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MERHI MAULS MACAU: MACAU MAULS BACK

18. November 2011

Roberto Merhi secured provisional pole position during a wet qualifying session for the “SJM” Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix on Thursday, but his session ended in disappointment after he crashed into another car and was given a ten car penalty. Merhi, who was more than 1.6 seconds quicker than the next quickest drivers was one of a number of drivers to be penalised after the session. With rain falling for the start of the 30-minute first qualifying session, drivers were keen to deliver their fast lap while the track was in its best condition. And it was Merhi who led the way early on, moving to the top of the session after 10 minutes and then improving on his best to deliver a lap that was 1.675 seconds quicker than nearest rival Marco Wittmann. But with track conditions deteriorating, Merhi made a mistake in the braking zone for Lisboa and slid into the back of Felix Rosenqvist’s car – with the pair crashing into the escape road at the corner. The incident brought out the red flag for a few minutes and, when the session resumed, it was then Wittmann who hit trouble on the wet track as he slid into the barriers at Lisboa too.

PEUGEOT ON TOP AGAIN IN ZHUHAI LE MANS FINAL

12. November 2011

<strong>Peugeot have kept their recent edge on Audi alaive with a one, two in qulifying for tomorrow's 6 hour race at Zuhai in China.</strong> Anthony Davidson set a fast lap of 1:22;038 to edge out team-mate Stephane Sarrazin and the Audi pair of Tom Kristensen and Macel Fassler. Neel Jarni in the rebellion Toyota was the quickest of the petrol cars in fourth place just ahead of the Oak Pescarolo Judd of Neel Jarni. Stefan Mucke had a dissapointing run in the Aston Martin and will start back in seventh place.

WEEKS UNVEILS FORD GT FOR AUSSIE TITLE TILT

4. November 2011

Kevin Week's Supaloc Racing Team will today unveil it's new weapon for the 2012 Australian GT Championship. The Supaloc Racing Ford GT will make its first public appearance at today’s Clipsal 500 launch at the historic Adelaide Oval. The sophisticated and distinctive Supaloc Racing livery has been combined with the classic, low-slung lines of the GT to produce a mouth-watering piece of automotive artwork. The GT3-spec version of the Ford GT combines the traditional styling and a rich racing heritage of the original Le Mans wining GT40 with the latest technology. This will be the only Ford GT competing in the 2012 Australian GT Championship, and it is in fact the last example that has been produced.

VETTEL HOT IN INDIAN TAKE AWAY

30. October 2011

Sebastian Vettel has written his name in the Formula One history books once again, winning the first ever Indian Grand Prix at Greater Noida. Vettel led from pole to flag, never at any point under pressure from his racing peers, eventually building a gap of over six seconds between himself and the rest of the field. The German also set a new record for number of laps led in a Grand Prix, taking the title from previous record holder Nigel Mansell from the 1992 season. And, as if his dominance was being at all questioned, he set the race's fastest lap on his final circulation of the circuit: at 1 minute, 27.249 seconds. 'Obviously it was a very good race for us,' said Vettel, stating the obvious. 'I enjoyed the time in the lead very much.' 'Overall obviously a fantastic performance. Thanks to the whole team. 'All in all it was fantastic. I'm very proud to be the first winner in India.' Jenson Button finished best of the rest, and subsequently strengthened his claim for the same title in the year's Drivers' Championship.

BRITISH DRIVERS DOWN UNDER PAY TRIBUTE TO DAN

19. October 2011

British sportscar drivers Richard Westbrook and Oliver Gavin will pay tribute to countryman Dan Wheldon at this weekend’s Armor All Gold Coast 600. Wheldon tragically passed away following an IndyCar accident in Las Vegas last weekend. He was scheduled to race alongside James Courtney at the Surfers Paradise street circuit this weekend. Both Westbrook and Gavin are life long friends and rivals of their countryman Wheldon, with all three members of the exclusive British Racing Drivers Club. Westbrook and Gavin will unveil special visor stickers in memory of Wheldon in pit lane at the Surfers Paradise street circuit at 9.30am local Queensland time. All BRDC members present at this weekend’s event will carry the special visor stripe stickers as a tribute to Wheldon. They are Westbrook, Gavin, Andy Priaulx, Emanuele Pirro, Gil de Ferran, Marino Franchitti, Ryan Briscoe, Richard Lyons and Darren Turner. Westbrook will partner Todd Kelly in the #7 Jack Daniel’s Commodore at the Armor All Gold Coast 600, while Gavin will drive alongside Greg Murphy in the #11 Pepsi Max Commodore. Source: Kelly Racing Media Release

INDY 500 WINNER DAN WHELDON DIES IN LAS VEGAS RACE CRASH

17. October 2011

Two time Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon has been killed in a tragic end to the 2011 Indycar series at Las Vegas. 33 year old Wheldon, died after being involved in a huge 15 car crash at the final round of the championship at Las Vegas speedway. Indy car released the following statement: "INDYCAR is sad to announce that Dan Wheldon passed away from unsurvivable injuries. Our thoughts and prayers are with Dan and his family. INDYCAR, its drivers and teams have decided to end the race. We will run a five-lap salute in honour of Dan." The crash also saw Australian Will Power, English driver Pippa Mann and J% Hilderbrand taken to hospital for treatment. Power, who had previously broken his back in a race crash is complaining of back pain. Wheldon, who did not have a regular drive in the series, was contesting the final in a bid to win a $5 Million bonus for a non regular driver to win the race.

HAMILTON ENDS RED BULL POLE DOMINATION IN KOREA

15. October 2011

Lewis Hamilton has become the first non-Red Bull driver of the season to claim pole position after a scintillating lap around the Korea International Circuit. The Englishman set an untouchable time of 1 minute 35.820 seconds, keeping newly-crowned World Champion Sebastian Vettel at bay by a little over two-tenths. Hamilton's team mate Jenson Button qualified in third, lining up alongside Mark Webber on tomorrow's grid. Felipe Massa again outqualified Fernando Alonso, the Ferrari pair securing P5 and P6 for the race. Nico Rosberg decided that his first run was the most he could extract from his Mercedes, forgoing a second hot lap and winning him P7, with Vitaly Petrov in eighth place. The two Force India cars of di Resta and Sutil filled P9 and P10. Rosberg was the first to set a quick lap in Q3, but it was the revitalised Lewis Hamilton who set the fastest time, beating Rosberg's lap by more than one and a half seconds. A flurry of quick laps were soon posted, with Vettel falling desperately short, three-hundredths of a second slower than the McLaren driver. Webber was next fastest, but more than three-tenths adrift.

VIRTUAL ADVERTISING CREATES REAL PROBLEMS FOR GRASS ROOTS MOTORSPORT

15. October 2011

It not exactly new technology, in fact it's been around for years, but the Seven Network's use of "Virtual Signage" at Mount Panorama is a worrying situation for Australian Sport and one that the circuits and CAMS need to get a grip on quickly. Viewers of last weekends "Great Race" were treated to a number of CGI created virtual bridges and signs across the famous circuit, mostly for major V8 supercar sponsors Telstra and Norton, a company that has made billions protecting people from the inadequacies of Mr Gate's Windows operating system. The problem with virtual signage is that while these signs pump dollars into the host broadcaster and perhaps even V8 Supercars Australia, do the circuits see any of this money? You see real signage, of the old fashioned type, was a substantial earner for circuits and sporting venues, this money, could, in theory, be used by these circuits to improve facilities for spectators and competitors across the board, not just at the elite level.

TOYOTA RETURN TO LE MANS

14. October 2011

It's official, Toyota Motorsport have confirmed that it will take part in several races of the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship, including the Le Mans 24 Hours. The entry will be based upon an LMP1 prototype chassis from TMG, and a petrol hybrid powertrain produced by Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan. The exact scope of this participation and its official name will be confirmed in the coming weeks. TMG’s high-performance technical centre in Cologne, Germany, where the LMP1 chassis has been designed, developed and produced, will be the base for the team. The car is planned to take part in a roll-out around the turn of the year prior to an extensive test schedule in early 2012. Further details will be confirmed in due course.

MAZDA ENDS RX-8 WITH SPIRIT BUT THE ROTARY TO LIVE ON

13. October 2011

Mazda has announced the new Mazda RX-8 SPIRIT R, a special edition version of its four-door, four-seat rotary engine sports car. The RX-8 SPIRIT R will go on sale from November 24, 2011 at all Mazda and Mazda Anfini dealerships throughout Japan. Mazda RX-8 production will end in June 2012 and SPIRIT R will be the final special edition model. Mazda expects to sell 1,000 units. However despite the end of the RX-8 Mazda say that the iconic Rotary engine will continue to be developed. although just how and why they haven't said. Takashi Yamanouchi, Mazda's Representative Director, Chairman of the Board, President and CEO, said:

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MERHI MAULS MACAU: MACAU MAULS BACK

PEUGEOT ON TOP AGAIN IN ZHUHAI LE MANS FINAL

WEEKS UNVEILS FORD GT FOR AUSSIE TITLE TILT

VETTEL HOT IN INDIAN TAKE AWAY

BRITISH DRIVERS DOWN UNDER PAY TRIBUTE TO DAN

INDY 500 WINNER DAN WHELDON DIES IN LAS VEGAS RACE CRASH

HAMILTON ENDS RED BULL POLE DOMINATION IN KOREA

VIRTUAL ADVERTISING CREATES REAL PROBLEMS FOR GRASS ROOTS MOTORSPORT

TOYOTA RETURN TO LE MANS

MAZDA ENDS RX-8 WITH SPIRIT BUT THE ROTARY TO LIVE ON

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