August 2001 Motorsport News



 

04.08.2001

F1:- Mika Hakkinen has admitted that he has thought about retiring - but insists that every driver thinks about it. Speculation throughout Formula One recently suggested the former double world champion was on the verge of quitting after a disappointing season. And Hakkinen said: "I think every grand prix driver, every year, thinks about retirement. It happens. It's happened to me and to a lot of other drivers. It's a normal thing, but you look to the future and continue."
 

BTCC (Snetterton)
Sprint Race qualifying times (Sat):
                            mins secs
1 J Plato       GB  Vauxhall 1:13.131
2 P Bennett     GB  Vauxhall 1:13.176
3 Y Muller      Fr  Vauxhall 1:13.194
4 J Thompson    GB  Vauxhall 1:13.464
5 S Soper       GB  Peugeot  1:14.127
6 D Eaves       GB  Peugeot  1:14.192
7 T Erdos       Bra Lexus    1:14.465
8 T Ferrier     GB  Alfa     1:29.425

Feature Race qualifying times (Sat):
                            mins secs
1 J Plato       GB  Vauxhall 1:13.032
2 Y Muller      Fr  Vauxhall 1:13.227
3 P Bennett     GB  Vauxhall 1:13.245
4 J Thompson    GB  Vauxhall 1:13.546
5 T Erdos       Bra Lexus    1:14.176
6 D Eaves       GB  Peugeot  1:14.218
7 S Soper       GB  Peugeot  1:14.303
8 T Ferrier     GB  Alfa     1:29.059
 

F.RENAULT (Snetterton):- In torrential rain Keith Denpsey, the only driver to gamble on wet weather tyres, grabbed an amazing win. Carl Breeze slithered to second to go further ahead in the championship after rival Richard Antinucci crashed out.

Final result (Sat):    mins secs
1 K Dempsey     Irl    38:08.714
2 C Breeze      GB     38:17.387
3 M Fairuz      Mal    38:18.664
4 J Andanson    Fr     38:19.173
5 H Kovalainen  Fin    38:19.272
6 V Apple       US     38:19.882
 

RENAULT CLIO CUP (Snetterton):- Jason Templeman pipped local driver Martin Byford for pole position for Saturday night's race. His time was the fastest ever for a Clio Cup car at the track. Points leader Tim Mullen is in sixth.

Top qualifying times (Sat):mins secs
1 J Templeman   TCR       1:17.808
2 M Byford      Z-Speed   1:17.874
3 D Buxton      Sugden    1:17.989
3 T Mullen      Firstair  1:18.011
5 P Rivett      Stancombe 1:18.040
6 D Vercoe      M Gras    1:18.164
 

SPA 24 HOURS GT CHAMPIONSHIP:
Leading standings after 4 hours:
                              laps
 1 Tassin/Hezemans  Chrysler   89
 2 V D Poele/N'tti  Ferrari    88
 3 Duez/Bouchut     Chrysler   88
 4 Vosse/Clerico    Chrysler   88
 5 Burgess/Collin   Chrysler   87
 6 Dierick/Doncker  Porsche    87
 7 Ortelli/Chiesa   Chrysler   86
 8 B'dais/Goueslard Porsche    86
 9 R'telli/Quester  Porsche    86
10 Pompidou/Ickx    Porsche    86
 

AUTOBYTEL LOTUS (Snetterton):- Jon Tee claimed pole in the dying seconds of qualifying, pipping Spencer Marsh by only 6/100ths of a second. Marsh had held pole throughout, only to spin on his final lap a d let Tee through. Local Hyla Breese is third.

Qualifying times (Sat):  mins secs
1 J Tee         Lotus     1:14.302
2 S Marsh       Lotus     1:14.362
3 H Breese      Lotus     1:14.473
4 M Fullalove   Lotus     1:14.544
5 I Ashley      Lotus     1:14.893
6 M Cole        Lotus     1:14.970
 

ALMS:- Johnny Herbert has qualified in fifth place for the latest round of the American Le Mans series in Oregon. The former Grand Prix winner is driving for Audi alongside fellow Briton Andy Wallace. The factory Audi of Frank Biela and Emmanuelle Pirro are in pole. Patrick Lemarie took pole position for round four of the European Le Mans Series at Most in the Czech Republic.
 
 
 
 
 

05.08.2001

BTCC (Snetterton):- Simon Graves and James Thompson claimed a victory apiece in the two night races on Saturday. Graves produced a superb start in the sprint race but was forced to hold on at the end as he edged out Yvan Muller by just 92 thousandths of a second. Thompson finally took the feature race after a terrific battle with Vauxhall team-mates Jason Plato, Yvan Muller and Phil Bennett. Jason Plato, who had been on pole in both races, still leads the standings.

Championship leader Jason Plato was in philosophical mood after failing to win either of the night races after starting both from pole position. He said: "I had set my car up for a dry race and we had to change everything round before the feature. "That cost me three points. But James Thompson drove a great race and deserved to win." Thompson said: "I'm very pleased with my win as it hadn't been a great weekend up until then."

Sprint Race result (Sat):    mins secs
 1 S Graves      GB  Honda   24:59.964
 2 Y Muller      Fr  Vaux'hl 25:00.056
 3 J Plato       GB  Vaux'hl 25:02.738
 4 G Howell      GB  Ford    25:05.336
 5 R Collard     GB  Renault 25:07.186
 6 J Thompson    GB  Vaux'hl 25:07.461
 7 M Jackson     GB  Ford    25:14.056
 8 S Harrison    GB  Peugeot 25:15.796
 9 J Kaye        GB  Honda   25:16.893
10 M Lemmer      GB  Honda   25:25.824

Feature Race result (Sat):   mins secs
 1 J Thompson    GB  Vaux'hl 37:17.912
 2 J Plato       GB  Vaux'hl 37:19.029
 3 Y Muller      Fr  Vaux'hl 37:28.351
 4 S Soper       GB  Peugeot 38:15.112
 5 T Erdos       Brz Lexus   38:22.181
 6 P Bennett     GB  Vaux'hl 38:31.503
 7 G Howell      GB  Ford    37:41.730
 8 S Graves      GB  Honda   37:46.070
 9 M Jackson     GB  Ford    38:12.927
10 S Harrison    GB  Peugeot 38:16.677

DRIVER STANDINGS
1 J Plato      GB  Vauxhall   207 pts
2 Y Muller     Fr  Vauxhall   203
3 J Thompson   GB  Vauxhall   189
4 P Bennett    GB  Vauxhall   111
5 S Soper      GB  Peugeot     75
6 D Eaves      GB  Peugeot     53

BFGOODRICH TIRES PRODUCTION CHAMPIONSHIP
1 S Harrison   GB  Peugeot    147 pts
2 J Kaye       GB  Honda      139
3 R Moen       Nor Peugeot    116
4 M Jackson    GB  Ford       103
5 G Howell     GB  Ford        84
6 G Pyper      GB  Alfa Rom    67
 

F.RENAULT (Snetterton):- In torrential rain Keith Denpsey, the only driver to gamble on wet weather tyres, grabbed an amazing win. Carl Breeze slithered to second to go further ahead in the championship after rival Richard Antinucci crashed out.

Final result (Sat):    mins secs
1 K Dempsey     Irl    38:08.714
2 C Breeze      GB     38:17.387
3 M Fairuz      Mal    38:18.664
4 J Andanson    Fr     38:19.173
5 H Kovalainen  Fin    38:19.272
6 V Apple       US     38:19.882
 

RENAULT CLIO CUP (Snetterton):- Daniel Buxton notched his third win of of the year plus the fastest lap to move into second in the title race. Marc Nordon finished runner-up with Tim Mullen, who stretched his lead in the championship, coming third.

Result (Sat):             mins secs
1 D Buxton    Sugden      17:42.467
2 M Nordan    Bintcliffe  17:53.744
3 T Mullen    Firstair    17:53.934
3 M Davies    Bintcliffe  18:02.092
5 P Hughes    Inter UK    18:03.921
6 M Byford    Z Speed     18:05.379
 

SPA 24-HOUR GT CHAMPS:- Christophe Bouchut and Jean-Phillippe Belloc have claimed a provisional share of the FIA GT Championship drivers' championship after a comfortable win. They finished five laps ahead of the other Larbre Competition-Chereau Chrysler Viper of Sebastien Bourdais, Patrice Goueslard and Sebastien Dumez. It was Bouchut's third 24-hour race victory, having won Le Mans in 1993 and Daytona in 1995. Bouchut and Belloc's teammate Marc Duez rises to third in the standings.

Leading results after 24 hours:   laps
 1 Duez/Bouchut/Belloc    Chrysler 528
 2 B'dais/Goueslard/Dumez Chrysler 523
 3 Dierick/Decker/Dupont  Chrysler 521
 4 Vosse/Clerico/Helary   Chrysler 516
 5 R'telli/Quester/Garcia Porsche  511
 6 Ortelli/Chiesa/Sauvage Porsche  508
 7 Perrier/N'rten/Thiers  Porsche  502
 8 Belmondo/G'lin/Kumpen  Chrysler 501
 9 Daems/Longin/Severich  Chrysler 499
10 De Groodt/T'naire/P'la Porsche  499
 

AUTOBYTEL LOTUS (Snetterton):- Mark Fullalove secured his fourth win of the year in wet conditions to consolidate his championship lead. Ian Ashley secured his best finish of the year when he came second with Martin Smith taking third spot.

Result (Sat):            mins secs
1 M Fullalove   Lotus    25:36.516
2 I Ashley      Lotus    25:55.158
3 M Smith       Lotus    26:00.716
4 J Whelan      Lotus    26:02.801
5 H Breese      Lotus    26:03.136
6 C Harris      Lotus    26:12.955
 

ALMS:- David Brabham claimed pole for the Oregon round of the American Le Mans series, ending Audi's 12-race streak. The Panoz driver set the track record with a lap of 109.144mph late in the qualifying session.
 

ELMS:- Stefan Johansson and Patrick Lemarie earned their first-ever European Le Mans Series victory at Most in the Czech Republic in an Audi. They won by four laps at an average speed of over 116mph.
 
 
 
 
 

06.08.2001

BTCC:- Former World Superbike star Aaron Slight has been forced to pull out of this weekend's British Touring Car Championship races at Croft. The New Zealander - who made his debut at Donington in July - will have to sit out the two races at the Yorkshire circuit due to damage to his Peugeot. Team-mate Dan Eaves wrecked the car at Snetterton on Saturday night and it cannot be repaired in time. "Missing Croft doesn't affect my will to win," Slight said.
 

ALMS:- British duo Johnny Herbert and Andy Wallace claimed third place in the Le Mans series event in Portland on Sunday in only their second race together. They finished in third place behind David Brabham and Jan Magnussen, who ended Audi's 13-race winning streak by beating Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro. "I'm delighted," said Herbert. "Fourth two weeks ago and now on to the rostrum - I'm now aiming for the top step." The Britons finished 15 seconds behind the runners up who lost by 0.3 seconds.
 

SUDAM F3:- A 16-year-old rookie driver is the newest sensation of Brazilian auto racing and he has yet to win a race. Nelson Angelo Piquet, the son of former F1 champion Nelson Piquet, finished second in his debut race for the South American Formula 3 championship.
 
 
 
 
 

09.08.2001

F1:- Turkey want to stage a Grand Prix within the next three years, the head of their Auto Federation has said. Mumtaz Tahincioglu said: "We will realise this project in Istanbul. The FIA looks n the project favourably. "But somehow Turkey has not taken this project to heart. My aim is to take it on and overcome all obstacles." He added he was working with private sector sponsors to raise the $60m necessary to build a grand-prix circuit in the Mediterranean country.

The Toyota team finished testing at Silverstone a day ahead of schedule after problem's with the car's power steering system. Toyota's next test session is due to take place at Belgian circuit Spa from August 14-16. Minardi will conduct a test of its latest-specification PS01 chassis at Fiorano on Friday. Andrea Piccini will be at the wheel for the 50kim run at the Ferrari facility.
 

F.RENAULT (Croft):- The second day of testing saw Carl Breeze pip team-mate Mark McLoughlin to top spot by 2/100ths of a second. Malaysian Mo Fairuz was close behind and all three drivers were under the best-ever time set last year by champion Kimi Raikkonen.

Thursday's testing times:    mins:secs
1 C Breeze    GB  Motaworld  1:18.366
2 M McLough'n GB  Motaworld  1:18.389
3 M Fairuz    Mal Saxon      1:18.459
4 R Antinucci US  Manor      1:18.693
5 T Herridge  GB  Motaworld  1:18.773
6 H Koval'nen Fin Fortec     1:18.881
 
 
 
 
 

11.08.2001

F1:- Alan McNish has promised he will not just be on the grid to make up the numbers when he returns to the Formula One circuit with Toyota next season. Team chief Ove Andersson confirmed two weeks ago that McNish will partner Mika Salo and despite conflicting rumours he is confident he has got the job. "I don't have any concerns about the situation or the rumours," he said. "We're a team with serious ambitions. We're not there to make up the numbers, we want to beat the best eventually."
 

BTCC (Croft):- Jason Plato had a disappointing day as his bid to claim the title suffered a double blow. The 33-year-old was retrospectively given a 30-second penalty for an incident last week at Snetterton. Plato was demoted to third place in the race classification and he failed to net a pole position for tomorrow's 17th and 18th rounds. Bennett set the fastest qualifying time for the sprint with James Thompson clinching pole for the feature race.

Sprint race qualifying times (Sat):
                             mins secs
1 P Bennett   GB  Vauxhall    1:26.171
2 J Plato     GB  Vauxhall    1:26.280
3 Y Muller    Fr  Vauxhall    1:26.326
4 J Thompson  GB  Vauxhall    1:26.359
5 T Erdos     Brz Lexus       1:27.034
6 S Soper     GB  Peugeot     1:27.335

Feature race qualifying times (Sat):
1 J Thompson  GB  Vauxhall    1:25.920
2 Y Muller    Fr  Vauxhall    1:26.261
3 P Bennett   GB  Vauxhall    1:26.371
4 J Plato     GB  Vauxhall    1:26.391
5 T Erdos     Brz Lexus       1:27.274
6 S Soper     GB  Peugeot     1:27.305

Prod class qualifying times (Sat):
                            mins secs
1 R Moen      Nor Peugeot    1:29.882
2 S Graves    GB  Honda      1:30.222
3 S Harrison  GB  Peugeot    1:30.265
4 G Pyper     GB  Alfa Romeo 1:30.354
5 J Kaye      GB  Honda      1:30.537
6 M Lemmer    GB  Honda      1:30.645
 

CART (Mid-Ohio):- Penske Racing driver Gil de Ferran will start from pole position for Sunday's Miller Lite 200. De Ferran had the fastest lap in Saturday's qualifying, covering the course in 199.860kph. Team-mate Helio Castroneves claimed second place with his second to last lap of 198.541 kph. Patrick Carpentier in the Team Player's Reynard Ford was third with Jimmy Vasser in fourth place and Dario Franchitti in fifth.

Miller Lite 200 practice times (Fri):
                            mins secs
 1 G de Ferran   Brz Honda   1:06.151
 2 H Castroneves Brz Honda   1:06.234
 3 J Vasser      US  Toyota  1:06.788
 4 C Fittipaldi  Brz Toyota  1:06.895
 5 B Junqueira   Brz Toyota  1:06.994
 6 B Herta       US  Ford    1:07.014
 7 T Kanaan      Brz Honda   1:07.098
 8 A Zanardi     It  Honda   1:07.218
 9 C da Matta    Brz Toyota  1:07.270
10 P Carpe tier  Can Ford    1:07.274
11 D Franchitti  GB  Honda   1:07.278
 

FORMULA RALLY:- An engine fault has dealt a blow to the Volkswagen Racing UK team's hopes of participating in the rally. The problem surfaced on Thursday in pre-event testing of the new Volkswagen Polo GTI and the team has taken the decision to withdraw. The rally has been moved from Epynt to the tricky stages of the Caerwent Military Facility in Gwent. There is still no spectator access to Caerwent while the Rally Show in Singleton Park, Swansea is still on.
 

F.RENAULT (Croft):- Championship leader Carl Breeze dominated qualifying to take pole ahead of arch rival Richard Antinucci. A best-ever fifth and sixth were Tom Herridge and Matt Griffin. Leading qualifying times (Sat):
                           mins secs
1 C Breeze    GB  M'world   1:18.305
2 R Antinucci US  Manor     1:18.557
3 D Watts     GB  Falcon    1:18.722
4 T Sisley    GB  M'world   1:18.759
5 T Herridge  GB  M'world   1:18.956
6 M Griffin   Ire Manor     1:18.957
 
 

RENAULT CLIO CUP (Croft):- After seeing Marc Nordon dislodge him at the top of the times, Martin Byford responded late on to snatch pole. Points leader Tim Mullen missed qualifying due his sister's wedding and will start at the back of the grid.

Leading qualifying times (Sat):
                        mins secs
1 M Byford     Z Speed   1:32.006
2 M Nordon     B'cliffe  1:32.135
3 D Vercoe     Mardi G   1:32.143
4 D Buxton     Sugd n    1:32.241
5 V Martin     Martin    1:32.539
6 J Coffin     TCR       1:32.643
 
 

AUTOBYTEL LOTUS (Croft):- Mark Fullalove claimed pole position for Sunday's race by just 13/100ths of a second ahead of Hyla Breese. Third quickest was Jon Tee after he had suffered balance problems with his car during testing.

Leading qualifying times (Sat):
                     min secs
1 M Fullalove        1:27.607
2 H Breese           1:27.620
3 J Tee              1:27.649
4 M Cole             1:27.951
5 I Ashley           1:28.087
6 C Boon             1:28.845
 

INDY LIGHT:- Dan Wheldon made a good start to the eighth round of the CART Dayton Indy Lights Champ onship which takes place in Lexington, USA on Sunday. In the first official qualifying session Wheldon was second fastest, earning a provisional place on the front row of the grid. His best time was one minute, 14.163 seconds, and he set an average speed of 109.607mph.
 

MASTER RALLY:- Jean-Louis Schlesser won the International Master rally, coming home in front of Jutta Kleinschmidt in a time of 23 hours, 25 mins and 40 secs.
 
 
 
 
 

12.08.2001

BTTC (Croft):- Jason Plato is three-points adrift in the title race after rival Yvan Muller clinched another victory. The Frenchman survived three safety-car periods and wet conditions to clinch his eighth success in 18 rounds. The duo left the circuit with a victory and a second place each from two races. But Muller has the advantage after collecting more bonus points. Phil Bennett was given a one-race ban for sparking a barging match with several drivers in the feature race.

Round 17 (19 laps) leading times (Sun):
                            hr mins secs
1 R Moen      Nor Peugeot    31:13.568
2 J Plato     GB  Vauxhall  @    2.055
3 Y Muller    Fr  Vauxhall       2.988
4 G Pyper     GB  Alfa Romeo     4.268
5 J Thompson  GB  Vauxhall       7.045
6 J Kaye      GB  Honda          9.501

Round 18 (35 laps) leading times (Sun):
1 Y Muller    Fr  Vauxhall 1:04:53.252
2 J Plato     GB  Vauxhall  @    2.093
3 J Thompson  GB  Vauxhall       3.178
4 T Erdos     Brz Lexus          8.594
5 D Eaves     GB  Peugeot       17.499
6 J Edwards   GB  Honda         37.088
 

CART (Mid-Ohio):- Helio Castroneves has moved to second place in the points standings after his victory in the Miller Lite 200.  The Brazilian averaged 171.563 kph in his Reynard Honda and defeated Gil de Ferran by 1.568 secs.  Castroneves took the lead for the final time on the 66th lap and neither de Ferran nor third-place Patrick Carpentier could get close to him.  Castroneves is one point behind leader Kenny Brack, who finished 20th after an incident with teammate Max Papis.

Miller Lite 200 results (Sun):hr mins sec
1 H Castroneves Brz Honda  1:44.54.931
2 G de Ferran   Brz Honda  1:45:33.350
3 P Carpentier  Can Ford   1:45:34.330
4 P Tracy       Can Honda  1:45:37.108
5 T Kanaan      Brz Honda  1:45:37.937
 

FORMULA RALLY:- Justin Dale is just four points behind championship leader Martin Rowe after his Rally of Wales victory. Dale is on 22 points while Patrick Magaud, who finished in sixth overall, is third in the championship.

Round Three results:      hr mins secs
1 Dale/Bargery    Peugeot   1:46.44.3
2 Rowe/Wood       Ford      1:48.06.3
3 Brew/Christian  Peugeot   1:50.38.3
4 Jennings/McG'ty Peugeot   1:50.46.6
5 Gall'gan/M'lins Peugeot   1:50.49.1
6 Magaud/Brun     Ford      1:51.55.7
 

F.RENAULT (Croft):- Carl Breeze extended his championship lead by clinching victory and posting the fastest lap at Croft. In a red-flagged race his arch rival Richard Aninucci finished eighth.

Final placings and times:  mins secs
1 C Breeze    GB  M'world  25:21.437
2 D Watts     GB  Fortec   25:24.841
3 T Sisley    GB  M'world  25:25.582
4 K Dempsey   IRE CDR      25:30.204
5 H Kovlainen FIN Fortec   25:30.694
6 C Buncombe  GB  Manor    25:31.104
 

CLIO CUP (Croft):- Daniel Buxton took the lead after grabbing victory and setting the fastest lap from Martin Byford. Tim Mullen, who had led the series, had to retire while Paul Rivett ended up in 14th after spinning off the track.

Leading qualifying times (Sun):
                         mins secs
1 D Buxton     Sugden    18:36.944
2 M Byford     Z Speed   18:39.109
3 D Gibson     Elite     18:49.259
4 V Martin     Martin    18:50.474
5 J Coffin     TCR       18:52.843
6 S Clarke     Stancombe 18:54.494
 

AUTOBYTEL LOTUS (Croft):- Mark Fullalove secured his fifth win of the season in fine style to extend his championship lead to 52 points. Hyla Breese held off constant pressure from Brentwood's John Tee through out the race to make sure of second.

Leading qualifying times (Sat):
                     min secs
1 M Fullalove       26:37.670
2 H Breese          26:39.618
3 J Tee             26:41.416
4 S Marsh           26:50.100
5 M Cole            26:54.182
6 C Harris          27:15.649
 
 

INDY LIGHTS:- Dan Wheldon will start the eighth round of the CART Dayton Indy Lights Championship in Lexington, USA, from the front row of the starting grid. None of the four fastest drivers from Friday's first official qualifying session improved their times in Saturday's final qualifying session. Wheldon, therefore, with a time of one minute, 14.163 seconds, is good enough for second place on the grid.
 
 

F.FORD:- Steven Kane extended his Avon Tyres Junior Formula Ford Zetec Championship lead with a double win at Snetterton. His victory in the second race was hard earned after Ruben Carrapatoso, Joey Foster and Clive Piccione had all led.
 
 
 
 
 

13.08.2001 - F1

An investigation into the death of a marshal during the Australian Grand Prix last March is likely to clear organisers, claim Formula One sources. Marshal Graham Beveridge died after being struck by a flying wheel from the wreckage of a collision between Jacques Villeneuve and Ralf Schumacher. Australian newspaper The Herald Sun has claimed a confidential FIA report will clear organisers of blame. The report will not be released until an inquest has been concluded.

Jordan's new recruit Jean Alesi is in negotiations to extend his contract into next season, his manager said. Alesi was signed to replace Heinz Harald Frentzen for the remainder of the season, and has intimated that he will still be at the team in 2002. "I really think this is the impression that we have but I cannot say it's signed because it is not," Alesi's manager Mario Miyakawa said. He added that the contract could be agreed after this week's Hungarian GP.
 
 
 
 
 

15.08.2001

F1: THE HUNGARIAN GP
Giancarlo Fisichella's manager says he is weighing up his options before deciding who to race for next year. Benetton have offered him a one-year deal but he is talking with Arrows, and has had an offer from Jordan. "He is very happy to stay at Benetton because we know them well and we have emotional ties but it is only a one year offer," said Gianpaolo Matteucci. "Jordan have made a good offer but we must wait until midnight on Thursday as that is a Benetton requirement."

Michael Schumacher could clinch the drivers' crown on Sunday without even finishing on the podium. But he will be keen to take the title in style because a victory would see the Ferrari star equal Alain Prost's record of 51 wins. Schumacher leads David Coulthard by 37 points, with 50 points still available. He could finish as far down as fourth, if Coulthard does not gain any points and Ralf Schumacher is not higher than third, and still secure the title.

This season looks set to be the most one-sided campaign since Nigel Mansell ran away with the title in a Williams in Hungary in 1992. A seventh victory of the season on Sunday will definitely hand the title to Germany's Michael Schumacher - the fourth such honour of his career. And the tifosi will have a joint celebration if Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello achieve a one-two. That feat would give Ferrari the constructors' crown as well.

Championship leader Michael Schumacher is feeling refreshed after a family holiday and also ready to claim his fourth World Championship. He told Ferrari's website: "It is time that things start moving again. Mentally the break has been great. I feel very much rested and refreshed, both mentally and physically. I go into every race with the aim to win. Everything else just happens. I am counting on us being right at the front again in Budapest."

David Coulthard knows that he will need a good qualifying performance if he is to keep alive his slim chance of winning the title. He confirmed: "The Hungaroring offers limited overtaking opportunities, with the only real chance under braking at the end of the pit straight. So the qualifying session is very important. The hot weather and dusty conditions add to the challenge. We are well prepared and determined to improve on the last race."

Mika Hakkinen will be hoping to continue his resurgence in form in front of the numerous Finnish fans who will travel to Hungary. Hakkinen, who won in Hungary last season, admitted: "I am looking forward to it as it is a special race for me. With the number of enthusiastic Finns who attend each year the atmosphere is always fantastic. It is almost like my home race and I am hoping to achieve the same result as last year."

Ralf Schumacher will be targeting another victory in a bid to overtake second-placed David Coulthard in the driver standings. Williams have a good record at the Hungaroring but Schumacher said: "It is a small, narrow circuit and it is very challenging for the drivers. There is one corner after another and no time to relax and as it is usually hot it is a physically demanding race. A good car is a deciding factor and if it is hot our tyres should work well."

Juan Pablo Montoya is expecting a hot reception in Hungary. He stated "This is only my second visit to the Hungaroring. Last time in 1998 I finished third but one of the things I remember most is the heat. "You get hot driving the car as you are working all the time with no long straights to really cool down. It is a tight, slow track but a very challenging one and obviously one where a good qualifying position is important to teams."

Jordan's Jean Alesi will take part in his first race as the axed Heinz-Harald Frentzen's replacement on Sunday. Alesi was crowned Formula 3000 champion with Eddie Jordan Racing in 1989. And he said: "Jordan is not totally unknown to me as when I visited the factory a few days ago I found several photos of my 1989 car. It made me laugh because I had written 'Goodbye' on it when I left the team but I thought of taking it down and adding 'Hi guys, I am back'."

Team chief Eddie Jordan has admitted that their new driver Jean Alesi is almost like one of the family. Alesi previously drove for Jordan in the Formula 3000 Championship and Jordan said: "He came to live with me and my family in Oxford 12 years ago. It is where he learnt his English and how his friendship with my family first developed. In recent years my daughter Mikki has stayed with him in France. It was to improve her French for her GCSEs and A Levels."

Eddie Irvine gave Jaguar their first podium finish at Monaco and because the Hungary track has a lot in common with Monte Carlo he will want a repeat show. "Hungary is like Monaco without the barriers - tight, twisty and with no overtaking," he revealed. "The only difference is that there are some areas where you can pressure the other drivers into making mistakes. Securing a good grid position has not been our strong point this season and I am looking to improve that."

Benetton are hoping that the last round in Germany will prove to be the turning point of their season and lead to at least one top-six finish on Sunday. The team that gave current championship leader Michael Schumacher his first two titles in 1994 and 1995 had been suffering a miserable campaign. But engine reliability improvements led to Giancarlo Fisichella finishing in fourth place in Hockenheim. His team-mate Jenson Button was also in the points, claiming fifth spot.

Arrows driver Jos Verstappen is hoping that some improvements to the car will reap dividends at the Hungaroring. "It is a maximum downforce circuit, which so far this year has not really suited out car," he commented. "Having said that though we have some new developments for this race so we will soon see if all the hard work has paid off. I always enjoy the atmosphere at this race. The weather is usually good and the city of Budapest is beautiful."

McLaren test driver Alexander Wurz describes a lap of the circuit:- A lap of the Hungaroring starts with hard acceleration along the start-finish straight. You reach the fastest speed on the circuit, 183mph, in seventh gear as you approach turn one. The long, downhill right-hander is entered at 75mph in third gear. And it sees your speed increase as you exit in fourth gear at 135mph. Through the corner you can suffer understeer. It is crucial to ensure that you stay on the racing line as the Hungaroring is very dirty offline. A burst on the throttle along the short straight, which takes you to turn two, sees you reach 140mph in fourth before braking for the long left-hander. You take it at 60mph in second and the exit takes you into turn three. It is a sweeping right-hander and leads you on to the back straight. Working your way up through the gears you reach 175mph in sixth gear along the straight before dabbing the brakes as you enter the fastest corner. The left-hander is taken at 120mph in fourth gear before climbing uphill, reaching 140mph in fourth gear. That is on to the approach to turn five and is a long, bumpy right-hander. It is taken at 85mph in third and on the exit you push hard on the throttle. The short straight leads to the chicane of turns six and seven. Reaching 140mph in fourth gear you brake hard for the tight, right-left flick of the chicane, which is negotiated at 60mph in second. The chicane is followed immediately by turn eight, a third-gear left-hander. Taken at 80mph it leads you into the right hand of turn nine, which is negotiated at the same speed. On the exit you push hard on the throttle, accelerating through the slight left kink of turn 10 and reaching some 155mph in fifth gear. You then brake to 115mph in fourth for the right hand of turn 11. It tightens as you drive through the corner. Exiting turn 11 you reach 150mph in fourth gear along a short straight. You go down towards the downhill, right-left chicane of turn 12. On the approach to turn 13 you reach 135mph in fourth gear before braking hard fpr the slowest corner on the whole track. The long left-hander is taken at 55mph in second gear. The final right-hander, which mirrors turn one at the other end of the pit staight, is negotiated at 84mph. It is taken in third gear and takes you back on to the start-finish line.

Sunday's race is scheduled to last for 77 laps (190.227 miles). Hungary first held a grand prix in 1986 and the only country to have held their first race more recently is Malaysia. The Hungary lap record was set by Nigel Mansell in a Williams in 1992 with a time of one minute, 18.308 seconds. McLaren star Mika Hakkinen clocked the fastest lap time in last year's race. The eventual race winner set a time of one minute, 20.028 seconds.
 

ASTRA STAGES RALLY:- Pete Littler will be hoping to follow his victory last year with another win this year when the Astra Stages Rally starts on Saturday morning. However, Marcus Dodd and Roger Duckworth will also hallenge. The rally, postponed from April due to foot-and-mouth, is also a round of the ANCRO national championships. Leon Pesticcio and Howard Davies will be looking for another win in the Evolution Challenge, whih takes place concurrently with the rally.
 

RALLYING:- The future of world rally championship driver Niall McShea has been secured through a groundbreaking deal funded by a City of London investment. The fund will allow the 27-year-old to contest the remaining rounds of this year's FIA Super 1600 Championship.
 

BRITISH GT'S (Knockhill):- The challenging Scottish circuit is the venue for round 10, the first time the championship has visited the track. Mike Jordan and David Warnock lead the title race in the Lister Storm just ahead of the TVR Cerbera Speed 12 of Bobby Verdon-Roe and Michael Caine. Locals will be rooting for David Leslie who returns to share an NCK Motorsport Marcos LM600 with Andy Purvis. The GTO event will be a battle between the Porsches of Kelvin Burt/Marino Franchitti and Ed Horner/Matt Turner.

The Hayles Racing team will be hoping to start a winning streak when the series resumes on Sunday. Tim Harvey and Rob Wilson are third in the main GT category and know that the tight circuit will offer little room for overtaking. "It is an incredibly challenging circuit in a Touring Car and GTs are bigger and faster but less nimble round the tight corners," Harvey said.
 

ALMS (Mosport Park):- Johnny Herbert faces two races in six days as he bids to claim his first American Le Mans series win for Audi. Sunday's race at Mosport is followed by round six at Mid-Ohio on August 25. "I'm enjoying the challenge of learning new tracks, something I haven't had to do for a number of years," Herbert said of his American experience. "We've had a fourth and a third so there's only two other positions we're aiming for at Mosport and Mid-Ohio in the sequence."
 

F3000:- The series resumes after a three-week break, with Nordic Racing looking to get the points they need to wrap up the Team championship. Nordic driver Justin Wilson will also be pursuing his personal ambitions, as he leads the driver standings. "The break has been nice but I really want to get back into the car and continue with my championship fight," he said. "If I can qualify well I'll be looking for my third win of the season."
 

CART:- Scotland's Dario Franchitti has pledged his future to CART racing by signing a two-year contract with Team Kool Green. The 28-year-old had only signed a one- year deal for this season, fuelling speculation he could be about to move to Formula One for next year. "I'd like to try Formula One someday, and I'll only be 30 at the end of this contract," he said. Franchitti, Paul Tracy and Michael Andretti have all re-signed for the team for next season.
 
 
 
 
 

17.08.2001

F1: THE HUNGARIAN GP
Ferrari's Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello dominated Friday's practice by setting the fastest times in both the morning and afternoon sessions. Schumacher clocked the fastest lap in one minute 16.651 seconds during the second session. Mika Hakkinen, winner of the last two Hungarian races, was third in his McLaren-Mercedes. Eddie Irvine was fifth, David Coulthard 10th after damaging the underside of his car, and Jenson Button 17th.

David Coulthard paid a heavy price for a simple error in practice, but is not prepared to take all the blame. Coulthard ran wide at a corner and bounced along a raised portion of the kerb, damaging his chassis, and had to miss the second session. "I made a mistake going into the corner - I understeered wide," he said. "But there's a different type of kerb there. They are not ramped up. You just run straight into them. To have your car smashed on a kerb like that is stupid."

Friday's practice times:     mins secs
 1 M Schumacher  Ger Ferrari  1:16.651
 2 R Barrichello Brz Ferrari  1:16.734
 3 M Hakkinen    Fin McLaren  1:16.789
 4 R Schumacher  Ger Williams 1:17.308
 5 E Irvine      GB  Jaguar   1:17.308
 6 J Alesi       Fr  Jordan   1:17.862
 7 G Fisichella  It  Benetton 1:17.896
 8 N Heidfeld    Ger Sauber   1:17.928
 9 O Panis       Fr  BAR      1:17.928
10 D Coulthard   GB  McLaren  1:18.182
11 P de la Rosa  Sp  Jaguar   1:18.195
12 J Trulli      It  Jordan   1:18.277
13 JP Montoya    Col Williams 1:18.524
14 H-H Frentzen  Ger Prost    1:18.724
15 K Raikkonen   Fin Sauber   1:18.834
16 J Villeneuve  Can BAR      1:19.238
17 J Button      GB  Benetton 1:19.263
18 J Verstappen  Ned Arrows   1:19.368
19 E Bernoldi    It  Arrows   1:19.466
20 F Alonso      Sp  Minardi  1:19.992
21 L Burti       Brz Jaguar   1:20.615
22 T Marques     Brz Minardi  1:20.981

Juan Pablo Montoya has said that he is not yet ready to help Williams team-mate Ralf Schumacher move into second place in the title race. Schumacher is only seven points behind David Coulthard, who trails leader Michael Schumacher by 37 points. But Colombian Montoya said: "I am not going to help Ralf finish second. Not at this point because we are scoring points for the Constructors' Championship. But if an order is given to let him by then I will do it."
 

F3000:- Championship leader Justin Wilson confidently took pole for Saturday's 10th round in Hungary. Nordic driver Wilson clocked a stunning lap of one minute 27.695 seconds to leave the rest of the field trailing. The 22-year-old from Sheffield was almost 0.7 seconds clear of title rival Mark Webster of Super Nova Racing. Wilson, 10 points ahead of Webber, is hoping for his first victory since the fourth race of the season having come second in four of his last five races.

Qualifying times (Fri):      mins secs
 1 J Wilson      GB  Nordic   1:28.267
 2 M Webber      Aus Super N  1:28.354
 3 R Mauricio    Brz Red Bull 1:28.370
 4 S Bourdais    Fr  DAMS     1:28.515
 5 T Enge        Cz  Nordic   1:28.661
 6 P Friesacher  Aut Red Bull 1:28.674
 7 D Manning     GB  Ardon    1:28.674
 8 M Goossens    Bel Coloni   1:28.808
 9 D Saelens     Bel Minardi  1:28.871
10 A Pizzonia    Brz Petrobas 1:28.887
 

F3 (Knockhill):-
Testing times (Thu):          secs
 1 J Courtney                47.363
 2 T Sato                    47.447
 3 A Davidson                47.550
 4 A Priaulx                 47.559
 5 M Taylor                  47.669
 6 D Hayes                   47.759
 7 A Lotterer                47.792
 8 G Bruni                   47.792
 9 R Austin                  47.924
10 M Davies                  47.954
 

F.FORD (Knockhill):- Richard Goransson was quickest in testing ahead of Sunday's 10th round of the championship. Aberdeen driver Ryan Sharp gave home fans a boost in second. Championship leader Robert Dahlgren was sixth.

Testing times (Thu):            secs
1 R Goransson                  52.53
2 R Sharp                      52.56
3 R Rudholm                    52.64
4 J Heylen                     52.66
5 A Carroll                    52.75
6 R Dahlgren                   52.76
 

FORD FIESTA’S (Knockhill):- Colin Turkington was quickest in testing, ahead of championship leader Nick Padley. Padley was suffering from mechanical problems when Turkington produced his fastest effort on his final lap.

Testing times (Thu):         mins secs
1 C Turkington                1:05.271
2 N Padley                    1:05.540
3 E Murray                    1:05.913
4 C Stancombe                 1:05.927
5 A Blencowe                  1:05.967
6 M Pinny                     1:05.971
 

CART:- With eight races of the CART championship to go, the fight for the drivers' title has hotted up. After becoming the first driver to win three races this season, Kenny Brack's lead has been cut back to one point after a poor showing at Mid-Ohio. Helio Castroneves is the man lying in second place while defending champion Gil de Ferran is 14 further adrift. But Brack won't have the twists and turns of Ohio to contend with at the four-mile long Road America circuit.

Michael Andretti admits there is more pressure on him this weekend as his team sponsor also sponsor the race. The Team Motorola driver said: "There will be a little more pressure but that's good. Hopefully we can go to Road America and do a good job and make Motorola proud of Team Motorola racing. Road America is one of the most beautiful tracks in the world. It's great racing too. There's a lot of room to pass and the track is fun to drive."

Dario Franchitti will hope a return to familiar surroundings boosts his hopes. The Scot threw away a certain third place in Mid-Ohio last weekend when he spun out late but won his first CART race at Elkhart Lake in 1998. Referring to his Ohio error, he said: "It's annoying when I make a mistake like that but there are enough races and points left to challenge. Road America really suits me - it's my favorite track and we need to score major points this weekend. Period."
 
 
 
 
 

18.08.2001

F1: THE HUNGARIAN GP
Ferrari's Michael Schumacher took another step towards clinching the world championship crown by landing pole position from David Coulthard. The three-times champion dominated qualifying, leaving the Scot eight-tenths of a second behind. Schumacher's team-mate Rubens Barrichello was in third spot with Ralf Schumacher in fourth. Jaguar's Eddie Irvine and Benetton's Jenson Button will start in 14th and 17th respectively.

Ferrari's Michael Schumacher was surprised at how far ahead he was from the rest of the field after qualifying. Schumacher was eight-tenths of a second ahead of David Coulthard with Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello in third. "I am surprised. I did not think it would be that much. It was down to the perfect lap and the car honestly could not have been better," he said. "We will try and be just as calm as we were in qualifying, but I am expecting a tight, competitive race."

David Coulthard remains hopeful about his chances after joining Michael Schumacher on the front row for Sunday's race. Coulthard, who trails Schumacher in the drivers' standings by 37 points, knows he must win if he has any chance of catching the world champion. "As a driver you rely now on your start systems and as we've seen, on occasion they can go wrong," said Coulthard. "So there's still a hope that I can be leading out of the first corner."

Saturday's final qualifying times:
                             mins secs
 1 M Schumacher  Ger Ferrari  1:14.059
 2 D Coulthard   GB  McLaren  1:14.860
 3 R Barrichello Brz Ferrari  1:14.953
 4 R Schumacher  Ger Williams 1:15.095
 5 M Hakkinen    Fin McLaren  1:15.411
 6 J Trulli      It  Jordan   1:15.599
 7 N Heidfeld    Ger Sauber   1:15.739
 8 JP Montoya    Col Williams 1:15.881
 9 K Raikkonen   Fin Sauber   1:15.906
10 J Villeneuve  Can BAR      1:16.212
11 O Panis       Fr  BAR      1:16.382
12 J Alesi       Fr  Jordan   1:16.471
13 P de la Rosa  Sp  Jaguar   1:16.543
14 E Irvine      GB  Jaguar   1:16.607
15 G Fisichella  It  Benetton 1:16.632
16 H-H Frentzen  Ger Prost    1:17.196
17 J Button      GB  Benetton 1:17.535
18 F Alonso      Sp  Minardi  1:17.624
19 L Burti       Brz Prost    1:18.238
20 E Bernoldi    It  Arrows   1:18.258
21 J Verstappen  Ned Arrows   1:18.389
22 T Marques     Brz Minardi  1:19.139
 

ASTRA STAGES RALLY:- Marcus Dodd won the Astra Stages Rally coming home 46 seconds ahead of last year's winner Pete Littler. Roger Duckworth came home in third and David Mann maintained his overall lead in the ANCRO National Championship with a fourth place finish. Leon Pesticcio has been confirmed as winner of the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Championship after securing his third win in three starts. David Shuttleworth won the Clubmans Rally and Iain Freestone the Historic.

Provisional result after 11 stages
                                hrs min
 1 M Dodd      Subaru Impreza   1:12.55
 2 P Littler   Hyundai Accent   1:13.41
 3 R Duckworth Subaru Impreza   1:14.21
 4 D Mann      Subaru Impreza   1:14.35
 5 G Jones     Subaru Impreza   1:15.09
 6 R Ceen      Subaru Impreza   1:15.41
 7 R Davis     Mitsubishi Lanc  1:16.10
 8 I Joel      Escort Cosworth  1:16.26
 9 G Smith     Escort Cosworth  1:16.38
10 B Briant    Subaru Impreza   1:17.46
 
 

BRITISH GT'S (Knockhill):- Mike Jordan and David Warnock will start the 10th round from pole position for Sunday's race. Their Lister Storm set the fastest time in the first session and stayed ahead despite a major effort from Tim Harvey to get his Chrysler into contention. Harvey and Rob Wilson will take second place on the grid. In the GTO category, the Porsche of Kelvin Burt and Mario Franchitti retained pole after the second session ahead of Ed Horner and Matt Turner.

Leading qualifying times (Sat):
GT CATEGORY
1 Jordan/Warnock Lister    49.885secs
2 Harvey/Wilson  Chrysler  50.275
3 Caine/Verdon-R TVR       50.363
4 Pudwell/P'hley Stealth   51.530
GTO CATEGORY
1 F'chitti/Burt  Porsche   51.378
2 Turner/Horner  Porsche   51.821
3 Short/Barff    TVR       51.972
4 Stanton/Hyde   TVR       52.093
 

PORSCHE CUP (Knockhill):- Peter Chambers outpaced Nigel Rice to win the sprint race. Julian Wiley grabbed his first win in the class two championship.

Class 1 result:            mins secs
1 P Chambers  GT3 Cup      15:20.620
2 N Rice      GT3 Cup      15:33.692
3 B Armstrong GT3 Cup      15:41.533
4 C Rapp      GT3 Cup      15:50.807
Class 2 result:
1 J Wiley     Carrera 933   14 laps
2 G Hellier   Carrera 993   14 laps
3 K Harrison  Carrera 2RS   14 laps
4 C Heeley    944 Turbo     14 laps
 

ALMS (Mosport Park):- Johnny Herbert was third quickest in Friday's practice ahead of the race itself on Sunday. Herbert's time of one minute 10.319 seconds was bettered by Frank Biela and David Brabham. "The Audi feels really good here," Herbert said. "I think we've a great chance of victory and it would be something to repeat Stirling's win." Herbert has picked up third and fourth places so far this season and is now targeting a victory.
 

F3000 (Hungaroring):- Justin Wilson stands on the brink of clinching the championship after producing a storming performance to win his third race of the season. Wilson was never headed and finally ended his run of three successive runners-up finishes, which in turn gave Nordic Racing the team title. With two rounds left, the 22-year-old leads Mark Webber by 20 points after the Australian spun out on lap 34. "I'd like to think I now can clinch the title," Wilson said.

Round 10 result (Sat):        mins secs
 1 J Wilson    GB  Super Nova 58:00.190
 2 R Mauricio  Brz Red Bull       5.594
 3 S Bourdais  Fr  DAMS       @   8.493
 4 P Fr'sacher Aut Red Bull   @  14.528
 5 G Pantano   It  Astromega  @  16.751
 6 B Leinders  Bel KTR        @  20.927
 7 R Sperafico Brz Petrobras  @  41.352
 8 A Piccini   It  Minardi    @  43.475
 9 G Lancieri  It  Durango    @  51.127
10 A Garcia    Sp  Durango    @  56.221
 

F.FORD (Knockhill):- Richard Goransson set the quickest time in the faster of two qualifying groups to grab pole for Sunday's 10th round. Teammate Robin Rudholm was fastest in the other group and lines up alongside him on the front row.

Top six qualifying positions (Sat):
1 R Goransson    Van Diemen
2 R Rudholm      Van Diemen
3 R Sharp        Mygale
4 P Long         Van Diemen
5 G Turkington   Van Diemen
6 R Bremer       Mygale
 
 

FORD FIESTA’S (Knockhill):- Championship leader Nick Padley claimed pole position for the first of sunday's two races. Title rivals Colin Turkington and Matt Pinny took second and fourth and were split by Alan Blencowe.

Qualifying times (Sat):      mins secs
1 N Padley                    1:05.570
2 C Turkington                1:05.585
3 A Blencowe                  1:05.710
4 M Pinny                     1:05.762
5 E Murray                    1:05.797
6 C Stancombe                 1:06.040
 
 
 
 

19.08.2001

F1: THE HUNGARIAN GP
Michael Schumacher wrapped up his fourth world title and equalled the record of 51 Grand Prix wins as he led from start to finish to claim victory. Rubens Barrichello took second place to confirm the drivers' crown for Ferrari, with David Coulthard third. Ralf Schumacher took fourth from Mika Hakkinen after an exciting struggle, while Nick Heidfeld finished sixth. It was a disappointing day for Eddie Irvine and Jenson Button, who both spun out early.

Michael Schumacher's victory in Hungary and fourth world title allowed him to further rewrite the record books. The 51st race win of his career saw him equal the record number of wins which had been set by Alain Prost. He also now shares the mark of four world crowns with Prost, and now has the five world titles of Juan Manuel Fangio in his sights. The championship triumph was the quickest since Nigel Mansell sealed the crown in Hungary in 1992.

David Coulthard's hopes of taking second place were dashed by a poor second pit stop. Coulthard, who qualified second, was overtaken at the start by the Brazilian, but reclaimed second place after the first round of pit stops. However, his second stop took 9.9 seconds, which saw him rejoin the track just behind the Ferrari driver. Despite Coulthard's valiant attempts to pass Barrichello, he was forced to settle for third.

Mika Hakkinen never looked likely to follow his wins in the last two years with another victory in Hungary. However, his tussle with Ralf Schumacher for fourth spot provided some excitement in a race which saw very little overtaking. His quest came to an end when he had to make a third pit stop late on to take on more fuel, and he finished fifth. He did however have the consolation of breaking Nigel Mansell's nine-year-old lap record, posting a time of 1:16.723.

Eddie Irvine had an afternoon to forget as his race finished almost as soon as it had started. The Jaguar driver lost control of his car at turn one and ploughed into the gravel trap. It was also a disappointing day for Jenson Button, who spun and stopped on the start-finish strait after finishing 34 laps. The British driver had earlier been given a 10-second penalty for jumping the start.

Michael Schumacher found it hard to put his emotions into words after he had sealed his fourth world title. "I'm always trying to find the right words in such moments," he said. "I cannot say much more than it's been a beautiful weekend. I came here with not such a good feeling. Then we got pole and victory and I got my fourth championship and equalled Alain Prost's wins record. It's a bit too much for me to take in right now."

Michael Schumacher had high praise for his Ferrari team after wrapping up the world title, with Ferrari clinching the constructors' crown. "It's a great achievement, but the way it has been done is what makes it more so," he said. "It's fantastic because the team around me have been so good. Rubens and myself cannot believe how good these guys are. It's been so much fun to work with them. It's a great achievement and I'm so grateful to them."

Michael Schumacher acknowledged his place in history after his fourth world title and 51st grand prix win. "When I started in Formula One, all these great names were so far ahead of me, I never thought at the time of catching up with them," he said. However, he said he would not compare himself to Juan Manuel Fangio, who holds a record five world titles. "What he did is unbelievable. Look at the cars and safety now. You cannot compare the two."

Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn was delighted after seeing his team clinch the constructors' crown. "The dream continues," he said. "When we started we never have imagined that this could happen. It's just unbelievable, but they are a great group of people and it's a pleasure to work with everyone. I'm lost for words. To win the championship with four races remaining is exceptional. The car has been reliable and the drivers superb."

David Coulthard was generous in congratulating Michael Schumacher on his world championship triumph. "Michael deserves the championship, he's been consistently fast and hasn't made any mistakes," Coulthard said. "I congratulate him on that achievement and recommend that he takes a holiday for the last four grands prix. Obviously I'm disappointed that it's all over. I feel that I have improved a lot this season but we have been unable to finish races consistently."

David Coulthard admitted that his chances of success were hit when Rubens Barrichello passed him at the start. "Rubens passed me very easily," Coulthard said. "I knew it would be difficult from then on. The start is so crucial in Hungary as it's virtually impossible to overtake on the circuit. There was a problem with the nozzle in my second pit-stop and I lost a bit of time which meant that Rubens took second," he added.

Mika Hakkinen was held up early on by Jarno Trulli and then fought an ultimately unsuccessful battle with Ralf Schumacher for fourth. "My first and second pit stops were excellent but we changed the strategy so I only took a little fuel in the second to try and overtake," he said. "Unfortunately it didn't work because overtaking is impossible if the driver ahead doesn't make a mistake. The lap record is a small consolation for my efforts."

Williams picked up three points but both their drivers felt it had been a difficult weekend. "That was the toughest race of the year," said fourth-placed Ralf Schumacher. "I was constantly fighting both oversteer and understeer. I had to work hard to defend my position against Mika Hakkinen." Juan Pablo Montoya, who was eighth, said: "The car felt bad from the beginning to the end but I was determined to finish."

Eddie Irvine took full responsibility for spinning out at the start. "That's probably one of the shortest races ever for me," he said. "It was my fault completely. I was running down the dusty side of the track and simply went into turn one too fast. The back end of the car spun round but I couldn't catch it in time. It was a disappointing weekend from the minute we arrived. I couldn't get the best out of the car and starting from 14th was always a tall order."

Eddie Jordan was disappointed after seeing Jarno Trulli slipping from fifth to 10th before retiring and Jean Alesi coming home in 10th place. "Having qualified so well, we again under-performed in the race," he said. "It was due to a combination of poor car performance and the refuelling problem where we let Jarno down. We can be pleased with Jean's 10th place. We have a lot of work to do if we are to obtain the crucial points we need in the last four races."

Result after 77 laps:         hr min sec
 1 M Schumacher  Ger Ferrari  1:41.49.68
 2 R Barrichello Brz Ferrari  1:41.53.04
 3 D Coulthard   GB  McLaren  1:41.53.62
 4 R Schumacher  Ger Williams 1:42.39.36
 5 M Hakkinen    Fin McLaren  1:42.59.97
 6 N Heidfeld    Ger Sauber     one lap
 7 K Raikkonen   Fin Sauber     one lap
 8 JP Montoya    Col Williams   one lap
 9 J Villeneuve  Can BAR       two laps
10 J Alesi       Fr  Jordan    two laps
11 P da la Rosa  Sp  Jaguar  three laps
12 J Verstappen  Ned Arrows  three laps
DID NOT FINISH            Laps Completed
   G Fisichella  It  Benetton   67
   H-H Frentzen  Ger Prost      63
   T Marques     Brz Minardi    63
   O Panis       Fr  BAR        58
   J Trulli      It  Jordan     53
   F Alonso      Sp  Minardi    37
   J Button      GB  Benetton   34
   E Bernoldi    Brz Arrows     11
   L Burti       Brz Prost       8
   E Irvine      GB  Jaguar      0

DRIVER STANDINGS
 1 M Schumacher  Ger  Ferrari   94 pts
 2 D Coulthard   GB   McLaren   51
 3 R Barrichello Brz  Ferrari   46
 4 R Schumacher  Ger  Williams  44
 5 M Hakkinen    Fin  McLaren   21
 6 J-P Montoya   Col  Williams  15
 7 J Villeneuve  Can  BAR       11
 = N Heidfeld    Ger  Sauber    11
 9 J Trulli      It   Jordan     9
 = K Raikkonen   Fin  Sauber     9
11 HH Frentzen   Ger  Jord/Prost 6
12 O Panis       Fr   BAR        5
13 E Irvine      GB   Jaguar     4
== G Fisichella  It   Benetton   4
== J Alesi       Fr   Prost/Jord 4
16 J Button      GB   Benetton   2
17 J Verstappen  Ned  Arrows     1
== P de la Rosa  Sp   Jaguar     1

CONSTRUCTORS' STANDINGS
1 Ferrari      140 pts
2 McLaren       72
3 Williams      59
4 Sauber        20
5 BAR           16
6 Jordan        15
7 Benetton       6
8 Jaguar         5
9 Prost          4
= Arrows         1
 
 

BRITISH GT'S (Knockhill):- Tim Harvey and Rob Wilson mastered the wet conditions to win Sunday's race. The GTO Porsche of Marino Franchitti and Kelvin Burt was second overall.

GT CATEGORY                mins secs
1 Harvey/Wilson  Chrysler  47:26.388
2 Jordan/Warnock Lister    47:38.201
3 Purvis/Leslie  Marcos    47:59.258
4 V-Roe/Caine    TVR       42 laps
GTO CATEGORY
1 F'chitti/Burt  Porsche   47:38.201
2 Turner/Horner  Porsche   48:09.519
3 Sugden/k'field Porsche   48:20.671
4 Short/Barff    TVR       42 laps
 

PORSCHE CUP (Knockhill):- Peter Chambers completed a perfect weekend when he won the feature race to back up his win in Saturday's sprint.  In wet conditions, he outpaced Nigel Rice and Barbara Armstrong.

Class 1 result:            mins secs
1 P Chambers  GT3 Cup      22:16.222
2 N Rice      GT3 Cup      22:20.757
3 B Armstrong GT3 Cup      22:23.944
4 A Slater    GT3 Cup      22:42.907
Class 2 result:
1 C Heeley    944 Turbo     21 laps
2 J Wiley     Carrera 933   21 laps
3 K Harrison  Carrera 2RS   21 laps
4 D Ellis     944 Turbo     21 laps
 

ALMS (Mosport Park):- British duo Johnny Herbert and Andy Wallace start the fifth round of the series from a disappointing fourth place on the 25-car grid. The duo had been consistently inside the top three in time trial over the past two days but suffered technical problems during qualifying. Wallace set a fastest time of 1 minute 9.729 seconds - almost four tenths of a second slower than he managed earlier. "In qualifying, the Audi suffered from a handling problem," said Wallace.
 

FORD FIESTA’S (Knockhill):- Colin Turkington took his fifth win of the series in the first of two races. Championship leader Nick Padley had looked set for the victory but lost time overtaking the backmarkers.

Result after 20 laps (Sun):  mins:secs
1 C Turkington               24:25.447
2 N Padley                   24:28.351
3 M Pinny                    24:40.105
4 E Murray                   24:45.599
5 A Blencowe                 24:45.947
6 C Stancombe                24:46.354
 

F.FORD (Knockhill):- American Patrick Long took victory to move into the lead of the Championship for the first time. Long moved into the lead on the first lap of the rain-soaked circuit and was never overtaken.

Result after 24 laps (Sun):  mins secs
1 P Long                     28:02.428
2 R Bremer                   28:02.787
3 G Turkington               28:04.753
4 T Rodgers                  28:05.506
5 A van der Merwe            28:05.869
6 L Hines                    28:06.751
 

CART (Elkart Lake):- Championship leader Kenny Brack took pole for Sunday's race after a rainy qualifying session. He posted a time of two minutes, 3.531 seconds to edge out Alex Tagliani and New Zealand rookie Scott Dixon. "We weren't so fast as the Penskes for most of the sessions, but we're a top-three or -four car, for sure," he said. Dario Franchitti, who took pole last year, spun off during the session, causing the red flag to come out. He eventually finished 25th.

Qualifying times (Sat):
 1 K Brack    Ford Lola     123.531secs
 2 A Tagliani Ford Reynard  123.674
 3 S Dixon    Toyota R'nard 124.631
 4 G de F'ran Honda Reynard 124.909
 5 C da Matta Toyota Lola   126.001
 6 H C'neves  Honda Reynard 126.042
 7 M Andretti Honda Reynard 126.572
 8 M Gidley   Toyota Lola   126.865
 9 C F'paldi  Toyota Lola   127.084
10 B J'queira Toyota Lola   127.422
25 D F'chitti Honda Reynard 142.978
 
 
 
 
 

22.08.2001

F1:- Benetton's Giancarlo Fisichella has agreed a three-year deal with Jordan from the 2002 campaign. He drove for Jordan in 1997 and secured two podium finishes ` third place in Canada and second spot in Belgium. Team boss Eddie Jordan said: "Planning for the long-term future is vital and stability and continuity are the key to success." Fisichella will trade places with Jarno Trulli because Benetton have an option on the current Jordan driver.

Mika Hakkinen is set to stay at McLaren next year, the double F1 champion's manager Keke Rosberg has said. "I would not be on a holiday if there was something unclear in Mika Hakkinen's agreement with McLaren," he told the Finnish paper Iltalehti. "The fact that McLaren have not published their continuation agreement with Mika has nothing to do with Mika." Rosberg said it was the team's job to make it public when it felt the time was ripe.

Malaysian Alex Yoong says he is ready for Formula One and hopes he could yet make his race debut for Minardi in Belgium next week. Much depends on a two-day test starting on Thursday but Yoong brushes off those who dismiss him as another driver who been smoothed by sponsorship cash. "I am bringing sponsorship to the team but every driver brings sponsorship, no matter how good you are," he said. "Give me the opportunity and that's all I'm looking for here at the moment."

F1 TESTING (Silverstone):
Wednesday's times:          mins secs
1 M Hakkinen    Fin McLaren  1:21.755
2 E Irvine      GB  Jaguar   1:22.500
3 A Wurz        Aut McLaren  1:23.498
4 P de la Rosa  Sp  Jaguar   1:24.386
5 J Verstappen  Ned Arrows   1:25.334
6 E Bernoldi    Brz Ferrari  1:25.578

F1 TESTING (Barcelona):
1 J Button      GB  Benetton 1:20.9
2 M Webber      Aus Benetton 1:22.8
 

BTCC:- With four race weekends of the season to go, the action is hotting up as the championship goes to Oulton Park for the second time this year on Sunday. Yvan Muller took two pole positions and two wins at the venue earlier this year, but is taking nothing for granted with Jason Plato three points adrift. Each Vauxhall driver picked up a first and second place in their class last time out at Croft. James Thompson is also still in the title frame, 21 points behind Muller.

Yvan Muller will carry the memory of two wins at Oulton Park this season into Sunday's races, but knows the circumstances are now different. "Not only do I now carry maximum success ballast but the compulsory 30kgs imposed on all Astra Coupes wasn't a factor last time," he said. "That obviously means the balance and set-ups will be different." Championship rival Jason Plato said: "All I have to do is put in some good testing and put it on pole."

Egg Sport driver Phil Bennett was given a one-race ban following the last round at Croft, and Formula 3 driver Andy Priaulx comes in to replace him. "I'm thrilled to have got this one-off deal," Priaulx said. "The BTCC is the UK's premier sports car racing series. I've got two 45-minute sessions to get to grips with the car before qualifying and am keen not to let the team down.” Meanwhile, Tiff Needell competes for the Team Kaliber Sport with Barnwell team, replacing Simon Graves.

Tom Boardman returns to the scene of his best touring car performance so far this season hoping for further success. The 17-year-old finished fourth at Oulton Park in May. "I think I've come on a lot since we were at Oulton," he said. "I'm learning all the time about how to race with these guys. I need to start scoring points. We've had a lean spell with too many non-finishes. A podium finish is a definite possibility in the last eight races."
 

RALLY FINLAND:- Finland plays host to round nine of the World Championship, with home favourite Tommi Makinen aiming to extend his lead in the series. The event, which runs from Friday to Sunday, is the fastest on the calendar and locals affectionately call it the Jyvaskyla Grand Prix. But slight alterations have been made to make this year's Rally Finland the most compact in its 51-year history. Competitors face 21 stages in all, with a total route of 1678.26km.

Colin McRae wil be hoping to boost his title hopes by claiming his first win in Finland. The Scot regards a Finnish triumph as the one major achievement missing from his career. McRae, who is 10 points behind leader Tommi Makinen, said: "Finland would be nice but it is a tough target. You enter so many of the corners blind - unable to see the exit - that previous experience and knowledge provides a hugh advantage."

Carlos Sainz is one of only two drivers from outside the Nordic countries to have won in Finland. Sainz, who is currently third overall, won the event in 1990 and he admitted: "The rally is very demanding and knowledge of the roads is important. They are wide and fast - real drivers' conditions - and it is satisfying when you finish a stage knowing you have driven as well as you can. It is a big challenge and also an enjoyable one."

Subaru are aiming to run three cars in Rally Finland. Briton Richard Burns and Petter Solberg are nominated to score manufacturer points, while Markko Martin will drive a third car to gain experience. Burns told the Subaru website: "After a disappointing time in Kenya I am looking for a top-three result. It is one of my two favourite events of the year. And the high speeds and the competition should make it an excellent rally."

Hyundai have drafted in four-time world champion Juha Kankkunen in a bid to boost their points hopes. He will join regular drivers Kenneth Eriksson and Alister McRae and has won Rally Finland on three occasions. After his first outing in the Accent WRC, Kankkunen stated: "I was genuinely surprised at how good the car is. We have tried everything so we can get to know the limits the Accent can be pushed to. Considering it is still very new it is a great package."

Wilmslow's Natalie Barratt has added Finland and New Zealand in September to her agenda for this season. The 26-year-old Mitsubishi UK-supported driver has already contested rounds of the World Championship in Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Cyprus and Greece. She commented: "I am looking forward to returning to Finland because the stages are fast and flowing. New Zealand will be great. The drivers who have been there say the stages are some of the best in the world."

Britain's only FIA Super 1600 Championship competitor Niall McShea is hopeful that he can ear a good result. He was delighted with the performance of his Willy-Lux run Citroen Saxo in a pre-event test last week. "The car was fantastic," he enthused. "The power is good but the most impressive aspect of the engine is the torque it gives." He has claimed funding for the remaining rounds of the series through a City of London investment.
 

NASCAR:- A six-month investigation concluded that a broken seat belt was one of many factors that contributed to the death of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt. The seat belt, a collision with another car and the impact with which his car hit a wall, all played a role in his death at the Daytona 500 in February. Earnhardt was not wearing a head and neck device when he suffered a skull fracture in the crash. But NASCAR will not require drivers to wear head and neck restraints.
 

CLIO CUP (Oulton Park):- Daniel Buxton set the fastest Clio Cup lap at Oulton Park in a testing session ahead of Sunday's round 10. The Cheshire driver is chasing his fifth win to increase his lead over rival Tim Mullen.

Testing times (Wed):      mins secs
1 D Buxton     Sugden      1:33.736
2 T Mullen     Firstair    1:33.983
3 M Byford     Z Speed     1:33.999
4 J Templeman  TCR         1:34.333
5 D Vercoe     Mardi Gras  1:34.654
6 P Rivett     Stancombe   1:34.837
 

F.RENAULT (Oulton Park):- Mark McLoughlin headed the testing times for Sunday's round nine. McLoughlin, who is still looking for his first win of 2001, averaged a speed of 107.08mph.

Testing times (Wed):      mins secs
1 M McLoughlin     GB      1:19.404
2 C Breeze         GB      1:19.699
3 R Antinucci      US      1:19.968
4 T Sisley         GB      1:20.000
5 H Kovalainen     Fin     1:20.188
6 D Watts          GB      1:20.259
 
 
 
 
 

24.08.2001

F1:- Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has said that there is no move to scrap the French Grand Prix, despite plans to drop some races from the calendar. In a statement issued by the FIA, he insisted: "There is no proposal to remove the French Grand Prix. I cannot imagine the Championship being without its oldest and most prestigious event." Proposals for Middle East and Russian races mean that two or three European grands prix may be dropped.

Jaguar boss Bobby Rahal has left his position of chief executive officer and team principal with the team. Niki Lauda, who is the chief executive officer of the premier performance division, will take over his duties. The mutual decision follows a poor season from Jaguar and after allegations that Rahal offered driver Eddie Irvine to Jordan. Rahal will return to his business interests in the US and maintain his relationship with Ford in America.
 

RALLY FINLAND:- Britain's Richard Burns is in pole position after taking the lead after a commanding drive in his Subaru. Over the nine stages Burns has been a constant thorn in the flesh of reigning champion, and last year's Finland winner, Marcus Gronholm. Rarely more than a handful of seconds adrift, Burns reeled in the Peugeot ace and passed him with one stage to go. Colin McRae finished in sixth place but championship leader Tommi Makinen crashed out in the first stage.

Leading positions after 9 stages:
                            hr min sec
 1 R Burns     GB  Subaru    1:06.12.1
 2 M Gronholm  Fin Peugeot      @  3.5
 3 M Martin    Est Subaru       @ 13.6
 4 D Auriol    Fr  Peugeot      @ 29.0
 5 H Rovanpera Fin Peugeot      @ 35.1
 6 C McRae     GB  Ford         @ 43.0
 7 P Solberg   Nor Subaru       @ 49.8
 8 J Paasonen  Fin Ford         @ 51.1
 9 C Sainz     Sp  Ford         @ 57.7
10 J Kankkunen Fin Hyundai    @ 1.11.2
   T Makinen retired on first stage
 

INDY LIGHTS:- Britain's Dan Wheldon goes into Sunday's ninth round with the title still in his sights. He is currently in third place in the series on 83 points but with four races remaining and 88 points up for grabs he will be bidding to close the gap. "I finished second in the last race and I am confident of good results in the remaining races this year," he said. Next year Wheldon is hoping to move up into North America's top single-seater category, the CART Championship.
 

AUTOBYTEL LOTUS (Oulton Park):- Hyla Breese set the fastest time in testing for round 10 with newcomer Keiichi Tsuchiya in second place. Third quickest was Jon Tee with Ian Ashley, who made his first visit to the podium in round eight at Snetterton this year, in fourth place.

Leading testing times (Fri):
                      mins secs
1 H Breese             1:38.832
2 K Tsuchiya           1:40.188
3 J Tee                1:40.202
4 I Ashley             1:40.324
5 N Hattori            1:40.362
6 M Smith              1:40.422
 

RALLYING:- Colin McRae will take a break from the World Rally Championship by driving a Ford Puma Super 1600 car on the Speyside Stages Rally in Scotland. McRae will run the Puma as a course car in the September 1 event and will not be eligible to win it. Steve Petch, the reigning Mintex National Rally Champion, will make his competition debut in a Hyundai Accent WRC on Sunday. He will be at the National RallySprint Championship at Silverstone.
 
 
 
 

25.08.2001

F1:- Ken Tyrrell, who founded the Tyrrell team in 1970, has died aged 77. Tyrrell retired from the sport in February 1998, just four months after the Tyrrell racing organisation was bought out by British American Racing. Sir Jackie Stewart drove for the team, using a single-seater racing car for the first time in Formula Three in 1964, and stayed with them until 1973. Other drivers to have raced for the team include Mark Blundell, now in CART, and Jean Alesi.

Sir Jackie Stewart has heaped fulsome praise on Ken Tyrrell, who has died at the age of 77. "Ken was the most important person in my life outside my family. Without Ken Tyrrell, I would not be where I am today," he said. "His influence on my driving career was enormous. He was so much more than the team owner and team manager, he was like a father. Ken masterminded my success and in his time he was simply the best."
 

BTCC (Oulton Park):- The qualifying session produced a new pole sitter as Phil Bennett's replacement Andy Priaulx, took double pole for Sunday's rounds 19 and 20. Priaulx, who is generally more at home in his F3 single-seater, qualified two tenths of a second ahead of championship leader Yvan Muller. He went top to pip Muller's team-mate Jason Plato in the Feature race. "Double pole is fantastic but I have three good drivers to make a reference against," said a delighted Priaulx.

ROUND 19: Qualifying times  mins secs
 1 A Priaulx  GB  Vauxhall   1:28.047
 2 Y Muller   Fr  Vauxhall   1:28.267
 3 J Plato    GB  Vauxhall   1:28.341
 4 J Thompson GB  Vauxhall   1:28.413
 5 S Soper    GB  Peugeot    1:28.559
 6 D Eaves    GB  Peugeot    1:29.501
 7 T Harvey   GB  Alfa R     1:29.766
 8 T Erdos    GB  Lexus      1:30.320
 9 M Blair    GB  Alfa R     1:32.608

ROUND 20: Qualifying times  mins secs
 1 A Priaulx  GB  Vauxhall   1:27.968
 2 J Plato    GB  Vauxhall   1:28.395
 3 Y Muller   Fr  Vauxhall   1:28.439
 4 S Soper    GB  Peugeot    1:28.659
 5 J Thompson GB  Vauxhall   1:28.727
 6 D Eaves    GB  Peugeot    1:29.262
 7 T Harvey   GB  Alfa R     1:29.733
 8 T Erdos    GB  Lexus      1:30.341
 9 M Blair    GB  Alfa R     1:32.149
 

RALLY FINLAND:- World champion Marcus Gronholm is closing in on his first win of the season after ending the penultimate leg with a 14.2-second lead. Gronholm held off the determined challenge of Peugeot team-mate and fellow Finn Harri Rovanpera. Overnight leader Richard Burns dropped to third place, 38.3 seconds adrift of Gronholm, after he suffered punctures. Colin McRae, aiming to reduce Tommi Makinen's 10-point championship lead, moved up two places to fourth.

Leading positions after 18 stages:
                            hr min sec
 1 M Gronholm  Fin Peugeot   2:35.24.0
 2 H Rovanpera Fin Peugeot      @ 14.2
 3 R Burns     GB  Subaru       @ 38.3
 4 C McRae     GB  Ford         @ 42.0
 5 M Martin    Est Subaru     @ 1.07.3
 6 C Sainz     Sp  Ford       @ 1.27.4
 7 S Lindholm  Fin Peugeot    @ 2.23.9
 8 P Solberg   Nor Subaru     @ 2.26.7
 9 J Pykalisto Fin Toyota     @ 3.30.5
10 A McRae     GB  Hyundai    @ 3.36.4
   T Makinen retired on first stage
 

AUTOBYTEL LOTUS (Oulton Park):- Mark Cole claimed his second pole of the season with championship leader Mark Fullalove taking second place. Australian Hyla Breese was third fastest with Jon Tee coming fourth and Martyn Smith finishing fifth.

Leading qualifying times (Sat):
                      mins secs
1 M Cole               1:30.428
2 M Fullalove          1:30.513
3 H Breese             1:30.549
4 J Tee                1:30.607
5 M Smith              1:30.702
6 N Hattori            1:30.747
 

CLIO CUP (Oulton Park):- Martin Byford stole pole position from Duncan Vercoe with a late surge in Saturday's qualifying. Local hero and series leader Duncan Vercoe was a disappointing fifth after heading mid-week testing.

Leading qualifying times (Sat):
                         mins secs
1 M Byford     Z Speed    1:33.721
2 D Vercoe     Mardi G    1:33.854
3 T Mullen     Firstair   1:33.886
4 J Templeman  TCR        1:33.942
5 D Buxton     Sugden     1:34.028
6 P Rivett     Stancombe  1:34.229
 

F.RENAULT (Oulton Park):- Carl Breeze saw his title hopes jump as he took pole position, with title rivals Richard Antinucci fifth and Danny Watts seventh. Chris Buncombe produced his best ever qualifying performance, posting the fifth fastest time.

Qualifying times (Sat):mins secs
1 C Breeze             1:19.868
2 M McLoughlin         1:19.915
3 T Sisley             1:19.920
4 H Kovalainen         1:19.990
5 C Buncombe           1:20.365
6 T Herridge           1:20.544
 

ALMS (Mid Ohio):- Johnny Herbert begins Saturday's latest round of the series from fourth place on the grid. He clocked a time of one minute 15.291 seconds in his Audi R8 and will be hoping for good fortune after crashing out of last Sunday's race. "We had a good feeling in the wet during tests on Thursday," he said. "Qualifying was held in the dry and I'm very happy with the balance of the R8 we have for the race. Now we have to be consistent," he added.
 
 
 
 
 

26.08.2001

BTCC (Oulton Park):- Andy Priaulx learned a harsh lesson about the skills of driving touring cars as he was pipped for victory in his first British Championship race. Priaulx, deputising for suspended Phil Bennett, began the sprint from pole after a fine qualifying performance. But his chances of victory were dealt a huge blow after a poor start as he was passed by Yvan Muller. Muller hung on to win by 0.543 seconds with Priaulx second and Jason Plato finishing in third place.

Round 19 result (Sun):      mins secs
 1 Y Muller   Fr  Vauxhall  23:17.898
 2 A Priaulx  GB  Vauxhall  @   0.543
 3 J Plato    GB  Vauxhall  @   2.534
 4 J Thompson GB  Vauxhall  @  12.875
 5 R Moen     Nor Peugeot   @  18.004
 6 S Harrison GB  Peugeot   @  19.638
 7 G Pyper    GB  Alfa R    @  22.734
 8 T Harvey   GB  Peugeot   @  23.495
 9 D Eaves    GB  Peugeot   @  25.959
10 M Jackson  GB  Ford      @  29.847
 

RALLY FINLAND:- Current world champion Marcus Gronholm ended a nine-month period without a win by clinching victory on home turf. Richard Burns was second, while fellow Briton Colin McRae boosted his title hopes by taking third place. Tommi Makinen, who was forced to retire on the first stage of the ninth round, has retained his lead in the Championship standings. Harri Rovanpera, meanwhile, dropped two places to fourth in his Peugoet on the final stage.

Richard Burns spoke of his joy at participating in the event despite having to settle for second place. Burns, who ended the rally behind world champion Marcus Gronholm, said: "I love the event. "They've cut out my favourite stage which is a shame but otherwise it's a great 'drivers' event." Burns and Colin McRae, who finished third, still hope to further close the gap on championship leader Tommi Makinen, who crashed out on day one.

Final positions after 21 stages:
                            hr min sec
 1 M Gronholm  Fin Peugeot   3:23.12.8
 2 R Burns     GB  Subaru       @ 25.0
 3 C McRae     GB  Ford         @ 32.3
 4 H Rovanpera Fin Peugeot      @ 33.9
 5 M Martin    Est Subaru     @ 1.17.9
 6 C Sainz     Sp  Ford       @ 1.40.5
 7 P Solberg   Nor Subaru     @ 2.39.6
 8 S Lindholm  Fin Peugeot    @ 2.44.6
 9 P Hagstrom  Fin Toyota     @ 5.01.2
10 F Loix      Bel Toyota     @ 5.05.4
13 A McRae     GB  Hyundai    @ 7.26.6

DRIVER STANDINGS
1 T Makinen      Fin  Mitsubishi 40pts
2 C McRae        GB   Ford       34
3 C Sainz        Sp   Ford       27
4 H Rovanpera    Fin  Peugeot    23
5 R Burns        GB   Subaru     21
6 M Gronholm     Fin  Peugeot    14
= F Delecour     Fr   Ford       14

MANUFACTURER STANDINGS
1 Ford           66pts
= Mitsubishi     66
3 Peugeot        39
4 Subaru         35
5 Skoda          15
6 Hyundai        10
 
 

ALMS (Mid Ohio):- Johnny Herbert and Andy Wallace came home in fifth place in the sixth round of the Le Mans Series, having started on the second row of the grid. Wallace drove first and they slipped back to sixth place and despite a stop- go penalty for a pit lane infringement, they got up to fifth place. Jan Magnussen and David Brabham won after pole-starters Rinaldo Capello and Tom Kristensen had led for a long time. They were penalised for overtaking the course car and that cost them dear.
 

AUTOBYTEL LOTUS (Oulton Park):- Mark Fullalove secured the championship title in superb fashion after finishing second in a thrilling tussle. Mark Cole, who was on pole, won the race by just two tenths of a second with Hyla Breese coming third.

Result (Sun):         mins secs
1 M Cole              25:53.618
2 M Fullalove         25:53.883
3 H Breese            25:54.339
4 J Tee               25:54.940
5 K Tsuchiya          26:13.735
6 C Harris            26:23.953
 

CLIO CUP (Oulton Park):- Points leader Daniel Buxton grabbed the win in an amazingly close finish.  Martin Byford, who led for much of the race, took second, but Duncan Vercoe and Paul Rivett crashed out.

Result (Sun):            mins secs
1 D Buxton     Sugden    29:59.228
2 M Byford     Z Speed   29:59.413
3 T Mullen     Firstair  29:59.619
4 J Templeman  TCR       30:00.138
5 A Lyall      Tracsport 30:00.471
6 J Coffin     TCR       30:03.048
 

F.RENAULT (Oulton Park):- Carl Breeze increased his lead in the series by securing his fourth victory of the campaign. He survived a first-corner bang of wheels with Mark McLoughlin who, in trying to take the lead, spun and crashed out.

Sunday's race result:  mins secs
1 C Breeze       GB    24:19.902
2 H Kovalainen   Fin   24:22.961
3 T Sisley       GB    24:25.337
4 R Antinucci    US    24:26.389
5 T Herridge     GB    24:34.218
6 C Buncombe     GB    24:34.696
 
 

EUROPEAN TOURING CARS (A-1 Ring):-
Race 1 result (Sun):         mins secs
 1 G Tarquini    It  Honda   19:35.658
 2 F Giovanardi  It  Alfa R  19:36.779
 3 F Walfisch    Fr  Honda   19.43.341
 4 R Colciago    It  Audi    19.46.958
 5 G De Lorenzi  It  BMW     19:55.905
 6 S Sardelli    It  Nissan  19:56.565
 7 A Lancellotti It  Alfa R  20:07.305
 8 R Bernardoni  It  It      20:10.507
 9 P Zadra       It  BMW     20:19.236
10 E Cayrolle    Fr  BMW     20:21.459

Race 2 result:               mins secs
 1 G Tarquini    It  Honda   19:49.779
 2 N Larini      It  Alfa R  19:52.048
 3 F Giovanardi  It  Alfa R  19:54.117
 4 F Walfisch    Fr  Honda   20.02.966
 5 G De Lorenzi  It  BMW     20:10.642
 6 P Zadra       It  BMW     20:26.287
 7 S Valli       SM  BMW     20:27.869
 8 M Lempinen    Fin Audi    20.30.862
 9 H Symanzick   Ger Alfa R  20:37.321
10 A Lancellotti It  Alfa R  20:39.340

Standings after 14 rounds:
1 Giovanardi  449pts
2 Larini      418
3 Tarquini    394
 

FIA GT’S (A1 Ring):-
Result (Sun):               hr min sec
 1 Rydell/Knox     Ferrari   3:00.09.9
 2 H'mans/B'molen  Chrsyler  3:00.58.4
 3 B'olen/B'molen  Chrysler  3:01.04.3
 4 S'inger/Bailey  Lister    3:01.41.4
 5 Bouchut/Belloc  Chrysler  @ 2 laps
 6 Kumpen/G'selin  Chrysler  @ 2 laps
 7 C'llari/M'uzzi  Chrysler  @ 4 laps
 8 T'rien/P'atori  Ferrari   @ 5 laps
 9 Ortelli/Amorim  Porsche   @ 6 laps
10 Dumez/G'sfard   Porsche   @ 6 laps




27.08.2001
F1:- Malaysian driver Alex Yoong is set to make his Formula One debut with European Minardi next month after being drafted in to replace Tarso Marques. Yoong has been granted a super-licence by the sport's governing body, the FIA, after completing a two-day test at the Mugello circuit in Italy. He will now replace Brazilian Marques for the final three races from the Italian Grand Prix on September 16. Marques will now become Mindari's test and reserve driver.

Michael Schumacher has been given the all-clear to race in Belgium next weekend after suffering a stiff neck following a practice crash last week.



CATERHAM'S (Castle Combe):-
Caterham Superlight Challenge Round 9:
                         mins secs
1 C Cooper     GB        31:26.398
2 H Redhouse   GB           @0.302
3 P Gladman    GB           @0.486
4 J Gladman    GB           @0.732
5 G Taylor     GB           @1.000

Caterham Roadsport Challenge Round 9:
                         mins secs
1 K Robinson   GB        32:21.222
2 P Kite       GB           @2.753
3 M Gregory    GB           @3.987
4 J Sutherland GB           @3.069
5 J Derbyshire GB           @3.339

ASCAR:- John Mickel of Sheffield and Dutchman Michael Vergers shared the honours in the inaugural ASCAR races on the Rockingham oval in Northamptonshire. The two races, with average lap speeds of over 145mph, became the fastest ever in the UK and pre-empt the arrival of the American Champ Cars in September. Mickel took the first race after favourite Mark Claussner collided with a wall in the early stages. Vergers won the second after overcoming a slow tyre change.





29.08.2001
F1:- Jaguar boss Niki Lauda has said he is committed to keeping Eddie Irvine with the team next season. Lauda replaced Bobby Rahal as team princiapl last week after reports that Rahal had offered Irvine to Jordan. Rahal later claimed he had been joking, but Lauda has moved quickly to dispel the notion that Irvine or Pedro de la Rosa may leave. "Both drivers will line up for Jaguar Racing next season and nothing will change that," he told Jaguar's website.

THE BELGIAN GP
Michael Schumacher may have already clinched the drivers' title and sewn up the constructor crown for Ferrari but he could achieve more glory on Sunday. He equalled Alain Prost's mark of 51 victories in the last race but can make the record his own with a win at Spa. Schumacher has been given the go-ahead to race after suffering a stiff neck in a testing crash in Mugello last week. It was his fourth accident this year and he told his official website: "It was a shock to have another crash."

Michael Schumacher made his Formula One debut in Belgium in 1991 and won his first race there in 1992 so it will be apt if he nets another landmark there. But not only does the German want to set a record of 52 victories, he also wants to help Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello seal second place overall. He told his website: "Our primary objective will be to secure second place in the championship for Rubens. Even though I love my brother Ralf we are driving for different team."

The pressure is off David Coulthard now that Ferrari have cleaned up in the driver and constructor races but the Scot will still be targeting a win. The runners-up spot is still up for grabs, with Rubens Barrichello and Ralf Schumacher closing in on Coulthard. Coulthard admitted: "The championship might be over but I still want to achieve the best possible result. Spa is one of the greatest circuits in the world and offers numerous overtaking opportunities."

Mika Hakkinen won at Spa-Francorchamps last year and would relish a repeat performance on Sunday. The Finn commented: "I always enjoy driving at Spa. It is one of the most exciting and challenging tracks, especially the blast up to Eau Rouge. Set-up is crucial and often has to be a compromise. It can be dry on one part of the circuit and raining on another. I have good memories of last year's race, which I really enjoyed, and it would be nice to take victory again."

Ralf Schumacher believes that the weather could be a factor in how he performs in the grand prix. The Williams star said: "The car in Spa should be better than in the last race in Hungary but there is always a question mark about the weather. It often rains there, which could cause us a problem." And he added: "Spa, like Monaco, is one of the remaining old circuits where the safety standards are unfortunately not up to date."

Juan Pablo Montoya has raced at Spa twice before in Formula 3000 but his 1997 visit is one that he will probably want to forget. He was disqualified for holding up the field with a damaged car but a year later he claimed pole and was second. The Colombian stated: "I think Spa is a great track and an interesting one. Eau Rouge is really quick and if people could feel what you feel when you are going through there that would be something."

Eddie Irvine wil go into Sunday's race with a new management structure at the Jaguar team. Former team principal Bobby Rahal has left and is concentrating on his CART team in the US, while Niki Lauda has taken over his duties at Jaguar. Jaguar have managed to score only five points this season. And on top of the poor form, there had been allegations that Rahal offered Irvine to Jordan after they axed Heinz-Harald Frentzen last month.

Jenson Button is hoping that a recent wet weather test in Barcelona will help him to a points finish on Sunday. With rain a possibility at Spa, Benetton looked at both intermediate and new wet tyres. They also looked at their new aerodynamic package, chassis development and the control systems. Technical director Mike Gascoyne said: "Jenson spent his time on further tyre evaluations for Michelin and we had a planned engine change."

Sunday's race is scheduled to last for 44 laps (190.548 miles). Alain Prost holds the lap record at the circuit with a time of one minute, 51.095 seconds set in 1993 for the Williams team. Mika Hakkinen won last year's race but Rubens Barrichello clocked the fastest lap time with 1:53.803. Michael Schumacher has been first or second in 17 of the past 19 races. The last race without a Ferrari or McLaren winner was at the Nurburgring in 1999.


WOODPECKER STAGES RALLY:- A number of top clubmen have been attracted to the event this year, which takes place on Saturday and starts from Ludlow Racecourse at 8.00am. Andrew Burton/Rob Morgan, multiple past winners of the rally, will again be driving the car to beat. Other pairings expected to challenge are Gary Smith and Phil Clarke, Mark Perrott and Paul Morris and Gary Midwinter and Martin Saunders. The rally has been cut down to one day after the foot-and-mouth outbreak.


INDYCARS:- Helio Castroneves will be looking to consolidate his lead at the top of the standings in Sunday's race. The Brazilian heads Kenny Brack in the drivers' standings after both finished down the field in the Motorola 220. Michael Andretti and Team Motorola are looking forward to returning to Canada after claiming their first Champ Car victory as a team in Toronto in July. Dario Franchitti, who claimed pole in Vancouver last year, will also be looking to improve in the standings.


F3000 (Spa):- Justin Wilson will head to Saturday's race determined to secure the point he needs to seal the championship. Wilson's Coca-Cola Nordic Racing team have already won the team championship. "I have a lead of 20 points from Mark Webber," said Wilson. "To take the title from me, Mark must win the last two races with me failing to score. I would be foolish to say that the title is as good as won. What I will say is that I shall be aiming to qualify as near the front as possible."


PIRELLI RALLY:- Next year's Pirelli International Rally will be based in Gateshead after organisers of the event opted to sever their 24-year links with Carlisle. The decision was taken because the rally is considered to have outgrown the Cumbrian city. Gateshead City Council's support has also played a key role for a rally that was abandoned this year because of the foot and mouth disease. "Moving opens the event to a much wider audience," said spokesman Ed Graham.