Lotus Racing Partners With Creative Artists Agency The leading new team in the 2010 FIA Formula One™ World Championship, the Lotus Racing Formula One™ (F1™) team, has signed a global representation agreement with Creative Artists Agency (CAA), an entertainment and sports agency.
Lotus Racing is laying the foundation for long-term success in the global phenomenon that is F1™, taking the challenge to established teams currently ahead of the Anglo-Malaysian squad.
CAA Marketing, a division of CAA, will develop and implement new marketing strategies for Lotus Racing; promote the F1™ team in America and around the world; and create innovative programs for team partners to build upon the extensive reach of the sport to market their brands globally. Lotus Racing will also benefit from the expertise and experience of CAA affiliate Evolution Media Capital (EMC), an investment banking firm for the sports and media industries. EMC will advise on the acquisition and structuring of new businesses that would benefit from an affiliation with Lotus Racing and F1™, the world’s most popular annual sports competition. More ...
Crew Chief Hyder Leaves Wood Brothers Racing The Wood Brothers racing team and crew chief David Hyder have mutually agreed to go their separate ways, effective immediately. Team co-owner Eddie Wood said Hyder, who has been the crew chief of the #21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford since August, 2008, played a key role in helping the team work through one of the worst slumps in its 60-year history in NASCAR. "It took somebody like David to get us back on track, and he did it almost single-handedly," Wood said. "Len and I and the entire Wood Brothers organization are eternally grateful to him for his contributions to this race team. It's a shame we weren't able to stay together and finish what we started." Wood said he expects to name an interim crew chief later this week. Driver Bill Elliott and the #21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team will be back on the track next week for the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Wood Brothers Racing
The 43-year-old veteran crew chief led the #21 Motorcraft Ford for the last two seasons. During his career, Hyder has overseen teams at Petty Enterprises, Michael Waltrip Racing, Bill Davis Racing and BAM Racing. "I enjoyed working with Eddie and Len," Hyder said. "The Wood Brothers are great people to work for and I wish them success in their future endeavors. I'm hoping to find a position where I can run full-time and compete for wins and championships." FoxSports
Motorcycle racer dies from injuries The flat-track motorcycle racer who crashed Aug. 28 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds has died of severe brain trauma, his father said today.
Jesse Phibbs, 21, Leamington, Ontario, was struck by another rider on the first lap of a heat race during MotoGP weekend. A closed head injury was among his injuries. He died Tuesday at a care center in London, Ontario.
"He fought hard," Matt Phibbs said. "There was too much brain damage." More ...
2011 Provisional MotoGP calendar announced March 20 - Qatar – Doha Losail (Evening race) April 3 - Spain - Jerez de la Frontera April 24 - Japan - Motegi May 1 - Portugal - Estoril May 15 - France - Le Mans June 5 - Catalunya - Catalunya June 12 - Great Britain - Silverstone June 25 - Netherlands - Assen (Saturday Race) July 3 - Italy - Mugello July 17 - Germany - Sachsenring July 24 - United States - Laguna Seca (Only MotoGP class) August 14 - Czech Rep. - Brno August 28 - Indianapolis - Indianapolis September 4 - San Marino and Riviera di Rimini - Misano September 18 - Aragon - Motorland Aragon October 16 - Australia - Phillip Island October 23 - Malaysia - Sepang November 6 - Valencia - Ricardo Tormo – Valencia
Boullier appointed Managing Director at Renault The Renault F1 Team has announced that Eric Boullier, who has been Team Principal since the fifth of January this year, will take over the role of Managing Director with immediate effect following the departure of Bob Bell.
“Since the beginning of the season, the Renault F1 Team has demonstrated its ability to react to a need for change,” Boullier said. “The results of the tremendous efforts made have been immediately apparent on the race track. Today, we have a competitive car and an incredibly motivated team. I am proud of the trust being placed in me to continue this good work, and I will make every effort to ensure the Renault F1 Team returns to the front of the grid as soon as possible.”
Although only eighth in the drivers’ standings, Robert Kubica has amassed a total of 114 points for the team in the fifteen races contested so far this season while Renault sit fifth in the constructors championship, just thirty five points behind Mercedes Grand Prix.
A lap around Suzuka with Rubens Barrichello Williams ace Rubens Barrichello gives the lowdown on the Suzuka track which hosts the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend.
Suzuka is a very challenging drivers' circuit and one of the 'old school' venues like Spa, Monza, Silverstone and Interlagos.
A lap of Suzuka feels something like this:
The last chicane at Casio Triangle is quite slow, which allows you to get on the power early on the exit. This means that we can arrive at turn one, or First Curve as it's called, at 275kmh, making this one of the fastest corners in Formula One and requiring total commitment. More ...
Massa(L) may get equal treatment to his teammate Alonso (R) but Alonso is simply faster just about everywhere.
(GMM) Luca di Montezemolo on Wednesday confirmed Felipe Massa's hopes that he is not set to retain his subordinate driving role beyond the 2010 season.
Earlier on Wednesday, it emerged that Brazilian Massa had told German magazine Sport Bild that if he is expected to give way to Fernando Alonso beyond the current championship, "I will stop driving for Ferrari".
Days ago, Ferrari president Montezemolo urged Massa to "shave points off the rivals" in the last races of the season, insisting the "decision to focus on Alonso has been proven to be right".
Ferrari revealed on Wednesday that Montezemolo spoke to Massa, and separately to Alonso, by telephone as the pair prepared in Japan for this weekend's event. More ...
Former Lotus boss Warr passes away Former Lotus team boss Peter Warr died at the age of 72 on Monday.
Warr, who joined Lotus Cars in 1958 as a salesman, was appointed team manager by founder Colin Chapman at the end of the 1969 season and he worked for the outfit for seven years.
He helped mastermind the World Championships of Jochen Rindt and Emerson Fittipaldi in 1970 and 1972 respectively and also worked with Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna in their early days. Warr also worked with Ronnie Peterson, Jacky Ickx, Mario Andretti and Gunnar Nilsson before leaving to join the new Wolf team for the 1977 season.
Warr took over as team principal when Chapman died in 1982 and remained with Lotus until 1989.
Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone paid tribute to Warr. More ...
Telmex denies buying partial control of Sauber (GMM) Sauber's new major sponsor insists it has not bought partial control of the Swiss formula one team.
Telmex, headed by the world's richest man Carlos Slim, will have significant signage on next year's C30 car, as well as the Mexican rookie Sergio Perez at the wheel.
But team boss Peter Sauber this week denied he is considering selling the team to Telmex, and Slim's son Carlos Slim Domit - the chairman of the Mexico City-based company - also insists the deal is for sponsorship only.
Speculation about Telmex's new influence was triggered by suggestions Sauber would have preferred to pair Kamui Kobayashi with Nick Heidfeld next year.
"We are only an ally," Slim is quoted by Mexican media. "The structure and decisions of the team is their business."
"This is a commercial alliance," he added.
Slim Domit also denied suggestions the signing of Perez was a condition of Telmex's Sauber sponsorship.
He said the Hinwil based team had signed the contract with Perez before Telmex decided to sponsor Sauber.
Sauber's 2011 test and reserve driver Esteban Gutierrez, the first GP3 champion, is also Mexican and sponsored by Telmex. More ...
Ford to close hundreds of Lincoln dealerships Ford Motor Co. plans to eliminate more than a third of its Lincoln dealers as part of its effort to revive the luxury brand, according to a dealer who attended a closed-door meeting Tuesday.
Ford revealed the plan to its 1,100 Lincoln dealers at the meeting in Dearborn. Ramon Alvarez, who owns a Lincoln, Mercury and Jaguar dealership in Riverside, Calif., said Ford has identified 130 market areas where the brand has the best chance. It plans to consolidate its dealerships into those areas. More ...
Angry Raikkonen rules out F1 return with Renault (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen has broken his silence to scold Renault and reveal he will not be joining the Enstone based formula one team in 2011.
Team chiefs Gerard Lopez and Eric Boullier have said numerous times in recent days that the 2007 world champion, who switched to world rallying at the end of last year, is a candidate to race alongside Robert Kubica next season.
Boullier told F1's official website this week that despite being unsure if the Finn is sufficiently motivated to return to the sport, his interest is flattering.
"Yes it is because it shows that the work we've done this season is noticed and that we are considered a challenger for the championship in the future," said the Frenchman. More ...
Bowyer's penalty upheldUPDATE Following an appeal hearing earlier today in Concord, N.C., the National Stock Car Racing Chief Appellate Officer has upheld the penalty for the #33 Chevy in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, with the following revisions:
Crew chief Shane Wilson's fine has been reduced from $150,000 to $100,000 and Wilson and car chief Chad Haney's race suspensions have been lowered from six to four. Both are suspended from NASCAR until Nov. 3 and are on probation until Dec. 31.
The loss of 150 championship owner and driver points remains intact.
The #33 car was penalized by NASCAR on Sept. 22 as a result of rule infractions discovered during post-race inspection at the NASCAR Research and Development Center following the Sept. 19 race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Specifically, the car body location specifications in reference to the certified chassis did not meet NASCAR-approved specifications of the 2010 NASCAR Rule Book. "After reviewing all the data, presentation and factors involved, I am ruling NASCAR was correct in its decision to levy penalties," said John Middlebrook, the National Stock Car Racing Chief Appellate Officer who presided over the hearing. "I believe that the revisions that have been made to the penalties are consistent and fair to both parties involved." John Middlebrook, National Stock Car Racing Chief Appellate. NASCAR PR
10/05/10 The following is a statement from Richard Childress, president and chief executive officer of Richard Childress Racing, regarding the National Stock Car Racing Chief Appellate Officer's final ruling on the penalty of the No. 33 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team following the September 19 race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway:
"I'm disappointed that the results are not what we wanted, but I feel we received a fair hearing today. The final step in the appeals process is very good, and I can assure you we would not have taken our case to the chief appellate officer if the first step in the process had been as fair as today's. I want to thank all of the fans for their support. I'm proud to be a part of this sport and proud to represent RCR's partners. We all need to put this behind us and get back to racing. There are seven races remaining in the Chase, and Richard Childress Racing will continue our focus on winning the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship."
[Editor's Note: Did Richard Childress really think he was going to win an appeal with NASCAR? And to think he went as far as trying to appeals only to be snuffed out twice. Too funny.]
John Force Racing teams up with Chapman Auto Group Chapman Auto Group is providing John Force Racing team vehicles October 6-11, 2010 for the 26th annual Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway as a part of a multi faceted marketing partnership.
Vehicles will be provided for John Force 14-time Funny Car champion as well as 2009 Funny Car champion Robert Hight and two-time Mac Tools U.S. Nationals champion Ashley Force Hood. In addition to the drivers of the Castrol and Auto Club Ford Mustangs crew chiefs for the JFR teams will also be driving Chapman Auto Group Fords. More ...
Video: F1 Grand Prix Insights Japan 2010 The Suzuka International Racing Course is seen as one of the most demanding ones in the calendar by most of the Formula 1 drivers. AT&T Williams driver Nico Hülkenberg and Formula 1 expert Christian Danner speak about the challenges of the circuit.
Video: Unsprung masses on the race track On the race track they’re one of the biggest challenges for racing car and driver: The unsprung masses. In this features experts and drivers like the former DTM-champion Mattias Ekström explain this phenomenon on the basis of a new state-of the art 3D graphic.
Lights champ Vernay wants IndyCar ride J.K. Vernay didn’t know what 2010 held for him at the beginning of the year.
After a solid year in the F3 Euro Series and a strong performance in the Macau Grand Prix, the 22-year-old Frenchman had options to compete in Touring Cars in Germany or moving to Japan to race when his management group suggested a test with perennial Firestone Indy Lights contender Sam Schmidt Motorsports.
The rest is history.
Despite not knowing any of the tracks when the season began, Vernay led the championship from start to finish. He clinched the Firestone Firehawk Cup as Firestone Indy Lights champion by taking the green flag in the Oct. 2 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka 100 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. More ...
Franchitti focused on wins, not history Before Dario Franchitti went out and won the PEAK Performance Pole Award for the IZOD IndyCar Series championship-deciding race, Chip Ganassi asserted that the second-year Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver should be considered among the best of all-time.
A day later – with a record-tying three IZOD IndyCar Series championships, two Indianapolis 500 victories and 26 Indy car career wins – the team owner’s statements require deeper consideration. At Chicagoland Speedway in August, Franchitti tied Rodger Ward for 11th on the all-time list. Next in his sights is Johnny Rutherford, and matching Rick Mears (29) isn’t out of the question.
“I think he's definitely come on,” said teammate Scott Dixon, a two-time series champion who won the season-ending Cafes do Brasil Indy 300 to secure third place in the championship. “They say that kind of about triathletes; your mid-30s are kind of your peak. He's getting close to 40. So he's stretching the window. More ...
Hinchcliffe Wins Greg Moore Legacy Award James Hinchcliffe concluded his 2010 Firestone Indy Lights Series campaign last Saturday, 2nd October, at the Homestead Miami Speedway with his eighth podium trip of the season courtesy of a second-place finish in the ‘Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka 100’.
The 23-year-old from Toronto clinched the Runner-Up position in the Driver Standings, behind France’s J.K. Vernay, after a magnificent season with Team Moore Racing, which included victories in Long Beach, Edmonton and Chicago.
While ‘Hinch’ had his season recognized at the IZOD IndyCar Series banquet in Miami on Sunday night, he was awarded an additional prize to celebrate his accomplishments of 2010 – the Greg Moore Legacy Award. More ...
Sinkhole on the property of Charlotte Motor Speedway A sinkhole has formed at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, on the infield near the back end of the track. A Speedway representative said the sinkhole was likely caused by the recent spate of rain. In addition, part of the speedway is built on top of a landfill, which could have added to the issue. Crews have already started work to fill the hole and hope to have it repaired before next week's Bank of America 500. WSOC
Daytona Repave Update: Project Reaches The Halfway Mark The historic Daytona Repave project has reached halfway point. The crew from Lane Construction began the Daytona Repave project immediately following the Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola in early July and has spent the past three months putting down a new racing surface on Daytona International Speedway's 2.5-mile tri-oval, skid pad, apron and pit road. Three months remain in the project that will put down 50,000 tons of asphalt on 1.4 million square feet. Here are the updates from the 13th week of work on repaving Daytona International Speedway:
· Demolition of the old asphalt in Turns 1 and 2 began on Friday · Paving on the skid pad extension continues · Milling of asphalt on the apron on the Superstretch · Work on paving the wearing course in Turns 3 and 4, through the start/finish line to the entrance of Turn 1 remains ongoing.
Lane Construction, which repaved other ISC race tracks will use an estimated 50,000 tons of asphalt to repave more than 1.4 million square feet of Daytona International Speedway and has a target completion date of Jan. 1, 2011. Race fans can view the progression of the historic repaving project from a section of the Oldfield Grandstands, which will open free to the public. Track tours will also be available through attraction admission to Daytona 500 Experience. For tickets and more information on Daytona International Speedway events, visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP. DIS PR
Mallya in talks to buy club from Ecclestone (GMM) Vijay Mallya is reportedly in talks to buy the London football club Queens Park Rangers.
The club is currently owned by F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone and banned former Renault team boss Flavio Briatore.
The Evening Standard newspaper said Mallya, the Indian billionaire and owner and boss of the F1 team Force India, is eying a "significant" stake in QPR, who compete in England's second division Football League Championship.
As well as Force India, Mallya also owns Indian cricket team Royal Challengers.
The report said Ecclestone and Briatore, who stepped down as chairman in February, are keen to sever their ties with the club.
The talks have reportedly been taking place for more than a month, with an agreement possible within two weeks.
QPR's other owner is Lakshmi Mittal, the Indian steel tycoon who is the world's fifth richest man.
Kansas ratings drop indicates NASCAR still on downward spiral The overnights for this past weekend show the NASCAR Sprint Cup race having a 2.1 ratings and 4 share on Sunday, being televised on ESPN. In 2009, the race was televised on ABC and had a 2.6/5 with a final rating of 3.2/7 with 5.25 million viewers.
Clint Bowyer's final appeal today The final appeal on the penalties given to #33-Clint Bowyer's Sprint Cup team following his win in the Chase opener at New Hampshire will be heard on Tuesday. It will be the first ruling for NASCAR's new chief appellate officer, John Middlebrook. The National Stock Car Racing Commission voted 3-0 against the initial appeal made by Richard Childress Racing last Wednesday at NASCAR's Research and Development Center in Concord. Team owner Richard Childress insisted he had proof that Bowyer's car was out of tolerance because of a push from a wrecker after running out of gas following the victory burnout. He immediately paid the cost of the final appeal to be heard by Middlebrook, who took over as the chief appellate officer this year. Bowyer was fined 150 points and crew chief Shane Wilson was suspended for six weeks and fined $150,000, although he has yet to sit out a race while the process is under appeal. Childress hopes reconstruction analyst Dr. Charles Manning will be able to sway Middlebrook where he couldn't the commission. ESPN
IndyCar's oval track fans don't support series The Miami Herald kindly estimated the crowd at the IndyCar final at Homestead at 12,000 at the track that seats more than 60,000 for NASCAR. Standing along pit lane at the start of the race, these eyes put it at much less than even that. I have seen bigger crowds at Mosport’s half-mile oval on most summer Saturday nights. Toronto Sun
Video: 911 GT3 R Hybrid Race Recap - 2010 Petit LeMans Porsche's racing laboratory, the 911 GT3 R Hybrid, with 24 Hours of Le Mans champions Timo Bernhard/Mike Rockenfeller (both Germany) and Romain Dumas (France) aboard, was the 18th best finisher in a starting field of 41 cars.
Golfer and Rahal exchange notes Beatriz Recari performed double driving duty on Saturday, October 2nd prior to the IZOD IndyCar Series Cafes do Brasil Indy 300 at Homestead – Miami Speedway. The 23-year-old LPGA rookie gave Newman/Haas Racing’s Graham Rahal a lesson at a local driving range before strapping into an IndyCar with motorsports legend Mario Andretti for a 200-mph trip around the track.
Recari then joined IndyCar drivers at their pre-race meeting and spoke at length with Danica Patrick about Ryder Cup play that had taken place earlier in the day. Patrick had a season-best race in the finale, finishing second while Recari watched the proceedings from the pits. More ...
Childress says they proved innocenceUPDATE #2 NASCAR is disputing allegations by Richard Childress Racing's top witness that the team was prevented from examining Clint Bowyer's Chevrolet in the days following his disputed win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. NASCAR's Managing Director of Corporate Communications Ramsey Poston bristled at those accusations Saturday at Kansas Speedway, calling them "patently untrue." After consulting with Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton and Sprint Cup Series Director John Darby, Poston said, "Dr. Manning never asked to see the car at any time." Poston also revealed that Richard Childress Racing was free to examine the car "anytime they want" and was well aware of that open-door policy. Sirius NASCAR Radio's Sirius SpeedwayMore ...
Q and A with Robert Kubica Robert Kubica is looking forward to this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix that will be raced on his favorite circuit, Suzuka. However, despite some strong results in recent events, the Polish racer is only too aware they currently have some tough competitors around them and therefore, he is expecting more hard fought battles this time out....
Suzuka is your favorite circuit of the year. Why? It’s hard, it’s the most challenging circuit and it’s very, very fast. If you count the number of really high-speed corners, taken in fourth gear or above, I think it’s the most of any circuit on the calendar. The first sector is incredible: the Esses are like a rollercoaster, flipping the g-forces from side to side through very long corners, and it’s tough to keep the correct line, especially because if you make a mistake in one corner, you carry it for a long time through the next corners. Plus, there are a couple of low-speed corners, and the chicane where you have very heavy braking and it’s possible to overtake. More ...
Danica Patrick comic book to hit bookshelves before Christmas
Fame: Danica Patrick (Comic Book)
Bluewater Productions has already brought new readers to sequential storytelling with its Political Power, Female Force and Fame comic book biography series. Now the independent comics company is reaching out to the members of NASCAR nation with its latest comic: Fame: Danica Patrick.
Bluewater’s latest biography comic traces Patrick’s rise through the male-dominated ranks of auto racing. It also explores the fascination that the public has with Patrick.
Writer CW Cooke, who has also penned Bluewater’s top-selling Taylor Swift biography comic, said that even the most devoted of fans will learn something new about Patrick after reading this book.
“We’ve all seen the pictures and heard the gossip about her,” Cooke said. “But digging into her story and learning about her really focused me on the fact that she’s a real person and not just a pin-up model or a one-note person.”
Cooke hasn’t created a white-washed version of Patrick’s NASCAR performances, either. The comic covers the critics who say that Patrick hasn’t had enough success on the track to deserve all the attention that she gets.
Fame: Danica Patrick will hit comic book shops and online retailers like Amazon in December. The 32-page comic will retail for $3.99. More ...
Car customizer Uwe Gemballa's body found in South AfricaUPDATE Today the South African police confirmed that Uwe Gemballa was indeed kidnapped and the new CEO of Gemballa confirmed that the companies financial position prior to his disappearance were far from good. The last issue has been completely restored with the new owners of the company. The kidnapping however is more than a coincidence, according to Germany newspaper the Stern, Uwe Gemballa was involved with Radovan Krejcir, a leader of a crime syndicate from the Czech Republic, that has been hiding in South Africa for years. Uwe Gemballa and Radovan Krejcir have known each other since the 1990s and it seems that Radovan had convinced Uwe to import Gemballa vehicles to South Africa to smuggle large sums of Euros and Dollars to South Africa from Europe.
Both the German authorities as Gemballa confirm that at least one car, a Porsche Cayenne, has been shipped to South Africa in recent years. A former business partner of Radovan Krejcir confirmed that 1 million euro was hidden inside the vehicle but when the Cayenne arrived in South Africa the money was missing. Hereafter an associate of Radovan tried to lure Uwe to South Africa under a false name and non existing business deal. In February 2010 Uwe Gemballa flew to Johannesburg via Dubai, where according to security cameras at the Johannesburg airport he was picked up by a Russian that is most likely another associate from the Czech criminal that Uwe worked with earlier. A few days later his wife received a strange call from Uwe with a request to send 1 million euro to South Africa, nothing was heard from him since until today his dental records were matched to a body found near Pretoria. More ...
BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team Earns 2010 ALMS crowns After 4,000 miles of some of the fiercest competition in auto racing, the battle for the 2010 American Le Mans Series Manufacturers and Team championships came down to the very last mile of GT action Saturday night at Road Atlanta.
And it was during that last mile that a season’s worth of toil paid off for the BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team as it clinched both the ALMS Manufacturers and Team titles in just its second year in the series, topping the highly-competitive GT category by just a single point. Finishing fourth while one of the Risi Competizione Ferrari’s were leading would have left the BMW RLR squad one point out of the top spot for the season, but when the Ferrari ran out of fuel less than a mile from the finish line, the title switched hands. More ...
Motorsports This Week on ESPN The Chase Is On: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Live from California
The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship continues Sunday, Oct. 10, as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in the Pepsi Max 400 at the 2-mile Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., and ESPN will have a live telecast. The NASCAR Countdown pre-race show airs at 2 p.m. ET with the race telecast at 3 p.m. The race’s green flag is at 3:16 p.m. ESPN2 will air NASCAR Sprint Cup practice on Friday, Oct. 8, at 3 p.m. and qualifying at 6:30 p.m.
ESPN2’s season-long coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series continues at Fontana with a telecast of Saturday’s race. NASCAR Countdown airs at 4 p.m. with the race telecast at 4:30 p.m. The green flag flies at 4:46 p.m. More ...
Brazilian companies using IndyCar to grab a chunk of the USA market Cafe Bom Dia, producer of famous high-quality Brazilian coffee brands, congratulates ABIC, the Brazilian Coffee Industry Association and Apex-Brasil, the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, on the celebration of the Cafes do Brasil Indy 300, the Championship Race of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series.
"We at Cafe Bom Dia truly believe that together, Apex-Brasil, with Silvia Pierson in charge of the IndyCar Project, and ABIC, with Nathan Herszcowicz as President, have been able to achieve remarkable results in terms of positioning the Cafes do Brasil trade mark within the American market," said Alberto Cohen, Partner of Cafe Bom Dia Int. "We feel very proud to have been part of this project since its inception, almost two years ago, and pledge to continue working together with ABIC and Apex-Brasil for many years to come, in our common and successful effort to make roasted ground coffee from Brazil more visible among American consumers," he added. More ...
Tissot to Sponsor Danica Patrick's Entry in NASCAR Nationwide Series
Tissot, a manufacturer of Swiss watches since 1853, announced that it has reached an agreement with JR Motorsports as a sponsor of Danica Patrick's No. 7 NASCAR Nationwide Series entry through the 2011 season.
Tissot will be the primary sponsor on Patrick's Chevrolet in Saturday's (Oct. 9th) Nationwide race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., and will be an associate sponsor for the remainder of her 2010 Nationwide events -- at Charlotte, N.C. (Oct. 15), St. Louis (Oct. 23), Fort Worth, Texas (Nov. 6), Phoenix, Ariz. (Nov. 13) and Homestead, Fla.(Nov. 20). More ...
Kansas Speedway To Sell Individual Race Tickets Next Season Kansas Speedway is "changing its ticket policy for 2011 and will allow fans to purchase tickets for each of the four races instead of requiring" that they buy season tickets, according to Randy Covitz of the K.C. STAR. Fans in previous years were "required to buy season tickets for all speedway events -- the IndyCar Series, the Camping World Trucks Series, the NASCAR Nationwide and the Sprint Cup Series" -- while this season they "had the option of buying weekend packages." The Izod IndyCar Series will not return to the facility next season, and for the "first time in the track's 11-year history, the 2011 schedule will include two NASCAR Sprint Cup races."
Yesterday's Sprint Cup Series Price Chopper 400 drew an estimated 100,000 at the track. Kansas Speedway President Pat Warren said, "We're strong, but we'll have twice as many Sprint Cup tickets to sell next year, so we want people who may not have an opportunity to attend in the spring to attend in the fall, or if they can't attend Saturday's event in the fall, they can attend Sunday, or vice-versa." The author writes the move is a "leap of faith that the trucks and Nationwide Series can continue to draw large crowds without the required Sprint Cup ticket" K.C. STAR
de Ferran vows to return stronger in 2011 Raphael Matos and the de Ferran Dragon Racing Team was looking for a little luck to finish the season on a high note, but it never came in the IZOD IndyCar season finale at Homestead Miami Speedway.
After starting 23rd, Matos and the team were relying on strong pit stops and fuel strategy to climb into contention. Three fast pit stops plus the planned fuel strategy appeared to put Matos in a position to complete the race in three stops, while almost all of the leaders would need a fourth stop.
“It was a tough run, but our strategy was playing well,” Matos confirmed. “We were going to try to make it in three stops and were set up well, but we needed it to go green until the end. Unfortunately that didn't happen. We were fighting really hard all night long and it was tough to see the strategy just go away like that, but that's racing.” More ...
Carmaker Renault still interested in F1 team - boss (GMM) French carmaker Renault is still interested in the formula one team that bears its name, team boss Eric Boullier said on Monday.
After the majority Genii Capital takeover, Boullier said Renault SA president and chief executive Carlos Ghosn meets regularly to keep up with the progress of the Enstone based team.
"There are regular meetings where he is informed about everything concerning the team -- and that is a very positive sign," he said in an interview with F1's official website.
But he dismissed rumors that, with Renault a comfortable and credible fifth in the constructors' world championship, the carmaker might now be interested in buying back its former majority stake. More ...
Nationwide Series moving to 6-man crew NASCAR officials on Friday confirmed that the Nationwide Series will move to six-man pit crews for all teams next season, eliminating the catch-can position. The change puts Nationwide in line with the Trucks series, which already has made the change. The series' new gas tanks will have a single-point, self-venting system that doesn't require a crew member to operate. Charlotte Observer
HPD & Highcroft Claim ALMS Championships For the fourth time this season, the Honda Performance Development ARX-01c of David Brabham, Simon Pagenaud and Marino Franchitti found its way to victory circle in American Le Mans Series competition, taking LMP2 class honors Saturday at Road Atlanta in the season-closing Petit Le Mans. The win was more than enough to secure both the ALMS chassis and engine manufacturers' championships for HPD, and the drivers' title for the season-long Highcroft pairing of Brabham and Pagenaud.
The Highcroft Racing HPD prototype enjoyed a nearly trouble-free run throughout the 1,000- mile endurance event to claim the LMP2 category by a massive 11-lap margin, and finished fourth overall. This weekend's victory at Road Atlanta joined other HPD/Highcroft triumphs earlier this season at Long Beach, Miller Motorsports Park and Laguna Seca, as well as podium finishes in the remaining races, to clinch Highcroft's second consecutive LMP title. More ...
Lotus shocks Paris Auto Show It's been a while since something took an entire auto show by surprise. Usually we've seen the pictures and read the press releases a few days ahead of time, so there's nothing new revealed we weren't already expecting. Until today. Everyone was expecting Lotus to reveal a pair of new Evora models, a new front-engined GT called the Elite, and if we were lucky, maybe the new Esprit. What we got was something much, much better.
Lotus Espirt Concept
As we arrived at the Lotus booth here at the Paris Motor Show, we spotted a total of five cars under cover. Perhaps a concept and some new versions of existing cars? What proceeded to happen was something entirely unexpected. Lotus CEO Dany Bahar addressed the crowd, announcing that Lotus would be entering a new era. In a matter of minutes, the wraps were pulled off the Esprit, Elan, Elite, Elise and Eterne concept cars, each time with a gasp from the crowd as the next concept's name was announced. This wasn't just the introduction of a few concept cars. We were witnessing the complete and utter revitalization, rebranding and rebirth of a legendary car company. More ...
The Rahal deal mentioned below is a two-year sponsorship deal with the TBC Corporation, which owns several automobile tire distributors. The two-year contract will provide primary sponsorship for an IndyCar, but does not specify which team will provide and operate the car. TBC’s president, Bob Crostarosa, said only that Rahal and TBC are shopping for a team that can “run up front.” There has been much speculation that Rahal would be driving for Target-Ganassi in 2011. Ganassi has won seven IndyCar championships: 1996–1999, 2003, and 2009-2010. Other teams mentioned include Newman-Hass Racing, Rahal-Letterman Racing, which is owned by Graham’s father, Bobby Rahal, and Panther Racing.
10/02/10 The fans began arriving early for tonight's 2010 IndyCar season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway where Will Power and Dario Franchitti will do battle for the IndyCar title. Temperatures were 91 degrees at 2 PM but are expected to drop into the 80s by race tires........TBC Retail Group announced that they will sponsor Graham Rahal in 2011 in a full-time ride. TBC's brands include Service Central, Merchants Tire, Tire Kingdom, NTB and Big O Tires all of which sell automobile tires as well as provide other car services. The deal is for personal sponsorship as well as to be a primary sponsor on the car. Service Central was with Sarah Fisher Racing this season as the sponsor of Jay Howard's car. Company officials said Rahal, 21, is the kind of driver it wants to be associated with. They are talking to teams that can run up front and this puts Graham Rahal in the catbirds seat to land a top open seat in 2011. We hear the Newman/Haas team is one of the teams Rahal is talking to and if we had to bet we would predict that is where he will end up. The team has a lot invested in Rahal, but there have been rumors that Ganassi may run him as a 3rd driver.......Cafe do Brasil (Coffees of Brazil) and Apex Brasil announced their commitment to stay involved with the IndyCar Series because it has been extremely beneficial to them. The Brazilian presence in the INDY IndyCar Series confirms a privileged opportunity to facilitate the entrance of Brazilian products and services into the US, especially in those regions where the markets are not properly attended by traditional methods of commercial promotion in order to target the desired customers. “Formula Indy is a sport that moves different segments of public opinion and, on top of the contacts with large corporations that are involved in the events, it provides great exposure for the Brazilian companies taking part of the project, improves their branding and strengthens de image of Brazil within the American market,” says Alessandro Teixeira, President of Apex-Brasil. Brazil is the largest producers of coffee worldwide by a factor of 3, i.e. they sell 3 times more coffee worldwide than the 2nd largest producing country......Hearing that the new IndyCar rules are almost finalized with engineering staff at HPD, Cosworth and others having been given the chance the review and comment on them........Hearing that Mazda is still insisting that this year's Star Mazda champion, Conor Daly, run in the Grand-Am GT series next year. We are hearing that the Conor camp refuses because Conor is doing so well in open wheel cars that is the path he needs and wants to continue on. Mazda of course fields cars in the GT series. We hear that Daly will soon test for the Status GP3 team in Spain. With nothing available to him in the USA next year, can you blame him for looking at Europe. And to think, Star Mazda was supposed to be on the Road to Indy development
With sparks flying and close racing the IndyCars make NASCAR Sprint Cup cars look like sleds
ladder. If we were running IndyCar we would tell Mazda to go take a hike and if we were Daly we would tell Mazda to keep their money. One of the finest young Americans running in saloon cars is preposterous. Estimated crowd for Saturday night's race was 15,000. Too bad because the IndyCars put on a spectacular show at this track, a show so much more entertaining than NASCAR. As we made our way through the grandstands to talk to fans they expressed real disappointment that IndyCar will not be back next year and one fan said these cars make NASCAR look like sleds. The Indy 500 Centennial Tour of U.S. military installations in Europe and the Middle East in January 2011 will include IZOD IndyCar Series driver Graham Rahal, Firestone Indy Lights driver Martin Plowman, Johnny Rutherford and Al Unser Jr. – who have five Indianapolis 500 victories between them – on the multi-stop tour to support military personnel. The group will disembark from Indianapolis Jan. 12 to Landstuhl Medical Center and Ramstein Air Base in Germany in addition to military bases in Iraq, Turkey, Spain, Qatar, North Africa and the United Arab Emirates. The trip is being coordinated through Armed Forces Entertainment, a Department of Defense agency, and Morale Entertainment Foundation. Mark C. reporting from Miami
Cafes Do Brasil Indy 300 Post-Race Transcript An Interview with: ALEX LLOYD WILL POWER SCOTT DIXON DANICA PATRICK CHIP GANASSI MIKE HULL DARIO FRANCHITTI
THE MODERATOR: We are joined by the 2010 Rookie of the Year, Alex Lloyd, of Dale Coyne Racing. Alex is the 2007 Firestone Indy Lights champion. His best finish this season was fourth at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Alex, you've been working since 2008 to run a full season here at the Izod IndyCar Series. And now to do it and earn Rookie of the Year honors has to be rewarding.
ALEX LLOYD: It's 2007 with the lost time that I ran a full season up until this year. And you look now at 2010, that was three years ago.
And it's tough. It was a tough couple of years. And you spend two years out of a car, practically, other than running the Indy 500, and this race last year, so three races in two years, it was tough. And certainly coming back at the beginning of the year, you have a lot of rust that you've got to knock off.
Everyone talks about a little bit of rust, couple of months, had two years to knock off. So with that you have your ups and downs. But it was great that I got the opportunity from Dale and Gale Coyne and Boy Scouts of America. That was a big thing for me, and really a life line, because, like I said, two years out of the sport, it's hard to get back in sometimes with three years out. More ...
Tilke has yet to visit Austin 55 - year-old Hermann Tilke is the world's leading circuit designer — a real-life Lord of the Rings. His privately held company, founded as a one-person firm, now has about 350 architects and engineers and offices all over the world.
Tilke GmbH has had a hand designing and/or building 11 of the 20 circuits in the current F1 race calendar. The planned Austin track will be its first such project in the United States.
The firm has specialists in a variety of construction fields, not only in architecture and civil engineering, but also electrical engineering, building equipment and structural analysis. Many of them have worked for more than a decade for the company. More ...
Williams considered engine switch says co-owner (GMM) Williams' third co-owner has admitted the British team considered changing engine suppliers for the 2011 season.
Lotus is set to switch to Renault power at the end of the season, but Cosworth has announced that its other existing partners – Williams, HRT and Virgin – are staying put.
In an interview with Kleine Zeitung newspaper, Austrian Toto Wolff – who has a minority stake in the Frank Williams and Patrick Head co-owned team – admitted there have been disappointments in 2010. More ...
Webber vows to attack despite points lead (GMM) Mark Webber has vowed to attack at next weekend's Japanese grand prix. Red Bull team consultant Helmut Marko suggested on Friday that because the Australian has an 11 point championship lead, "we can be safer and let him drive more defensively" with four races to run in 2010.
But Webber, 34, has indicated he is not planning to take it easy at Suzuka.
"It's nice that I have a little buffer, it's not very big but it's something I would rather have than not," he said.
"I think we will be very competitive (in Japan); we need to go there and get the maximum out of what we have.
"We still have to go out and give it all we've got," Webber is quoted as saying by Australian publications.
Lorenzo hits out at Rossi Jorge Lorenzo believes Valentino Rossi was too aggressive towards him in their battle for the podium in the Japanese Grand Prix. The two Yamaha riders made contact twice during a fraught struggle for third place in the closing laps at Motegi. They swapped places four times before Rossi secured the final podium spot ahead of his team-mate. Lorenzo argued that Rossi risked jeopardizing Yamaha's title prospects had they come together.
"This was a big battle between Valentino and I, two warriors with the killer instinct," said the Spaniard.
"I have to say that at some points I do not think he was completely fair, we were both on the limit but some of his moves were maybe a bit too much and he touched me and pushed me wide when I don't think it was right.
"We are team-mates, I am fighting for the riders' championship but we are both fighting for the teams' and manufacturers' championship as well and we have to remember this." Racer.com
Bamber wins after Perera penalized Earl Bamber (FC Porto) ended his incredible fairytale story with victory in the most exciting Super Final in Superleague Formula by Sonangol history to collect a check for €100,000 after a thrilling battle in the six-car, five-lap, dash-for-cash weekend-ending race at Ordos International Circuit. However his win was only confirmed after the race when Franck Perera (Bordeaux), the winner on the road, was penalized three seconds for lining up in the wrong position on the grid.
The Frenchman should have started fifth, but took the sixth-place grid slot by mistake meaning Bamber had to line-up out of sequence just behind. Perera was immediately into second place at the first corner when Ben Hanley (Olympiacos) ran into the back of pole sitter and GU Racing team mate Max Wissel (FC Basel), while Davide Rigon (RSC Anderlecht) spun in avoidance. More ...
ESPN and NASCAR looking for excuses for plummeting TV Ratings Despite an on-track product that many feel is better than in recent years, the first two Chase For The Sprint Cup races saw startling drops in television ratings. The New Hampshire rating dropped 28 percent from 3.2 to 2.3 while the Dover rating fell 23 percent from 3.1 to 2.4.
While the 2009 Chase races were on ABC, a switch to ESPN was not the reason for the drop, said ESPN Vice President of Programming & Acquisitions Julie Sobieski.
“It’s concerning to us,” Sobieski said in a phone interview Friday. “We’re looking at every single factor that we can possibly look at. There’s so many things that are potentially at play.
“The rating declines that we’ve seen are not from broadcast-only homes. We know it’s not from the drop of broadcast to cable. Last year, ESPN outdelivered ABC. We don’t think it’s attributed to that.” More ...
"I'm really happy for both me and DAMS. Winning the title after entering the championship only from the third event was something that I wasn't thinking about at the beginning, I didn't even think it was possible. Anyway I made it, and this is also the best way to say thanks to DAMS: they gave me the chance to race with single seaters, which is what I love the most, and from then on a lot of good things happened, ending a not easy period of my career. Now I hope that the tracks for my future will keep going this good way".
This were Romain Grosjean's first words on the podium, just after being crowned Auto GP champion. Then, some hours later, we took some minutes with the French driver speaking about the season: "I started speaking about Auto GP with DAMS in May, at the Barcelona GP2 race. Then we spoke about it again in Spa, when I was there for the 24 hours. At that time I was racing in FIA GT which was a good opportunity, especially considering that at the start of the season we got some great results. Anyway driving single-seaters is what I really love, so when DAMS gave me the chance to do it for me it was an easy decision. At the beginning the agreement was just for Spa, but I had immediately the right feeling with the team, we won the race and grabbed really a lot of points so we realized that going until the end was the best thing to do". More ...
Stoner steals Honda's thunder in Japan Casey Stoner rode his Italian Ducati bike to victory Sunday in the Japan GP MotoGP race at Motegi, but it was not easy. Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso, who started from pole took second place in a hard-fought Japanese Grand Prix today. The 24-year-old Italian led into the first corner after securing his first ever MotoGP pole position yesterday, but Casey Stoner was able to sneak up the inside into turn two. For the next sixteen laps Dovizioso shadowed the Australian as the pair pulled away at the front of the field. Matching Stoner lap-for-lap and riding totally flat out, Dovizioso never let the gap grow much beyond half a second, but he couldn’t quite get close enough to mount an attack. More ...
NNS Race Recap: Logano Wins At Kansas Polesitter Joey Logano was tired of finishing second — and on Saturday at Kansas Speedway, he did something about it.
With a push from NASCAR Nationwide Series points leader Brad Keselowski, Logano pulled away from Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch after a restart on Lap 199 of 200 and held on to win the Kansas Lottery 300.
“It definitely gets frustrating, when you feel like you should have won a lot more races than what you have this season,” said Logano, who has finished second six times this year and four times since his last victory in the series, which came at Kentucky in June. “But it also makes you want it a little bit more and makes it a little bit sweeter when you do win.” More ...
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