JUNY 1999

EDDIE JORDAN SAID - HILL MUST STAY FOR 3RD CONSTRUCTOR'S SPOT
(25/06) After one week from Hill's announcement that Brit intend to retire after 1999 season there were many sceptics about even early retirement date. But both, Eddie and Damon want to deliver third constructor's place for Jordan team and will work till end of 1999 season almost for sure! 'I think Damon will finish the season - in fact I am pretty certain of it,' said Eddie Jordan. 'He has too much to lose and Jordan has too much to lose. We need third place in the constructors' championship and he has promised to help me to do everything possible to achieve that. 'I cannot see how a world champion who as won 22 races is going to leave in the middle of a down cycle. It doesn’t make much sense to me. 'You know what they say about drivers - you are as good as your last race.' Hill has admitted he has made a 'pigs ear' of the season so far but believes he can turn it around. 'If he does a good race in France and Silverstone he will be on so much of a high he will want to repeat the success he had last year,' said Jordan. 'If you are married and have four kids and you no longer enjoy racing and the spark has gone out you are obliged to do what he did. 'The question is should he do it now or go on? 'I also have to get the best championship results from the best possible driver I can find and there is no question at the moment Damon is the best available. 'That third place in the championship is everything to me - nothing else matters.'

SCHUMACHER FASTEST IN PRACTICE
(25/06) Double world champion Michael Schumacher recovered from a spin off the circuit into the gravel to post the fastest time in the opening free practice for the French Grand Prix. He clocked one minute 17.912 seconds, two-tenths of a second faster than his Ferrari team-mate Eddie Irvine. World champion Mika Hakkinen was third fastest in his McLaren ahead of team mate David Coulthard. Italian Alex Zanardi in a Williams was fifth fastest. Formula One veteran Jean Alesi escaped unhurt following a spectacular crash during opening practice for the French Grand Prix. The 35-year-old Frenchman ended up upside down in his Sauber cockpit after losing control at around 150mph and careering across the gravel at Magny-Cours. Michael Schumacher said after free practice: "As we had a good test last week, I did not go out in the morning session, in order to save my tyres. I went off the track on my first run this afternoon, because the brake balance was not right. After we fixed the problem, I managed to get through all our programme for the day. The track is very slippery and so it is not much fun to drive on." Mika Hakkinen, who did not manage fastest lap added: "We spent most of this morning checking set up and establishing how it has changed from the test that we did here last week. Everything went well but we still have some work to do before qualifying tomorrow". Top times: 1 M Schumacher Ger Ferrari 1 minute and 17.912 seconds 2 E Irvine GB Ferrari 1:18.199 3 M Hakkinen Fin McLaren 1:18.251 4 D Coulthard GB McLaren 1:18.468 5 A Zanardi It Williams 1:18.746 6 H-H Frentzen Ger Jordan 1:18.779 7 J Alesi Fr Sauber 1:18.908 8 R Barrichello Brz Stewart 1:18.950 9 R Schumacher Ger Williams 1:19.069 10 J Herbert GB Stewart 1:19.266

OKADA FROM DUTCH POLE ON SATURDAY
(25/06) Japanese rider Tadayuki Okada scored his fourth pole of career as he denied American John Kocinski on another Honda motorbike to score Dutch GP pole. Spaniard Criville, championship leader could only manage fourth fastest time, behind another American Kenny Roberts on Suzuki bike. Top times and starting spots: 1. T. OKADA JAP/honda 2:01,564 2. J. KOCINSKI USA/honda + 0,292 3. K. ROBERTS USA/suzuki 0,518 4. A. CRIVILLE SPA/honda 0,567 5. M. BIAGGI ITA/yamaha 0,744 6. S. GIBERNAU SPA/honda 0,829 7. A. BARROS BRA/honda 0,894 8. N. ABE JAP/yamaha 1,066 9. C. CHECA SPA/yamaha 1,201 10. N. AOKI JAP/suzuki 1,326

WHO'S HOT FOR CLEVELAND?
(25/06) FedEx Championship Series points leader Juan Montoya (Target Honda Reynard) and his closest pursuer, Dario Franchitti (KOOL Honda Reynard), own the longest active streaks of points-paying finishes in the series at present. Both have scored in six consecutive events, dating to Long Beach, where Montoya scored his first career FedEx Championship Series victory and Franchitti finished second. Montoya's streak also includes victories at Nazareth and Rio de Janeiro, and a runner-up effort at Portland, while Franchitti's includes a runner-up effort at Rio de Janeiro and third at Gateway and Portland.

UNSER READY FOR NEXT RACE
(23/06) Robby Unser says there’s one common factor to racing up imposing Pikes Peak or around nearby Pikes Peak International Raceway. "A lot of concentration," said Unser, who will compete in his second Radisson 200 on June 27 at PPIR. "That’s what driving anywhere is like." Robby and cousin Johnny will be the only two entries in the Pep Boys Indy Racing League event who also have participated in the famed "Climb to the Clouds" hill climb. Robby, son of three-time Indy 500 champion Bobby Unser, became the 11th Unser to race up Zebulon Pike’s mountain in 1987. He became the first Unser to compete at PPIR when he drove from a starting spot of 23rd to 12th in last year’s race.

DA MATTA SIGNED FULL SEASON DEAL
(24/06) Cristiano da Matta will stay with CART team Arciero-Wells until the end of next year at least. The Indy Lights champion signed an extended contract with the team after impressing team boss Cal Wells with his performances so far this season. Wells said, 'We're extremely fortunate to have a talent like Cristiano with out team. 'His performances this season have been exceptional. We're looking forward to building a long and successful relationship.'

GARCIA READY FOR CLEVELAND ROUND
(23/06) The rookie Payton-Coyne Racing driver has raced only twice in this year's CART FedEx Championship, and he hopes his win last year will benefit his return to the Cleveland circuit. 'I really like Cleveland and the layout of the track…it suits my driving style. 'Everything went just right for me last year and I hope it happens again. I know I can drive there and be competitive.'

CRIVILLE LEADS THE WAY IN ASSEN
(24/06) World championship leader Alex Criville took provisional pole after the first qualifying for Saturday's Dutch 500cc Grand prix. The Spaniard, chasing his fifth successive win, set a fastest time of two minutes 02.131 seconds in the last two minutes of qualifying on his Honda. He was just quicker than team mate Tadayuki Okada in 2:02.141. Hondas took the first three positions on the provisional grid with John Kocinski third his Kanemoto Racing V4. Max Biaggi was fourth on his Marlboro Yamaha. The second row is lead off by Norick Abe (Antena 3 Yamaha), Juan Borja (Movistar Honda Pons), Kenny Roberts (Suzuki) and Biaggi’s team mate Max Biaggi. Doohan, who was won the title for the last five years, went on to say, “I think Alex Crivillé is doing just what he has to do. Hess doing the job. He’s been an under-rated rider but now he’s showing that when the pressure is on his shoulders he can win races. The way he’s riding I don’t know if Id be bearing him or not.” Thursday's result: 1 A Criville Sp Honda 2 minutes and 2.131 seconds 2 T Okada Jpn Honda 2:02.141 3 J Kocinski USA Honda 2:02.428 4 M Biaggi It Yamaha 2:02.824 5 N Abe Jpn Yamaha 2:02.827 6 J Borja Sp Honda 2:02.909 7 K Roberts Jr USA Suzuki 2:03.054 8 C Checa Sp Yamaha 2:03.176 9 A Barros Brz Honda 2:03.190 10 R Laconi Fr Yamaha 2:03.509

SPENCER READY FOR MORE JOY
(23/06) Jimmy Spencer is a proven winner on the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. But he was disgruntled to have to admit you'd have a hard time proving it by his performance in 1999. "We've had a terrible year so far but the guys are working as hard as ever, and we've finally got a little light at the end of the tunnel," Spencer said Tuesday morning, speaking of his 14th-place run in Carter's Team Winston No Bull Ford.

HAMILTON JR. READY TO DRIVE FOR HVP TEAM
(23/06) HVP Motorsports has opted for youthful exuberance over veteran savvy as it named 21-year-old Bobby Hamilton Jr. to drive its No. 63 Exxon Superflo Chevrolets for the balance of the NASCAR Busch Series Grand National Division season, beginning with this weekend's Lysol 200 at Watkins Glen International.

FRENCH RACE FOR HISTORY IN MANY WAYS
(24/06) Magny Cours might be very interesting race in 1999 season for many reason. Michael Schumacher should be the outright favourite to take victory in the race seeing that he has won it four times in the last five years. In the 1998 race the Ferrari team had a 1-2 finish with Michael Schumacher taking victory followed by team mate Eddie Irvine in second place. This will also be Damon Hill's first race since announcing his retirement and many feel that with no expectations left, Hill will give the McLaren and Ferrari teams a run for their money. On the other side that will be Alesi's 10th run in Magny Cours since his debute also in France. Olivier Panis might run his last race for Prost (Ligier) team, and that might also mean first change of the team for French driver and one time winner (Monaco 97). We will see, let's hope for good race. And, do not forget on Mika Hakkinen, Eddie Irvine and maybe also bouyant David Coulthard.

CRIVILE OUT FOR FIFTH WIN IN A ROW
(23/06) Alex Criville returns to the track which brought him both his first grand prix win and a career-threatening crash as he seeks his fifth successive win in the 500cc world championship. The Spaniard goes into Saturday's Dutch Grand Prix leading the standings by more than 50 points from American Kenny Roberts, who won the first two races of the season. Criville is on target to become the first European to win the title for 17 years.

DOOHAN COULD DELAY COMEBACK
(23/06) World champion Michael Doohan, recovering from serious injuries after a crash in Spain in May, may delay his race comeback until September. The Australian, 500cc champion for the past five seasons, has given up hope of retaining his title and said previously that he aimed to return to the track in the Czech Republic on 22 August. But the Honda rider said: 'Maybe I'll come back in Brno on August 22, maybe at Imola in September. It depends.'

HILL TO SAY GOODBYE IN SUZUKA
(24/06) An enormous amount has been speculated on the reason for Damon Hill's announcement of his retirement at the end of the 99 season, but at a press conference on Thursday prior to the French GP he spoke frankly about his decision. "I have enjoyed being in Formula One but there comes a time for everyone, and I think the time has come for me, when the enjoyment factor has decreased enough to affect my performance. I hope making this announcement will give me some breathing space, allowing me to enjoy the remaining races of the season".

2000 CALENDAR VERY HOT
(24/06) The FIA released the provisional calendar for the 2000 season on Wednesday and it features a few significant changes to the 99 calendar, done mostly to accommodate the second last race of the season namely the US GP. GP dates for 2000: 20 Feb - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (GP of Malaysia) 5 March - Melbourne, Australia (GP of Australia) 19 March - Sao Paulo, Brazil (GP of Brazil) 9 April - Imola, San Marino (GP of San Marino) 23 April - Barcelona, Spain (GP of Spain) 7 May - Magny Cours, France (GP of France) 21 May - Nurburgring, Germany (GP of Europe) 4 June - Monte Carlo (GP of Monaco) 18 June - Montreal, Canada (GP of Canada) 2 July - Silverstone, Great Britain (GP of Great Britain) 16 July - Spielberg, Austria (GP of Austria) 30 July - Hockenheim, Germany (GP of Germany) 13 August - Budapest, Hungary (GP of Hungary) 27 August - Spa Francorchamps, Belgium (GP of Belgium) 10 September - Monza, Italy (GP of Italy) 24 September - Indianapolis, USA (GP of USA) 8 October - Suzuka, Japan (GP of Japan)

McLAREN READY TO CONTINUE WITH GOOD RUN
(23/06) The McLaren team has once again set their sights on winning, this time at Magny-Cours in France, but the team knows that Ferrari will give them a run for their money. "We need to continue our focus and maintain these winning performances," said McLaren boss Ron Dennis after the team won two races in a row. Formula One world champion Mika Hakkinen is confident about the McLaren's performance after last week's testing session here, but said the following about his rivals, "I expect another tough battle with David and the two Ferraris." Scotland's hero David Coulthard is more confident and determined than ever before and said, "I will be determined to win this weekend." One of the team's major hurdles earlier in the season, reliability, seems to be something of the past as Coulthard explained: "The car is working well and as Mika and myself finished the last two races it shows that reliability is also good." Just how good the Ferrari will perform compared to the McLaren's remains to be seen, but one can never discount the brilliant Michael Schumacher.

JORDAN LOOKING FOR HILL'S REPLACEMENT
(23/06) Eddie Jordan admitted that he has been seriously considering his options and he explained by saying: "I will be making it my business now to make a shortlist of four or five drivers that I think will suit the Jordan style of things." He explained what he was looking for in the replacement: "They may not be top driver at the present moment, but drivers we believe would respond to the kind of atmosphere inside Jordan that would give them and us the best shot".

FEW WORDS ABOUT MAGNY COURS
(23/06) A medium downforce circuit with a mixture of high and low-speed corners. The track has a very smooth surface and grip levels are low. There isn't another Formula One track like Magny Cours so the opportunity to test there last week was welcomed by the teams. A modern circuit with good pit and paddock facilities. The downside is the rural location which means that travel to and from the track is not as easy as at other Grand Prixs.

ZANDWOORT READY FOR F1
(23/06) The Zandvoort circuit received its T1 license on Monday after an inspection by technical delegate Charlie Whiting. The T1 license gives the circuit the right to host GP testing events and is the last step in the acquisition of a F1 license for the hosting of GP events. Two teams are scheduled for events at the circuit this year and they are Williams where Alex Zanardi and Ralf Schumacher will give a demonstration on the 5th of September. The second event hasn't been confirmed but rumours are that Ferrari drivers Eddie Irvine and Michael Schumacher will give a demonstration in early August at the Marlboro Masters of F3 event.

JENKINS TAKES POST WITH PROST TEAM
(22/06) Alan Jenkins has been appointed as technical director to the Prost Formula One team it was announced in Paris. Jenkins starts work in the post on Tuesday and Bernard Dudot, president of the team headed by four-time world champion Alain Prost, is to take on a strategic function, mapping out the team's future in grand prix racing. Prost have taken only two points in 1999 and tie for seventh place in the constructors' title race.

COULTHARD PRAISED ALL HILL'S WORK
(22/06) Coulthard praised the former world champion's efforts in Formula One - despite some difficulties. 'I think that Damon [Hill] had a hard time being accepted for his abilities and was given a lot of knocks along the way by people who wouldn't know the back end of a car from the front end of a car,' he said. 'I think that was unfair. Only he, I believe, would have been able to have dealt with the whole '94 incident - the loss of Ayrton [Senna] - when I was test driver, in such a good way. Coulthard claimed that Hill's talent had not diminished since he left Williams at the end of 1996 season, the team he won the world championship with. 'He [Hill] just finds himself in not the most competitive car in the field having a few bad races. 'Whoever would be silly enough to think he's forgotten how to drive doesn't know about the sport.'

COULTHARD STILL IN GAME FOR '99 TITLE
(21/06) David Coulthard is still in a game for 1999 title. He was quoted as saying: "I am only 20 points behind the leaders in the championship and there's still 100 points to play for. So, as quickly as I might drop those 20 points, it would be possible to pull that back". According to Coulthard the two second places he has achieved thus far in the season is no indication of what he is capable of as he explained by saying: "People know two second places is not all I can achieve. I've won GPs in the past and had pole positions, and that's where my focus is - towards that".

LABONTE SCORED LONG WAITED VICTORY FOR PONTIAC
(21/06) Bobby Labonte collected his second win in three races when he repelled the hard-charging Jeff Gordon at the 200- lap Pocono 500 in Pennsylvania. Gordon, three times a winner at his favourite Pocono Raceway track, was this time unable to stop Labonte picking up the ninth victory of his Winston Cup career. Series leader Dale Jarrett in Ford finished on third place. Pole sitter Marlin finished on fourt spot, just ahead of Martin in another Ford.

FOUR IN A ROW FOR CHARGING CRIVILLE
(20/06) A late charge from Alex Criville sealed victory for Honda in the Catalunyan 500cc Grand Prix and earned the Spanish world championship leader his fourth straight Grand Prix win. Criville recovered from a poor start to lead but seemed in trouble as Tadayuki Okada passed him with 9 laps to go and was followed through by Sete Gibernau. But Criville quickly overhauled fellow Spaniard Gibernau before regaining the top spot from Japan's Okada with one lap left to lead home the Honda trio. Championship leader Criville has now emulated the feat of Giacomo Agostini, who won four successive races in 1972. The next race takes place in Holland.

DE FERRAN BACK IN GOOD FORM
(21/06) Brazilian Gil de Ferran stormed to his third victory of career after three year wait and also scored first one for GoodYear this season. Walker Racing team decided for three stop strategy and full charging Ferran made quick last 20 laps for splash and ash to finish in Portland ahead of very bouyant Rookie Juan Pablo Montoya who increased series lead over third placed Franchitti. Montoya decided to run on two stop strategy and was forced to save fuel for the last twenty laps while Ferran run on a very quick pace to score his long waited victory.

THOMPSON MADE GOOD RUN AT DONINGTON PARK
(20/06) James Thompson won the Sprint race at Donington Park, round 11 of the Auto Trader British Touring Car Championship. The Honda Accord driver snatched the lead at the end of the third racing lap, and held on to take the win. Nissan Primera driver David Leslie took second. He mounted a strong challenge over the closing laps, but couldn't quite get close enough to take the lead. The final podium place went to the Renault Laguna of Jason Plato. Sprint race result from Donington: 1 James Thompson Honda Accord 2 David Leslie Nissan Primera + 0.6s 3 Jason Plato Renault Laguna + 7.9s 4 Yvan Muller Vauxhall Vectra + 9.5s 5 Alain Menu Ford Mondeo + 10.1s 6 John Cleland Vauxhall Vectra + 13.9s

ALZEN SCORED DOUBLE JOY!
(20/06) Uwe Alzen scored double victory for Opel Vectra team in the way to close the gap on the overall STW leader Christian Abt who only managed fourth and third place in Oschersleben. Sprint: 1. Uwe Alzen (GER) 21:51,111 2. Tom Kristensen (DEN) + 0,372 3. Gabriele Tarquini (ITA) + 5,471 4. Christian Abt (GER) + 8,598 5. Manuel Reuter (GER) + 9,251 Second race: 1. Uwe Alzen (GER) 43:22,324 2. Tom Kristensen (DEN) + 0,169 3. Christian Abt (GER) + 9,209 4. Manuel Reuter (GER) + 21,950 5. Gabr. Tarquini (ITA) + 30,580

HONDA TO PRODUCE V10 AND V12!
(20/06) Honda has indicated that they will be supplying BAR with V12 engines for the 2000 season, thus making them the first team to run with such since 1995. Honda lack no experience with V12's as they used them while supplying the McLaren team in the early 90s when they won the title. Sources have furthermore indicated that Honda will only be supplying Jordan with V10 engines, thus the claims that BAR has a more exclusive deal than Jordan.

HILL MAY RETIRE EARLY - JORDAN
(20/06) Former Formula One champion Damon Hill may well call it a day before the end of the 1999 season, according to his team boss Eddie Jordan. Hill has failed to finish in four of the first six races of the season, and although Jordan says both sides will honour their contracts, he won't stand in Hill's way if the British driver thought he should go sooner. 38-year-old Hill has won 22 Grand Prix but 21 of those were for Williams. A decision may come after the British GP.

MORE DETAILS ON RECENT TESTS IN FRANCE
(20/06) In the wake of the surprise announcement on Wednesday of Hill's retirement at the end of the 1999 season he conducted solo testing for the Jordan team in preparation for the French GP in a week's time. Heinz-Harald Frentzen is at home recovering from his accident at the Canadian GP. Damon Hill only ran for the last two days of the session seeing that he only arrived at the track on Wednesday afternoon. He busied himself with suspension development as well as steering modifications. In addition he concentrated on tyre evaluation for the upcoming race.
McLaren team concentrated on the assessment of revised components that will possibly be introduced in the next few races. The team's session went by without any serious technical problems.
Williams team tried out a few modifications to the rear suspension, but according to Ralf Schumacher he is not completely satisfied with such as he explained by saying: "The car was nervous at the rear when braking and turning in". During the session Ralf Schumacher spun three times with the modifications to the rear suspension while his team mate Zanardi concentrated on finding the right set-up for the upcoming French GP.
Stewart team tried our suspension modifications as well as tyre development and both drivers are reported to be satisfied with the results achieved.
Sauber team concentrated their efforts on engine set-up, chassis and aerodynamic evaluation and are reported to have no technical modifications in the pipeline for the upcoming race.
Ferrari drivers concentrated on set-up and aerodynamic evaluations. The drivers attended to different testing programmes during the session. Irvine was over one second ahead of Germany's Schumacher.

THOMPSON LIFTS UP HONDA TEAM
(19/06) Thompson was quickest in the One-Shot Showdown, although he was less than 0.03s quicker than his nearest rival. Second was the Volvo S40 of Rickard Rydell, the reigning champion following up his fourth place in the earlier Feature qualifying session. Third and fourth went to the Nissan Primera duo of Laurent Aiello and David Leslie. Remarkably, those two set identical lap times, within 0.1s of pole. "My target for this weekend is to win at least one of the races," declared Leslie, who is still searching for his first victory of the season. "I have had more than my share of bad luck so far this year and it has to change some time. The season is not even at half distance, so there is obviously a long, long way to go until the title is decided. If I can put some decent results together, there is no reason why I shouldn¹t be up there." Top qualifying times for sprint race: 1. James Thompson Honda 1m35.969s 2 Rickard Rydell Volvo 1m35.993s 3 Laurent Aiello Nissan 1m36.057s 4 David Leslie Nissan 1m36.057s 5 Jason Plato Renault 1m36.385s 6 Matt Neal Nissan 1m36.472s 7 Alain Menu Ford 1m36.492s 8 Yvan Muller Vectra 1m36.614s

MENU PREDICTS AIELLO DOMINATION TO CONTINUE
(20/06) 'The Nissan Primera is the best package by far, they seem to have everything right,' Menu admitted. 'I can't see anyone stopping Laurent Aiello winning the title, simply because there is nobody who is consistently challenging him. He won't be beaten.' Menu had won 1997 title with Renault package and was in the same good position as now Aiello.

MONTOYA BACK ON THRONE!
(19/06) Mother Nature finally decided to cooperate today. Although it was cool and cloudy as the morning practice session began, the clouds moved on and the sun made a serious appearance. By the end of the qualifying session it was turning out to be a very nice day. By so, normal conditions means close and not surprising results. And it was that way as Colombian Montoya one's more scored pole position at Portland circuit just few inches ahead of this year unlucky Brazilian Neves, who delivered for Lola another great result. Top qualifying times: 1 Montoya Rey-Honda 58.193sec 2 Castro Lola-Mercedez 58.282 3 Ferran Rey-Honda 58.339 4 Herta Rey-Ford 58.359 5 Fernandez Rey-Ford 58.364 6 Tracy Rey-Honda 58.403 7 Vasser Rey-Honda 58.403 8 Carpentier Rey-Mercedez 58.437 9 Fittipaldi Swift-Ford 58.479 10 Papis Rey-Ford 58.561

MUZ WEBER RIDER SPRINGS A SURPRISE
(19/06) Juergen van den Goorbergh caused a shock by putting himself and his MUZ Weber team on pole for the first time, for Sunday's Catalan 500cc Grand Prix. The Dutchman, who has only finished one race this season when he came 11th in Spain last month, raced around the Barcelona circuit on his German built bike in one minute 46.07 seconds. Van den Goorbergh's display provoked scenes of wild celebration among his team in the pits. Italian Max Biaggi was second quickest in 1:46.31. Top times: 1 J van den Goorbergh Net MUZ Weber One minute 46.07 seconds 2 M Biaggi It Yamaha 1:46.31 3 S Gibernau Sp Honda 1:46.32 4 A Criville Sp Honda 1:46.34 5 J-M Bayle Fr Modenas 1:46.51 6 N Abe Jpn Yamaha 1:46.61 7 K Roberts USA Suzuki 1:46.75 8 T Okada Jpn Honda 1:46.78 9 A Barros Brz Honda 1:46.83 10 J Kocinski USA Honda 1:46.91

MARLIN LEADS WAY AS RECORDS TUMBLE
(19/06) Sterling Marlin set a new track record in his Chevrolet Monte Carlo to win his first pole position since 1995 for Sunday's Pocono 500 in Pennsylvania. In fact, the top six drivers all broke the old record of 169.72mph created by Jeff Gordon in 1996. But the omens are not good for Marlin, who clocked 170.50mph. Only three times in the history of the Pocono 500 has the fastest qualifier gone on to win. Winston Cup leader Dale Jarrett was second quickest in his Ford Taurus. "We're excited. All the guys on the Coors teams did a good job," Marlin said. "This is a new car and it came off the truck fast. (And) what a motor. It drove perfect and stuck real good, so we're excited." Top qualifying times: 1 S Marlin Chevrolet 170.50 2 D Jarrett Ford 169.95 3 B Labonte Pontiac 169.82 4 B Elliott Ford 169.75 5 R Mast Ford 169.74 6 K Schrader Chevrolet 169.73 7 W Burton Pontiac 169.70 8 J Burton Ford 169.32 9 W Dallenbach Chevrolet 169.23 10 M Martin Ford 169.20

PANIS FUTURE UNCERTAIN
(18/06) Prost test driver Stephane Sarrazin is strongly tipped to take over from Olivier Panis in 2000. The Formula 3000 driver, who raced for Minardi in Brazil earlier this year, is thought to be replacing the current Prost driver. Panis is rumoured to have fallen out with team boss Alain Prost after he criticised his driver's disappointing performances. (AUTOSPORT.COM)

BIG SMOKE FROM FERRARI'S 048B ENGINE
(18/06) "We will not use this engine in a Grand Prix yet," said Schumacher. "Unfortunately we will have to wait for another one or two races before we will be able to use this engine in the race. I hope that today's problem was just specifically for this engine and not due to the new design".

IRVINE NEEDS TO CHOOSE RIGHT WAY
(18/06) Former McLaren driver John Watson gave his perspective on Irvine's situation: "Eddie's best bet is to do all he can to help Michael win the title. That is only way they would allow him a straight fight next year - if they still want him. Eddie has been increasingly competitive, but I don't know if that is absolutely what they're after."

CHUCK BOWN RELEASED BY HVP TEAM
(17/06) Former NASCAR Busch Series Grand National Division champion Chuck Bown never rekindled the magic he had in 1990 with championship car owner Jeff Hensley, and any chance to do it disappeared Wednesday when the Portland, Ore., native was released by HVP Motorsports.

ROBERTS ON PROVISIONAL CATALUNYA POLE
(18/06) Kenny Roberts, the only 500 rider to have started on the front row at each of the first five grands prix of the season, took the provisional pole for the GP of Catalunya on his works Suzuki by lapping at a relatively slow 1.46.9 to head Friday’s first qualifying session. The Californian was down in a lowly 13th place on the timing. Top times on Friday: 1 K Roberts USA Suzuki One minute 46.927 seconds 2 T Okada Jpn Honda 1:47.001 3 A Barros Brz Honda 1:47.031 4 JM Bayle Fr Modenas 1:47.054 5 A Criville Sp Honda 1:47.098 6 J Kocinski USA Honda 1:47.359 7 M Biaggi It Yamaha 1:47.372 8 J Borja Sp Honda 1:47.422 9 L Cadolola It Muz 1:47.581 10 S Gibernau Sp Honda 1:47.717

OUTSIDER HEARN TAKES POLE
(19/06) The top of the provisional line-up for Sunday's Budweiser - GI Joe's 200 looks a little unfamiliar. In pole position is Richie Hearn in his Toyota Reynard. His previous best start in the first six races this season was 18th. Alongside on the front row is Patrick Carpentier, with Robby Gordon close behind. Way down the grid are the names expected to be on top - Juan Montoya of Colombia, Dario Franchitti of Scotland, and Greg Moore of Canada. And do not forget, Toyota and Lola are back on top form! Top qualifying times: 1 R Hearn Toyota Reynard 117.36 2 P Carpentier Merc Reynard 117.01 3 R Gordon Toyota Swift 115.94 4 H Castro-Neves Mercedes Lola 114.84 5 R Moreno Merc Merc Reynard 114.73 6 M Jourdain Jr Ford Lola 114.49 7 A Unser Jr Mercedes Lola 114.04 8 T Marques Merc Penske 113.44 9 L Garcia Jr Ford Reynard 112.13 10 S Pruett Toyota Reynard 112.08

VILLENEUVE AND ZANARDI ANGRY
(16/06) Both ex Cart champions are angry on Cart bosses as they are unable to rpovide both drivers seat for Hawaii money race. Villeneuve said, 'Are they afraid their guys would get beaten? Don’t they want to find out who the best of the best is? 'I guess the CART team owners don’t want any of us from F1 to be there. That’s too bad. 'I think it would be great for the race to have a bunch of guys from other kinds of racing challenge the top Champ Car guys. I thought that’s what the idea of the race is all about.' Zanardi added, 'Chip [Ganassi] told me he would run a car for me in that race if it was possible, but I guess they’re not going to allow it. That’s too bad because I’d really like to do it.'

IRVINE FASTEST FOR FERRARI IN FRANCE
(17/06) Eddie Irvine, Ferrari's second driver stunned competition in France as he topped testing times at Magny Cours on his only first day of testing, while other's were on track already yesterday. Second fastest was Hakkinen and third Coulthard, both in McLarens. Michael Schumacher finished testing on fifth spot, right behind Benetton's of Wurz. Check all times.

BERNIE OVER THE HILL!?!
(17/06) One of the most strange if not 'stupid' words come out of F1 supremo, Bernie Ecclestone. "I hate guys who say they are going to stop at the end of the season. If they have a crash and something happens to them, it is made all the worse because everyone knows they were getting ready to pack in". Bernie also used the example of Niki Lauda and explained his views on such a situation by saying; "Niki was driving for my Brabham team at the time and after a practice session for the Canadian race, he told me he would be stopping at the end of the season. I told him if that was how he felt, he should not carry on a moment longer. I said: 'If that's your decision, stop now." "There's no doubt Frentzen going quick will have put Damon off. He is used to being the fastest. "To get the best out of himself he needed to start the year with the chance of winning another title and he didn't do that. 'It's a shame he is going because he is one of the sport's characters and we will miss him."

EDDIE IRVINE AND FERRARI LINK NOT CONFIRMED JET
(17/06) On Wednesday Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo commented on the situation by saying: "I was personally vilified, and I mean that, for having signed Irvine in the first place. Now, thanks partly to having a car as exceptional as the Ferrari is today, he's reached levels of performance which have amazed a lot of people -- but not me. I'm not saying any more than that, and I'd only add that I'm not taking any decisions as president of Ferrari because it's the middle of June and there are a long series of factors to be considered."

JORDAN TEAM WITH NEW HONDA V10
(17/06) Damon Hill will be in action and Jordan team is planning to do the final evaluation of a new V10 Mugen-Honda engine which they wish to introduce in the qualifying session for the French GP. According to Mugen-Honda the team can look forward to a good performance improvement with the new engine and the team is confident of holding onto the third place in the constructors' championship.

DAMON HILL TO RETIRE
(16/06) Former Formula One champion Damon Hill is retiring from the sport at the end of the 1999 season. Hill, world champion in 1996, said he had taken the decision after 'much reflection', adding that he was 'very proud' of his record of 22 Grand Prix wins in seven seasons. Damon also scored 20 pole positions and 17 fastest laps in race. He is still one of the best drivers with 105-22 statistics. His average percentage is over 3pts scored per race. Hill rejected all offers from BAR and Williams team for 1999 season as he beleives he can prove his talent only with existing team. It also seems he lost a lot of speed with new tyre regulations as Hill was known as one of the best set up and car developers. Hill will drive for Jordan team in the next ten races this season, and let's hope he can win at least one more GP, he deserved to say good bye in the best possible way, why not so? Jordan team boss Eddie Jordan said 38-year-old Hill was one of 'Britain's great sporting heroes' and called his decision to quit 'brave and honest'. Hill can be easily compared with brave British car racing heroes like Mansell, Stewart, Moss and other's stars.

RICKY CRAVEN TO PARTNER WITH SPEED
(16/06) Speed, general manager of the No. 50 Midwest Transit Racing team, is still in search of a driver to fill the position vacated when Dan Pardus was released from his driving responsibilities in May. Although Speed failed to specify the exact number of possible replacements for Pardus, he didn't shy away from a notion that Ricky Craven will likely be among those in consideration.

VOLVO AND NISSAN NOT CONFIRMED FOR 2000
(16/06) Volvo and Nissan have yet to decide whether to pull out of the British Touring Car Championship at the end of this season. Reigning champion Volvo and runaway 1999 series leader Nissan have not yet committed themselves to contesting the series in 2000. Nissan touring car boss Alec Poole said, 'No decision has been made. The key to our continued presence is a fiscal consideration.' But he denied that this year's performance would influence the company's decision to continue. 'How well the team is performing is not part of the criteria.' (AUTOSPORT.COM)

DUMBRECK'S HORRIFIC ACCIDENT STILL BIG ISSUE
(16/06) Mercedes driver Peter Dumbreck, who flied into the air in LeMans 24h race was suprised when he was to make alcohol test. 'I was still in total shock and I felt really uncomfortable with the strappings on my bed but I did it. 'I mean it is highly unlikely that any driver is going to guzzle a few pints before hitting the track for a 24-hour race. Don't you think? 'But that is French law and you have to adhere to it. I haven't had a drink in me for two weeks so there was no chance of anything registering.'

CRIVILLE RADY FOR HOME RACE
(17/06) Alex Criville could hardly expect for more at the moment. He is leading the World Championship by 40 points, he has won three races in a row, and the next race is in his home region of Catalunya. This weekend sees round 6 of the series, as the stars and their 500 machines come to the Montmelo track, outside Barcelona for another feast of motorcycling and wheel to wheel racing. (DORNA.COM)

IRVINE IS REALLY QUICK, BUT WHAT ABOUT THAT SECOND FIDDLE?
(16/06) On question from one journalist (What about if you are leading and Schumacher is only third, fourth ...?) Eddie Irvine clearly said that he must give space for Schumacher for every cost! 'Yes, that’s right, and if he is two positions behind and I’m leading, I have to slow down and try to let him get closer to the guy who’s running second, which could cost me first and second place.' Schumacher afterwards said, 'I would accept being number two to Irvine if he is faster than me, and I would accept having equal status with him if he was as fast as me.' 'But I have the impression that this is not the case.'

GANASSI TEAM AND OLD FRIENDS FROM CART IN CANADA FOR ZANARDI!
(16/06) I was watching Zanardi's spectacular driving in America for about last three seasons, and now I am almost crying, when I see him so back on timing list in Formula One, which he so hardly awaited. "I'm not going to lie and tell you it hasn't been terrible, because it has," said Zanardi, whose latest DNF still left him without a point after six rounds of the FIA world championship. Mad Max Papis and Greg Moore hung out with Zanardi in Canada, as did Ganassi. The American and Canadian press contingent also spent a good deal of time with one of the best drivers and personalities in and personalities in CART's history. "Those three years in CART will be the best part of my racing career," Zanardi said. "Every time I watch a tape of an old race and see some of those spectacular things I did, I mean, I know that was a special time in my life. "And I'll never have a better memory than playing billiards at Jimmy's house with Greg. We'd had a couple margaritas, and Greg said to me, 'You're leaving now, you bastard. I want you to stay because I want to kick your ass.' That was the greatest compliment I could ever receive." (CART.COM)

BOUTSEN TO RETIRE FROM MOTORSPORT
(16/06) He said: 'I feel a little sore, but generally okay. I'm thankful to the team and designer Andre de Cortanze that the car was built so strongly and that it did its job of protecting me. 'I'm also very grateful to all the circuit personnel and the doctors who attended to me at the accident scene. The specialists at the hospital said it was only the swift care I received at the time that ensured my injuries were not aggravated.' 'It was an enormous accident, I was at high speed when I was hit from the rear corner and sent into the barriers.' The Belgian revealed that he had been considering retirement even before the incident. 'I have been considering everything for some time and have now decided that this was my last race,' he announced. 'I have now retired from motorsport and will focus on my family and aviation business.' (AUTOSPORT.COM)

FOGGY AND CORSER WITH NURBURGRING VICTORY
(13/06) Carl Fogarty won the opening World Superbikes race in Germany, managing to stay aboard his Ducati as four of his main rivals crashed when they skidded on an oil patch. Fogarty won the 21-lap event at the Nurburgring in 35 minutes 12.037 seconds, more than seven seconds ahead of New Zealander Aaron Slight on a Honda. Australian Troy Corser was third on another Ducati and went on to win the second race from AaronSlight.

TRULLI MAY LEAVE PROST TEAM SOON
(15/06) Sources have indicated that Jarno Trulli has got a performance clause in his contract with the Prost team, which sets a points target for the team halfway through the 1999 season and should they fail to reach such, Trulli will be free to leave the team.

FRENTZEN FEELS GOOD AND WILL RACE SOON
(14/06) Only a few laps before the end of the Canadian GP, Heinz-Harald Frentzen then in second place, ploughed off the track and ended up into a tyre barrier. After the accident Frentzen sat in the car for a couple of minutes before being escorted to the medical centre for a thorough examination. From thereon he was flown to a hospital in Montreal for further tests. Prof. Sid Watkins said the following after examining Frentzen: "Heinz was conscious and soon regained his sense of humour. He has a bruised left leg and right shoulder, but there is no reason for him not to race again in two weeks time in France. The new head rest played a major role in protecting him in the crash."

BMW WILL PROBABLY DEFEND LE MANS TITLE
(14/06) BMW is to enter Formula One next year and is also committed to joining the American Le Mans Series. Speaking after his team's win, Berger said, 'The team today was unbelievable. 'In the next few weeks we will decide on our programme. 'Sportscars is one of the choices we have but we need to make a decision.'

DA MATTA IN MONTOYA'S SUNSHINE
(15/06) Cristiano Da Matta, Indy Lights Champion may not be so higher up as Rookie sensation Montoya, but he delivered for Toyota engine supplier some very encourage results, sometimes he was in position for the podium place, but never comes together with luck, but Brazilian is here, and he shines every day stronger, as Montoya too. "I think the people who have to notice, do notice what you are doing," Matta said. "My best result is a fourth place. That's nothing special, right?" "For me and the team, the engineers, it has been beyond our expectations," Wells said. "We knew Cristiano would be good, but we never expected him to get up to speed this fast. We're not even halfway through the season. "Juan is a different situation. He had 4,000 miles of Formula 1 (testing) experience before he came here, so he already had run in some cars with high horsepower. Cristiano came from Indy Lights, and that is a much bigger change."

NEW BOY FOR WALKER RACING
(14/06) Walker Racing's new recruit Memo Gidley is preparing for his first ever Champ Car race at Portland this weekend. The Toyota Atlantic graduate has been thrown in at the deep end but is happy simply to have made it to the top level of American motorsport. 'I started in this sport from ground zero,' he explains. 'I was a mechanic with no money and no connections, so this is a fantastic opportunity for me.'

WALKER RACING AS MAIN GOODYEAR TEAM
(13/06) As many teams decided to left GoodYear in favour of Firestone tyres, from now on Walker team is the mayor one to stay with USA outfit. Goodyear chose Team Walker to run a huge testing program to get back to the front of the grid. As soon as the race in Rio was over, for example, the team packed up and flew straight to Portland to test two cars. It rained so they worked on rain tires.

WINSTON CUP LEADER JARRETT FENDS OFF GORDON
(13/06) Dale Jarrett grabbed his second win of the season today on the track he scored the first win of his career, bringing his No. 88 Quality Care/Ford Credit Ford under the checkers a half-second ahead of Jeff Gordon at the Kmart 400 at Michigan Speedway. Jarrett led for 147 laps and held off a late charge from Jeff Gordon to win the KMart 400 at Michigan Speedway. Jarrett, driving a Ford, passed Bobby Labonte on lap 53 and was never headed as he notched his second victory of the season and 19th of his career overall. Gordon, who trailed Jarrett by eight seconds with 20 laps remaining, began cutting into the lead in his Chevrolet but fell just over a second short at the finish. Ford's Jeff Burton took third ahead of brother Ward's Pontiac.

MARTINI'S BMW WINS 24-HOUR RACE
(13/06) Pierluigi Martini has won the Le Mans 24-hour race for BMW for the first time, finishing ahead of the Toyota of Japan's Ukyo Katayama. Italian Martini, driving with fellow former Formula One drivers Joachim Winkelhock of Germany and Yannick Dalmas, was helped by the blown tyre of Katayama in the last hour, ending the Toyota's chances. The other BMW car, which held the lead for more than half the race, was forced out late on after a pedal got stuck. 24 hour's race was full of accidnets, but thankefully, nobody was seriously hurt. Mayor drama began yesterday, when favour for '99 title Brundle crashed into the wall after rear tire blow in Toyota car, later on second Toyota retired as Boutsen crashed into one Porsche, who was need to be lapped. Mercedes also withdraw after third fly into the air! Today, leading BMW retired when Lehto lost control over the car as gas stuck, but second BMW took the lead and delivered first Le Mans glory for Muenchen famous factory.

GOODYEAR VICTORIOUS AT TEXAS SPEEDWAY!
(13/06) Scott Goodyear regained the Pep Boys Indy Racing League points lead with a victory at the Longhorn 500 presented by MCI WorldCom on Saturday evening at Texas Motor Speedway, winning by .888 of a second over Greg Ray. Scott Goodyear: "We were delighted, especially after Indy. This is obviously nice. We have chased the rest of the races. We were fast in every session. You have to manage tires here. Our last stop we made some changes. It was dynamite after that. We have no problems with tires whatsoever. The other things we are doing, I won’t tell you. I was surprised that we were all bunched up at the beginning of the race." Greg Ray: "It was a lot of fun out there. The Glidden-Team Menard car ran great all night long. We struggled a little bit this weekend, but this will help us lick our wounds from the disappointment of Indy. To come here to Texas, my hometown, and finish second, ironically, two years in a row. We had the best car out there all night long but started having motor problems with 60 laps to go. We were losing power, and we’re fortunate to finish second."

TOP SIX QUOTES AFTER CANADIAN GP
(14/06) 1.Mika Hakkinen, McLaren: "A fantastic race. I am so pleased to have changed my luck here at this track at last. Today I enjoyed the car and felt very comfortable and I could keep with the pace of Michael Schumacher's Ferrari from the start and at the same time look after my car well." 2. Giancarlo Fisichella, Benetton: "Canada is a fantastic place for me and lucky too -- this is my third podium here in three years. It was my target to score some points, so this is perfect." 3. Eddie Irvine, Ferrari: "An exciting race. I am happy to be third. When I tangled with DC (Coulthard), he managed to get a run at me and I had to slow. We were side by side and he clipped my back wheel and I spun. But then the fun really began." 4. Ralf Schumacher, Williams: "I was lucky not to be involved in the big accident at the start but after that I had a good race and I am glad to be fourth. A great result from 13th on the grid." 5. Johnny Herbert, Stewart: "I am delighted to finish my first Grand Prix of the year and come away with two points. It's been quite a weekend for the whole team -- with the announcement that Ford has acquired the team and Jackie (Stewart)'s 60th birthday." 6. Pedro Diniz, Sauber: "To start 18th and to finish sixth is not too bad is it? A difficult weekend has ended well."

HAKKINEN SAID - LUCK IS NOW ON MY SIDE!
(14/06) Mika Hakkinen, the only champion that survived hard Canadian Grand Prix said that luck turns the way in his favour for the last few GPs in contrary of the early season by the next words: 'I started coming here with a negative feeling because of my record here - now I love the place,' he joked. 'Michael and I were both pushing on the limit and before today my car was the one that was harder to control as the race went on. 'Now it looks like that has turned around and they are the ones who have difficulties.' 'I saw Michael had gone off. I don't know what happened but it turned out very good for me - and I'm delighted.' Schumacher blamed himself for 'stupid' mistake and comented after all: 'It was my fault. I just got off the racing line on the dust and lost it,' he said. 'I just feel sorry for the team and disappointed for my world championship chances. 'I normally make one mistake a year - let's hope this is it.'

HAKKINEN WINS CANADIAN THRILL OF THE YEAR!
(13/06) Three champions out at the same corner (Hill, Villeneuve and Schumacher) just into left finish straight corner, numbers of serious accidents, including Ferrari of Irvine and McLaren of Coulthard, who also made a contact and at least three times safety car on the streets of Montreal was a result of the best ever race weekend so far this season. At least, there were not any dangerous accidents, but most frightening was that of Frentzen, while he was driving on second place and hit into tyre wall very much. But Mika Hakkinen moved to the top of the the drivers' table after finally taming the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve to win the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. The Finn, who failed to finish six of his previous seven starts at the track, led his McLaren home ahead of Giancarlo Fisichella's Benetton with Ferrari's Eddie Irvine back in third place. German Michael Schumacher lamented: 'It seems I make one stupid mistake every year' after crashing his Ferrari while clear of the field on lap 29. Giancarlo Fisichella for Benetton finished on second place (like last season in Canada), while Irvine escaped from low positions after contact made by Coulthard as Ire finished for Ferrari team on third spot. Fourth place scored very good Ralf Schumacher in Williams, fifth was Herbert for Stewart and sixth Diniz for Sauber team. Race began with horiffic accident, when Trulli in prost colided into Alesi, Barrichello and Panis into the first corner. In fact, there were so many accidents on Sunday, that race finished behind safety car after late Frentzen crash in Jordan car. And we almost forgot, there were penalised for 10 seconds seven drivers, mostely for dangerous driving, but in fact, that was the most funny race so far! Final results from Canada: 1. M.Hakkinen McLaren 2. G.Fisichella Benetton 3. E.Irvine Ferrari 4. R.Schumacher Williams 5. J.Herbert Ford 6. P.Diniz Sauber 7. D.Coulthard McLaren 8. M.Gene Minardi 9. O.Panis Prost

MOSLEY NOT FOR ANY FUN? HE GOT IT TODAY, AT LEAST FOR US!
(13/06) Before Canadaian GP, there were hard words over Max Mosley minds, but after Canadian GP, we should suggest him all the time pace cars and maybe even slicks, that's going to be a fun! '‘The people who say it is boring tend to be those inside the paddock,’ Mosley said. ‘But they tend to live in a goldfish bowl and contemplate each other. Whereas those of us who watch on television and see it from the point of view of the general public, recognise it is far more interesting now than it was in the past. ‘Obviously you do get boring races, but sometimes you get boring football matches as well. That's the nature of sport.’

THREE CHAMPIONS KISS ONE WALL!
(13/06) The wall at the end of the final corner was too much for many drivers in the Canadian GP on Sunday. First victim to the wall during Sunday's race was Ricardo Zonta who went off on lap 3 and Damon Hill soon followed suit about 10 laps on. Lap 30 saw Michael Schumacher end his race prematurely when he also slid into the wall at the end of the final corner. Few laps later Jacques Villeneuve completed Champion's hat trick. Congratulations!

COULTHARD TOPPED TIMES IN WARM UP
(13/06) McLaren's David Coulthard topped Sunday's warm up times with 1:20,621 ahead of Stewart duo of Rubens Barrichello and Johnny Herbert. Fourth fastest was Mika Hakkinen in second McLaren, Schumacher finished ninth fastest for Ferrari.

ROSS BRAWN HAPPY WITH TYRES
(13/06) Ross Brawn, Ferrari technical boss: "It is a big satisfaction to have the first pole position of the year. We saw how important it is to have good position on the grid at Barcelona, where our race was ruined by qualifying and a poor start. We hope to reverse that trend here. The car is working very well here, even in the heat. This is very encouraging for us, because last year the hot conditions did not suit us. This weekend, though, the tyres respond just as well on a hot track as they have done in cooler conditions. We don't have to make many changes to the car at all, in fact the only thing that is suffering in the heat is us. Tyre wear is not a consideration, either, in fact if we wanted to run the whole distance on one set, that would probably be possible."

HAKKINEN BEATEN BY SCHUMACHER IN CANADA!
(12/06) Michael Schumacher grebbed his first pole of 1999 season and denied Mika Hakkinen to retain his sixth consecutive pole of the season, to equal Alain Prost's record of seven pole positions in row! Close behind and from front row will start Saturday's looser Mika Hakkinen, third fastest was second Ferrari of Eddie Irvine, fourth fastest second McLaren of David Coulthard. Qualifying was full of accidents, including Ralf Schumacher who crashed into the wall, later on he made contact with Zonta in spare car. Also Panis finished first flier into the gravel trap, Hill also lost control of his Jordan car. Home star Jacques Villeneuve finished lonely 16th fastest in his BAR. Frentzen made good run for Jordan as he finished 6th fastest Saturday's practice, full 8 places ahead of strugling team mate Hill. Barrichello who already signed contract with Stewart team for 2000 season finished well up on fifth spot. Top qualifying times from Canada: 1 M Schumacher Ger Ferrari one minute 19.29 seconds 2 M Hakkinen Fin McLaren 1:19.32 3 E Irvine GB Ferrari 1:19.44 4 D Coulthard GB McLaren 1:19.72 5 R Barrichello Brz Stewart 1:19.93 6 H-H Frentzen Ger Jordan 1:20.15 7 G Fisichella It Benetton 1:20.37 8 J Alesi Fr Sauber 1:20.45 9 J Trulli It Prost 1:20.55 10 J Herbert GB Stewart 1:20.82

JEFF GORDON BACK ON MICHIGAN POLE
(12/06) Jeff Gordon, driver of Chevrolet, mastered the track and gave the session a degree of stability. He broke his own four-year old track record, set in June of 1995. It was Gordon's 2nd career Bud Pole at Michigan, and 4th top starting spot of the 1999 season. "That lap was faster than I thought it was going to be for that time of day," Gordon said. "My guys always seem to find more speed to qualify with." Top qualifying times: 1 Jeff Gordon Chv 186.945mph 2 Ernie Irvan Pon 186.712 3 Mark Martin Frd 186.567 4 Ken Schrader Chv 186.553 5 Bill Elliott Frd 186.543 6 Dale Jarrett Frd 186.176 7 Sterling Marlin Chv 186.162 8 Ward Burton Pon 186.128 9 Joe Nemechek Chv 00:38.692 186.085 10 Steve Park Chv186.003

FOGARTY BOUNCES BACK FOR POLE SPOT
(12/06) Carl Fogarty, only sixth fastest in the official qualifying session, bounced back to win the Superpole competition and earn the right to lead the front row for the two 21-lap races in the Nurburgring round. Colin Edwards and Aaron Slight came next with Pier-Francesco Chile taking the other place on the front row. Slight won last year's race and felt that if he could make a good start he would every chance of repeating that success. Qual. 1: 1. C. FOGARTY Ducati 1'38.843 2. C. EDWARDS Honda 1'39.291 3. A. SLIGHT Honda 1'39.202 4. P. CHILI Suzuki 1'39.625 5. T. CORSER Ducati 1'39.666 Qual. 2: 1. A. SLIGHT Honda 1'39.202 2. C. EDWARDS Honda 1'39.532 3. P. CHILI Suzuki 1'39.741 4. T. CORSER Ducati 1'39.746 5. A. YANAGAWA Kawasaki 1'39.823

MERCEDES WITHDRAW AFTER CRASH, BMW LEADS!
(13/06) Mercedes pulled out of the Le Mans 24- hour Race after British driver Peter Dumbreck had a miraculous escape after a horrific crash in their number five vehicle. The car was thrown into the air and somersaulted before crashing into trees but Dumbreck was reported to be uninjured. Early leader Bernd Schneider, driving the other remaining Mercedes, was also pulled out. Leaderboard after nine hours of Le Mans 24-hour race in France: 1 T Kristensen Den JJ Lehto Fin J Mueller Ger BMW V12 LMR 139 laps 2 T Boutsen Bel R Kelleners Ger A McNish GB Toyota GT1 3 J Winkelhock Ger P Martini It Y Dalmas Fr BMW V12 LMR 4 U Katayama Jpn K Tsuchyiya Jpn T Suzuki Jpn Toyota GT1 5 E Pirro It F Biela Ger D Theys Bel Audi R8R

BRUNDLE TAKES EARLY LEAD AT LE MANS
(12/06) Britain's Martin Brundle, starting from pole position, led after the first lap of the 24-hour Le Mans race which began in France on Saturday afternoon. Former Formula 1 competitor Brundle was ahead of another Toyota driven by the Belgian Thierry Boutsen, and Mercedes drivers Bernd Schneider of Germany and Frenchman Christophe Bouchut. The Mercedes of Australia's Mark Webber which crashed at high speed for the second time in three days did not start the demanding event.

UNSER FROM TEXAS POLE!
(12/06) Robby Unser sent a message to his fellow Pep Boys Indy Racing League competitors Friday, turning the fastest lap, 215.192 mph, in the final practice before the Longhorn 500 presented by MCI WorldCom at Texas Motor Speedway.

DISMORE EARNED TEXAS POLE POSITION
(11/06) Mark Dismore earned his first career Pep Boys Indy Racing League PPG Pole on Thursday with a speed of 215.272 mph, as he and Kelley Racing teammate Scott Sharp swept the front row for the Longhorn 500 presented by MCI WorldCom at Texas Motor Speedway. "We almost won a couple of poles last year but missed it by a few tenths," Dismore said. "But this feels great. I haven’t been the luckiest guy in the world, so maybe the monkey has fallen off my back." Top qualifying times for Saturday's race: 1 Mark Dismore D/A/G 215.272mph 2 Scott Sharp D/A/G 214.839 3 Tyce Carlson D/A/F 214.417 4 Greg Ray D/A/F 213.805 5 Eddie Cheever Jr. D/I/G 213.430 6 Sam Schmidt G/A/F 212.711 7Jeff Ward D/A/G 212.245 8 Scott Goodyear G/A/G 212.211 9 Kenny Brack D/A/G 211.936 10 Ronnie Johncox D/A/G 211.730

EDDIE'S WORDS ARE NOT ANY NEAR TO THE TRUTH!
(12/06) Ron Dennis came out in defence after Eddie Irvine's claims for his driver by saying: "I take great exception to other drivers' opinion and desires and wishes being voiced in such a way that throws in any shape or form doubt on our commitment to David and Mika. We are completely committed to our drivers, and at this moment in time, I can see no reason whatsoever why they won't be our drivers next year". According to Dennis David Coulthard's position in the team has never been more secure and he stressed that he raised his game season on season. "He is doing everything that you would expect of a guy who is struggling to come to terms with our failings." Coulthard in turn commented on Dennis's words of confidence by saying; "It's pleasing to hear what Ron said but he was only saying publicly what he has been telling me privately all along. That's why it annoys me when I keep on hearing all this rubbish."

SATURDAY'S FREE PRACTICE TIMES
(12/06) 1 M. Schumacher Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro - 1:19.281 2D. Coulthard West McLaren Mercedes - 1:19.543 +0.262 3 M. Hakkinen West McLaren Mercedes - 1:19.568 +0.287 4 E. Irvine Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro - 1:19.631 +0.350 5 H. Frentzen Benson & Hedges Jordan - 1:19.940 +0.659 6 G. Fisichella Mild Seven Benetton Playlife - 1:20.162 +0.881 7 R. Barrichello Stewart Ford - 1:20.261 +0.980 8 R. Schumacher Winfield Williams - 1:20.275 +0.994 9 J. Trulli Gauloises Prost Peugeot - 1:20.396 +1.115 10 J. Alesi Red Bull Sauber Petronas - 1:20.482 +1.201

MORE ENTERTAINMENT AND EXCITEMENT NEEDED!
(12/06) Eddie Jordan and Craig Pollock, in charge of Jordan and BAR respectively, agreed that something had to be done to improve "the show" in the wake of the criticism that followed last month's desultory Spanish Grand Prix. "It's the team owners' duty now to get together and to start worrying about the show we're putting on," said Pollock at the start of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend on Friday. "The show isn't good enough. "I believe that 75 percent of the time F1 team owners should be together as one and 25 percent of the time fighting against each other on the track. We're one sport and we should be talking with one voice."

FERRARI WITH NEW V10 ENGINE IN CANADIAN GP QUALIFYING
(12/06) Still fresh news from Italian team, but officially confirmed by Michael Schumacher is that Ferrari will use special engine for qualifying on Saturday. "We will use the 048B engine for the first time in qualifying," said Michael Schumacher. "I expect we will be very competitive in qualifying and in the race, as this circuit suits our car."

EDDIE IRVINE LEADS FERRARI TO THE FRONT SPOT IN CANADA!
(11/06) Ire Eddie Irvine outpaced all rivals on Friday's free, including his team mate Schumacher and continued with great performance for Ferrari team. Ire already won season opener and is third in overall driver's standings, close behind Schumacher and Hakkinen. McLarens of Coulthard and Hakkinen finished first day in Canada on second and seventh place respectively. Benetton of Fisichella finished day on very encourage fifth place, while Alesi continues with perfect driving from Spanish GP, when Frenchman posted fourth fastest time on Friday for under rated Sauber team. Ricardo Zonta, who missed last three GP's finished day on great sixth place, also ahead of home hero Jacques Villeneuve, who finished as ninth fastest for team BAR. In first free practice run Pedro Diniz has spun at the high speed corner into turn one, skipped the gravel trap and hit the tyre wall. Diniz escaped unhurt, but badly damaged the left front corner of the Sauber. Top Friday's times: 1 E Irvine GB Ferrari one minute 20.75 seconds 2 D Coulthard GB McLaren 1:20.76 3 M Schumacher Ger Ferrari 1:21.27 4 J Alesi Fr Ferrari 1:21.51 5 G Fisichella It Benetton 1:21.72 6 R Zonta Brz BAR 1:21.81 7 M Hakkinen Fin McLaren 1:21.95 8 H-H Frentzen Ger Jordan 1:22.00 9 J Villeneuve Can BAR 1:22.02 10 R Barrichello Brz Stewart 1:22.16

TROY CORSER ON PROVISIONAL POLE AT NURBURGRING
(11/06) Aussie Ace Troy Corser (Ducati) cruised to provisional pole position for the sixth round of the World Superbike Championship at Nurburgring today. Corser posted a lap of 1:39.736, less then three tenths of s second off the outright lap record set by Mick Doohan on the Honda GP 500 bike in 1997. Afterwards Corser said, "Today was probably the best first day of qualifying we’ve had all year. The morning wasn’t so good, but the afternoon was heaps better. We changed the front and rear suspension and it made all the difference." Top friday qualifying times from Nurburgring: 1. T. CORSER Ducati 1'39.746 164,433 2. A. SLIGHT Honda 1'39.775 164,385 3. C. EDWARDS Honda 1'39.845 164,270 4. C. FOGARTY Ducati 1'39.924 164,140 5. A. YANAGAWA Kawasaki 1'40.108 163,839 6. P. GODDARD Aprilia 1'40.371 163,409 7. K. FUJIWARA Suzuki 1'40.387 163,383 8. P. CHILI Suzuki 1'40.430 163,313 (SUPERBIKE.IT)

ECCLESTONE BACKS SLICK TYRES!
(11/06) Bernie Ecclestone commented on Friday and said the following: "We must go back to wide, slick tyres to get more grip and more overtaking. There's a lot to do to make sure drivers can overtake. I want to see them getting right under the back wing of the car in front and then running wide to get past. I have never been one for making big changes to the tyres as a way forward for the sport". He furthermore distantiated himself from Mosley when he said: "The theory has been we need to slow the cars down in the corners for safety's sake. It has always been Max's ambition to do that with tyres, but I don't know why."

SCHUMACHER OPTIMISTIC FOR CANADA
(11/06) Michael Schumacher is in confident mood for Canadian Grand Prix: “In Montreal I enjoyed always the special atmosphere. For me being in Canada is much easier than in other places because there I am “treated” like a normal person. This is something, I enjoy a lot. The only problem at the race weekend is to find a quiet hotel. I really hope one day I will find the time to see more of the beautiful countryside of Canada. The racetrack is a bit like a city circuit. It is very hard on the brakes it is not easy to find a suitable set up. After winning here last year I expect us to be very competitive again”

MARTIN BRUNDLE WILL START FROM LE MANS POLE
(11/06) Martin Brundle will start the Le Mans 24-hour race from pole position after his new lap record remained unbeaten in the second qualifying session. The ex-Formula One driver heads a Toyota one-two on the grid with Belgium's Thierry Boutsen, a former Grand Prix rival of Brundle, leading the three-man team in the second car. The English driver, who is partnered by Emmanuel Collard and Vincenzo Sospiri, clocked a time of three minutes 29.930 seconds in first qualifying. Witness reports claim Mark Webber's Mercedes CLR cartwheeled three times during the first session of final qualifying. The accident, similar to Yannick Dalmas' Road America crash last year, happened between the Mulsanne Corner and Indianapolis. After the car landed it slid for a further 300 metres. Qualifying times: 1 Brundle GB Collard Fr Sospiri It Toyota 3 minutes and 29.930 seconds 2 Boutsen Bel Kelleners Ger McNish GB Toyota 3:30.801 3 Kristensen Den Lehto Fin Muller Ger BMW 3:31.209 4 Schneider Ger Lamy Por F Lagorce Fr Mercedes 3:31.541 5 Brabham GB Bernard Fr Leitzinger USA Ford 3:33.711 6 Winkelhock Ger Martini It Dalmas Fr BMW 3:33.931

PRACTICE REPORT FROM MICHIGAN
(11/06) After one week of break (five days after Dover event) we are back and ready for Michigan round. The configuration of the two-mile oval is conducive to great racing and also the length of the event means fuel mileage could play a factor in who wins the race. Top times: 1 Rusty Wallace Frd 186.547mph 2 Ward Burton Pon 186.311 3 Mark Martin Frd 186.277 4 Jeremy Mayfield Frd 186.036 5 Darrell Waltrip Frd 185.768

MOSLEY DOES NOT WANT TO HEAR ABOUT CHANGES TO THE RULES
(10/06) Max: "What you really want is low downforce and relatively hard non-grippy tyres. The nice thing about grooves is that you have wide tyres that give aero resistance, but you don't have much rubber on the road which is what gives you the grip".

FORD BUYS JACKIE STEWART'S TEAM
(10/06) American motor giant Ford has bought the Stewart Grand Prix team in a deal believed to be worth $160 million. Company president Jac Nasser said: 'Ford has a long history in motorsport. This new step will allow us to take our competitiveness to a higher level.' Scotsman Jackie Stewart, who will stay on as chairman alongside his son Paul - the deputy chairman - said: 'To be competitive these days, a team needs strong financial and technical support. Ford can offer that'. "Racing provides our company with a great opportunity to connect with consumers in an exciting atmosphere, pilot new technology, develop engineering talent, and strengthen our brands globally," said Ford's chief executive officer and president Jac Nasser. "Ford Motor Company has a long and very successful record in auto racing. Our latest move will allow us to take our performance to the next level.".

HILL STILL TOPS WITH JORDAN
(10/06) Eddie Jordan has leapt to the defence of Damon Hill, insisting the former world champion is about to see a change of fortunes. The 38-year-old goes into Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal with just four points from five races while new team-mate Heinz-Harald Frentzen has collected 13. Jordan says that he is putting Hill under no pressure to decide on his future plans with his $8 million deal with the team ending this year. Once again Eddie Jordan said that Damon Hill is at a difficult stage in his career and is continuously bombarded by the question of when he will be retiring from the F1 arena. "Even I do not ask him - and I have more right than most to ask".

VILLENEUVE - WE MUST FINISH THE RACE
(09/06) Jacques Villeneuve, 1997 Champion with Williams team is still in search for first finish line this season and said following for the press ahead of home GP: "The pressure this year mostly is not on getting a good result or wining as it was in the other years. We haven't finished a race yet. But definitely this year the pressure is on finishing this race. If you look at the last two events here I didn't have a really good time in the race so I will have to do a better job this year." He ended by saying that in spite of a difficult season so far it is still much easier than his 1998 season. Jacques added: "The difference is last year was a team that had been winning for a long time and had been existing for a long time and it didn't win anymore and now with BAR it's a new time and everything is to build. Any result you get is better than the previous one because you start from zero so in a way it's easier."

MANSELL COULD BE BACK FOR USA GP
(09/06) The organizers of the 2000 US GP desperately wants Nigel Mansell to make a once off appearance in the race. He is only one of many names which include Jackie Stewart and Alain Prost. Tony George, the president of the IMS, elaborated by saying: "We would like to have a Legends race and get a lot of former champions like Mario Andretti and Nigel Mansell to participate. I don't have any preconceived ideas about what type of car or race. I don't know whether it will be possible but I think it would create a lot of interest." He furthermore said: "We wanted to create the natural terrain of Formula One with the stadium effect of an oval".

RICKY CRAVEN ALSO REPLACED
(11/06) After a frustrating start to the 1999 season, first-year NASCAR Winston Cup Series team SBIII Motorsports has released driver Ricky Craven. Craven will be replaced in the No. 58 Ford by Loy Allen, who has not made a start in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series since 1996.

SADLER RELEASED AS DRIVER
(08/06) Ron Parker, President and Owner of Parker Racing Inc., announced he and Hermie Sadler have signed a mutual agreement releasing Sadler as the driver of the No. 72 MGM Brakes Chevrolet in the NASCAR Busch Series Grand National Division.

BRUNDLE BLOWS AWAY LE MANS RECORD
(10/06) Ex-Formula One star Martin Brundle smashed the lap record when setting the fastest time in first qualifying for this weekend's Le Mans 24-Hour Race. Brundle spearheaded a Toyota one-two as he broke through the three-and-a-half minute barrier. The former McLaren, Benetton and Jordan driver, who will bid to repeat his Le Mans victory of 1990, was just under a second faster than Thierry Boutsen of Belgium, also driving a Toyota GT One. Top spots: 1 Martin Brundle Toyota GT-One 3.29.930 2 Thierry Boutsen Toyota GT-One 3.30.801 3 David Brabham Panoz LMP Spyder 3.33.711 4 Tom Kristensen Audi R8R 3.34.109 5 Christophe Bouchut Mercedes CLR 3.34.138 6 Bernd Schneider Mercedes CLR 3.34.366

BURNS THE GAMBLER GETS HIS REWARD
(09/06) British driver Richard Burns, who had flirted with death and taken a 30 second penalty in an action packed drive, won the Acropolis Rally to record his third career win but first this season with his new team Subaru. Burns took a deliberate 30 second penalty on the first leg and then on the second spun and was just inches away from going over a precipice. He beat Spaniard Carlos Sainz by just over a minute while reigning world champion Tommi Makinen was third. Burns said: 'It's the perfect way to come back and it proves the car and tyres are stronger.' Burns moves up to joint fourth in the world championship.

AIELLO DOMINATED SO FAR - ALSO ON TESTING
(10/06) Aiello had a 0.4s margin over the field by the end of the test, but the morning session had been topped by James Thompson's Honda, which has been off the pace in recent rounds. His team mate Peter Kox missed the test because he is racing at Le Mans in the all-Dutch Konrad Lola team. Top times: 1. Laruent Aiello RML Nissan 1m20.158s 2. Rickard Rydell TWR Volvo 1m20.536s 3. James Thompson WSR Honda 1m20.575s 4. Matt Neal Dynamics Nissan 1m20.689s 5. Yvan Muller T8 Vauxhall 1m20.799s

BLUNDELL ABOUT HIS NEAR FUTURE
(08/06) 'I think F1 has probably gone for me, unless I start winning races again consistently,' said Blundell who successfully switched to Champ Cars in 1996 after a long career with Brabham, Ligier, Tyrrell and McLaren.

DOOHAN ON TRACK FOR CZECH RETURN
(07/06) Mick Doohan is planning to race at the Czech Grand Prix in August, just three months after smashing his right leg, right collarbone and left wrist in practice for the Spanish Grand Prix. The 500cc Australian world champion said: 'Hopefully I'll be back racing for the Czech Grand Prix. My doctors have done a fantastic job. 'Mentally I'm 100 percent. I won't have any problem putting the leather suit back on and getting back out there on the motorcycle.'

IRVINE BLASTS FELLOW-DRIVERS
(08/06) Ferrari's Eddie Irvine says that he is a better driver than world champion Mika Hakkinen, and made it clear he'd be willing to replace David Coulthard as the Finn's teammate next year. In a remarkable interview with Autosprint magazine, Irvine claims that current teammate Michael Schumacher has major weaknesses. He adds that he will not be driving for Jordan next season and that Jean Alesi would be the worst possible choice as his replacement at Ferrari if he left.

McLAREN CANADIAN GP PREVIEW
(08/06) West McLaren Mercedes approaches the forthcoming Canadian Grand Prix in determined mood after scoring maximum points at the last Formula One World Championship event in Spain. Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard's one-two finish in Barcelona closed the points gap in both the drivers' and constructors' championships and the team looks forward to what should be another vigorously contested race at Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Named after the brilliant French-Canadian Formula One star who tragically died during practice for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix, this 4.728km medium-downforce track lines the perimeter of the Ile Notre Dame - a man-made island on the St Lawrence River which was originally created for Montreal's staging of Expo '67. The track has hosted the Canadian Grand Prix since 1978, after the Mosport Park and Mont Tremblant circuits had both featured the race since 1967. The circuit comprises long straights and chicanes with two hairpins situated at either end. These hairpins make tyre and brake performance particularly critical, and provide good overtaking opportunities. McLaren has achieved a number of victories in the Canadian Grand Prix, including wins by drivers Emerson Fittipaldi (1974), James Hunt (1976), and Aryton Senna (1988, 1990) in their championship-winning years.

GAMBLE PAYS OFF FOR LABONTE
(07/06) Pole-sitter Bobby Labonte's fuel strategy paid off to give him his first win of 1999 in the Platinum 400 at the Dover Downs International Speedway. Labonte visited the pits for the last time on lap 293 of the 400 circuits and it enabled him to take advantage of rival Jeff Gordon's stop on lap 387. Third placed Mark Martin led twice for 100 laps but never recovered the time lost for a fuel stop on lap 387. 'This is probably the best I've ever run here,' Labonte said afterwards.'

TRACY WINS MILLER LITE 225
(07/06) Canada's Paul Tracy won for the first time in two years when he took the Miller Lite 225 at the Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wisconsin. Tracy, who also won in Milwaukee in 1995, drove a Reynard-Honda to his 14th career victory. He finished 5.8 seconds ahead of compatriot Greg Moore while Brazilian Gil de Ferran was third. Race was also affected by nasty pit stop accident as leading Andretti filled for the fuel and one of the crew man suffered bruises as Andretti go ahead when he was still filled up by fuel.

CANADIAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
(07/06) Canada is always a favourite with the teams, with very pleasant working conditions in a city that combines the best of Europe and North America. However the circuit itself, due to the fact that it is only used once a year, is generally extremely dirty and slippery for the first practice sessions and these need to be approached with caution. The circuit consists of a number of chicanes and one quite high speed straight together with some very tight corners. So in setting the car up it is necessary to run relatively low downforce for the straight while trying to maintain good grip on the smooth surface and responsive change of direction through the chicanes. In Montreal traction is always at a premium. The circuit is also very hard on brakes and the nature of the circuit leads to a relatively high fuel consumption.

BURNS AHEAD AFTER McRAE DROPS OUT
(08/06) Britain's former world champion Colin McRae was forced to drop out of the Acropolis Rally because of a faulty gear box and compatriot Richard Burns regained the lead. McRae, in a Ford Focus, completed the 15th special stage three minutes ahead of Tommi Makinen but was unable to start the 16th stage when his gears jammed. Juha Kankkunen, who won the Argentinian Rally last month, also retired, because of a broken axle. "We were about 3km into the test when we were left with nothing except first," said Colin McRae. "It's really disappointing because the stages remaining had all been used before and so will be clear of gravel and I think we would still have been in with a good chance tomorrow. We worked hard to stay close to the drivers ahead. We'd taken time back on them and our only bad stage was number 13 when there was just so much gravel on the roads." Richard Burns: "I've been counting every tenth we've dropped today, and we've had a few incidents, but who can complain. Robert and I have been trying to combine really aggressive physical driving with some intelligent, tactical thought, and hopefully we're achieving the results. The final plan is to make the advantage stick tomorrow" "We have gained another hard day's experience with the Octavia WRC in competition," said Skoda Motorsport manager Pavel Janeba. "It's no secret that our presence in this year's World Championship is geared to learning and getting miles onto the Octavia, so I'm very pleased that both our cars have reached the conclusion of this section which was the longest and hardest of the rally. It's never easy when you are developing a new car on an event which is as unfriendly as this one, so it's a credit to the whole team that both our Octavias are still running strongly in the top twenty." Top times after day three: 1 R Burns GB Subaru three hour 18 minutes 27.7 seconds 2 C Sainz Sp Toyota 3:18:4 3 T Makinen Fin Mitsubishi 3:19:0 4 F Loix Bel Mitsubishi 3:20:1 5 F Delecour Fr Peugeot 3:22:5 6 M Martin Est Toyota 3:25:0

CRIVILLE EDGES BIAGGI TO STRETCH LEAD
(06/06) Spain's Alex Criville won a cat-and- mouse battle with charging home hero Max Biaggi to win the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello and extend his world championship lead. The Honda rider's third cuccessive win was sealed on the penultimate corner when Criville slipped past Biaggi, who was battling with an injured hand. The Italian started on the fourth row of the grid but charged through to take second place at the start, swapping the lead with Criville throughout the race. Italian Roberto Locatelli won his second successive 125cc race, beating compatriot Marco Melandri to win the Italian Grand Prix. In the 250cc race, Aprilia rider Valentino Rossi's second win of the season was overshadowed by the disqualification and suspension for one race of world champion Loris Capirossi for dangerous riding.

McRAE LEADS THE WAY IN GREECE
(07/06) Richard Burns was relegated from first to fourth in the Acropolis Rally after deliberately clocking in late at time control to incur a 30-second penalty. Burns believes that by starting the next stage behind his main rivals he will have the benefit of running on a road swept clean by their cars. His British compatriot Colin McRae leads in one 20 minutes 3.1 seconds with Finland's world champion Tommi Makinen second. Overnight leader Marcus Gronholm, another Finn, had to quit. "We've been driving as hard as we can considering how rough the stages have been," said McRae. "We could have pushed harder but the risk of damaging the car terminally would have been so much greater. We really wanted to end the day in third or fourth to make the most of the better conditions tomorrow but it doesn't worry me too much. We started the second leg second on the road last year and set fastest time on the first stage so we'll see what happens. "In some ways it has been a difficult day but we must remember this is one of the most challenging rallies in the world and there's a lot for us to be positive about. The car is starting to work really well and I'm sure we can carry this afternoon's much improved performance into tomorrow," said Schwarz. Acropolis Rally result after day two: 1 C McRae GB Ford One hour 20 minutes 3.1 seconds 2 T Makinen Fin Mitsubishi + 8.7 3 C Sainz Sp Toyota + 13.5 4 R Burns GB Subaru + 13.6 5 F Loix Bel Mitsubishi + 17.6 6 J Kankkunen Fin Subaru + 23.4 7 P Liatti It Seat + 54.4 8 F Delecour Fr Peugeot +2:11.6 9 M Martin Est Toyota +2:28.2 10 A Schwarz Ger Skoda +3:30.0

IRVINE IS REALLY VERY GOOD FOR FERRARI TEAM!
(07/06) Jean Alesi, one of the drivers, that were tipped to replace Irvine in Ferrari team said the following for the press: "Ferrari is the team I have always dreamed of - before I went there, while I was there and after I left. My dream when I signed for them was never to drive for another team. But for me to go back, they need to ask, and nobody has done." Michael Schumacher also said he needs strong team mate, like Irvine this season as this is the only way for winning team: "I want Eddie to stay. Why should we change a winning team? Eddie is the quickest team-mate I have ever had and we work very well together. Any talk of problems between us is rubbish."

RENAULT OUT OF CONTENTION FOR 2000!
(07/06) Renault has denied that it plans to announce a return into Formula One very soon. It was thought that Renault would announce it's return into F1 at this month's French Grand Prix but this was denied by Louis Schweitzer of Renault. "If you have to choose between competition in racing and competition in real life, you have to choose real life," Schweitzer said, indicating that Renault prefers to concentrates on development for road cars at the moment. (F1TODAY.COM)

NEVES SECURED POLE
(05/06) Brazil's Helio Castro-Neves captured his first championship pole when posting the fastest time for today's Miller Lite 225 at the Milwaukee Oval. Castro-Neves, runner-up as a rookie last year, drove his Lola-Mercedes on a lap of 21.931 seconds at 168.404mph and enters the race after a season-best second finish in St Louis last week. Defending champion Jimmy Vasser of the United States qualified second in his Reynard-Honda ahead of Canadian Greg Moore and Dario Franchitti of Scotland. 1 H Castro-Neves Brz Mercedes 21.931 seconds 2 J Vasser USA Honda 22.088 3 G Moore Can Mercedes 22.133 4 D Franchitti GB Honda 22.135 5 J Montoya Col Honda 22.252 6 P Tracy Can Honda 22.271 7 C da Matta Brz Toyota 22.286 8 P Carpentier Can Mercedes 22.341 9 R Moreno Brz Mercedes 22.408 10 A Barron USA Toyota 22.411

NEW HONDA FOR JORDAN TEAM
(04/06) Honda has indicated that they will give the Jordan team an engine boost to be introduced at the British GP on July 11th. Tenji Sakai, the technical director for Mugen-Honda indicated that it will be a big step forward for the team with a significant increase in power. He didn't want to elaborate on the increase in power or on the expected improvement in lap times. He furthermore said that the new engine will reduce internal friction and thus the improvement in power. The engine will be an evolution of the V10 engine the team is currently using. (AUTORACE.COM)

GRONHOLM LEADS ACROPOLIS RALLY
(06/06) Peugeot's Mabku Gronholm made a great start to his first ever Acropolis Rally by winning the 2.4km special stage on the first day of racing in Athens. The Finn finished just 0.1 seconds ahead of Mitsubishi's Freddy Loix and 0.4 seconds up on Carlos Sainz in a Toyota Corolla. Gronholm's compatriot Juha Kankkunen, who won the last leg of the world championship in Argentina as well as the last two Acropolis events could only manage joint 15th place. Top spots: 1 M Gronholm Fin Peugeot 2 minutes 15.6 secs 2 F Loix Bel Mitsubishi + 0.1secs 3 C Sainz Sp Toyota + 0.4 4 D Auriol Fr Toyota + 0.7 and C McRae GB Ford same time 6 T Radstrom Swe Ford + 0.9 7 M Martin Est Toyota + 1.0 8 R Burns GB Subaru + 1.1 9 P Liatti It Seat + 1.4 10 M Kahle Ger Toyota + 1.5

RECORD LAP HANDS HARADA ITALIAN POLE
(05/06) Tetsuya Harada shattered the track record to claim pole position for Sunday's Italian 500cc Grand Prix at the Mugello Circuit, Scarperia. Riding an Aprilla, the Japanese star turned his fastest lap at the 5.24km circuit in one minute 52.45 seconds to edge out world championship leader Alex Criville of Spain by 0.68 of a second. Harada, a former 250cc champion who joined the 500cc ranks this year, broke the previous mark set by Mick Doohan last year by almost a second. Qualifying times: 1 T Harada Jpn Aprilla one minute 52.45 sec 2 A Criville Sp Honda 1:53.14 3 K Roberts USA Suzuki 1:53.25 4 J Kocinski USA Honda 1:53.61 5 N Abe Jpn Yamaha 1:53.65 6 L Cadalora It MuZ Weber 1:53.65 7 J Borja Sp Honda 1:54.04 8 C Checa Sp Yamaha 1:54.14 9 T Okada Jpn Honda 1:54.16 10 R Laconi Fr Yamaha 1:54.17

LABONTE ON POLE FOR PLATINUM 400
(05/06) Bobby Labonte broke the track record at Dover Downs International speedway to secure pole position for Sunday's MBNA Platinum 400 at Delaware. Labonte, who started from pole in last week's Coca-Cola 600, drove his Pontiac Grand Prix at 159.320 miles per hour as he completed the one mile speedway in just 22.596 seconds. All 25 cars which qualified for the field and seven others all broke the previous record of 155.966mph set by Mark Martin last September. Top times: 1 B Labonte Pontiac 159.320 miles per hour 2 D Jarrett Ford 158.576 3 M Martin Ford 158.325 4 K Wallace Chevrolet 158.144 5 K Lepage Ford 157.929 6 K Petty Pontiac 157.819 7 B Elliott Ford 157.722 8 R Wallace Ford 157.708 9 J Mayfield Ford 157.556 10 M Skinner Ford 157.487

TRACY SETS PACE IN MILLER LITE 225
(06/05) Canadian Paul Tracy led the opening practice for Sunday's Miller Lite 225 in West Allis, Wisconsin. Tracy, showing no ill-effects from his crash in last weekend's Motorola 300, recorded a fastest lap of 168.68 mph to finish ahead of Greg Moore and Patrick Carpentier. Tracy said: 'My engineer, Tony Cicale, told me just to take some positive things out of last week, keep a positive attitude, and keep the momentum going.' Top times: 1 P Tracy Can Honda 168.681 miles per ho 2 G Moore USA Mercedes 168.475 3 P Carpentier USA Mercedes 168.048 4 H Castro-Neves USA Mercedes 167.97 5 J Montoya Col Honda 167.650 6 C Fittipaldi Brz Ford 167.487 7 J Vasser USA Honda 167.261 8 M Papis USA Ford 166.988 9 M Gugelmin Brz Mercedes 166.930 10 A Barron USA Toyota 166.930

MOORE IS READY FOR MILWAUKEE WEEKEND
(03/06) Milwaukee is therefore the ideal place for the team to get their season back on track. Moore may have won the first race, but has been off the pace ever since. However, managing to pick up points at every meeting has kept him a respectable 4th in the championship. 'With so many drivers in contention, consistency is a big factor,' Moore said. 'It's so important to pick up as many points as you can in every race.'

ARROWS OVER THE PROST TEAM?
(04/06) Tom Walkinshaw is eager to acquire the services of Prost driver Olivier Panis as well as the Prost team's chief designer Loic Bigois. He played down such and had the following to say: "I haven't started thinking about next year other than the car. We've got lots of people talking about lots of things".

RALLY ACROPOLIS PREVIEW
(04/06) This weekend's 46th Acropolis Rally marks the beginning of the second half of a season, which has so far produced four different winning manufacturers. This year's 21-stage event, which starts in Athens on Sunday, involves a gruelling trek across the gravel and dust terrain of Greece, before reaching a conclusion at the Megara circuit. (AUTOSPORT.COM)

INJURED MECHANIC IS STABLE
(03/06) The Energizer team mechanic critically injured at the Indy 500 was said to be stable in hospital and responding to those around him. Steve Fried was rushed to hospital after he was struck from behind by Jimmy Kite's car in the pitlane. Kite's car had been hit by Johnny Unser. The mechanic was thrown into the air and landed on his face, suffering head and chest injuries. He is still in the intensive care unit and no change is expected for the next couple of days.

MORE TESTING NEWS
(03/06) Today's weather at Silverstine was mixed, and teams tried wet and dry settings. Quickest man on the circuit was David Coulthard for McLaren, second fastest and good one second adrift was Damon Hill for Jordan.

HARADA CLAIMS ITALIAN GRAND PRIX POLE Japan's Tetsuya Harada outpaced Alex Criville of Spain by 0.11 of a second to claim provisional pole for Sunday's Italian Grand Prix at Scarperia. The Aprilla rider clocked one minute 53.36 seconds at the Mugello circuit to edge out Criville and Honda team-mate John Kocinski of the United States. Ailing home idol Max Biaggi, riding with a special glove to protect his injured left hand, was a distant ninth on his Yamaha. 'I am not optimistic about my chances on Sunday,' he said. Top positions: 1 T Harada Jpn Aprilla one minute 53.36 sec 2 A Criville Sp Honda 1:53.48 3 J Kocinski USA Honda 1:53.82 4 T Okada Jpn Honda 1:53.90 5 L Cadalora It MuZ Weber 1:53.94 6 K Roberts USA Suzuki 1:54.13 7 C Checa Sp Yamaha 1:54.29 8 N Abe Jpn Yamaha 1:54.37 9 M Biaggi It Yamaha 1:54.14 10 A Barros Brz Honda 1:54.57

BIAGGI MUST WAIT TO JUDGE FITNESS
(03/06) Injured 500cc rider Max Biaggi, the major attraction for this week's Italian Grand Prix, must wait until Friday or Saturday to assess if he is fit enough to compete. Biaggi injured his hands in a fall while leading the French Grand Prix at Le Castellet last weekend. The main problem is the left hand, where a finger was dislocated, and Biaggi said: 'I'll only know if I can race on Friday or Saturday when I'm alone with my bike.'

DOVER WAITING FOR DRIVERS
(04/06) When you take Dover Downs International Speedway's steeply-banked concrete curves, their accompanying high speeds and an overflow field of teams trying to qualify for the MBNA Platinum 400, you have a recipe for a monstrously good time.

GIBERNAU ON HONDA V4!
(03/06) Spain's Sete Gibernau will ride Mick Doohan's V-4 Honda machine at the Italian Grand Prix in Mugello. The decision has been made official by the Repsol Honda Team after the tests held from Wednesday at the Brno circuit.

BURTON $1.2m RICHER AFTER VICTORY AT CHARLOTTE
(31/05) Jeff Burton had virtually conceded the Coca-Cola 600 to Bobby Labonte with 25 laps left but he realised one more pit stop could save him - and it did. 'Those guys won the race,' said Burton of his pit crew, who changed four tyres and added a splash of fuel in 17.3 seconds to help him overtake Labonte 16 laps from the finish at Charlotte Speedway, North Carolina. His victory was worth $l.2 mimlion, including a $1m bonus from a Winston Cup series sponsor. Final times: 1 J Burton Ford 2 B Labonte Pontiac 3 M Martin Ford 4 T Stewart Pontiac 5 D Jarrett Ford 6 D Earnhardt Sr Chevrolet 7 K Schrader Chevrolet

MORENO REPLACES BLUNDELL ONE'S MORE
(02/06) Roberto Moreno will again replace the injured Mark Blundell in the PacWest team at Milwaukee this weekend. It will be his third race for the team in the CART series following Blundell's testing accident nearly one month ago. Moreno's highest finish at Milwaukee was two years ago when he came 10th, and Sunday's race will be his fifth event.

BRIATORE THREATENED TO HONDA COMPANY - BAR ALSO IN THE GAME
(03/06) Only one week after Honda decided to supply engines for BAR and Mugen products to Jordan team already there was seat - back action from Supertec factory as they criticised Honda's U-turn on a commitment they made to set up an F1 works team. 'The only reason he could try it is on incitement to breach of contract, but there has not been one because we have settled with Supertec having reached an amicable agreement,' Bar team boss Craig Pollock said.

DOUBLE BLOW-OUT FOR WILLIAMS
(03/06) Williams driver Ralf Schumacher set the best time in testing at Monza in Italy, but the German and his Italian teammate Alex Zanardi both suffered blow-outs. The German, who finished fifth in Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix, clocked one minute 26.96 seconds during a Bridgestone tyre test before his Supertec engine gave out. French Team Prost test driver Stephan Sarasen also managed to spectacularly destroy his Peugeot V10 engine, which finished in flames.

TESTING CONTINUES AT MONZA AND SILVERSTONE
(02/06) Ralf Schumacher was the fastest man at sunny Monza circuit on Wednesday for Williams team, while many drivers in Silverstone faced with bad weather conditions. Fastest man in Britain was Johnny Herbert in Stewart car. Check all times under F1 test side.

WURZ AND FISICO CLOSE TO STAY FOR ONE MORE SEASON
(02/06) Alexander Wurz and Giancarlo Fisichella are close to sign deal for the next season. Both are to stay at Benetton team for 2000 season.

KANKKUNEN READY FOR ANOTHER VICTORY IN GREECE
(03/06) Still fresh from Acropolis Rally Victory, Juha Kankkunen expects further improvements in Subaru team. 'One of the main reasons for our recent progress was the testing we carried out in Greece, so we should be better prepared here than anybody else.' Relations within the team are tense after the acrimonious end to the Argentine event, and Burns knows he has to fight just as hard against his team mate as he does against his other rivals. 'Argentina proved we should have the best combination of car and tyres for Greece. I'm out to make sure that I'm not only the first Subaru home, but the first car home.'