MELBOURNE TO LOSE F1 OPENING RACE ?

Melbourne's traditional place as the opening round of the World Formula One Championship may be under threat with Bahrain rumoured to replace the Victorian capital as the season opener. According to SpeedTV.com & Autosport, team bosses have been shown a provisional calendar for 2010 in which Melbourne becomes the second round of the season. Melbourne GP boss Ron Walker has always put great value on Melbourne opening the season, often claiming his "special" relationship with Bernie Ecclestone would ensure the Australian race the prestigious first round. Media Spokesperson for the Australian Grand Prix Corporation Laura McLachlan said that the Corporation had no comment to make at this stage "until the FIA releases the official calendar"

COMMODORE CUP CHAMP JAILED FOR ASSAULT

Australian Commodore Cup Champion Michael Tancredi has been sentenced to four years jail after pleading guilty to a violent bashing that left a young Geelong man in a coma for 24 hours. Judge Anthony Howard sentenced Tancredi to a minimum jail term of two years and eight months. Tancredi's friend  Andrew Pamvouxoglou was given a three-year jail term with two years non-parole. It was not the first time Tancredi had faced the court with two prior convictions for assault. Judge Howard told the court that he needed to send a strong message that violence was not acceptable on Geelong's streets. He called for greater control of drinking and behaviour in licensed venues, more police on the streets and firm sentencing in the courts. Tancredi won last year's Commodore Cup series and is currently lying in sixth place as the series heads to Oran Park next weekend.

ACL IN LIQUIDATION: FAMOUS ENGINE BUILDER TO FOLD ?

Australian Automotive and aftermarket performance parts manufacturers ACL have gone in to voluntary liquidation. The company which was born out of the famous Repco brand - the people responsible for Sir Jack Brabham's world championship winning engine and Formula 5000 power units - filed for liquidation today leaving 200 jobs in doubt. The liquidation comes only two month after an injection of Seven Million dollars of taxpayer funds.

LAMBORGHINI SUPER TROFERO ACTION

Super Trofeo: Adria, Italy, 15-16 May 2009 from Super Trofeo on Vimeo.

SPEED TV’s F1 ROUNDTABLE: VALENCIA

BUSCH WINS BRISTOL

BUSCH WINS BRISTOL AS AMBROSE STARS

Kyle Busch made a statement Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway. So did polesitter Mark Martin, who pressured Busch to the finish line of the Sharpie 500 during a four-lap run to the checkered flag but couldn’t make the pass for the win. But it was Australian Marcos Ambrose who had all the attention with his third place, the Tasmanian's best ever finish on an oval. Ambrose rated the third place finish at the daunting Bristol Motor Speedway as the most satisfying result of his NASCAR career to date. Ambrose started from 25th place in the 43-car field and never dropped lower than that position in his charge towards the front aboard his Clorox-backed #47 entry, exhibiting strong car speed all night in the 500-lap race.

AUSSIE F3 FIGHT ALL TIED UP

The fight for the 2009 Formula 3 Australian Driver’s Championship has reached a new level of intensity after two race wins under the Queensland sun lifted Tim Macrow to the joint-lead of the points race with Joey Foster. The ever growing outright battle between Englishman Foster and Victorian Macrow reached its zenith in race one this morning as the pair staged an almighty duel for the win. Macrow eventually fought off attack after attack by Foster to record the victory and then backed it up with a more straightforward drive in the second race to take out both 12-lap affairs, the first time he has ever won both races in an F3 round during his glittering career. A pair of seconds, coupled with his race one pole position, was enough to ensure that Foster retains a share of the championship lead as the Gold Star fight heads to Oran Park in just five days time.

EVANS’ PERFECT WEEKEND

Mitch Evans, the 15 year old New Zealand whiz-kid, stamped his authority on Queensland Raceway today when he won the third and final race of round six of the Australian Formula Ford Championship. Sitting on pole, Evans once again launched a perfect start to maintain the lead into turn one and from there on lead the race to become the youngest driver in Australian Formula Ford history to taste the success of a national championship round win. “I’m stoked with how this weekend has turned out,” Evans said. “From first practice the car was fast, so it was just up to me to learn the track as quickly as possible ... everything just fell into place – I wish every round was like this,” he added. “Becoming the youngest driver to take out a round was the icing on the cake ... if you told me I’d be a round winner at the start of the year I would have thought you were joking.”

SPEED TV PREVIEW VALENCIA