AU REVOIR GRAND PRIX d’ FRANCE

First it was Canada, now France. The French Grand Prix, the birthplace of Grand Prix racing has been cancelled. Nicolas Deschaux President of the French motor sport federation (FFSA), promoter of the French Grand Prix,  told reporters  that the 2009 French Grand Prix had been cancelled due to “economic problems“. “After examining the economic situation, the FFSA is to stop being the financial promoters of a Formula One Grand Prix“ he said. “As a result, as long as there is no promoter to succeed the FFSA, the French GP may not figure in the FIA calendar in 2009.“

HAT-TRICK FOR LOWNDES & WHINCUP AS FORD WINS BATHURST

Ford drivers Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup took a hat-trick of wins in Australia's biggest race the Bathurst 100 at Mount Panorama. The Team Vodafone/Triple Eight team hit the front early in the race and despite a late race challenge from Holden driver Greg Murphy hung on to win by just under three seconds after 1000 kms of racing.

HOLDEN ON POLE FOR BATHURST 1000

Phillip Island 500 winners Garth Tander and Mark Skaife have firmed to equal favouritism for today's Bathurst 1000 after taking pole position for the Australian classic at Mount Panorama. Tander set the fastest time in Saturday's Top Ten shootout and despite a last place charge by  FPV driver Mark Winterbottom it will be Holden on pole. Tander's time  of 2 mins:07.2963 seconds was still off the record of New Zealand driver Greg Murphy of 2 mins: 06.8594 seconds during the 2003 top-10 shootout.

SPEED TV PETIT LE MANS WRAP

ACO & ALMS WORKING TOGETHER ON LE MANS’ ASIAN PUSH

Le Mans organisers the Automobile Club de l'Ouest ACO and IMSA the organisers of the American Le Mans series will work together to expand the sport into Asia. Speaking on Radio Le Mans during the Petit Le Mans, ALMS founder Dr Don Panoz said that the dream of expanding the series in to the Asian region that began with the Race of a Thousand years in Adelaide was now fully back on the agenda and that his IMSA group would work with series owners the ACO to make the series a success. “We were already to go with a race in Malaysia back in 2001 but of course that was right after 9/11” said Dr Panoz. “nobody could fly anywhere and the race was cancelled.”

PEUGEOT & AUDI DUKE IT OUT IN ATLANTA

GT QUALIFYING FROM PETIT LE MANS

PEUGEOT ON POLE FOR PETIT LE MANS

Puegeot's single car entry will start from pole for the 2008 Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. Stephane Sarrazin's time of 1:06.242 (138.039 mph) just edged out the Audi Sport North America's R10 of  Allan McNish by 0.085 seconds to set up another classic confrontation between the two giants of international sports prototype racing. “We are very happy,“ said Sarrazin, who also captured pole position at the 24 Hours of Le Mans the last two years for Peugeot. “It is very good for us and the team. We will focus now on a good start and a long race for tomorrow. It is a different target now than Sebring (in March). We were a newer car then and we did not finish. Then we advanced at Le Mans, so now we have even more time with the car.“ The rapid improvement in Le Mans racing was clearly evident as in the  top 15 qualifiers were all under Marco Werner's pole-winning time of 1:08.906 (132.703 mph) from 2006, with Sarrazin 2.564 seconds under. Werner, himself qualified third in the second of the Audi R10 TDIs at 1:06.818 (136.849 mph). Penske Racing's Ryan Briscoe led a Porsche sweep of the top three qualifying positions in LMP2. Briscoe made a triumphant return to Road Atlanta with a class-record pole run of 1:07.061 (136.353 mph) in one of Penske's three Porsche RS Spyders that he will share with two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves.

VAN DER DRIFT ON TARGET FOR FORMULA MASTER CROWN

From the they must be doing something right department comes the news that yet another fast young Kiwi looks headed for a major international motor-racing championship. In the fast footsteps of Indy Car champ Scott Dixon comes 22 year old Chris Van der Drift who has taken pole position in this weekend's round 15 of the Formula Master series at Monza. Van der Drift secured pole in the first part of the 30-minute qualifying session, before it was red-flagged after a spin from ADM Motorsport's Michele Caliendo, it was the young New Zealander's seventh pole of the season so far.

TAKU FANS FROM MELBOURNE TO MONTREAL

We are not alone. I came in contact with Yusze Tong at Melbourne 2003 and he was a Michael/Ferrari fan and I of course was caked in Jordan yellow, but we both have one thing in common: Takuma Sato fans based in Melbourne, Australia.  We decided to make a banner for Taku for Melbourne 2004 and our efforts were seen of course on TS’ official website and a tradition was started where we would make a banner for Taku every year for the AGP.  Yusze and I both also ended up posting a message on TS’ official forum whether if any fans are travelling to Melbourne for the race.  We had a group of about 10 from Japan join us at Melbourne as well as everybody else we met at the track over the course of the week… a rather formidable little army! There are many that were surprised that Taku had non-Japanese fans and even more so when they discover we’re Melbourne locals.  This started another tradition also where we would try to make as many friends as possible and be united as Takuma Sato fans without bounds or barriers such as language and communication difficulties.