01.06.2000

F1:- Jenson Button slipped down the practice timesheets after an impressive debut on the streets of Monte Carlo. Button clocked the eighth fastest time in the morning practice for Sunday's 78-lap battle but the 20-year-old Briton ended the day 13th fastest. Williams BMW technical director Patrick Head said: "Jenson did an incredible job. He could have been third or fourth but for another car crashing." Mika Hakkinen snatched top spot from rival Michael Schumacher late on.

Thursday practice times:
 1 M Hakkinen    Fin McLaren  1:21.387
 2 M Schumacher  Ger Ferrari  1:21.486
 3 D Coulthard   GB  McLaren  1:22.098
 4 E Irvine      GB  Jaguar   1:22.260
 5 H-H Frentzen  Ger Jordan   1:22.497
 6 R Schumacher  Ger Williams 1:22.700
 7 J Alesi       Fr  Prost    1:22.708
 8 P de la Rosa  Sp  Arrows   1:22.944
 9 J Trulli      It  Jordan   1:23.066
10 R Barrichello Brz Ferrari  1:23.095
11 M Salo        Fin Sauber   1:23.356
12 J Villeneuve  Can BAR      1:23.438
13 J Button      GB  Williams 1:23.578
14 G Fisichella  It  Benetton 1:23.783
15 J Herbert     GB  Jaguar   1:23.828
16 P Diniz       Brz Sauber   1:23.872
17 R Zonta       Brz BAR      1:23.976
18 M Gene        Sp  Minardi  1:24.552
19 J Verstappen  Hol Arrows   1:24.587
20 A Wurz        Aut Benetton 1:25.325
21 N Heidfeld    Ger Prost    1:25.462
22 G Mazzacane   Arg Minardi  1:27.031
 

BRITISH F3 (Brands Hatch):- Rising stars Antonio Pizzonia and Tomas Scheckter renew their rivalry over the weekend at Brands Hatch. The pair are starting to pull clear in the battle for the title with Pizzonia currently leading by eight points. Indian ace Narain Karthikeyan is always a star at Brands and will aiming to notch his first win of the season. British driver Ben Collins and Japan's Takuma Sato will also be challenging while Gary Paffett is favourite to win in the Scholarship Class.
 

NATIONAL SALOONS (Brands Hatch):- Victory in round five at Silverstone has given Finnish ace Toni Ruokonen the lead in the championship which he will hope to extend at Brands Hatch. Ruokenen finished ahead of team mate Dan Eaves at Silverstone but Eaves is determined to turn the tables. Former championship leader Matt Kelly hopes to bounce back into contention after blowing an engine at Brands. Phil Andrews and Simon Harrison lead the Ford team with Alfa Romeo's Gavin Pyper and Tom Ferrier also taking part.
 

F3000:- The fifth round of the season sees drivers heading to the South of France to enter the jewel of the crown of motor racing, the Monaco Grand Prix. Jamie Davies will once again substitute Mario Haberfeld, who is still recovering in Brazil after an accident. And Andrea Piccini of the Kid Jensen Racing team is hopeful of a strong performance after recent tests. "We had a good test last week at Croix en Ternois which is similar to Monaco. We're ready for this weekend," he said.
 

RALLYING:- Rally legend Hannu Mikkola will take part in the London-Sydney Marathon 2000 rally, which sets off from Heathrow on Saturday morning. The Finn is driving a Ford Escort in the 10,000-mile race, a millennium celebration of the original 1968 event.
 
 
 
 

02.06.2000

F1:- Michael Schumacher and Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello spent Friday's rest day practising rather than relaxing in Monaco as many other drivers did. The pair flew to Ferraris home track at Fiorano in Italy in order to get ready for the weekend. They did not reveal what was on the agenda, but Schumacher said he would be practising some starts. The German leads the world championship by 18 points and is looking for his fifth win in Monaco.
 

BRITISH F3 (Brands Hatch):- Antonio Pizzonia dominated the testing ahead of the sixth round of the championship at Brands Hatch. The Braziliam ace set the pace in all four test sessions in his Manor Motorsport Dallara F300. While Pizzonia set a scorching pace, his rival Tomas Scheckter had a torrid day in his Stewart Racing Dallara. An accident at Paddock Hill Bend in the second test session left his car too badly damaged to take part in the rest of the day's testing.
 

NATIONAL SALOON’S (Brands Hatch):- Dan Eaves and Toni Ruokonen carried on where they left off at Silverstone and took the top two places in testing for round six of the series. The competition should be tight, with less than a second covering the top five drivers.

Leading times: (Fri)    mins secs
1 D Eaves      Peugeot   1:38.437
2 T Ruokonen   Peugeot   1:38.637
3 S Harrison   Ford      1:39.200
4 T Masini     Honda     1:39.240
5 M Kelly      Nissan    1:39.356
 

F3000 (Monaco):-
Combined qualifying results: (Fri)
                      mins secs
 1 D Saelens    Bel    1:29.178
 2 S Bourdais   Fr     1:29.242
 3 B Junqueira  Brz    1:29.329
 4 J Davies     GB     1:29.400
 5 S Sarrazin   Fr     1:29.446
 6 E Bernoldi   Brz    1:29.529
 7 M Webber     Aus    1:29.531
 8 R Mauricio   Brz    1:29.600
 9 N Minassian  Fr     1:29.685
10 K McGarrity  GB     1:29.870
 

BRITISH F3:-
Leading test times from Brands Hatch
(Fri):                     mins secs
 1 A Pizzonia    Dallara   1:18.536
 2 T Sato        Dallara   1:18.843
 3 N Karthikeyan Dallara   1:18.867
 4 A Priaulx     Dallara   1:19.226
 5 B Collins     Dallara   1:19.457
 6 M Pavlovic    Dallara   1:19.532
 7 A Kirkaldy    Dallara   1:19.531
 8 M Davies      Dallara   1:19.614
 9 N Kiesa       Dallara   1:19.972
10 M Bentwood    Dallara   1:20.006
 

F1:- The world's largest inter-enterprise software company, SAP, have agreed a multi-year multi-million pound deal to sponsor the United States Grand Prix. The race at Indianapolis returns to the US for the first time since 1991.
 

MGF’S:- Alastair Lyall is looking to extend his lead in 'thealphaclub.com MGF Cup' in the sixth round race at Brands Hatch this weekend. The past five races have seen closely fought battle between Lyall and Jamie Hunter while vince Martin and David Mason are also enjoying good seasons.
 

BRITISH GT'S (Brands Hatch):- William Hewland and Paul Evans headed Friday's tsting times in their Lister Storm with a best lap of one minute 26.831 seconds in the GT category. The Marcos LM600 Mantara of Calum Lockie and Cor Euser was half a second behind in second place. In third place was John Cleland and Dave Clark in a Chrysler. In the GTO category, Mark Sumpter and Mike Jordan set a cracking pace in a Porsche but were only just ahead of Geoff Lister and Terry Rymer.

GT                         mins secs
1 Hewland/Evans  Lister    1:26.831
2 Lockie/Euser   Marcos    1:27.334
3 Cleland/Clark  Chrysler  1:27.876
4 Ellis/Astey    Lotus     1:29.775

GTO                        mins secs
1 Sumpter/Jordan Porsche   1:30.526
2 Rymer/Lister   Porsche   1:30.939
3 Sc'rle/Simmons Porsche   1:31.611
4 Short/Barff    TVR       1:31.712
 

BTRDA RALLY SERIES:- Andy Burton will be seeking a hat-trick of wins when the BTRDA Rally Series moves to South Wales for the Spilsolv Red Dragon Rally. The Peugeot Cosworth driver will face competition from the Escort Cosworths of Pete Littler, Ian Joel and Michael Watson. Gold star leader Rob Palmer and current runner-up Daniel Dunbabin are also chasing championship points. After five stages and 45 miles, the first car is due to finish at 3.30pm.
 
 
 
 
 

03.06.2000

F1: THE MONACO GP
Four-times Monaco winner Michael Schumacher booked pole for Sunday after a blistering display in qualifying. The championship leader headed the pack after his first lap but bettered that on his second with a time of one minute, 19.475 seconds. Jarno Trulli shares the front row with him after two superb laps. David Coulthard was third, Mika Hakkinen fifth, Eddie Irvine 10th, Johnny Herbert 11th and Jenson Button finished 14th quickest.

Eddie Jordan was delighted after seeing Jarno Trulli and Heinz-Harald Frentzen book places in the front two rows for Sunday's race. Trulli was second quickest behind Championship leader Michael Schumacher while Frentzen was fourth fastest. "There is a lovely atmosphere running through the team and Jarno's developing into a lovely driver," he said. "With Jarno and Heinz-Harald together we can start moving forward now," added the Jordan team boss.

Eddie Irvine was very disappointed with his qualifying performance, which will see him start in 10th place. "I had big expectations for today but it did not work out," he admitted. "On my last flying lap I had a steering failure at the entrance to the Swimming Pool turn. I am really disappointed. We are much better than that." Jaguar team-mate Johnny Herbert was 11th quickest and he said: "It is nice to be close to Eddie but we would rather be higher up the grid."

McLaren boss Ron Dennis has slammed the picturesque Monte Carlo circuit. The track weaves its way through the town's streets which means the facilities there are temporary, unlike at other Grand Prix venues. "We bring a lot of money into the principality so you would think they could provide us with a better pit lane complex," he said. "We treasure Monaco for what it is. They just have to get to grips with that particular problem."

Qualifying times (Sat):      mins secs
 1 M Schumacher  Ger Ferrari  1:19.475
 2 J Trulli      It  Jordan   1:19.746
 3 D Coulthard   GB  McLaren  1:19.888
 4 H-H Frentzen  Ger Jordan   1:19.961
 5 M Hakkinen    Fin McLaren  1:20.241
 6 R Barrichello Brz Ferrari  1:20.416
 7 J Alesi       Fr  Prost    1:20.494
 8 G Fisichella  It  Benetton 1:20.703
 9 R Schumacher  Ger Williams 1:20.742
10 E Irvine      GB  Jaguar   1:20.743
11 J Herbert     GB  Jaguar   1:20.792
12 A Wurz        Aut Benetton 1:20.871
13 M Salo        Fin Sauber   1:21.561
14 J Button      GB  Williams 1:21.605
15 J Verstappen  Hol Arrows   1:21.738
16 P de la Rosa  Sp  Arrows   1:21.832
17 J Villeneuve  Can BAR      1:21.848
18 N Heidfeld    Ger Prost    1:22.017
19 P Diniz       Brz Sauber   1:22.136
20 R Zonta       Brz BAR      1:22.324
21 M Gene        Sp  Minardi  1:23.721
22 G Mazzacane   Arg Minardi  1:23.794
 

TOYOTA ATLANTIC:- Britain's Dan Wheldon has claimed pole for the fourth round of the race on The Milwaukee Mile oval track in Wisconsin. He clocked a fastest time of 25.150 seconds at a speed of 147.722mph for his third pole of the season. "I wasn't surprised to be so quick because the PPI team gave me a great base set-up," he said. Wheldon is currently second in the championship with one victory, one second place and a fourth place behind him.
 

F3000 (Monaco):- Jamie Davies turned in a superb display to clinch second place behind runaway championship leader Bruno Junqueira, who sealed his third successive win. Davies, in his second race deputising for injured Fortec driver Mario Haberfeld, was only one-and-a-half seconds behind the Brazilian. Kevin McGarrity earned his first points of the season after finishing fourth while Justin Wilson was seventh. But Darren Manning and Marc Hynes both crashed out in the closing stages.

Saturday's race result after 50 laps:
                             hr min sec
 1 B Junqueira  Brz Petrobas  1:19.08.7
 2 J Davies     GB  Fortec    1:19.10.3
 3 D Saelens    Bel Playlife  1:19.16.4
 4 K McGarrity  GB  Nordic    1:19.17.0
 5 N Minassian  Fr  Playlife  1:19.19.9
 6 F Montagny   Fr  DAMS      1:19.20.5
 7 J Wilson     GB  Nordic    1:19.21.1
 8 F Alonso     Sp  Astromega 1:19.22.0
 9 J Van H'ydnk Bel Witmeur   1:19.23.4
10 F Gollin     It  Coloni    1:20.08.3
 
 

BRITISH F3 (Brands Hatch):- Ben Collins was fastest in the qualifying sessions for the sixth round of the Formula 3 Championship. Brazilian Antonio Pizzonia ran him close but Collins produced a scorching last lap to retake pole position.

Leading qualifying times: (Sat)
                        mins secs
1 B Collins              1:18.891
2 A Pizzonia             1:19.035
3 N Karthikeyan          1:19.610
4 T Scheckter            1:19.750
5 T Sato                 1:19.826
 

NATIONAL SALOON'S (Brands Hatch):- Toni Ruokonen claimed pole position in qualifying for the sixth round race. The Finnish racer finished four tenths of a second ahead of teammate Dan Eaves with Tobia Masini just behind. Masini bounced through the gravel later in the session but escaped unscathed.

Leading times: (Sat)    mins secs
1 T Ruokonen   Peugeot   1:38.661
2 D Eaves      Peugeot   1:38.076
3 T Masini     Honda     1:39.086
4 S Harrison   Ford      1:39.403
5 M Kelly      Nissan    1:39.876
 
 

F.FORD JNR (Knockhill):- Northern Ireland's Steven Kane ensured a terrific championship debut with victory in round five. The 20-year-old, who started on pole, overcame two black and yellow caution flag periods to win from Ireland's John O'Hara and England's Lee Piercey.

Top six results, 23 laps:(Sat)mins secs
1 S Kane       Ford Zetec   21:56.897
2 J O'Hara     Ford Zetec   21:58.936
3 L Piercey    Ford Zetec   22:05.774
4 R Sharp      Ford Zetec   22:05.956
5 M Gilmore    Ford Zetec   22:06.776
6 A Thompson   Ford Zetec   22:07.168
 

BRITISH GT'S (Brands Hatch):- A superb charge by Cor Euser in the Marcos LM600 claimed pole position for the sixth round of the British GT Championship at Brands Hatch. Jamie Campbell-Walter set the pace in the first session in the Lister Storm he shares with David Warnock. However Euser fired himself into pole in the afternoon session. In the GTO category, Mike Jordan and Mark Sumpter set the pace in their Porsche 911 GT3R with the similar car of Terry Rymer/Geoff Lister just behind.

Qualifying times (Sat):
GT                        mins secs
1 Euser/Lockie   Marcos    1:25.975
2 Erdos/Purvis   Marcos    1:26.135
3 McKel/Verd-Roe TVR       1:26.401
4 Cam-Wal/W'nock Lister    1:26.421

GTO                       mins secs
1 Sumpter/Jordan Porsche   1:30.455
2 Rymer/Lister   Porsche   1:30.582
3 Short/Barff    TVR       1:30.781
4 Sc'rle/Simmons Porsche   1:32.399
 

MGF CUP (Brands Hatch):- Jamie Hunter claimed his first pole position of the season in qualifying for Sunday's round six race. Hunters best lap time ended the eleven successive pole wins for TechSpeed Motorsport, with Alastair Lyall and Nick Carr coming second and third.

Qualifying times: (Sat) mins secs
1 J Hunter               1:41.127
2 A Lyall                1:41.848
3 N Carr                 1:41.905
4 P O'Neill              1:42.037
5 D Mason                1:42.203
 
 

BTRDA RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP:- After five special stages totalling 45 miles, the Red Dragon Rally was won by Vince Wetton and Jeff Haigh. The 1999 winner Andy Burton was unable to repeat that form after suffering a driveshaft failure on the opening stage and having to change the differential. Burton finished second but a 10-minute penalty dropped him down the field and Pete Littler was therefore runner-up. Seamus Donnelly won the Peugeot Super 106 Cup, finishing 27 seconds ahead of Dave Nutt and Stephen Greenhill.
 
 

CATERHAM SUPERLIGHT CHALLENGE (Knockhill):-
Qualifying times (Sat):
Round six:                   secs
1 J Ingram       GB          54.39
2 R Jenkinson    GB          54.74
3 R Blue         GB          54.79
4 R Durrant      GB          55.09
5 G Taylor       GB          54.12
6 P Derby        GB          55.41

Round seven:                 secs
1 R Jenkinson    GB          54.73
2 M Bettley      GB          55.01
3 G Taylor       GB          55.06
4 S Worley       GB          55.08
5 J Unwin        GB          55.09
6 J Ingram       GB          55.18
 
 

CATERHAM ROADSPORT CHALLENGE (Knockhill):-
Qualifying times (Sat):
Round five:                  secs
1 J Gladman      GB          59.46
2 C Richards     GB          60.01
3 R Beer         GB          60.02
4 S Pullan       GB          60.04
5 M Gregory      GB          60.21
6 N Jacobs       GB          60.64

Round six:                 mins:secs
1 M Gregory      GB          59.92
2 S Pullan       GB          59.97
3 J Gladman      GB        1:00.05
4 R Beer         GB        1:00.12
5 C Richards     GB        1:00.59
6 A Jackson      GB        1:00.95
 
 
 
 

04.06.2000

F1: THE MONACO GP
David Coulthard secured his first ever win in Monaco and the first British triumph in Monte Carlo since 1973. He took advantage when Michael Schumacher was forced to retire with a suspension problem after leading from a much-delayed start to lap 55. Rubens Barrichello was second and Giancarlo Fisichella third. while Eddie Irvine took Jaguar's first points in fourth place. Johnny Herbert took ninth position, but Jenson Button was forced to retire.

Hopes of a smooth beginning in Monte Carlo were dashed when the first two efforts to start the race went wrong. Benetton's Alexander Wurz stalled after the formation lap, meaning another formation lap was needed before the cars were able to make a start. Computer problems then saw the red flag brought out, after which Jenson Button collided with Pedro de la Rosa, causing a five-car jam at Loews corner. The race was finally able to get away at the third attempt.

Williams driver Ralf Schumacher's race ended in agony when he was stretchered away after hitting a barrier to go out of contention. Schumacher's car slid into the barriers at St Devote. He had been running fourth at the time. He hopped away from his car but was clearly bleeding badly on his leg and quickly signalled for help. Brother Michael said that Ralf had a deep cut and needed stitches, but added that nothing was broken.

David Coulthard said that victory at Monaco meant that he had won the four races that he had always wanted to win. "Spa because it's my favourite track, Britain because it's my own race, Italy because there is nothing like winning in Italy," he said. "Here because this is the toughest test for any driver. I benefited because of problems with Michael and Jarno but that's Monaco. I have had my fair share of bad luck but it is great to win here at last."

Michael Schumacher was philosophical after being forced to retire. The German was comfortably ahead and seemed set for his fifth win in Monaco, but a failed suspension left him with no world championship points. "We had an exhaust failure, one of the pipes broke and basically cooked the suspension," Schumacher said. David Coulthard's victory meant that Schumacher's lead at the top of the world driver's championship has been cut to 12 points.

Jaguar driver Eddie Irvine was elated after securing his team's first points of the season with fourth place. "There have been races this year when we deserved points ` today we got them," he said. "We've all been slogging away and not getting any payback but the car has been good all weekend and I had a good feeling about the race. It was a bit of a struggle, one of the hardest races of my life. It's great to put Jaguar's name on the scoreboard."

Jaguar were understandably delighted after securing their first points of the season through Eddie Irvine, who finished fourth. "It's really what the team desperately needed," said Jackie Stewart, the former Jaguar team chairman. "It's a race of attrition here but you have to finish and that is what Eddie did," he added. Johnny Herbert also finished the race but had to be content with ninth after a long early stop.

Johnny Herbert finished the race for Jaguar but was not as happy as he might have been with ninth spot. "I'm very disappointed as we could have had both cars in the top six," he said. Herbert made an early stop to rectify a steering difficulty but a problem with the radio meant his pit crew were not expecting him and he lost time. "It's a shame because things could have been a lot different if it had't been for that first costsly stop," he reflected afterwards.

A loss of oil pressure forced Jenson Button out of the race early, while his early altercation with Pedro de la Rosa caused a re-start delay. "After the first start I was keeping my position but when I came out of the Loews corner, de la Rosa tried to go around the outside," he said. "Without sufficient room we made contact and the race was stopped." Of his eventual retirement, Button said the engine revs fell and he was "running half throttle."

Ralf Schumacher was at a loss to explain the leg injury he sustained when he slid out of the race. "I don't actually know where this injury came from," he said. "After crashing into the barrier I jumped out and did not look at the damaged car and therefore did not realise that my leg was hurt." Of the incident he said he went to the left side of the track "but the line was dirty there and I didn't manage to brake sufficiently."

World champion Mika Hakkinen was grateful with his point for sixth place after mechanical problems looked likely to force him out of the race. "It could have been worse in the circumstances," he said "I was all right in fifth, comfortable and just looking for the right moment to overtake. Then I went into a corner and the brake didn't work. Hakkinen, who benefited when Heinz-Harald Frenzten crashed out late on, said "I'm glad it's over."

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has said that the future of the Monaco Grand Prix is not in question. Ecclestone voiced his support after McLaren boss Rob Dennis called the Monte Carlo pit lanes "third world". "They do a fantastic job here considering it is a race in the middle of a city," Ecclestone said. "We have been here a very long time and it is an important race for us. If we want to be here, then this is how it has got to be."

Result after 78 laps         hr min sec
 1 D Coulthard   GB  McLaren  1:49:28.2
 2 R Barrichello Brz Ferrari  1:49:44.1
 3 G Fisichella  It  Benetton 1:49:46.7
 4 E Irvine      GB  Jaguar   1:50:34.1
 5 M Salo        Fin Sauber   1:50:48.9
 6 M Hakkinen    Fin McLaren      1 lap
 7 J Villeneuve  Can BAR          1 lap
 8 N Heidfeld    Ger Prost        1 lap
 9 J Herbert     GB  Jaguar      2 laps
10 H-H Frentzen  Ger Jordan      8 laps

DID NOT FINISH:              Laps completed
11 J Verstappen  Hol Arrows       60
12 M Schumacher  Ger Ferrari      55
13 R Zonta       Brz BAR          48
14 R Schumacher  Ger Williams     37
15 J Trulli      It  Jordan       36
16 P Diniz       Brz Sauber       30
17 J Alesi       Fr  Prost        29
18 G Mazzacane   Arg Minardi      22
19 M Gene        Sp  Minardi      21
20 A Wurz        Aut Benetton     18
21 J Button      GB  Williams     16
DID NOT START:
22 P de la Rose  Sp  Arrows

DRIVER STANDINGS
 1 M Schumacher  Ger  Ferrari   46 pts
 2 D Coulthard   GB   McLaren   34
 3 M Hakkinen    Fin  McLaren   29
 4 R Barrichello Brz  Ferrari   22
 5 G Fisichella  It   Benetton  14
 6 R Schumacher  Ger  Williams  12
 7 J Villeneuve  Can  BAR        5
 = H-H Frentzen  Ger  Jordan     5
 9 J Trulli      It   Jordan     4
10 J Button      GB   Williams   3
 = E Irvine      GB   Jaguar     3
 = M Salo        Fin  Sauber     3
13 R Zonta       Brz  BAR        1
 = P de la Rosa  Sp   Arrows     1

CONSTRUCTORS' CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Ferrari       68 pts
2 McLaren       63
3 Williams      15
4 Benetton      14
5 Jordan         9
6 BAR            6
7 Sauber         3
= Jaguar         3
9 Arrows         1
 

CART:- Juan Montoya secured pole position for Sunday's Miller Lite 225 at the Milwaukee Mile - just edging out Scot Dario Franchitti. His lap of 177.769mph gave Montoya his third straight CART pole and the 10th of his career. Until this session, Franchitti's best qualifying effort this season was eighth in Brazil. Franchitti had barely recovered from a December crash before starting the season but is now finding his form.

Saturday qualifying times      secs
 1 J Montoya    Col Toyota    20.899
 2 D Franchitti GB  Honda     20.954
 3 P Carpentier Can Ford      20.964
 4 G de Ferran  Brz Honda     20.975
 5 C Fittipaldi Brz Ford      21.005
 6 P Tracy      Can Honda     21.087
 7 R Moreno     Brz Ford      21.096
 8 M Gugelmin   Brz Mercedes  21.116
 9 M Papis      It  Ford      21.120
10 M Andretti   US  Ford      21.140
17 M Blundell   GB  Mercedes  21.379
 

TOYOTA ATLANTIC:- Britain's Dan Wheldon came an unlucky 13th after a mid-race incident lost him vital time in the fourth round at the Milwaukee Mile Oval. Wheldon, who qualified on pole in a record-breaking time, was second after 34 laps of the 60-lap event. He then took the lead from Buddy Rice when a contact between the two cars caused Wheldon to pit for repairs to his nose cone and suspension. He rejoined in 16th but moved up to 13th to keep his second place overall.
 
 

BRITISH F3 (Brands Hatch):- Antonio Pizzonia took his third win of the season, leading the entire race to strengthen his position at the top of the drivers' championshiop. Takuma Sato finished second with Narain Karthikeyan third.

Result (Sunday):        mins secs
1 A Pizzonia            30:43.455
2 T Sato                30:54.910
3 N Karthikeyan         30:55.402
4 T Scheckter           31:02.031
5 M Bentwood            31:06.506
6 M Palovic             31:13.490
 

NATIONAL SALOON'S (Brands Hatch):- Tobia Masini drove a tremendous race to win the sixth round from Dan Eaves and Simon Harrison on Sunday. The Italian ace just managed to keep his Honda Integra in front when a caution period resulted in a final-lap sprint to the flag.

Results (Sun):          mins secs
1 T Masini     Honda    16:17.548
2 D Eaves      Peugeot  16:17.618
3 S Harrison   Ford     16:17.909
4 T Ferrier    Alfa     16:18.462
5 M Kelly      Nissan   16:18.932
 

BRITISH GT'S (Brands Hatch):- David Warnock and Jamie Campbell-Walter took a magnificent victory in the sixth round of the British GT Championship. The Lister Storm duo saw off the challenge of the Marcos LM600 Mantara of Calum Lockie and Cor Euser by just six tenths of a second. Verdon-Roe brought the TVR home in third place. In the GTO category, Mike Jordan and Mark Sumpter had to work extremely hard to fend off the TVR Cerbrera Speed 6 of Martin Short and Rob Barff.

Results (Sun):
GT                        mins secs
1 Cam-Wal/W'nock Lister   60:36.140
2 Euser/Lockie   Marcos   60:36.807
3 McKel/Verd-Roe TVR      60:42.790
4 Hewland/Evans  Lister   60:46.751

GTO                       mins secs
1 Sumpter/Jordan Porsche   37 laps
2 Short/Barff    TVR       37 laps
3 Sc'rle/Simmons Porsche   37 laps
4 Fuller/Fo'gill Porsche   36 laps
 

F3000 (Monte Carlo):- Fortec Motorsport had a terrific result of second and 11th place in this weekend's demanding round in Monaco. Jamie Davis, substitute for Mario Haberfeld, drove an outstandingly strong race from fourth on the grid with team-mate Andreas Scheld in 11th.

Results (Sun):              mins secs
1 B Junqueira  Petrobas    1:19.08.755
2 J Davies     Fortec      1:19.10.353
3 D Saelens    Super Nova  1:19.16.480
4 K McGarrity  Nordic      1:19.17.010
5 N Minassian  Super Nova  1:19.19.910
 

MGF CUP (Brands Hatch):- Jamie Hunter claimed his first pole position of the season in qualifying for Sunday's round six race. Hunters best lap time ended the eleven successive pole wins for TechSpeed Motorsport, with Alastair Lyall and Nick Carr coming second and third.

Qualifying times: (Sat) mins secs
1 J Hunter               1:41.127
2 A Lyall                1:41.848
3 N Carr                 1:41.905
4 P O'Neill              1:42.037
5 D Mason                1:42.203
 

CATERHAM SUPERLIGHT CHALLENGE (Knockhill):-
Round Six Results (Sun): Mins Secs
1 R Jenkinson    GB      31:57.575
2 R Blue         GB      32:04.534
3 M Bettley      GB      32:25.408
4 J Stack        GB      32:42.304
5 S Worley       GB      32:47.336
6 R Griffiths    GB      32:52.956

Round seven:             Mins Secs
1 R Jenkinson    GB      32:00.602
2 M Bettley      GB      32:03.501
3 R Blue         GB      32:08.578
4 J Unwin        GB      32:17.110
5 G Taylor       GB      32:32.467
6 A Pilgrim      GB      32:51.774
 

CATERHAM ROADSPORT CHALLENGE (Knockhill):-
Round Six Results (Sun):   Mins Secs
1 J Gladman      GB        20:08.819
2 M Gregory      GB        20:13.409
3 C Richards     GB        20:14.324
4 R Beer         GB        20:14.446
5 S Pullan       GB        20:22.082
6 N Jacobs       GB        20:36.748
 
 
 
 
 

05.06.2000

F1:- Former champion Jackie Stewart believes David Coulthard can go on to win the world title after his win in Monaco. Stewart, who had been the last Briton to win the race in 1973, says Coulthard could catch leader ichael Schumacher. "I am very happy for David," said Stewart. "It's been a long time since a Brit won here - and it's nice to see that it was done by another Scotsman! "David has a very serious chance of winning the championship if he can continue the form he is showing."
 

CART:- Sunday's 200-lap Miller Lite 225 at The Milwaukee Mile in West Allis had to be postponed because of cold weather. The weather meant tyres could not be heated up and the race was rescheduled for 11am Monday local time (4pm BST). Juan Montoya had secured pole position for the race on Saturday - his third straight pole - after his Indianapolis 500 victory the weekend before. Scotland's Dario Franchitti, whose best qualifying effort this season had been eighth in Brazil, claimed second place.
 

MGF CUP (Brands Hatch):- Alastair Lyall finished second but was later disqualified after an incident on the second lap that put Jamie Hunter out of the race. That decision promoted Mark Ticehurst to second place behind Nick Carr, with Paul O'Neill in third place.

Amended final result    mins secs
1 N Carr                20:38.158
2 M Ticehurst           20:45.839
3 P O'Neill             20:50.352
4 D Mason               20:54.594
5 B Heerey              20:55.518
 
 
 
 
 

06.06.2000

F1: UNOFFICIAL TESTING (Monza):-
Thursday times:
 1 J Button      GB  Williams 1:24.05
 2 D Coulthard   GB  McLaren  1:24.67
 3 O Panis       Fr  McLaren  1:25.10
 4 J Verstappen  Hol Arrows   1:25.21
 5 J Villeneuve  Can BAR      1:25.28
 6 H-H Frentzen  Ger Jordan   1:25.31
 7 P Diniz       Brz Sauber   1:25.56
 8 B Junqueira   Brz Williams 1:25.61
 9 E Irvine      GB  Jaguar   1:26.04
10 R Zonta       Brz BAR      1:26.25
11 G Pantano     GB  Benetton 1:26.72

Jenson Button could be loaned out to Jordan next season if Williams decide to move for CART star Juan Montoya. Team boss Frank Williams has reportedly asked Montoya's boss if his ex-test driver can be released from his three-year deal 12 months early. Button had been linked with a switch to Jaguar but rumours now suggest that Jordan's Heinz-Harald Frentzen could replace Johnny Herbert in 2001. Jordan's other driver Jarno Trulli has been linked with Benetton.

Germany's Ralf Schumacher could still miss next week's Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal following his crash in Monaco last Sunday. The Williams BMW driver has been ordered to rest following a check-up on the leg he injured in the crash. "I had a check-up as we wanted to make sure that no carbon fibre or metal was still in the wound," said Schumacher. "Thank God this was not the case but the doctors have told me I must have complete rest for two to three days."
 

ACROPOLIS RALLY:- The Acropolis Rally, wh ch runs from Friday to Sunday, marks the midway point of the World Rally Championshi . The base of the event has switched to Itea but the traditional start at the Parthenon remains. Stages to the north and west of the capital are tackled on day one and the final two legs cover traditional Acropolis territory around Parnassos. The second leg is the longest of all, with nearly 160km of stages, and the total route is 1407.56km.

Richard Burns is bidding to extend his lead in the championship this weekend but is likely to face stiff competition from world champion Tommi Makinen. The Greek round of the series is arguably the toughest rally in Europe and Briton Burns goes into it with a 14-point lead over Marcus Gronholm. Makinen is 15 points behind Subaru driver Burns. Burns was runner-up to Makinen last year but is being tipped to go one better this season.

Tommi Makinen will be bidding to give Mitsubishi victory in one of the few events they have not triumphed in. Makinen said: "The Acropolis is one of the hardest rallies because the stages can be so rough and the heat makes it hard for the engines. It is not one of my lucky rallies so I hope this year can be better. Our Mitsubishi car is strong and reliable and that is very important in Greece. We still want to win the World Championship and we still can."

Colin McRae has twice savoured victory in Greece and is optimistic he can achieve a hat-trick. The Scot triumphed in 1996 and 1998 and said: "I feel confident that our chances of a top finish for Ford are very good. "The big question will be what speed can the Subaru manage on this terrain? Judging by our own pace in Greece last year and the way the Focus is going now we should be extremely competitive. The reliability situation is better."

Ford Focus driver Carlos Sainz is keen to gain some points after retiring from the Rally of Argentina. "Our pace in Argentina was strong and that has made me more confident for the Acropolis," he admitted. "It is one of my favourite rallies and brings back good memories for me. I won my first World Championship rally there in 1990. I have also won in three different cars - the last time with Ford in 1997. I have also been second three times."

Ford Focus driver Carlos Sainz is keen to gain some points after retiring from the Rally of Argentina. "Our pace in Argentina was strong and that has made me more confident for the Acropolis," he admitted. "It is one of my favourite rallies and brings back good memories for me. I won my first World Championship rally there in 1990. I have also won in three different cars - the last time with Ford in 1997. I have also been second three times."

SEAT star Didier Auriol has contested the Acropolis Rally eight times but has retired from half of those starts. He won the event in 1992 and stated: "I like the rally very much and have had both quite good results and some bad luck there. "I am more confident with the Cordoba now. We are very close to finding a really good set-up. The car is good and each time we drive it is more competitive and more reliable and we need a bit of luck."

Hyundai drivers Alister McRae and Kenneth Eriksson are in a positive mood ahead of round seven. McRae scored the first point for the Korean manufacturer in Argentina on only the car's fourth outing by finishing seventh in the rally. He revealed: "I am really looking forward to the event. The result in Argentina was obviously a big boost for the team and for me." Eriksson added: "I see Greece as part of the development process."
 

CART:- Indianapolis 500 winner and defending series champion Juan Montoya claimed his first CART victory of the season in the Milwaukee 225. American Michael Andretti was second, followed by Canada's Patrick Carpentier and Sweden's Kenny Brack. Scot Dario Franchitti put in a steady performance to finish sixth but Mark Blundell was back in 17th. Montoya has been linked with a move to Formula One team Williams as a possible replacement for Jenson Button.

Milwaukee 225 result:        hr min sec
 1 J Montoya    Col Toyota   1:37.38.52, 225 laps
 2 M Andretti   US  Ford        @ 01.01
 3 P Carpentier Can Ford     same lap
 4 K Brack      Swe Ford     225
 5 R Moreno     Brz Ford     225
 6 D Franchitti GB  Honda    225
 7 M Papis      It  Ford     225
 8 A Fernandez  Mex Ford     225
 9 C Fittipaldi Brz Ford     225
10 T Kanaan     Brz Mercedes 225
17 M Blundell   GB  Mercedes 224
 
 
 
 
 

07.06.2000

F1:- Brazilian Formula One driver Ricardo Zonta was involved in a high speed crash during the second day of testing at the Monza circuit in Italy. The driver was not injured but his British American Racing car was a total write-off, resulting in the session being suspended for 30 minutes. Zonta lost control of his car and crashed into a protective tyre barrier after his suspension failed. He was involved in a similar accident before the British GP in April.
 

BTCC:- Vauxhall's Jason Plato has an excellent record at Silverstone in recent times and expects more success on Sunday. Plato won in 1999 and holds lap records for qualifying and racing. "I expect good results and if I don't get them it is bitterly disappointing," he said. "Always doing well at one circuit puts pressure on but I'm looking forward because I'm driving better than ever. Silverstone's come at a good time for Vauxhall. A couple of good results will get us right back up to the front."

Series leader Alain Menu believes his advantage will be under threat because of the success ballast he will carry. The 1997 champion, who won his fourth race of the season at Oulton Park in round nine, takes 40kg on his Mondeo. "It won't be easy at all," he admitted. "There are a few slow corners where the weight will hurt most because they lead to fast straights and you need momentum. It's too early to start talking about a second title. It is good to be leading but things change so quickly."

Former champion Will Hoy returns to the fray this weekend in the Class B ranks, driving a VIP Club Peugeot 3306 GTi. "I'm really looking forward to it," he said. "The Peugeot is quite clearly the best car in the Class at the moment and the team is extremely professional. I raced a Class B-type car last year at Spa so I won't be jumping in completely blind. It should be good." Testing takes place on Friday at the 2.268-mile circuit, with qualifying on Saturday and the races on Sunday.

Silverstone hosts rounds 11 and 12 of the series on Sunday and Hampshire's Rob Collard is aiming for victory in his Class B Nissan Primera. Collard, whose father was a famous racer, has been working with the BSR team to make the car reliable. He finished second and third in the two races at Oulton Park and is full of optimism for the rest of the campaign. "I've always regarded Silverstone as almost a home circuit and I've always gone well there. I'm out to win."
 

RALLYING:- Vauxhall Motorsport have confirmed that they will finish their rallying activities at the end of the year. The two-car Astra team will contest this year's Mobil 1 British Rally Championship and the British round of the World Championship. Driver Mark Higgins is in the first year of a two-year contract and will be released in November, while Neil Wearden's deal ends this year. Ray Mallock Limited will continue to prepare the cars until the end of 2000.
 
 
 
 

08.06.2000

F1:- Williams have denied reports that they have decided to replace Jenson Button with Juan Pablo Montoya next season. The team have instead said that "no decision will be taken" until they have heard about Montoya's future at the end of the month. It was reported that Montoya would come in, with Button being loaned to Jordan, Jaguar, BAR or Prost. Meanwhile, the team will decide next Monday whether Ralf Schumacher is fit enough to race in Montreal next weekend.
 

ACROPOLIS RALLY:- Organisers have reduced the distance of two of the opening day specials because there are road works on parts of the course, it was announced on Thursday. Series leader Richard Burns had appealed to organisers to make the course more severe than last year. But Tommi Makinen also expressed his concern over the course as competitors will race twice over the same roads. Elsewhere, Skoda said they will race in the Cyprus rally in September but not in the following event in Corsica.
 

BRITISH RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP:- The third round of the championship sees drivers head to Scotland for the Kumho Tyres Scottish Rally. Starting at 8.30am on Saturday morning, the event is comprised of 12 gruelling forest stages - six on each day - and covers 127 miles. The first day includes two visits to the Ae and Windyhill stages. Finland's Marko Ipatti leads the title race with Sweden's Mats Andersson five points behind, while Hyundai and Proton lead the manufacturers' standings.

Reigning British Champion Tapio Laukkanen will be hoping for his second consecutive Scottish Rally victory. The 30-year-old Finn is still looking for his first win of the season, but believes he can defend his title. "I love the special stages in Scotland," said Laukkanen. "They are super-fast and we have the speed to make the best use of them. The engineers believe they have found some improvements in the car that will help us stay ahead of the opposition."

The Scottish National Rally forms the fourth round of the championship. Steve Petch leads the Open class but rival Anthony Eaton, also in a Ford Escort, will hope to close the gap after failing to finish the last round. The closest battle is set to take place in the Formula 2 category between the Honda Civic of Jack Cooke and John McIlwraith's Peugeot 205. Competitors leave Dumfries from 10.30am on Saturday for six stages over 64 miles, returning at 8.00pm.
 
 
 
 

09.06.2000

BTCC (Silverstone):- Italian Gabriele Tarquini set the fastest pace in testing for this weekend's 11th round. Meanwhile in the Class B category, 1991 BTCC Champion Will Hoy was quickest in his Touring Car VIP Club Peugeot 306.

BTCC Testing times:          mins secs
1 G Tarquini   It   Honda     1:23.308
2 Y Muller     Fr   Vauxhall  1:23.432
3 A Reid       GB   Mondeo    1:23.463
4 M Neal       GB   Nissan    1:23.574
5 A Menu       Swi  Mondeo    1:23.783
6 T Kristensen Den  Honda     1:23.959
 

ACROPOLIS RALLY:- Scotland's Colin McRae took the first day honours in the ultra-tough race, the seventh leg of the championship. He won the second, third and fifth special stages, with Marcus Gronholm taking the first and sharing the spoils in the fourth with Petter Solberg. McRae, twice a champion in the event, is now 38.5 seconds ahead of Spain's Carlos Sainz, also in a Ford Focus WRC. Defending Acropolis champion Richard Burns damaged the front suspension of his Subaru Impreza and was in fifth.

Reigning world champion Tommi Makinen retired after the fourth stage of the after suffering hub-shaft failure. The Finn, who was in eighth position following the shortened 'Kineta' run, was forced out because of the problem with his Mitsubishi. The reigning world champion was third in the world standings, 15 points behind Burns, before the event. Belgian Freddy Loix, also of Mitsubishi, had pulled out earlier in the race for a similar problem.

Leading positions after 5 stages:
(end of day one)          hr mins secs
 1 C McRae     GB  Ford     1:04.09.6
 2 C Sainz     Sp  Ford         @38.5
 3 F Delecour  Fr  Peugeo     @1.12.9
 4 J Kankkunen Fin Subaru     @2.00.8
 5 R Burns     GB  Subaru     @2.08.9
 6 S Finlay    GB  Ford       @3.26.6
 7 T Arai      Jpn Subaru     @3.30.0
 8 A Bakhashab Sau Toyota     @4.00.4
 9 A Schwarz   Ger Skoda      @4.04.2
10 J Papa'riou Gre Subaru     @4.22.2

The Rally of Australia is set to move from its traditional base in Perth to Melbourne next year, the West Australian newspaper reported. The world championship event has been run in Western Australia since its inception in 1988. A formal announcement is expected next week.
 

F.RENAULT (Silverstone):- After a run of bad luck, round one winner Danny Watts set the fastest time in testing ahead of round six on his home track. Points leader Kimi Raikkonen, suffering from flu, was fourth fastest.

Testing times:                min secs
1 D Watts                     1:20.437
2 J Dalziel                   1:20.605
3 L Walker                    1:20.618
4 K Raikkonen                 1:20.631
5 M McLoughlin                1:20.793
6 R Dalziel                   1:20.947
 

RENAULT CLIO (Silverstone):- Second overall Daniel Buxton sounded a warning to points leader Jim Edwards Jnr with the fastest time in testing. But Edwards warned: "It's race day when you need to be in front - I've already proved that three times this year."

Testing times:                min secs
1 D Buxton                    1:35.474
2 P Cate                      1:35.745
3 J Edwards Jnr               1:35.778
4 M Johnson                   1:35.807
5 G Townsend                  1:35.838
6 M Burton                    1:35.957
 

EUROPEAN FORMULA PALMER AUDI:-
Testing at Spa Francorchamps (Fri):
                            mins secs
 1 J Keen       GB   Pendant 2:19.194
 2 T Mullen     GB   Morse   2:19.401
 3 P Edwards    US   Morse   2:20.005
 4 R Tarling    GB   JSP     2:20.010
 5 J vd Ende    Hol  Brask   2:20.124
 6 D Faulkner   Ire  3DO     2:20.316
 7 D Hayes      GB   H'rion  2:20.408
 8 B Jouanny    Fr   Motul   2:20.509
 9 R Kerr       GB   S'rson  2:20.583
10 J Carlsen    Den  Brask   2:21.177
 
 
 
 

10.06.2000

BTCC (Silverstone):- Rickard Rydell claimed a double pole position for Sunday's round 11 and 12 feature races. The Swede stepped up his pursuit of the championship with a stylish drive in both of Saturday's qualifying sessions. The Ford Mondeo driver is now just 19 points behind championship leader Alain Menu - but with a maximum of 31 points up for grabs on Sunday. "They were good laps but not perfect. It's all about what happens in Sunday's race," said Rydell.

Round 11 qualifying times (Sat):
                             mins secs
 1 R Rydell      Swe Ford     1:23.492
 2 J Thompson    GB  Honda    1:23.572
 3 A Reid        GB  Ford     1:23.758
 4 G Tarquini    It  Honda    1:23.875
 5 T Kristensen  Den Honda    1:23.997
 6 A Menu        Swi Ford     1:24.056
 7 J Plato       GB  Vauxhall 1:24.139
 8 Y Muller      Fr  Vauxhall 1:24.179
 9 V Radermecker Bel Vauxhall 1:24.586
10 C Blair       GB  Nissan   1:26.461

Round 12 qualifying times (Sat):
                             mins secs
 1 R Rydell      Swe Ford     1:23.125
 2 A Reid        GB  Ford     1:23.313
 3 J Plato       GB  Vauxhall 1:23.416
 4 Y Muller      Fr  Vauxhall 1:23.458
 5 J Thompson    GB  Honda    1:23.554
 6 T Kristensen  Den Honda    1:23.617
 7 A Menu        Swi Ford     1:23.630
 8 V Radermecker Bel Vauxhall 1:23.685
 9 C Blair       GB  Nissan   1:28.137
10 W Hoy         GB  Peugeot  1:32.071
 

ACROPOLIS RALLY:- Britain's Colin McRae remained on course for glory after he retained his lead on day two. He finished ahead of Carlos Sainz and Richard Burns but Frenchman Didier Auriol was forced out of the event. The 1994 world champion lost a front wheel of his Seat Cordoba during the sixth special stage ` although he still managed to finish on three wheels. Marcus Gronholm, who was second in the overall standings, also had to withdraw because of engine trouble.

Colin McRae was glad to avoid any damage from the rocky Greek roads as he stayed clear of the rest of the field. "It's a nice lead and the car was exceptional," said the Scot. "I'm surprised by the carnage elsewhere. You'd expect a few drivers to have problems, but not that many," said the Ford Focus driver. "On these roads you only need to hit a rock at the wrong angle and that can be your race over, so we can't afford to be complacent."

Leading positions after 12 stages:
(end of day two)           hr mins secs
 1 C McRae       GB  Ford    3:01.09.0
 2 C Sainz       Sp  Ford       @ 48.1
 3 R Burns       GB  Subaru   @ 3.00.1
 4 T Arai        Jpn Subaru   @ 7.47.9
 5 J Kankkunen   Fin Subaru   @ 7.51.8
 6 A Schwarz     Ger Skoda    @ 8.31.6
 7 A Bakhashab   SA  Toyota   @12.10.8
 8 J-P Richelmi  Mon Subaru   @13.00.2
 9 F Dor         Fr  Subaru   @13.10.9
10 J P'pdmitriou Gr  Subaru   @13.53.0
 

BRITISH RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP:- Neil Wearden ended Leg 1 of the Kumho Tyres Scottish Rally in a confidend mood after a trouble free day. "It's been a very good day... problems for some of the others but not for me this time! We took a gamble with the tyres and it paid off. I hit a log on stage four and was sure it would puncture but we survived it. I'll be thinking about tomorrow's strategy, we'll go as hard a possible without taking risks," he added.

Tapio Laukkanen had a rough opening to the Kumho Tyres Scottish rally when his Volkswagen suffered punctures on the two longest stages. Both of these occured on the same 19 mile Ae stage, loosing the Finnish driver over tow minutes. "The car has been performing well, there are another six stages to go and anything can happen." Teammate Jani Pirttien is enjoying his first Scottish Rally, hampered only by a recurring differential problem.

The two car Peugeot Team finished Leg 1 of the Scottish Rally holding first and second in the Ferodo Super 1600 Cup. David Higgins holds top spot by only 13 seconds over team mate Justin Dale. Higgins had a scare on stage two when the car cut out for about 15 seconds: "I was too fired up after that and wanted to get the time back. We had a big jump well cautioned but we were going a little too quick and damaged the radiator on landing."

Both Hyundai's have suffered from punctures on the first day of the Scottish Rally. Jarmo Kytlehto lost further time when a bolt on the suspension came loose, forcing the car left on landings. Team mate Andrew Pinker also lost time with punctures but also suffered from differential problems dropping him to 17th overall. "Hopefully things will be better tomorow, there's still a lot of stage miles to come and anything can happen."

Charlie Jukes in the Acrylicon Proton did not have as good a run on leg 1 of the Scottish Rally as he had hoped. The Proton was hampered by a misfire which the service crew finally traced to a faulty control unit: "Today has been frustrating and tomorrow it will be important to make it to the finish and get the points.” Mats Andersson in the works Proton Satria reported no problems and ends leg one 4th in the Ferodo Super 1600 Cup.

LEADERBOARD after 6 of 12 stages
(interim)                    hr min sec
 1 N Wearden       Vauxhall   1:00:05.5
 2 N Simpson       Mitsubishi 1:01:01.8
 3 M Higgins       Vauxhall   1:01:03.6
 4 M Ipatti        Mitsubishi 1:01:11.8
 5 M Brown         Mitsubishi 1:01:52.0
 6 J Kytolehto     Hyundai    1:02:12.8
 7 T Laukkanen     Volkswagen 1:02:25.8
 8 G Cox           Mitsubishi 1:02:36.1
 9 D Wood          Subaru     1:02:43.5
10 J Pirttinen     Volkswagen 1:02:48.2
 

KUMHO TYRES SCOTTISH MINTEX RALLY:- A dominant victory for Steve Petch in the Scottish National Rally enabled him to extend his lead of the Mintex 2000 Rally Championship. Anthony Eaton held second place all day but by his own admission lacked the pace to challenge his fellow Yorkshireman. Phil Walker threw away what seemed a certain third place, going off on the penultimate stage. Group N leader David Brown took third overall.

LEADERBOARD after 6 of 6 stages
(interim)                     hr min sec
 1 S Petch         Ford       1:02:01.4
 2 A Eaton         Ford       1:04:17.4
 3 D Brown         Subaru     1:06:07.1
 4 J Morrison      Mitsubishi 1:08:30.6
 5 J Cooke         Honda      1:10:39.3
 6 A Gwynne        Vauxhall   1:10:42.8
 7 G Clark         Subaru     1:11:03.2
 8 J McIlwraith    Peugeot    1:12:18.9
 9 N Buckley       Volkswagen 1:12:50.3
10 P Morgan        Subaru     1:14:27.2
 

F.RENAULT (Silverstone):- Local driver Mark McLoughlin staged a late comeback to get pole position for his home race. Leighton Walker also left it late to steal the second place on the front row from Ryan Dalziel and Kimi Raikkonen.

Round 6 qualifying times:      min secs
1 M McLoughlin   GB  Falcon    1:20.451
2 L Walker       GB  Motaworld 1:20.642
3 R Dalziel      GB  Team FDR  1:20.660
4 K Raikkonen    Fin Manor     1:20.662
5 C Hall         GB  Aztek     1:20.848
6 D Watts        GB  Manor     1:20.872
 

FORD FIESTA’S (Silverstone):- Scotland's Gordon Shedden took pole for Sunday's race after putting in a blistering lap in qualifying. The championship leader is ahead of Colin Stancombe, while local driver Matt Pinny was third quickest.

Round 7 qualifying times:      min secs
1 G Sheddon      Sco           1:45.773
2 C Stancombe    Eng           1:45.942
3 M Pinny        Eng           1:46.301
4 A Blencowe     Eng           1:46.564
5 G Howell       Wal           1:46.733
6 N Padley       Eng           1:46.862
 
 

F.FORD:- James Courtney led from start to finish at Silverstone on Saturday to win round seven of the Slick 50 Championship. "Once I pulled out a gap I was able to put in some consistent lap times and take the win," said the Australian.

Round 7 finishing times:       min secs
1 J Courtney     Aus          22:59.558
2 A Davidson     Eng          23:01.398
3 R Dahlgren     Swe          23:01.955
4 M Taylor       Eng          23:05.308
5 R Goransson    Swe          23:11.376
6 R Bell         Eng          23:19.494
 

RENAULT SPORT UK CUP (Silverstone):- Daniel Buxton guaranteed his second pole position of the season for Sunday with the fastest time in practice. Jim Edwards Jr was edged out for second place by Stuart Clarke, with Jason Templeman in fourth place.

Testing times:                min secs
1 D Buxton                    1:35.009
2 S Clarke                    1:35.314
3 J Edwards Jnr               1:35.630
4 J Templeman                 1:35.630
5 M Jackson                   1:35.724
6 D Davies                    1:35.745
 
 

EUROPEAN F.PALMER AUDI (Spa Francorchamps):-
Round 10 qualifying         mins secs
 1 D Hayes      GB   H'rion  2:16.880
 2 D Faulkner   Ire  Kodak   2:17.394
 3 J Carlsen    Den  Brask   2:17.397
 4 J Keen       GB   Pendant 2:17.614
 5 R Kerr       GB   S'ndson 2:17.707
 6 T Mullen     GB   Morse   2:17.738
 7 B Jouanny    Fr   P'mance 2:17.893
 8 J V der Ende Den  Brask   2:18.049
 9 A Simonsen   Den  Brask   2:18.143
10 B Besson     Fr   DAMS    2:18.220
 

IRL (Texas MS):- Rain washed out qualifying for Saturday's Indy Racing Series, forcing Casino Magic 500 officials to use points standings to determine the grid. Buddy Lazier claimed his first pole of the season because he leads the series ahead of the fifth of nine races. Robbie Buhl, who lies in second, will also be on the front row, while Scott Goodyear and Eliseo Salazar will be on row two. Japan's Shigeaki Hattori will make his IRS debut at the event in 26th spot.
 
 
 
 

11.06.2000

F1:- Ralf Schumacher, who injured his leg in Monaco a week ago, will fly to Montreal before deciding whether he is fit for Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix. "I will definitely fly to Montreal and decide whether I can drive on Thursday. At the moment walking is still very painful," he told a German newspaper. The Williams driver gashed his leg after crashing heavily into barriers at the Monaco Grand Prix. His manager Franz Tost said Schumacher was unlikely to race unless fully fit.
 

BTCC:- Yvan Muller cruised home to a comfortable victory in round 12 of the BTCC at sunny Silverstone with some well-judged tactics. A quick early pit-stop meant the Vauxhall man finished more than five seconds ahead of Ford's Rickard Rydell. Meanwhile, James Thompson took the chequered flag after an incident-packed 15-lap sprint. The Honda Accord driver finished just 1.951 seconds ahead of the Ford Mondeo of Anthony Reid.

Round 11 result (Sun):       mins secs
 1 J Thompson   GB  Honda    21:34.371
 2 A Reid       GB  Ford     21:36.322
 3 T Kristensen Den Honda    21:37.379
 4 M Neal       GB  Nissan   21:42.905
 5 G Tarquini   It  Honda    21:43.505
 6 V Rad'mecker Bel Vauxhall 21:44.054
 7 Y Muller     Fr  Vauxhall 21:52.302
 8 R Rydell     Swe Ford     22:18.542
 9 C Blair      GB  Nissan   22:19.656
10 A Morrison * GB  Peugeot  22:18.726, 14 laps

Round 12 result (Sun):        mins secs
 1 Y Muller      Fr  Vauxhall 43:11.302
 2 R Rydell      Swe Ford     43:16.726
 3 G Tarquini    It  Honda    43:20.218
 4 A Menu        Swi Ford     43:21.428
 5 J Thompson    GB  Honda    43:22.435
 6 J Plato       GB  Vauxhall 43:52.562
 7 T Kristensen  Den Honda    44:26.277
 8 A Morrison    GB  Peugeot  44:26.324
 9 J Kaye        GB  Honda    44:38.325
10 M Lemmer      GB  Honda    44:43.470
 

ACROPOLIS RALLY:- Colin McRae won the Acropolis Rally by a margin of 23.1 seconds from his Ford team-mate Carlos Sainz. Sainz had passed overnight leader McRae to lead the event but he obeyed team orders and allowed Scot McRae to take the spoils. The Spaniard went into the final stage with a lead of more than one minute but was two minutes slower than McRae on the last run. Subaru's Juha Kankkunen finished in third place.

Britain's Richard Burns was forced to retire from the event after he was hit by turbocharger problems on the first stage of the final leg. The Subaru was lying in third position behind Ford duo Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz when he lost two-and-a-half minutes on the 13th-stage Pavliani run. Championship leader Burns disconnected the turbo because no service park was available until after the next stage. However, he was unable to start his car on stage 14 and ran out of time.

A disappointed Richard Burns spoke about his retirement from the Acropolis Rally yesterday. He said: "I had a problem about seven or eight kilometres into the 13th stage, and the engine gradually died. We stopped on the road section and tried frantically to fix it, but I coundn't get the engine started again." However, Burns remained upbeat. "In terms of losing points it could been a lot worse because I've kept my points advantage," he said.

FINAL RESULT:               hr mins secs
 1 C McRae       GB  Ford    4:56.54.8
 2 C Sainz       Sp  Ford       @ 23.1
 3 J Kankkunen   Fin Subaru  @ 06.38.3
 4 T Arai        Jpn Subaru  @ 07.40.8
 5 A Schwarz     Ger Skoda   @ 09.11.0
 6 A Bakhashab   SA  Toyota  @ 12.54.9
 7 J-P Richelmi  Mon Subaru  @ 13.33.3
 8 F Dor         Fr  Subaru  @ 13.59.8
 9 F Delecour    Fr  Peugeot @ 15.12.3
10 J P'pdmitriou Gr  Subaru  @ 16.21.6

DRIVER STANDINGS
1 R Burns      GB   Subaru      38 pts
2 C McRae      GB   Ford        24
= M Gronholm   Fin  Peugeot     24
4 T Makinen    Fin  Mitsubishi  23
= C Sainz      Sp   Ford        23
6 J Kankkunen  Fin  Subaru      18

MANUFACTURER STANDINGS
1 Subaru         58 pts
2 Ford           47
3 Peugeot        31
4 Mitsubishi     29
5 Skoda           8
6 SEAT            7
 

BRITISH RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP:- Neil Simpson won the Kumho Tyres Scottish Rally, from Volkswagen driver Tapio Laukkanen. Simpson commented: "I was going for this one. I knew it was my last chance on the loose stuff before the road event. We were a bit rusty on the first stage because it's a while since we drove the car. I hope this will help my career on a bit. Now I need advice on what to do," he added.

Tapio Laukkanen put the disappointments of the last two rounds of the Mobil Rally Championship behind him to finish third overall in the Scottish Rally. Laukkanen's Volkswagen team-mate Jani Pirttinen finished an excellent seventh overall after two days hard rallying. "I am very happy to have finished this rally. It is a very tough event to try for the first time," he said. Team manager Steve Bagnall added: "We can take great satisfaction in scoring maximum championship points for VW."

Jarmo Kytolehto suffered a series of punctures throughout the Kumho Tyres Scottish Rally. The Finnish driver said he found the Hyundai lacking power on the longer sections of the stages and was struggling to stay with the leaders. Team-mate Andrew Pinker had less punctures but the suspension was not holding up well. "The suspension sounds very sick. It was rattling badly, but at least we've made it!," said Pinker.

Justin Dale took the Ferodo Super 1600 Cup for the Peugeot Sport 106 Team after a stunning last stage. Dale had swapped fastest times with team-mate David Higgins right up to the last stage until clutch problems ended Higgins' rally. Mats Andersson, contesting the same category, was hampered by losing a wheel on stage nine. Marko Ramanen was fastest on stage 11 after a brilliant drive in the self-built Honda Civic.

LEADERBOARD after 12 stages
(interim)                    hr min sec
 1 N Simpson       Mitsubishi 1:59:45.0
 2 T Laukkanen     Volkswagen 2:00:25.3
 3 M Ipatti        Mitsubishi 2:00:28.3
 4 M Higgins       Vauxhall   2:01:22.0
 5 J Kytolehto     Hyundai    2:01:57.9
 6 G Cox           Mitsubishi 2:02:45.6
 7 J Pirttinen     Volkswagen 2:03:01.5
 8 N Wearden       Vauxhall   2:03:26.8
 9 D Wood          Subaru     2:03:29.0
10 G Anderson      Mitsubishi 2:03:59.6

DRIVERS              MANUFACTURERS
1 Ipatti        30   1 Hyundai     28
2 M Higgins     20   2 Proton      26
3 Kytolehto     17   3 Vauxhall    22
4 Wearden       15   4 Peugeot     15
5 Andersson     15   5 Volkswagen  12
6 Laukkanen     12
 

F.RENAULT (Silverstone):- Leighton Walker led from start to finish after pole position driver Mark McLoughlin stalled at the start. McLoughlin ended in ninth, tying with Walker for the fastest lap time.

Round 6 finishing times:       min secs
1 L Walker      GB  Motaworld 24:45.317
2 R Dalziel     GB  Team FDR  24:48.841
3 K Raikkonen   Fin Manor     24:50.832
4 T Sisley      GB  Motaworld 24:58.101
5 J Dalziel     GB  Team DFR  25:00.067
6 R Lyons       GB  Team JLR  25:03.393
 

FORD FIESTA’S (Silverstone):- Scotland's Gordon Shedden wrapped up his sixth win in seven races by leading from the start at Silverstone. "It's good to get another win as I'm in a strong position now. I'll be looking to keep it up at Croft," he said.

Round 7 final result:          min secs
1 G Sheddon      Sco          21:35.764
2 G Howell       Wal          21:30.074
3 M Pinny        Eng          21:41.492
4 A Blencowe     Eng          21:44.497
5 N Padley       Eng          21:45.174
6 C Stancombe    Eng          21:45.556
 

F.FORD:- Anthony Davidson came from second place on the grid to secure his first ever win in the Round 8 race at Silverstone. "It's a great feeling to take my first win. Hopefully I can repeat it at Croft in a fortnight," said the 21-year-old.

Round 8 finishing times:       min secs
1 A Davidson     Eng          23:14.228
2 J Courtney     Aus          23:16.895
3 R Bell         Eng          23:22.383
4 G Catt         Eng          23:24.145
5 M Taylor       Eng          23:24.298
6 P Gray         Sco          23:24.478
 

RENAULT SPORT UK CUP (Silverstone):- Jim Edwards was declared the winner after he and title rival Daniel Buxton crossed the line in a dead heat. The pair ran the last two corners side by side before a dramatic sprint to the line.

Result (Sun):             min secs
1 J Edwards Jnr          19:19.158
2 D Buxton               19:19.158
3 S Clarke               19:23.642
4 M Jackson              19:26.951
5 R Pearson              19:29.453
6 D Davies               19:30.548
 

EUROPEAN FORMULA PALMER AUDI (Spa):- Damien Faulkner extended his lead in the championship after winning his second race of the weekend Derek Hayes, who started on pole, finished in second spot, with Jesper Carlsen in third place.

Result (Sun):
1 D Faulkner   Ire  Kodak   2:18.090
2 D Hayes      GB   H'rion  +0.932
3 J Carlsen    Den  Brask   +2.928
4 P Edwards    US   Mockett +3.764
5 R Tarling    GB   JSP     +3.947
6 M S'virta    Fin  Soners  +4.487
 

IRL (Texas MS):- Saturday's Northern Lights Casino Magic 500 was postponed because of rain and has now been rescheduled to start 24 hours later. Former Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Lazier will start from pole. Two practice crashes led to the postponement of Thursday's qualifying session at Texas Motor Speedway and Friday's session was then cancelled. The grid line-up was deduced from the order of the current IRL standings, giving Lazier his pole.
 
 
 
 

12.06.2000 - SCOTTISH RALLY

Winner Neil Simpson has been thrown out of the Kumho Tyres Scottish Rally after his car failed post event checks. Simpson's Mitsubishi was found to have the wrong size of brake pads. This elevated Tapio Laukkanen to first place ` his second successive Scottish Rally win and Volkswagen's third in the event in four years. Volkswagen team manager Steve Bagnall said: "What has happened to Neil is regrettable, and we take no pleasure from it."
 
 
 
 
 

14.06.2000

F1: THE CANADIAN GP
Michael Schumacher will be bidding to get his title bid back on track on Sunday after failing to finish the Monaco Grand Prix earlier this month. The championship leader is chasing his fifth win of 2000 and said: "Our car is very good on all types of track now. Montreal is a lot quicker than Monaco but the Ferrari should work well there. I am looking forward to the race but expect it to be a lot tougher against the McLarens than it was in Monaco before my car had problems."

Ferrari star Michael Schumacher is unconcerned about his non-finish in Monaco - particularly since Mika Hakkinen only picked up a point. Schumacher is 12 points clear of David Coulthard, while Hakkinen is 17 points adrift of the German. "It would have been nice to win but the result showed that nothing is sure until the last race of the season is run," commented Schumacher. "We have a lot of work to do before I start thinking about the title."

David Coulthard will be going all out for his third win of 2000 in an effort to close the gap on championship leader Michael Schumacher. The Scot won the last race in Monaco and also triumphed at Silverstone. Coulthard is ahead of his McLaren team- mate Mika Hakkinen and is 12 points behind Schumacher. The 29-year-old has never won in Montreal and although Hakkinen won last year's race the last McLaren win before that was in 1992 with Gerhard Berger.

Mika Hakkinen would relish a repeat of last year when he won in Montreal. The world champion is third in the championship on 29 points, behind Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard. After seven races last year Hakkinen was leading the drivers' championship on 40 points. Michael Schumacher was on 32 points and Eddie Irvine came next on 26. Hakkinen's McLaren team-mate David Coulthard was seventh on 12 points.

Rubens Barrichello is targeting a podium finish in Sunday's round eight, which is on a track he favours. "It is a nice circuit to drive, although you have to be careful not to get caught out by one or two bad bumps in the braking areas," he revealed. "Although the track is a lot wider than Monaco it is also quite difficult to overtake because it soon develops a quick line. If you wander off that it is slippery under braking and in the corners."

Williams driver Ralf Schumacher will be fit to race on Sunday ` provided that he can pass the chair test. Schumacher injured his leg in Monaco and will have to jump off a chair onto the leg and have no adverse reaction to prove that he can race. "Last week Ralf's chances were 50/50, but now they are 70/30 in his favour," said Williams spokesman Nav Sidhu. If Schumacher does not make it he will be replaced by Williams test driver Bruno Junqueira.

Jenson Button is optimistic going into the Canadian Grand Prix. The Briton has put rumours about his Williams future behind him and said: "We spent three days in Monza preparing for this race. Given how well that test went, I feel good going to Montreal. Monza shares some characteristics with Montreal and our test has prepared me well. I have heard good things about this circuit and I am quite upbeat about Sunday's race."

Benetton will be using a new aerodynamic package on their cars at the Montreal race. Technical director Pat Symonds said: "Montreal is a low downforce circuit and preparation took place last week with a team test at Monza. "Montreal presents many unique problems to the teams. The circuit is only used once a year and hence is very dirty at the start of practice. For the last three years there have only been 10 finishers."

Montreal has been a favourable circuit for Jordan and they are hunting another good result as they try to reclaim third spot in the constructors' battle. Jordan won their first world championship points in Canada in 1991 and did well there from 1995-97. Team chief Eddie Jordan said: "We have had some excellent results in Montreal. It is certainly a race I enjoy greatly because of all the good memories it holds. Let us hope we can add another good year to the history books."

Eddie Irvine secured his and Jaguar's first points finish of the season in Monaco and will be ho ing it means an upturn in the team's fortunes. Irvine was third in Montreal last year when driving for Ferrari. His team-mate Johnny Herbert, who has yet to earn a point in 2000, was fifth for Stewart in 1999. It is a race where Jaguar could pull off a surprise because a good starting position on the grid is almost as important as in Monte Carlo.

Ex-world champion Jacques Villeneuve has admitted that he is still in talks with British American Racing and has not made a decision on next season. Ahead of his home race the Canadian said: "I can assure you I will be in the racing pits next year but I do not know under which colours." Reports had linked him to deals with Benetton and McLaren. However, Villeneuve added: "There is no agreement in principle with anyone at all. It makes me laugh."

Pedro de la Rosa believes his Arrows car will be suited to Montreal. "I am definitely looking forward to the race and feel the circuit layout will be better for our car than in Monaco." His team-mate Jos Verstappen is also optimistic of a Canadian boost. "Hopefully Canada wil be better than Monaco. Canada is a high-speed circuit and suits the car better," he said. "I hope we get a good result. I think we need it and the team deserves it."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen describes a lap of the circuit: On the start-finish straight you just reach sixth gear but it is not the fastest part of the track. At the first left-hander you try not to carry too much speed ` you have to shift down from sixth to third gear. Then you go into the hairpin, which is very tight. You have to set yourself up for the hairpin, which is in first gear, before you enter the first left-hander. Out of the hairpin you must get traction down. It is very slippery. The track is similar to Monaco but much more bumpy. You accelerate out from the hairpin and reach fourth gear when you enter the first chicane. It is not a dangerous chicane but you cannot make any mistakes as you are so close to the guard-rail. That is definitely like Monaco. The quickest corner of the track comes next. It is a blind right-hander which is flat. It is not too difficult but you need to have good balance because if the car is too nervous you lose some track making the next left-hander. Here you brake down into second gear and then take it much the same as the first chicane. You try and accelerate out of it early to get the momentum to find the speed in the straight. The third chicane of the track is a little faster than the others. You brake down from sixth into second and again get on the power early to go back up to sixth gear. Then you reach what is the slowest hairpin of the track. You come out of that to enter the very long straight where you reach speeds of over 320km/h. This is the longest and fastest part of the track before you head for the last corner combination. This chicane is a little dangerous as there is a concrete wall on the exit.

Sunday's race is scheduled to last for 69 laps (189.543 miles). The start of Sunday's race could provide excitement because the short straight leading into a tight left- hander can cause multiple pile-ups. Michael Schumacher said: "That is another reason to be close to the front for the start." Michael Schumacher holds the lap record at the Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve. He clocked one minute, 19.379 seconds for Ferrari in 1998.
 

LE MANS 24-HOURS:- Allan McNish made the perfect start in his bid for a second Le Mans victory as his Audi team predictably dominated the first qualifying session. Audi's trio of entries filled the top three places in the opening two hours with 1998 winner McNish capturing provisional pole position. The 30-year-old Scot clocked a time of 3:37.653 for the 8.45-mile circuit. That was just 0.134secs faster than the Audi of Italian ex-Formula One driver Michele Alboreto.

Britain's Allan McNish tasted success in the event in a Porsche in 1998 and would relish a repeat show with Audi. He commented: "I am doing the American Le Mans series and Le Mans with Audi and it was very important to me to be out racing. I had a great desire not just to race at Le Mans. I wanted to do other things as well as Le Mans. Audi were very keen on me driving with them. It was better for both worlds if we did it for the full year."

Viper Team ORECA will be looking to defend their class title with the aid of three Chrysler Viper GTS R/Ts. Olivier Beretta, Karl Wendlinger and Dominique Dupuy won their class at Le Mans last year, and were victorious in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in February. Three privately-entered Chrysler Vipers are also in the line-up. And preparing the ground for a title assault next year will be two Le Mans Prototypes, powered by the latest version of the Mopar 6-litre V8 engine.

LMP900 entry list:
 1 B Leitzinger   US  Cadillac Northstar
   F Lagorce      Fr
   A Wallace      GB
 2 M Angelelli    It  Cadillac Northstar
   W Taylor       ZA
   E van de Poele Bel
 3 E Collard      Fr  Cadillac Northstar
   E Bernard      Fr
   F Montagny     Fr
 4 M Goossens     Bel Cadillac Northstar
   C Tinseau      Fr
   K Kolby        Den
 5 Y Dalmas       Fr  Reynard-Mopar
   N Minassian    Fr
   J-P Belloc     Fr
 6 D Theys        Fr  Reynard-Mopar
   J van H'oydnck Hol
   D Andre        Fr
 7 C Abt          Ger Audi R8
   M Alboreto     It
   R Capello      It
 8 F Biela        Ger Audi R8
   E Pirro        It
   T Kristensen   Den
 9 A McNish       GB  Audi R8
   L Aiello       Fr
   S Ortelli      Fr
10 J Nielsen      Den Panoz LMP
   M Baldi        It
   K Graf         Ger
11 D Brabham      Aus Panoz LMP
   J Magnussen    Den
   M Andretti     US
12 J O'Connell    US  Panoz LMP
   H Katoh        Jpn
   P-H Raphanel   Fr
15 T Bscher       Ger BMW V12
   G Lees         GB
   J-M Gounon     Fr
16 O Grouillard   Fr  Courage-Peugeot
   S Bourdais     Fr
   E Clerico      Fr
17 P Gache        Fr  Courage-Judd
   G Formato      ZA
   D Cottaz       Fr
20 J Lammers      Hol Lola-Ford
   T Coronel      Hol
   P Kox          Hol
21 M Sch'attrella It  Lola-Judd
   D de Radigues  Bel
   E Naspetti     It
22 K Tsuchiya     Jpn Panoz LMP
   M Kondo        Jpn
   A Iida         Jpn
23 T Suzuki       Jpn Panoz LMP
   M'sko Kageyama Jpn
   M'smi Kageyama Jpn
24 S Johansson    Swe Reynard-Judd
   G Smith        GB
   J Matthews     US
 

LMP675 entry list:
30 P Lemarie      Fr  Debora-BMW
   J-F Yvon       Fr
   Y Goudy        Fr
32 S Maxwell      Can Lola-Nissan
   J Graham       Can
   G Wilkins      Can
33 R Kelleners    Ger Reynard-VW
   D Terrien      Fr
   J-D Deletraz   Swi
34 J-Gene         E   Reynard-VW
   J C Boullion   Fr
   J Policand     Fr
35 X Pompidou     Fr  WR-Peugeot
   S Daoudi       Fr
   J-B Bouvet     Fr
36 R Balandras    Fr  WR-Peugeot
   S Boulay       Fr
   Y Terada       Jpn
 

GTS entry list:
51 D Dupuy        Fr  Chrysler Viper
   K Wendlinger   Aut
   O Beretta      MC
52 T Archer       US  Chrysler Viper
   M Duez         Bel
   P Huisman      Hol
53 N Amorim       Por Chrysler Viper
   A Beltoise     Fr
   D Donohue      US
54 B Derichebourg Fr  Chrysler Viper
   J-C Lagniez    Fr
   G Martinolle   Fr
56 T Seiler       Swi Chrysler Viper
   W Brun         Swi
   D Defourny
57 M Hezemans     Hol Chrysler Viper
   D Hart         Hol
   H Hugenholtz   Hol
59 W Kaufmann     Ger Porsche 911
   K Iketani      Jpn
   T Suzuki       Jpn
60 C Slater       US  Porsche 911
   J von Gartzen  Ger
   T Kendall
63 R Fellows      Can Chevrolet Corvette
   J Bell         GB
   C Kneifel      US
64 F Freon        Fr  Chevrolet Corvette
   A Pilgrim      US
   K Collins      US

6T entry list:
71 C Wagner       US  Porsche 911
   S Lewis        US
   B Mazzuoccola  US
72 G Lavaggi      It  Porsche 911
   T Saldana      Sp
   D Villaroel
73 B Lambert      Bel Porsche 911
   A Yoga         Jpn
   H Fukuyama     Jpn
75 G Jeanette     US  Porsche 911
   M Lauer        US
   M Brockman     US
76 T Burgess      Can Porsche 911
   M Cohen-Olivar Ma
   M Neugarten    Bel
77 P Gouselard    Fr  Porsche 911
   J L Chereau    Ger
   C Bouchut      Fr
78 JL M-Laribiere Fr  Porsche 911
   M Sourd        Fr
   T Depoix       Fr
79 T Perrier      Fr  Porsche 911
   J-L Ricci      Fr
   R Ricci        Fr
80 P Verellen     Bel Porsche 911
   K De Dryver    Bel
   R Penders      Bel
81 F Babini       It  Porsche 911
   G Rosa         It
   M Ligonnet     Fr
82 J Mowlem       GB  Porsche 911
   D Murray       US
   S Maassen      Ger
83 D Muller       Ger Porsche 911
   L Luhr         Ger
   B Wollek       Fr

Previous winners:
1999 Dalmas Fr Winkelhock Ger M'rtni It (BMW V12)
1998 McNish GB Nielsen Den Cobb  US     (Porsche 911 GT1)
1997 A'reto It Joh'on Swe Kri'sen Den   (Porsche WSC95)
1996 Reuter Ger Wurz Aut Jones US       (Porsche WSC95)
1995 Dalmas Fr Lehto Fin Sekiya Jpn     (McLaren F1 GTR)
1994 Dalmas Fr H Haywood US M Baldi It  (Dauer Porsche 962LM)
1993 Brabham Aus Helary Fr Bouchut Fr   (Peugeot 905B)
1992 Warwick GB Dalmas Fr Blundell GB   (Peugeot 905)
 
 
 
 

15.06.2000

F1:- Jenson Button has pledged to battle to keep his Williams drive for 2001, despite reports suggesting that Juan Pablo Montoya will replace him. Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix could be the 20-year-old's last chance to impress team boss Frank Williams. Williams is waiting to see if Montoya will be released from his CART deal. "I want to stay with Williams and I have not been told yet that I will not be. I am just concentrating on doing the best job I can," said Button.
 

LE MANS 24-HOURS:- Allan McNish looks set to miss out on pole after his Audi team dominated the first two qualifying sessions. The Scot was fastest in the opening two-hour stint but was later overtaken by the other two Audi cars. Michele Alboreto secured provisional pole with a time of three minutes, 37.523 seconds and Frank Biela was second quickest. McNish was the only Audi driver not to go quicker second time around and was third fastest.

Qualifying times (Wed):     mins secs
1 Alboreto/Capello/Abt      3:37.523     (Audi R8R)
2 Biela/Kristensen/Pirro     @ 0.072     (Audi R8R)
3 McNish/Aiello/Ortelli      @ 0.130     (Audi R8R)
4 Brabham/Magnussen/Andretti @ 1.633     (Panoz Spyder)
5 O'Connell/Kato-P/Raphanel  @ 3.836     (Panoz Spyder)
6 Sch'rlla/de R'dgues/N'ptti @ 4.665     (Lola-Judd)
7 Lammers/Coronel/Cox        @ 6.061     (Lola-Ford)
8 S J'hnsson/Smith/Matthews  @ 6.489     (Panoz LMP)
 
 
 
 

16.06.2000

F1:- Williams driver Ralf Schumacher will drive in Sunday's race. The German's place was in doubt after he gashed his leg at Monaco a fortnight ago, but the wound has healed sufficiently and he passed an FIA test. "Last week I restarted fitness training and I feel fine," said Schumacher. "The wound is healing though I still feel a bit of pain when loading the leg. In order to reduce the vibration, we will stick some padding in the cockpit, where the heel is."

David Coulthard maintained his championship momentum as he set the fastest time in free practice for Sunday's race. The 29-year-old Scot survived a 180 degree spin on the grass to edge out Ferrari's championship pacesetter Michael Schumacher. The German had dominated most of the two first day sessions before losing top by just 0.009 seconds. Williams duo Jenson Button and Ralf Schumacher ended 16th and 21st.

Friday practice times:        min secs
 1 D Coulthard   GB  McLaren  1:20.602
 2 M Schumacher  Ger Ferrari  1:20.611
 3 R Barrichello Brz Ferrari  1:20.623
 4 J Herbert     GB  Jaguar   1:21.174
 5 M Hakkinen    Fin McLaren  1:21.370
 6 J Trulli      It  Jordan   1:21.380
 7 M Salo        Fin McLaren  1:21.487
 8 E Irvine      GB  Jaguar   1:21.592
 9 G Fisichella  It  Benetton 1:21.687
10 J Villeneuve  Can BAR      1:21.846
11 J Alesi       Fr  Prost    1:22.022
12 J Verstappen  Hol Arrows   1:22.065
13 M Gene        Sp  Minardi  1:22.176
14 P de la Rosa  Sp  Arrows   1:22.176
15 H-H Frentzen  Ger Jordan   1:22.262
16 J Button      GB  Williams 1:22.343
17 P Diniz       Brz Sauber   1:22.507
18 A Wurz        Aut Benetton 1:22.582
19 G Mazzacane   Arg Minardi  1:22.606
20 R Zonta       Brz BAR      1:22.668
21 R Schumacher  Ger Williams 1:22.933
22 N Heidfield   Ger Prost    1:23.543

Minardi suffered a break-in at their pit-lane garage in Montreal on Thursday and had two computers stolen. Had their steering wheels also been stolen they may not have been able to compete in the Canadian Grand Prix.
 

LE MANS 24-HOURS:- Allan McNish secured pole position for the 68th Le Mans 24-Hour Race with his time from the third qualifying session proving unbeatable. The 30-year-old Scot had found himself provisionally third on the grid behind Audi team-mates Michele Alboreto and Frank Biela on Wednesday night. But the 1998 winner knocked almost 1.4 seconds off Alboreto's fastest time from the second session. "This is one of the reasons why I joined Audi," he said.

Qualifying times (Thu):     mins secs
1 McNish/Aiello/Ortelli     3:36.124     (Audi R8R)
2 Biela/Kristensen/Pirro    3:36.650     (Audi R8R)
3 Alboreto/Capello/Abt      3:37.086     (Audi R8R)
4 Brabham/Magnussen/A'retti 3:39.156     (Panoz Spyder)
5 Sch'rlla/de R'dgues/N'tti 3:39.651     (Lola-Judd)
6 Gache/Formato/Gottaz      3:39.917     (Courage C60)
7 S J'hnsson/Smith/Matthews 3:40.124     (Reynard 2KQ)
8 Lammers/Coronel/Cox       3:41.359     (Lola-Ford)
 

KERRIDGE NATIONAL RALLY:- Last year's winner Marcus Dodd leads the field for Saturday's Kerridge National Rally. The Ford KA Racing Rally championship is responsible for over 20 of the entries in the National Rally. David Henderson leads the race for them. In the fourth round of the Ancro National Rally series is turning into a battle between the Mitsubishi Lancers of David Mann and Richie Holfeld. The Kerridge is also playing host to the Welsh National Rally championship.
 

RALLYING:- SEAT driver Gwyndaf Evans will make a sentimental return to Duns, family home of his childhood hero Jim Clark, to rally his Cordoba WRC E2. The Jim Clark Memorial Rally will be Round Four in the British Rally Championship.
 

LONDON-SYDNEY MARATHON:- Former world rally champion Hannu Mikkola and co-driver son Juha led the London-Sydney Marathon 2000 in a Ford Escort RS1600. The Finns have opened a 62 second lead after 13 days of driving across Europe.
 
 
 
 

18.06.2000

F1: THE CANADIAN GP
Michael Schumacher earned his fifth win of the season to extend his lead in the championship, while Rubens Barrichello was second to give Ferrari a one-two. Giancarlo Fisichella was third, Mika Hakkinen was fourth and Jos Verstappen produced a superb drive in the rain to finish fifth. David Coulthard was seventh after being hit with a 10-second stop-go penalty for an infringement on the start line. Jenson Button was 11th, Eddie Irvine 13th and Johnny Herbert did not finish.

Michael Schumacher's Montreal win ensured that he became the first driver to win from pole position in 13 races. He now leads the drivers' race by 22 points from David Coulthard but the German insisted: "I am not even thinking about the championship. "The golden rule is that until mathematically there is no chance of you losing the championship, that is when you feel the champion. I have been through 10 years of Formula One and had many experiences."

Race-winner Michael Schumacher has revealed that he felt title rival David Coulthard would be given a penalty. Coulthard was running a close second to Schumacher in the early stages. Schumacher said: "I guessed something might happen to David because the team informed me that he had a problem and the mechanics had not cleared the grid. We did have a bit of a worry. There might have been a sensor failing so we changed the brake balance. That is why I locked up at the chicane."

Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard held the top two positions at the start but Rubens Barrichello got away poorly and slipped from third to fourth. But Coulthard was later given a 10-second penalty after he needed a helping hand from his mechanics to start the formation lap. He visited the pits for the punishment and rejoined on lap 15 down in 10th. Jacques Villeneuve had a superb start in his home race, moving up from sixth on the grid to third.

David Coulthard was annoyed that his bid to close the gap on series leader Michael Schumacher was dealt a blow by the rule book and not his driving. He was running in second when he had a 10-second penalty because his mechanics had not left the grid before the 15- second warning ahaed of the parade lap. "There is this ridiculous rule that says that everyone has to leave the car 30 seconds before the start," he said. "I suppose it is down to safety but it denied the fans a close race."

David Coulthard believes he could have picked up 10 points if he had not been hit with a 10-second penalty. "I think I could have won the race," said the Scot. "I was comfortably behind Michael just waiting for the race to come to me. It was my mistake with Alexander Wurz. I just did not see him in the spray. But if he had moved over as I did when I saw Jacques Villeneuve coming up my inside I would not have hit him - but that is racing."

Jenson Button did little to thwart the threat of his drive being taken from him in 2001. The Briton could only finish 11th and he admitted: "I had a terrible start and things did not improve as I simply was not going fast enough. "Only a few laps after my pit stop I had to come into the pit again as at the third corner I damaged the front wing of my car. I was running better on wet tyres but this was not enough."

Johnny Herbert's hopes of claiming his first points of the season ended on lap 15 when he was forced to cruise into the pits with a car problem. The Jaguar driver commented: "Early on I was able to hang on to the back of Giancarlo Fisichella but then I started getting slow down-shifts. When Ralf Schumacher passed me I could not get into second or first gear again at the hairpin. We have got to work hard to sort out these problems."

Eddie Irvine will put this weekend down to experience after his race was realistically over on the first lap. Irvine had to start from the pit-lane after his car stalled on the grid and he eventually finished 13th. "What else can I say?" he said. "It was my worst qualifying, worst start and worst race. I could feel that there was not something quite right on the parade lap. Then in the wet conditions the car was behaving like a skateboard."

Result after 69 laps:        hr min sec
 1 M Schumacher  Ger Ferrari  1:41.12.3
 2 R Barrichello Brz Ferrari  1:41.12.4
 3 G Fisichella  It  Benetton 1:41.27.6
 4 M Hakkinen    Fin McLaren  1:41:30.8
 5 J Verstappen  Hol Arrows   1:42.04.5
 6 J Trulli      It  Jordan   1:42.14.0
 7 D Coulthard   GB  McLaren  1:42.14.5
 8 R Zonta       Brz BAR      1:42.22.7
 9 A Wurz        Aut Benetton 1:42.32.2
10 P Diniz       Brz Sauber   1:42.41.8
11 J Button      GB  Williams @ one lap
12 G Mazzacane   Arg Minardi   @ 1 lap
13 E Irvine      GB  Jaguar    @ 3 laps
14 R Schumacher  Ger Williams  @ 5 laps
15 J Villeneuve  Can BAR       @ 5 laps
16 M Gene        Sp  Minardi   @ 5 laps

NOT CLASSIFIED           laps completed
17 P de la Rosa  Sp  Arrows     48
18 M Salo        Fin Sauber     42
19 J Alesi       Fr  Prost      38
20 N Heidfeld    Ger Prost      34
21 H-H Frentzen  Ger Jordan     32
22 J Herbert     GB  Jaguar     14

DRIVER STANDINGS
 1 M Schumacher  Ger  Ferrari   56 pts
 2 D Coulthard   GB   McLaren   34
 3 M Hakkinen    Fin  McLaren   32
 4 R Barrichello Brz  Ferrari   28
 5 G Fisichella  It   Benetton  18
 6 R Schumacher  Ger  Williams  12
 7 J Villeneuve  Can  BAR        5
 = H-H Frentzen  Ger  Jordan     5
 = J Trulli      It   Jordan     5
10 J Button      GB   Williams   3
 = E Irvine      GB   Jaguar     3
 = M Salo        Fin  Sauber     3
13 J Verstappen  Hol  Arrows     2
14 R Zonta       Brz  BAR        1
 = P de la Rosa  Sp   Arrows     1

CONSTRUCTORS' CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Ferrari       84 pts
2 McLaren       66
3 Benetton      18
4 Williams      15
5 Jordan        10
6 BAR            6
7 Sauber         3
= Jaguar         3
= Arrows         3
 

LE MANS 24-HOURS:- Audi claimed a one-two-three in the endurance race with Emmanuele Pirro, Frank Biela and Tom Kristensen heading the clean sweep of the podium. Kristensen won for Porsche in 1997 and his R8 team-mate Pirro sealed another triumph for him after 368 laps. France's Laurent Aiello, Britain's Allan McNish and Stephane Ortelli of Monaco were second after starting from pole position. Michele Alboreto, Christian Abt and Rinaldo Capello were third.

The Dick Barbour team won the GT category in a Porsche after completing 319 laps in gruelling conditions. The victorious German-French driver combination of Dirk Muller, Lucas Luhr and Bob Wollek finished 13th in the overall race standings. "At the age of 20, it's fantastic to for me to compete at such a great race in front of huge crowds - and then to win," said Luhr. In contrast, Wollek was competing in his 30th race at Le Mans.

Lola Cars International recorded a memorable victory with its B2K/40 SR2 sportscar at Le Mans. The Canadian drivers behind the wheel, Scott Maxwell, John Graham and Greg Wilkins, clinched victory in the LMP675 class, with a fine performance. The win was a superb achievement for a team that had never before raced at Le Mans, in a car just three weeks old. The car, run by Canadian team Multimatic Motorsports, finished eight laps ahead of its nearest rival.

After 24 hours                Laps
1 Biela/Kristensen/Pirro       368       (Audi)
2 Aiello/McNish/Ortelli        367       (Audi)
3 Alboreto/Capello/Abt         365       (Audi)
4 Bourdais/Grouillard/Clerico  344       (Courage)
5 Katoh/O'Connell/Raphanel     342       (Panoz)
6 Suzuki/Kageyama/Kageyama     340       (Panoz)
7 Beretta/Wendlinger/Dupuy     333       (Chrysler)
8 Tsuchiya/Kondo/Iida          330       (Panoz)

Retirements:                    Laps
Dalmas/Minassian/Belloc           1     (Reynard)
Goossens/Tinseau/Kolby            4     (Cadillac)
Lewis/Mazzuoccola/Wagner         22     (Porsche)
Goudy/Lemarie/Yvon               24     (Debora)
Maurylaribiere/Chauvin/Zadra     32     (Porsche)
Bouchut/Chereau/Goueslard        34     (Porsche)
Lammers/Kox/Coronel              38     (Lola)
Deletraz/Kelleners/Terrien       44     (Reynard)
Boullion/Gene/Policand           72     (Reynard)
Saldana/Lavaggi/Villaroel        78     (Porsche)
Johansson/Mathews/Smith         133     (Reynard)
Schiatella/Deradigues/Naspetti  154     (Lola)
Bscher/Gounon/Lees              180     (BMW)
Martinolle/Lagniez/Derichebourg 180     (Chrysler)
Glasel/Brun/Seiler              210     (Chrysler)
Gache/Formato/Cottaz            219     (Courage)
Rosa/Ligonnet/Babini            310     (Porsche)
Kaufmann/Hane/Iketani           313     (Porsche)
 

CART (Detroit):-
(Saturday qualifying times):  mins secs
 1 J Montoya      Col Toyota   1:13.056
 2 D Franchitti   GB  Honda    1:13.056
 3 H Castro-Neves Brz Honda    1:13.215
 4 G de Ferran    Brz Honda    1:13.350
 5 M Papis        It  Ford     1:13.529
 6 C Da Matta     Brz Toyota   1:13.576
 7 K Brack        Swe Ford     1:13.589
 8 C Fittipaldi   Brz Ford     1:14.093
 9 P Carpentier   Can Ford     1:14.323
10 R Moreno       Brz Ford     1:14.535
16 M Blundell     GB  Mercedes 1:14.856

Brazilian Helio Castro-Neves claimed his first CART victory when he edged out Max Papis by 4.415 seconds in the Grand Prix of Detroit. He took the lead when Juan Montoya went out with a broken driveshaft on the 62nd lap of the 84-lap race. Canadian Paul Tracy was pulled from the event late in the race for a pit-lane violation - his third in three races. Oriol Servia finished third and was just ahead of Dario Franchitti, who won last year's Detroit race.
 
 

PROTON COUPE’S:- Doug Ross won his fourth race of the year - and his third in a row - in round seven of the DMR Tyresafe Proton Coupe Championship at Oulton Park. The Basingstoke driver qualified in pole and led from the start, finishing over two seconds ahead of Julian Rouse with Neil Huggins back in third.
 
 
 
 

19.06.2000 - F1

David Coulthard has insisted that he can catch championship leader Michael Schumacher and claim his first title.Schumacher won Sunday's Canadian Grand  prix but Coulthard was out of the points after being hit with a 10-second penalty for a start-line infringement. "We still have half the season to race and I intend to battle all the way," said the Scot. "I have got to get back down to business and concentrate on the forthcoming races."
 
 
 
 

21.06.2000

F1:- The FIA have threatened to suspend the British Grand Prix unless various guarantees can be made following the traffic chaos at Silverstone in April. The FIA have made demands that must be met before the World Motor Sport Council meeting in October, relating to public access and track safety. "Failure to satisfy the conditions will lead to the exclusion of the race for the 2001 season" said an FIA statement. British officials are confident the changes will be implemented in time.

The British Grand Prix has been moved from April to May 13 for next year in the provisional 2001 schedule announced by the FIA. The Australian Grand Prix will open the season on March 4, with the Malaysian Grand Prix moving from 16th this year to second next year. The Brazilian Grand Prix becomes the third event on the calender. Eight consecutive events from the French Grand Prix onwards move one slot back on the schedule.

2001 PROVISIONAL CALENDAR
March 4  Australian GP, Melbourne
March 18 Malaysian GP, Kuala Lumpur
April 1  Brazilian GP, Sao Paulo
April 15 San Marino GP, Imola
April 29 Spanish GP, Barcelona
May 13   British GP, Silverstone
May 27   Monaco GP, Monte Carlo
June 10  Canadian GP, Montreal
June 24  European GP, Nurburgring
July 8   French GP, Magny-Cours
July 22  Austrian GP, Spielberg
Aug 5    German GP, Hockenheim
Aug 19   Hungarian GP, Budapest
Sept 2   Belgian GP, Spa-Francorchamps
Sept 16  Italian GP, Monza
Sept 30  American GP, Indianapolis
Oct 14   Japanese GP, Suzuka

Wednesday testing times: (Magny Cours)
 1 D Coulthard   GB  McLaren  1:16.72
 2 O Panis       Fr  McLaren  1:16.91
 3 R Barrichello Brz Ferrari  1:17.20
 4 M Schumacher  Ger Ferrari  1:17.35
 5 P Diniz       Brz Sauber   1:17.57
 6 H-H Frentzen  Ger Jordan   1:17.63
 7 A Wurz        Aut Benetton 1:17.81
 8 J Verstappen  Hol Arrows   1:17.82
 9 J Alesi       Fr  Prost    1:17.92
10 N Heidfeld    Ger Prost    1:18.04
11 J Button      GB  Williams 1:18.24
 

F3000:- Mario Haberfeld returned to join Fortec Motorsport at the A1 ring Official FIA International F3000 test in Austria. Haberfeld was returning to drive for the team for the first time since his horrific accident in Barcelona. He said: "I have been on a very intensive recovery plan. I have had four hours a day physiotherapy and two to three hours training. I am just looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of my car."
 
 

F.RENAULT (Croft):- Title rivals Kimi Raikkonen and Ryan Dalziel traded fastest times in testing for Sunday's race, with the Finn just coming out ahead. Dalziel's brother John, who headed the pair home in a one-two finish at Croft last year, was third.

Testing times:               mins secs
1 K Raikkonen   Fin           1:19.386
2 R Dalziel     GB            1:19.582
3 J Dalziel     GB            1:19.596
4 T Sisley      GB            1:19.762
5 C Breeze      GB            1:19.936
6 L Walker      GB            1:20.019
 
 

RENAULT CLIO CUP (Croft):- Points leader Jim Edwards Jnr headed testing for Sunday's but it was rookie Jason Templeman who caused a sensation with the second equal fastest time. Edwards' chief title rival David Buxton missed half the test because of a friend's wedding.

Testing times:               mins secs
1 J Edwards Jnr               1:32.719
2 J Templeman                 1:33.370
= R Pearson                   1:33.370
4 D Buxton                    1:33.572
5 M Jackson                   1:33.590
6 D Gibson                    1:33.776
 
 
 
 

23.06.2000

F1 (Magny Cours):-
Friday test times:
 1 M Hakkinen    Fin McLaren  1:15.575
 2 R Barrichello Brz Ferrari  1:15.577
 3 O Panis       Fr  McLaren  1:15.610
 4 M Schumacher  Ger Ferrari  1:15.895
 5 H-H Frentzen  Ger Jordan   1:15.993
 6 J Trulli      It  Jordan   1:16.095
 7 N Heidfeld    Ger Prost    1:16.457
 8 J Herbert     GB  Jaguar   1:16.633
 9 G Fisichella  It  Benetton 1:16.692
10 M Salo        Fin Sauber   1:16.738
 

BTCC (Croft):- Vauxhall's Jason Plato set down his intentions for rounds 13 and 14 this weekend with the fastest testing time. The British star recorded a time just two tenths of a second off the lap record in his Vectra. Championship leader Alain Menu was only nine hundredths of a second behind in his Mondeo with Rickard Rydell third. "It's like a local circuit for me as I grew up in Newcastle, but I've never won here and I want to put the record straight this weekend," said Plato.

Friday's testing times:      mins secs
 1 J Plato      GB  Vauxhall  1:21.241
 2 A Menu       Swi Ford      1:21.336
 3 R Rydell     Swe Ford      1:21.482
 4 A Reid       GB  Ford      1:21.622
 5 G Tarquini   It  Honda     1:21.872
 6 J Thompson   GB  Honda     1:21.910
 7 V Rad'macker Bel Vauxhall  1:22.001
 8 M Neal       GB  Nissan    1:22.173
 9 T Kristensen Den Honda     1:22.398
10 Y Muller     Fr  Vauxhall  1:23.134
 

F.RENAULT (Croft):- Title rivals Kimi Raikkonen and Ryan Dalziel traded fastest times in testing for Sunday's race, with the Finn just coming out ahead. Dalziel's brother John, who headed the pair home in a one-two finish at Croft last year, was third.

Testing times:               mins secs
1 K Raikkonen   Fin           1:19.386
2 R Dalziel     GB            1:19.582
3 J Dalziel     GB            1:19.596
4 T Sisley      GB            1:19.762
5 C Breeze      GB            1:19.936
6 L Walker      GB            1:20.019
 

RENAULT CLIO CUP (Croft):- Points leader Jim Edwards Jnr headed testing for Sunday's race but rookie Jason Templeman caused a sensation with the second equal fastest time. Edwards' chief title rival David Buxton missed half the test because of a friend's wedding.

Testing times:               mins secs
1 J Edwards Jnr               1:32.719
2 J Templeman                 1:33.370
= R Pearson                   1:33.370
4 D Buxton                    1:33.572
5 M Jackson                   1:33.590
6 D Gibson                    1:33.776
 

F.FORD:- Australian James Courtney was quickest at Silverstone in preparation for this weekend's round of the Slick 50 Ford Zetec Championship at Croft. Courtney was closely followed by Robert Dahlgren with round eight winner Anthony Davidson in third spot.

Leading times (Thu):      mins secs
1 J Courtney    Aus        1:23.194
2 R Dahlgren    Swe        1:23.663
3 A Davidson    GB         1:23.684
4 M Taylor      GB         1:23.873
5 G Catt        GB         1:24.044
6 S Hodgetts    GB         1:24.045
 

RALLYSPRINT:- Ian Gwynne aims to defend his series lead in the second round of the Loctite National Rallysprint Championship at Silverstone this Saturday. Runner-up Chris Mellors, Steve Hill and Roger Duckworth will be aiming to catch up though.
 
 
 
 
 

24.06.2000

BTCC (Croft):- Rickard Rydell claimed pole position for Sunday's feature race as Vauxhall's title challenger Yvan Muller suffered qualifying despair. Muller and team-mate Vincent Radermecker were both disqualified for weighbridge infringements and must start from the back of the grid. Rydell spearheaded a Ford one-two with Anthony Reid 0.444 seconds behind his team-mate's one minute 20.517. Honda's contingent were headed by third-placed Tom Kristensen.

Saturday's round 13 qualifying times:
(Sprint race)                mins secs
 1 R Rydell     Swe Ford      1:20.920
 2 A Reid       GB  Ford      1:20.576
 3 A Menu       Swi Ford      1:21.965
 4 T Kristensen Den Honda     1:22.276
 5 J Plato      GB  Vauxhall  1:22.392
 6 M Neal       GB  Nissan    1:22.879
 7 G Tarquini   It  Honda     1:23.715
 8 A Morrison   GB  Peugeot   1:31.352
 9 R Collard    GB  Nissan    1:34.543
10 J Kaye       GB  Honda     1:36.641

Saturday's round 14 qualifying times:
(Feature race)               mins secs
 1 R Rydell     Swe Ford      1:20.517
 2 A Reid       GB  Ford      1:20.961
 3 T Kristensen Den Honda     1:20.964
 4 M Neal       GB  Nissan    1:21.127
 5 G Tarquini   It  Honda     1:21.369
 6 J Thompson   GB  Honda     1:21.476
 7 A Menu       Swi Ford      1:21.493
 8 J Plato      GB  Vauxhall  1:21.811
 9 A Morrison   GB  Peugeot   1:39.078
10 J Kaye       GB  Honda     1:30.167
 

AUTOSPARES DUKERIES RALLY
Top 10 after 7 stages (Sat):   mins:secs
 1 M Watson    Ford Escort Cos   26:27
 2 P Littler   Ford Escort Cos   26:32
 3 B Bell      Ford Escort WRC   26:41
 4 S Winter    MG Metro 6R4      27:02
 5 R Wright    Ford Escort WRC   27:09
 6 J Perrott   Mitsubishi Lancer 27:10
 7 G Kellam    Mitsubishi Lancer 27:31
 8 R Lepley    Ford Escort       27:56
 9 G Holmes    Ford Sapphire Cos 28:30
10 M I'Anson   Mitsubishi Lancer 28:30
 

F.RENAULT (Croft):- Finland's Kimi Raikkonen led from pole to clinch his fourth win of the season and extend his championship lead. Brothers John and Ryan Dalziel followed him home. Leighton Walker finished 10th but recorded the fastest lap time.

Round seven result (Sun):  mins secs
1 K Raikkonen   Fin        13:19.125
2 J Dalziel     GB         13:21.440
3 R Dalziel     GB         13:22.490
4 D Watts       GB         13:25.439
5 T Sisley      GB         13:27.122
6 M McLoughlin  GB         13:29.836
 

RENAULT CLIO’S (Croft):- Impressive rookie Jason Templeman was denied pole position in the dying seconds by Daniel Buxton. Fastest in testing, series leader Jim Edwards Jnr had held pole until his car was damaged in a collision with another driver.

Leading qualifying times (Sat):mins secs
1 D Buxton                    1:32.156
2 J Templeman                 1:32.166
3 J Edwards Jnr               1:32.432
4 R Pearson                   1:32.456
5 M Jackson                   1:32.479
6 H Taylor                    1:32.796
 

F.FORD (Croft):- Swedish works Van Diemen driver Robert Dahlgren will be on pole on Sunday. He crashed half way through the session forcing him to sit out the rest of it but his time was good enough to give him his first pole of the year.

Leading qualifying times (Sat):
                          mins secs
1 R Dahlgren    Swe        1:22.350
2 J Courtney    Aus        1:22.632
3 A Davidson    GB         1:22.670
4 M Taylor      GB         1:22.707
5 P Gray        GB         1:23.079
6 S Hodgetts    GB         1:23.139
 
 

FORD FIESTA’S (Croft):- Scotland's Gorden Shedden is starting Sunday's race from pole. The championship leader clocked a superb lap in his 1.4-itre Zetec with just six minutes remaining. "I am confident of a good result," he said.

Leading qualifying times (Sat):
                          mins secs
1 G Shedden     Sco        1:43.408
2 N Padley      Eng        1:43.556
3 M Pinny       Eng        1:43.567
4 C Stancombe   Eng        1:43.632
5 N Beaumont    Eng        1:43.687
6 G Howell      Wal        1:43.737
 
 

LOTUS ELISE (Croft):-
Leading qualifying times (Sat):mins secs
1 M Turner                      1:27.809
2 A Wilcox                      1:27.869
3 J Tee                         1:27.925
4 B Devlin                      1:28.006
5 E Horner                      1:28.049
6 S Marsh                       1:28.186
 

RALLYSPRINT:- Ian Gwynne aims to defend his series lead in the second round of the Loctite National Rallysprint Championship at Silverstone this Saturday. Runner-up Chris Mellors, Steve Hill and Roger Duckworth will be aiming to catch up though.
 
 
 
 
 

25.06.2000

BTCC (Croft):- Rickard Rydell got his title bid back on course with a double success. The Swede put behind him the misery of Silverstone two weeks ago by converting two pole positions into victories. Rydell, disqualified at Silverstone, claimed a maximum haul of 32 points to put himself right back in contention for a second drivers' crown. After pipping team-mate Anthony Reid in the sprint, Rydell triumphed in a feature event split into two parts because of Vincent Radermecker's crash.

Sunday's round 13 finishing times:
(Sprint race)                mins secs
 1 R Rydell     Swe Ford     20:44.933
 2 A Reid       GB  Ford     20:45.916
 3 M Neal       GB  Nissan   20:46.301
 4 T Kristensen Den Honda    20:52:629
 5 A Menu       Swi Ford     20:55.775
 6 G Tarquini   It  Honda    20:56.254
 7 J Thompson   GB  Honda    20:57.343
 8 Y Muller     Fra Vauxhall 21:02.401
 9 V Rad'mecker Bel Vauxhall 21:03.928
10 A Morrison   GB  Peugeot  -one lap

Sunday's round 14 results:
(Feature race)               mins secs
 1 R Rydell     Swe Ford     13:56.193
 2 A Menu       Swi Ford     13:58.348
 3 A Reid       GB  Ford     13:58.737
 4 M Neal       GB  Nissan   14:02.016
 5 J Thompson   GB  Honda    14:02.694
 6 Y Muller     Fra Vauxhall 15:05.898
 7 J Kaye       GB  Honda    15:20.707
 8 A Morrison   GB  Peugeot  15:21.800
 9 R Collard    GB  Nissan   15:26.587
10 T Kristensen GB  Honda    -one lap
 
 

AUTOSPARES DUKERIES RALLY
Provisional result after 10 stages
                               mins:secs
 1 M Watson    Ford Escort Cos   44:35
 2 P Littler   Ford Escort Cos   44:54
 3 B Bell      Ford Escort WRC   44:59
 4 S Winter    MG Metro 6R4      45:20
 5 R Wright    Ford Escort WRC   45:25
 6 G Kellam    Mitsubishi Lancer 46:50
 7 M I'Anson   Mitsubishi Lancer 47:38
 8 G Holmes    Ford Sapphire Cos 47:55
 9 R Brammer   Ford Escort Cos   48:15
10 J Lepley    Ford Escort       48:16
 

F.RENAULT (Croft):- Finland's Kimi Raikkonen led from pole to clinch his fourth win of the season and extend his championship lead. Brothers John and Ryan Dalziel followed him home. Leighton Walker finished 10th but recorded the fastest lap time.

Round seven result (Sun):  mins secs
1 K Raikkonen   Fin        13:19.125
2 J Dalziel     GB         13:21.440
3 R Dalziel     GB         13:22.490
4 D Watts       GB         13:25.439
5 T Sisley      GB         13:27.122
6 M McLoughlin  GB         13:29.836
 

RENAULT CLIO’S (Croft):- Mat Jackson took his first win after the four drivers ahead of him, including title rivals Jim Edwards and Daniel Buxton, all spun off on lap one. Buxton recovered to finish seventh with the fastest lap while Edwards crossed the line in ninth spot.

Result (Sun):        mins secs
1 M Jackson          18:49.693
2 D Davies           18:52.427
3 H Taylor           18:53.523
4 P Sowerby          18:56.438
5 J Templeman        18:58.351
6 S Clarke           18:59.301
 

F.FORD (Croft):- Anthony Davidson notched his second win of the season in round nine. The Hemel Hempstead driver made his way up second place, before taking the lead when Robert Dahlgren spun off and was forced to retire.

Result (Sun):             mins secs
1 A Davidson    GB        20:57.915
2 M Taylor      GB        21:00.359
3 J Courtney    Aus       21:02.385
4 S Hodgetts    GB        21:02.811
5 P Gray        GB        21:03.378
6 R Goransson   Swe       21:06.324
 

RALLYSPRINT:- Ian Gwynne made it two wins in a row when he won the Loctite National Rally Sprint Championship at Silverstone after a close finish. Gwynne, driving an Impreza, snatched victory in the first leg by 8/100ths of a second from Chris Mellors. Mellors took leg two when his Escort crossed the line 2/100ths of a second ahead of his rival, before Gwynne claimed the deciding leg.
 
 
 

27.06.2000 - F1: THE FRENCH GP

Brands Hatch Leisure Group Limited have revealed that Government approval is all that is needed for Formula One to return to the circuit in 2002. The track has not hosted the British Grand Prix since 1986 but bought the rights to the event from Silverstone. Around £30m will be spent on bringing the circuit up to FIA standards after Sevenoaks District Council and Kent County Council approved the plans. "I am sure we will host the 2002 race," said Brands chief executive Rob Bain.

If Michael Schumacher's title rivals believe they can catch the championship leader they will have to ignore his excellent record in France. The German won the French Grand Prix in 1997 and 1998 for Ferrari and also doubled up for Benetton at the circuit in 1994 and 1995. He currently has a lead of 22 points but is playing down his chances of claiming his first title since 1995. Schumacher will also be chasing his sixth win of 2000 on Sunday.

Sunday's race is expected to be a close battle between Ferrari and McLaren after both teams excelled in testing in France last week. Michael Schumacher is optimistic that the Italian team can put one over on their rivals. He said: "It is a track with a bit of everything so the car has to be good in all areas. Our car has worked well on all kinds of circuits this year so I expect it to be competitive in the race."

Rubens Barrichello is still chasing that elusive first grand prix win and poor weather conditions could provide him with his best chance. "Rain always makes the race more difficult but it can also completely change the outcome, depending on the pit-stop strategy," he said. "It is a very smooth surface and it becomes very slippery when the water builds up." Last year's French race was run under a pace car for a number of laps.

David Coulthard failed to finish the 1999 French Grand Prix because of an electronics problem but he will be eyeing his first French win this year. Coulthard's challenge lasted for only nine laps last year and he was sixth in 1998 when Ferrari's Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine claimed a one-two. However, for the last two years the Scot has clocked the fastest race lap at Magny-Cours. Coulthard has already notched victories in Britain and Monaco this year.

Mika Hakkinen has never won the French Grand Prix but needs a victory on Sunday if he is to stay in touch with championship leader Michael Schumacher. He is 24 points behind his Ferrari rival and is also two points adrift of McLaren team-mate David Coulthard. Hakkinen was second at Magny-Cours last year and he was pipped to a win by Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who only made one pit stop. The current world champion has won only once this season ` in Spain in May.

Magny-Cours is one of the few circuits that Jenson Button has raced on and he will be bidding to use that knowledge to his advantage. "Unlike the previous few races, I have raced at Magny-Cours before when I was in Formula Three," he commented. "It has got a variety of corners and has a very smooth surface, which I like. I was testing here last week and learned new things about this track. We generated some good data, which we hope to put to good use."

Ralf Schumacher has not scored a point for three races but is hoping that his luck will change on Sunday. The Williams driver confirmed: "I hope for better fortune in Magny-Cours. We tested there last week and one thing I can say for sure is that my leg is no longer causing me any pain. The track surface is very smooth so ride height can be set lower. And because of the low grip level you need a car with good mechanical grip."

Eddie Irvine finished just in the points in sixth place for Ferrari last year and would love a repeat result with Jaguar this time around. Irvine revealed: "I quite like Magny-Cours, even if the place lacks atmosphere. The circuit has the smoothest track surface of the year. There are some overtaking chances and a couple of challenging corners. The weather plays an important role as the higher the temperaturesthe slower the lap time."

Johnny Herbert has hit out at reports which suggested that he was not backing his Jaguar team. He stated: "I have been quoted as saying that, among other things, the team is not moving forward. I firmly deny that I said this and it is disappointing that I was misquoted in this way. I am 100 per cent behind the Jaguar team. We are all sticking together and working hard to fnd the solutions to our problems."

Sunday's race is scheduled to last for 72 laps or 190.077 miles. Nigel Mansell still holds the lap record at the Circuit de Nevers in Magny-Cours. He set a time of one minute, 17.070 seconds for Williams in 1992 and the Briton actually won the race that year. David Coulthard set the fastest race lap last year. He clocked a time of one minute, 19.227 seconds on the eighth lap.
 
 
 
 
 

28.06.2000

F1:- Toyota have blamed the International Automobile Federation for their delayed entry into Formula One. Japan's biggest car manufacturer had planned to enter the world championship next year and were developing a 12-cylinder power unit. But the FIA ruled that only 10-cylinder engines could be used until 2008. Toyota Europe spokesman Kevin Perlmutter said: "We find it hard not to blame the FIA. The application of the ruling changed the team's plans."
 

BRITISH RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP:- A massive field of 216 cars and 432 competitors will converge on the small Berwickshire town this weekend for the SEAT Jim Clark Memorial Rally. The event forms round four of the championship and is named after the driver who was tragically killed in an F2 race at Hockenheim in April, 1968. It is also unique in its format, being the only closed public road rally allowed in mainland Britain. There are 24 special stages starting on Friday night and ending Sunday morning.

Reigning champion Tapio Laukkanen will be hoping to claim a second successive win in Duns to follow victory in the previous round, the Scottish Rally. Laukkanen and his co-driver Kaj Lindstrom romped to a 90-second victory in Duns last year and hope for a repeat after a successful test in Ireland. "We've made some major steps forward with the suspension and traction The Golf is much quicker than my Renault from last year. I am feeling quite confident," said Laukkanen.

Gwyndaf Evans revealed he has special memories of the man who is remembered in the Jim Clark Memorial Rally. The SEAT driver said: "The rally holds a lot of sentiment for me. Jim Clark was a hero of mine when I was a boy. "When we lost him, it was the first time I can recall crying for someone. Jim has a special place in my heart." The event was first held in 1970 and has been run every year since, except during the 1979 fuel crisis, and was awarded British Rally status last year.
 
 
 
 

30.06.2000

F1: THE FRENCH GP
David Coulthard has re-signed for the McLaren-Mercedes team for next year's Formula One season. The 29-year-old Scot will partner for the sixth year Finland's Mika Hakkinen, who has already been signed for 2001. McLaren took the unprecedented early decision to tie both drivers up to allow them to focus on the battle for the world championship this year. Coulthard said: "This is great news. Now I can concentrate all my efforts on the Championship."

David Coulthard roared out an early warning to Michael Schumacher as he led the way in France. He shrugged off a problem in his McLaren Mercedes to clock the fastest time in first practice. Coulthard had failed to complete a lap in the morning session after his car was hit by a fuel pump problem. He bounced back after the lunch break to displace the Ferrari of Championship leader Schumacher. Mika Hakkinen was third fastest.

Friday practice times:
 1 D Coulthard   GB  McLaren  1:16.253
 2 M Schumacher  Ger Ferrari  1:16.474
 3 M Hakkinen    Fin McLaren  1:16.687
 4 R Barrichello Brz Ferrari  1:16.757
 5 M Salo        Fin Sauber   1:17.371
 6 G Fisichella  It  Benetton 1:18.032
 7 J Trulli      It  Jordan   1:18.041
 8 N Heidfeld    Ger Prost    1:18.125
 9 R Schumacher  Ger Williams 1:18.148
10 H-H Frentzen  Ger Jordan   1:18.156
11 E Irvine      GB  Jaguar   1:18.235
12 J Alesi       Fr  Prost    1:18.262
13 J Herbert     GB  Jaguar   1:18.586
14 A Wurz        Aut Benetton 1:18.718
15 P Diniz       Brz Sauber   1:18.819
16 P de la Rosa  Sp  Arrows   1:18.862
17 J Button      GB  Williams 1:18.969
18 J Villeneuve  Can BAR      1:19.130
19 J Verstappen  Hol Arrows   1:19.550
20 M Gene        Sp  Minardi  1:19.567
21 R Zonta       Brz BAR      1:19.697
22 G Mazzacane   Arg Minardi  1:20.061

Three-time world champion Jackie Stewart believes that Eddie Irvine must take some of the responsibility for the poor performance of his Jaguar team. Irvine has secured the team's only points but Stewart said: "Eddie has got to focus more. He must spend more time on his job than he does right now. He came out of a very successful season with Ferrari and chose to come to us. He approached us." Stewart stepped down as chairman of Jaguar Racing before the season began.

Giancarlo Fisichella has revealed that he expects to stay with Benetton for the 2001 campaign. He said: "I am quite confident that I will be here next season. I would like to stay because the team is getting better, especially now with Renault. Next year we will have a much better engine. It will be easier and Flavio Briatore is doing a very good job." Briatore returned to the team in March after Renault took control from the Benetton family.

Williams driver Jenson Button believes that he will discover if he is staying with the team for the 2001 campaign in the next few weeks. Team boss Frank Williams has said that he thinks it is unlikely that target Juan Pablo Montoya will be released from his Champ Car contract. Button said: "I have not been given any indication from Frank yet. There is no deadline but hopefully I will hear something in the next two to three weeks."

Toyota have confirmed that they will enter the Formula One championship in the 2002 campaign. They are developing their own engine and chassis in a bid to run as a grand prix works team. "The 2002 competition is sure to be a fierce fight to the finish among the world's top auto-makers," said Toyota's senior managing director Akihiko Saito. "We plan to deliver to motor sport fans thrills galore right from the very start."
 

BRITISH RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP:- Jonny Milner's rally came to an abrupt when the Yorkshireman went off on stage four, Edrom. The Toyota then caught fire and the surrounding field, being very dry also went up in flames, which is visible for several miles. Both are crew members out of the car and reported to be fine. The stage has been stopped.

The SEAT Jim Clark Memorial started in Duns with a record number of crews taking part in the all tarmac event. David Higgins spun on the first Langton stage, dropping about 10 seconds. Teammate Justin Dale set fastest 1600 time on the first two stages. The hotly contested 1600 category is currently lead by Dale with Martin Rowe in the new Ford Puma in second. Mats Andersson's Proton lies in fourth with only 20 seconds splitting the top four.

LEADERBOARD after 5 of 24 stages
(interim)                    hr min sec
 1 N Wearden       Vauxhall   0:26:14.1
 2 T Laukkanen     Volkswagen 0:26:22.5
 3 M Higgins       Vauxhall   0:26:32.8
 4 J Kytolehto     Hyundai    0:26:45.5
 5 J Dale          Peugeot    0:27:25.1
 6 D Higgins       Peugeot    0:27:43.2
 7 N McShea        Citroen    0:27:50.1
 8 M Ipatti        Mitsubishi 0:27:53.4
 9 N Simpson       Mitsubishi 0:27:55.3
10 M Rowe          Ford       0:27:55.9
Subject to results from stage four
 

BRITISH F3 (Donington Park):- This weekend could mark a crucial stage in the championship, with Donington hosting a double-header. Antonio Pizzonia and Tomas Scheckter are starting to pull clear in the battle for the title. Pizzonia leads the standings after securing his third win of the season in the last race at Brands Hatch. In the scholarship class, unbeaten Gary Paffett is on course for the £125,000 end-of-season prize and could take the title this weekend.
 

BRITISH GT’S:- Calum Lockie will be bidding to retain his lead in the series in his Marcos LM600 Mantara this weekend. However, the likes of Ian Astley and Chris Ellis in their Lotus Esprit could put up a strong challenge after setting the fastest time in testing. Former British Touring Car Championship drivers John Cleland, Tim Harvey and John Leslie are also in action. BBC TV presenter Tiff Needell will join David Warnock in the Lister Storm that won last time out.
 

MGF CUP (Donington Park):- Jamie Hunter has pledged to make up for the disappointment of the last few races in round seven this weekend. Hunter was the pre-season favourite but is currently third in the series after a number of frustrating results. Alastair Lyall heads the standings but he was excluded from the Brands Hatch results a month ago after an incident that left Hunter in the gravel. That allowed Nick Carr to take over the lead, claim his first win of the season and move into second place overall.