F1:- Jenson Button slipped down the practice timesheets after an impressive debut on the streets of Monte Carlo. Button clocked the eighth fastest time in the morning practice for Sunday's 78-lap battle but the 20-year-old Briton ended the day 13th fastest. Williams BMW technical director Patrick Head said: "Jenson did an incredible job. He could have been third or fourth but for another car crashing." Mika Hakkinen snatched top spot from rival Michael Schumacher late on.
Thursday practice times:
1 M Hakkinen Fin McLaren 1:21.387
2 M Schumacher Ger Ferrari 1:21.486
3 D Coulthard GB McLaren 1:22.098
4 E Irvine GB Jaguar
1:22.260
5 H-H Frentzen Ger Jordan 1:22.497
6 R Schumacher Ger Williams 1:22.700
7 J Alesi Fr Prost
1:22.708
8 P de la Rosa Sp Arrows 1:22.944
9 J Trulli It Jordan
1:23.066
10 R Barrichello Brz Ferrari 1:23.095
11 M Salo Fin Sauber
1:23.356
12 J Villeneuve Can BAR 1:23.438
13 J Button GB Williams 1:23.578
14 G Fisichella It Benetton 1:23.783
15 J Herbert GB Jaguar
1:23.828
16 P Diniz Brz Sauber
1:23.872
17 R Zonta Brz BAR
1:23.976
18 M Gene Sp Minardi
1:24.552
19 J Verstappen Hol Arrows 1:24.587
20 A Wurz Aut Benetton
1:25.325
21 N Heidfeld Ger Prost 1:25.462
22 G Mazzacane Arg Minardi 1:27.031
BRITISH F3 (Brands Hatch):- Rising stars Antonio Pizzonia and Tomas
Scheckter renew their rivalry over the weekend at Brands Hatch. The pair
are starting to pull clear in the battle for the title with Pizzonia currently
leading by eight points. Indian ace Narain Karthikeyan is always a star
at Brands and will aiming to notch his first win of the season. British
driver Ben Collins and Japan's Takuma Sato will also be challenging while
Gary Paffett is favourite to win in the Scholarship Class.
NATIONAL SALOONS (Brands Hatch):- Victory in round five at Silverstone
has given Finnish ace Toni Ruokonen the lead in the championship which
he will hope to extend at Brands Hatch. Ruokenen finished ahead of team
mate Dan Eaves at Silverstone but Eaves is determined to turn the tables.
Former championship leader Matt Kelly hopes to bounce back into contention
after blowing an engine at Brands. Phil Andrews and Simon Harrison lead
the Ford team with Alfa Romeo's Gavin Pyper and Tom Ferrier also taking
part.
F3000:- The fifth round of the season sees drivers heading to the South
of France to enter the jewel of the crown of motor racing, the Monaco Grand
Prix. Jamie Davies will once again substitute Mario Haberfeld, who is still
recovering in Brazil after an accident. And Andrea Piccini of the Kid Jensen
Racing team is hopeful of a strong performance after recent tests. "We
had a good test last week at Croix en Ternois which is similar to Monaco.
We're ready for this weekend," he said.
RALLYING:- Rally legend Hannu Mikkola will take part in the London-Sydney
Marathon 2000 rally, which sets off from Heathrow on Saturday morning.
The Finn is driving a Ford Escort in the 10,000-mile race, a millennium
celebration of the original 1968 event.
02.06.2000
F1:- Michael Schumacher and Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello spent
Friday's rest day practising rather than relaxing in Monaco as many other
drivers did. The pair flew to Ferraris home track at Fiorano in Italy in
order to get ready for the weekend. They did not reveal what was on the
agenda, but Schumacher said he would be practising some starts. The German
leads the world championship by 18 points and is looking for his fifth
win in Monaco.
BRITISH F3 (Brands Hatch):- Antonio Pizzonia dominated the testing ahead
of the sixth round of the championship at Brands Hatch. The Braziliam ace
set the pace in all four test sessions in his Manor Motorsport Dallara
F300. While Pizzonia set a scorching pace, his rival Tomas Scheckter had
a torrid day in his Stewart Racing Dallara. An accident at Paddock Hill
Bend in the second test session left his car too badly damaged to take
part in the rest of the day's testing.
NATIONAL SALOON’S (Brands Hatch):- Dan Eaves and Toni Ruokonen carried on where they left off at Silverstone and took the top two places in testing for round six of the series. The competition should be tight, with less than a second covering the top five drivers.
Leading times: (Fri) mins secs
1 D Eaves Peugeot 1:38.437
2 T Ruokonen Peugeot 1:38.637
3 S Harrison Ford 1:39.200
4 T Masini Honda
1:39.240
5 M Kelly Nissan
1:39.356
F3000 (Monaco):-
Combined qualifying results: (Fri)
mins secs
1 D Saelens Bel 1:29.178
2 S Bourdais Fr 1:29.242
3 B Junqueira Brz 1:29.329
4 J Davies GB
1:29.400
5 S Sarrazin Fr 1:29.446
6 E Bernoldi Brz 1:29.529
7 M Webber Aus
1:29.531
8 R Mauricio Brz 1:29.600
9 N Minassian Fr 1:29.685
10 K McGarrity GB 1:29.870
BRITISH F3:-
Leading test times from Brands Hatch
(Fri):
mins secs
1 A Pizzonia Dallara 1:18.536
2 T Sato Dallara
1:18.843
3 N Karthikeyan Dallara 1:18.867
4 A Priaulx Dallara 1:19.226
5 B Collins Dallara 1:19.457
6 M Pavlovic Dallara 1:19.532
7 A Kirkaldy Dallara 1:19.531
8 M Davies Dallara
1:19.614
9 N Kiesa Dallara
1:19.972
10 M Bentwood Dallara 1:20.006
F1:- The world's largest inter-enterprise software company, SAP, have
agreed a multi-year multi-million pound deal to sponsor the United States
Grand Prix. The race at Indianapolis returns to the US for the first time
since 1991.
MGF’S:- Alastair Lyall is looking to extend his lead in 'thealphaclub.com
MGF Cup' in the sixth round race at Brands Hatch this weekend. The past
five races have seen closely fought battle between Lyall and Jamie Hunter
while vince Martin and David Mason are also enjoying good seasons.
BRITISH GT'S (Brands Hatch):- William Hewland and Paul Evans headed Friday's tsting times in their Lister Storm with a best lap of one minute 26.831 seconds in the GT category. The Marcos LM600 Mantara of Calum Lockie and Cor Euser was half a second behind in second place. In third place was John Cleland and Dave Clark in a Chrysler. In the GTO category, Mark Sumpter and Mike Jordan set a cracking pace in a Porsche but were only just ahead of Geoff Lister and Terry Rymer.
GT
mins secs
1 Hewland/Evans Lister 1:26.831
2 Lockie/Euser Marcos 1:27.334
3 Cleland/Clark Chrysler 1:27.876
4 Ellis/Astey Lotus 1:29.775
GTO
mins secs
1 Sumpter/Jordan Porsche 1:30.526
2 Rymer/Lister Porsche 1:30.939
3 Sc'rle/Simmons Porsche 1:31.611
4 Short/Barff TVR
1:31.712
BTRDA RALLY SERIES:- Andy Burton will be seeking a hat-trick of wins
when the BTRDA Rally Series moves to South Wales for the Spilsolv Red Dragon
Rally. The Peugeot Cosworth driver will face competition from the Escort
Cosworths of Pete Littler, Ian Joel and Michael Watson. Gold star leader
Rob Palmer and current runner-up Daniel Dunbabin are also chasing championship
points. After five stages and 45 miles, the first car is due to finish
at 3.30pm.
03.06.2000
F1: THE MONACO GP
Four-times Monaco winner Michael Schumacher booked pole for Sunday
after a blistering display in qualifying. The championship leader headed
the pack after his first lap but bettered that on his second with a time
of one minute, 19.475 seconds. Jarno Trulli shares the front row with him
after two superb laps. David Coulthard was third, Mika Hakkinen fifth,
Eddie Irvine 10th, Johnny Herbert 11th and Jenson Button finished 14th
quickest.
Eddie Jordan was delighted after seeing Jarno Trulli and Heinz-Harald Frentzen book places in the front two rows for Sunday's race. Trulli was second quickest behind Championship leader Michael Schumacher while Frentzen was fourth fastest. "There is a lovely atmosphere running through the team and Jarno's developing into a lovely driver," he said. "With Jarno and Heinz-Harald together we can start moving forward now," added the Jordan team boss.
Eddie Irvine was very disappointed with his qualifying performance, which will see him start in 10th place. "I had big expectations for today but it did not work out," he admitted. "On my last flying lap I had a steering failure at the entrance to the Swimming Pool turn. I am really disappointed. We are much better than that." Jaguar team-mate Johnny Herbert was 11th quickest and he said: "It is nice to be close to Eddie but we would rather be higher up the grid."
McLaren boss Ron Dennis has slammed the picturesque Monte Carlo circuit. The track weaves its way through the town's streets which means the facilities there are temporary, unlike at other Grand Prix venues. "We bring a lot of money into the principality so you would think they could provide us with a better pit lane complex," he said. "We treasure Monaco for what it is. They just have to get to grips with that particular problem."
Qualifying times (Sat): mins secs
1 M Schumacher Ger Ferrari 1:19.475
2 J Trulli It Jordan
1:19.746
3 D Coulthard GB McLaren 1:19.888
4 H-H Frentzen Ger Jordan 1:19.961
5 M Hakkinen Fin McLaren 1:20.241
6 R Barrichello Brz Ferrari 1:20.416
7 J Alesi Fr Prost
1:20.494
8 G Fisichella It Benetton 1:20.703
9 R Schumacher Ger Williams 1:20.742
10 E Irvine GB Jaguar
1:20.743
11 J Herbert GB Jaguar
1:20.792
12 A Wurz Aut Benetton
1:20.871
13 M Salo Fin Sauber
1:21.561
14 J Button GB Williams 1:21.605
15 J Verstappen Hol Arrows 1:21.738
16 P de la Rosa Sp Arrows 1:21.832
17 J Villeneuve Can BAR 1:21.848
18 N Heidfeld Ger Prost 1:22.017
19 P Diniz Brz Sauber
1:22.136
20 R Zonta Brz BAR
1:22.324
21 M Gene Sp Minardi
1:23.721
22 G Mazzacane Arg Minardi 1:23.794
TOYOTA ATLANTIC:- Britain's Dan Wheldon has claimed pole for the fourth
round of the race on The Milwaukee Mile oval track in Wisconsin. He clocked
a fastest time of 25.150 seconds at a speed of 147.722mph for his third
pole of the season. "I wasn't surprised to be so quick because the PPI
team gave me a great base set-up," he said. Wheldon is currently second
in the championship with one victory, one second place and a fourth place
behind him.
F3000 (Monaco):- Jamie Davies turned in a superb display to clinch second place behind runaway championship leader Bruno Junqueira, who sealed his third successive win. Davies, in his second race deputising for injured Fortec driver Mario Haberfeld, was only one-and-a-half seconds behind the Brazilian. Kevin McGarrity earned his first points of the season after finishing fourth while Justin Wilson was seventh. But Darren Manning and Marc Hynes both crashed out in the closing stages.
Saturday's race result after 50 laps:
hr min sec
1 B Junqueira Brz Petrobas 1:19.08.7
2 J Davies GB Fortec
1:19.10.3
3 D Saelens Bel Playlife 1:19.16.4
4 K McGarrity GB Nordic 1:19.17.0
5 N Minassian Fr Playlife 1:19.19.9
6 F Montagny Fr DAMS
1:19.20.5
7 J Wilson GB Nordic
1:19.21.1
8 F Alonso Sp Astromega 1:19.22.0
9 J Van H'ydnk Bel Witmeur 1:19.23.4
10 F Gollin It Coloni
1:20.08.3
BRITISH F3 (Brands Hatch):- Ben Collins was fastest in the qualifying sessions for the sixth round of the Formula 3 Championship. Brazilian Antonio Pizzonia ran him close but Collins produced a scorching last lap to retake pole position.
Leading qualifying times: (Sat)
mins secs
1 B Collins
1:18.891
2 A Pizzonia
1:19.035
3 N Karthikeyan
1:19.610
4 T Scheckter
1:19.750
5 T Sato
1:19.826
NATIONAL SALOON'S (Brands Hatch):- Toni Ruokonen claimed pole position in qualifying for the sixth round race. The Finnish racer finished four tenths of a second ahead of teammate Dan Eaves with Tobia Masini just behind. Masini bounced through the gravel later in the session but escaped unscathed.
Leading times: (Sat) mins secs
1 T Ruokonen Peugeot 1:38.661
2 D Eaves Peugeot 1:38.076
3 T Masini Honda
1:39.086
4 S Harrison Ford 1:39.403
5 M Kelly Nissan
1:39.876
F.FORD JNR (Knockhill):- Northern Ireland's Steven Kane ensured a terrific championship debut with victory in round five. The 20-year-old, who started on pole, overcame two black and yellow caution flag periods to win from Ireland's John O'Hara and England's Lee Piercey.
Top six results, 23 laps:(Sat)mins secs
1 S Kane Ford Zetec
21:56.897
2 J O'Hara Ford Zetec 21:58.936
3 L Piercey Ford Zetec 22:05.774
4 R Sharp Ford Zetec
22:05.956
5 M Gilmore Ford Zetec 22:06.776
6 A Thompson Ford Zetec 22:07.168
BRITISH GT'S (Brands Hatch):- A superb charge by Cor Euser in the Marcos LM600 claimed pole position for the sixth round of the British GT Championship at Brands Hatch. Jamie Campbell-Walter set the pace in the first session in the Lister Storm he shares with David Warnock. However Euser fired himself into pole in the afternoon session. In the GTO category, Mike Jordan and Mark Sumpter set the pace in their Porsche 911 GT3R with the similar car of Terry Rymer/Geoff Lister just behind.
Qualifying times (Sat):
GT
mins secs
1 Euser/Lockie Marcos 1:25.975
2 Erdos/Purvis Marcos 1:26.135
3 McKel/Verd-Roe TVR 1:26.401
4 Cam-Wal/W'nock Lister 1:26.421
GTO
mins secs
1 Sumpter/Jordan Porsche 1:30.455
2 Rymer/Lister Porsche 1:30.582
3 Short/Barff TVR
1:30.781
4 Sc'rle/Simmons Porsche 1:32.399
MGF CUP (Brands Hatch):- Jamie Hunter claimed his first pole position of the season in qualifying for Sunday's round six race. Hunters best lap time ended the eleven successive pole wins for TechSpeed Motorsport, with Alastair Lyall and Nick Carr coming second and third.
Qualifying times: (Sat) mins secs
1 J Hunter
1:41.127
2 A Lyall
1:41.848
3 N Carr
1:41.905
4 P O'Neill
1:42.037
5 D Mason
1:42.203
BTRDA RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP:- After five special stages totalling 45 miles,
the Red Dragon Rally was won by Vince Wetton and Jeff Haigh. The 1999 winner
Andy Burton was unable to repeat that form after suffering a driveshaft
failure on the opening stage and having to change the differential. Burton
finished second but a 10-minute penalty dropped him down the field and
Pete Littler was therefore runner-up. Seamus Donnelly won the Peugeot Super
106 Cup, finishing 27 seconds ahead of Dave Nutt and Stephen Greenhill.
CATERHAM SUPERLIGHT CHALLENGE (Knockhill):-
Qualifying times (Sat):
Round six:
secs
1 J Ingram GB
54.39
2 R Jenkinson GB
54.74
3 R Blue GB
54.79
4 R Durrant GB
55.09
5 G Taylor GB
54.12
6 P Derby GB
55.41
Round seven:
secs
1 R Jenkinson GB
54.73
2 M Bettley GB
55.01
3 G Taylor GB
55.06
4 S Worley GB
55.08
5 J Unwin GB
55.09
6 J Ingram GB
55.18
CATERHAM ROADSPORT CHALLENGE (Knockhill):-
Qualifying times (Sat):
Round five:
secs
1 J Gladman GB
59.46
2 C Richards GB
60.01
3 R Beer GB
60.02
4 S Pullan GB
60.04
5 M Gregory GB
60.21
6 N Jacobs GB
60.64
Round six:
mins:secs
1 M Gregory GB
59.92
2 S Pullan GB
59.97
3 J Gladman GB
1:00.05
4 R Beer GB
1:00.12
5 C Richards GB
1:00.59
6 A Jackson GB
1:00.95
04.06.2000
F1: THE MONACO GP
David Coulthard secured his first ever win in Monaco and the first
British triumph in Monte Carlo since 1973. He took advantage when Michael
Schumacher was forced to retire with a suspension problem after leading
from a much-delayed start to lap 55. Rubens Barrichello was second and
Giancarlo Fisichella third. while Eddie Irvine took Jaguar's first points
in fourth place. Johnny Herbert took ninth position, but Jenson Button
was forced to retire.
Hopes of a smooth beginning in Monte Carlo were dashed when the first two efforts to start the race went wrong. Benetton's Alexander Wurz stalled after the formation lap, meaning another formation lap was needed before the cars were able to make a start. Computer problems then saw the red flag brought out, after which Jenson Button collided with Pedro de la Rosa, causing a five-car jam at Loews corner. The race was finally able to get away at the third attempt.
Williams driver Ralf Schumacher's race ended in agony when he was stretchered away after hitting a barrier to go out of contention. Schumacher's car slid into the barriers at St Devote. He had been running fourth at the time. He hopped away from his car but was clearly bleeding badly on his leg and quickly signalled for help. Brother Michael said that Ralf had a deep cut and needed stitches, but added that nothing was broken.
David Coulthard said that victory at Monaco meant that he had won the four races that he had always wanted to win. "Spa because it's my favourite track, Britain because it's my own race, Italy because there is nothing like winning in Italy," he said. "Here because this is the toughest test for any driver. I benefited because of problems with Michael and Jarno but that's Monaco. I have had my fair share of bad luck but it is great to win here at last."
Michael Schumacher was philosophical after being forced to retire. The German was comfortably ahead and seemed set for his fifth win in Monaco, but a failed suspension left him with no world championship points. "We had an exhaust failure, one of the pipes broke and basically cooked the suspension," Schumacher said. David Coulthard's victory meant that Schumacher's lead at the top of the world driver's championship has been cut to 12 points.
Jaguar driver Eddie Irvine was elated after securing his team's first points of the season with fourth place. "There have been races this year when we deserved points ` today we got them," he said. "We've all been slogging away and not getting any payback but the car has been good all weekend and I had a good feeling about the race. It was a bit of a struggle, one of the hardest races of my life. It's great to put Jaguar's name on the scoreboard."
Jaguar were understandably delighted after securing their first points of the season through Eddie Irvine, who finished fourth. "It's really what the team desperately needed," said Jackie Stewart, the former Jaguar team chairman. "It's a race of attrition here but you have to finish and that is what Eddie did," he added. Johnny Herbert also finished the race but had to be content with ninth after a long early stop.
Johnny Herbert finished the race for Jaguar but was not as happy as he might have been with ninth spot. "I'm very disappointed as we could have had both cars in the top six," he said. Herbert made an early stop to rectify a steering difficulty but a problem with the radio meant his pit crew were not expecting him and he lost time. "It's a shame because things could have been a lot different if it had't been for that first costsly stop," he reflected afterwards.
A loss of oil pressure forced Jenson Button out of the race early, while his early altercation with Pedro de la Rosa caused a re-start delay. "After the first start I was keeping my position but when I came out of the Loews corner, de la Rosa tried to go around the outside," he said. "Without sufficient room we made contact and the race was stopped." Of his eventual retirement, Button said the engine revs fell and he was "running half throttle."
Ralf Schumacher was at a loss to explain the leg injury he sustained when he slid out of the race. "I don't actually know where this injury came from," he said. "After crashing into the barrier I jumped out and did not look at the damaged car and therefore did not realise that my leg was hurt." Of the incident he said he went to the left side of the track "but the line was dirty there and I didn't manage to brake sufficiently."
World champion Mika Hakkinen was grateful with his point for sixth place after mechanical problems looked likely to force him out of the race. "It could have been worse in the circumstances," he said "I was all right in fifth, comfortable and just looking for the right moment to overtake. Then I went into a corner and the brake didn't work. Hakkinen, who benefited when Heinz-Harald Frenzten crashed out late on, said "I'm glad it's over."
Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has said that the future of the Monaco Grand Prix is not in question. Ecclestone voiced his support after McLaren boss Rob Dennis called the Monte Carlo pit lanes "third world". "They do a fantastic job here considering it is a race in the middle of a city," Ecclestone said. "We have been here a very long time and it is an important race for us. If we want to be here, then this is how it has got to be."
Result after 78 laps
hr min sec
1 D Coulthard GB McLaren 1:49:28.2
2 R Barrichello Brz Ferrari 1:49:44.1
3 G Fisichella It Benetton 1:49:46.7
4 E Irvine GB Jaguar
1:50:34.1
5 M Salo Fin Sauber
1:50:48.9
6 M Hakkinen Fin McLaren
1 lap
7 J Villeneuve Can BAR
1 lap
8 N Heidfeld Ger Prost
1 lap
9 J Herbert GB Jaguar
2 laps
10 H-H Frentzen Ger Jordan
8 laps
DID NOT FINISH:
Laps completed
11 J Verstappen Hol Arrows
60
12 M Schumacher Ger Ferrari
55
13 R Zonta Brz BAR
48
14 R Schumacher Ger Williams 37
15 J Trulli It Jordan
36
16 P Diniz Brz Sauber
30
17 J Alesi Fr Prost
29
18 G Mazzacane Arg Minardi
22
19 M Gene Sp Minardi
21
20 A Wurz Aut Benetton
18
21 J Button GB Williams
16
DID NOT START:
22 P de la Rose Sp Arrows
DRIVER STANDINGS
1 M Schumacher Ger Ferrari 46 pts
2 D Coulthard GB McLaren
34
3 M Hakkinen Fin McLaren
29
4 R Barrichello Brz Ferrari 22
5 G Fisichella It Benetton 14
6 R Schumacher Ger Williams 12
7 J Villeneuve Can BAR
5
= H-H Frentzen Ger Jordan
5
9 J Trulli It Jordan
4
10 J Button GB Williams
3
= E Irvine GB Jaguar
3
= M Salo Fin
Sauber 3
13 R Zonta Brz BAR
1
= P de la Rosa Sp Arrows
1
CONSTRUCTORS' CHAMPIONSHIP
1 Ferrari 68 pts
2 McLaren 63
3 Williams 15
4 Benetton 14
5 Jordan 9
6 BAR
6
7 Sauber 3
= Jaguar 3
9 Arrows 1
CART:- Juan Montoya secured pole position for Sunday's Miller Lite 225 at the Milwaukee Mile - just edging out Scot Dario Franchitti. His lap of 177.769mph gave Montoya his third straight CART pole and the 10th of his career. Until this session, Franchitti's best qualifying effort this season was eighth in Brazil. Franchitti had barely recovered from a December crash before starting the season but is now finding his form.
Saturday qualifying times secs
1 J Montoya Col Toyota
20.899
2 D Franchitti GB Honda 20.954
3 P Carpentier Can Ford 20.964
4 G de Ferran Brz Honda 20.975
5 C Fittipaldi Brz Ford 21.005
6 P Tracy Can Honda
21.087
7 R Moreno Brz Ford
21.096
8 M Gugelmin Brz Mercedes 21.116
9 M Papis It Ford
21.120
10 M Andretti US Ford
21.140
17 M Blundell GB Mercedes 21.379
TOYOTA ATLANTIC:- Britain's Dan Wheldon came an unlucky 13th after a
mid-race incident lost him vital time in the fourth round at the Milwaukee
Mile Oval. Wheldon, who qualified on pole in a record-breaking time, was
second after 34 laps of the 60-lap event. He then took the lead from Buddy
Rice when a contact between the two cars caused Wheldon to pit for repairs
to his nose cone and suspension. He rejoined in 16th but moved up to 13th
to keep his second place overall.
BRITISH F3 (Brands Hatch):- Antonio Pizzonia took his third win of the season, leading the entire race to strengthen his position at the top of the drivers' championshiop. Takuma Sato finished second with Narain Karthikeyan third.
Result (Sunday): mins
secs
1 A Pizzonia
30:43.455
2 T Sato
30:54.910
3 N Karthikeyan
30:55.402
4 T Scheckter
31:02.031
5 M Bentwood
31:06.506
6 M Palovic
31:13.490
NATIONAL SALOON'S (Brands Hatch):- Tobia Masini drove a tremendous race to win the sixth round from Dan Eaves and Simon Harrison on Sunday. The Italian ace just managed to keep his Honda Integra in front when a caution period resulted in a final-lap sprint to the flag.
Results (Sun):
mins secs
1 T Masini Honda 16:17.548
2 D Eaves Peugeot 16:17.618
3 S Harrison Ford 16:17.909
4 T Ferrier Alfa 16:18.462
5 M Kelly Nissan 16:18.932
BRITISH GT'S (Brands Hatch):- David Warnock and Jamie Campbell-Walter took a magnificent victory in the sixth round of the British GT Championship. The Lister Storm duo saw off the challenge of the Marcos LM600 Mantara of Calum Lockie and Cor Euser by just six tenths of a second. Verdon-Roe brought the TVR home in third place. In the GTO category, Mike Jordan and Mark Sumpter had to work extremely hard to fend off the TVR Cerbrera Speed 6 of Martin Short and Rob Barff.
Results (Sun):
GT
mins secs
1 Cam-Wal/W'nock Lister 60:36.140
2 Euser/Lockie Marcos 60:36.807
3 McKel/Verd-Roe TVR 60:42.790
4 Hewland/Evans Lister 60:46.751
GTO
mins secs
1 Sumpter/Jordan Porsche 37 laps
2 Short/Barff TVR
37 laps
3 Sc'rle/Simmons Porsche 37 laps
4 Fuller/Fo'gill Porsche 36 laps
F3000 (Monte Carlo):- Fortec Motorsport had a terrific result of second and 11th place in this weekend's demanding round in Monaco. Jamie Davis, substitute for Mario Haberfeld, drove an outstandingly strong race from fourth on the grid with team-mate Andreas Scheld in 11th.
Results (Sun):
mins secs
1 B Junqueira Petrobas 1:19.08.755
2 J Davies Fortec
1:19.10.353
3 D Saelens Super Nova 1:19.16.480
4 K McGarrity Nordic 1:19.17.010
5 N Minassian Super Nova 1:19.19.910
MGF CUP (Brands Hatch):- Jamie Hunter claimed his first pole position of the season in qualifying for Sunday's round six race. Hunters best lap time ended the eleven successive pole wins for TechSpeed Motorsport, with Alastair Lyall and Nick Carr coming second and third.
Qualifying times: (Sat) mins secs
1 J Hunter
1:41.127
2 A Lyall
1:41.848
3 N Carr
1:41.905
4 P O'Neill
1:42.037
5 D Mason
1:42.203
CATERHAM SUPERLIGHT CHALLENGE (Knockhill):-
Round Six Results (Sun): Mins Secs
1 R Jenkinson GB
31:57.575
2 R Blue GB
32:04.534
3 M Bettley GB
32:25.408
4 J Stack GB
32:42.304
5 S Worley GB
32:47.336
6 R Griffiths GB
32:52.956
Round seven:
Mins Secs
1 R Jenkinson GB
32:00.602
2 M Bettley GB
32:03.501
3 R Blue GB
32:08.578
4 J Unwin GB
32:17.110
5 G Taylor GB
32:32.467
6 A Pilgrim GB
32:51.774
CATERHAM ROADSPORT CHALLENGE (Knockhill):-
Round Six Results (Sun): Mins Secs
1 J Gladman GB
20:08.819
2 M Gregory GB
20:13.409
3 C Richards GB
20:14.324
4 R Beer GB
20:14.446
5 S Pullan GB
20:22.082
6 N Jacobs GB
20:36.748
05.06.2000
F1:- Former champion Jackie Stewart believes David Coulthard can go
on to win the world title after his win in Monaco. Stewart, who had been
the last Briton to win the race in 1973, says Coulthard could catch leader
ichael Schumacher. "I am very happy for David," said Stewart. "It's been
a long time since a Brit won here - and it's nice to see that it was done
by another Scotsman! "David has a very serious chance of winning the championship
if he can continue the form he is showing."
CART:- Sunday's 200-lap Miller Lite 225 at The Milwaukee Mile in West
Allis had to be postponed because of cold weather. The weather meant tyres
could not be heated up and the race was rescheduled for 11am Monday local
time (4pm BST). Juan Montoya had secured pole position for the race on
Saturday - his third straight pole - after his Indianapolis 500 victory
the weekend before. Scotland's Dario Franchitti, whose best qualifying
effort this season had been eighth in Brazil, claimed second place.
MGF CUP (Brands Hatch):- Alastair Lyall finished second but was later disqualified after an incident on the second lap that put Jamie Hunter out of the race. That decision promoted Mark Ticehurst to second place behind Nick Carr, with Paul O'Neill in third place.
Amended final result mins secs
1 N Carr
20:38.158
2 M Ticehurst
20:45.839
3 P O'Neill
20:50.352
4 D Mason
20:54.594
5 B Heerey
20:55.518
06.06.2000
F1: UNOFFICIAL TESTING (Monza):-
Thursday times:
1 J Button GB Williams
1:24.05
2 D Coulthard GB McLaren 1:24.67
3 O Panis Fr McLaren
1:25.10
4 J Verstappen Hol Arrows 1:25.21
5 J Villeneuve Can BAR
1:25.28
6 H-H Frentzen Ger Jordan 1:25.31
7 P Diniz Brz Sauber
1:25.56
8 B Junqueira Brz Williams 1:25.61
9 E Irvine GB Jaguar
1:26.04
10 R Zonta Brz BAR
1:26.25
11 G Pantano GB Benetton 1:26.72
Jenson Button could be loaned out to Jordan next season if Williams decide to move for CART star Juan Montoya. Team boss Frank Williams has reportedly asked Montoya's boss if his ex-test driver can be released from his three-year deal 12 months early. Button had been linked with a switch to Jaguar but rumours now suggest that Jordan's Heinz-Harald Frentzen could replace Johnny Herbert in 2001. Jordan's other driver Jarno Trulli has been linked with Benetton.
Germany's Ralf Schumacher could still miss next week's Canadian Grand
Prix in Montreal following his crash in Monaco last Sunday. The Williams
BMW driver has been ordered to rest following a check-up on the leg he
injured in the crash. "I had a check-up as we wanted to make sure that
no carbon fibre or metal was still in the wound," said Schumacher. "Thank
God this was not the case but the doctors have told me I must have complete
rest for two to three days."
ACROPOLIS RALLY:- The Acropolis Rally, wh ch runs from Friday to Sunday, marks the midway point of the World Rally Championshi . The base of the event has switched to Itea but the traditional start at the Parthenon remains. Stages to the north and west of the capital are tackled on day one and the final two legs cover traditional Acropolis territory around Parnassos. The second leg is the longest of all, with nearly 160km of stages, and the total route is 1407.56km.
Richard Burns is bidding to extend his lead in the championship this weekend but is likely to face stiff competition from world champion Tommi Makinen. The Greek round of the series is arguably the toughest rally in Europe and Briton Burns goes into it with a 14-point lead over Marcus Gronholm. Makinen is 15 points behind Subaru driver Burns. Burns was runner-up to Makinen last year but is being tipped to go one better this season.
Tommi Makinen will be bidding to give Mitsubishi victory in one of the few events they have not triumphed in. Makinen said: "The Acropolis is one of the hardest rallies because the stages can be so rough and the heat makes it hard for the engines. It is not one of my lucky rallies so I hope this year can be better. Our Mitsubishi car is strong and reliable and that is very important in Greece. We still want to win the World Championship and we still can."
Colin McRae has twice savoured victory in Greece and is optimistic he can achieve a hat-trick. The Scot triumphed in 1996 and 1998 and said: "I feel confident that our chances of a top finish for Ford are very good. "The big question will be what speed can the Subaru manage on this terrain? Judging by our own pace in Greece last year and the way the Focus is going now we should be extremely competitive. The reliability situation is better."
Ford Focus driver Carlos Sainz is keen to gain some points after retiring from the Rally of Argentina. "Our pace in Argentina was strong and that has made me more confident for the Acropolis," he admitted. "It is one of my favourite rallies and brings back good memories for me. I won my first World Championship rally there in 1990. I have also won in three different cars - the last time with Ford in 1997. I have also been second three times."
Ford Focus driver Carlos Sainz is keen to gain some points after retiring from the Rally of Argentina. "Our pace in Argentina was strong and that has made me more confident for the Acropolis," he admitted. "It is one of my favourite rallies and brings back good memories for me. I won my first World Championship rally there in 1990. I have also won in three different cars - the last time with Ford in 1997. I have also been second three times."
SEAT star Didier Auriol has contested the Acropolis Rally eight times but has retired from half of those starts. He won the event in 1992 and stated: "I like the rally very much and have had both quite good results and some bad luck there. "I am more confident with the Cordoba now. We are very close to finding a really good set-up. The car is good and each time we drive it is more competitive and more reliable and we need a bit of luck."
Hyundai drivers Alister McRae and Kenneth Eriksson are in a positive
mood ahead of round seven. McRae scored the first point for the Korean
manufacturer in Argentina on only the car's fourth outing by finishing
seventh in the rally. He revealed: "I am really looking forward to the
event. The result in Argentina was obviously a big boost for the team and
for me." Eriksson added: "I see Greece as part of the development process."
CART:- Indianapolis 500 winner and defending series champion Juan Montoya claimed his first CART victory of the season in the Milwaukee 225. American Michael Andretti was second, followed by Canada's Patrick Carpentier and Sweden's Kenny Brack. Scot Dario Franchitti put in a steady performance to finish sixth but Mark Blundell was back in 17th. Montoya has been linked with a move to Formula One team Williams as a possible replacement for Jenson Button.
Milwaukee 225 result:
hr min sec
1 J Montoya Col Toyota 1:37.38.52,
225 laps
2 M Andretti US Ford
@ 01.01
3 P Carpentier Can Ford same lap
4 K Brack Swe Ford
225
5 R Moreno Brz Ford
225
6 D Franchitti GB Honda 225
7 M Papis It Ford
225
8 A Fernandez Mex Ford 225
9 C Fittipaldi Brz Ford 225
10 T Kanaan Brz Mercedes 225
17 M Blundell GB Mercedes 224
07.06.2000
F1:- Brazilian Formula One driver Ricardo Zonta was involved in a high
speed crash during the second day of testing at the Monza circuit in Italy.
The driver was not injured but his British American Racing car was a total
write-off, resulting in the session being suspended for 30 minutes. Zonta
lost control of his car and crashed into a protective tyre barrier after
his suspension failed. He was involved in a similar accident before the
British GP in April.
BTCC:- Vauxhall's Jason Plato has an excellent record at Silverstone in recent times and expects more success on Sunday. Plato won in 1999 and holds lap records for qualifying and racing. "I expect good results and if I don't get them it is bitterly disappointing," he said. "Always doing well at one circuit puts pressure on but I'm looking forward because I'm driving better than ever. Silverstone's come at a good time for Vauxhall. A couple of good results will get us right back up to the front."
Series leader Alain Menu believes his advantage will be under threat because of the success ballast he will carry. The 1997 champion, who won his fourth race of the season at Oulton Park in round nine, takes 40kg on his Mondeo. "It won't be easy at all," he admitted. "There are a few slow corners where the weight will hurt most because they lead to fast straights and you need momentum. It's too early to start talking about a second title. It is good to be leading but things change so quickly."
Former champion Will Hoy returns to the fray this weekend in the Class B ranks, driving a VIP Club Peugeot 3306 GTi. "I'm really looking forward to it," he said. "The Peugeot is quite clearly the best car in the Class at the moment and the team is extremely professional. I raced a Class B-type car last year at Spa so I won't be jumping in completely blind. It should be good." Testing takes place on Friday at the 2.268-mile circuit, with qualifying on Saturday and the races on Sunday.
Silverstone hosts rounds 11 and 12 of the series on Sunday and Hampshire's
Rob Collard is aiming for victory in his Class B Nissan Primera. Collard,
whose father was a famous racer, has been working with the BSR team to
make the car reliable. He finished second and third in the two races at
Oulton Park and is full of optimism for the rest of the campaign. "I've
always regarded Silverstone as almost a home circuit and I've always gone
well there. I'm out to win."
RALLYING:- Vauxhall Motorsport have confirmed that they will finish
their rallying activities at the end of the year. The two-car Astra team
will contest this year's Mobil 1 British Rally Championship and the British
round of the World Championship. Driver Mark Higgins is in the first year
of a two-year contract and will be released in November, while Neil Wearden's
deal ends this year. Ray Mallock Limited will continue to prepare the cars
until the end of 2000.
08.06.2000
F1:- Williams have denied reports that they have decided to replace
Jenson Button with Juan Pablo Montoya next season. The team have instead
said that "no decision will be taken" until they have heard about Montoya's
future at the end of the month. It was reported that Montoya would come
in, with Button being loaned to Jordan, Jaguar, BAR or Prost. Meanwhile,
the team will decide next Monday whether Ralf Schumacher is fit enough
to race in Montreal next weekend.
ACROPOLIS RALLY:- Organisers have reduced the distance of two of the
opening day specials because there are road works on parts of the course,
it was announced on Thursday. Series leader Richard Burns had appealed
to organisers to make the course more severe than last year. But Tommi
Makinen also expressed his concern over the course as competitors will
race twice over the same roads. Elsewhere, Skoda said they will race in
the Cyprus rally in September but not in the following event in Corsica.
BRITISH RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP:- The third round of the championship sees drivers head to Scotland for the Kumho Tyres Scottish Rally. Starting at 8.30am on Saturday morning, the event is comprised of 12 gruelling forest stages - six on each day - and covers 127 miles. The first day includes two visits to the Ae and Windyhill stages. Finland's Marko Ipatti leads the title race with Sweden's Mats Andersson five points behind, while Hyundai and Proton lead the manufacturers' standings.
Reigning British Champion Tapio Laukkanen will be hoping for his second consecutive Scottish Rally victory. The 30-year-old Finn is still looking for his first win of the season, but believes he can defend his title. "I love the special stages in Scotland," said Laukkanen. "They are super-fast and we have the speed to make the best use of them. The engineers believe they have found some improvements in the car that will help us stay ahead of the opposition."
The Scottish National Rally forms the fourth round of the championship.
Steve Petch leads the Open class but rival Anthony Eaton, also in a Ford
Escort, will hope to close the gap after failing to finish the last round.
The closest battle is set to take place in the Formula 2 category between
the Honda Civic of Jack Cooke and John McIlwraith's Peugeot 205. Competitors
leave Dumfries from 10.30am on Saturday for six stages over 64 miles, returning
at 8.00pm.
09.06.2000
BTCC (Silverstone):- Italian Gabriele Tarquini set the fastest pace in testing for this weekend's 11th round. Meanwhile in the Class B category, 1991 BTCC Champion Will Hoy was quickest in his Touring Car VIP Club Peugeot 306.
BTCC Testing times:
mins secs
1 G Tarquini It Honda
1:23.308
2 Y Muller Fr Vauxhall
1:23.432
3 A Reid GB Mondeo
1:23.463
4 M Neal GB Nissan
1:23.574
5 A Menu Swi Mondeo
1:23.783
6 T Kristensen Den Honda 1:23.959
ACROPOLIS RALLY:- Scotland's Colin McRae took the first day honours in the ultra-tough race, the seventh leg of the championship. He won the second, third and fifth special stages, with Marcus Gronholm taking the first and sharing the spoils in the fourth with Petter Solberg. McRae, twice a champion in the event, is now 38.5 seconds ahead of Spain's Carlos Sainz, also in a Ford Focus WRC. Defending Acropolis champion Richard Burns damaged the front suspension of his Subaru Impreza and was in fifth.
Reigning world champion Tommi Makinen retired after the fourth stage of the after suffering hub-shaft failure. The Finn, who was in eighth position following the shortened 'Kineta' run, was forced out because of the problem with his Mitsubishi. The reigning world champion was third in the world standings, 15 points behind Burns, before the event. Belgian Freddy Loix, also of Mitsubishi, had pulled out earlier in the race for a similar problem.
Leading positions after 5 stages:
(end of day one)
hr mins secs
1 C McRae GB Ford
1:04.09.6
2 C Sainz Sp Ford
@38.5
3 F Delecour Fr Peugeo
@1.12.9
4 J Kankkunen Fin Subaru @2.00.8
5 R Burns GB Subaru
@2.08.9
6 S Finlay GB Ford
@3.26.6
7 T Arai Jpn Subaru
@3.30.0
8 A Bakhashab Sau Toyota @4.00.4
9 A Schwarz Ger Skoda
@4.04.2
10 J Papa'riou Gre Subaru @4.22.2
The Rally of Australia is set to move from its traditional base in Perth
to Melbourne next year, the West Australian newspaper reported. The world
championship event has been run in Western Australia since its inception
in 1988. A formal announcement is expected next week.
F.RENAULT (Silverstone):- After a run of bad luck, round one winner Danny Watts set the fastest time in testing ahead of round six on his home track. Points leader Kimi Raikkonen, suffering from flu, was fourth fastest.
Testing times:
min secs
1 D Watts
1:20.437
2 J Dalziel
1:20.605
3 L Walker
1:20.618
4 K Raikkonen
1:20.631
5 M McLoughlin
1:20.793
6 R Dalziel
1:20.947
RENAULT CLIO (Silverstone):- Second overall Daniel Buxton sounded a warning to points leader Jim Edwards Jnr with the fastest time in testing. But Edwards warned: "It's race day when you need to be in front - I've already proved that three times this year."
Testing times:
min secs
1 D Buxton
1:35.474
2 P Cate
1:35.745
3 J Edwards Jnr
1:35.778
4 M Johnson
1:35.807
5 G Townsend
1:35.838
6 M Burton
1:35.957
EUROPEAN FORMULA PALMER AUDI:-
Testing at Spa Francorchamps (Fri):
mins secs
1 J Keen GB
Pendant 2:19.194
2 T Mullen GB Morse
2:19.401
3 P Edwards US Morse
2:20.005
4 R Tarling GB JSP
2:20.010
5 J vd Ende Hol Brask
2:20.124
6 D Faulkner Ire 3DO
2:20.316
7 D Hayes GB H'rion
2:20.408
8 B Jouanny Fr Motul
2:20.509
9 R Kerr GB
S'rson 2:20.583
10 J Carlsen Den Brask 2:21.177
10.06.2000
BTCC (Silverstone):- Rickard Rydell claimed a double pole position for Sunday's round 11 and 12 feature races. The Swede stepped up his pursuit of the championship with a stylish drive in both of Saturday's qualifying sessions. The Ford Mondeo driver is now just 19 points behind championship leader Alain Menu - but with a maximum of 31 points up for grabs on Sunday. "They were good laps but not perfect. It's all about what happens in Sunday's race," said Rydell.
Round 11 qualifying times (Sat):
mins secs
1 R Rydell Swe Ford
1:23.492
2 J Thompson GB Honda
1:23.572
3 A Reid GB
Ford 1:23.758
4 G Tarquini It Honda
1:23.875
5 T Kristensen Den Honda 1:23.997
6 A Menu Swi Ford
1:24.056
7 J Plato GB Vauxhall
1:24.139
8 Y Muller Fr Vauxhall
1:24.179
9 V Radermecker Bel Vauxhall 1:24.586
10 C Blair GB Nissan
1:26.461
Round 12 qualifying times (Sat):
mins secs
1 R Rydell Swe Ford
1:23.125
2 A Reid GB
Ford 1:23.313
3 J Plato GB Vauxhall
1:23.416
4 Y Muller Fr Vauxhall
1:23.458
5 J Thompson GB Honda
1:23.554
6 T Kristensen Den Honda 1:23.617
7 A Menu Swi Ford
1:23.630
8 V Radermecker Bel Vauxhall 1:23.685
9 C Blair GB Nissan
1:28.137
10 W Hoy GB
Peugeot 1:32.071
ACROPOLIS RALLY:- Britain's Colin McRae remained on course for glory after he retained his lead on day two. He finished ahead of Carlos Sainz and Richard Burns but Frenchman Didier Auriol was forced out of the event. The 1994 world champion lost a front wheel of his Seat Cordoba during the sixth special stage ` although he still managed to finish on three wheels. Marcus Gronholm, who was second in the overall standings, also had to withdraw because of engine trouble.
Colin McRae was glad to avoid any damage from the rocky Greek roads as he stayed clear of the rest of the field. "It's a nice lead and the car was exceptional," said the Scot. "I'm surprised by the carnage elsewhere. You'd expect a few drivers to have problems, but not that many," said the Ford Focus driver. "On these roads you only need to hit a rock at the wrong angle and that can be your race over, so we can't afford to be complacent."
Leading positions after 12 stages:
(end of day two)
hr mins secs
1 C McRae GB Ford
3:01.09.0
2 C Sainz Sp Ford
@ 48.1
3 R Burns GB Subaru
@ 3.00.1
4 T Arai Jpn Subaru
@ 7.47.9
5 J Kankkunen Fin Subaru @ 7.51.8
6 A Schwarz Ger Skoda
@ 8.31.6
7 A Bakhashab SA Toyota @12.10.8
8 J-P Richelmi Mon Subaru @13.00.2
9 F Dor Fr
Subaru @13.10.9
10 J P'pdmitriou Gr Subaru @13.53.0
BRITISH RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP:- Neil Wearden ended Leg 1 of the Kumho Tyres Scottish Rally in a confidend mood after a trouble free day. "It's been a very good day... problems for some of the others but not for me this time! We took a gamble with the tyres and it paid off. I hit a log on stage four and was sure it would puncture but we survived it. I'll be thinking about tomorrow's strategy, we'll go as hard a possible without taking risks," he added.
Tapio Laukkanen had a rough opening to the Kumho Tyres Scottish rally when his Volkswagen suffered punctures on the two longest stages. Both of these occured on the same 19 mile Ae stage, loosing the Finnish driver over tow minutes. "The car has been performing well, there are another six stages to go and anything can happen." Teammate Jani Pirttien is enjoying his first Scottish Rally, hampered only by a recurring differential problem.
The two car Peugeot Team finished Leg 1 of the Scottish Rally holding first and second in the Ferodo Super 1600 Cup. David Higgins holds top spot by only 13 seconds over team mate Justin Dale. Higgins had a scare on stage two when the car cut out for about 15 seconds: "I was too fired up after that and wanted to get the time back. We had a big jump well cautioned but we were going a little too quick and damaged the radiator on landing."
Both Hyundai's have suffered from punctures on the first day of the Scottish Rally. Jarmo Kytlehto lost further time when a bolt on the suspension came loose, forcing the car left on landings. Team mate Andrew Pinker also lost time with punctures but also suffered from differential problems dropping him to 17th overall. "Hopefully things will be better tomorow, there's still a lot of stage miles to come and anything can happen."
Charlie Jukes in the Acrylicon Proton did not have as good a run on leg 1 of the Scottish Rally as he had hoped. The Proton was hampered by a misfire which the service crew finally traced to a faulty control unit: "Today has been frustrating and tomorrow it will be important to make it to the finish and get the points.” Mats Andersson in the works Proton Satria reported no problems and ends leg one 4th in the Ferodo Super 1600 Cup.
LEADERBOARD after 6 of 12 stages
(interim)
hr min sec
1 N Wearden Vauxhall
1:00:05.5
2 N Simpson Mitsubishi
1:01:01.8
3 M Higgins Vauxhall
1:01:03.6
4 M Ipatti Mitsubishi
1:01:11.8
5 M Brown
Mitsubishi 1:01:52.0
6 J Kytolehto Hyundai
1:02:12.8
7 T Laukkanen Volkswagen 1:02:25.8
8 G Cox
Mitsubishi 1:02:36.1
9 D Wood
Subaru 1:02:43.5
10 J Pirttinen Volkswagen 1:02:48.2
KUMHO TYRES SCOTTISH MINTEX RALLY:- A dominant victory for Steve Petch in the Scottish National Rally enabled him to extend his lead of the Mintex 2000 Rally Championship. Anthony Eaton held second place all day but by his own admission lacked the pace to challenge his fellow Yorkshireman. Phil Walker threw away what seemed a certain third place, going off on the penultimate stage. Group N leader David Brown took third overall.
LEADERBOARD after 6 of 6 stages
(interim)
hr min sec
1 S Petch
Ford 1:02:01.4
2 A Eaton
Ford 1:04:17.4
3 D Brown
Subaru 1:06:07.1
4 J Morrison Mitsubishi 1:08:30.6
5 J Cooke
Honda 1:10:39.3
6 A Gwynne Vauxhall
1:10:42.8
7 G Clark
Subaru 1:11:03.2
8 J McIlwraith Peugeot
1:12:18.9
9 N Buckley Volkswagen
1:12:50.3
10 P Morgan Subaru
1:14:27.2
F.RENAULT (Silverstone):- Local driver Mark McLoughlin staged a late comeback to get pole position for his home race. Leighton Walker also left it late to steal the second place on the front row from Ryan Dalziel and Kimi Raikkonen.
Round 6 qualifying times: min secs
1 M McLoughlin GB Falcon 1:20.451
2 L Walker GB Motaworld 1:20.642
3 R Dalziel GB Team FDR 1:20.660
4 K Raikkonen Fin Manor 1:20.662
5 C Hall GB Aztek
1:20.848
6 D Watts GB Manor
1:20.872
FORD FIESTA’S (Silverstone):- Scotland's Gordon Shedden took pole for Sunday's race after putting in a blistering lap in qualifying. The championship leader is ahead of Colin Stancombe, while local driver Matt Pinny was third quickest.
Round 7 qualifying times: min secs
1 G Sheddon Sco
1:45.773
2 C Stancombe Eng
1:45.942
3 M Pinny Eng
1:46.301
4 A Blencowe Eng
1:46.564
5 G Howell Wal
1:46.733
6 N Padley Eng
1:46.862
F.FORD:- James Courtney led from start to finish at Silverstone on Saturday to win round seven of the Slick 50 Championship. "Once I pulled out a gap I was able to put in some consistent lap times and take the win," said the Australian.
Round 7 finishing times: min
secs
1 J Courtney Aus
22:59.558
2 A Davidson Eng
23:01.398
3 R Dahlgren Swe
23:01.955
4 M Taylor Eng
23:05.308
5 R Goransson Swe
23:11.376
6 R Bell Eng
23:19.494
RENAULT SPORT UK CUP (Silverstone):- Daniel Buxton guaranteed his second pole position of the season for Sunday with the fastest time in practice. Jim Edwards Jr was edged out for second place by Stuart Clarke, with Jason Templeman in fourth place.
Testing times:
min secs
1 D Buxton
1:35.009
2 S Clarke
1:35.314
3 J Edwards Jnr
1:35.630
4 J Templeman
1:35.630
5 M Jackson
1:35.724
6 D Davies
1:35.745
EUROPEAN F.PALMER AUDI (Spa Francorchamps):-
Round 10 qualifying
mins secs
1 D Hayes GB H'rion
2:16.880
2 D Faulkner Ire Kodak 2:17.394
3 J Carlsen Den Brask
2:17.397
4 J Keen GB
Pendant 2:17.614
5 R Kerr GB
S'ndson 2:17.707
6 T Mullen GB Morse
2:17.738
7 B Jouanny Fr P'mance 2:17.893
8 J V der Ende Den Brask 2:18.049
9 A Simonsen Den Brask 2:18.143
10 B Besson Fr DAMS
2:18.220
IRL (Texas MS):- Rain washed out qualifying for Saturday's Indy Racing
Series, forcing Casino Magic 500 officials to use points standings to determine
the grid. Buddy Lazier claimed his first pole of the season because he
leads the series ahead of the fifth of nine races. Robbie Buhl, who lies
in second, will also be on the front row, while Scott Goodyear and Eliseo
Salazar will be on row two. Japan's Shigeaki Hattori will make his IRS
debut at the event in 26th spot.
11.06.2000
F1:- Ralf Schumacher, who injured his leg in Monaco a week ago, will
fly to Montreal before deciding whether he is fit for Sunday's Canadian
Grand Prix. "I will definitely fly to Montreal and decide whether I can
drive on Thursday. At the moment walking is still very painful," he told
a German newspaper. The Williams driver gashed his leg after crashing heavily
into barriers at the Monaco Grand Prix. His manager Franz Tost said Schumacher
was unlikely to race unless fully fit.
BTCC:- Yvan Muller cruised home to a comfortable victory in round 12 of the BTCC at sunny Silverstone with some well-judged tactics. A quick early pit-stop meant the Vauxhall man finished more than five seconds ahead of Ford's Rickard Rydell. Meanwhile, James Thompson took the chequered flag after an incident-packed 15-lap sprint. The Honda Accord driver finished just 1.951 seconds ahead of the Ford Mondeo of Anthony Reid.
Round 11 result (Sun): mins
secs
1 J Thompson GB Honda
21:34.371
2 A Reid GB Ford
21:36.322
3 T Kristensen Den Honda 21:37.379
4 M Neal GB Nissan
21:42.905
5 G Tarquini It Honda
21:43.505
6 V Rad'mecker Bel Vauxhall 21:44.054
7 Y Muller Fr Vauxhall 21:52.302
8 R Rydell Swe Ford
22:18.542
9 C Blair GB Nissan
22:19.656
10 A Morrison * GB Peugeot 22:18.726, 14 laps
Round 12 result (Sun):
mins secs
1 Y Muller Fr Vauxhall
43:11.302
2 R Rydell Swe Ford
43:16.726
3 G Tarquini It Honda
43:20.218
4 A Menu Swi Ford
43:21.428
5 J Thompson GB Honda
43:22.435
6 J Plato GB Vauxhall
43:52.562
7 T Kristensen Den Honda 44:26.277
8 A Morrison GB Peugeot 44:26.324
9 J Kaye GB
Honda 44:38.325
10 M Lemmer GB Honda
44:43.470
ACROPOLIS RALLY:- Colin McRae won the Acropolis Rally by a margin of 23.1 seconds from his Ford team-mate Carlos Sainz. Sainz had passed overnight leader McRae to lead the event but he obeyed team orders and allowed Scot McRae to take the spoils. The Spaniard went into the final stage with a lead of more than one minute but was two minutes slower than McRae on the last run. Subaru's Juha Kankkunen finished in third place.
Britain's Richard Burns was forced to retire from the event after he was hit by turbocharger problems on the first stage of the final leg. The Subaru was lying in third position behind Ford duo Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz when he lost two-and-a-half minutes on the 13th-stage Pavliani run. Championship leader Burns disconnected the turbo because no service park was available until after the next stage. However, he was unable to start his car on stage 14 and ran out of time.
A disappointed Richard Burns spoke about his retirement from the Acropolis Rally yesterday. He said: "I had a problem about seven or eight kilometres into the 13th stage, and the engine gradually died. We stopped on the road section and tried frantically to fix it, but I coundn't get the engine started again." However, Burns remained upbeat. "In terms of losing points it could been a lot worse because I've kept my points advantage," he said.
FINAL RESULT:
hr mins secs
1 C McRae GB Ford
4:56.54.8
2 C Sainz Sp Ford
@ 23.1
3 J Kankkunen Fin Subaru @ 06.38.3
4 T Arai Jpn Subaru
@ 07.40.8
5 A Schwarz Ger Skoda
@ 09.11.0
6 A Bakhashab SA Toyota @ 12.54.9
7 J-P Richelmi Mon Subaru @ 13.33.3
8 F Dor Fr
Subaru @ 13.59.8
9 F Delecour Fr Peugeot @ 15.12.3
10 J P'pdmitriou Gr Subaru @ 16.21.6
DRIVER STANDINGS
1 R Burns GB Subaru
38 pts
2 C McRae GB Ford
24
= M Gronholm Fin Peugeot
24
4 T Makinen Fin Mitsubishi 23
= C Sainz Sp Ford
23
6 J Kankkunen Fin Subaru
18
MANUFACTURER STANDINGS
1 Subaru 58 pts
2 Ford
47
3 Peugeot 31
4 Mitsubishi 29
5 Skoda
8
6 SEAT
7
BRITISH RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP:- Neil Simpson won the Kumho Tyres Scottish Rally, from Volkswagen driver Tapio Laukkanen. Simpson commented: "I was going for this one. I knew it was my last chance on the loose stuff before the road event. We were a bit rusty on the first stage because it's a while since we drove the car. I hope this will help my career on a bit. Now I need advice on what to do," he added.
Tapio Laukkanen put the disappointments of the last two rounds of the Mobil Rally Championship behind him to finish third overall in the Scottish Rally. Laukkanen's Volkswagen team-mate Jani Pirttinen finished an excellent seventh overall after two days hard rallying. "I am very happy to have finished this rally. It is a very tough event to try for the first time," he said. Team manager Steve Bagnall added: "We can take great satisfaction in scoring maximum championship points for VW."
Jarmo Kytolehto suffered a series of punctures throughout the Kumho Tyres Scottish Rally. The Finnish driver said he found the Hyundai lacking power on the longer sections of the stages and was struggling to stay with the leaders. Team-mate Andrew Pinker had less punctures but the suspension was not holding up well. "The suspension sounds very sick. It was rattling badly, but at least we've made it!," said Pinker.
Justin Dale took the Ferodo Super 1600 Cup for the Peugeot Sport 106 Team after a stunning last stage. Dale had swapped fastest times with team-mate David Higgins right up to the last stage until clutch problems ended Higgins' rally. Mats Andersson, contesting the same category, was hampered by losing a wheel on stage nine. Marko Ramanen was fastest on stage 11 after a brilliant drive in the self-built Honda Civic.
LEADERBOARD after 12 stages
(interim)
hr min sec
1 N Simpson Mitsubishi
1:59:45.0
2 T Laukkanen Volkswagen 2:00:25.3
3 M Ipatti Mitsubishi
2:00:28.3
4 M Higgins Vauxhall
2:01:22.0
5 J Kytolehto Hyundai
2:01:57.9
6 G Cox
Mitsubishi 2:02:45.6
7 J Pirttinen Volkswagen 2:03:01.5
8 N Wearden Vauxhall
2:03:26.8
9 D Wood
Subaru 2:03:29.0
10 G Anderson Mitsubishi 2:03:59.6
DRIVERS
MANUFACTURERS
1 Ipatti 30
1 Hyundai 28
2 M Higgins 20 2 Proton
26
3 Kytolehto 17 3 Vauxhall
22
4 Wearden 15 4
Peugeot 15
5 Andersson 15 5 Volkswagen
12
6 Laukkanen 12
F.RENAULT (Silverstone):- Leighton Walker led from start to finish after pole position driver Mark McLoughlin stalled at the start. McLoughlin ended in ninth, tying with Walker for the fastest lap time.
Round 6 finishing times: min
secs
1 L Walker GB Motaworld 24:45.317
2 R Dalziel GB Team FDR 24:48.841
3 K Raikkonen Fin Manor 24:50.832
4 T Sisley GB Motaworld 24:58.101
5 J Dalziel GB Team DFR 25:00.067
6 R Lyons GB Team JLR
25:03.393
FORD FIESTA’S (Silverstone):- Scotland's Gordon Shedden wrapped up his sixth win in seven races by leading from the start at Silverstone. "It's good to get another win as I'm in a strong position now. I'll be looking to keep it up at Croft," he said.
Round 7 final result:
min secs
1 G Sheddon Sco
21:35.764
2 G Howell Wal
21:30.074
3 M Pinny Eng
21:41.492
4 A Blencowe Eng
21:44.497
5 N Padley Eng
21:45.174
6 C Stancombe Eng
21:45.556
F.FORD:- Anthony Davidson came from second place on the grid to secure his first ever win in the Round 8 race at Silverstone. "It's a great feeling to take my first win. Hopefully I can repeat it at Croft in a fortnight," said the 21-year-old.
Round 8 finishing times: min
secs
1 A Davidson Eng
23:14.228
2 J Courtney Aus
23:16.895
3 R Bell Eng
23:22.383
4 G Catt Eng
23:24.145
5 M Taylor Eng
23:24.298
6 P Gray Sco
23:24.478
RENAULT SPORT UK CUP (Silverstone):- Jim Edwards was declared the winner after he and title rival Daniel Buxton crossed the line in a dead heat. The pair ran the last two corners side by side before a dramatic sprint to the line.
Result (Sun):
min secs
1 J Edwards Jnr
19:19.158
2 D Buxton
19:19.158
3 S Clarke
19:23.642
4 M Jackson
19:26.951
5 R Pearson
19:29.453
6 D Davies
19:30.548
EUROPEAN FORMULA PALMER AUDI (Spa):- Damien Faulkner extended his lead in the championship after winning his second race of the weekend Derek Hayes, who started on pole, finished in second spot, with Jesper Carlsen in third place.
Result (Sun):
1 D Faulkner Ire Kodak 2:18.090
2 D Hayes GB H'rion
+0.932
3 J Carlsen Den Brask +2.928
4 P Edwards US Mockett +3.764
5 R Tarling GB JSP
+3.947
6 M S'virta Fin Soners +4.487
IRL (Texas MS):- Saturday's Northern Lights Casino Magic 500 was postponed
because of rain and has now been rescheduled to start 24 hours later. Former
Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Lazier will start from pole. Two practice
crashes led to the postponement of Thursday's qualifying session at Texas
Motor Speedway and Friday's session was then cancelled. The grid line-up
was deduced from the order of the current IRL standings, giving Lazier
his pole.
12.06.2000 - SCOTTISH RALLY
Winner Neil Simpson has been thrown out of the Kumho Tyres Scottish
Rally after his car failed post event checks. Simpson's Mitsubishi was
found to have the wrong size of brake pads. This elevated Tapio Laukkanen
to first place ` his second successive Scottish Rally win and Volkswagen's
third in the event in four years. Volkswagen team manager Steve Bagnall
said: "What has happened to Neil is regrettable, and we take no pleasure
from it."
14.06.2000
F1: THE CANADIAN GP
Michael Schumacher will be bidding to get his title bid back on track
on Sunday after failing to finish the Monaco Grand Prix earlier this month.
The championship leader is chasing his fifth win of 2000 and said: "Our
car is very good on all types of track now. Montreal is a lot quicker than
Monaco but the Ferrari should work well there. I am looking forward to
the race but expect it to be a lot tougher against the McLarens than it
was in Monaco before my car had problems."
Ferrari star Michael Schumacher is unconcerned about his non-finish in Monaco - particularly since Mika Hakkinen only picked up a point. Schumacher is 12 points clear of David Coulthard, while Hakkinen is 17 points adrift of the German. "It would have been nice to win but the result showed that nothing is sure until the last race of the season is run," commented Schumacher. "We have a lot of work to do before I start thinking about the title."
David Coulthard will be going all out for his third win of 2000 in an effort to close the gap on championship leader Michael Schumacher. The Scot won the last race in Monaco and also triumphed at Silverstone. Coulthard is ahead of his McLaren team- mate Mika Hakkinen and is 12 points behind Schumacher. The 29-year-old has never won in Montreal and although Hakkinen won last year's race the last McLaren win before that was in 1992 with Gerhard Berger.
Mika Hakkinen would relish a repeat of last year when he won in Montreal. The world champion is third in the championship on 29 points, behind Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard. After seven races last year Hakkinen was leading the drivers' championship on 40 points. Michael Schumacher was on 32 points and Eddie Irvine came next on 26. Hakkinen's McLaren team-mate David Coulthard was seventh on 12 points.
Rubens Barrichello is targeting a podium finish in Sunday's round eight, which is on a track he favours. "It is a nice circuit to drive, although you have to be careful not to get caught out by one or two bad bumps in the braking areas," he revealed. "Although the track is a lot wider than Monaco it is also quite difficult to overtake because it soon develops a quick line. If you wander off that it is slippery under braking and in the corners."
Williams driver Ralf Schumacher will be fit to race on Sunday ` provided that he can pass the chair test. Schumacher injured his leg in Monaco and will have to jump off a chair onto the leg and have no adverse reaction to prove that he can race. "Last week Ralf's chances were 50/50, but now they are 70/30 in his favour," said Williams spokesman Nav Sidhu. If Schumacher does not make it he will be replaced by Williams test driver Bruno Junqueira.
Jenson Button is optimistic going into the Canadian Grand Prix. The Briton has put rumours about his Williams future behind him and said: "We spent three days in Monza preparing for this race. Given how well that test went, I feel good going to Montreal. Monza shares some characteristics with Montreal and our test has prepared me well. I have heard good things about this circuit and I am quite upbeat about Sunday's race."
Benetton will be using a new aerodynamic package on their cars at the Montreal race. Technical director Pat Symonds said: "Montreal is a low downforce circuit and preparation took place last week with a team test at Monza. "Montreal presents many unique problems to the teams. The circuit is only used once a year and hence is very dirty at the start of practice. For the last three years there have only been 10 finishers."
Montreal has been a favourable circuit for Jordan and they are hunting another good result as they try to reclaim third spot in the constructors' battle. Jordan won their first world championship points in Canada in 1991 and did well there from 1995-97. Team chief Eddie Jordan said: "We have had some excellent results in Montreal. It is certainly a race I enjoy greatly because of all the good memories it holds. Let us hope we can add another good year to the history books."
Eddie Irvine secured his and Jaguar's first points finish of the season in Monaco and will be ho ing it means an upturn in the team's fortunes. Irvine was third in Montreal last year when driving for Ferrari. His team-mate Johnny Herbert, who has yet to earn a point in 2000, was fifth for Stewart in 1999. It is a race where Jaguar could pull off a surprise because a good starting position on the grid is almost as important as in Monte Carlo.
Ex-world champion Jacques Villeneuve has admitted that he is still in talks with British American Racing and has not made a decision on next season. Ahead of his home race the Canadian said: "I can assure you I will be in the racing pits next year but I do not know under which colours." Reports had linked him to deals with Benetton and McLaren. However, Villeneuve added: "There is no agreement in principle with anyone at all. It makes me laugh."
Pedro de la Rosa believes his Arrows car will be suited to Montreal. "I am definitely looking forward to the race and feel the circuit layout will be better for our car than in Monaco." His team-mate Jos Verstappen is also optimistic of a Canadian boost. "Hopefully Canada wil be better than Monaco. Canada is a high-speed circuit and suits the car better," he said. "I hope we get a good result. I think we need it and the team deserves it."
Heinz-Harald Frentzen describes a lap of the circuit: On the start-finish straight you just reach sixth gear but it is not the fastest part of the track. At the first left-hander you try not to carry too much speed ` you have to shift down from sixth to third gear. Then you go into the hairpin, which is very tight. You have to set yourself up for the hairpin, which is in first gear, before you enter the first left-hander. Out of the hairpin you must get traction down. It is very slippery. The track is similar to Monaco but much more bumpy. You accelerate out from the hairpin and reach fourth gear when you enter the first chicane. It is not a dangerous chicane but you cannot make any mistakes as you are so close to the guard-rail. That is definitely like Monaco. The quickest corner of the track comes next. It is a blind right-hander which is flat. It is not too difficult but you need to have good balance because if the car is too nervous you lose some track making the next left-hander. Here you brake down into second gear and then take it much the same as the first chicane. You try and accelerate out of it early to get the momentum to find the speed in the straight. The third chicane of the track is a little faster than the others. You brake down from sixth into second and again get on the power early to go back up to sixth gear. Then you reach what is the slowest hairpin of the track. You come out of that to enter the very long straight where you reach speeds of over 320km/h. This is the longest and fastest part of the track before you head for the last corner combination. This chicane is a little dangerous as there is a concrete wall on the exit.
Sunday's race is scheduled to last for 69 laps (189.543 miles). The
start of Sunday's race could provide excitement because the short straight
leading into a tight left- hander can cause multiple pile-ups. Michael
Schumacher said: "That is another reason to be close to the front for the
start." Michael Schumacher holds the lap record at the Circuit de Gilles
Villeneuve. He clocked one minute, 19.379 seconds for Ferrari in 1998.
LE MANS 24-HOURS:- Allan McNish made the perfect start in his bid for a second Le Mans victory as his Audi team predictably dominated the first qualifying session. Audi's trio of entries filled the top three places in the opening two hours with 1998 winner McNish capturing provisional pole position. The 30-year-old Scot clocked a time of 3:37.653 for the 8.45-mile circuit. That was just 0.134secs faster than the Audi of Italian ex-Formula One driver Michele Alboreto.
Britain's Allan McNish tasted success in the event in a Porsche in 1998 and would relish a repeat show with Audi. He commented: "I am doing the American Le Mans series and Le Mans with Audi and it was very important to me to be out racing. I had a great desire not just to race at Le Mans. I wanted to do other things as well as Le Mans. Audi were very keen on me driving with them. It was better for both worlds if we did it for the full year."
Viper Team ORECA will be looking to defend their class title with the aid of three Chrysler Viper GTS R/Ts. Olivier Beretta, Karl Wendlinger and Dominique Dupuy won their class at Le Mans last year, and were victorious in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in February. Three privately-entered Chrysler Vipers are also in the line-up. And preparing the ground for a title assault next year will be two Le Mans Prototypes, powered by the latest version of the Mopar 6-litre V8 engine.
LMP900 entry list:
1 B Leitzinger US Cadillac Northstar
F Lagorce Fr
A Wallace GB
2 M Angelelli It Cadillac Northstar
W Taylor ZA
E van de Poele Bel
3 E Collard Fr Cadillac
Northstar
E Bernard Fr
F Montagny Fr
4 M Goossens Bel Cadillac Northstar
C Tinseau Fr
K Kolby
Den
5 Y Dalmas Fr Reynard-Mopar
N Minassian Fr
J-P Belloc Fr
6 D Theys Fr
Reynard-Mopar
J van H'oydnck Hol
D Andre
Fr
7 C Abt
Ger Audi R8
M Alboreto It
R Capello It
8 F Biela Ger Audi
R8
E Pirro
It
T Kristensen Den
9 A McNish GB Audi
R8
L Aiello Fr
S Ortelli Fr
10 J Nielsen Den Panoz LMP
M Baldi
It
K Graf
Ger
11 D Brabham Aus Panoz LMP
J Magnussen Den
M Andretti US
12 J O'Connell US Panoz LMP
H Katoh
Jpn
P-H Raphanel Fr
15 T Bscher Ger BMW V12
G Lees
GB
J-M Gounon Fr
16 O Grouillard Fr Courage-Peugeot
S Bourdais Fr
E Clerico Fr
17 P Gache Fr Courage-Judd
G Formato ZA
D Cottaz Fr
20 J Lammers Hol Lola-Ford
T Coronel Hol
P Kox
Hol
21 M Sch'attrella It Lola-Judd
D de Radigues Bel
E Naspetti It
22 K Tsuchiya Jpn Panoz LMP
M Kondo
Jpn
A Iida
Jpn
23 T Suzuki Jpn Panoz LMP
M'sko Kageyama Jpn
M'smi Kageyama Jpn
24 S Johansson Swe Reynard-Judd
G Smith
GB
J Matthews US
LMP675 entry list:
30 P Lemarie Fr Debora-BMW
J-F Yvon Fr
Y Goudy
Fr
32 S Maxwell Can Lola-Nissan
J Graham Can
G Wilkins Can
33 R Kelleners Ger Reynard-VW
D Terrien Fr
J-D Deletraz Swi
34 J-Gene E
Reynard-VW
J C Boullion Fr
J Policand Fr
35 X Pompidou Fr WR-Peugeot
S Daoudi Fr
J-B Bouvet Fr
36 R Balandras Fr WR-Peugeot
S Boulay Fr
Y Terada Jpn
GTS entry list:
51 D Dupuy Fr Chrysler
Viper
K Wendlinger Aut
O Beretta MC
52 T Archer US Chrysler
Viper
M Duez
Bel
P Huisman Hol
53 N Amorim Por Chrysler Viper
A Beltoise Fr
D Donohue US
54 B Derichebourg Fr Chrysler Viper
J-C Lagniez Fr
G Martinolle Fr
56 T Seiler Swi Chrysler Viper
W Brun
Swi
D Defourny
57 M Hezemans Hol Chrysler Viper
D Hart
Hol
H Hugenholtz Hol
59 W Kaufmann Ger Porsche 911
K Iketani Jpn
T Suzuki Jpn
60 C Slater US Porsche
911
J von Gartzen Ger
T Kendall
63 R Fellows Can Chevrolet Corvette
J Bell
GB
C Kneifel US
64 F Freon Fr Chevrolet
Corvette
A Pilgrim US
K Collins US
6T entry list:
71 C Wagner US Porsche
911
S Lewis
US
B Mazzuoccola US
72 G Lavaggi It Porsche 911
T Saldana Sp
D Villaroel
73 B Lambert Bel Porsche 911
A Yoga
Jpn
H Fukuyama Jpn
75 G Jeanette US Porsche 911
M Lauer
US
M Brockman US
76 T Burgess Can Porsche 911
M Cohen-Olivar Ma
M Neugarten Bel
77 P Gouselard Fr Porsche 911
J L Chereau Ger
C Bouchut Fr
78 JL M-Laribiere Fr Porsche 911
M Sourd
Fr
T Depoix Fr
79 T Perrier Fr Porsche 911
J-L Ricci Fr
R Ricci
Fr
80 P Verellen Bel Porsche 911
K De Dryver Bel
R Penders Bel
81 F Babini It Porsche
911
G Rosa
It
M Ligonnet Fr
82 J Mowlem GB Porsche
911
D Murray US
S Maassen Ger
83 D Muller Ger Porsche 911
L Luhr
Ger
B Wollek Fr
Previous winners:
1999 Dalmas Fr Winkelhock Ger M'rtni It (BMW V12)
1998 McNish GB Nielsen Den Cobb US
(Porsche 911 GT1)
1997 A'reto It Joh'on Swe Kri'sen Den (Porsche WSC95)
1996 Reuter Ger Wurz Aut Jones US
(Porsche WSC95)
1995 Dalmas Fr Lehto Fin Sekiya Jpn (McLaren
F1 GTR)
1994 Dalmas Fr H Haywood US M Baldi It (Dauer Porsche 962LM)
1993 Brabham Aus Helary Fr Bouchut Fr (Peugeot 905B)
1992 Warwick GB Dalmas Fr Blundell GB (Peugeot 905)
15.06.2000
F1:- Jenson Button has pledged to battle to keep his Williams drive
for 2001, despite reports suggesting that Juan Pablo Montoya will replace
him. Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix could be the 20-year-old's last chance
to impress team boss Frank Williams. Williams is waiting to see if Montoya
will be released from his CART deal. "I want to stay with Williams and
I have not been told yet that I will not be. I am just concentrating on
doing the best job I can," said Button.
LE MANS 24-HOURS:- Allan McNish looks set to miss out on pole after his Audi team dominated the first two qualifying sessions. The Scot was fastest in the opening two-hour stint but was later overtaken by the other two Audi cars. Michele Alboreto secured provisional pole with a time of three minutes, 37.523 seconds and Frank Biela was second quickest. McNish was the only Audi driver not to go quicker second time around and was third fastest.
Qualifying times (Wed): mins secs
1 Alboreto/Capello/Abt 3:37.523
(Audi R8R)
2 Biela/Kristensen/Pirro @ 0.072
(Audi R8R)
3 McNish/Aiello/Ortelli @ 0.130
(Audi R8R)
4 Brabham/Magnussen/Andretti @ 1.633 (Panoz
Spyder)
5 O'Connell/Kato-P/Raphanel @ 3.836
(Panoz Spyder)
6 Sch'rlla/de R'dgues/N'ptti @ 4.665 (Lola-Judd)
7 Lammers/Coronel/Cox
@ 6.061 (Lola-Ford)
8 S J'hnsson/Smith/Matthews @ 6.489
(Panoz LMP)
16.06.2000
F1:- Williams driver Ralf Schumacher will drive in Sunday's race. The German's place was in doubt after he gashed his leg at Monaco a fortnight ago, but the wound has healed sufficiently and he passed an FIA test. "Last week I restarted fitness training and I feel fine," said Schumacher. "The wound is healing though I still feel a bit of pain when loading the leg. In order to reduce the vibration, we will stick some padding in the cockpit, where the heel is."
David Coulthard maintained his championship momentum as he set the fastest time in free practice for Sunday's race. The 29-year-old Scot survived a 180 degree spin on the grass to edge out Ferrari's championship pacesetter Michael Schumacher. The German had dominated most of the two first day sessions before losing top by just 0.009 seconds. Williams duo Jenson Button and Ralf Schumacher ended 16th and 21st.
Friday practice times:
min secs
1 D Coulthard GB McLaren 1:20.602
2 M Schumacher Ger Ferrari 1:20.611
3 R Barrichello Brz Ferrari 1:20.623
4 J Herbert GB Jaguar
1:21.174
5 M Hakkinen Fin McLaren 1:21.370
6 J Trulli It Jordan
1:21.380
7 M Salo Fin McLaren
1:21.487
8 E Irvine GB Jaguar
1:21.592
9 G Fisichella It Benetton 1:21.687
10 J Villeneuve Can BAR 1:21.846
11 J Alesi Fr Prost
1:22.022
12 J Verstappen Hol Arrows 1:22.065
13 M Gene Sp Minardi
1:22.176
14 P de la Rosa Sp Arrows 1:22.176
15 H-H Frentzen Ger Jordan 1:22.262
16 J Button GB Williams 1:22.343
17 P Diniz Brz Sauber
1:22.507
18 A Wurz Aut Benetton
1:22.582
19 G Mazzacane Arg Minardi 1:22.606
20 R Zonta Brz BAR
1:22.668
21 R Schumacher Ger Williams 1:22.933
22 N Heidfield Ger Prost 1:23.543
Minardi suffered a break-in at their pit-lane garage in Montreal on
Thursday and had two computers stolen. Had their steering wheels also been
stolen they may not have been able to compete in the Canadian Grand Prix.
LE MANS 24-HOURS:- Allan McNish secured pole position for the 68th Le Mans 24-Hour Race with his time from the third qualifying session proving unbeatable. The 30-year-old Scot had found himself provisionally third on the grid behind Audi team-mates Michele Alboreto and Frank Biela on Wednesday night. But the 1998 winner knocked almost 1.4 seconds off Alboreto's fastest time from the second session. "This is one of the reasons why I joined Audi," he said.
Qualifying times (Thu): mins secs
1 McNish/Aiello/Ortelli 3:36.124
(Audi R8R)
2 Biela/Kristensen/Pirro 3:36.650
(Audi R8R)
3 Alboreto/Capello/Abt 3:37.086
(Audi R8R)
4 Brabham/Magnussen/A'retti 3:39.156 (Panoz
Spyder)
5 Sch'rlla/de R'dgues/N'tti 3:39.651 (Lola-Judd)
6 Gache/Formato/Gottaz 3:39.917
(Courage C60)
7 S J'hnsson/Smith/Matthews 3:40.124 (Reynard
2KQ)
8 Lammers/Coronel/Cox 3:41.359
(Lola-Ford)
KERRIDGE NATIONAL RALLY:- Last year's winner Marcus Dodd leads the field
for Saturday's Kerridge National Rally. The Ford KA Racing Rally championship
is responsible for over 20 of the entries in the National Rally. David
Henderson leads the race for them. In the fourth round of the Ancro National
Rally series is turning into a battle between the Mitsubishi Lancers of
David Mann and Richie Holfeld. The Kerridge is also playing host to the
Welsh National Rally championship.
RALLYING:- SEAT driver Gwyndaf Evans will make a sentimental return
to Duns, family home of his childhood hero Jim Clark, to rally his Cordoba
WRC E2. The Jim Clark Memorial Rally will be Round Four in the British
Rally Championship.
LONDON-SYDNEY MARATHON:- Former world rally champion Hannu Mikkola and
co-driver son Juha led the London-Sydney Marathon 2000 in a Ford Escort
RS1600. The Finns have opened a 62 second lead after 13 days of driving
across Europe.
18.06.2000
F1: THE CANADIAN GP
Michael Schumacher earned his fifth win of the season to extend his
lead in the championship, while Rubens Barrichello was second to give Ferrari
a one-two. Giancarlo Fisichella was third, Mika Hakkinen was fourth and
Jos Verstappen produced a superb drive in the rain to finish fifth. David
Coulthard was seventh after being hit with a 10-second stop-go penalty
for an infringement on the start line. Jenson Button was 11th, Eddie Irvine
13th and Johnny Herbert did not finish.
Michael Schumacher's Montreal win ensured that he became the first driver to win from pole position in 13 races. He now leads the drivers' race by 22 points from David Coulthard but the German insisted: "I am not even thinking about the championship. "The golden rule is that until mathematically there is no chance of you losing the championship, that is when you feel the champion. I have been through 10 years of Formula One and had many experiences."
Race-winner Michael Schumacher has revealed that he felt title rival David Coulthard would be given a penalty. Coulthard was running a close second to Schumacher in the early stages. Schumacher said: "I guessed something might happen to David because the team informed me that he had a problem and the mechanics had not cleared the grid. We did have a bit of a worry. There might have been a sensor failing so we changed the brake balance. That is why I locked up at the chicane."
Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard held the top two positions at the start but Rubens Barrichello got away poorly and slipped from third to fourth. But Coulthard was later given a 10-second penalty after he needed a helping hand from his mechanics to start the formation lap. He visited the pits for the punishment and rejoined on lap 15 down in 10th. Jacques Villeneuve had a superb start in his home race, moving up from sixth on the grid to third.
David Coulthard was annoyed that his bid to close the gap on series leader Michael Schumacher was dealt a blow by the rule book and not his driving. He was running in second when he had a 10-second penalty because his mechanics had not left the grid before the 15- second warning ahaed of the parade lap. "There is this ridiculous rule that says that everyone has to leave the car 30 seconds before the start," he said. "I suppose it is down to safety but it denied the fans a close race."
David Coulthard believes he could have picked up 10 points if he had not been hit with a 10-second penalty. "I think I could have won the race," said the Scot. "I was comfortably behind Michael just waiting for the race to come to me. It was my mistake with Alexander Wurz. I just did not see him in the spray. But if he had moved over as I did when I saw Jacques Villeneuve coming up my inside I would not have hit him - but that is racing."
Jenson Button did little to thwart the threat of his drive being taken from him in 2001. The Briton could only finish 11th and he admitted: "I had a terrible start and things did not improve as I simply was not going fast enough. "Only a few laps after my pit stop I had to come into the pit again as at the third corner I damaged the front wing of my car. I was running better on wet tyres but this was not enough."
Johnny Herbert's hopes of claiming his first points of the season ended on lap 15 when he was forced to cruise into the pits