01.09.99
F1:- Michael Schumacher has announced that he will not be fit to compete in the Italian Grand Prix on September 12 or the September 26 European race. The German said that he was still suffering pain after breaking a leg in the British Grand Prix in July and gave no indication when he would race again. He had returned to the Ferrari cockpit on day one of a three-day test session at Monza. He was given an ovation in the pits by fans after his first lap.
Rubens Barrichello has insisted that he will not be an understudy to Michael Schumacher if he goes to Ferrari. The Brazilian is being tipped to swap places with Eddie Irvine, with the Irishman joining Stewart-Ford, who will race as Jaguar in 2000. It is being suggested that the deal will be confirmed by the Italian team later this month. Barrichello told a Brazilian newspaper: "If I have to allow Schumacher to pass me, then Ferrari does not interest me."
Leading day one times (Wed): mins secs
1 M Hakkinen Fin McLaren 1:25.152
2 R Schumacher Ger Williams 1:25.222
3 D Coulthard GB McLaren 1:25.315
4 M Salo Fin Ferrari
1:25.639
5 G Fisichella It Benetton 1:25.882
6 O Panis Fr Prost
1:26.148
7 J Trulli It Prost
1:26.178
8 A Zanardi It Williams 1:26.188
9 R Barrichello Brz Stewart 1:26.261
10 P Diniz Brz Sauber
1:26.342
11 E Irvine GB Ferrari
1:26.357
12 J Herbert GB Stewart 1:26.373
14 M Schumacher Ger Ferrari 1:26.946
15 D Hill GB Jordan
1:27.215
CHAMPION SPARK PLUG WORLD RANKING
Driver ratings (August 31)
Points
1 M Hakkinen Fin Formula One
988
2 J Gordon US NASCAR
974
3 E Irvine GB Formula
One 862
4 D Jarrett US NASCAR
860
5 D Coulthard GB Formula One
810
6 JP Montoya Col Champ Cars
791
7 N Heidfeld Ger F3000
761
8 D Franchitti GB Champ Cars
758
9 HH Frentzen Ger Formula One 742
10 J Burton US NASCAR
724
02.09.99
F1 (Monza):-
Leading day two times (Thu): mins secs
1 J Herbert GB Stewart
1:24.180
2 M Hakkinen Fin McLaren 1:24.393
3 M Salo Fin Ferrari
1:24.535
4 D Coulthard GB McLaren 1:24.593
5 R Schumacher Ger Williams 1:24.682
6 A Zanardi It Williams 1:24.897
7 H-H Frentzen Ger Jordan 1:25.077
8 G Fisichella It Benetton 1:25.218
9 J Trulli It Prost
1:25.276
10 J Alesi Fr Sauber
1:25.536
11 E Irvine GB Ferrari
1:25.577
16 D Hill GB Jordan
1:26.129
FIA GT'S (Donington Park):- Justin Bell has been drafted into the Chrysler
Viper team for round seven of the series on Sunday. Bell, the son of Le
Mans winner Derek, will share the drive in the 500km race with Jean-Phillipe
Belloc, who is out to win the title. However, Team Oreca will be geared
towards success. Olivier Beretta and Karl Wendlinger have won four races
and have an eight-point advantage. Julian Bailey and Andy Wallace will
also want a say in the Lister Storm.
CART (Vancouver):- Michael Andretti insists he is not ready to concede
defeat in the battle for the drivers' crown. Going into Sunday's Vancouver
Molson Indy, one of five events left in the 20-race campaign, Juan Montoya
and Dario Franchitti are title favourites. Andretti said: "Realistically,
getting back into it, the way those two are going, is not going to be easy.
A couple of wins, a couple of weeks with maximum points and who knows!
There are still 110 points out there."
F.PALMER AUDI (Brands Hatch):- The race for the title is tighter than
ever has the series moves on to rounds 12 and 13 on Sunday. Richard Lyons
and Richard Tarling are separated by only four points With 24 points available
for a win, the top six places are covered by less than a victory. In testing,
the entire field were within a second of each other. Tim Mullen topped
the times and is still chasing his first win of 1999.
BRITISH GT'S (Croft):- Richard Dean and Kurt Luby set the pace during testing for Sunday's ninth round of the series. Dean lapped the track in one minute, 14.5 seconds to make the Sintura favourite to take a second victory in two races. "It is getting better and better but we did not think that this would be our best circuit," said Dean. In GT2, Ian Astley and Mike Youles headed the times and Thomas Erdos and Andy Purvis were second fastest.
Testing times for round nine (Thu):
GT1
mins secs
1 Dean/Luby
Sintura 1:14.5
2 Sugden/O'Rourke McLaren 1:15.4
3 Campbell-W/Bailey Lister 1:15.9
4 Wallinder/Lister Porsche 1:15.9
GT2
1 Astley/Youles Lotus
1:20.0
2 Erdos/Purvis Marcos
1:21.1
3 Fuller/Fothergill Porsche 1:23.4
4 Phillips/Day Porsche
1:23.4
EFDA EUROSERIES (Nurburgring):- Tomas Scheckter will be aiming to equal
the record for the number of consecutive race wins by a driver in the series
on Sunday. The record of three is held by Marco Campos (1994), Bas Leinders
(1996), Marcelo Battistuzzi (1997) and Andrew Kirkaldy (1998). Scheckter
needs to win both German races to achieve the same feat. "We need to keep
working hard for the remaining six races and keep the series lead," said
the South African.
MGF CUP (Croft):- Three local heroes will be driving in the series this
weekend. Warren Hughes is the current leader of the championship but he
is joined by two other north-east drivers at the Darlington circuit. Marc
Nordon from Darley near Harrogate and Ian Gibbons from Sunderland will
also be competing. Nordon has had several top-six finishes this season
but it will be a one-off race for Gibbons, who quit the series in July.
03.09.99
F1:- Ferrari are set to announce on Saturday that Rubens Barrichello will replace Eddie Irvine in 2000, according to reports on Italian radio. The Italian team refused to confirm the story but a spokeswoman said that a statement was expected on Saturday. For weeks there has been speculation that Stewart-Ford's Barrichello would be swapping places with Ferrari's Eddie Irvine next season. Stewart are set to race under the Jaguar name next season.
MONZA
Leading day three times (Fri):mins secs
1 E Irvine GB Ferrari
1:24.06
2 A Zanardi It Williams 1:24.33
3 M Salo Fin Ferrari
1:24.58
4 D Coulthard GB McLaren 1:24.64
5 R Barrichello Brz Stewart 1:24.67
6 O Panis Fr Prost
1:24.88
7 J Herbert GB Stewart
1:25.02
8 H-H Frentzen Ger Jordan 1:25.03
9 P Diniz Brz Sauber
1:25.46
10 J Trulli It Prost
1:25.69
WOODPECKER STAGES RALLY:- The penultimate round of the BTRDA Rally Series
takes place this weekend, starting in Ludlow on Saturday. Andy Burton has
won the rally for the past two years and will be looking for his hat-trick
in his hybrid four-wheel drive Peugeot Cosworth. However he is not registered
for the BTRDA series this year which is being led by John Thompson. Martin
Meadows has a big lead in the Formula Two Gold Star category though Nik
Elsmore can still catch him.
SCOTTISH RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP:- Andy Horne heads the entry list for this
weekend's Little The Jewellers Speyside Stages Rally but Jon Burn is the
Scottish Championship leader. It will be Horne's first rally since his
crash in March but he now has a new Metro 6R4. Burns' 21-point lead with
two rounds to go is far from secure with season-long rivals Neil Buckley
and Dave Weston handily placed for a historic result. A late season surge
from Chris Wagner has put him in contention.
25.09.99
F1: THE EUROPEAN GP
Heinz-Harald Frentzen secured pole position for Sunday's race in a
qualifying session where the top grid spot changed numerous times. A number
of drivers waited for the track to dry out but Frentzen timed his bid perfectly
to take the honours ` to the delight of the German fans. David Coulthard
was second fastest and Mika Hakkinen third but the Finn's title rival Eddie
Irvine was ninth. Damon Hill was seventh and Johnny Herbert 14th.
Jordan star Heinz-Harald Frentzen was delighted after claiming his first pole position since Monaco in 1997 when he was driving for Williams. He admitted: "I cannot really believe it as we have been struggling to get a rhythm all weekend and had to change an engine this morning. There was a lot of friction in the team because there was a debate about when I should go out. We were not sure if it would rain but we can laugh about it now."
David Coulthard revealed that his engineer helped him earn a place on the front row of the grid. After finishing second in qualifying, the Scot said: "I was convinced it was going to rain again and wanted to change the car to damp settings. "I am delighted that my engineer did not listen to me." His McLaren team-mate Mika Hakkinen was third fastest and added: "I have seen where Eddie Irvine is and cannot feel too sorry about the situation."
Saturday's qualifying times: mins secs
1 H-H Frentzen Ger Jordan 1:19.910
2 D Coulthard GB McLaren 1:20.176
3 M Hakkinen Fin McLaren 1:20.376
4 R Schumacher Ger Williams 1:20.444
5 O Panis Fr Prost
1:20.638
6 G Fisichella It Benetton 1:20.781
7 D Hill GB
Jordan 1:20.818
8 J Villeneuve Can BAR
1:20.825
9 E Irvine GB Ferrari
1:20.842
10 J Trulli It Prost
1:20.965
11 A Wurz Aut Benetton
1:21.144
12 M Salo Fin Ferrari
1:21.314
13 P Diniz Brz Sauber
1:21.345
14 J Herbert GB Stewart 1:21.379
15 R Barrichello Brz Stewart 1:21.490
16 J Alesi Fr Sauber
1:21.634
17 R Zonta Brz BAR
1:22.267
18 A Zanardi It Williams 1:22.284
19 L Badoer It Minardi
1:22.284
20 M Gene Sp Minardi
1:22.760
21 T Takagi Jpn Arrows
1:23.401
22 P de la Rosa Sp Arrows 1:23.698
Mika Hakkinen will have to keep his composure if he is to be crowned drivers champion next month. An error caused Hakkinen to spin out at Monza and he reacted by hurling his gloves to the ground before bursting into tears. The remaining three circuits may suit Ferrari more than McLaren, giving title rival Eddie Irvine an advantage. However the Finn has been in sparkling form and is bidding to claim a record number of pole positions for a season.
David Coulthard has said he expects to get the chance to pursue his title dream in Germany and not follow team orders to boost Mika Hakkinen's bid. McLaren had been expected to change their policy to help Hakkinen shake off title rival Eddie Irvine this Sunday. But Coulthard said: "I am definitely in with a shout of the championship although it's an outside chance. If Mika finishes in front of me at the Nurburgring, then I would expect some team orders to be introduced."
Eddie Irvine is confident that he can carry on his good form to win the drivers title for the first time. Irvine currently shares the lead in the standings with Mika Hakkinen with two races remaining after Sunday. "I have to win the title because I owe it to so many people," he said. "It's not going to be easy but I think we have a good chance of managing it." He added: "I can win at the Nurburgring as a lot of progress was made with the car during testing last week."
The Jordan team are hoping to sign off the European season with a winning double in Germany on Sunday. Team chief executive Eddie Jordan said: "Monza was magical. It might have been our third victory but winning still tastes just as sweet. Had we said at the start of the season we'd be fighting for the title we would have been laughed at so just to be where we are is fantastic. Nurburgring will be more difficult and a good measure of our progress."
Stewart-Ford's Johnny Herbert has been working hard ahead of Sunday's race. "The test at Magny Cours last week was very fruitful," he said. "We were on the pace of the front-runners which was encouraging. We have also identified where I lost time in Monza. Basically we suffered a drop-off in downforce from Saturday morning to qualifying. We worked on modifications to rectify it in testing and I am confident of being in much better shape here."
Ralf Schumacher is determined to make it third time lucky in Sunday's race. His legions of home fans were left disappointed on his two previous Grand Prix appearances on the circuit when he was forced to retire on each occasion. "The Nurburgring is one of my favourite tracks and has been since I began racing," he said. "It is a challenge for both the driver and the car. You can overdrive the car in some corners and lose a lot of time and a good engine performance is important."
Jacques Villeneuve says he would much prefer to be racing on the original Nurburgring than the new one. "I have great memories of the circuit," said the BAR driver. "It was there that I had my first victory in Formula One in April 1996. "This place has a great past because of the old track but unfortunately we're not running on it, which is sad. It's hard to get a good feel for the current circuit and basicially it is not one of my favourites."
Michael Schumacher will again have to watch from the sidelines as another race takes place in his home country. Schumacher is still recovering from breaking his leg at the British Grand Prix in July and hopes to return for the Malaysian Grand Prix. He will have a test drive at Ferrari's Fiorano track on October 7 before deciding whether to race 10 days later. The two-times world champion had hoped to make his comeback at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza a fortnight ago.
The Prost-Peugeot AP02 cars will be using a brand new A18 engine, Evolution
7, for the first time this weekend. The engine, which will be used again
in the qualifying in Malaysia and Japan, benefits from the lessons learnt
from research and development. Olivier Panis and Jarno Trulli will be able
to use cars equipped with the new engines in the qualifying sessions. A
maximum power gain of around 4% has been achieved between the start-of-season
engine and the latest version.
TRACKROD RALLY
Leading positions after 6 stages:Penalty
1 M Dodd/J Bennie Ford Es 0:58.00
2 W Ph'skirk/E Evans MG Metro 0:59.49
3 J Milner/G Haynes Toyota 0:59.51
4 G Jones/H Lewis Subaru 1:00.53
5 D S'fth/J Dunning Proton 1:03.07
6 M Watson/P Pulleyn Ford 1:03.12
7 D Wood/L Waterfall Subaru 1:03.13
8 D Henderson/C T'ly Mit'shi 1:03.24
9 V Wetton/J Haigh Mit'shi 1:03.24
10 G Kellam/G Morpeth Mit'shi 1:03.45
CART (Houston):- Rookie Juan Montoya found his form to take provisional pole for Sunday's Texaco Grand Prix of Houston. The Colombian had his poorest qualifying effort of the season when setting the 16th fastest lap time last time out in Monterey. However, he could wrap up the title this weekend. He leads Britain's Dario Franchitti by 28 points. Franchitti was sixth in the qualifying session, despite almost hitting a concrete barrier.
Provisional qualifying times (Fri):
mins secs
1 J Montoya Col Honda
0:59.884
2 C Fittipaldi Brz Ford 0:59.965
3 B Herta US Ford
1:00.297
4 P Carpentier Can Mercedes 1:00.297
5 N Hattori Jpn Honda
1:00.342
6 D Franchitti GB Honda 1:00.369
7 R Hearn US Toyota
1:00.464
8 T Kanaan Brz Honda
1:00.570
9 P Tracy Can Honda
1:00.597
10 G de Ferran Brz Honda 1:00.632
16 M Blundell GB Mercedes 1:01.261
Sweden's Kenny Brack, in the hunt to defend his Indy Racing League crown,
appears set to jump to the rival Championship Auto Racing Teams circuit.
Brack's contract ends in October after two more races, Sunday's Vegas 500
and the Longthorn 500 in Texas. If he makes the move, he will be unable
to defend his Indy 500 title next May. The Swede is currently third in
the battle for the IRL title, 47 points behind Greg Ray with Canada's Scott
Goodyear in second place.
BRITISH F3 (Spa-Francorchamps):-
Provisional qualifying times (Sat):
mins secs
1 J Button Renault
2:16.173
2 L Burti Mercedes
2:16.266
3 M Hynes Mercedes
2:16.278
4 C Albers Opel
2:16.615
5 K Kolby Nissan
2:16.986
6 Y Olivier Opel
2:16.993
7 J Beltoise Renault
2:17.012
8 A Coelho Renault
2:17.252
9 T Scheckter Mercedes 2:17.567
10 P Sundberg Opel
2:17.614
F.PALMER AUDI (Oulton Park):- This weekend sees the penultimate round of the Championship at Oulton Park. Six different drivers have won the last six rounds and Richard Tarling leads the standings by three points from Richard Lyons.
Testing times: mins:secs
1 D Faulkner Ire 1:35.625
2 R Tarling GB
1:35.713
3 D Hill US
1:35.996
4 A Booth NZ
1:36.021
5 D Hayes GB
1:36.044
6 T Mullen GB
1:36.104
F3000 (Nurburgring):- Britain's Jamie Davis secured sixth place and the point that ensured European Formula Racing's participation in next year's championship. His colleague and compatriot Oliver Gavin finished eighth after starting back in 13th on the grid. Davies enthused: "I had a flying start, was quick on the lights and had good traction. I didn't want any incidents that would throw away the vital point." Team boss Paul Stoddart added: "It's a huge relief, he drove a sensible race."
Result after 45 laps:
mins secs
1 J Watt Den Super Nova
1:32.148
2 N Heidfeld Ger WEST Comp @ 0.502
3 M Wilson Brz Petrobras
@13.964
4 S Ayari Fr Cica Team
@16.179
5 D Saelens Bel Super Nova @48.370
6 J Davies GB Euro FR
@49.608
7 K McGarrity GB Nordic
@54.033
8 O Gavin GB Euro FR
@54.524
9 F Montagny Fr DAMS
@54.875
10 N Fontana Arg Fortec
@61.733
BRITISH GT'S (Spa-Francorchamps):- The top four cars were tightly packed in the first qualifying session for the 10th round of the series. Sweden's Magnus Wallinder fired the Porsche team into provisional pole, but the next three GT1 cars all lapped within a second of his time. In GT2, the Chrysler Viper of Neil Cunningham and John Nielsen set a fine pace, but were almost matched by the Marcos of Thomas Erdos and Andy Purvis. The second qualifying session will be held late on Saturday afternoon.
Leading first session times: (Sat)
GT1
mins secs
1 G Lister/M Wallinder Porsche 2:15.246
2 T Sugden/S O'Rourke McLaren 2:15.696
3 K Luby/R Dean Sintura
2:15.968
4 J Bailey/J Campbell Lister 2:16.138
GT2
1 N Cunningham/J N'sen Chr'ler 2:24.067
2 T Erdos/A Purvis Marcos 2:24.274
3 I Astley/C Ellis Lotus 2:26.605
4 P Hardman/N Springer Lister 2:27.283
NATIONAL SALOON CUP (Spa-Francorchamps):- Championship leader Simon Harrison set the early pace as the teams prepared for the 13th round in Belgium. For most of the session Toni Ruokonen was the quickest, but Harrison pipped him in the closing moments.
Testing times (Fri): mins
secs
1 Simon Harrison Honda 2:46.246
2 James Kaye Honda
2:47.350
3 Toni Ruokonen Peugeot 2:47.831
4 Don Eaves Peugeot
2:49:079
5 Didier de R'es Honda 2:50:825
6 Roger Moen Honda
2:53:304
MGF CUP (Brands Hatch):- The MGF Cup returns after a three-week break
with Warren Hughes still the subject of post-race inquiries into the rounds
at Castle Combe and Croft. Ex-Formula Three star Hughes is champion elect
but the championship co-ordinator is still reviewing race footage. Sunday's
race will be fought over 20 laps of the fast Indy track, with Jamie HUnter
and Nick Barr still fighting for second place in the championship. Alsitair
Lyall will be bidding for a fifth consecutive pole position.
26.09.99
F1: THE EUROPEAN GP
Briton Johnny Herbert recorded a famous Stewart win in a truly amazing
race. After a restart, Heinz Harald Frentzen jumping the lights, Mika Hakkinen
took second, but lost ground changing to wet tyres when conditions promptly
dried. Frentzen and David Coulthard came into the pits together, but both
retired in quick succession, while Eddie Irvine's chances faded after a
37-second stop. Ralf Schumacher led before a puncture, Herbert came through
from 14th, and Hakkinen recovered to take two points.
Popular Johnny Herbert was in an even sunnier mood than usual after cashing in on the errors of others to win. "This is pay-back for all the bad luck I have had," said Herbert. "I took the lead when Ralf Schumacher had a problem with his wheel. "I had enough of a gap over Jarno so I was able to hang on. There were a lot of people falling off because the conditions were very tricky. I was fortunate as I had the wets on. It was risky but it paid off big-time."
Jubilant Stewart boss Jackie Stewart could not contain his delight after watching his team's first victory. "It's difficult to describe how I feel, it's just tremendous for the team," he said. "This is undoubtedly the most important moment in my racing career. "I have won Grands Prix and World Championships, but to win as a Constructor is the highest emotion. Our strategy was absolutely right, it was a complete team effort and every member of the team deserves praise."
David Coulthard was quick to blame himself for the mistake that saw the end of his race, and in all probability his World Championship chances. Coulthard had taken over the lead from Heinz Harald Frentzen when he skidded out unexpectedly on lap 37. "It was very wet conditions, I locked up the front wheel and failed to regain control," he commented. "I'm very disappointed for my team, it was my mistake. I'm very disappointed with myself."
The McLaren team were in a confident frame of mind after Mika Hakkinen recovered to take two points and retain his lead in the driver's standings. Hakkinen, who made two stops, one to correct a decision to come in for wet tyres, said: "They were hard earned points, we will now build on this." Manager Ron Dennis said: "I never knew I could be so pleased with fifth. The team has to take responsibility for the pit-stops. We still lead both titles and are looking forward now."
Brazilian driver Pedro Diniz was not seriously injured in the crash that ended his participation in the European Grand Prix on the first lap. His car turned upside down after a bad collision before coming to a rest just off the track still upside down. It took marshalls several minutes to remove the Brazilian from his car and he was evacuated to hospital. His team said the driver was suffering heavy bruising to the shoulder and right knee.
Jacques Villeneuve was in the points for the latter part of the race but eventually was forced to retire. "It was extremely disappointing to stop with four laps to go," he admitted. "I'd been expecting it because I had problems changing gear for 10 laps. Our one-stop strategy was good because we had to take risks. Maybe we should have gone to wets because I spun and had to take it easy for a while. The car is good and points should be our aim not just finishing."
Result after 66 laps
hr min sec
1 J Herbert GB Stewart
1:41:54
2 J Trulli It Prost
1:42:16
3 R Barrichello Brz Stewart 1:42:17
4 R Schumacher Ger Williams 1:42:33
5 M Hakkinen Fin McLaren 1:42:57
6 M Gene Sp
Minardi 1:42:59
7 E Irvine GB Ferrari
1:43:00
8 R Zonta Brz BAR
65 laps
9 O Panis Fr Prost
65 laps
10 J Villeneuve Can BAR
DNF
11 L Badoer Fr Minardi
DNF
12 P de la Rosa Sp Arrows DNF
13 G Fisichella It Benetton DNF
14 M Salo Fin Ferrari
DNF
15 T Takagi Jpn Arrows
DNF
16 D Coulthard GB McLaren DNF
17 J Alesi Fr Sauber
DNF
18 H-H Frentzen Ger Jordan DNF
19 A Zanardi It Williams
DNF
20 D Hill GB Jordan
DNF
21 A Wurz Aut Benetton
DNF
22 P Diniz Brz Sauber
DNF
DRIVER STANDINGS
1 M Hakkinen Fin McLaren
62 pts
2 E Irvine GB Ferrari
60
3 H-H Frentzen Ger Jordan 50
4 D Coulthard GB McLaren
48
5 R Schumacher Ger Williams 33
6 M Schumacher Ger Ferrari 32
7 R Barrichello Brz Stewart 19
8 G Fisichella Ita Benetton 13
9 J Herbert GB Stewart
12
10 M Salo Fin Ferrari
10
11 D Hill GB
Jordan 7
= J Trulli It Prost
7
13 P Diniz Brz Sauber
3
= A Wurz Aut
Benetton 3
15 O Panis Fr Prost
2
16 P de la Rosa Sp Arrows
1
= J Alesi Fr
Sauber 1
= M Gene Sp
Minardi 1
CONSTRUCTORS' STANDINGS
1 McLaren 110 pts
2 Ferrari 102
3 Jordan 57
4 Williams 33
5 Stewart 31
6 Benetton 16
7 Prost 9
8 Sauber 4
9 Arrows 1
= Minardi 1
TRACKROD RALLY:- Marcus Dodd survived a last minute scare to claim a second successive win. The Dorset driver emerged from the eighth and final stage on the North York moors over two minutes ahead of York's Warren Philliskirk. Dodd's Ford Escort World Rally car was rapidly breaking up but he managed to nurse the car around with the aid of co-driver John Bennie. Richmond's Barry Pittaway celebrated winning an associated 70-car clubman's event in an ex-works Nissan Sunny.
Final Top Ten (after 8 stages) Penalty
1 M Dodd/J Bennie Ford Es 1:14.23
2 W Ph'skirk/E Evans MG Metro 1:16.28
3 G Jones/H Lewis Subaru 1:17.36
4 D Wood/L Waterfall Subaru 1:20.16
5 D S'fth/J Dunning Proton 1:20.18
6 D Henderson/C T'ly Mit'shi 1:20.21
7 M Watson/P Pulleyn Ford 1:20.54
8 V Wetton/J Haigh Mit'shi 1:21.09
9 G Kellam/G Morpeth Mit'shi 1:21.21
10 M I'Anson/G Walker Mit'shi 1:23.21
CART (Houston):- Rookie Juan Montoya took a huge step toward his first CART title after holding on to pole position. The Colombian, who could wrap up the championship in Sunday's race, was fastest around the 1.527-mile temporary street course. He improved his speed from the provisional qualifying run by nearly two miles per hour. Britain's Dario Franchitti, 28 points behind Montoya in overall standings, improved two places to fourth.
Qualifying times (Sat): mins secs
1 J Montoya Col Honda
0:58.699
2 B Herta US Ford
0:59.086
3 P Tracy Can Honda
0:59.106
4 D Franchitti GB Honda 0:59.179
5 M Papis It Ford
0:59.192
6 G de Ferran Brz Honda 0:59.411
7 N Hattori Jpn Honda
0:59.569
8 T Kanaan Brz Honda
0:59.649
9 J Magnussen Den Mercedes 0:59.727
10 A Fernandez Mex Toyota 0:59.789
16 M Blundell GB Mercedes 1:00.274
BRITISH F3 (Spa-Francorchamps):- Brazillian Luciano Burti's win - his fourth of the current campaign - leaves him two points shy of leader Marc Hynes with just two races left in 1999. The early stages of the contest saw the pair battling at high speed for race dominance, but Burti snatched the lead. Initially Jenson Button had pole but lost the pace once the early round safety car departed the circuit. Button's 4th place finish leaves him some 40pts behind overall championship leaders Hynes and Burti.
Round 14 result (Sun): mins secs
1 L Burti Brz
37:50 948
2 M Hynes GB
37:51.847
3 K Kolby Den
37:55.688
4 J Button GB
37:56.299
5 A Coelho Brz
37:59.781
6 Y Olivier Bel
38:02.703
7 T Monteiro Por
38:03.240
8 J Beltoise Por
38:04.344
9 A Kirkaldy GB
38:05.861
10 T Scheckter SA
38:06.308
F.PALMER AUDI (Oulton Park):- This weekend sees the penultimate round of the Championship at Oulton Park. Six different drivers have won the last six rounds and Richard Tarling leads the standings by three points from Richard Lyons.
Testing times: mins:secs
1 D Faulkner Ire 1:35.625
2 R Tarling GB
1:35.713
3 D Hill US
1:35.996
4 A Booth NZ
1:36.021
5 D Hayes GB
1:36.044
6 T Mullen GB
1:36.104
F3000 (Nurburgring):- Britain's Jamie Davis secured sixth place and the point that ensured European Formula Racing's participation in next year's championship. His colleague and compatriot Oliver Gavin finished eighth after starting back in 13th on the grid. Davies enthused: "I had a flying start, was quick on the lights and had good traction. I didn't want any incidents that would throw away the vital point." Team boss Paul Stoddart added: "It's a huge relief, he drove a sensible race."
Result after 45 laps:
mins secs
1 J Watt Den Super Nova
1:32.148
2 N Heidfeld Ger WEST Comp @ 0.502
3 M Wilson Brz Petrobras
@13.964
4 S Ayari Fr Cica Team
@16.179
5 D Saelens Bel Super Nova @48.370
6 J Davies GB Euro FR
@49.608
7 K McGarrity GB Nordic
@54.033
8 O Gavin GB Euro FR
@54.524
9 F Montagny Fr DAMS
@54.875
10 N Fontana Arg Fortec
@61.733
BRITISH GT'S (Spa-Francorchamps):- Richard Dean and Kurt Luby snatched a close win over Julian Bailey and Jamie Campbell-Walter in this 10th round championship race staged in Belgium. Bad weather caused an accident between Andy Purvis's Marcos LM600 and Paul Phillips' Porsche 911GT2, resulting in the early emergence of the safety car. After the pit stops Luby led with Jamie Campbell-Walter close on his tail. In the GT2 Calum Lockie/Cor Eusrer won in their Marcos LM600 home despite having started at the back of the grid.
Round ten, provisional results:
GT1
mins secs
1 R Dean/K Luby Sintura 52:06.842
2 J Bailey/J C'bell Lister
2 G Lister/W'linder Porsche
3 T Sugden/O'Rourke McLaren
GT2
1 C Euser/C Lockie Marcos
2 H Roos
Chr'ler
3 I Astley/C Ellis Lotus
4 P Hardmanr/Springer Lister
NATIONAL SALOON CUP (Spa-Francorchamps):- Peugeot duo Toni Ruokonen and Dan Eaves recorded an impressive one-two in round 13 in their 306GTi6's. A 3rd lap electrical failure wrecked Simon Harrison's championship winning chances - a win here was all he needed.
Results (Sun):
mins secs
1 Toni Ruokonen Peugeot 31:02.035
2 Daniel Eaves Peugeot
3 Ian Griswold Honda
4 Roger Moen Honda
5 Dave Allan Honda
6 Rick Kraemer Honda
MGF CUP (Brands Hatch):- A sudden downpour left drivers cutting grass as they struggled during this the penultimate round of the series. Series champ Warren Hughes managed 2nd place behind winner Kelly who describe the rain soaked track as suicidal.
Results (Sun):
mins secs
1 Matt KELLY MGF 1.8i 11:29.712
2 Jamie HUNTER MGF 1.8i 11:33.885
3 Nick CARR MGF 1.8i
11:35.059
4 Alastair LYALL MGF 1.8i 11:37.334
5 Warren HUGHES MGF 1.8i 11:38.049
6 David MASON MGF 1.8i 12:08.423
PORSCHE CUP (Oulton Park):- Pete Chambers clinched the 1999 title in
the 12th and penultimate round. Although he finished a measured third behind
David and Godfrey Jones on the rain-soaked Cheshire track, he had played
his points-doubling joker. Chambers, who had started from pole, becomes
the provisional overall champion with one race remaining. He said: "It's
been a very hard season. I knew third was good enough and when Godfrey
caught up and started ducking and diving behind me, I let him go.
27.09.99
CART (Houston):- Canada's Paul Tracy benefited from an early crash by championship leader Juan Montoya and to win the race. Colombina rookie led until the 12th lap when he crashed into the car of Brazilian Helio Castro-Neves, who had come to rest after hitting the wall. Tracy controlled the pace thereafter, driving to his second victory of the season and the 15th career. Britain's Dario Franchitti was second and closed the gap on Montoya to 13 points in the overall standings.
Race result (Sun):
hr min sec
1 P Tracy Can Honda
1:55.31
2 D Franchitti GB Honda @
0.13
3 M Andretti US Ford
100 laps
4 M Papis It Ford
100 laps
5 B Herta US Ford
100 laps
6 M Gugelmin Brz Mercedes 100 laps
7 C Fittipaldi Brz Ford 100
laps
8 R Hearn US Toyota
100 laps
9 T Kanaan Brz Honda
100 laps
10 S Pruett US Toyota
100 laps
24 M Blundell GB Mercedes 46 laps
Driver standings
Points
1 J Montoya Col Honda
200
2 D Franchitti GB Honda
187
3 P Tracy Can Honda
155
4 M Andretti US Ford
141
5 M Papis It Ford
117
IRL:- Sam Schmidt hit the jackpot in his hometown as he captured his
first career Indy Racing League victory. Schmidt passed Sweden's Kenny
Brack with two laps to go and drove to the checkered flag for the first
time in an Indy car. "This is great, this is awesome, this is unbelievable,"
Schmidt radioed to his crew. Schmidt defeated Brack by 0.617 seconds with
Robbie Buhl third, followed by Scott Sharp and Buzz Calkins.
F1:- Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo castigated senior staff at the Formula One team's Maranello headquarters after the fiasco in Sunday's European GP. The Ferrari chief blasted his employees during a stormy meeting after the team misplaced one of Eddie Irvine's wheels during a critical pit-stop. "We've had a good talk and everyone knows we will not have this kind of thing again," he said. "Ferrari's fans are rightfully very upset and we cannot tolerate it again."
Eddie Irvine is still confident he can become world champion despite
finishing out of the points in Germany. The Ulsterman's seventh place left
him two points adrift of Mika Hakkinen, who rescued fifth place, with the
races in Malaysia and Japan left. Irvine's hopes were hit by a woeful pit-stop
by his Ferrari crew who could not find his tyres. He said: "The championship
is not over yet. I am still just two points behind and that is nothing."
CHAMPION SPARK PLUG WORLD RANKING
Driver ratings (September 27) Points
1 M Hakkinen Fin Formula One
894
2 J Gordon US NASCAR
872
3 D Jarrett US NASCAR
841
4 E Irvine GB Formula
One 831
5 N Heidfeld Ger F3000
823
6 HH Frentzen Ger Formula One 786
7 JP Montoya Col Champ Cars
775
8 D Coulthard GB Formula One
755
9 J Burton US NASCAR
744
10 D Franchitti GB Champ Cars 733
29.09.99
F1:- Eddie Irvine's title hopes have been dealt a new blow with the
news that the injured Michael Schumacher may not race again for Ferrari
this year. Irvine told German newspaper Bild: "I can become world champion
but only with Michael's help." Schumacher had hoped to return from a broken
leg in Malaysia on October 17. Ferrari president Luca di Montezemelo said:"His
chances of starting stand at about 50 per cent. The pin in his leg is causing
him problems."
RALLYING:- Richard Burns is still the top UK rally driver in the Sony/Volkswagen rankings. Burns, who was second in the recent rallies in Finland and China, remains ahead of Colin McRae, with the Scot's brother Alister in third spot. Gwyndaf Evans held on to fourth place, ahead of Martin Rowe, Marcus Dodd and John Price. The rankings are compiled from the results of the World, Mobil 1 British, BTRDA Gold and Silver Star, Mintex and Safety Devices Championships.
Leading drivers (September 29):
1 Richard Burns
2 Colin McRae
3 Alister McRae
4 Gwyndaf Evans
5 Martin Rowe
6 Marcus Dodd
7 John Price
8 Mark Higgins
9 David Higgins
10 Neil Wearden
30.09.99
F1:- BMW, who will provide engines for Williams next season, will circuit test at the A1 Ring at Zeltweg in Austria for four days from October 8.
Malaysian Grand Prix organisers have stepped up puclicity for the October
17 race because over half the 90,000 tickets remain unsold.
CAMBRIAN RALLY:- The final round of the BTRDA series takes place this weekend, with the Conwy Honda Cambrian Rally having attracted over 130 entries. None of the competitors have previously won the event so a new name will appear on the list of honours. All the major titles have still yet to be decided. Mark Meadows and Nik Elsmore are battling it out in Formula Two, while Ian Joel is currently holding off Theo Bengry in the open category.
Leading Gold Star entries:
1 Nik Elsmore Nissan
2 Martin Meadows Proton
3 Phil Morgan Peugeot
4 Miles Johnston Peugeot
5 Barry Pittaway Nissan
Leading Silver Star entries:
1 Ian Joel
Ford
2 Theo Bengry Mitsubishi
3 Brian Bell Ford
4 Pete Littler Ford
5 Richard Gough Mitsubishi
EFDA EUROSERIES:- Tomas Scheckter heads to Holland this weekend looking
to clinch the championship in style. He has a 19-point lead over Darren
Malkin going into the last two events of the 20-round series but there
are 42 points still possibly up for grabs. Scheckter said: "Obviously we
go to Zandvoort in a good position but if Malkin wins and I do not score
it all goes down to the last race. I know I still have to go all out to
win both races."
TOURING CARS:- Jason Yeomans, Alan Morrison, Rob Collard and Mark Ticehurst
were put through their paces in the BTCC race- winning Vauxhall Vectra
at Pembrey. The test was the prize for the top three Vectra Challenge drivers
at the halfway stage of the season. Ticehurst also joined in after winning
three races in the liquid petroleum gas-powered Vectra.