June 2001 Motorsport Information


01.06.2001

F1:- Adrian Newey has confirmed he will stay with McLaren for a further three years beyond his existing contract which expires in August 2002. Newey's decision to stay with McLaren seems to have ended confusion after Jaguar had announced they had signed up the technical director. "McLaren and Adrian very much regret the confusion which will have been caused," said a McLaren team statement. But Jaguar still insist they have signed a contract with the designer.

CYPRUS RALLY:- Richard Burns could not have had a more appropriate surname as the searing heat deprived him of first place. The Briton's car was so hot that he could not keep his feet on the pedals and calculated that it cost him at least the 5.7 seconds he trails by. But Burns still produced a superb performance on the opening day to come second behind leader Marcus Gronholm. Colin McRae finished fourth but World Championship leader Tommi Makinen was forced to retire on stage four.

Positions after 6 stages:    hr min sec
 1 M Gronholm  Fin Peugeot    2:00.23.2
 2 R Burns     GB  Subaru     2:00.28.9
 3 F Delecour  Fr  Ford       2:00.34.6
 4 C McRae     GB  Ford       2:00.37.9
 5 F Loix      Bel Mitsubishi 2:01.35.3
 6 C Sainz     Sp  Ford       2:01.48.9
 7 D Auriol    Fr  Peugeot    2:02.15.2
 8 K Eriksson  Swe Hyundai    2:03.00.0
 9 T Arai      Jpn Subaru     2:03.22.6
10 A Schwarz   Ger Skoda      2:04.23.8
T Makinen retired on stage 4
 

 
 
 

02.06.2001

F1:- The FIA have turned down an appeal by British American Racing over Sauber driver Kimi Raikkonen's fourth place at the Austrian Grand Prix. BAR had contested his position because they believed he may have overtaken illegally under a yellow flag warning in last month's race. Olivier Panis finished behind the Finn in fifth place for BAR. In a statement, the FIA said: "The court rejected the appeal and decided to confirm the stewards' decision."

BTCC (Silverstone):- Vauxhall driver Jason Plato stormed to a fine class win in the first race at Silverstone on Saturday night. Plato started the sprint race second on the grid behind team-mate Yvan Muller but harried the Frenchman throughout the opening lap. The following lap the pair ran side by side but Muller narrowly wrested back the lead and gave a superb display to hold it to lap four. But the Briton squeezed into the lead and held it until the end.

Feature race qualifying times (Sat):
                            mins secs
1 Y Muller    Fr  Vauxhall   1:28.388
2 J Plato     GB  Vauxhall    @ 0.055
3 J Thompson  GB  Vauxhall    @ 0.529
4 P Bennett   GB  Vauxhall    @ 0.698
5 S Roper     GB  Peugeot     @ 0.880
6 D Eaves     GB  Peugeot     @ 1.278
7 K Luby      GB  Lexus       @ 1.521
8 D Pinkey    GB  Alfa Romeo  @ 3.262

Sprint race qualifying times (Sat):
                            mins secs
1 Y Muller    Fr  Vauxhall   1:28.433
2 J Plato     GB  Vauxhall    @ 0.025
3 P Bennett   GB  Vauxhall    @ 0.275
4 J Thompson  GB  Vauxhall    @ 0.339
5 S Roper     GB  Peugeot     @ 0.661
6 D Eaves     GB  Peugeot     @ 1.228
7 K Luby      GB  Lexus       @ 1.446
8 D Pinkey    GB  Alfa Romeo  @ 2.882
9 T Harvey    GB  Alfa Romeo @ 39.035

DRIVER STANDINGS
1 Y Muller     Fr  Vauxhall    82 pts
2 J Thompson   Swi Vauxhall    70
3 J Plato      GB  Vauxhall    68
4 P Bennett    GB  Vauxhall    46
5 D Eaves      GB  Peugeot     21
6 S Soper      GB  Peugeot     19
7 K Luby       GB  Lexus       17

GOODRICH TYRES PRODUCTION CHAMPIONSHIP
1 J Kaye       GB  Honda       44 pts
2 S Harrison   GB  Peugeot     37
3 M Jackson    GB  Ford        33
4 R Moen       Nor Peugeot     26
5 P Cate       GB  Honda       19
6 J Edwards Jr GB  Honda       16
= N Beaumont   GB  Honda       16
= G Howell     GB  Ford        16

MANUFACTURER STANDINGS
1 Vauxhall              138 pts
2 Peugeot                51

TOURING TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Team Egg Sport         43 pts
2 Vauxhall Motorsport    39
3 Peugeot Sport UK       14

GOODRICH PRODUCTION TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Barwell Motorsport     46
2 GR Motorsport          26
3 HTML                   12
4 TCR/Interactive NS     10
5 Tech-Speed Motorsport   8
= GA Janspeed             8
CYPRUS RALLY:- Richard Burns ended the penultimate stage with a slender three-second lead over fellow Briton Colin McRae. But it means he will start from the unwanted position of first on the road on Sunday, where he will sweep stones from the track for the other drivers. Burns said: "I don't think it will be beneficial to be first on the road in the final leg. But there is nothing I could do about it. I've had no problems with the car and things went well."

Britain's Richard Burns has hit out at the tactics of compatriot Colin McRae. The event leader is furious that the Scot slowed down on the final stage to ensure he finished the leg below Burns. It means that Subaru's Burns will effectively be a roadsweeper for McRae during the final eight stages of the rally on Sunday. "The situation has been slightly engineered by Ford. We will face the final leg with a disadvantage. It is not a straight fight," said Burns.

Positions after 14 stages:   hr min sec
 1 R Burns     GB  Subaru     3:43.17.3
 2 C McRae     GB  Ford          @ 03.0
 3 M Gronholm  Fin Peugeot       @ 18.6
 4 C Sainz     Sp  Ford          @ 24.6
 5 T Arai      Jpn Subaru     @ 03.46.5
 6 F Loix      Bel Mitsubishi @ 04.49.8
 7 P Hagstrom  Fin Toyota     @ 06.32.1
 8 B Thiry     Bel Skoda      @ 08.03.1
 9 A McRae     GB  Hyundai    @ 08.26.0
10 A Schwarz   Ger Skoda      @ 09.43.4


CART CHAMPIONSHIP (Milwaukee) - Miller Lite 225
First practice session (Fri):   secs
 1 H Castroeves  Brz Honda     22.300
 2 C Da Matta    Brz Toyota    22.463
 3 K Brack       Swe Ford      22.535
 4 T Kanaan      Brz Honda     22.547
 5 A Zanardi     It  Honda     22.647
 6 J Vasser      US  Toyota    22.726
 7 P Tracy       Can Honda     22.756
 8 S Nakano      Jpn Honda     22.757
 9 B Herta       US  Mercedes  22.775
10 M Papis       It  Ford      22.812
13 D Franchitti  GB  Honda     22.878
INDY LIGHTS (Milwaukee):- Wheldon will be at one of his favourite tracks on Sunday when he takes part in the fourth round. Last Monday, Wheldon was at home in England demonstrating a Champ Car at the new Rockingham Motor Speedway. But now it is back to business at Wisconsin where Wheldon was third fastest in his Lola-Buick in Friday's first practice session. Wheldon finished in a time of 24.615 seconds, two places ahead of his team-mate Mexican Mario Dominguez.

F.RENAULT (Silverstone):- Richard Antinucci and Danny Watts set identical times in qualifying to share the front row of the grid. Carl Breeze, who leads Antinucci in the title race, was third with a second covering the top 14.

Qualifying times (Sat):     mins secs
1 R Antinucci      Manor     1:20.255
2 D Watts          Falcon    1:20.235
3 C Breeze         Motaworld 1:20.277
4 M McLoughlin     Motaworld 1:20.403
5 H Kovalainen     Fortec    1:20.526
6 M Griffin        Manor     1:20.874
CLIO RENAULT:- Jason Templeman claimed his maiden pole with the first-ever sub-one minute, 34 second Clio lap around Silverstone. Tim Mullen looked to have secured top spot but sat out the final minutes in the pits allowing Templeman to pip him.
Qualifying times (Sat):     mins secs
1 J Templeman      TCR       1:33.892
2 T Mullen         Firstair  1:34.083
3 D Vercoe         MardiGras 1:34.125
4 D Buxton         TSM       1:34.315
5 P Rivett         Rivett    1:34.404
6 M Byford         Z-Speed   1:34.631
 
 

F.PALMER AUDI (Donington Park)
Round 3 qualifying times (Sat):
                    mins secs
1 A Wilmott          1:34.926
2 S Warburton        1:35.041
3 G Ussi             1:35.587
4 D Anley            1:36.005
5 H Spooner          1:36.069
6 B Lewis            1:36.404

Round 4 qualifying times (Sat):
                    mins secs
1 A Wilmott          1:34.107
2 S Warburton        1:34.793
3 G Ussi             1:35.025
4 H Spooner          1:36.149
5 B Lewis            1:36.345
6 D Anley            1:36.433
 

 
 
 
 

03.06.2001

F1:- Jaguar look set to sue McLaren after team boss Bobby Rahal failed to prise away designer Adrian Newey. It was revealed on Friday that Newey had decided to join Jaguar in August 2002 but hours later McLaren announced that he would be staying put. Rahal told the News of the World: "We have a binding contract that has been violated by Adrian and McLaren. We will definitely pursue a remedy through the court system in England. There has been a breach of contract."

BTCC (Silverstone):- Jason Plato followed up his class win in the sprint race to triumph in the first night event of the season. He looked to have thrown away his chance of a win when he slid wide on to the grass on lap 12. But leader Yvan Muller's chances ended with a 36-second pit stop because of a hydraulic jack problem and he was third and Phil Bennett was second. Plato won his class in the earlier round, finishing third behind Simon Harrison and Roger Moen.

ROUND SEVEN (15 laps)
Sprint race production class result:
                             mins secs
 1 S Harrison  GB  Peugeot   23:23.813
 2 R Moen      Ned Peugeot     @ 1.066
 3 J Plato     GB  Vauxhall    @ 8.966
 4 Y Muller    Fr  Vauxhall   @ 10.819
 5 J Thompson  GB  Vauxhall   @ 12.689
 6 P Bennett   GB  Vauxhall   @ 12.929
 7 P O'Neill   GB  Peugeot    @ 23.856
 8 M Jackson   GB  Ford       @ 24.126
 9 J Kaye      GB  Honda      @ 24.921
10 D Eaves     GB  Peugeot    @ 25.343

ROUND EIGHT (30 laps)
Feature race result:         mins secs
 1 J Plato     GB  Vauxhall  51:33.094
 2 P Bennett   GB  Vauxhall   @ 11.786
 3 Y Muller    Fr  Vauxhall   @ 30.345
 4 J Thompson  GB  Vauxhall   @ 52.183
 5 K Luby      GB  Lexus    @01.24.345
 6 S Soper     GB  Peugeot  @01.29.676
 7 D Pinkney   GB  Alfa Rom @01.37.921
 8 R Moen      Ned Peugeot  @01.38.117
 9 J Kaye      GB  Honda    @01.39.065
10 S Harrison  GB  Peugeot  @01.45.676

DRIVER STANDINGS
1 Y Muller     Fr  Vauxhall   108 pts
2 J Plato      GB  Vauxhall    99
3 J Thompson   Swi Vauxhall    89
4 P Bennett    GB  Vauxhall    66
5 S Soper      GB  Peugeot     29
6 D Eaves      GB  Peugeot     27
= K Luby       GB  Lexus       27

GOODRICH TYRES PRODUCTION CHAMPIONSHIP
1 S Harrison   GB  Peugeot     93 pts
2 J Kaye       GB  Honda       75
3 R Moen       Nor Peugeot     64
4 M Jackson    GB  Ford        44
= G Howell     GB  Ford        44
6 G Pyper      GB  Alfa Rom    37

MANUFACTURER STANDINGS
1 Vauxhall              276 pts
2 Peugeot                87

TOURING TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Vauxhall Motorsport    79 pts
2 Team Egg Sport         75
3 ABG Motorsport         20

GOODRICH PRODUCTION TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Barwell Motorsport     62
2 GR Motorsport          60
3 HTML                   47
4 GA Janspeed            26
5 Tom Boardman Racing    16
6 TCR/Interactive NS     15
CYPRUS RALLY:- Colin McRae won the Cyprus Rally ahead of British rival Richard Burns but the result leaves both drivers back in the hunt for the title. The Scot was 16.4 seconds ahead of Burns and is now only seven points behind World Championship leader Tommi Makinen, who retired from the event. Spaniard Carlos Sainz was third and is one point adrift of Makinen. Ford's McRae and Subaru's Burns had filled the top two positions in last month's round in Argentina.

Colin McRae expressed delight after putting himself back in the title picture with victory in Cyprus. "We've just won what I regard as the toughest event in the world championship so you can imagine the pleasure that gives us," he said. "It was never easy but we pushed as hard as possible. We worked well, the Focus worked well and Pirelli's tyres worked well - that's a winning formula. Two wins in succession mean we can think about the title now," he added.

Richard Burns rued having to start the final day first, knowing he would clear the dust for those following him. Burns, who finished second behind Colin McRae, said: "If I'd had more grip I could have gone faster. I just had to hope something happened to Colin. I still pushed but it wasn't as good as being third or fourth on the road. Colin drove better than I expected at times and took more time off me than most people had calculated. I was after a win, but at least I'm second."

Alister McRae njoyed a profitable final day as he forced his Hyundai ahead of the two Skodas to finish seventh and take two manufacturers' points. The 30-year-old had encountered all sorts of problems on the opening leg, including three punctures on one stage, But once his car was performing to its optimum he produced competitive times. "After the first day I wouldn't have expected to get back into the top 10, but to score two points for the team is fantastic," said McRae.

Natalie Barratt became the first visiting female driver to complete the event in its 31-year history. The 26-year-old from Wilmslow finished 21st overall on her Cyprus debut - her best ever Championship result. Driving a Mitsubishi Lancer, she also became the first lady driver to score points in the FIA Teams' Cup. She picked up four points for finishing a magnificent third in the category and also finished in eighth place in the showroom Group N class.

Sunday's result:             hr min sec
 1 C McRae     GB  Ford       5:07.32.7
 2 R Burns     GB  Subaru        @ 16.4
 3 C Sainz     Sp  Ford          @ 26.5
 4 T Arai      Jpn Subaru     @ 05.38.3
 5 F Loix      Bel Mitsubishi @ 06.10.2
 6 P Hagstrom  Fin Toyota     @ 09.32.5
 7 A McRae     GB  Hyundai    @ 10.35.6
 8 B Thiry     Bel Skoda      @ 11.38.0
 9 A Schwarz   Ger Skoda      @ 12.48.1
10 A Bakhashab SaA Toyota     @ 22.12.1

DRIVER STANDINGS
1 T Makinen      Fin  Mitsubishi 27pts
2 C Sa nz        Sp   Ford       26
3 C McRae        GB   Ford       20
4 R Burns        GB   Subaru     15
5 H Rovanpera    Fin  Peugeot    10
= D Auriol       Fr   Peugeot    10

MANUFACTURER STANDINGS
1 Ford           50pts
2 Mitsubishi     47
3 Subaru         22
4 Peugeot        20
5 Hyundai        10
6 Skoda           7
CART (Milwaukee):- Rain washed out Saturday's qualifying for Sunday's race so the starting grid for the Miller Lite 225 will be decided by the championship standings. It means that Kenny Brack will start on pole for the event. Brack was third fastest during practice sessions, but has a 49-47 lead in the standings over Team Penske driver Helio Castroneves of Brazil. Brack won his first CART race in May in Japan, while Castoneves won the Indianapolis 500 last Sunday.

INDY LIGHTS (Milwaukee):- Britain's Dan Wheldon will start in fifth place on the grid after rain washed out the qualifying session for the fourth round. His more experienced team-mate Mexican Mario Dominguez will begin the event in sixth spot. Wheldon said: "I think where we are starting does not reflect our true position where speed is concerned. We have been really competitive all weekend and it is disappointing to start fifth."

F.RENAULT (Silverstone):- Danny Watts claimed an emotional first victory and a new lap record for the Falcon team after passing pole-sitter Richard Antinucci on the first lap. Carl Breeze then overtook Antinucci to finish in second place.

Race result:                mins secs
1 D Watts        Falcon     24:29.277
2 C Breeze       Motaworld  24:31.241
3 R Antinucci    Manor      24:32.036
4 M McLoughlin   Motaworld  24:36.133
5 L Walker       Manor      24:51.975
6 M Griffin      Manor      24:52.294
CLIO RENAULT (Silverstone):- Duncan Vercoe slithered to victory ahead of Daniel Buxton in a rain-affected race. Martin Byford and Paul Rivett were virtually inseparable in their battle for third spot, with Byford edging it.
Race result:                mins secs
1 D Vercoe      MardiGras   13:26.163
2 D Buxton      TSM         13:29.053
3 M Byford      Z-Speed     13:29.359
4 P Rivett      Rivett      13:29.381
5 T Mullen      Firstair    13:29.786
6 M Nordon      Bintcliffe  13:30.608
AUTOBYTEL LOTUS (Silverstone):- Mark Fullalove fought back from a terrible start to claim his second win of the season. In treacherous conditions, Mark Cole put his disappointing qualifying session beind him to take second place.
Race result:           mins secs
1 M Fullalove          26:43.540
2 M Cole               26:45.281
3 H Breese             26.45.590
4 S Marsh              26:46.594
5 J Tee                26:50.520
6 J Winslow            26:52.177
F.PALMER AUDI (Donington Park):- Newcomer Adrian Willmott won the third round of the championship on Sunday. Willmott amazed everyone with his rapid pace despite never having driven an FPA car before this weekend and not having raced single-seaters for 15 years.
Round 3 results (Sun):mins secs
1 A Wilmott         21:03.196
2 G Ussi            21:05.801
3 S Warburton       21:07.203
4 H Spooner         21:07.991
5 D Anley           21:10.083
6 P Warren          21:11.030
F.PALMER AUDI (Donington Park):- Adrian Willmott kept up his amazing dominance of the event with another lights to flag victory. Gino Ussi came second after pulling off an early manoeuvre to pass Steve Warburton, who finished third.
Round 4 results (Sun):mins secs
1 A Wilmott         19:08.768
2 G Ussi            19:20.607
3 S Warburton       19:25.235
4 H Spooner         19:27.467
5 S Young           19:39.580
6 D Anley           19:43.662
 

 
 
 
 

04.06.2001

F1:- Jaguar Racing are considering legal action against McLaren and their Formula One rivals' technical director Adrian Newey. Jaguar announced on Friday that Newey, Formula One's top designer, had signed to join them from next year. But only hours late McLaren issued a statement saying he would be staying. "Adrian Newey has a legally binding contract with Jaguar Racing and this has been confirmed by Queen's Counsel," said Jaguar in a statement.

Frank Williams is unhappy with his team's overall performance in the seven Grand Prix races so far this season. he told the Motor Expo exhibition: "The blunt facts are that out of 14 starts we've finished only three times, although each one was in the points. We've had five accidents, five car failures, no engine failures, and three times we've been pushed off the road. I see no reason to be happy with three finishes out of 14 races. You'll never ever win a championship like that."

CART (Milwaukee):- Sweden's Kenny Brack passed Michael Andretti with 42 laps left and held off the American to clinch victory. It was the second consecutive CART win for Brack, who sealed his first victory in the series last month in Japan as he extended his lead in the standings. Andretti was second with New Zealand rookie Scott Dixon third in the race, 225 laps around the Milwaukee oval. Brazil's Bruno Junqueira was fourth, with reigning series champion Gil de Ferran trailing in seventh place.

Driver standings (after Miller Lite 225 at Milwaukee)
 1 K Brack      Swe Ford        70 pts
 2 H Cast'eves  Brz Honda       47
 3 C da Matta   Brz Toyota      40
 = P Tracy      Can Honda       40
 = J Vasser     US  Toyota      40
 6 S Dixon      NZ  Toyota      38
 7 G de Ferran  Brz Honda       36
 = M Andretti   US  Honda       36
 9 T Kanaan     Brz Honda       34
10 B Junqueira  Brz Toyota      23
11 D Franchitti GB  Honda       21

Manufacturer standings:
1 Honda                    86 pts
= Toyota                   84
3 Ford-Cosworth            73
INDY LIGHTS:- Britain's Dan Wheldon finished third in the Dayton Indy Lights Championship fourth round race in Milwaukee. Wheldon's top three placing put him in the lead for the Rookie of the Year award and victory would ensure a hat-trick of title triumphs.

LE MANS 24 HRS:- Former Le Mans 24-Hour race winner Stefan Johansson will be joined by France's Patrick Lemarie and Dutchman Tom Coronel in this year's event. The round-the-clock marathon takes place on June 16-17.
 
 
 
 

07.06.2001

F1:- The battle over Adrian Newey took a new twist as Jaguar said they had secured an injunction stopping McLaren from imploying him before July 31, 2002. Jaguar chief executive Bobby Rahal, a close friend of the top designer, had insisted that Newey has signed a binding contract with them. McLaren said they were unaware of such a deal and said: "Adrian has 14 months of his contract with McLaren to run." Newey has not made the trip to Montreal for Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix.

F1: THE CANADIAN GP
Championship leader Michael Schumacher believes that Williams could be the biggest threat to his victory chances in Sunday's race. Ferrari use Bridgestone tyres, while Williams have Michelin and Schumacher said: "That is the unknown factor. When those used by Williams work well they are in a position to beat us. And Montreal suits the characteristics of my brother Ralf's car perfectly, with its great acceleration and highest straight-line speed."

Michael Schumacher believes that his previous record at Montreal will count for little on Sunday. The German has won four times at the circuit, with three victories coming in the last four years, and he has been on pole five times. But the Ferrari star, who leads David Coulthard by 12 points, claimed: "I have won four times in Montreal but the past is no guarantee for the future. Ferrari have a good car to fight with but it will not be easy to win."

David Coulthard knows he will have to overcome a poor record in Montreal if he is to close the gap on championship In 1995 he crashed on the second lap and in 1997 he went out with an electrical problem. Then in 1998 he was on pole before being forced to retire and in 1999 and 2000 he finished seventh. Despite that, he insisted: "The Canadian Grand Prix is one of my favourite races of the season."

McLaren driver David Coulthard has finished in the points in every race this year and will be eager to maintain that form. The Scot said: "The track is challenging, offers genuine overtaking opportunities and is located close to Montreal, a city I enjoy visiting. I am looking forward to it following last week's positive test session. And I want to continue my consistent record of finishing in the points at every race so far this season."

David Coulthard is keeping faith with the launch control system on his McLaren which could yet cost him championship glory. The 30-year-old Scot has no intention of disabling the system for Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix despite being left stranded on the grid twice. Coulthard's team have been working flat out since the last race in Monaco. He said: "In all the tests the part of the system that failed in Monaco has worked perfectly."

Reliability will be the key if Mika Hakkinen wants to get back on track. Car problems would appear to have ended taking the title but he stated: "There are still 10 races to be contested. The whole team has been working very hard to ensure that we optimise the performance and reliability of the car after the problems experienced so far. I enjoy driving at Montreal. The atmosphere is always fantastic and I am hoping to repeat my victory of 1999."

Williams will be bidding to put the disappointing performances in the last two races behind them this weekend. Ralf Schumacher is aiming to build on his 12-point total. He commented: "Canada is quite similar to Melbourne, only with less run-off areas in some fast sections. There are also two overtaking opportunities. On the negative side, this is a heavy circuit on brakes. I think it could be pretty favourable to our car as we have a powerful engine."

Sunday's race will be unknown territory for Juan Pablo Montoya. He confirmed: "I have never been to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve so it is completely unknown to me. In view of this I cannot say if it will suit my driving style. I need to have at least a bunch of laps under my belt before commenting on that. In Canada I am sure I will meet some old friends from last year when I raced in the USA. Top priority for me is to see the chequered flag."

Jordan duo Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jarno Trulli will be aiming to build on the team's productive three-day test session in Magny-Cours. Frentzen said: "I always look forward to Montreal because I really like the city. The track has tight corners. The last chicane can be a little dangerous as there is a concrete wall on the exit so you have to be careful." Trulli added: "Our car always performs well here so hopefully we can achieve even better results than before."

British American Racing's Canadian star Jacques Villeneuve will be chasing success on his home circuit, which was named after his late fath r Gilles. Gilles won the inaugural race at the track in 1978. BAR technical director Malcolm Oaster said: "Having completed a successful three-day test in Magny-Cours we are looking forward to this challenge. We made progress and gathered some important data. Our aim is to finish in the points with both cars."

Eddie Irvine is ready to give Jaguar more headlines. Irvine kickstarted their season in the last round in Monaco by securing an excellent third-place finish. And then the team looked to have pulled off the coup of the season by announcing they had won the services of designer Adrian Newey from McLaren. would be staying with them so Jaguar and Irvine will be concentrating on trying to claim more points on Sunday.

Jenson Button finished seventh in the last race in Monaco and will be hoping that the result is a sign that Benetton are ironing out their problems. His team's technical director Mike Gascoyne said: "The circuit is unlikely to suit our package like Monaco. But we are pleased to have made a step forward in our competitiveness. We have made no significant changes to the car. Giancarlo has always gone well in Montreal so we hope for a good performance from both him and Jenson."

Arrows driver Jos Verstappen finished fifth in last year's race and would be delighted with a similar feat. "The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a good track. I like the chicanes and the fact that it is a circuit where you have to brake very late," he said. "It is usually an interesting event and it was very good for us last year when it rai ed halfway through the race and we were able to finish fifth. I am looking forward to it and I like the city."

FORMULA RALLY:- Over 40 entries will be taking part in the second round, which comprises eight stages on the Silverstone course. Ford driver Martin Rowe will be hoping to extend his Championship lead over Peugeot's Justin Dale. Volkswagon's entry Neil Simpson will be aiming for a better showing after engine problems forced him out of the Wirral rally after just one stage. Meanwhile the loose gravel surface of Silverstone will suit Proton drivers Mats Andersson and Neil Collins.

Ford's pair of Rapid Fit Puma Super 1600 cars will be targeting their second win of the season on Saturday. The event is based on Silverstone's rallysprint course and Martin Rowe and Patrick Magaud will lead Ford's bid. As on a normal rally, the cars will run through the course separately at 30-second intervals against the clock and not in pairs like in rallyspints. Rowe, who dominated the 2001 opener, said: "The short stages will make it difficult to make up any lost time."

BRITISH GT’S:- Rockingham Motor Speedway will play host to the sixth round of the series on Sunday. The US-style oval Northamptonshire track opened recently and Hayles Racing team principal Curtis Hayles believes it will provide an interesting test. "Our cars are all about power and they are not the most nimble of machines," he conceded. "The infield section could be fiddly. I think there is only one corner where we get out of second gear."

RENAULTSPORT CLIO TROPHY (Spa):- Rick Pearson will continue his campaign in Belgium this weekend for round three of the pan-European V6 Championship. After missing out on a Monaco grid slot at the Formula One support race a fortnight ago, the Mark Fish Motorsport driver is raring to go. Ahead of his second race in the V6 Clio he said: "It is a learning curve. We know it will take a few rounds before we are really on the pace of the guys who have had the benefit of two years previous experience of the car."

RALLYING:- Novice special-stage rally drivers will need to buy a 'starter pack' and attend a rally school before applying for a competition licence from the MSA. The relevant regulations were ratified by the Motor Sports Council and will apply to any first-time applicant for a 2002 licence for stage-rally driving.
 
 
 
 

08.06.2001

F1: THE CANADIAN GP
Mika Hakkinen produced the fastest time in practice, with team-mate David Coulthard just 0.4 seconds behind him. It was also a good session for Eddie Irvine, who followed his podium finish in Monaco with the third quickest time. Michael Schumacher was left languishing in 11th spot, while technical problems saw Jenson Button down in 21st. Earlier, Jacques Villeneuve walked away unharmed from a crash when his car lost a front wheel after hitting a barrier, ruling him out of the second session.

David Coulthard pronounced himself happy with practice after posting the second fastest time. "I've been near the top of the time-sheets throughout the sessions which is where you want to be," he said. "But we won't know where we stand in comparison to other teams until qualifying on Saturday." Third-quickest Eddie Irvine said: "This is a step in the right direction although it was not a particularly good lap. The car is reasonable."

Practice times (Fri):         min secs
 1 M Hakkinen    Fin McLaren  1:17.672
 2 D Coulthard   GB  McLaren  1:18.086
 3 E Irvine      GB  Jaguar   1:18.508
 4 R Barrichello Brz Ferrari  1:18.570
 5 J-P Montoya   Col Williams 1:18.639
 6 R Schumacher  Ger Williams 1:18.641
 7 N Heidfeld    Ger Sauber   1:18.967
 8 J Trulli      It  Jordan   1:18.990
 9 H-H Frentzen  Ger Jordan   1:19.057
10 O Panis       Fr  BAR      1:19.102
11 M Schumacher  Ger Ferrari  1:19.166
12 J Alesi       Fr  Prost    1:19.209
13 K Raikkonen   Fin Sauber   1:19.427
14 P de la Rosa  Sp  Jaguar   1:19.707
15 G Fisichella  It  Benetton 1:20.364
16 J Verstappen  Ned Arrows   1:20.561
17 E Bernoldi    It  Arrows   1:21.259
18 L Burti       Brz Prost    1:21.280
19 J Villeneuve  Can BAR      1:21.916
20 F Alonso      Sp  Minardi  1:22.206
21 J Button      GB  Benetton 1:22.766
22 T Marques     Brz Minardi  1:25.415
McLaren are optimistic that they can win the legal fight with Jaguar over the services of designer Adrian Newey. Jaguar successfully sought a High Court injunction preventing McLaren from continuing to employ him beyond the end of his current deal next July. McLaren claim that it will not affect the new deal he signed last week. In a statement, they said: "We are confident that when the facts of the case are heard on Tuesday the injunction will be lifted."

FORMULA RALLY (Silverstone):- Over 40 entries will be taking part in the second round, which comprises eight stages on the Silverstone course. Ford driver Martin Rowe will be hoping to extend his Championship lead over Peugeot's Justin Dale. Volkswagon's entry Neil Simpson will be aiming for a better showing after engine problems forced him out of the Wirral rally after just one stage. Meanwhile the loose gravel surface of Silverstone will suit Proton drivers Mats Andersson and Neil Collins.

Ford's pair of Rapid Fit Puma Super 1600 cars will be targeting their second win of the season on Saturday. The event is based on Silverstone's rallysprint course and Martin Rowe and Patrick Magaud will lead Ford's bid. As on a normal rally, the cars will run through the course separately at 30-second intervals against the clock and not in pairs like in rallyspints. Rowe, who dominated the 2001 opener, said: "The short stages will make it difficult to make up any lost time."

BRITISH F3 (Rockingham):- Takuma Sato of Japan holds a 13-point lead going into the 11th round at the newly opened US-style oval track. Irish driver Derek Hayes is in second place but, with six different winners in the 10 races so far, the race for the title remains wide open. Anthony Davidson hopes to make it two-in-a-row after winning at Croft. Matt Davies and Andy Priaulx are chasing. Matthew Gilmore has established himself at the head of the Scholarship Class for two-year-old cars.

BRITISH GT'S (Rockingham):- Bobby Verdon-Roe and Michael Caine were fastest in testing for Sunday's sixth- round race. The duo's TVR Cerbera Speed 12 topped 160mph on the banked section of the new US-style oval Northamptonshire track. Mike Jordan and David Warnock's Lister Storm and Tim Harvey and Rob Wilson's Chrysler Viper GTS-R will challenge and Chris Ellis and Piers Johnson return. Marino Franchitti, whose Porsche 911TG3RS heads the GTO field, said: "This place is awesome."

IRL (Texas MS):- Mark Dismore claimed pole position for Saturday's IRL 500 after averaging a speed of 215.508mph. "We only did three hot laps in practice. The engine was smoking and we made an engine change during the time it rained," he admitted. Defending champion Scott Sharp, who was on pole for the recent Indianapolis 500, will also be on the front row. Ex-Formula One driver Eddie Cheever was third fastest and Sam Hornish Jnr was fourth quickest.
 
 
 
 

09.06.2001

F1: THE CANADIAN GP
World champion Michael Schumacher roared into pole position for Sunday's race as he left his rivals in his wake. Schumacher raced his Ferrari around the circuit in a final qualifying time of one minute, 15.782 seconds with his brother Ralf second in a Williams. Britain's David Coulthard took his McLaren into third spot in his final lap while Jarno Trulli came fourth. Eddie Irvine could only manage 15th in a Jaguar while Jenson Button was five places behind him in a Benetton.

David Coulthard was far from happy with third spot in qualifying. "I didn't manage to get things right and explore the limits of the car," he said. "In the circumstances, I guess we have to be happy. "I'm confident we have a good car for the race, but that said I should have been able to start from the front row." Eddie Irvine endured a disappointing session with 15th place, and said: "It is not good but we knew this circuit was going to test us."

Qualifying times (Sat):       min secs
 1 M Schumacher  Ger Ferrari  1:15.782
 2 R Schumacher  Ger Williams 1:16.297
 3 D Coulthard   GB  McLaren  1:16.423
 4 J Trulli      It  Jordan   1:16.459
 5 R Barrichello Brz Ferrari  1:16.760
 6 O Panis       Fr  BAR      1:16.771
 7 K Raikkonen   Fin Sauber   1:16.875
 8 M Hakkinen    Fin McLaren  1:16.979
 9 J Villeneuve  Can BAR      1:17.035
10 J-P Montoya   Col Williams 1:17.123
11 N Heidfeld    Ger Sauber   1:17.165
12 R Zonta       Brz Jordan   1:17.328
13 J Verstappen  Ned Arrows   1:17.903
14 P de la Rosa  Sp  Jaguar   1:18.015
15 E Irvine      GB  Jaguar   1:18.016
16 J Alesi       Fr  Prost    1:18.178
17 E Bernoldi    It  Arrows   1:18.575
18 G Fisichella  It  Benetton 1:18.622
19 L Burti       Brz Prost    1:18.753
20 J Button      GB  Benetton 1:19.033
21 F Alonso      Sp  Minardi  1:19.454
22 T Marques     Brz Minardi  1:20.690
Heinz-Harald Frentzen will miss Sunday's race after suffering dizziness and headaches. He will be replaced in the race by the Jordan team's Brazilian test driver Ricardo Zonta. "I'm disappointed not to be driving but wish the team and Ricardo all the best Nurburgring," Frentzen said. The German, who is currently eighth in the world driver standings, has gone to France for tests.

ULSTER RALLY:- The Ulster Rally, which was due to start on August 31, has been cancelled because of the outbreak of foot-and- mouth disease. It is the fourth of seven rounds of the British Rally Championship to be called off and if any more are scrapped then no titles will be awarded. The Scottish Rally on September 15 is now scheduled to be the first round of this season's series. The Trackrod Rally and Jim Clark Memorial Rally complete the line-up.

FORMULA RALLY:- Former British champion Martin Rowe maintained his unbeaten start to the new series by winning round two at a showery Silverstone circuit. The Manxman, driving a Ford Puma, completed the 12 stages with 4.6 seconds to spare over Justin Dale. The 29-year-old had shown he would be the man to beat when he dominated the opening round on the Wirral last month. Dale, from Hampshire, made a sluggish start but battled back to take second ahead of Belgian Francois Duval.

Final positions after 12 stages:mins secs
 1 M Rowe/C Wood      Ford P  17:31.3
 2 J Dale/A Bargery   Peugeot 17:35.9
 3 F Duval/P Grignet  Ford P  17:41.2
 4 P Magaud/G Brun    Ford P  17:54.8
 5 S Mauger/S Poxon   Ford P  18:03.6
 6 M And'son/C Mole   Satria  18:04.0
 7 N Simpson/M Gibson VW Polo 18:04.0
 8 M Sansom/P Wells   Peugeot 18:20.4
 9 P W'bury/N D'field Citroen 18:30.0
10 M McKi'en/T McQ'id Peugeot 18:31.1
BRITISH F3 (Rockingham):- Irish driver Derek Hayes clinched pole position for the 11th round at the newly opened US-style oval track. Hayes pipped championship leader Takuma Sato in the closing moments of the session while Anthony Davidson posted the third fastest time. Davidson took pole spot for the 12th round when the Briton headed off team-mate Sato by three tenths of a second. Andre Lotterer stormed back into contention by qualifying third fastest from Milos Pavlovic.
Round 11 qualifying times (Sat):
               mins secs
1 D Hayes       1:33.896
2 T Sato        1:34.110
3 A Davidson    1:34.242
4 M Taylor      1:34.532
5 M Pavlovic    1:34.671
Scholarship class:
1 E Judcie      1:35.704
2 R Doornbos    1:35.997
3 M Gilmore     1:36.130
4 R Kerr        1:36.457

Round 12 qualifying times (Sat):
               mins secs
1 A Davidson    1:33.524
2 T Sato        1:33.835
3 A Lotterer    1:33.997
4 M Pavlovic    1:34.375
5 J Courtney    1:34.378
6 N Kiesa       1:34.475
Scholarship class:
1 R Kerr        1:35.210
2 E Judcie      1:35.968
3 M Gilmore     1:36.102
4 M Mayall      1:36.122
BRITISH GT'S (Rockingham):- Bobby Verdon-Roe and Michael Caine claimed provisional pole for Sunday's sixth round race. The duo's TVR Cerbera Speed 12 used intermediate tyres to great effect in the damp conditions. There was disappointment for other leading GT runners with Tim Harvey and Rob Wilson qualifying in ninth and Mike Jordan and David Warnock back in 13th. Second fastest overall and top in the GTO category was the Porsche 911GT3RS of David and Godfrey Jones.
Saturday's final qualifying times:
GT category:              mins secs
1 V-Roe/Caine   TVR        1:39.947
2 Jordan/W'nock Lister     1:40.673
3 Harvey/Wilson Chrysler   1:41.590
4 Quaife/H'kins Quaife     1:44.408
GTO category:
1 Barff/Short   TVR Tuscan 1:43.649
2 F'chitti/Burt Porsche    1:43.862
3 Turner/Horner Porsche    1:43.993
4 Sumpter/Balfe Porsche    1:44.339
PORSCHE CUP (Rockingham):- Nigel Rice made it two wins in a row, leading from start to finish to wrap up his victory. Peter Chambers was second, with Basil Demeroutis third. Andrew Shelly claimed his first win in class two.
CLASS ONE RESULT:        mins secs
1 N Rice                 16:39.644
2 P Chambers             16:40.973
3 B Demeroutis           16:53.589
CLASS TWO:
1 A Shelley              17:39.014
2 K Harrison             17:41.032
3 T Bartlett             18:00.032
FORD FIESTA’S (Rockingham):- Nick Padley snatched pole position, beating Matt Pinny's time with just three minutes of qualifying remaining. Fiesta veteran Colin Stancombe was third, while championship leader Colin Turkington was back in seventh.
Qualifying times (Sat):  mins secs
1 N Padley                2:11.343
2 M Pinny                 2:11.678
3 C Stancombe             2:12.058
4 E Murray                2:12.269
5 A Blencowe              2:12.312
6 R Claydon               2:12.355
F.FORD (Rockingham):- South African Alan van der Merwe claimed his first ever pole position. Danish team-mate Ronnie Bremer lines up alongside him in Sunday's race, with Ryan Sharp third. Championship leader Richard Goransson was tenth quickest.
Qualifying times (Sat):  mins secs
1 A van der Merwe         1:46.463
2 R Bremer                1:46.506
3 R Sharp                 1:46.535
4 R Dahlgren              1:46.562
5 J Heylen                1:46.569
6 W Barber                1:46.574
RENAULTSPORT CLIO (Spa-Francorchamps):- Rick Pearson will continue his campaign in Belgium this weekend for round three of the pan-European V6 Championship. After missing out on a Monaco grid slot at the Formula One support race a fortnight ago, the Mark Fish Motorsport driver is raring to go. Ahead of his second race in the V6 Clio he said: "It is a learning curve. We know it will take a few rounds before we are really on the pace of the guys who have had the benefit of two years previous experience of the car."

LE MANS:- British car company MG will compete in the first time since 1965. The MG car will compete in the LMP 675 class at Le Mans, which takes place on June 16 and 17.
 
 
 
 

10.06.2001

F1: THE CANADIAN GP
Ralf Scumacher outwitted his brother Michael to clinch the second win of his career and his second 2001 triumph. Schumacher senior led the race until his pit stop and he still found himself in second place after Williams driver Ralf had gone in for fuel. Mika Hakkinen clinched third spot behind the Schumacher family one-two. David Coulthard failed to finish in the points for the first time this season when hit by a retirement and Eddie Irvine and Jenson Button also went out.

Williams driver Ralf Schumacher was understandably overjoyed after outdriving his brother Michael. After his race win, Schumacher Jnr said: "It was a great race. The whole time we were racing I was waiting for him to make a mistake but he did not. I just waited for the pit stops because I knew we were going longer. I had the upper hand because my car was brilliant today. I thought I had better wait for his car to pit because there was no chance of taking risks."

Ralf Schumacher's first place and elder brother Michael's second spot sealed the first race one-two for brothers in the history of Formula One. Williams team boss Frank Williams was delighted with the German's performance in the race. He enthused: "Ralf is clearly getting better and better and our car is good with the BMW engines. It was a superb performance. Ralf said on the radio on the slowing-down lap 'That was just fantastic'."

Championship leader Michael Schumacher said that his second-place finish behind brother Ralf will have made their parents very happy. He commented: "I am sure that our mother and father will be very proud - the first time a pair of brothers have been first and second on the podium. Losing to him is better than anyone else but I am happy because I got an important six points. When he got a big margin there was only one strategy ` finish the race."

Michael Schumacher held his position from pole after the start and led his brother Ralf and David Coulthard in the early stages. However, Giancarlo Fisichella was forced into an early retirement when he was left with a wheel hanging off after hitting team-mate Jenson Button. Eddie Irvine and Nick Heidfel also went out after colliding on lap two. Rubens Barrichello overtook Coulthard to move into third place but a spin dropped him to 14th before he went out.

The safety car had to make an appearance on the 19th lap after Juan Pablo Montoya and Rubens Barrichello found themselves out of the race. Montoya went wide as he accelerated out of the chicane at L'Epingle and hit a safety barrier. Brazilian Barrichello tried to take avoiding action and hit the wall on the other side of the track. After the cars were hauled off the track the safety car was able to pull off.

David Coulthard has said he can still be crowned world champion this year despite failing to finish on Sunday. "I can still win the World Championship and will continue to work towards it. If you don't like a challenge you shouldn't be in Formula One," he said. "Michael Schumacher has got a big lead but 18 points could be wiped out in two races and that is what I will be working towards. I still believe I can win grands prix and challenge Michael."

McLaren star Mika Hakkinen secured his first podium finish in what has been a miserable season for him so far. The Finn confirmed: "It has been a disastrous start to the season so it is nice to finish on the podium. That was our target after starting eighth." But his team-mate David Coultard did not finish a race for the first time in the 2001 campaign. The Scot had to retire with a blown engine after 54 laps and now trails leader Michael Schumacher by 18 points.

David Coulthard suffered a major setback in his title quest but he revealed that his problems began before the race started. The Scot found a loose nut from his front suspension in his cockpit on the parade lap but decide to start the race ` only to eventually retire. After an engine blow-out ended his chances, he said: "Before the race the team gave me the option of stopping. I explained that it would be best to start and try and hang in for a point."

Jaguar driver Eddie Irvine remained philosophical after his collision with Nick Heidfeld on the second lap ended their participation in the race. Irvine stated: "We had been working on the car's set-up overnight and had it where we wanted it. But I have to admit that I did not do the greatest overtaking manoeuvre on Nick Heidfeld. It certainly was not his entire fault and to be honest I accept two-thirds of the blame for this one."

Jaguar have now picked up points in successive races after Pedro de la Rosa finished sixth. The Spaniard admitted: "I am delighted to have scored my first point for Jaguar Racing. I pushed very hard throughout the race because I was on a two-stop strategy. The car did not give me any problems." Sauber, meanwhile, have moved into fourth place in the constructors' list after Kimi Raikkonen confounded his critics again by finishing fourth.

British American Racing driver Jacques Villeneuve described the weekend as the "worst of his career" after he failed to complete his home race. The Canadian was forced to pull over on the 35th lap while he was in 10th place on the circit named after his late father Gilles. "Something happened and the car was not driving any more," he said. And his team-mate Olivier Panis fared little better ` the Frenchman's race ending after 38 laps.

Arrows driver Jos Verstappen was gutted to miss out on a points finish when his front brakes failed with only a few laps remaining. The Dutchman stated: "I am very disappointed. I got a great start and was up to seventh by lap two. By the time the safety car came out I was in a points-scoring position but could not hear anything on the radio. I was having a lot of problems with my brakes and that was what caused me to go off at the end."

Benetton driver Jenson Button made two pit stops during an eventful race which saw him forced to retire after 18 laps with an oil leak. He picked up a stop-go penalty and then team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella ran into the back of him on the first lap. "I had to come into the pits twice - once for the stop and go and then a second time to make sure everything was all right with the car after the knock. I don't think the lap times were too bad in the circumstances."
 
 
 
 

11.06.2001

F1:- Ralf Schumacher has been hailed as just as good a driver as his brother Michael following his win in the Canadia GP. Schumacher's boss Frank Williams believes the German is easily capable of challenging for the championship, but the car is not good enough yet. "Ralf is right up there on a par with Michael and Mika Hakkinen," he said. "He is ready to put a championship together, but we would struggle to keep up with him as a team until we get all our act perfect."

Jaguar and McLaren go to court on Tuesday in the battle over the contract of top designer Adrian Newey. Jaguar say Newey has signed a legally binding contract with them and last week secured an injunction stopping McLaren from extending his contract. McLaren are confident Newey will stay beyond the end of his contract and hope to get the injunction lifted. Newey is rated as the sport's top designer with his cars winning 12 world titles over the past 10 years.

David Coulthard has said he can still be crowned world champion this year despite failing to finish on Sunday. "I can still win the World Championship and will continue to work towards it. If you don't like a challenge you shouldn't be in Formula One," he said. "Michael Schumacher has got a big lead but 18 points could be wiped out in two races and that is what I will be working towards. I still believe I can win grands prix and challenge Michael."

ACROPOLIS RALLY:- The Acropolis Rally, which runs from Friday to Sunday, marks the midway point of the 2001 World Championship. And the battle for the title will not be the only thing that is hotting up. Searing temperatures and boulder-strewn mountain tracks mean that the drivers will have to cope with one of the most hostile environments in the series. Roadworks mean that the traditional ceremonial start below Athens' Parthenon has been dropped in favour of an opening at the Zappion.

Colin McRae and co-driver Nicky Grist will be bidding for their third successive 2001 win. McRae's recent exploits have moved him to within seven points of leader Tommi Makinen and the Scot has a good record in Greece. He won the event in 1996, 1998 and 2000 and confirmed: "The Acropolis has usually been a good event for me. It is tough, hard and is physically very demanding - the kind of rally where good preparation pays dividends."

Ford Focus driver Colin McRae believes that he currently has the best car in the World Championship at present. He stated: "We have proved in the last two rallies that the Ford Focus is the strongest car at present. And we must continue to take advantage of that fact - both in Greece and in Kenya next month. They are both hot, rough events and the kind of conditions in which the car seems to thrive. We must go to Greece with another win in mind."

Carlos Sainz has proved he is the most consistent driver in the series this season by managing to pick up points in every round. The Spaniard, who is only one point behind leader Tommi Makinen, clinched his maiden victory in Greece in 1990. And since then he has recorded three victories, four runner-up positions and one third place in 11 starts in the Greek event. "The memory of my first world rally win there is clear in my mind," he said.

The Acropolis Rally is one of the few events that Mitsubishi or Tommi Makinen have not won. Championship leader Makinen was forced to retire from the last round in Cyprus earlier this month. But he said: "In Cyprus we were not so lucky but I have a good feeling about the Acropolis. It is similar but the roads are faster and it is a rally I know well. The championship is getting quite tight now and I think this will be a big fight."

Richard Burns is optimistic that he can claim a victory in round seven of the World Championship. He told the Subaru website: "After the results in Argentina and Cyprus I am feeling very positive about my driving and about the car. "It is too early to be talking about the championship but the situation has certainly improved recently. There are differences in character between Cyprus and Greece but there is not much difference in tyre choice."

Hyundai driver Alister McRae is hopeful that he can earn a good result in Greece after finishing in the points in the Cyprus round. "We managed to set some excellent times in Cyprus and the e is no reason why we cannot do the same in Greece," he said. "The car was so reliable and our only real problem was tyre wear from the rough roads causing some punctures. Cooling in Greece is not so difficult as the roads are slightly faster so you get more airflow through the car."

Natalie Barratt will do battle in the next round of the FIA Teams' Cup having made her mark in the sport in the Cyprus Rally earlier this month. In Cyprus, Barratt became the first woman to score points in a world rally for five years. She said: "Hopefully the Acropolis Rally should be a little faster than Cyprus. I have not contested it before. Organisers have said that the roads are smoother than before but I am sure there will be some rocks to avoid."

Martin Stenshorne leads the seven Ford Puma contenders in round two of the FIA Super 1600 Cup - which is effectively a junior World Championship. The Norwegian finished fourth in the opening round in March but the conditions in Greece will be different to the asphalt surface in Catalunya. In preparation for the event, the Puma endured 500km of rough-road testing and competition in Spain last month. And modifications to the exhaust system have improved engine performance.

RALLYING:- Ford have confirmed that Francois Delecour and Daniel Grataloup will drive a Ford Focus RS World Rally Car at next month's Rallye Deutschland. The French pairing will be behind the the wheel of the RS for the three-day asphalt rally in Trier on 6-8 July.

F.RENAULT:- Formula Renault's Richard Antinuccii has won the Belgian GP after beating off a strong field in the formula's blue riband race at Spa-Francorchamps.

RALLYING:- Welshman Charlie Jukes won the 1600 class of the Sunbeach Rally Sprint at the Vaucluse Raceway in Barbados.
 
 
 
 

12.06.2001

F1:- Jaguar and McLaren go to court on Tuesday in the battle over the contract of top designer Adrian Newey. Jaguar say Newey has signed a legally binding contract with them and last week secured an injunction stopping McLaren from extending his contract. McLaren are confident Newey will stay beyond the end of his contract and hope to get the injunction lifted. Newey is rated as the sport's top designer with his cars winning 12 world titles over the past 10 years.

Eddie Irvine and Nick Heidfeld could only manage a handful of testing laps at Silverstone as both were suffering with injuries. Jaguar driver Irvine succumbed to a neck injury after just one lap. Meanwhile Heidfeld ran four laps before his Sauber team sent him home with headaches affecting his performance. Irvine said: "I felt a pain in my neck at the race in Monaco but because of the hectic schedule we've had it hasn't had a complete period of rest."

TESTING TIMES (Silverstone):min secs
 1 J Trulli        Jordan   1:23.148
 2 D Turner        McLaren  1:24.094
 3 M Gene          Williams 1:24.259
 4 R Zonta         Jordan   1:24.350
 5 L Badoer        Ferrari  1:24.402
 6 P de la Rosa    Jaguar   1:24.869
 7 J Herbert       Arrows   1:25.044
 8 A Lotterer      Jaguar   1:25.262
 9 M Webber        Benetton 1:25.428
10 P Lemarie       BAR      1:25.475
LE MANS 24-HOURS:- The 69th edition of the famous Le Mans 24-Hours is once again expected to be dominated by Audis when the action gets underway on Saturday afternoon. Audis took the top three places in last year's race, with the trio of Emanuele Pirro, Tom Kristensen and Frank Biela claiming victory. The team have been strong in testing and look to be the outfit to beat. They will also want to win in memory of Michele Alboreto, who was killed testing for the race in April.

Former Formula One star Johnny Herbert is relishing his return to the Le Mans 24-Hours race having won in 1991. Herbert drives an Audi, and with the team expected to do well, he said that the lure of success enticed him. "The Champion Audi gives me a shot at winning and that's one of the main reasons for returning - because I have a chance," he told Autosport. "I think it'll be good for a British guy to win for all the thousands of fans coming down here."

Racing fans have been excited by the return of Bentley to Le Mans after an absence of 70 years. Tests have been encouraging, with speeds close to those of the Audi team, and they could challenge for victory. However, the team has stressed that simply finishing is important, and driver Martin Brundle backs this up. "It's unrealistic to expect to beat the Audis this year," he told Autosport. "But my mentality is still 'How can we win Le Mans'?"

Mark Blundell had no racing at all last year, but after missing out on the Bentley team to Martin Brundle, he was offered a driver by the MG Sport team. "I've wanted to do it for the last five years while I've been in America," he told Autosport. "Coming back to Le Mans is special, and having won it before makes it more so. The only two I was interested in were Bentley and MG. I've very happy about it, because there's lots of potential in this car."

While Audi and Bentley are expected to figure strongly at Le Mans, other teams will be looking for a strong showing. The Chrysler team has looked good in testing, while Cadillac may also be in with a shout. While neither team expects to win, they will both be aiming for a place on the rostrum on Sunday afternoon. The Pescarolo Sport team will also be challenging for a podium spot after being beaten into fourth place in their first appearance last year.

Johnny Mowlem is building on his debut in the race last year with a step up in class this time round. Mowlem appears this year in the GTS class, drving a rear-engined Saleen S7-R for Ray Mallock Ltd. Mowlem, currently in the American Le Mans series, told Autosport: "My aim one day is to win Le Mans. I'm hugely grateful to Porsche for allowing me to race a car that gives such relevant experience for the future.”

Northamptonshire-based Oliver Gavin is looking forward to making his debut this weekend. He has a works drive with the Saleen/Allen Speedlab team in their SR7. Gavin is confident after a string of good results and said: "The car is simply great and we were delighted to set the fastest time in testing. 24 hours is a long time and reliability will be important, but we feel that we have the speed to give us every chance in the race."

LMP900 ENTRANTS:
 1 Biela/Pirro/Kristensen    Audi
 2 Capello/Aiello/Pescatori  Audi
 3 Herbert/Kelleners/Theys   Audi
 4 Johansson/Goudon/Lemarie  Audi
 5 Bernard/Collard/Goossens  Cadillac
 6 Taylor/Angelelli/Tinseau  Cadillac
 7 Brundle/Ortelli/Smith     Bentley
 8 Wallace/vd Poele/L'zinger Bentley
 9 Lammers/Hi'brand/Crevels  Dome-Judd
10 Nielsen/Katoh/Elgaard     Dome-Judd
11 Graf/Davies/Formato       Panoz
12 Magnussen/Brabham/Lagorce Panoz
14 Ara/Kondo/Amorim          Chrysler
15 Dalmas/Montagny/Sarrazin  Chrysler
16 Beretta/Wendlinger/Lamy   Chrysler
17 Bourdais/Boullion/Redon   Peugeot
18 Cottaz/Clerico/D'chebourg Peugeot
19 Gache/Beltoise/Policand   Judd
20 L'berger/Collins/Toivonen Ascari
21 Lemarie/Maxwell/Zwart     Ascari

LMP675 ENTRANTS:
30 Terada/Fournoux/Daoudi    Peugeot
32 Hurtgen/F'banks/Gleason   Lola
33 Blundell/Bailey/McGarrity Lola
34 Reid/Hughes/Kane          Lola
35 O'Connell/Carway/Migault  Nissan
36 de R'gues/Maassen/Matsudo Reynard
37 Graham/Duno/Murry         Reynard
38 Gene/Deletraz/Fabre       Reynard

GTS ENTRANTS:
55 Belmondo/Ickx/Rosenblad   Chrysler
56 Kumpen/Lagniez/De Galzain Chrysler
57 Terrien/Cochet/Dayraut    Chrysler
58 Bouchut/Belloc/v Gartzen  Chrysler
60 Gavin/Konrad/Borcheller   Ford
61 Brun/seiler/Slater        Ford
62 Mowlem/Lambert/McKellar   Ford
63 Fellows/O'Connell/Pruett  Chevrolet
64 Freon/Pilgrim/Collins     Chevrolet

GT ENTRANTS:
70 Rice/Lewis/Mazzuoccola    Callaway
71 Donovan/MacA'ter/Lingner  Porsche
72 Fukuyama/Yogo/Nishizawa   Porsche
74 Ligonnet/Alphand/Marques  Porsche
75 Perrier/Neugarten/Smith   Porsche
76 Youles/Warnock/Day        Porsche
79 Noel/Fourgeois/Jodexnis   Porsche
80 Gouselard/Chereau/Dumez   Porsche
82 Burgess/C-Olivar/Bagnall  Porsche
83 Rosa/Babini/Drudi         Porsche
BTCC (Mondello Park):- Vauxhall will be paying the penalty for their successful season so far when rounds nine and ten take place in Ireland on Sunday. Each of the four Astra Coupes, currently filling the top four places in the championship, will carry an additional 30kg of ballast. Yvan Muller, Jason Plato and James Thompson are already carrying 60kg. The extra weight and the challenge of a new circuit on the touring car schedule should see some close racing.

Championship leader Yvan Muller will have an advantage over most of his adversaries on Sunday as he has experience of Mondello Park. "It will be a challenge, not only to win but also because of the breaking situation, just to finish," he said. "If I remember Mondello correctly, there are lots of braking points with no really long straights to cool the brakes down. If it's warm, then that too will be a factor," he added.

Jason Plato won the feature race at Silverstone last time out and will be hoping for a similar result this time. Lying second in the championship, he said: "I'm sure the other Vauxhall drivers are going to be quick, so it will be a good pair of races. "I've never been to Mondello before and I'm really looking forward to it." Vauxhall Motorsport manager Derek Warwick said: "I think it's important that we go to Ireland. They understand and love motor racing over there."

Teenager Tom Boardman will hope that the general lack of familiarity with Mondello Park will be to his advantage. Boardman has been studying the circuit in a book in the hope that he can learn its challenges. "It looks like quite a demanding circuit in the book," he said. "It's good we've got the test on Friday. At the end of the day I just see it as another circuit but hopefully I'll be able to learn it quicker and better than some of the others."
 
 
 
 

15.06.2001

F1:- Alex Yoong has been offered a seat by Minardi and is seeking sponsors to become the first Malaysian to drive a Formula One car. Reports say that Yoong could make his F1 debut as early as the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 15. But Malaysian Sports Minister Hishammuddin Hussein has said the government would not provide financial help for Yoong. Minardi have yet to score a point after eight races this season.

F1 (Silverstone)
Testing times (Thu):       mins secs
 1 A Wurz        McLaren    1:22.081
 2 M Hakkinen    McLaren    1:22.614
 3 R Barrichello Ferrari    1:22.718
 4 M Schumacher  Ferrari    1:23.142
 5 R Zonta       Jordan     1:23.177
 6 K Raikkonen   Sauber     1:23.435
 7 O Panis       BAR        1:23.811
 8 J Verstappen  Arrows     1:24.035
 9 J Trulli      Jordan     1:24.180
10 J Villeneuve  BAR        1:24.253
LE MANS 24-HOURS:- Italian Ronaldo Capello grabbed pole position as the Audi team took four of the first five places on the grid for this weekend's race. He registered a time of three minutes, 32.429 seconds in overcast conditions. Last year's winning Audi team were second fastest, just 0.029 seconds behind, despite Tom Kristensen going off the track after a slow puncture. The privateer Champion Audi, in which Johnny Herbert will drive, was third, while Martin Brundle was seventh.

Johnny Herbert said he was happy to be starting the race from the second row. Herbert, who last raced the event nine years ago, said: "Third position is great and we've got ourselves an excellent car ` it's a joy to drive. "It would have been nice to get more time behind the wheel but I reckon I'll get that opportunity over the weekend!" Herbert, 36, will be partnered by Ralf Kelleners and Didier Theys for the 69th running of the world famous race which sees Audi aiming to win again.

Chrysler Team driver Seija Ara of Japan has been named Le Mans qualifying rookie of the year.

Open qualifying times (Thu):mins secs
 1 R Capello     Audi       3:32.429
 2 T Kristensen  Audi       3:32.458
 3 J Herbert     Audi       3:34.349
 4 J Lammers     Dome       3:34.838
 5 T Coronel     Audi       3:35.128
 6 O Beretta     Chrysler   3:36.155
 7 M Brundle     Bentley    3:36.535
 8 E Collard     Cadillac   3:37.402
 9 A Wallace     Bentley    3:37.408
10 P Gache       Courage    3:38.746
ACROPOLIS RALLY:- Ford driver Colin McRae recovered from a slow start to take over the lead after the first day's action. The Scot was lying sixth after the first two stages before battling his way to the lead with fastest times on the fourth and sixth stages. The fifth stage had to be cancelled because too many spectators were lining the course. Fellow Brit Richard Burns is back in third while Peugeot duo Marcus Gronholm and Didier Auriol both retired.
Leading positions after 6 stages:
                            hrs min sec
 1 C McRae     GB  Ford      1:25:40.1
 2 C Sainz     Sp  Ford       @   21.1
 3 R Burns     GB  Subaru     @   33.0
 4 M Martin    Est Subaru     @   43.6
 5 P Solberg   Nor Subaru     @   58.1
 6 G Panizzi   Fr  Peugot     @ 1:05.3
 7 F Loix      Bel Mitsubishi @ 1:08.1
 8 H Rovanpera Fin Peugeot    @ 1:14.3
 9 T Makkinen  Fin Mitsubishi @ 1:20.0
10 A Schwarz   Ger Skoda      @ 1:57.5
 

 

BRITISH GT’S:- Bobby Roe and Michael Caine topped the times in pre-race testing ahead of the seventh round at Castle Combe. The event over the weekend of June 23/24 will be the biggest event at the circuit for more than 40 years.

Leading times:               mins secs
1 BV Roe/ M Caine             1:03.331
2 M Jordan/JC Walter          1:03.458
3 K Burt/M Franchitti         1:06.193
4 M Turner/E Horner           1:06.586
5 R Stanton/S Hyde            1:06.768
6 M Short/R Barff             1:06.957
AUTOBYTEL LOTUS (Mondello Park):- Spencer Marsh made the most of mixed weather conditions to claim the fastest lap ahead of qualifying on Saturday. Marsh, eighth in the overall standings, finished first in the test session, ahead of Jon Tee and Murk Fullalove.
Leading test times:          mins secs
1 S Marsh                     1:51.442
2 J Tee                       1:51.529
3 M Fullalove                 1:51.565
4 P Duke                      1:51.998
5 C Boon                      1:52.066
6 D Maguire                   1:52.103
 

 
 
 

16.06.2001

F1:- World championship leader Michael Schumacher has said that David Coulthard is still a title threat, despite standing 18 points behind him. "We still have nine races to go, many points to be given, so I am not comfortable at all," he said. "There is still far too long to go in the championship for it to be over." He added that brother Ralf was still in the hunt, 30 points behind him, but said: "I believe that the main rivalry is between David and myself."

LE MANS 24-HOURS:- Martin Brundle saw his hopes of giving Bentley their first Le Mans win for 71 years go up in smoke when a gearbox problem ended his race. His co-driver Guy Smith was forced to retire after he was left stuck in sixth gear with the car continually stalling near the end of the fifth hour. Brundle led after the first hour before slipping back down the field. Bentley's hopes now rest with Andy Wallace who was the top non-Audi in fourth position after six hours.

Chrysler have been playing a waiting game in the early stages because of the wet conditions. Three heavy showers have hit the race, resulting in a safety car period as the circuit was too wet. "On this circuit the weather can make a big, big change to the race," said team director Hugues de Chaunac. "Our target for the three cars is to strict instructions not to go too fast. We must keep them on the road."

In appalling wet conditions the British PK Sport Porsche suffered a setback when Mike Youles spun at one of the chicanes in the sixth hour. The car suffered some damage, losing two minutes getting out of the gravel. Youles rejoined the race after 42 minutes with a new nosecone and middle radiator, six laps down on the next in the GT class. It was a blow to their hopes of victory in the prestigious event when it ends on Sunday afternoon.

Latest positions after 6 hours:
 1 Biela/Pirro/Kristensen    Audi
 2 Aiello/Capello/Pescatori  Audi
 3 Herbert/Kelleners/Theys   Audi
 4 Wallace/vd Poele/L'zinger Bentley
 5 Bouillon/Bourdais/Redon   Peugeot
 6 Dalmas/Montagny/Sarrazin  Chrysler
 7 Beretta/Wendlinger/Lamy   Chrysler
 8 Deletraz/Fabre/Guerrero   Reynard
 9 Pilgrim/Collins/Freon     Corvette
10 McGarrity/Blundell/Bailey MG
11 Fellows/O'Connell/Pruett  Chevrolet
12 Lupberger/Collins/T'vonen Ascari
13 Ara/Kondo/Amorim          Chrysler
14 Rosa/Babini/Drudi         Porsche
15 Jeannette/Dumas/H'brouck  Porsche
16 Derad'gs/Maassen/Matsudo  Reynard
17 Taylor/Angelelli/Tinseau  Cadillac
18 Mazzuocolla/Rice/Wagner   Callaway
19 Perrier/Neugarten/Smith   Porsche
20 McKellar/Lambert/Mowlem   Saleen
21 Chereau/Duxez/Gouselard   Porsche
22 Burgess/C-Olivar/Bagnall  Porsche
23 Borcheller/Gavin/Konrad   Saleen
24 Alphand/Ligonnet/Marques  Porsche
25 Youles/Warnock/Day        Porsche
26 Lammers/Hi'brand/Crevels  Dome-Judd
27 Fukuyama/Yogo/N shizawa   Porsche
28 Vosse/Ickx/Rosenblad      Chrysler
29 Pompidou/Maxwell/Smart    Ascari
30 Noel/Fourgeois/Jodexnis   Porsche
31 D'noux/Daoudi/Terada      WR
32 Nielsen/Katoh/Elgaard     Dome-Judd
33 Gache/Beltoise/Policand   Courage
34 Graf/Davies/Formato       Panoz
35 Brabham/Magnussen/Lagorce Panoz
36 Bouchut/Belloc/Monteiro   Chrysler
37 Lagniez/D'galzain/Kumpen  Chrysler
38 Donovan/Lingner/M'ster    Porsche
39 Hurtgen/F'banks/Gleason   Lola Nissan
40 Clerico/Cottaz/D'chebourg Peugeot
Retirements:
   Reid/Hughes/Kane          MG Lola
   Duno/Graham/Murry         Reynard
   Seiler/Brun/Slater        Saleen
   Collard/Goossens/Bernard  Cadillac
   Brundle/Ortelli/Smith     Bentley
   J'sson/Coronel/Lemarie    Audi
   Terrien/Cochet/Dayraut    Chrysler
   O'Connell/Carway/Migault  Pilbeam
BTCC (Mondello Park):- Vauxhall's Yvan Muller claimed a double pole in Ireland, taking first place in both the sprint and feature races. His team-mates continued Vauxhall's hold of the series by filling the next three places for both races. He edged out close rival Jason Plato in both, winning the 15 lap race by 0.131 secs and the 30 lap race by 0.124 secs. Phil Bennett and James Thompson each took one third and one fourth place but Bennett skidded off and narrowly avoided hitting the tyre wall.

ACROPOLIS RALLY:- Colin McRae has a slight lead over Ford teammate Carlos Sainz going into the final day of the event. McRae had a 21.1 second advantage from the first day but Sainz and third-placed Richard Burns reduced his lead to just 9.8 seconds. McRae won the opening stage of the day before Sainz charged back to make up time on the next five stages. "What was a comfortable lead is now tight so it will be a big battle between the three of us," McRae said.

Leading positions after 13 stages
(End of second leg):        hrs min sec
 1 C McRae     GB  Ford       2:53:22.1
 2 C Sainz     Sp  Ford       2:53:31.9
 3 R Burns      B  Subaru     2:53:36.9
 4 P Solberg   Nor Subaru     2:54:22.8
 5 H Rovanpera Fin Peugeot    2:54:35.7
 6 T Makinen   Fin Mitsubishi 2:55:28.9
 7 F Delecour  Fr  Ford       2:56:03.9
 8 P Bugalski  Fr  Citroen    2:56:23.4
 9 A Schwarz   Ger Skoda      2:57:04.5
10 G Panizzi   Fr  Peugot     2:57:36.7
AUTOBYTEL LOTUS (Mondello Park):- Jon Tee earned his debut Lotus Sport pole position after a tense 30-minute qualifying session. Mark Fullalove and Hyla Breese battled for the early lead before Tee took centre stage. Breese regained pole but Tee snatched it back in style.
Qualifying times (Sat):      mins secs
1 J Tee                       1:49.286
2 H Breese                    1:49.507
3 M Fullalove                 1:49.537
4 S Marsh                     1:49.645
5 N Smith                     1:49.946
6 P Duke                      1:49.977
JUNIOR F.FORD (Pembrey):- Lewis Carter took his first pole of the season as Steven Kane boosted his title hopes with second place. Cliveo Piccione produced his best display of the season to pip Ben Clucas and Lee Piercey to third place.
Qualifying times (Sat):       secs
1 L Carter                   58.718
2 S Kane                     58.784
4 L Piercey                  59.0 4
5 B Clucas                   59.143
6 T Gaynor                   59.183
 

 
 
 
 

17.06.2001

LE MANS 24-HOURS:- The Audi works car driven by Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro and Tom Kristensen won the 69th Le Mans 24-hour endurance race on Sunday. They completed 321 laps and came home ahead of the other Audi factory car, driven by Rinaldo Capello, Laurent Aiello and Christian Pescatori. Andy Wallace, Eric van der Poele and Butch Leizinger were third in a Bentley It was an impressive result for the Bentley team who were competing for the first time in 71 years.

Audi co-driver Tom Kristensen, one of the winning team, said this year was the toughest Le Mans he had been in. Heavy rain and difficult conditions meant that only 21 of the 48 cars finished the race. "It's the hardest race I've been in - it was so, so difficult out there," said Kristensen, who shared the winning car with Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro "The whole team did a brilliant job and that was a key part of the job," said German Biela.

Britain's Andy Wallace survived the worst conditions he had experienced in 13 Le Mans appearances as he led Bentley to a magnificent third place. Wallace, who won on his Le Mans debut in 1988, admitted he was taken by surprise at just how wet it was. "I couldn't believe the amount of rain coming down and how slippery it was. It was so difficult to keep the car on the road," said Wallace. "With the Bentley being a closed car, it made visibility difficult."

Final standings:
 1 Biela/Pirro/Kristensen    Audi
 2 Aiello/Capello/Pescatori  Audi
 3 Wallace/vd Poele/L'zinger Bentley
 4 Beretta/Wendlinger/Lamy   Chrysler
 5 D'traz/Fabre/G'guerrero   Reynard
 6 Rosa/Babini/Drudi         Porsche
 7 Jeannette/Dumas/H'brouck  Porsche
 8 Fellows/O'Connell/Pruett  Chevrolet
 9 Perrier/Neugarten/Smith   Porsche
10 Chereau/Dumez/Gouselard   Porsche
11 Fukuyama/Yogo/Nishizawa   Porsche
12 Burgess/C-Olivar/Bagnall  Porsche
13 Bouillon/Bourdais/Redon   Peugeot
14 Pilgrim/Collins/Freon     Corvette
15 Taylor/Angelelli/Tinseau  Cadillac
16 Youles/Warnock/Day        Porsche
17 Alphand/Ligonnet/Marques  Porsche
18 Borcheller/Gavin/Konrad   Saleen
19 D'noux/Daoudi/Terada      WR
20 Bouchut/Belloc/Monteiro   Chrysler
21 Noel/Fourgeois/Jodexnis   Porsche
Retirements:
   Ara/Kondo/Amorim          Chrysler
   Clerico/Cottaz/D'chebourg Peugeot
   Pompidou/Maxwell/Smart    Ascari
   Lupberger/Collins/T'vonen Ascari
   McKellar/Lambert/Mowlem   Saleen
   Lammers/Hi'brand/Crevels  Dome-Judd
   McGarrity/Blundell/Bailey MG
   Mazzuocolla/Rice/Wagner   Callaway
   Hurtgen/F'banks/Gleason   Lola Nissan
   Derad'gs/Maassen/Matsudo  Reynard
   Dalmas/Montagny/Sarrazin  Chrysler
   Graf/Davies/Formato       Panoz
   Brabham/Magnussen/Lagorce Panoz
   Nielsen/Katoh/Elgaard     Dome-Judd
   Herbert/Kelleners/Theys   Audi
   Gache/Beltoise/Policand   Courage
   Lagniez/D'galzain/Kumpen  Chrysler
   Vosse/Ickx/Rosenblad      Chrysler
   Donovan/Lingner/M'ster    Porsche
   Reid/Hughes/Kane          MG Lola
   Duno/Graham/Murry         Reynard
   Seiler/Brun/Slater        Saleen
   Collard/Goossens/Bernard  Cadillac
   Brundle/Ortelli/Smith     Bentley
   J'sson/Coronel/Lemarie    Audi
   Terrien/Cochet/Dayraut    Chrysler
   O'Connell/Carway/Migault  Pilbeam
 

 

BTCC (Mondello Park):- Vauxhall's Yvan Muller continued his title march with a double victory in the BTCC's first ever race outside the United Kingdom, at a venue near Dublin. Muller led the sprint from the green light to the chequered flag for his fifth win of the season in round nine. He then dominated the feature race, only losing the lead briefly when he went into the pits. Jason Plato edged James Thompson into third place but goes to Donington in a fortnight desperately in need of a win.

Sprint race (15 laps):       mins secs
1 Y Muller      Fr  Vauxhall 28:33.193
2 J Thompson    GB  Vauxhall @   9.378
3 S Soper       GB  Peugeot  @  15.557
4 K Luby        GB  Lexus    @  32.520
5 D Eaves       GB  Peugeot  @  39.383
6 P Bennett     GB  Vauxhall @1:27.327
7 J Plato       GB  Vauxhall  one lap

Feature race (30 laps)       mins secs
1 Y Muller      Fr  Vauxhall 54:50.315
2 J Plato       GB  Vauxhall  @  6.793
3 J Thompson    GB  Vauxhall  @ 16.091
4 P Bennett     GB  Vauxhall  @ 19.791
5 J Kaye        GB  Honda     @ 1 lap
6 P O'Neill     GB  Peugeot   @ 1 lap

DRIVER STANDINGS
1 Y Muller     Fr  Vauxhall   108 pts
2 J Plato      GB  Vauxhall    99
3 J Thompson   Swi Vauxhall    89
4 P Bennett    GB  Vauxhall    66
5 S Soper      GB  Peugeot     30
6 D Eaves      GB  Peugeot     27

BF GOODRICH TIRES PRODUCTION CHAMPIONSHIP
1 S Harrison   GB  Peugeot     93 pts
2 J Kaye       GB  Honda       75
3 R Moen       Nor Peugeot     64
4 M Jackson    GB  Ford        44
= G Howell     GB  Ford        44
6 G Pyper      GB  Alfa Rom    37

MANUFACTURER STANDINGS
1 Vauxhall              276 pts
2 Peugeot                87

TOURING TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Vauxhall Motorsport    79 pts
2 Team Egg Sport         75
3 ABG Motorsport         20

GOODRICH PRODUCTION TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Barwell Motorsport     62
2 GR Motorsport          60
3 HTML                   47
4 GA Janspeed            26
5 Tom Boardman Racing    16
6 TCR/Interactive NS     15
ACROPOLIS RALLY:- Colin McRae claimed a hat-trick of victories after main challenger Carlos Sainz retired on the final stage. McRae began the final stage with only a 5.9-second lead and was able to record victory when the Spaniard was forced out with no oil pressure. Norwegian Petter Solberg secured his best-ever finish in second position for Subaru, 49 seconds behind McRae. McRae's win moves him equal with Sainz and Juha Kankkunen at the top of the all-time list on 23 World Rally wins.

British driver Colin McRae admitted it had been a relief to see team-mate Carlos Sainz retire on the last stage of the rally. Lack of oil pressure forced Sainz out of the race when he had been pushing McRae hard for the lead "It was tighter than we'd hoped but I always thought we could win from the front," said McRae. "It's unfortunate for Carlos but when we saw the pit-board saying that he'd stopped, it took all the pressure away."

Leading results:             hrs min sec
 1 C McRae     GB  Ford       4:19:01.9
 2 P Solberg   Nor Subaru     @    49.0
 3 H Rovanpera Fin Peugeot    @  1:35.7
 4 T Makinen   Fin Mitsubishi @  2:15.3
 5 F Delecour  Fr  Ford       @  2:35.4
 6 P Bugalski  Fr  Citroen    @  4:00.2
 7 A Schwarz   Ger Skoda      @  5:56.7
 8 J Joseph    Fr  Peugeot    @  7:27.1
 9 F Loix      Bel Mitsubishi @  8:00.9
10 B Thiry     Bel Skoda      @  8:35.7
CART:- Pole sitter Helio Castroneves won his second consecutive Championship Auto Racing Teams Grand Prix of Detroit on Sunday, leading from start to finish. The 26-year-old Brazilian jumped ahead at the start on the 2.3-mile street course and stayed in command to win his fifth career CART victory. Castroneves remains second in the points standings but closed the gap on Sweden's Kenny Brack. Scotland's Dario Franchitti was second with Brazil's Roberto Moreno third.

AUTOBYTEL LOTUS (Mondello Park):- Jon Tee claimed his first championship win after fellow front-row starter Hyla Breese slipped up three laps from home. Breese led throughout but had a problem with his brakes going into a corner on lap 11 and threw his car into a spin, allowing Tee through to snatch victory.

Race result (Sun):
1 J Tee       GB  Theramed
2 H Breese    Aus Nortel Networks
3 J Whelan    Ire Polstore

Championship standings:
1 M Fullalove          78.5 points
2 J Tee                62.5 points
3 H Breese             56.5 points
JUNIOR F.FORD (Pembrey):- Lewis Carter claimed a double victory as Northern Ireland's Steven Kane extended his lead in the championship. Carter headed Kane in both races as Monegasque Clivio Piccione, Ben Clucas and Lee Piercey to third place.
Round five results (Sun): mins secs
1 L Carter                 7:59.006
2 S Kane                   7:59.166
3 C Piccione               8:00.514

Round six results (Sun):
1 L Carter                14:59.397
2 S Kane                  14:59.707
3 T Gaymor                15:02.567
 

 
 
 

18.06.2001

F1:- British American Racing boss Craig Pollock has said that Honda will power the team next season. Honda, who signed with BAR last year, supply engines and also help with chassis development for the team. Pollock stated that he thinks the Japanese manufacturer will also sign with Jordan for next year. He said: "I have signed a contract with Honda and they have said they will honour it, which I think will be the same situation with Jordan."

RALLYING:- Colin McRae is chasing another title after he secured his third 2001 victory in a row in Sunday's Acropolis Rally. The Scot is now joint top of the standings with Tommi Makinen. And he equalled the record held by Juha Kankkunen and Carlos Sainz of most world championship rally wins after notching his 23rd triumph. McRae, who won the world championship in 1995, said: "There is a long way to go. We are only at the halfway point but it is looking good for us now."

England's Natalie Barratt became the first female driver since 1995 to score points on two successive rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship in Greece. Making her debut in the Acropolis Rally with Australian co-driver Claire Parker, the Mitsubishi driver finished fourth in the FIA Teams' Cup. The 26-year-old said: "I came to Greece to gain experience of the rally. By finishing in the points I have achieved even more than we had set out to do."
 
 
 

19.06.2001

F1: THE EUROPEAN GP
Michael Schumacher is hopeful that new developments with Ferrari's Bridgestone tyres can give him an edge on Sunday. Williams, Michelin and his brother Ralf won the last race in Canada. Schumacher Snr said: "It is always special to race in front of your home crowd and if I have a race like in Canada they will not be disappointed. You can never be sure until the race which tyres will be strongest. If the weather changes between qualifying and the race it could swing either way."

David Coulthard still believes he can win his first Formula One title this year - despite trailing Michael Schumacher by 18 points. McLaren's Scottish star said: "Michael has got a big lead but that can turn around in two races. The championship is still achievable." Coulthard was on pole for last year's Nurburgring race but finished third. No driver who has been on pole since Formula One returned to the circuit in 1995 has also won the race.

Mika Hakkinen will be hoping that his third place in the last round in Montreal will signal that his season has turned around. The Finn looks to have no realistic chance of reclaiming the title but he could have a say in whether the crown goes to Ferrari or McLaren. His McLaren team-mate David Coulthard is Michael Schumacher's closest rival. Hakkinen won at the Nurburgring on his way to claiming the title in 1998 ` in a race hailed as one of his best.

David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen are looking forward to Sunday's race and a double-points finish could close the gap in the Constructors' Championship. Coulthard said: "I have a consistent record at the event, having finished on the podium in four of the past five European Grands Prix. I am aiming to continue and improve on that this year." Hakkinen added: "As it is the home race for Mercedes-Benz we always have a lot of crowd support."

Ralf Schumacher goes into his home race on Sunday on the back of a victory in the Canadian Grand Prix. The German admitted: "This is my home race and there is always a great atmosphere, which makes it special. It would be nice to have a similar success to Canada at home but the Nurburgring will be more difficult for us than Montreal. The circuit has very high safety standards but, typical to many modern circuits, it lacks character."

Juan Pablo Montoya has raced at the Nurburgring before in the Formula 3000 Championship and has a good reason to like the venue. The Williams star commented: "I have raced there once so I know the circuit but probably not as well as others. However, it has good memories for me as it was here in 1998 where I won the Formula 3000 Championship, starting from pole and finishing third. I hope we have a good race there because it is the home of BMW."

Heinz-Harald Frentzen is poised to make a comeback on Sunday after missing the Canadian Grand Prix because he was suffering from headaches and dizziness. However, he has admitted that the track is not high on his list of ones he looks forward to driving on. The German said: "The Nurburgring is not my favourite track. The Castrol-S corner at the end of the start-finish straight and the Veedol-S chicane at the end of the lap provide good overtaking opportunities."

Jordan have stumbled somewhat in their bid to claim third place in the constructors' race but Jarno Trulli is hoping to get them back on track. "I know this circuit very well as I drove here many times in the German Formula Three Championship," he said. "I am looking forward to the Nurburgring as I have very good memories from when I achieved my first podium here in 1999. It would be great to manage a similar result again this year."

Eddie Irvine will return to action on Sunday having missed last week's test at Silverstone because of injury. The Jaguar star stated: "I had a slight neck injury. I am keen to get back behind the wheel at the Nurburgring. Actually if I had to miss a test that was the one to choose. It is a short test day and there are usually more red flags than anywhere else. It is not as though you get much done. I like the Nurburgring. I started from the front row in 1998."

Jaguar driver Pedro de la Rosa is hopeful that the team can make further steps forward after a successful three- day test at Silverstone. He said: "It was a productive programme and should allow us to make further gains for this race, although they will be marginal as opposed to significant. If it was easy to make aerodynamic gains everybody would be fighting for first place. And our job is made even harder by having a windtunnel in California."

Arrows' Jos Verstappen is ready for an unpredictable race on Sunday. "The Nurburgring is a hard circuit," he said. "There is not a great deal of grip and you get a lot of understeer through the sweeping corners. This is a nice track which has a bit of everything, including a good mixture of corners. I really do not know what to expect this year. Our pace was good there before but it did rain. The weather usually has a part to play."

Benetton tried out some new engine specifications in the recent test at Silverstone but they will not feature until the French Grand Prix on July 1. Jenson Button, Giancarlo Fisichella and test driver Mark Webber all took part. Technical director Mike Gascoyne said: "Mark was developing the launch control system, which we intend to use at the next race. Jenson drove the B201 and focused on the engine in preparation for the update at the Magny-Cours race."

Sunday's race is scheduled to last for 67 laps (189.705 miles). Heinz-Harald Frentzen holds the lap record at the Nurburgring. He set a time of one minute, 18.805 seconds in 1997 for Williams. Michael Schumacher clocked the fastest lap in last year's race with 1:22.269. Five European Grands Prix have been run at the Nurburgring.

F.RENAULT (Snetterton):- Championship leader Carl Breeze headed Motaworld team-mate Mark McLoughlin in testing at his home track. Breeze's title rival Richard Antinucci was third fastest. Just a second covered the top 17 cars.

Testing times (Tue):         mins secs
1 C Breeze      US            1:06.689
2 M McLoughin   GB            1:06.700
3 R Antinucci   US            1:06.781
4 M Fairuz      Mal           1:06.863
5 C Brown       GB            1:06.875
6 H Kovalienen  Fin           1:06.933
 

 
 
 
 

20.06.2001

F1:- British motor sport chiefs have unveiled their £90m vision designed to make Silverstone the best in the world. The Silverstone Circuit Vision includes £45m being spent on a redesign of the track, a new pit and paddock facility. There will also be better grandstands and improvements to alleviate the chronic traffic problems. The plan also includes a spectacular parabolic curve to improve overtaking opportunities, which could be in use for the 2003 Grand Prix.

Ralf Schumacher is close to extending his contract with BMW-Williams. The younger Schumacher brother, who has become a target for several top teams after his first two wins this year, has a contract with Williams until 2002. And he told a news conference in Bonn: "We will get together and talk about the last details." He did not say how long the new contract would be but did say the deal may be done at this weekend's European Grand Prix at the Nuerburgring.

Benetton plan to use 'launch control' technology for the first time this year at the start of Sunday's European Grand Prix at the Nuerburgring. The electronic system, which allows a smoother getaway than a conventional start, has been allowed since the Spanish Grand Prix at the end of April.

RALLYING:- The BTRDA Series resumes following the Foot & Mouth crisis with the Dukeries Rally, the first round to take place since Wyedean Forest in February. Series contenders have consequently been kicking their heels and the forests of the Dukeries should see some frantic action on Saturday. Mitsubishis hold sway in the Gold Star Championship with Mark Perrott leading Vince Wetton. Phil Collins leads the Silver Star Championship in his Ford Escort RS.

BRITISH GT'S (Castle Combe):- David Warnock and Mike Jordan are neck- and-neck at the top of the drivers standings ahead of the seventh round. The pair both have 79 points before Sunday's race but Warnock missed the test day there last week. They are being chased by Tim Harvey and Rob Wilson, who are both only three points behind in the championship. The Hayles Racing duo will hope the ultra-fast Wiltshire circuit, more suited to their Chrysler Vipers, could earn them a third win this season.

INDY LIGHTS:- Dan Wheldon is looking for a birthday boost when he bids for victory in the fifth round of the CART Dayton Indy Lights Championship this weekend. Wheldon will turn 23 when he takes part in practice in Portland, Oregon, on Friday ahead of Sunday's race. The PacWest Racing driver already leads the chase for the Rookie of the year award after second and third places at Long Beach and Milwaukee respectively. He underwent a one-day test in Michigan in preparation last week.
 
 
 
 

22.06.2001

F1: THE EUROPEAN GP
Mika Hakkinen got the better of his McLaren team-mate David Coulthard by setting the fastest time in the second practice session for Sunday's race. Scot Coulthard had been quickest in the first run-out. Williams driver Ralf Schumacher got the better of elder brother Michael by clocking the third fastest time - just ahead of the championship leader. Eddie Irvine, who missed the first session with mechanical problems, was 15th and Jenson Button was 18th.

Friday's second practice times:mins secs
 1 M Hakkinen    Fin McLaren  1:16.408
 2 D Coulthard   GB  McLaren  1:16.579
 3 R Schumacher  Ger Williams 1:17.355
 4 M Schumacher  Ger Ferrari  1:17.507
 5 R Barrichello Brz Ferrari  1:17.655
 6 JP Montoya    Sp  Williams 1:17.737
 7 J Trulli      It  Jordan   1:18.133
 8 N Heidfeld    Ger Sauber   1:18.196
 9 J Alesi       Fr  Prost    1:18.352
10 O Panis       Fr  BAR      1:18.410
11 K Raikkonen   Fin Sauber   1:18.413
12 J Villeneuve  Can BAR      1:18.434
13 P de la Rosa  Sp  Jaguar   1:18.473
14 G Fisichella  It  Benetton 1:19.339
15 E Irvine      GB  Jaguar   1:19.503
16 J Verstappen  Ned Arrows   1:19.640
17 E Bernoldi    It  Arrows   1:19.822
18 J Button      GB  Benetton 1:19.978
19 H-H Frentzen  Ger Jordan   1:19.988
20 L Burti       Brz Prost    1:20.094
21 F Alonso      Sp  Minardi  1:20.183
22 T Marques     Brz Minardi  1:21.129
Ralf Schumacher has extended his Williams contract until the end of the 2004 season, the team have announced. The 25-year-old German has been rewarded for clinching Williams' first Grand Prix victory since 1997 when he won in San Marino. "I'm looking forward to continuing our successful partnership with Williams BMW and believe we will meet our targets together," said Schumacher. The deal comes one month after brother Michael extended his Ferrari deal.

David Coulthard seems set to continue his five-year partnership with Finnish ace Mika Hakkinen next season in a double-your-money deal. The 30-year-old Scot has dropped the broadest of hints that he will re-sign for McLaren-Mercedes for 2002. "I don't know the time scale but it's the obvious thing to happen," he said. Mercedes' sporting boss Norbert Haug said: "Don't expect any surprises. I don't know if it will happen this weekend but we are working on it."

Honda have announced that they will continue providing engines to both Jordan and British American Racing for next season. The news has ended rumours that Honda were considering concentrating on just one team. Honda technical director Kazutoshi Nishizawa said: "We will supply both teams next year and we never planned to drop either team. "In fact we presented our 2002 engine to both teams in Malaysia."
 
 
 

23.06.2001

F1: THE EUROPEAN GP
Michael Schumacher and brother Ralf dominated the qualifying session again as the world champion claimed his seventh pole position of the season. Michael clocked one minute, 14.960 seconds to deny Ralf the chance of his first pole by just over 0.2 seconds. Ralf's Williams team-mate Juan-Pablo Montoya was third fastest ahead of Michael's Ferrari colleague Rubens Barrichello with David Coulthard fifth. Eddie Irvine finished 12th with Jenson Button back in 20th.

Michael Schumacher admitted that he was surprised to claim pole position after the morning's practice sessions. "The car was perfectly prepared for qualifying, but I was not confident about getting pole when I saw the times this morning," he said. But I have managed to pull out more time than I thought I could." Ralf Schumacher was second and said: "I am not disappointed about not getting pole. I am surprised we are so good here as I did a really good first lap."

David Coulthard was disappointed after only claiming fifth place on the grid in Saturday's qualifying session. "I am not happy. It is much harder when you start a race from fifth and your main rival is on pole," he said. "The race is not over until the chequered flag and we will be doing everything we can to win but I envisage us having a difficult race. We cannot extract the balance we want out of new tyres in qualifying although it will be better in the race."

Saturday's qualifying times: mins secs
 1 M Schuamcher  Ger Ferrari  1:14.960
 2 R Schumacher  Ger Williams 1:15.226
 3 JP Montoya    Col Williams 1:15.490
 4 R Barrichello Brz Ferrari  1:15.622
 5 D Coulthard   GB  McLaren  1:15.717
 6 M Hakkinen    Fin McLaren  1:15.776
 7 J Trulli      It  Jordan   1:16.138
 8 HH Frentzen   Ger Jordan   1:16.376
 9 K Raikkonen   Fin Sauber   1:16.402
10 N Heidfeld    Ger Sauber   1:16.438
11 J Villeneuve  Can BAR      1:16.439
12 E Irvine      GB  Jaguar   1:16.588
13 O Panis       Fr  BAR      1:16.872
14 J Alesi       Fr  Prost    1:17.251
15 G Fisichella  It  Benetton 1:17.378
16 P de la Rosa  Sp  Jaguar   1:17.627
17 L Burti       Brz Prost    1:18.113
18 E Bernoldi    It  Arrows   1:18.151
19 J Verstappen  Ned Arrows   1:18.262
20 J Button      GB  Benetton 1:18.626
21 F Alonso      Sp  Minardi  1:18.630
22 T Marques     Brz Minardi  1:18.639
Jos Verstappen has re-signed for the Orange Arrows team for next season. The Dutchman rejoined them last year and scored their first point of this season in Austria last month. "I'm very happy to be staying for another year," he said. "Continuity in Formula One cannot be underestimated and I have huge confidence in the team. It's great that we have been able to do this at such an early stage as it motivates me to focus on my driving without worrying about anything else."

Jenson Button's future at Williams is hanging in the balance following the news that Ralf Schumacher has signed with the team until the end of 2004. Button, who has been loaned by Williams to Benetton, now has a battle with Juan Pablo Montoya for the remaining place in 2003. He may find it difficult regaining his place if the Colombian eventually lives up to expectations. If he doesn't win back his seat, Jaguar and Jordan could snap him up.

AUTOSPARES DUKERIES RALLY
Top 10 after 11 stages:       mins secs
 1 M Dodd     Subaru Impreza    45:14
 2 S Petch    Ford Escort WRC   45:49
 3 M Healer   Ford Escort Cos   46:23
 4 B Bell     Ford Escort WRC   46:31
 5 T Bengry   Subaru Impreza    47:02
 6 N Buckley  Mitsubishi Lancer 47:13
 7 B Johnson  Subaru Impreza    47:14
 8 D Wood     Subary Impreza    47:17
 9 S Larbey   MG Metro 6R4      47:30
10 G Kellam   Mitsubishi Lancer 47:55
CART (Portland):- Brazil's Helio Castroneves dominated Friday's first practice for Team Penske, but revealed his frustration with new rules over engine power. CART authorities have ordered all Honda and Ford engines to be fitted with a spacer after Toyota complained their rivals' engines broke regulations. "We had to work really hard to make sure that our car went fast," said Castrovenes. "We're pretty upset." Newman/Hass' Christian Fittipaldi was second ahead of Mauricio Gughelmin.

INDYLIGHTS (Portland):- Dan Wheldon is looking for a birthday boost when he bids for victory in the fifth round of the CART Dayton Indy Lights Championship this weekend. Wheldon will turn 23 when he takes part in practice in Portland, Oregon, on Friday ahead of Sunday's race. The PacWest Racing driver already leads the chase for the Rookie of the year award after second and third places at Long Beach and Milwaukee respectively. He underwent a one-day test in Michigan in preparation last week.

F3 (Castle Combe):- Series leader Takuma Sato underlined his superiority by setting the pace in pre-race testing on his first taste of the Wiltshire track. The Japanese ace has opened a big lead at the top of the standings after claiming a hat-trick of wins in the most recent races. Sato lapped the 1.85-mile track at an average speed of more than 111mph to beat Matt Davies and Derek Hayes. Dutchman Robert Doombos headed the Scolarship class times.

BRITISH GT'S (Castle Combe):- Michael Caine and Bobby Verdon-Roe claimed pole for the round seven in their TVR Cerbera Speed 12. In second was the Liston Storm of Mike Jordan and David Warnock. Rob Wilson and Tim Harvey are in third in the Chrysler Viper despite engine problems.

Leading GT times:            mins secs
1 M Caine/B V-Roe   TVR       1:03.460
2 M Jordan/D W'nock Lister    1:03.895
3 R Wilson/T Harvey Chrysler  1:06.039
4 J Rowland/A Ward  Porsche   1:07.490
F3000 (Nurburgring):- Justin Wilson failed to finish in the points for the first time this season when he was forced to retire from the race in Germany. Wilson, who had won two of the opening five races, spun twice before his hopes ended in the eighth lap. His Coca-Cola Nordic Racing team-mate Tomas Enge won the 33-lap race to cut Wilson's lead in the overall drivers' standings to just three points. Fellow Briton Darren Manning finished just out of the points in seventh.
Race result (Sat):           mins secs
 1 T Enge      Cze Nordic    50:50.598
 2 M Webber    Aus S Nova    50:56.224
 3 R Sperafico Brz Petrobras 50:59.260
 4 D Saelens   Bel Minardi   51:09.284
 5 R Mauricio  Brz Red Bull  51:11.431
 6 A Pizzonia  GB  Petrobras 51:12.353
 7 D Manning   GB  Team Rus  51:12.813
 8 S Bourdais  Fr  DAMS      51:13.746
 9 A Piccini   It  Minardi   51:19.296
10 P Fries'er  Aut Red Bull  51:20.241


CATERHAM SUPERLIGHT (Oulton Park):-
Round 5 results (Sat):  mins secs
1 J Gladman    GB       33:03.689
2 G Taylor     GB       @   0.454
3 P Gladman    GB       @   1.091
4 R Garofall   GB       @   1.197
5 B Edwards    GB       @   1.457
6 S Worley     GB       @   4.117

CATERHAM ROADSPORT (Oulton Park):-
Round 5 results (Sat):
1 M Gregory    GB       32:43.475
2 J Derbyshire GB       @   4.443
3 K Robinson   GB       @   8.838
4 B Horne      GB       @  10.828
5 F Gibney     GB       @  18.069
6 J Sutherland GB       @  21.077
F.FORD (Castle Combe):- Denmark's Ronnie Bremer pipped Robin Rudholm to the round six pole position by just seven thousandths of a second. Richard Goransson starts in third place with Westley Barber the top Briton in fourth spot.
Qualifying times (Sat): mins secs
1 R Bremer               1:07.436
2 R Rudholm              1:07.443
3 R Goransson            1:07.505
4 W Barber               1:07.561
5 R Bell                 1:07.625
6 J Heylen               1:07.753
FORD FIESTA’S (Castle Combe):- Matt Pinny claimed his first pole position of the year with only 90 second of the qualifying session left. Championship leader was demoted to second and early season triple winner Colin Turkington was third.
Qualifying times (Sat): mins secs
1 M Pinny                1:23.445
2 N Padley               1:23.757
3 C Turkington           1:23.874
4 E Murray               1:23.898
5 R Claydon              1:24.247
6 T Clark                1:24.262
 

 
 
 
 

24.06.2001

F1: THE EUROPEAN GP
World champion Michael Schumacher drove a fine race to seal victory and stretch his lead in the drivers' standings. Schumacher notched his 49th Formula One triumph after surviving a strong early challenge from younger brother Ralf. Juan Pablo Montoya was second and David Coulthard third with Schumacher junior fourth after a 10-second penalty coming out of the pits cost him dearly. Eddie Irvine finished just outside the points in seventh place with Jenson Button down in 13th spot.

Michael Schumacher was thrilled after an assured display put him two wins away from equalling Alain Prost's all- time Grand Prix record of 51 victories. "I am absolutely delighted. There is nothing better than winning your home race," said the world champion. "We have had a superb weekend. We got pole position, we got the win and we had a nice race again together, Ralf and myself, until the stop-and-go. Juan Pablo was pushing so we are delighted to finish where we are."

Michael Schumacher was sorry for his brother Ralf after a 10-second penalty signalled the end of his challenge. Schumacher junior was pushing the world champion hard when he crossed the white line as he came out of the pits and eventually had to settle for fourth. "It was a strong decision which hit his race because he was only half-a-car over the white line," said Schumacher. "I always look forward to fighting with my brother because it doesn't matter who wins. It would have been close."

Michael Schumacher broke down in his spare Ferrari while on an exploratory lap before managing to get back to the pits on a scooter in time to start. "I had a problem in the warm-up and we changed some parts but during the installation lap something failed," said the world champion. "I had to stop and it was the worst point as it was so far from the pits. But I found a steward who had a key to the bike and I felt I had enough time to get back, but you can never tell."

David Coulthard fell further behind Michael Schumacher in the championship race but acknowledged he was lucky. Coulthard now trails the world champion by 24 points but was grateful for a podium finish after Ralf Schumacher suffered a 10-second penalty stop. "I would have finished fourth but for Ralf getting the penalty, so I'm happy to have finished third. We were not quick in qualifying nor in the race and we will have to improve for Magny-Cours."

David Coulthard is keeping his spirits up regarding his title prospects after finishing in third place after Ralf Schumacher was given a stop-go penalty. "In the circumstances we couldn't have expected more from today's race," said the Briton, who is 24 points adrift of world champion Michael Schumacher. "We are not going to sit back and feel sorry for ourselves. Today's result doesn't mean the championship is over. There are lots of races to go, so I'm not too downbeat."

Mika Hakkinen's poor start to the season continued after he could only finish in sixth place. The former champion, who is in sixth place in the drivers' standings with only nine points, said: "We made a good start and could overtake Barrichello. However, I flatspotted my right front tyre on lap 15 and experienced strong vibrations until my pit stop. Once I had new tyres, I could go quickly again but it was too late. Overall, I'm disappointed."

McLaren boss Ron Dennis is aware of what his team have to do if they are to close the gap on Ferrari with eight races remaining in the championship. "Our performance this weekend was not what we would have liked but it can only improve through our own efforts," said Dennis. "Whilst the French Grand Prix is close, we are confident we can get better results with the package we have. Of course we will work hard to improve for the second half of the season."

Ralf Schumacher had to swallow the bitter bill of a 10-second penalty that cost him a possible race victory over brother Michael. Schumacher crossed the white line as he came out of the pits after 28 laps hot on the heels of his older brother and the stop-go penalty proved his undoing. "I was looking in my mirrors when I left the pits and concentrated more on the traffic behind me," he said. "I am extremely disappointed as I had a chance to win but I have to accept it."

Juan Pablo Montoya was happy with his performance after finishing runner-up to Michael Schumacher to secure his second podium result. The Colombian took advantage of his team-mate Ralf Schumacher's stop-go penalty to claim six points and said: "We were trying really hard. I knew that Ralf and Michael would get off to a good start but things started to go my way. I was just content to pick up the pace slowly and the car was very positive."

Patrick Head was happy with the day's outcome despite the stop-go penalty incurred by Ralf Schumacher that dented the very real hopes of a Williams win. "It's a good result for the team, especially with both cars finishing in the points," said Head, the Williams team's Technical Director. "It is great to see Juan Pablo finishing after a couple of bad races. Ralf made a small mistake. It is disappointing but we have to respect the rules."

Eddie Irvine felt he could not have done more after finishing just outside the points in seventh place. "I couldn't have done any better today and it just shows how important it is for us to qualify better," said Irvine. "The car was great but we need to fully exploit the qualifying hour in an effort to grab the points. The pit-stop strategy was excellent and the Michelin tyres worked out perfectly. The fruits of our labour are beginning to pay dividends."

Spain's Pedro de la Rosa produced his best performance for Jaguar to finish in eighth place and was delighted. "I was happy with my race today and I enjoyed my battle with Villeneuve," said de la Rosa, who finished just behind team-mate Eddie Irvine. "The car performed well during the race and maybe a bit of luck would have allowed Eddie and I to score points. But you make your own luck in this business. It's now up to us to develop this package into a real contender."

Jaguar's Chief Executive Officer Bobby Rahal was delighted with the team's performance after both Eddie Irvine and Pedro de la Rosa drove good races. "This was the best team performance of the year," said an ecstatic Rahal. "Monaco was made special by Eddie's great weekend, but this weekend clearly demonstrates the progress that has been achieved in recent weeks. Both drivers did a good job and it's unfortunate to come away with no points but our improvement is encouraging."

Jenson Button admitted to being disappointed after his Benetton ended the race in 13th position. "I made a decent start and the car was fine in the early stages of the race," said the young Briton. "After the second pit stop, however, the handling deteriorated a little. The biggest problem was a lack of grip at the rear. The car was a bit twitchy under braking and also had some oversteer exiting corners."

Giancarlo Fisichella admitted he had a hard time before steering his Benetton into 11th place. "It was a difficult race. I gained a couple of places and was pushing hard in my first stint," said the Italian. "But the rear of the car was sliding about. Yesterday and this morning I had a little bit of understeer, but the chasis was well balanced This afternoon I had oversteer and it was like that all through the r ce so it has been very hard work."

Benetton Director of Engineering Pat Symonds was sad for his team after both Jenson Button and Giancarlo Fisichella finished well down the field. "This was a very disappointing race for us after a qualifying session that offered a hint of promise," he said. "I don't feel that we really used our tyres well today and consequently Giancarlo and Jenson were faced with a car that was difficult to drive. We need to analyse what has happened this weekend."

Jenson Button is at the centre of speculation about his Formula One future after it was revealed his services had been offered to two teams. Button's Benetton boss Flavio Briatore is understood to have contacted both Jaguar Racing and Jordan offering them the 21-year-old for 2002. But it is believed that either Prost or Toyota are more probable destinations. Button is currently in the first year of a two-season loan deal with Benetton from Williams.

Eddie Jordan has quashed speculation surrounding the future of Heinz-Harald Frentzen by confirming he will race for his Silverstone-based team next year. The German had been linked with a move to Toyota, who will make their Formula One debut in 2002. But Jordan said that Frentzen would see out a two-year contract he signed with the team last July. "Heinz signed a two-year contract with us last year and will race with Jordan as agreed, in 2002," said Jordan.

Sauber's chief designer Stephen Taylor has been offered a return to McLaren, team boss Ron Dennis has said. Swiss-based Sauber said earlier in the week that Taylor would be leaving for personal reasons. Dennis said Taylor had expressed reservations to McLaren during his first month at Sauber as to whether he had made the right decision. "We were more than happy then and now to offer him a position back in our company," said Dennis.

Result after 67 laps:        hr min sec
 1 M Schumacher  Ger Ferrari  1:29.42.7
 2 J-P Montoya   Col Williams 1:29.46.9
 3 D Coulthard   GB  McLaren  1:30.07.7
 4 R Schumacher  Ger Williams 1:30.16.0
 5 R Barrichello Brz Ferrari  1:30.28.2
 6 M Hakkinen    Fin McLaren  1:30.47.5
 7 E Irvine      GB  Jaguar   1:30.48.8
 8 P de la Rosa  Sp  Jaguar    @ 1 lap
 9 J Villeneuve  Can BAR       @ 1 lap
10 K Raikkonen   Fin Sauber    @ 1 lap
11 G Fisichella  It  Benetton  @ 1 lap
12 L Burti       Brz Prost    @ 2 laps
13 J Button      GB  Benetton @ 2 laps
14 F Alonso      Sp  Minardi  @ 2 laps
15 J Alesi       Fr  Prost    @ 3 laps

NOT CLASSIFIED:               after lap
   J Verstappen  Ned Arrows     58
   N Heidfeld    Ger Sauber     54
   HH Frentzen   Ger Jordan     48
   J Trulli      It  Jordan     44
   E Bernoldi    Brz Arrows     29
   O Panis       Fr  BAR        23
   T Marques     Brz Minardi     7

Fastest lap: Montoya, 1:18.354secs

DRIVER STANDINGS
 1 M Schumacher  Ger  Ferrari   68 pts
 2 D Coulthard   GB   McLaren   44
 3 R Barrichello Brz  Ferrari   26
 4 R Schumacher  Ger  Williams  25
 5 J-P Montoya   Col  Williams  12
 6 M Hakkinen    Fin  McLaren    9
 7 N Heidfeld    Ger  Sauber     8
 8 J Trulli      It   Jordan     7
 = K Raikkonen   Fin  Sauber     7
 = J Villeneuve  Can  BAR        7
11 HH Frentzen   Ger  Jordan     6
12 O Panis       Fr   BAR        5
13 E Irvine      GB   Jaguar     4
14 J Alesi       Fr   Prost      3
15 J Verstappen  Ned  Arrows     1
 = G Fisichella  It   Benetton   1
 = P de la Rosa  Sp   Jaguar     1

CONSTRUCTORS' CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Ferrari       94 pts
2 McLaren       53
3 Williams      37
4 Sauber        15
5 Jordan        13
6 BAR           12
7 Jaguar         5
8 Prost          3
9 Arrows         1
= Benetton       1
CART:- Max Papis took pole in his Cosworth Lola clocking a time of 57.785 secs, with an average speed of 122.669 mph. In claiming his second career pole, Papis equalled the track record which was set by Brazil's Helio Castroneves last year. Castroneves' fellow Brazilian Cristiano da Matta, driving a Toyota-powered Lola, edged him into third place. Da Matta was fifth in Portland last year but has failed to finish two of his last three races.
Qualifying times (Sat):          secs
 1 M Papis      Ford Lola       57.785
 2 C da Matta   Toyota Lola     57.866
 3 H Castron's  Honda Reynard   57.944
 4 S Dixon      Toyota Reynard  57.962
 5 D Franchitti Honda Reynard   58.057
 6 B Junqueira  Toyota Lola     58.061
 7 C Fittipaldi Toyota Lola     58.112
 8 R Moreno     Toyota Reynard  58.197
 9 J Vasser     Toyota Reynard  58.221
10 P Carpentier Ford Reynard    58.231
BRITISH F3 (Castle Combe):- Anthony Davidson claimed a brace of victories in the seventh round as the championship returned to the Wiltshire circuit after a 27-year absence. The 22-year-old twice upstaged his Japanese Carlin Motorsport teammate Takuma Sato in front of 18,000 fans. An out-breaking manoeuvre on the first lap saw him overtake poleman Sato and lead all the way home in race one and he lead from pole-to-post in race two. The 41 points he secured moved him up to third place overall.
Round Seven, race one result:mins secs
 1 A Davidson GB    Carlin     20:22.69
 2 T Sato     Jpn   Carlin      @  1.86
 3 J Courtney Aus   Jaguar      @  7.62
 4 D Hayes    GB    Manor       @ 10.89
 5 B Jouanny  Fr    Promatecme  @ 11.93
 6 A Lotterer Ger   Jaguar      @ 12.21
 7 R Dalziel  GB    Duma        @ 12.93
 8 G Bruni    It    Fortec Ren  @ 13.41
 9 M Davies   GB    T Avanti    @ 15.49
10 J Spence   GB    Duma        @ 16.25

Round Seven, race two result: mins secs
 1 A Davidson GB    Carlin    25:22.128
 2 T Sato     Jpn   Carlin     @  2.495
 3 J Courtney Aus   Jaguar     @  8.064
 4 J Spence   GB    Duma       @ 13.262
 5 D Hayes    GB    Manor      @ 14.483
 6 A Lotterer Ger   Jaguar     @ 15.056
 7 R Dalziel  GB    Duma       @ 17.240
 8 M Taylor   GB    Manor      @ 19.270
 9 M Davies   GB    T Avanti   @ 21.195
10 B Jouanny  Fr    Promatecme @ 21.888
BRITISH GT'S (Castle Combe):- Mike Jordan and David Warnock claimed victory in the seventh round. A safety-car period after Tim Harvey and Rob Wilson's Chrysler Viper crashed cost Michael Caine and Bobby Verdon Roe's TVR Cerbera a useful lead. In the closing stages Jordan was able to hunt down an pass the TVR to win.
Leading GT result (Sun):     mins secs
1 M Jordan/D W'nock Lister   60:25.294
2 M Caine/B V-Roe   TVR       @ 2 laps
3 R Stanton/S Hyde  TVR       @ 2 laps
4 M Sumpter/S Balfe Porsche   @ 2 laps
F.FORD (Castle Combe):- Denmark's Ronnie stormed to his first ever Formula Ford Zetec victory with a lights to flag win. Fifth-placed Robert Dahlgren takes over the championship lead after Richard Goransson spun out.
Round six result (Sun):    mins secs
1 R Bremer     Mygale      20:38.693
2 R Bell       Mygale      20:41.820
3 W Barber     Mygale      20:42.660
4 A VD Merwe   Mygale      20:43.480
5 R Dahlgren   Van Diemen  20:46.344
6 R Rudholm    Van Diemen  20:48.316
FORD FIESTA’S (Castle Combe):- Matt Pinny clung on for victory in a dramatic final lap which saw the lead change hands twice. Colin Turkington took the lead for the first time at the Esses chicane but was passed by Pinny at the next corner.
Race result (Sun):        mins secs
1 M Pinny                 21:13.751
2 C Turkington            21:14.207
3 N Padley                21:14.474
4 T Clark                 21:14.592
5 A Blencowe              21:15.128
6 C Stancombe             21:16.203
 

 
 
 
 

28.06.2001

F1: THE FRENCH GP
Sunday's French Grand Prix is the first stage of a two-race period that could make or break David Coulthard's season. Silverstone follows the Magny-Cours round and if the Scot can finish above leader Michael Schumacher in both races it will boost his title chances. Coulthard triumphed in France last year and he said: "The win in France has to be one of the best of my career. It was an aggressive drive, the sort of which if it had been done by Michael everyone would have raved about it."

Jordan's Italian driver Jarno Trulli expects to have made a decision about his future by August. "At the moment my contract is due to run out at the end of the season," he said, ahead of Sunday's French GP. "I will take the decision probably in one month and obviously I don't know yet what I will do." He still has a contract with Benetton for next season and there has been speculation that he could move to that team in a swap for Jenson Button.

Just seven days after the European Grand Prix in Germany, the Formula One roadshow speeds into France for round 10 of the championship on Sunday. Ferrari's Michael Schumacher remains the man to catch following his superb victory at the Nurburgring last week. He leads Scotland's David Coulthard, who won last year's Magny-Cours race, by 24 points with eight events left. Schumacher could also come under pressure from brother Ralf, who drives for the ever-improving Williams team.

World champion Michael Schumacher still believes David Coulthard is a threat to his dream of a fourth world crown. Schumacher said the 24-point lead that he holds is still not enough to guarantee him another championship. "It does not look good for McLaren but I have seen this very often in the past that things can change from one race to another," said Schumacher. "The year is long and there are still eight races to go and I still have to calculate for David in particular."

David Coulthard knows that he must start closing the gap soon on Michael Schumacher if he is to win his first drivers' championship title. The Scot, who clinched victory in last year's Magny-Cours race, trails the world champion by 24 points. If things go well for Coulthard, he may well repeat last year's success, which is well within his capabilities. But with just eight rounds left, the McLaren driver cannot afford to slip up if he is to catch the German.

Ralf Schumacher will be determined to put in an impressive performance after his disappointment at the European Grand Prix last week. The Williams driver had a 10-second penalty for illegally crossing the pit lane exit line which cost him the race. But Williams are confident of a good performance after a dominant test session at the track recently. Ralf said: "Magny-Cours is one of my favourite tracks and we have had some very promising tests there."

McLaren's Mika Hakkinen is hoping to continue his consistent form at the French Grand Prix on Sunday. The two-times world champion is keen to kick-start his season in round 10. "I have finished in the points in four out of the last six French Grand Prixs and I am hoping to continue the consistency this year," he said. "Although there are limited overtaking opportunities at Magny-Cours, the approach to the Adelaide hairpin often leads to exciting manoeuvres."

Jaguar's Eddie Irvine heads to France in the hope of translating his improved form into more championship points. The Irishman said: "I really like Magny Cours as a driving exercise although it's not that great to race on because of the lack of overtaking chances. It's the same old problem that the corners leading onto the straights are too quick to hang onto someone's tail." He added: "On the plus side, the track boasts a very smooth surface and safety measures are good."

Jenson Button will be boosted by some developments to the engine of his Benetton car for Sunday's race. The team's director of engineering Pat Symonds said: "We have got developments on the engine that have come together in quite a nice little package. "There are aerodynamic developments coming along as there are at every race, but we are hoping for a reasonable improvement." However, Button will not get the chance to test the new set-up beforehand.

Juan Pablo Montoya's speed and daring have never been in doubt but the Colombian driver is aiming for greater consistency for the rest of the season. Montoya's more cautious approach at last week's European Grand Prix paid off when he came second. The Williams-BMW driver's inconsistency has seen him fail to finish seven races this season but he is learning fast. "I have made some pretty silly mistakes and given away quite a lot of points," said the 25-year-old.

Boss Eddie Jordan has understandably been disappointed with his team's r cent performances. He confirmed: "We are extremely frustrated with the course of events over the past few races. But I think some people will wrongly jump to the conclusion that we have an unreliable car and are suffering similar problems to last year. All teams are getting quicker and the top three are becoming more powerful and reliable."

Giancarlo Fisichella describes a lap: The lap of Magny Cours starts with the very fast left-hand corner which I will be apexing at 270kph in fifth gear. This is followed by the long right-hand Estoril corner taken in fourth gear at a speed of up to 185kph. I am trying to look after the tyres as they take extreme loading. I also need a good exit as the corner leads onto the main straight at the end of which is the only overtaking opportunity on the circuit. At the end of the straight I will be reaching nearly 300kph before braking heavily to 55kph for the hairpin. At the exit of the hairpin I will be trying to maximise acceleration out of the corner as I head towards the first of two fast chicanes. Immediately after this I need to brake again down to 80kph in second gear for the tight left-hand corner. After exiting, it is almost a repeat as I approach the second chicane. I will take the second chicane in fourth gear and the first, right-handed part is slightly quicker than the second, left-handed section. As soon as I exit I need to be on the brakes and get down to around 90kph for the tight right-hand corner. I will then accelerate to 260kph before braking for the final chicane. I will enter the first part at around 130kph but then in the middle I need to bring my speed down to 110kph. This will lead me into the final corner, a very tight right-hander. It's one of the slowest parts of the circuit, taken in first gear at a speed not exceeding 65kph. As the start/finish line is right on the exit of this corner, the exit becomes of paramount importance. But I will always be mindful of the close proximity of the pit wall as I attempt to get on the power before setting off for another circuit.

Sunday's race is scheduled to last for 71 laps (187.832 miles) of the 2.641 mile long circuit. David Coulthard won last year's race from pole position in an overall time of 1hr 38m 05.538secs. Britain's Nigel Mansell holds the lap record at Magny-Cours. He set a time of one minute, 17.070 seconds in 1992 in a Williams. The Magny-Cours circuit is situated seven miles south of Nevers and 155 miles south of Paris.

BTCC (Donington Park):- Championship leader Yvan Muller will hope to stretch his advantage even further when Donington Park plays host to rounds 11 and 12 on Sunday. Muller enjoyed a successful jaunt across the Irish sea last weekend with a double victory at Mondello Park. Second-placed Jason Plato chased Muller all the way and has still not given up hope of catching his Vauxhall teammate. "There is along way to go though ` roll on the next one," he said after seeing Muller extend his lead to 27 points.

James Kaye arrives for rounds 11 and 12 with a one-point advantage in the Production Class following a fantastic weekend at Mondello Park. The Honda Accord driver edged ahead of Simon Harrison in the overall standings with a second place in the sprint and a fifth in the feature race. Meanwhile, Kiwi Superbike ace Aaron Slight is due to make his debut for the Peugeot team on Sunday. And Brazilian Thomas Erdos takes over in the ABG Motorsport Lexus IS200.

Team Cam Mitsubishi have decided to withdraw from the rest of this year's British Touring Car Championship. The season started well with the signing of reigning National Saloon champion Toni Ruokonen. The Finn scored championship points in the opening round at Brands Hatch but since then the team have experienced a series of technical problems. Team manager Trevor Levy said: "We will use the rest of the year to develop our cars into Production Class winners."

Britain's youngest ever touring car driver Tom Boardman gets a new lease of life in rounds 11 and 12 at Donington. The teenager had used the same engine unit all year, from pre-season testing to the last races, before it expired at Mondello Park last weekend. His Production Class Peugeot had a new engine for Monday's testing session at Snetterton and Boardman can't wait to get going again. "The car feels so much more powerful, my times should improve now," he said.

CART:- Team Rahal will be bidding for success in Sunday's Marconi Grand Prix of Cleveland after winning three of the last four 2001 events. Kenny Brack had back-to-back wins in Japan and Milwaukee, while Max Papis triumphed in Portland. "I feel confident about our car going into Cleveland," said Brack. "You can really race on that airport surface." Brack leads the series with 76 points, Helio Castroneves is second on 69 and Scot Dario Franchitti is sixth on 45.

F.RENAULT:- Chris Buncombe has switched to the Manor Motorsport team for the rest of the Formula Renault season. His place at Aztec International will be filled by his younger brother Alex. Stuart King has joined Saxon International after quitting the Formula Three circuit.

AUTOBYTEL LOTUS:- Spencer Marsh set the fastest time in official testing ahead of Round Six of the Autobytel Lotus Championship at Donington Park this weekend.
 
 
 
 

29.06.2001

F1: THE FRENCH GP
David Coulthard clocked the fastest time in the second practice session for Sunday's race. However, the Scot was later fined $1,750 by race officials for speeding in the pit lane. Eddie Irvine, who had failed to set a competitive time in the first session after sliding into the gravel, was second quickest. Championship leader Michael Schumacher was seventh fastest and Jenson Button was 17th.

Friday's practice times:     mins secs
 1 D Coulthard   GB  McLaren  1:14.935
 2 E Irvine      GB  Jaguar   1:15.133
 3 J Villeneuve  Can BAR      1:15.224
 4 M Hakkinen    Fin McLaren  1:15.372
 5 R Schumacher  Ger Williams 1:15.537
 6 JP Montoya    Col Williams 1:15.582
 7 M Schumacher  Ger Ferrari  1:15.810
 8 P de la Rosa  Sp  Jaguar   1:16.140
 9 J Trulli      It  Jordan   1:16.187
10 R Barrichello Brz Ferrari  1:16.325
11 O Panis       Fr  BAR      1:16.364
12 L Burti       Brz Prost    1:16.455
13 H-H Frentzen  Ger Jordan   1:16.868
14 K Raikkonen   Fin Sauber   1:16.906
15 N Heidfeld    Ger Sauber   1:17.011
16 J Alesi       Fr  Prost    1:17.088
17 J Button      GB  Benetton 1:17.172
18 J Verstappen  Ned Arrows   1:17.285
19 E Bernoldi    It  Arrows   1:17.527
20 G Fisichella  It  Benetton 1:17.566
21 F Alonso      Sp  Minardi  1:17.866
22 T Marques     Brz Minardi  1:18.372
Michael Schumacher has insisted that his only concern is trying to win the title and that any record-breaking along the way is just a bonus. The Ferrari driver needs only two more wins to equal Alain Prost's all-time mark of 51 victories. But Schumacher said: "Records are something nice to look back on when you are retired. Our only focus now is on the fight that is in front of us and that is the main thing."

Sauber chief designer Stephen Taylor has agreed to switch to Jordan in the role of head of composites. Taylor, who has also worked with McLaren, takes up the post on July 9.
 

CLIO CUP (Donington Park):- Jason Templeman set the fastest-ever Clio Cup lap at Donington's Grand Prix track in testing for Sunday's race. Only series leader Tim Mullen could get close, just 0.074 seconds adrift.

Leading testing times (Fri):
                         mins secs
1 J Templeman  TCR        1:49.097
2 T Mullen     Firstair   1:49.171
3 P Rivett     Rivett     1:49.782
4 M Byford     Z Speed    1:49.876
5 D Buxton     TSM        1:49.962
6 V Martin     Martin     1:50.140
RALLYING:- Ford Focus duo Francois Delecour and Daniel Grataloup will compete in the Rally Deutschland on July 6-8. Raimund Baumschlager and Klaus Wicha will join them in Germany as part of Ford's two-car bid. The asphalt event is not a World Rally Championship round but it could be promoted to the series in 2002.
 
 
 
 

30.06.2001

F1: THE FRENCH GP
Birthday boy Ralf Schumacher celebrated in style by scorching to his first pole ahead of Sunday's race. The 26-year-old twice broke the lap record set by his brother Michael to take top spot on the grid for the first time in 76 attempts. Schumacher forced his triple world champion brother to accept second place on the grid by just 0.010 seconds. David Coulthard snatched third spot with ddie Irvine ending 12th fastest and Jenson Button down in 17th place.

Ralf Schumacher gave Williams their first pole since Jacques Villeneuve in the 1997 season in Jerez, Spain. "That was tight but it was enough," said Schumacher, who celebrated his 26th birthday by e ging out his brother Michael's Ferrari by 0. 10 seconds. "I didn't expect after the morning that we could beat them but we did. It is special for the team and though for me it is good, Saturday does not count. But I am sure we are going to have a good race."

Michael Schumacher was delighted for his brother Ralf despite missing out to him on pole for Sunday's race. "It is a good way for Ralf to celebrate his birthday," said the world champion, after the younger Schumacher sparkled in the qualifying session. David Coulthard, who grabbed third spot on the grid, said: "We can take encouragement because the car is capable of going quicker. Races are a completely different issue to qualifying."

Last year's winner David Coulthard took heart from the McLaren display as they qualified on row two of the grid having been on the third for the last race. "I think we have to be encouraged. We are actually much closer here than we were at the European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring," said the Scot. "Qualifying we've not been too strong except for a couple of circuits, but racing is a different matter." Mika Hakkinen had a disastrous first session, failing to complete a lap.

Saturday's qualifying times: mins secs
 1 R Schumacher  Ger Williams 1:12.989
 2 M Schumacher  Ger Ferrari  1:12.999
 3 D Coulthard   GB  McLaren  1:13.186
 4 M Hakkinen    Fin McLaren  1:13.268
 5 J Trulli      It  Jordan   1:13.310
 6 JP Montoya    Col Williams 1:13.625
 7 HH Frentzen   Ger Jordan   1:13.815
 8 R Barrichello Brz Ferrari  1:13.867
 9 N Heidfeld    Ger Sauber   1:14.095
10 J Villenueve  Can BAR      1:14.096
11 O Panis       Fr  BAR      1:14.181
12 E Irvine      GB  Jaguar   1:14.441
13 K Raikkonen   Fin Sauber   1:14.536
14 P de la Rosa  Sp  Jaguar   1:15.020
15 L Burti       Brz Prost    1:15.072
16 G Fisichella  It  Benetton 1:15.220
17 J Button      GB  Benetton 1:15.420
18 J Verstappen  Ned Arrows   1:15.707
19 J Alesi       Fr  Prost    1:15.774
20 E Bernoldi    It  Arrows   1:15.828
21 F Alonso      Sp  Minardi  1:16.039
BTCC (Donington Park):- James Thompson clinched a pole double for rounds 11 and 12 on Sunday by outpacing Yvan Muller and Jason Plato. Thompson recorded the two fastest times of the half-hour qualifying session to get the better of his rivals. "I'm very pleased. I've got two points in the bag before the races even starts so that's always good," said Thompson. "The races tomorrow should be close and we'll do the best we can to hold off the other guys. And if it rains, it won't be a problem."
Saturday's Round 11 qualifying times:
                           mins secs
1 J Thompson GB  Vauxhall   1:42.611
2 Y Muller   Fr  Vauxhall    @ 0.202
3 P Bennett  GB  Vauxhall    @ 0.381
4 J Plato    GB  Vauxhall    @ 0.520
5 D Eaves    GB  Peugeot     @ 0.984
6 S Soper    GB  Peugeot     @ 1.278
7 A Slight   NZ  Peugeot     @ 2.510
8 K Luby     GB  Lexus       @ 4.375

Saturday's Round 12 qualifying times:
                           mins secs
1 J Thompson GB  Vauxhall   1:42.686
2 J Plato    GB  Vauxhall    @ 0.258
3 Y Muller   Fr  Vauxhall    @ 0.287
4 P Bennett  GB  Vauxhall    @ 0.422
5 S Soper    GB  Peugeot     @ 0.510
6 D Eaves    GB  Peugeot     @ 0.799
7 A Slight   NZ  Peugeot     @ 1.713
8 K Luby     GB  Lexus       @ 3.258
9 T Harvey   GB  Alfa Romeo 2:14.603
 
 
EUROPEAN TOURING CARS (Hungaroring):-
Saturday qualifying results: mins secs
 1 F Giovanardi  It  Alfa R   1:42.569
 2 G Tarquini    It  Honda    1:42.589
 3 N Larini      It  Alfa R   1:42.794
 4 R Colciago    It  Audi     1:43.003
 5 M Neal        GB  Nissan   1:43.474
 6 F Walfisch    Fr  Honda    1:43.539
 7 A Lancellotti It  Alfa R   1:43.725
 8 S Sardelli    It  Nissan   1:44.433
 9 E Cayrolle    Fr  BMW      1:45.070
10 E Toccacelo   It  Alfa R   1:45.202
CART:- Cristiano Da Matta was fastest in practice for Sunday's race after an eventful practice session on Friday that saw 26 cars spin off the track. Indianapolis 500 winner Helop Castroneves was second fastest, with championship leader Kenny Brack third. The Burke Lakefront Airport circuit is very wide, which affected cornering judgement, hence the spin-offs. Defending champion Roberto Moreno was one of the unlucky drivers, damaging his rear suspension as he came off.

CLIO CUP (Donington Park):- Paul Rivett set the fastest-ever Clio position for Sunday's race. Close behind was Jason Templeman with series leader Tim Mullen third.

Leading qualifying times (Sat):
                          mins secs
1 P Rivett     Rivett      1:48.642
2 J Templeman  TCR         1:48.776
3 T Mullen     Firstair    1:49.003
4 D Buxton     TSM         1:49.264
5 M Byford     Z Speed     1:49.279
6 D Vercoe     Mardi Gras  1:49.427
F3000 (Magny-Cours):- Justin Wilson left it late to retain his overall lead in the Championship by stealing second place on the final lap, to finish behind Mark Webber. His runner's up spot was just enough to keep him one point ahead of the Australian, having taken second place from Tomas Enge with half a lap left. Pole sitter Enge, who was passed by Webber at the first corner, is third in the overall standings. Darren Manning finished in fifth, with Dino Morelli in 20th place.
Saturday's result:           mins secs
 1 M Webber     Aus S-Nova   54:
 2 J Wilson     GB  Nordic   54:47.223
 3 T Enge       Cze Nordic   54:49.562
 4 P Friesacher Aut Red Bull 55:00.824
 5 D Manning    GB  Arden    55:03.118
 6 S Bourdais   Fr  DAMS     55:03.905
 7 M Haberfeld  Br  S-Nova   55:05.471
 8 G Pantano    It  Ast'mega 55:06.813
 9 D Saalens    Bel Minardi  55:07.836
10 A Pizzonia   Br  Pet'bras 55:10.14
AUTOBYTEL LOTUS (Donington Park):- Championship leader Mark Fullalove made a late charge to secure pole position for round six of the eries. There were only ten minutes on the clock when the Brentwood driver made his move to cut through the field. Australian Hyla Breese had dominated the early part of the session, as a succession of blistering laps saw him better his own time on four occasions. Also on the grid will be Spencer Marsh, who led briefly early on, and found another fine lap with time running out.
F.PALMER AUDI (Mondello Park):-
Saturday qualifying results in Ireland:
Round 5           mins secs
1 S Warburton       1:40.75
2 G Ussi            1:40.78
3 H Spooner         1:40.94
4 T Whale           1:41.66
5 B Lewis           1:41.82
6 S Young           1:41.95

Round 6
1 T Whale           1:39.90
2 S Young           1:40.02
3 G Ussi            1:40.79
4 S Warburton       1:41.16
5 R Lofting         1:41.52
6 H Spooner         1:41.65