Escort   3.13.1
10 M Galanti   Par Toyota        3.16.5





21.05.98
F1:- Mika Hakkinen recorded the fastest time in first practice for Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix. The World Championship leader clocked a best time of one minute, 21.937 seconds to finish three-tenths of a second ahead of Giancarlo Fisichella. Hakkinen's McLaren teammate David Coulthard was third fastest. Damon Hill crashed on his fifth lap while Ricardo Rosset drove straight into world champion Jacques Villeneuve on the final lap.


RALLY ARGENTINA
Positions after stage 9:     hr min sec
 1 T Makinen   Fin Mitsu'shi   1:32.58
 2 D Auriol    Fr  Toyota      1:33.11
 3 C McRae     GB  Subaru      1:33.13
 4 J Kankkunen Fin Ford        1:33.36
 5 C Sainz     Sp  Toyota      1:33.51
 6 R Burns     GB  Mitsu'shi   1:34.14
 7 P Liatti    It  Subaru      1:34.34
 8 K Holowczyc Pol Subaru      1:37.14
 9 M Galanti   Par Toyota      1:38.58
10 A McRae     GB  VW Golf     1:41.19





22.05.98
F1:- McLaren have given a vote of confidence to David Coulthard amid rumours that the Scot's place next season will be taken by Michael Schumacher. Team chief Ron Dennis described Schumacher as the world's best driver but has given his backing to Coulthard. "Ron has taken steps to assure me that there is nothing to the rumours," confirmed Coulthard. "It is a big boost to the confidence. I have been told I will be continuing with the team and trust what they say."

Four-time world champion Alain Prost believes the sport should turn back the clock and ban refuelling and improve it as a spectacle. "We need to change things to improve the show," he said. "The new tyre regulations have not helped. We need to ban refuelling and get back to the situation of 10 years ago. It was more of a test of skill for the driver when the cars were filled with 200 litres of fuel at the start of a race. Drivers had to think more."



TOURING CARS:- Vauxhall's John Cleland is out to stop series leader Rickard Rydell running away with the glory in rounds nine and 10 on Monday. Cleland is fifth in the standings, 29 points behind the Swede, but he said: "I have got to keep scoring points. James Thompson and I are the only two guys to have scored points in every race this year so I am hoping to come away with a good score from both races. Wherever you qualify, the trick at Oulton is to make a good start."



F.FORD (Oulton Park):- Jason Button clocked the fastest time in testing for the fifth round of the championship, taking place on Monday. The Somerset teenager headed fellow karting graduates Tom Sisley and Nicolas Kisea.

Leading testing times (Fri):
                      min secs
1 J Button            1.00.616
2 T Sisley            1.00.797
3 N Kiesa             1.00.878
4 D Wheldon           1.00.952
5 C Murray            1.00.953
6 D Hayes             1.00.959

FORD FIESTA'S (Oulton Park):- Brands Hatch race winner Rae Claydon set the pace in testing for Monday's fifth round of the championship. In a close session Claydon headed joint championship leaders Simon Clarke and Alan Morrison.

Leading testing times (Fri):
                      min secs
1 R Claydon           1.15.237
2 S Clarke            1.15.382
3 A Morrison          1.15.588
4 P Cate              1.15.645
5 D Buxton            1.15.773
6 D Gibson            1.15.794



RALLY ARGENTINA
Positions after stage 17:
(End of second day)          hr min sec
 1 T Makinen   Fin Mitsubishi  3:06.56
 2 J Kankkunen Fin Ford        3:07.52
 3 C Sainz     Sp  Toyota      3:08.01
 4 R Burns     GB  Mitsubishi  3:08.38
 5 C McRae     GB  Subaru      3:09.21
 6 P Liatti    It  Subaru      3:10.46
 7 K Holowczyc Pol Subaru      3:15.29
 8 D Galanti   Fr  Toyota      3:19.56
 9 G Trelles   Uru Mitsubishi  3:24.12
10 O Gomez     Sp  Seat        3:24.23

McRae penalised 2:30 due to late
arrival at the start of SS16



CHAMP CARS (Gateway Park):-
Motorola 300 practice times (Fri):secs
 1 G Moore      Can Mercedes  25.757
 2 J Vasser     US  Honda     25.807
 3 T Kanaan     Brz Honda     25.815
 4 JJ Lehto     Fin Mercedes  25.829
 5 D Franchitti GB  Honda     26.028
 6 M Andretti   US  Ford Cos  26.038
 7 B Herta      US  Ford Cos  26.077
 8 H Castro-N   Brz Mercedes  26.106
12 A Zanardi    It  Honda     26.228
16 P Tracy      US  Honda     26.332
19 M Blundell   GB  Mercedes  26.493
Scotland's Dario Franchitti was fifth fastest in the first day of practice for Sunday's Motorola 300. However, Mark Blundell could only manage 19th quickest in a session dominated by Greg Moore, who set a lap time of 25.757 seconds. Ahead of the sixth round of the series Blundell said: "It has really been a day of settling in for us. We have made quite a few changes to the car since the last race and it was very much a learning session."



F3:- Croft plays host to round eight of the series on Sunday, with all of the previous stages having been won by Brazilian drivers. Nineteen-year-old Enrique Bernoldi notched his fifth win of the year at Silverstone last weekend and will be aiming to extend his commanding lead. Britain's Martin O'Connell is his nearest rival ` having finished second to Bernoldi four times this season. Paul Stewart pair Luciano Burti and Mario Haberfeld have had a win apiece.



BRITISH GTs (Croft):- The Newcastle United Lister Storm team are hoping to achieve their first victory in front of their home crowd in the third round on Sunday. Julian Bailey set the pace in the Lister Storm while testing recently, taking 3.5 seconds off the lap record. Steve O'Rourke and Tim Sugden are also expected to shine after driving to victory in the McLaren F1 GTR at Oulton Park three weeks ago. Porsche pair John Greasley and Magnus Wallinder won the opening round.



F3000:- Jason Watt took pole position for Saturday's race as the Formula 3000 Championship visited the Monaco streets for the first time. Watt emerged quickest in both official qualifying sessions for the Norfolk based Team Bla Avis. All 30 cars were on the track for each session during which there were a number of collisions. Max Wilson was a surprise non-qualifier having crashed in one of the two pre-qualifying sessions on Thursday.





23.05.98
F1: THE MONACO GP
McLaren once again dominated qualifying with world championship leader Mika Hakkinen claiming pole and David Coulthard joining him on the front row. Giancarlo Fisichella had produced a superb drive on the street circuit to clock the fastest time before the McLaren duo stole the limelight. Michael Schumacher was fourth fastest but former champion Damon Hill was always struggling and was 15th. Eddie Irvine was seventh fastest and Johnny Herbert ninth quickest.

Mika Hakkinen claimed his fourth pole position of the season for Sunday's race and will aim to erase some poor performances in Monaco. His only Formula One finish at the circuit was in 1996 when he was sixth. However, the Finn said: "I have raced here a number of times and even won a Supercup Porsche race here in 1993. Tomorrow is another day." Hakkinen had problems in practice and added: "The car was not handling well and that is why I was touching walls."

David Coulthard was frustrated at being denied pole position by McLaren teammate Mika Hakkinen in Monte Carlo. "I am very disappointed. It was an exciting session, but at the end of the day I didn't get the result I wanted. I can't complain about the conditions and the traffic on the circuit, it was just a case of trying to get a complete lap in," said the Scot. Hakkinen said: "I am just delighted to get on pole, though it was not easy to get ahead of David."

Damon Hill said Jordan were trying to look on the bright side, despite a disappointing qualifying display. Hill was only 15th quickest, while Ralf Schumacher was a place below him. "We are trying hard to keep our spirits up. We have to consider every angle and not become hooked on finding one thing that will be a 'quick fix'", said Hill. "As a package we simply are not where we want to be and it will be a tough race. I had expected to post a time in the 1:22s."

David Coulthard is hoping his renowned quick start will give him the edge over McLaren team-mate Mika Hakkinen. The Scot was just edged out for pole by Hakkinen but Coulthard revealed: "The team will tell us not to crash and take each other off at the corner. I have had an accident there before and so has Mika but when we get off that line there is all to play for. I must try and muscle my way past him and pip him to the corner. I will study a video of my Monaco starts."

Leading qualifying times (Sat):min secs
 1 M Hakkinen    Fin McLaren  1:19.798
 2 D Coulthard   GB  McLaren  1:20.137
 3 G Fisichella  It  Benetton 1:20.368
 4 M Schumacher  Ger Ferrari  1:20.702
 5 H-H Frentzen  Ger Williams 1:20.729
 6 A Wurz        Aut Benetton 1:20.955
 7 E Irvine      GB  Ferrari  1:21.712
 8 M Salo        Fin Arrows   1:22.144
 9 J Herbert     GB  Sauber   1:22.157
10 J Trulli      It  Prost    1:22.238
11 J Alesi       Fr  Sauber   1:22.257
12 P Diniz       Brz Arrows   1:22.355
13 J Villeneuve  Can Williams 1:22.468
14 R Barrichello Brz Stewart  1:22.540
15 D Hill        GB  Jordan   1:23.151
16 R Schumacher  Ger Jordan   1:23.263
17 J Magnussen   Den Stewart  1:23.411
18 O Panis       Fr  Prost    1:23.536
19 S Nakano      Jpn Minardi  1:23.957
20 T Takagi      Jpn Tyrrell  1:24.024
21 E Tuero       Arg Minardi  1:24.031
Did not qualify
22 R Rosset      Brz Tyrrell  1:25.737


TOURING CARS (Oulton Park):- David Leslie and Alain Menu set the pace in the final official testing for Bank Holiday Monday's ninth and 10th rounds of the Championship. The pair were the only drivers to break the 59-second barrier on the 1.6-mile circuit with Leslie just missing the qualifying record of 58.849 seconds. His time of 58.858 secs just shaded Menu's 58.998 into second place. Jason Plato's car was slightly damaged when he spun off at the Druids corner but he was unhurt.



F.RENAULT (Oulton Park):- Points leader Aluizio Coelho was fastest in testing for Monday's round six, despite crashing. Robbie Kerr was seventh and Chris Buncombe eighth in the race for the Star Cup.

Leading testing times (Sat):     secs
1 A Coelho       Brz Tatuus     58.051
2 D Bell         GB  Tatuus     58.202
3 T Sriachavanon Th  Tatuus     58.328
4 T Mullen       GB  Van Diemen 58.389
5 P Edwards      US  Tatuus     58.504
6 V Meira        Brz Van Diemen 58.505

RENAULT SPIDER CUP (Oulton Park):- David Shaw headed the field in testing for round five of the series on Monday. Championship leader Daniel Eaves was third fastest.

Leading testing times (Sat):
                      min secs
1 D Shaw              1.05.030
2 J Hunter            1.05.457
3 D Eaves             1.05.458
4 D Vercoe            1.05.561
5 N Hart              1.05.975
6 J Kingston          1.06.091

RALLY ARGENTINA:- World champion Tommi Makinen clinched victory after the 23 stages to boost his chances of retaining the title. Carlos Sainz was second in his Toyota, while Finalnd's Juha Kankkunen claimed third place in a Ford Escort. Colin McRae's hopes of victory had disappeared on the penultimate day when car problems ensured he lost the lead and he was also hit by a penalty. McRae was fifth in his Subaru, while fellow Britain Richard Burns was fourth in his Mitsubishi.

Alister McRae's Formula Two hopes were stalled when his Volkswagen Golf GTI suffered engine failure. McRae and co-driver David Senior were unable to restart their car to begin the final leg of the race. "We've put up a good showing so although I'm disappointed not to finish I think we can feel satisfied with our performance," he said. "Now I must concentrate on my home event the Scottish and seeing whether I can't win it again for Volkswagen."

Result after 23 stages:      hr min sec
 1 T Makinen   Fin Mitsubishi  4:22.07
 2 C Sainz     Sp  Toyota      4:22.34
 3 J Kankkunen Fin Ford        4:22.34
 4 R Burns     GB  Mitsubishi  4:23.02
 5 C McRae     GB  Subaru      4:23.25
 6 P Liatti    It  Subaru      4:27.14
 7 K Holowczyc Pol Subaru      4:33.46
 8 M Galanti   Fr  Toyota      4:44.23
 9 G Trelles   Uru Mitsubishi  4:46.52
10 O Gomez     Sp  Seat        4:47.48


DRIVER STANDINGS
1 C Sainz      Sp   Toyota      28
2 C McRae      GB   Subaru      26
3 T Makinen    Fin  Mitsubishi  24
4 R Burns      GB   Mitsubishi  21
5 J Kankkunen  Fin  Ford        20
6 D Auriol     Fr   Toyota      15

MANUFACTURER STANDINGS:
1 Mitsubishi     45 pts
2 Toyota         38
= Subaru         38
4 Ford           29


CHAMP CARS:- Britain's Mark Blundell finished 10th in the Motorola 300 as he improved from 18th on the starting grid for the CART FedEx Championship race in Illinois. Scottish driver Dario Franchitti, who started from fifth place, lost control of his Reynard-Honda on the first lap and took out teammate Paul Tracy. The race was won by reigning champion Alex Zanardi of Italy for the Target Ganassi team. American Michael Andretti took second and Canada's Greg Moore was third.



F3:- Brazilian duo Mario Haberfeld and Luciano Burti will make up the front row on Sunday after a seesaw tussle in the qualifying sessions. Paul Stewart Racing's Haberfeld broke the one minute, 14 seconds barrier in the second session, clocking 1:13.588. Burti had had the better of the first run-out but could not top Haberfeld's time in the second session, despite running him close with 1:13.741. "I am really pleased to be on pole," said Haberfeld. "The car feels good."



BRITISH GTs (Croft):-

Leading qualifying times (Sat):min secs
 1 Greasley/W'der Porsche GT1 1:14.189
 2 Bailey         Lister GT1  1:15.161
 3 O'Rourke/S'gdn McLaren GT1 1:15.620
 4 Thyrring/N'sen Porsche GT1 1:16.435
 5 Hewland/Evans  Lister GT1  1:17.191
 6 Goode/C-Walter Harrier GT1 1:17.563
 7 Luby/Dean      Chry'lr GT2 1:21.253
 8 Morris/Vd Ende Lotus GT2   1:21.801
 9 Lister/Mor'son Porsche GT2 1:21.834
10 Blower/Gr'nsal Cerbera GT2 1:22.028

F.PALMER AUDI (Croft):- Britain's Richard Tarling edged out Finn Topi Serjala to secure pole position for Sunday's race. The top 10 drivers were barely split by a second ahead of the opening round of the new discipline. Nineteen-year-old Tarling is confident of going even faster after claiming the qualifying spoils. "My tyres were better on my first few laps but I did not put in a fast time," he said. "I saw I was in third place and on lap nine I just went for it."

Leading qualifying times (Sat):
                       mins secs
 1 R Tarling     GB     1:19.727
 2 T Serjala     Fin    1:19.729
 3 D Turner      GB     1:19.761
 4 J Wilson      GB     1:20.035
 5 J Moro        Brz    1:20.125
 6 F Maluhy      Brz    1:20.127
 7 S White       Aus    1:20.398
 8 P Clarke      GB     1:20.414
 9 J Keen        GB     1:20.650
10 M Smith       GB     1:20.813






24.05.98
F1: THE MONACO GP
Mika Hakkinen increased his advantage in the championship standings after leading from start to finish. However, the dominant McLaren team missed out on another one-two when David Coulthard retired with engine problems on lap 18. Benetton's Giancarlo Fisichella produced a superb drive to claim second spot, while Eddie Irvine was third. Arrows' Mika Salo and Pedro Diniz were both in the points, Johnny Herbert was seventh and Damon Hill eighth.

Mika Hakkinen admitted his Monaco victory would take time to sink in. "This weekend has just been unbelievable," he said after claiming his fourth win of 1998. "It was a bit like Spain a couple of weeks ago. Winning in Monte Carlo is always a dream and is very special for drivers. I do not think I have realised it yet. It is hard to believe it. It was harder than Spain because the track is shorter and there are always more things happening."

David Coulthard's hopes of victory vanished on lap 18. The Scot, who together with McLaren team-mate Mika Hakkinen, has dominated the 1998 campaign, was hit by an engine blow-out that forced his retirement. Coulthard was lying behind Finnish star Hakkinen when he had to pull out of the race that every grand prix driver dreams of winning. Hakkinen and Coulthard had kept their grid placings and looked on course for another McLaren one-two.

McLaren star David Coulthard shrugged off his retirement and insists he will bounce back in Montreal on June 7. After going out in a cloud of smoke when his engine blew up, he said: "It was disappointing but I will be back in Canada next month. "It was a sudden thing and when an engine has got a piston through it it is pretty totalled. We have had no real engine problems this season so I suppose it had to happen some time."

Michael Schumacher's chance of a fourth Monte Carlo victory ended after a superb tussle with Alexander Wurz. Schumacher went past the Benetton star at the hairpin but the Austrian refused to give in and edged back in front. The German then went ahead again but the move had left him with car problems and he had to visit the pits. He initially leapt out of the car for a retirement but then got back in to continue the race. Wurz went out later on when he smashed into a barrier.

Benetton boss Dave Richards was delighted after Giancarlo Fisichella claimed second spot. "He is back on form and Alexander Wurz had a good race as well before going out and defended his position against Michael Schumacher well," he said. "Fisichella had a bad start to the season but now he has got his confidence back." Ex-Jordan driver Fisichella added: "It was great. I spun near the end but was far enough ahead for it not to matter."

Ferrari's Eddie Irvine stole the show from team-mate Michael Schumacher for once and repeated his 1997 performance by finishing third. The Ulsterman said: "It was not too hard for me out there. In fact, it was lonely at times as I could not make headway on the Benettons." He did manage to overtake Heinz-Harald Frentzen early on, with the German hitting a barrier and going out. "I was disappointed with our overall performance though," added Irvine.

Eddie Jordan described his weekend as "a disaster" after his team failed to earn any points yet again. Damon Hill was eighth and Ralf Schumacher failed to finish and Jordan admitted: "It is a weekend we would rather forget. There are few excuses. We do have problems but they are problems that we can solve. We go on to Canada with a new Honda engine and the circuit has always been lucky for us, unlike Monaco."

Mika Salo and Pedro Diniz left Arrows boss Tom Walkinshaw delighted after finishing fourth and sixth. "It is difficult to keep the spirit up when things are not going well but this shows we are getting stronger and are getting better," said Walkinshaw. It was a different story for Stewart as Rubens Barrichello and Jan Magnussen failed to finish. Team boss Paul Stewart said: "Two suspension failures, which we have not experienced before, is disappointing."

Race result after 78 laps:   hr min sec
 1 M Hakkinen    Fin McLaren  1:51.23.5
 2 G Fisichella  It  Benetton    @ 11.4
 3 E Irvine      GB  Ferrari     @ 41.3
 4 M Salo        Fin Arrows   @ 01.00.3
 5 J Villeneuve  Can Jordan     one lap
 6 P Diniz       Brz Arrows     one lap
 7 J Herbert     GB  Sauber     one lap
 8 D Hill        GB  Jordan    two laps
 9 S Nakano      Jpn Minardi   two laps
10 M Schumacher  Ger Ferrari   two laps
11 T Takagi      Jpn Tyrrell   two laps
12 J Alesi       Fr  Sauber    six laps
Did not finish (not classified):laps completed
13 J Trulli      It  Prost          56
14 O Panis       Fr  Prost          49
15 R Schumacher  Ger Jordan         44
16 A Wurz        Aut Benetton       42
17 J Magnussen   Den Stewart        30
18 D Coulthard   GB  McLaren        17
19 R Barrichello Brz Stewart        11
20 H-H Frentzen  Ger Williams        9
21 E Tuero       Arg Minardi         0
Fastest lap: Hakkinen 1:22.948

DRIVERS' STANDINGS 
 1 M Hakkinen    Fin  McLaren   46 pts
 2 D Coulthard   GB   McLaren   29
 3 M Schumacher  Ger  Ferrari   24
 4 E Irvine      GB   Ferrari   15
 5 A Wurz        Aut  Benetton   9
 6 H-H Frentzen  Ger  Williams   8
 = J Villeneuve  Can  Williams   8
 8 G Fisichella  It   Benetton   7
 9 J Alesi       Fr   Sauber     3
 = M Salo        Fin  Arrows     3
11 R Barrichello Brz  Stewart    2
12 J Herbert     GB   Sauber     1
 = P Diniz       Brz  Arrows     1

CONSTRUCTORS' STANDINGS
1 McLaren-Mercedes      75 pts
2 Ferrari               39
3 Williams-Mecachrome   16
= Benetton              16
5 Sauber-Petronas        4
= Arrows                 4
7 Stewart                2


TOURING CARS (Oulton Park):- Current champion Alain Menu claimed his first pole position of the season by topping the times in qualifying for Monday's sprint race. The 34-year-old Swiss star said: "It is great to be back but I am disappointed that I am not on pole for both races." Nissan's Anthony Reid snatched pole for round 10 - his first top spot of 1998. "I feel we are unlocking the true potential of the car after struggling with some stupid little glitches at the start of the season," said Reid.

Qualifying times for round 9 (Sun):secs
 1 A Menu       Swi Renault     59.139
 2 R Rydell     Swe Volvo       59.187
 3 J Thompson   GB  Honda       59.271
 4 D Leslie     GB  Nissan      59.374
 5 G Morbidelli It  Volvo       59.442
 6 J Plato      GB  Renault     59.584
 7 A Reid       GB  Nissan      59.587
 8 M Neal       GB  Nissan      59.716
 9 J Cleland    GB  Vauxhall    59.808
10 W Hoy        GB  Ford        59.856

Qualifying times for round 10 (Sun):
                              min secs
 1 A Reid       GB  Nissan    0:59.122
 2 A Menu       Swi Renault   0:59.150
 3 D Leslie     GB  Nissan    0:59.313
 4 J Plato      GB  Renault   0:59.470
 5 J Thompson   GB  Honda     0:59.515
 6 R Rydell     Swe Volvo     0:59.525
 7 J Bintcliffe GB  Audi      0:59.830
 8 G Morbidelli It  Volvo     1:00.036
 9 P Kox        NL  Honda     1:00.042
10 M Neal       GB  Nissan    1:00.081

F.RENAULT (Oulton Park):- Points leader Aluizio Coelho grabbed pole position in the dying seconds of the qualifying session for Monday's round six of the series. Chris Buncombe was the top Star Cup driver and was fifth quickest overall.

Leading qualifying times (Sun):  secs
1 A Coelho       Brz Chassis    57.719
2 D Bell         GB  Tatuus     57.861
3 V Meira        Brz Van Diemen 58.033
4 T Mullen       GB  Van Diemen 58.096
5 C Buncombe     GB  Tatuus     58.175
6 P Edwards      US  Tatuus     58.279

RENAULT SPIDER CUP (Oulton Park):- Points leader David Eaves grabbed pole position for Monday's round five. Eaves' team-mate David Shaw came in second with Duncan Vercoe edging out Jamie Hunter, Eaves' nearest championship challenger, to take third.

Leading qualifying times (Sun):
                      min secs
1 D Eaves             1.04.721
2 D Shaw              1.05.443
3 D Vercoe            1.05.500
4 J Hunter            1.05.501
5 N Hart              1.05.776
6 J Kingston          1.06.023


FORD FIESTA'S (Oulton Park):- Rae Claydon will start Monday's fifth round from pole after topping the times for the third time this season. Claydon headed joint championship leaders Alan Morrison and Simon Clarke with Maclain Engledew producing the surprise of the session taking sixth.

Leading qualifying times (Sun):
                     min secs
1 R Claydon          1:58.051
2 A Morrison         1:58.202
3 S Clarke           1:58.328
4 D Buxton           1:58.389
5 D Gibson           1:58.504
6 M Engledew         1:58.505

F.FORD:- Jenson Button made amends for his Brands Hatch exclusion by qualifying on pole for Monday's fifth round race. Button headed team-mate and championship leader Derek Hayes while pre-season title favourite Daniel Wheldon only managed ninth place.

Leading qualifying times (Sun):
                     min secs
1 J Button           1:00.426
2 D Hayes            1:00.454
3 C Murray           1:00.568
4 N Kiesa            1:00.747
5 R van der Ende     1:00.753
6 PC Morland         1:00.832

VAUXHALL VECTRA'S (Oulton Park):- Flavio Figueiredo will be on pole for Monday's race after edging out Mark Blair in qualifying. "I am confident for the race," said Figueiredo. "I like the circuit and was second here last year."

Leading qualifying times (Sun):min secs
1 F Figueiredo              1:07.098
2 M Blair                   1:07.108
3 S Graves                  1:07.126
4 S Robertson               1:07.690
5 D Pinkney                 1:07.773
6 M Nichol                  1:07.791


F.VAUXHALL JNR (Oulton Park):- Britain's Richard Lyons will be on pole for the championship's sixth round race on Monday after topping qualifying. Lyons said: "We are on the pace and Oulton Park has been good to me before, so I'm confident for the race."

Leading qualifying times (Sun):
                            min secs
1 R Lyons          GB       0:59.985
2 J Fourie         SA       1:00.116
3 A Pizzonia       Bra      1:00.186
4 R Bell           GB       1:00.298
5 K Hall           GB       1:00.526
6 J Hanson         GB       1:00.843

F3 (Croft):- Championship leader Enrique Bernoldi crashed out of the eighth round as fellow Brazilian Mario Haberfeld took the spoils. After his race victory, which moved him up to third in the overall standings, Haberfeld said: "The race for the championship is on." It was Haberfeld's second win of the season and Martin O'Connell was runner- up at the North Yorkshire track. Bernoldi spun out on the fifth lap of the 25-lap race.



BRITISH GTs (Croft):- Danish duo John Nielsen and Thorkild Thyrring took their Millennium Porsche GT1 to victory in round three. They started in fourth place from the second row of the grid but were ahead by the end of the first lap. The McLaren GTR driven Steve O'Rourke and Tim Sugden was second, just ahead of Paul Evans and William Hewland. Evans was forced to start the race from the pit lane after the starter failed to engage but some superb driving saw him move through the field up to third.

Race five result (Sun):       min secs
 1 Thyrring/N'sen Porsche GT1 50:02.685
 2 O'Rourke/S'gdn McLaren GT1 50:43.557
 3 Hewland/Evans  Lister GT1  50:49.258
 4 Greasley/W'der Porsche GT1 50:52.346
 5 Goode/C-Walter Harrier GT1 50:21.069 @ 1 lap
 6 Luby/Dean      Chry'lr GT2 50:13.856
 7 Lister/Mor'son Porsche GT2 50:28.620
 8 Morris/Vd Ende Lotus GT2   50:48.657
 9 Day/Astley     Porsche GT2 51:02.066
10 Blower/Gr'nsal Cerbera GT2 51:15.028 @ 2 laps

F.PALMER AUDI (Croft):- Richard Tarling triumphed in the first round of the inaugural Formula Palmer Audi Championship. Finland's Topi Serjala pressed the Briton in the last few laps but the 19- year-old hung on. Darren Turner and Justin Wilson both went off at the first corner while in third and fourth place. Series creator Jonathan Palmer was delighted with the opener and said: "It was sensational. Only six 10ths of a second separated the top two."

Race result (Sun):     mins secs
 1 R Tarling     GB    16:17.359
 2 T Serjala     Fin   16:17.967
 3 J Keen        GB    16:37.173
 4 P Clarke      GB    16:38.094
 5 S White       Aus   16:42.400
 6 M Smith       GB    16:42.833
 7 F Maluhy      Brz   16:42.998
 8 S Nakazawa    Jpn   16:43.255
 9 D Faulkner    Ire   16:43.875
10 A Booth       GB    16:44.706

F.RENAULT-ELF CAMPUS (Croft):- Westley Barber's bid for victory in the UK's second round of the Cup ended when he spun from second down to eighth. France's James Andanson won comfortably ahead of Patrick Friesacher fo Austria.

Leading times (Sun):    mins secs
 1 J Andanson     Fr    22:36.063
 2 P Friesacher   Aut   22:44.158
 3 D Cicero       US    22:54.596
Leading Britons:
 8 W Barber       GB    23:06.055
10 J Tee          GB    23:13.952
12 G Simpson      GB    23:24.162


INDY 500:- Formula Formula One driver Eddie Cheever won the 82nd Indianapolis 500 by holding off fellow American Buddy Lazier at the finish in Indiana.



PORSCHE CLASSICS:- James Bell and Barry Robinson emerged victorious from the two races at Spa Francorchamps that made up round four of the Porsche Classic Championship.






25.05.98
F1:- Jordan team-chief Eddie Jordan has quashed speculation that he is ready to end his eight-year quest for F1 glory. "I am not giving up," Jordan pledged despite seeing the team he founded flounder in a season which was expected to herald the big-time breakthrough. Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher have struggled to cope with the car and six races gone without a point scored. "I have heard the rumours and they are complete nonsense. There is nothing else I would rather do," said Jordan.



TOURING CARS:- Alain Menu showed all his championship-dominating form of last season to win the Sprint Race in round nine. Menu led all the way from pole in his Laguna to beat off Rickard Rydell's challenge but the Swede extended his overall championship lead to 24 points. Jason Plato denied his team-mate a second win in the Feature Race when an uncharacteristic mistake from Menu cost him victory. Plato thus became the season's sixth different race winner in 10 races.

Result of round 9 (Mon):     mins secs
 1 A Menu       Swi Renault   20:16.79
 2 R Rydell     Swe Volvo      @  1.97
 3 D Leslie     GB  Nissan     @  2.95
 4 J Plato      GB  Renault    @  3.23
 5 A Reid       GB  Nissan     @ 12.47
 6 G Morbidelli It  Volvo      @ 13.41
 7 J Cleland    GB  Vauxhall   @ 14.88
 8 W Hoy        GB  Ford       @ 15.68
 9 J Bintcliffe GB  Audi       @ 16.97
10 Y Muller     Fr  Audi       @ 17.52

Result of round 10 (Mon):    mins secs
 1 J Plato      GB  Renault   41:20.39
 2 R Rydell     Swe Volvo      @  0.58
 3 A Reid       GB  Nissan     @  1.05
 4 A Menu       Swi Renault    @  2.77
 5 J Thompson   GB  Honda      @  6.92
 6 J Cleland    GB  Vauxhall   @ 20.13
 7 W Hoy        GB  Ford       @ 20.58
 8 J Bintcliffe GB  Audi       @ 22.88
 9 G Morbidelli It  Volvo      @ 23.47
10 Y Muller     Fr  Audi       @ 24.40

DRIVER STANDINGS
1 R Rydell   Swe Volvo S40        109
2 A Menu     Swi Renault Laguna    85
3 J Plato    GB  Renault Laguna    82
4 J Thompson GB  Honda Accord      76
5 J Cleland  GB  Vauxhall          66
6 A Reid     GB  Nissan            62

CONSTRUCTOR STANDINGS
1 Renault              117 pts
2 Volvo                109
3 Nissan                98
4 Honda                 81
5 Vauxhall              79
6 Audi                  51

F.RENAULT (Oulton Park):- Doug Bell won his second race of the season after team-mate and points leader Aluizio Coelho slid of the circuit in round six of the series. Chris Buncombe took the Star Cup honours in fifth place.

Result of round six (Mon):    mins secs
1 D Bell         GB  Tatuus    19:40.22
2 A Coelho       Brz Tatuus    19:42.45
3 V Meira        Brz V Diemen  19:47.97
4 T Mullen       GB  V Diemen  19:48.87
5 C Buncombe     GB  Tatuus    19:50.37
6 J de Pourtales Fr  V Diemen  19:51.20

RENAULT SPIDER CUP (Oulton Park):- Points leader David Eaves set a new lap record as he extended his championshp lead. Jamie Hunter and Nick Hart were next after David Shaw retired.

Result:
1 D Eaves            17.40.712
2 J Hunter           17.43.890
3 N Hart             17.44.492
4 D Vercoe           17.46.569
5 J Kingston         17.52.623

F.FORD (Oulton Park):- Jenson Button claimed his third win from five starts as the Slick 50 Championship resumed. Button was closely followed throughout the race by team-mate Derek Hayes who retained the championship lead. Dane Nicolas Kiesa grabbed third place.

Result after 18 laps (Mon):
                     min secs
1 J Button          18:22.154
2 D Hayes           18:23.575
3 N Kiesa           18:32.059
4 M Ambrose         18:34.974
5 PC Morland        18:36.364
6 T Field           18:39.539

VAUXHALL VECTRA'S (Oulton Park):- Flavio Figueiredo took his first win, staying just clear of Simon Graves. Figueriedo made a good start from pole position and was never threatened over the race distance. Graves retained the overall lead in the championship.

Result:                     min secs
1 F Figueiredo             20:22.550
2 S Graves                 20:25.533
3 M Blair                  20:31.608
4 D Pinkney                20:32.383
5 M Ticehurst              20:40.319

F.VAUXHALL JNR (Oulton Park):- Antonio Pizzonia won hos fourth consecutive Junior race in dominant fashion after leading from the start. Richard Lyons led the chase, breaking the lap record on the last lap, but Pizzonia was always too far ahead.

Result of round six (Mon): min secs
1 A Pizzonia       Bra     18:27.02
2 R Lyons          GB      18:28.89
3 J Fourie         SA      18:39.58
4 K Hall           GB      18:39.73
5 J Welsman        GB      18:39.86
6 T Scheckter      SA      18:41.44






27.05.98 - F1
Speculation is growing that Toyota could be about to enter Formula One. Toyota Motor Corporation president Hiroshi Okuda fuelled the debate when asked if his company would build its own chassis to enter racing. He said: "I cannot say there is no possibility in the future. Nothing has been decided." Rivals Honda announced in March that they would return to Formula One with its own team and car for the first time in 30 years.





28.05.98
F1:- Damon Hill has said he will stay with Jordan days after the team would said they would not blame him for leaving. The Silverstone-based team have failed to win a point this season and are set to hold talks on the matter this week. Hill said: "It's important to keep our morale up at a time like this. I am committed to doing whatever's necessary but we as a team have to be better. I hope we have bottomed out and can start heading back up again but I don't know how it's going to be achieved."



TOURING CARS:- Peugeot Sport have handed over the responsibility of their engine programme to Motor Sport Developments. The move changes the emphasis of Richard Longman and Co's 15-year relationship with the team's competition department. Spokesman Mick Linford said: "We have had a long and successful working relationship with Richard Longman. Richard will continue to be responsible for all Peugeot Sport's (UK) rally programme engines."






31.05.98
F1:- Ralf Schumacher believes Eddie Jordan can turn around his team's fortunes after a poor start to the season. Schumacher and team-mate Damon Hill have yet to win a point for the Silverstone-based outfit but the German is backing his team boss. "Eddie is pushing very hard and, like everyone in the team, he also expected better results," said Schumacher. "There is a lot of determination to fight back and improve the cars and my relationship with Damon is good."



CHAMP CARS (Milwaukee):- Scotland's Dario Franchitti will start Sunday's race in Milwaukee from sixth on the grid after a storming run in final qualifying. He jumped up from 15th quickest in his Honda, with former formula one star Mark Blundell back in 18th spot. Blundell said: "The car was so nervous and skittish. "We're going to make some wing changes that will hopefully improve our balance and enable me to follow the racing line through the corners."

Grid for Sunday's race:       seconds
 1 P Carpentier Can Mercedes   20:028
 2 G Moore      Can Mercedes   20:102
 3 A Ribiero    Brz Mercedes   20:138
 4 M Andretti   US  Ford       20:185
 5 J Vasser     US  Honda      20:259
 6 D Franchitti GB  Honda      20:406
 7 A Unser      US  Mercedes   20:451
 8 JJ Lehto     Fin Mercedes   20:457
 9 A Zanardi    It  Honda      20:497
10 H Castro-N   Brz Merc-Benz  20:533
18 M Blundell   GB  Merc       20:854