1, 3, 8, 4 - BMW's range of Z-Cars (Photo Credit: Silverstone Classic)

As part of this Silverstone Classic powered by the AA (July 20-22) the BMW Car Club GB is organising the country’s first ever Z-Fest bringing together hundreds of cars from the German marque’s range of Z-Cars.

“We wanted to do something spectacular to mark our anniversary and staging the UK’s first Z-Fest at the world’s biggest classic racing festival certainly fits that bill,” said Steve Miller, general manager of the BMW Car Club GB. “A number of hugely successful Z-Fests have been held on the continent and in The States – now it’s our turn. There are close to 50,000 ‘Zeds’ registered in this country and we are aiming to get at least 500 cars to join in our special landmark celebrations at the Silverstone Classic.”

“The main gathering will be on the Saturday and the cavalcade on the circuit, of course, will be a major highlight for all those attending on that day. This really is going to be something special and undoubtedly is this summer’s big event for Zed enthusiasts both in the UK and on the continent. I know club members and specialist forums are already planning a number of cruises and convoys to Silverstone.”

“The term ‘Zed Car’ has become synonymous with some of BMW’s most desirable sportscars and that’s why we are so proud to be staging the UK’s first Z-Fest as one of the major attractions at this summer’s Silverstone Classic,” said Nick Wigley, Silverstone Classic Event Director. “Every year more and more car clubs choose the Silverstone Classic to celebrate major milestones in their history and the promise of more than 500 BMW Zed cars parading around the circuit in July is sure to be a major highlight both for the fans and those lucky enough to be participating.”

Since 1986 BMW has attached the now famous ‘Z’ – which stands for Zukunft, the German for ‘future’ – to four models starting with the. These started with 8,000 handmade Z1 – a car notable for the doors which dropped into the sills.

After the Z1 BMW applied the ‘Z’ to its mass market roadsters Z3 and Z4 models, the later becoming famous as James Bond’s car in Goldeneye. BMW’s connection with 007 remained for the film The World Is Not Enough, in which the fictional spy drove a BMW Z8 – the top of the Z-Car range. Only 5,702 Z8 were made – all hand-built – between 1999 and 2003 making it, along with the Z1 the rarest and most desirable of the Z-Cars.

The Z-Fest joins a number of special events and celebrations at this year’s Silverstone Classic including anniversaries for the Lotus Elan, MGB and Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500.

For more details on the 2012 Silverstone Classic, including details of the ‘Early Bird’ ticket offers visit www.silverstoneclassic.com.

Takuma Sato (Photo Credit: Indycar)

Ex-Formula One driver Takuma Sato has signed a deal with Rahal-Letterman Lanigan for the 2012 season.

The Japanese driver will drive the team’s no.15 Honda.

“We anticipate having a very strong season together,” said team co-owner Bobby Rahal. “While we were determined to have an experienced driver for this season, we also needed someone that knew how to get to the front and Takuma has shown that he can do that, and we expect to have a great opportunity to win races this year. He has made great strides through the last two seasons in IndyCar and I have no doubt that we can produce a strong effort with him leading the team.”

Sato joined the IndyCar series in 2010 after making 91 starts in Formula One. He made great strides in 2011 and the two-time pole winner hopes to build on this success.

“I’m very proud, motivated and excited to be chosen by Bobby to join his big project,” Sato said. “This team I feel has got huge potential. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing has got a great history and record of winning so my motivation is ever so high and I am extremely thrilled to start the new season. With a new car for everybody, I am confident that we’ll be up to speed very quickly.”

Rahal Letterman Lanigan are returning for a full campaign for the first time since 2008. The Indianapolis-based team expect to participate in the open test at Sebring in March.

The team is also looking to finalize its plans for a second car, which is set to be announced in the near future.

Richard Sykes (Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography)

Experienced racer Richard Sykes will make his first appearances in historic racing this year after his purchase of a 1965 Ford Mustang.

After running with the team in last season’s Ginetta Challenge HHC Motorsport will run the ex-Nigel Vaulkhard car for Sykes in the Master Pre-66 Touring Cars series, starting at Oulton Park on March 17. HHC Motorsport principal Charlie Kemp will join Sykes as co-driver.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” said Sykes. “It is something very different for me but I think we will be competitive this season. The car is good and HHC will run it well so we are aiming for wins.”

“Richard has improved greatly in the last few seasons,” added Kemp, “racing in Ginettas and also in Porsche Boxsters. It is a new departure for him but he should be up to speed very quickly.”

The 2012 Silverstone Classic powered by the AA will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 with a special race for touring cars (Photo Credit: Silverstone Classic)

Already including the evocative Group C sportscars and the DFV engine dominated Formula One cars of the 1970s and 80s two additions to the program for this summer’s Silverstone Classic powered by the AA will bring more iconic race cars to the world’s biggest historic motorsport festival.

The first of these additions are two races – one on the Saturday of the event, the other on Sunday – celebrating the touring cars of the 1970s, 80s and 90s – the years that brought the discipline to the forefront of international, and national, racing. The line up, which already runs to 30 cars, with a capacity 50 strong grid expected, will include representatives of German, European and British championships of the era spanning Group 2, Group A and the supertouring regulations.

As such Silverstone will host the likes of the Ford Capri, Jaguar XJ-C, BMW CSL, BMW M3 and Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 as well as the Nissan Primeras and Ford Mondeos of the mid-90s of the BTCC – the peak of manufacturer involvement in the championship.

Singled out among the stellar grid for the races is the RS500 which will be celebrating its silver anniversary in 2012, having been launched in August 1987 on the race track and road. The car was the product of the Evolution rules of the Group A specification, allowing highly developed versions of cars onto the grid if 500 road going examples were built. The resulting – enormously powerful, hugely bewinged – monster dominated the series of the late 90s in the hands of Andy Rouse and Robb Gravett in the UK, as well as Reudi Eggenberger’s eponymous squad in the European championship. The RS500 also proved a revelation on the road, offering supercar performance for only a fraction more money than the standard Sierra.

Several RS500 are already on the provisional entry with more bound to join them over the coming months to celebrate the car’s milestone.

“Though firmly established as the world’s biggest classic motor racing festival we are always looking to provide both racers and fans with innovations and evolutions,” said Nick Wigley, Event Organiser. “The special touring car race will be the first of its kind, highlighting the huge success of tin-top competition in recent years. That 2012 marks the 25th birthday of the amazing Sierra RS500 just adds to what’s clearly going to be a very special occasion.”

The second addition will bring Formula 500 and Formula Two cars built between 1967 and 1979 to the Silverstone Grand Prix track.

The race will hark back to the years when Formula Two grids regularlay welcomed the F1 stars of the day – drivers like Jochen Rindt, Niki Lauda and James Hunt. The race will place the nimble F2 cars they would have been familiar with against the thundering F5000 machines powered by American V8 engines.

Wigley says; “Formula 5000 was a huge draw back in the Seventies and Eighties with drivers such as Alan Jones, Jody Scheckter, Mario Andretti and, of course, the late Peter Gethin. It’s no surprise that the formula has enjoyed a global revival in historic racing circles during the past few years and we know the fabulous sight and sounds of these mighty V8 machines will provide another nostalgic crowd pleaser in July.”

The 2012 Silverstone takes place on July 20-22. For more information, including on the ‘Early Bird’ ticket offer and onsite camping facilities visit www.silverstoneclassic.com.

Motor Sports Association (MSA) Have Named Their 2012 Team UK And Academy Lists

The Motor Sports Association (MSA) have unveiled the line-up for this year’s Team UK national squad, as well as announcing the new intake for the MSA Academy.

Announced at the Autosport International Show, the racing drivers selected to join the MSA’s driver development scheme, under the guidance of national race coach David Brabham, are Jack Harvey, Josh Hill, Josh Webster, Alex Lynn, Lewis Williamson, Nick Yelloly and Oliver Rowland.

Three rally drivers, Mark Donnelly, Elfyn Evans and John MacCrone, have been selected to join the programme under the guidance of new national rally coach James Wozencroft, while co-drivers Andrew Edwards, Stuart Loudon and James Morgan will work alongside national co-driver coach Nicky Grist.

Brabham said: “We are very excited by the make-up of this year’s squad. Oliver obviously claimed the McLaren Autosport Young Driver title and we are looking forward to working with him for the first time, while Alex will have learned a lot from that shoot-out experience. Indeed he has already gained a place on the FIA Institute Driver Academy, as has Lewis Williamson who was with us last year, and this will further extend the training programme and development that both drivers receive. We welcome Josh Hill and Nick Yelloly to the squad for the first time, as well as Josh Webster who becomes the first graduate of the MSA’s Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence programme at Loughborough College to take the step up to Team UK.”

Wozencroft commented: “We’re delighted to have Elfyn and John back for another year as both have made significant progress in the past 12 months. Mark Donnelly had a really impressive couple of years and we are really looking forward to working with him.”

Grist added: “The art of co-driving is so specialised that it’s very difficult to fit the guys into the overall Team UK programme, so we’re going to create a new schedule for them. Of course, if something is happening with the drivers that can benefit the co-drivers, then we’ll incorporate that, but I think we can have a big impact with some more bespoke training.”

Ten young circuit racers are joining the ranks of the MSA Academy, these being Jody Fannin, Max Goff, Archie Hamilton, Jordan King, Seb Morris, Matt Parry, James Peace, Dan Wells, Dino Zamparelli and Charlie Robertson. They will be joined by karters Ben Barnicoat, Matt Graham, Jessica Hawkins, Callan O’Keeffe and James Singleton, as well as rally drivers Callum Black, Nick Cristofaro, Peter Taylor and Jack Rowe.

Also going to be part of the MSA Academy will be the drivers enrolled on the 2011/12 AASE programme through Loughborough College. These are Jordan Annels, Jack Barlow, Callum Bowyer, Damon Brooks, Jonathon Brown, Jake Dalton, Cameron Davis, Jake Dennis, Jamie Dzyra, Ryan Green, Ryan Hayes, David Humpston, Chris Ingram, Tom Ingram, Declan Jones, Matthew Lambert, Sarah Moore, Oliver Myres, Jade Paveley, Rhys Price, James Raven, Shaun Slavin, Matt Thompson, Matt Tiffin, Charlie Turner, Bradley Wheeler and Luke Whitworth.

MSA Performance Director Robert Reid commented: “Thanks to the great work of everyone involved with the MSA Academy, Team UK and the AASE programme, we now have a tremendous wealth of knowledge and experience at our disposal. We now want to spread that knowledge much further and ensure that as many young drivers as possible are developing themselves and their careers in the right way.

“Thanks to the support of our friends at the Racing Steps Foundation, we have been able to develop a suite of materials that can really help young drivers at an early stage of their careers and roll that out more widely. These new Academy members will benefit from a number of development sessions during the year, as well as access to the MSA coaches as they require. We know from the feedback we receive just how valuable this kind of programme can be, so we are delighted to be able to expand our efforts in 2012.”

The FIA Formula One World Championship - Photo Credit: Ferrari

Motorsport’s governing body, the FIA have announced their official recognition by the IOC (International Olympic Committee). This is for a provisional period of two years and the FIA has been invited to set up an athlete’s commission in the near future to make the recognition permanent.

An FIA statement outlined its commitments which include “ensuring the development of its sports throughout the world” and “contributing to the achievement of the goals set out in the Olympic Charter, particularly in relation to the on-going development of Olympic values and Olympic education.”

.FIA President Jean Todt will be sending a letter to the 129 national sporting club members of the FIA, inviting them to respect and share the values of the Olympic movement. The 65 year old has welcomed the news and believes the two organisations share many of the same values.

“I am delighted the FIA is now part of the Olympic family as this is a confirmation of the strength of our sporting credentials as well as a recognition of the values of Respect, Excellence and Friendship which we actively share with the Olympic movement.”

Ginetta

British manufacturer Ginetta have become the official title sponsor of The Celebrity Karting Challenge, which takes place at the Autosport International Show tomorrow (12^th January)

The annual kart race is organised in honour of Race2Recovery, a national charity which aims to rehabilitate injured British servicemen and women by supporting wounded soliders in a series of motorsport events.

The deal was facilitated by the Managing Director of Race Drivers Inc. Baz Scott, who said: “It’s absolutely fantastic news, the support offered by one of the UK’s best loved motorsport names Ginetta, provides a synergy that would have been hard to match anywhere else.”

Head of Ginetta Sales Mike Simpson commented: “Ginetta sponsoring the Celebrity Karting Challenge is a perfect synergy.  80% of the drivers that make up the Ginetta Junior grid have progressed from Karting.  We make sure we keep a close eye on future Ginetta stars that may rise through Karting and were the proud title sponsors of the 2011 Super 1 Karting Series”

The Ginetta Celebrity Karting Challenge will see twenty teams, each consisting of four celebrities and two members of the public, competing in a 1.5 hour endurance race, beamed live across Europe by MotorsTV. Confirmed entrants include David Brabham, Andy Priaulx and Gordon Shedden, while Ginetta themselves will have two teams, including Ginetta Chairman Lawrence Tomlinson, Ginetta Supercup champion Adam Morgan and BTCC racer Andrew Jordan.

Main organiser Bill Williams of Racing4Charity added: “Events like this rely on the generosity and support of the industry. To have a name like Ginetta associated with the event means that this year’s charity, Race2Recovery, will not only leave with great memories, but also a decent amount of cash to continue their endeavours.”

In 2011 Autosport International saw Renault launch their new F1 livery

Over 30,000 trade visitors from 50 countries are expected to visit this year’s Autosport International Show (January 12-15). The show, at Birmingham’s NEC is Europe’s largest motorsport trade exhibition.

As well as guest appearances on the show’s main stage Autosport International will also play host to announcements and unveilings from some of the biggest businesses in motorsport.

Paul, Lord Drayson – the former Science at Technology Minister, and keen racer – will open the show before his own company, Drayson Racing Technologies, unveils its all-electric race car the Lola-Drayson B12/69EV to the public. The car will be on display throughout the four day show after its initial launch at the Motorsport Industry Association (MIA) International Low Carbon Racing Conference, held at the NEC the day before Autosport International opens.

A myriad of component manufacturers will be present at the show with several debuting new products and expanded ranges at the show.

Transmission specialists Quaife Engineering will show off two new products at the show – a heavy duty six-speed sequential gearbox designed for high-powered cars both on and off the race track, and a front differential that comes with a lifetime guarantee – even for race use.

“Autosport International is always a key part of our strategy,” explained Sharon Quaife-Hobbs, Director of Quaife Engineering. “There are lots of networking opportunities, so the show is a perfect chance for us to generate new relationships and develop new business. The show has been a major event for us at Quaife for a number of years now; I can’t imagine starting the year any other way.”

Away from the important trade role the show plays in Britain’s multi-billion pound motorsport industry, the public days of the show will include interviews with Force India F1 driver Paul Di Resta and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.

BTCC star Jason Plato will host the show in the Live Action Arena, played out on the UK’s largest indoor tri-oval course and featuring – among race cars representing a spectrum of disciplines – the first public appearance of United Autosports’ GT3 McLaren MP4-12C.

A ticket to Autosport International also includes entry to The Performance Car Show powered by PistonHeads.com, the exhibition dedicated to road cars.

Public tickets for January 14-15 are available from £30 for adults and £19.50 for children aged five and over. . For more information call 0844 581 1420 or visit www.autosportinternational.com.

Caterham's Drift Arena at the 2011 Autosport International Show

Caterham will again be providing thrill and spills for visitors to Autosport International at the Birmingham NEC on January 12-15.

Taking centre stage among the brand’s involvement is a custom built indoor drift course that – over the four days of Europe’s biggest motorsport show – will give thousands the chance to sample the power and control of a Caterham from the passenger seat alongside a professional driver in Hall 4 of the exhibition.

As well as the noise and speed of the drifting several cars from Caterham’s growing range will be on static display. These include the famous Seven as well as the SP/300.R sports prototype that was launched twelve months ago at the 2011 show.

A Caterham branded F1 car will also be on display.

“Having nearly our full ‘family’ of race cars come together like this is very exciting for us,” said James Drake, Caterham Cars’ Marketing Manager. “Only the GP2 car is missing but we’ve so much going on at the stand and at the live action arena that we just couldn’t pack it all in.”

“I’m sure that any motorsport fan will be impressed by the growing line-up of Caterham vehicles but Caterham has always been about much more than ‘cars on carpet’ and our live action arena will bring all of that motorsport prowess to life for visitors.”

As well as increased involvement in the highest echelons of racing the company will announce a new grass roots racing program at the show.

Gemma Scott at MotorSportUK

The Checkered Flag caught up with television presenter Gemma Scott at the National Motorsport Show in Coventry to get her views on the show and also to find out about her own racing exploits.

The National Motorsport Show was created as an affordable, relevant show for people with a passion for national British motorsport, covering all national racing disciplines, with trackday and race series organisers, suppliers, race shops and car clubs represented.  Scott, who has previously presented coverage of the Mini Challenge and Lotus Cup, believes the show is vital for national motorsport in the UK.

Scott was at the show to host Motors TV coverage of it alongside former WRC host Neil Cole, while also conducting interviews with the stars of national motorsport on the live stage. As well as this, she used the show as an opportunity to catch up with old friends and find out the latest news.

Scott commented: “I think for club racing, this show is crucial. It gives people who are new to racing the chance to figure out where to begin, what championships are on offer and what support there is available. It’s nice to be able to get round and see people that you don’t always see during the year, you get everybody under one roof in one place, catch up with people and find out what’s new in the different race programmes.”

After years of presenting Motorsport coverage throughout the UK and the world, Scott has decided to go racing herself and used the show as a chance to see what racing opportunities are available in the UK. Scott hopes to race as much as possible alongside her work commitments, with her currently presenting the powerboat coverage on Sky Sports and the World Series by Renault on ESPN.

Scott said: “At the moment I’m in a Mazda MX5 with Mark Hayles who’s been instructing me. We’re out at MIRA next week, getting some tuition in different conditions. I’d love to race a Lotus Elise, I worked with Lotus for some years and I’d really love to have a go in one of those championships. Obviously my work commitments mean that my weekends are hugely in demand, with the powerboats and the World Series by Renault, but the weekends I have free I’m going to get out there on track.”

Scott has been within Motorsport her whole life, growing up with it in her family. This made her decide to move into the industry when working, with her enjoying a successful career in front of the camera, presenting motorsport coverage for the likes of Channel Five, Eurosport, ESPN, Renault, Lotus, Motors TV and Sky Sports. She has now made the decision to move into racing herself and hopes to get out on track in 2012.

Scott concluded: “I’ve grown up in Motorsport, my Dad was a race director and my brother started karting when he was 14. I remember when I was 10, we came home from Silverstone one weekend and told my Dad I wanted to race bikes, at which point he brought me another pair of ballet shoes and told me to get over it.

“I then went on to race boats, sailing boats, and absolutely loved it, but couldn’t get away from the motor racing. Once I graduated from university, I decided that was my career path and I’ve worked in it ever since.

“Now I’ve reached the age I have, I realised I don’t have to wait for my Dad to say I can or can’t do something, so I’ve decided I’m going to go racing. I love the adrenalin, I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie. I’m happy to jump out of an aeroplane, ski down a mountain or be towed behind a boat, so why not go round in a racing car.”

Silverstone Classic will be one of three events in 2012 to celebrate the MGB

Teaming up with the MG Car Club and MGB50 committee the 2012 Silverstone Classic event has been announced as one of three official events during the year celebrating the 50th anniversary of the MGB, which was launched at the Earls Court Motor Show in 1962.

Silverstone Classic (July 20-22), this year in partnership with The AA, will be the second of the three events that begin with June’s MGLive! And concluding at Blenheim Palace with a static showcase in September.

“It’s shaping up to be a tremendous year for the B,” said MG Car Club General Manager Julian White. “Each of the three events offers MGB owners something different and I know many enthusiasts will be keen to attend all three celebrations. The MG Car Club is based in Abingdon, the spiritual home of the marque, so we know first-hand how much the MGB means to people. So it’s only natural we have big plans for the MGB50 anniversary.”

Produced in Abingdon between 1962 and 1980 models of the MGB included several variants, while the car enjoyed considerable success on the race track including overall or class wins at some of the world’s greatest tracks – Sebring, the Nurburgring and Spa-Francorchamps – as well on the Monte Carlo Rally.

In 2011 Silverstone Classic was the venue for a celebration the golden anniversary for another iconic British sportscar. More than 1,000 Jaguar E-Types were on display in the infield of the Grand Prix track.

The event has become the world’s biggest classic motorsports festival with 800 cars taking part in the races during the weekend and thousands of classic cars on show from a variety of owners’ clubs.

“We are very proud to welcome the MGB50 celebration to the Silverstone Classic,” said Silverstone Classic event director Nick Wigley. “The ‘B’ is at the heart of the classic car movement in the UK and, as part of this trilogy of special events, we look forward to giving owners a great rocking and racing experience. This is a fantastic era for celebrating golden milestones in the British sportscar industry – last year the Silverstone Classic honoured the 50th birthday of the E-type with a Guinness World Record; this year we will be paying homage to 50 years of the remarkable MGB.”

For more information on the event, including details of the Early Bird ticket offer go to silverstoneclassic.com.

Nine winners of 2011, and tributes to two who lost their lives aiming to join them

Peter Allen

Huff beats Muller in Porto
Rob Huff chases down and catches Chevy teammate Yvan Muller, pulling alongside and past the Frenchman into one of the tight Portuguese street track’s chicanes. Huff attempts to turn in ahead, but there is contact. Huff goes across the inside of the chicane and keeps the lead to score his sixth win of the year. The momentum certainly seemed to be with Huff at the halfway point, but Muller would come back from this incident bigger and better to overhaul the Brit and win a third world title.

Rob Huff beat Yvan Muller in Porto (among other places) but still lost the title.

David Bean

Sky’s F1 deal
From a personal view there was the excitement of Nick Heidfeld’s car catching fire and exploding in front of us in the Hungarian Grand Prix, and the mix of exhaustion and contentment that I felt as the top three Britcar 24 Hours runners came to a stop beside me under the Silverstone podium, signalling the end of a busy 24 hours of reporting for this site. From a wider perspective, however, the moment someone from Sky Sports put their signature on a contract to show Formula 1 is one of the most significant of the year. This deal marks a radical change in how the sport is transmitted to some of its most dedicated fans, and it could have huge implications for the future of F1.

Josh Bell

Alonso’s start at Monza
There have been many in 2012, some sadly more disconcerting. The standout moment that provided me with the most emotion was Fernando Alonso‘s extraordinary start at his home Grand Prix, storming to the front of the field from fourth on the grid in the Ferrari. I was stunned in disbelief, a moment perhaps written in the storms. It was a brief, yet brilliant, high point in the race for Fernando but it was incredible nonetheless.

Jason Plato's Chevrolet Cruze before, and after, the RML run team's miraculous resurrection

James Broomhead

Moment Of The Year – RML’s Donington Rebuild
Jason Plato has just barrel rolled out of the second BTCC race at Donington Park, he physically and mentally battered by the accident at the thought of ending his weekend a race early and facing not scoring on an unhappy weekend. Cue a miraculous rebuild from the Silverline Chevrolet team in time for a superlative recovery drive almost forgotten during the rest of the season. Every possible panel on the car was replaced, a new aerial taped to the door, the entire team involved, including Plato’s father polishing the buckled roof. Enough cannot be said for the team, you wonder how many teams would even contemplate attempting the task.

Andy Champness

Moment Of The Year – Tom Boardman’s “Great” Silverstone
Moving away from Australian V8 Supercars to British Touring Cars, my moment of the year was provided by Special Tuning Racing’s Tom Boardman (and not just because I help out with their PR!) Most of you will be thinking I’m going to say the win at Knockhill, but it was actually the final two races at Silverstone. After his move on Plato at Knockhill, Tom got a bit of needless grief, so to watch him storm through to finish race two in sixth after starting from 23rd and then finishing the final race in third on his own merit was special. Tom was ecstatic afterwards, telling me: “That has to be one of the best races I’ve had all season! I know my win at Knockhill was good, but that felt great!” It was a poignant moment, knowing how hard the team had worked to get the cars fighting at the front and for Tom to show he can genuinely cut it with the best of them.

Tom Boardman took a maiden BTCC win at Knockhill, but it's his performance at the season finale that is Andy Champness' moment of the year

Mark Foley

British Formula 3 Paul Ricard, Final Corner, Final Lap
An edgy, race-long tussle between key championships contenders, Felipe Nasr and Kevin Magnussen, apparently wasn’t interesting enough for feisty Portuguese series-hopper Antonio Felix Da Costa, who made his presence felt throughout his guest appearance at the Paul Ricard weekend from the first corner to the last…Magnussen, Da Costa and Nasr ran nose-to-tail throughout, with a resilient Magnussen looking set to hold off strong opposition and claim a much needed win for his stuttering championship campaign. But, with the chequered flag in sight, an all-too-late lunge at the last corner from Da Costa saw the young Dane flicked off the circuit, allowing Nasr through to take yet another win. It not only sent pulses racing, but also managed to define each protagonist’s season in some respects – Da Costa’s wild racecraft, Nasr’s consistency and Magnussen’s awful luck.

Chris Gurton

Mark Webber’s pass at Eau Rouge
I’ve been fortunate enough to witness and be part of a number of great moments over the past year within motorsport and will have many stories to tell my grandchildren. But one moment that I couldn’t let pass without mentioning was a real breathtaking moment which sums up just what it takes to be a great racing driver. I am of course talking about Mark Webber’s stunning overtake on Fernando Alonso during the Belgian Grand Prix. Having got a better exit from La Source, Webber was gaining on the Spaniard down the hill towards Eau Rouge tucked into the slip stream. Assuming he would wait for the run up to Les Combes and the DRS Zone to make his move, remarkably we witnessed Webber pull out and pass the Ferrari round the outside and through Eau Rouge in a move which would normally end in tears. It was a remarkable manoeuvre and one that many would never even consider but was executed with skill and precision by the Aussie.

Leigh O’Gorman

Dan Wheldon’s fatal crash
Sadly, this has to go to the death of Dan Wheldon – the ramifications of which may be felt in motor racing for years to come. Since the crash, noises for better cockpit protection for single-seater’s have grown louder, while IndyCar’s days at high-banked ovals may be numbered. With IndyCar struggling for ovals, Wheldon’s death – amongst all the pointless greed and bickering of the owners and organisers – may finally be what defines the future of IndyCar. That Wheldon was about to move to a new chapter as the driver of Andretti-Autosport’s Go Daddy car makes it all the more tragic. A true superstar was lost.

Whether be the future of open-wheel oval racing, or the closed cockpit concept the death of Dan Wheldon will be felt by the Indycar fraternity and beyond for years to come

Simon Paice

Teammates get it wrong
There are two moments that stand out for me, both being incidents that stunned me into silence when team-mates got it wrong on track. First was the Honda Racing mix-up at Oulton Park in the BTCC, when Matt Neal made a last lap, final corner lunge at Gordon Shedden and resulted in putting them both through the gravel, cueing shocked faces from everyone watching.

The other was in the Formula Renault BARC opener at Croft, when the Fortec Motorsport team had a disaster. Braking for the first corner on the opening lap, contact between three of the Fortec cars resulted in its two title contenders, Josh Webster and Archie Hamilton, ending their races in the gravel, to the disbelief of those in attendance. This proved decisive in Webster narrowly missing out on the title.

Vince Pettit

Seeing Liam Doran take X Games Gold was a definite highlight of my year. I’ve been a fan of the X Games for some years and the recent addition of Rallycross has been excellent. Seeing Liam Doran work his way through the heats to face a head to head with rally legend Marcus Gronholm was amazing. Who would have thought a British driver in Downtown Los Angeles could cause such an upset on his X Games debut.

Liam Doran flew to X-Games glory, defeating Marcus Gronholm in the LA final

Louis Suddaby

Faubel and Zarco’s Dead Heat in Germany
Even now, I look at the photo finish from that day and still can’t believe what I’m seeing! The 125cc class is no stranger to close finishes but this was incredible. Never in the history of Grand Prix motorcycle racing had we seen a dead heat and the winner decided by a tiebreak. The fastest lap of the race swung it Faubel’s way. On four wheels, the Honda implosion at the final corner at Oulton Park stands out as a jaw dropping moment from the BTCC while Jenson Button’s last lap win in Canada also had me shouting at the telly!

TCF's two-wheel regular Louis Suddaby on the end of the 125cc race in Germany "I look at the photo finish from that day and still can’t believe what I’m seeing!"

Scott Wilkes

0.006s.
It’s difficult to describe just how epic the final two laps of the British Superbike Championship were. As Shane Byrne ran away with the victory in the final race at Brands Hatch, the title contenders were locked in a titanic duel for second. As the laps counted down to the penultimate tour, John Hopkins and Tommy Hill. After swapping positions at practically every corner, it came down to a sprint for the line out of the final corner. In the end, Tommy Hill walked away from Brands with the British title, and the honour of being part of two of the greatest laps of racing ever witnessed.

TCF available on your Kindle

theCheckeredFlag.co.uk is proud to announce you can now read our articles on the Kindle.

We all know someone who has one or who was given one by Santa this year so we decided to make our content available to Kindle users.

All you have to do is head to the store on your Kindle and search for theCheckeredFlag.co.uk (make sure it’s the full name – e.g. no spaces) in the blog section. Once you have tracked us down you will be able to subscribe to us and get the latest news delivered directly to your Kindle.

TCF Editor-in-Chief Vince Pettit said: “We are always looking for new ways for people to view our articles and the Kindle seems like the ideal platform for people who maybe don’t want to be stuck in front of a computer reading.”

We will be looking in to dedicated editions of TCF for Kindle so if you are a two wheeled fan you will only get the latest motorcycle news but for now we would like to hear your thoughts on the latest way to receive our articles.

Autosport International - Live Action Arena

The world’s greatest motorsport show, Autosport International, kicks off the 2012 motorsport season at the Birmingham NEC, UK, on 14-15 January, and we’re offering three lucky readers the chance to win a pair of tickets.

This must-attend event features spectacular live racing, multi-million pound racecar displays and exclusive celebrity appearances: F1 television presenters Jake Humphrey and David Coulthard and Force India racer Paul Di Resta are among the high profile names that have already been confirmed for next year’s show!

Enjoy the sound of revving engines and squealing tyres at Autosport International’s Live Action Arena, the UK’s largest indoor race track, where performance cars carry out wheel-to-wheel racing, daredevil demonstrations and record-breaking stunts. You can also experience the adrenaline rush first-hand, with Caterham drift passenger rides and karting challenges on offer.

Plus, you can take a closer look at mouth-watering machinery from the most famous marques in the business, as Autosport International comprises of nine halls packed with classic and contemporary racing cars. Make sure you visit the F1 Racing Grid and Autosport International’s dedicated Performance Car Show: Powered by PistonHeads.com.

New personalities and features will be joining the Autosport International line-up between now and January, so make sure you keep up to speed on the latest developments at www.autosportinternational.com or via twitter @autosport_show.

Tickets for Autosport International cost £30 for adults and £19.50 for children aged five and over, for more information call +44 (0)844 581 1420 or visit the Autosport International website.

To be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets to Autosport International tell us which BBC presenter will be attending Autosport International 2012?

The start of the 2011 British Grand Prix at Silverstone (Photo Credit: Silverstone Circuits)

Silverstone Circuit’s latest planning application, which supports the venue’s 20 year Masterplan, has been approved by both Aylesbury Vale District Council and South Northamptonshire Council. The approval marks the next step towards the long-term future of the circuit, which is owned by the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC).

It’s hoped the development will attract firms and activities to the site and create around 8,400 permanent jobs, as well as 550 construction jobs through the development phase. The approval of the masterplan conforms with the Silverstone Development Brief, which was issued in February 2009.

It comprises a Business Park, Technology Park, Education Campus, Three Hotels, Ancillary Retail and Spectator Facilities, including a Welcome Centre and Museum of Motorsport, improved leisure and event spaces, including a kart track and outdoor stage and other ancillary development, including landscape works, grandstands, support paddock, a bridge, a tunnel and a new access point.

Richard Phillips, Managing Director of Silverstone Holdings Ltd, said: “We are delighted with the outcome and approval of this planning application – this is the most important initiative that Silverstone has taken in its 60 year history as the Home of British Motor Racing. This planning will help maintain Silverstone’s position as a leading global centre for sport, leisure, education and technology and retain its position as a world-leading motor sport destination. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank both Aylesbury Vale and South Northamptonshire Councils, for the way in which the two planning authorities have worked together on this application.”

Councillor Mary Clarke, Leader of South Northamptonshire Council, said: “Approval of this Masterplan, which secures major international investment in the future of Silverstone Circuit, is a key strategic decision for this country. Development around Silverstone race circuit will now continue at-a-pace, despite the continued economic downturn. Having Silverstone circuit within South Northamptonshire is a source of great pride for us and this is fantastic news for the economy, not just for South Northamptonshire but regionally and nationally. The investment in the high-technology sites, as part of the overall development, will also provide opportunities for secondary suppliers and other companies located in the district to benefit from this emerging centre of engineering excellence.”

Under 2-litre Touring Cars at Silverstone Classic 2011 (Photo Credit: Silverstone Classic)

After attracting 80,000 visitors over three days in 2011 plans are already in place to make the 2012 Silverstone Classic another recording breaking year for the world’s largest classic racing event.

Leading the records set by the 2011 event was the 767 Jaguar E-types that paraded around the track as part of the massive celebration of the iconic sportscar’s 50th anniversary. 2012 contains some more milestones to honour.

The MGB, Triumph Spitfire, AC Cobra, Ford Cortina and TVR Car Club all turn 50, and the Ferrari F40 turns a quarter century. All will be found among 120 car clubs and 7,000 vehicles that will fill the infield of the Northamptonshire track.

On track spectators can expect the same mix of historic machinery representing several different disciplines of racing. The Historic Formula Juniors and Under 2-litre Touring Cars are already confirmed to return to the vent after proving highlights of 2011, the Formula Junior races in particular living long in the memory for the terrific duel for the lead throughout both of the races held over the weekend.

A full line of series set to share Silverstone – both the old and new ‘Wing’ paddock will be filled with more than 1000 racecars – is still to be confirmed but F1 cars from the dawn of the front-engined cars to the DFV Cosworth dominated 1980s are likely to join machines from the definitive eras of racing at the Circuit de la Sarthe.

The celebrity race continues to be a fixture, raising money for charity.

The event continues to trade on its Rocking and Racing reputation, with live music filling the air once the racing engines have fallen silent. Adam Ant and Mike and the Mechanics are signed to headline the off track entertainment with a full range of camping – and ‘glamping’ options available including the Snoozebox accommodation – offering a proper double bed, shower, free Wi-fi and flat screen TV all in air conditioned unit.

Early bird ticket prices for the entire three days are available at £80. Saturday and Sunday tickets are available at £40 for each day, or £70 combined. Children’s tickets for the full three days are just £10.

“Our special multi-day tickets and hugely popular ‘access all areas’ policy offers exceptional value for money,” said event director Nick Wigley. “Tickets not only provide free access to car parking, grandstand seats, air displays, fun fair and both Silverstone paddocks allowing festival goers to rub shoulders with drivers and see the amazing collection of classic competition cars up close, but they also include admission to all the live music concerts in the evenings. Taking that into account it’s no surprise that so many more of those coming to the Silverstone Classic are adopting a Glastonbury-style approach and staying for the full three-day rocking and racing experience.”

For more information on the event visit www.silverstoneclass.com.

Sir Stirling Moss and Jake Humphrey At The 2011 BRDC Awards

The British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) celebrated the best of British motorsport in 2011 with its annual awards ceremony today. The lunch, hosted by Jake Humphrey, saw some of the biggest names in the sport collect awards, including Rob Huff, Jason Plato, Paul Di Resta and Dario Franchitti.

The BRDC’s premier annual award, the BRDC Gold Star, was awarded to Huff after his sensational season in the WTCC in which he finished runner up. It was a double swoop for touring cars, with BRDC Director Plato picking up the domestic equivalent, the BRDC Silver Star.

Damon Hill, who stepped down earlier this year as BRDC President, was recognised for his exceptional contribution to the BRDC with a BRDC Gold Medal, awarded to him by current president Derek Warwick. Di Resta received the Fairfield Trophy for exceptional performance by a BRDC member after his superb rookie Formula 1 season, while Jenson Button picked up the John Cobb Trophy for his successes of outstanding character.

Red Bull Racing’s achievements in 2011 were recognised, with Christian Horner picking up the Colin Chapman Trophy, a special trophy for someone who has shown great team spirit, while Adrian Newey collected the Sir Jackie Stewart Award for a motorsport engineer who has shown brilliance during the year, his third consecutive win of the award.

Franchitti was rewarded for his fourth IndyCar Championship in 2011 with the Graham Hill Trophy for the most meritorious performance in single seater racing. Franchitti was back on stage a second time to award the most poignant award of the afternoon, the Earl Howe Trophy. Annually awarded to the highest placed British driver in the Indy 500, it was awarded to the late Dan Wheldon who had won the race before his death, with his sister-in-law Jo Wheldon collecting it in his honour.

Another emotional moment came when John Surtees presented the Henry Surtees Award to Formula Ford champion Scott Malvern, the award recognising the most outstanding performance by a BRDC Rising Star. This marked John’s first attendance to the BRDC awards since the accolade was introduced in honour of his son who passed away in 2009.

Endurance racing was recognised with a variety of awards. Anthony Davidson picked up the ACO Award, presented to the highest placed British finishers at the Le Mans 24 Hours race, while Tom Kimber-Smith collected the Woolf Barnato Trophy as the highest-placed British driver in a British car at Le Mans.

Other notable award winners include Fernando Alonso, who took the Johnny Wakefield Trophy for setting the fastest lap of the season on the Silverstone GP circuit, Mike Conway, who won the Innes Ireland Trophy for displaying qualities of courage and sportsmanship, and William Buller, who was awarded the Spencer-Charrington Trophy for being the highest placed British driver in the British F3 championship.

2011 BRDC ANNUAL AWARD WINNERS

BRDC GOLD STAR – ROB HUFF

First presented in 1929. The BRDC Gold Star is the Club’s premier annual award. It recognises the strongest performance of the year by a Member in International motor sport. Points are awarded according to a set formula.

BRDC SILVER STAR – JASON PLATO

The domestic equivalent of the BRDC Gold Star.

BRDC GOLD MEDAL – DAMON HILL OBE

The BRDC’s highest recognition of achievement in, and contribution to, the Club and the sport of motor racing.

THE BRUCE McLAREN TROPHY – ROBERT WICKENS

Awarded to the Commonwealth driver who has established the most meritorious performances in international motor racing.

THE CHRIS BRISTOW TROPHY – OLIVER ROWLAND                  

Awarded to the winner of the BRDC McLaren AUTOSPORT Young Driver of the Year Award.

THE COLIN CHAPMAN TROPHY – CHRISTIAN HORNER

A BRDC Special Award presented to an individual who has shown great team spirit, be it a driver, team owner, engineer or similar.

THE EARL HOWE TROPHY – DAN WHELDON

Awarded to the highest placed British driver in the Indy 500 race, or to the British driver who has established the most meritorious performance of the year in North America.

THE ERA CLUB TROPHY – GUY SMITH

Awarded to the British driver who, driving a British car, established the most meritorious performance of the year outside the UK.

THE FAIRFIELD TROPHY – PAUL DI RESTA 

Awarded for an outstanding performance by a BRDC Member.

THE GRAHAM HILL TROPHY – DARIO FRANCHITTI

Awarded to the British driver for the most meritorious performance in single-seater racing.

THE INNES IRELAND TROPHY – MIKE CONWAY

Awarded to the driver who best displayed the qualities of courage and sportsmanship epitomized by the late Innes Ireland.

THE JOHN COBB TROPHY – JENSON BUTTON MBE

Awarded to a British driver, driving a British car, who has achieved success or successes of outstanding character.

THE JOHNNY WAKEFIELD TROPHY – FERNANDO ALONSO

Awarded to the driver setting the fastest race lap of the season on the Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit.

THE NIGEL MOORES TROPHY – GREAVES MOTORSPORT

Awarded to the private entrant who has established the most meritorious performance(s) in international motor racing.

THE RICHARD SEAMAN TROPHY – ROB HUFF

Awarded to the winner of the Gold Star points scoring system.

THE SILVERSTONE-LE MANS CHALLENGE – MARCEL FÄSSLER, SÉBASTIEN BOURDAIS & SIMON PAGENAUD

Awarded to the driver(s) who achieved the highest combined finishing record in combined results of the Silverstone LMS race and the Le Mans 24-Hour Race.

THE SIR JACKIE STEWART AWARD – ADRIAN NEWEY

Awarded to a motor sport engineer who has shown brilliance during the course of the season.

THE SPENCER-CHARRINGTON TROPHY – WILLIAM BULLER

Awarded to the highest-placed British driver in the British F3 Championship.

THE WOOLF BARNATO TROPHY – TOM KIMBER-SMITH

Awarded to the highest-placed finishing British and/or Commonwealth Driver, in a British car, in the Le Mans 24-Hour Race.

THE ACO AWARD – ANTHONY DAVIDSON

Presented on behalf of our friends at the ACO, the award is presented to the highest-placed British driver finishing the Le Mans 24-Hour Race.

THE HENRY SURTEES AWARD – SCOTT MALVERN 

Awarded annually for the most outstanding performance by a Rising Star. 

Alain Prost Driving the Dacia Lodgy Glace At The Trophee Andros

The Dacia Lodgy Glace enjoyed podium success on its first competitive outing in the hands of Evens Sievenart at Val Thorens in the opening rounds of the 2011/2012 Trophée Andros. In complex conditions, Team Dacia’s latest car performed well in the hands of Sievenart, Alain Prost and Nicolas Prost.

Alain and Evens headed into the event in the French Alps hoping to produce a competitive performance in the new car, while rookie Nicolas looked to get into a rhythm. It started well with Alain getting the fastest time in Saturday morning free practice, before Evens went second in the first qualifying heat, with Alain eighth.

Conditions worsened for the second qualifying heat, with the combined results of the two heats leaving Evens third, Alain tenth and Nicolas 25^th. In the races, Alain started fifth and battled up to third at the flag, while Nicolas battled through to the finish despite a tyre coming off its rim. Evens meanwhile went on to win his race, which added to his qualifying heats performances consolidated his position for third for the day, with Alain ending up ninth overall and Nicolas 23^rd.

Evens Stievenart said: “It was great to get the year started with a podium finish and victory in my race. I don’t compete during the summer and I always need time to adapt to be able to post three consistent laps, so I was pleased with today’s run. I feel very comfortable at the wheel of Dacia Lodgy Glace, but the conditions weren’t easy. I was a little lucky to win today, and I think Alain was less fortunate.”

Alain Prost commented: “Dacia Lodgy Glace is a well-sorted car, and you could see that from my best time in free practice. The track conditions were complex today, with ruts, asphalt and bumps. They combined to make the car very unstable. It was a bit of a lottery. Evens’ podium finish is a very positive result which proves the benefit of running two cars.”

Nicolas Prost added: “I learnt a great deal today. I only managed to complete 15 or so laps on ice in this four-wheel steering car, but it was all good experience. The aim is to push more and more each time out. I think I have already progressed a notch between my first run on Friday evening and today’s finale. I know it’s going to be hard work, and I intend to take things one step at a time.”

With confidence high, the team headed into day two hoping for more success and were greeted by a slight covering of snow. Following his top three finish the previous day, Evens was forced to carry 20kg of ballast. The first qualifying heat saw the track conditions evolve quickly, with Evens bagging fourth place. A tyre gamble for Alain didn’t pay off, leaving him thirteenth, while Nicolas continued to familiarise himself with the car.

The second qualifying session saw Alain end up with the third best time, which added to his result in the later race, saw him conclude the day in fifth place. Evens enjoyed a competitive day to end up sixth, while Nicolas went on to win his final race after a daring passing manoeuvre, leaving him 19^th overall for the day.

Evens emerged from the weekend in third place in the championship standings, with Alain eighth and Nicolas 21^st. The action continues next week in Andorra.

Alain Prost said: “I had a good chance of winning the second qualifying heat but my chances took a blow on my last lap. The tenths of a second I lost were enough to drop me from first to third place. We showed that we will be able to fight for the title and Dacia has already claimed a podium finish. The car clearly has potential. The level is very high and it’s a shame that we didn’t come away with more points than we did, but there’s a long way to go before the end of the season.”

Evens Stievenart commented: “I continued to drive as though I was on ice today, but a racing driving style would have been more appropriate. That’s a lesson for the future. The positives are that I’ve scored points and been able to get an idea of Dacia Lodgy Glace’s potential. I am third in the provisional Trophée Andros standings, so that’s satisfying. We will work as a team to ensure that Alain Prost catches up with the leaders to challenge for what promises to be an extremely competitive championship.”

Nicolas Prost added: “The conditions were different today. There was more exposed asphalt and fewer ruts. That suited me better because the car jumped about less. I learnt so much this weekend. I now need to take a close look at all the data we collected in order to up my game in Andorra next weekend. It was great for morale to win my final.”

Provisional Trophée Andros standings:

1, Olivier Panis (Skoda Fabia), 150 points

2, Jean-Philippe Dayraut (Mini Countryman), 147

3, Evens Stievenart (Dacia Lodgy Glace), 144

8, Alain Prost (Dacia Lodgy Glace), 136

21, Nicolas Prost (Dacia Lodgy Glace), 91

Autosport Awards

Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button and Paul Di Resta were amongst the winners during the 2011 Autosport Awards, which took place at London’s Grosvenor House in association with Castrol Edge 

Red Bull’s Vettel rushed back from the Race of Champions event in Germany to make the awards and his journey was made worthwhile when he picked up the International Racing Driver of the Year award for a second year running, in recognition of his superb title winning Formula One campaign. The car that took Vettel to the title, the Red Bull RB7, won the Racing Car of the Year award, Red Bull’s second consecutive win of the award.

The British Competition Driver of the Year award went to Formula One star Button after a great year in which he took three wins on his way to second in the championship. Di Resta meanwhile beat the likes of Trevor Bayne, JR Hildebrand and Sergio Perez to win the Rookie of the Year award after a strong debut season in Formula One, which saw him pick up eight points finishes on his way to  thirteenth in the championship standings.

The International Rally Driver of the Year award once again went to Sebastien Loeb, the sixth time he’s taken the award, in recognition of his incredible year which saw him take his eighth WRC title. For the first time in four years, Citroen missed out on the Rally Car of the Year award, with the Mini John Cooper Works WRC picking up the award after a strong maiden season which produced two podium finishes.

Matt Neal took the National Driver of the Year award after picking up his third British Touring Car Championship crown this year, while Alex Lynn won the British Club Driver of the Year after a sensational season in which he dominated the Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship. Oliver Rowland picked up the big award of the night, the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award.

The awards paid tribute to Dan Wheldon, who passed away in October. The double Indy 500 winner was awarded a Gregor Grant Award for lifetime achievement in motorsport, which was collected by his father Clive Wheldon and friend Dario Franchitti. Also picking up a Gregor Grant Award was 1996 F1 World Champion Damon Hill, for his superb achievements in the sport and his contribution towards securing the future of the British Grand Prix as former BRDC President.

Other special awards given out on the night included the John Bolster Award for Technical Excellence, which was collected by Gian Paolo Dallara for his Dallara outfit, in recognition of their achievements in motorsport. The Pioneering and Innovation award went to the team behind the SENNA film, while Laura Coppin also received an award in recognition for her long time work organising of the awards.

Beaten finalist Tom Kristensen and winner Sebastien Ogier - Photo Credit: Race of Champions

Sebastien Ogier blew away the competition to win the Race of Champions at his first attempt in Dusseldorf.

The World Rally Championship ace destroyed Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen in the best of three final, first beating the Dane in the RoC buggies and then again in Audi R8 LMS cars.

“I’m so happy,” said Ogier. “It was a very nice weekend and it was already great to be in the final at my first time. There are a lot of cars to learn here and the track as well. But I didn’t do too badly and I pushed hard all the way. Tom is a really good driver but to win this race is amazing.”

It became clear early in the afternoon that the event would see a first-time winner, after both 2010 champion and Filipe Albuquerque and multiple RoC winner Mattias Ekstrom crashed out in the group stages.

Albquerque lost out in Group A to Brits Andy Priaulx and David Coulthard who progressed to the knockout stages – with X Games superstar Travis Pastrana joining Albuquerque on the sidelines.

Ekstrom lost out in Group B, where he could only win one of his three races. Ekstrom’s DTM teammate at Audi for the past 11 seasons Martin Tomczyk progressed at his expense, the German pilot and Ogier each taking two wins each. Jan Kopecky exited together with Ekstrom, despite the Czech driver gaining bragging rights over Ogier by beating him in the Skoda Fabia S2000s, a car that Ogier will compete in next year following his switch to Volkswagen in the WRC.

In Group C it was Formula 1 champions Michael Schumacher and Jenson Button who progressed as expected, with rally ace Juho Hanninen and US star Brian Deegan being knocked out.

Group D was by far the closest of the lot, with Sebastian Vettel, Kristensen and Romain Grosjean all being tied on two wins each after Kristensen defeated the double F1 champion in the final race in Skodas. Their quickest times would decide who went through, with Kristensen and Vettel’s times in the Skodas being enough to knock the GP2 champion out. Vitaly Petrov finished up bottom of the group, though fortunately for him losing out to Grosjean here is unlikely to have much relevance in their battle over a Lotus F1 seat.

Despite there being three Brits in the quarter-finals, none of them would make it any further. Priaulx succumbed to Ogier in the Volkswagen Sciroccos, Coulthard was beaten by Tomczyk in the Skodas while Button couldn’t compete with Kristensen in the RoC buggies.

The highlight of the quarter-finals though was the battle between Schumacher and Vettel, who had together taken a fifth consecutive Nations Cup win for Germany on Saturday. It would be the veteran who would knock out his younger compatriot to advance to the semis.

The first of the semis saw RoC rookies Ogier and Tomczyk go head-to head in Audi R8s, and it would be the Frenchman who would win out. It was perhaps a significant ending to Tomczyk’s last competitive appearance behind the wheel of an Audi – losing out to new VAG recruit Ogier following the DTM champion’s defection to the returning BMW for 2012.

The other semi-final pitted eight-time Le Mans 24 Hour winner Kristensen against seven-time F1 champion Schumacher in KTM X-Bows. Schumacher looked to have his place in the final wrapped up as the checkered flag was waved, but Kristensen came from behind to beat the German at the line by just 0.0175 seconds.

Despite missing out on the big prize again after coming runner-up in the Nation’s Cup the day before, Kristensen was pleased with his day’s work.

“Sebastien is a very deserved winner,” said Kristensen. “He had the edge on cold tyres, especially in the ROC car. But beating both Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher was a really big achievement for me today, particularly in Germany. It’s almost better than Christmas!”

Vettel leads Hanninen in the final race of the night (Photo Credit: Race of Champions)

Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel continued their irrestible form in the Race of Champions Nations Cup, scoring a fifth consecutive victory for Team Germany in the event in front of the home crowd in the ESPRIT Arena in Dusseldorf.

The starry duo’s course through the earlier stages – the initial group and the semi-final was far from smooth, as rare chinks in their armoured appeared. Schumacher was beaten by Vitaly Petrov in the first heat of the group to give a win to Petrov’s Team Slavic – the Lotus Renault GP driver teamed with Jan Kopecky.

Vettel saw off Kopecky to notch up a first win for the defending champions, before both he and Schumacher won the face-offs against David Coulthard – who jumped the start against Schumacher –  and defending individual ROC champion Filipe Albuquerque, the two combined to form an All-Star team in the Nations Cup event.

Germany’s main rivals in the group stages were the defeated finalists of 2010 – Team GB. Andy Priaulx returned, Jenson Button taking the second seat filled by then BTCC champion Jason Plato a year ago.

Button and Priaulx swept past the Slavic and All-Star combinations to confirm their semi-final place, where the top two from each group would race against each other. The progress of the German and British teams rendered the final two heats of the group dead rubbers – both had already claimed their semi-final spots, but the honour of topping the group remained.

Schumacher pulled the Germans level on four wins with victory over Jenson Button by just sixth tenths in the NASCAR style World Touring Racecars. The cars appearing huge as the snaked around the track – a lap less than 600 metres.

That pitted Vettel against Priaulx in the final group race, and the newly crowned double F1 champion led at half distance by a tenth before Priaulx pulled back the advantage and built his own, eventually beating Vettel by nearly two tenths.

The multiple WTCC champion – who will move into the DTM next season with BMW – was unable to repeat his victory over Vettel in the semi-final stages. Had he done so the German duo would have exited the competition, Button having gained his own revenge for group stage defeat over Schumacher in the first race.

The tie set up a sudden-death race three, the victorious drivers lining up against each other – Button and Vettel. The race – in KTM X-Bows – was close through half distance but a mistake through the opening left hander put button into a spin, gifting Vettel the win and Germany a place in the final.

Considering their fight to reach to the final the climax against Team Nordic fell a little flat. Schumacher dispatched Tom Kristensen with surprising ease, the eight time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner losing out by 1.5 seconds, one of the biggest margins where contact with the barrier was not involved.

It was left to Vettel to confirm victory, outclassing ROC rookie Juho Hanninen in a mildly unfair fight as the race came in the ROC Car – a machine the Finn had not driven in competition earlier in the evening, unlike Vettel.

“It’s special to win five in a row,” said Vettel. “This is a difficult event and a lot of things have to come together. You jump into different cars and it’s easy to lose it so you have to push yourself to the limit. Winning at home makes up for the Nürburgring, which wasn’t my best race of the F1 season! I enjoyed tonight. The fans were incredible, giving us a boost when we came into the stadium and when we crossed the line. In fact the atmosphere felt much better than last year so I hope we can carry this through to tomorrow.”

Until his final defeat Kristensen had been the only driver on the night with a 100% record, helping his Nordic teammate to knock out Team USA and a German B team – Timos Glock and Scheider – in the group stage before beating Team France 2-0 in the semi-finals, Hanninen beating WRC driver Sebastien Ogier in the VW Scirocco.

Hanninen described his first ROC experience; “compared to yesterday’s practice, I had a more confident feeling tonight. Tom was a huge help today, saying just relax and don’t worry, enjoy. I lost my first race, then I won with the Skoda – I think I had to do that! Then we had a nice fight with Ogier in the VW Scirocco. That was probably my best moment today. We didn’t quite make it in the final. When I noticed Seb ahead of me on the first lap, I started to push more and made a mistake. But altogether this is a nice feeling.”

While no-one matched Heikki Kovalainen’s spectacular crash of 2010 the Dusseldorf barriers were not left unscathed. Both Albuquerque and American Travis Pastrana made similar errors, both in the Skoda Fabia IRC car as they tried to cut a quick chicane. Albuquerque got away with slight damage and the customary warning, Pastrana, however, catapulted the car onto two wheels and into the barriers on the other side of the track.

Albuquerque will be hoping for fewer mistakes when he defends his individual Race of Champions.title on the second day of the event.

2012 Race of Champions (Photo Credit: Race of Champions)

The Race of Champions returns for a second year to Dusseldorf’s ESPRIT Arena. As normal a glittering array of drivers representing race series around the world will compete for both The Nations Cup – on Saturday – before being pitted against each other in Sunday’s individual contest.

The format remains the same – two ‘laps’ of a parallel track – with drivers tasting a range of machinery – often far out their normal comfort zone.

Most of the cars return from the 2010 editions, including the Audi R8 LMS, the buggies familiar to past ROC viewers and the KTM X-Bow. Predictably, however, it is the new for 2011 recruit Skoda Fabia S2000 rally car that has the attention of many drivers.

Juho Hanninen and Jan Kopecky – both Skoda drivers in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) are making their ROC debuts this year, and both admit to struggling outside of their four wheel drive charges.

Hanninen said during Friday’s practice sessions; “the Skoda was clearly the best car for me today – all the rest were hard and it was difficult to get the rhythm. At least with the Skoda I was not the slowest! I was just joking with Jan Kopecký about how difficult it will be this weekend. We’re not very familiar with these racing cars so it will at least be a lot of fun for the spectators…” 

Multiple Nations Cup champions Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel reunite as Team Germany’s first team – Timo Glock and DTM driver Timo Scheider forming the home nation’s second team for Saturday’s events.

“It was a great experience last year,” said Schumacher. “The atmosphere was wonderful. Naturally we are looking forward to doing it again. I’ve enjoyed reading the names on the ROC Nations Cup trophy and the target is to add another one. But that’s not the only aim. The problem is that Saturday is so hard – particularly the driving, of course – that by Sunday you are out of energy. Let’s see if it works out better this year.”

Last season the German pair beat British duo Andy Priaulx and Jason Plato in the final. Priaulx returns for 2011, with Jenson Button filling the other seat.

2010’s shock individual ROC champion Filipe Albuquerque returns to defend his title. “When I won the Race Of Champions last year it was fantastic,” said the Portuguese, who will also form half of Team All-Stars in the Nations Cup event. “There were so many big names and to come here for the first time and beat them was just great. After this it was a really hard season in DTM but I’ve improved as a driver and learned a lot. So I hope I will keep up this momentum in the Race Of Champions and do well again this year. I think anyone can win it. The lesson learned from last year is to never underestimate anyone.”

“It’s amazing to see so many fantastic drivers here from a variety of disciplines,” said Race Organiser Fredrik Johnsson. “From F1 to DTM to action sports. This year we have more new drivers than ever so it will be interesting to see how the new boys get on. Last year we saw Filipe Albuquerque come for the first time and beat the Formula 1 World Champion and the World Rally Champion to win the entire event so anything can happen…”  

Full 2011 Race of Champions driver list:

Team Germany
Michael Schumacher
Sebastian Vettel

Team Great Britain
Andy Priaulx
Jenson Button

Team USA
Travis Pastrana
Brian Deegan

Team France
Sebastien Ogier
Romain Grosjean

Team Nordic
Tom Kristensen
Juho Hanninen

Team Slavic
Vitaly Petrov
Jan Kopecky

Team Germany 2
Timo Glock
Timo Scheider

Team All-Stars
Filipe Albuquerque
David Coulthard

Martin Tomczyk and Mattias Ekstrom will not compete in the Nations Cup, but will race in the individual event.

Max Coates Is Amongst Those In Contention For The MSA RSF Award - Photo Credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography

Jody Fannin, Max Coates, David Wagner, Josh Webster and Chris McCarthy have been announced as the drivers in the running for the MSA RSF Young Driver of the Year Award.

The annual award is sponsored by the Racing Steps Foundation and rewards the best-performing student enrolled on the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence run by the Motor Sports Association.

The five drivers in the running will now head to Puretech Racing in Surrey next week to battle it out for the prize. As well as racing each other on simulators, the finalists will have ten minute question and answer sessions with a panel of judges, which will include Derek Walters from the Racing Steps Foundation, Ben Taylor from the MSA and last year’s winner Jake Cook.

The award was set up last year, with its inaugural winner Cook  beating Jack Dex, Louise Richardson, Dan O’Brien and Dilip Singh.

Jenson Button And Michael Schumacher Have Been Pitted Together In The Race Of Champions

The draw has been made for the group stages of the 2011 Race Of Champions, which will take place in Germany next weekend, and has created some fascinating battles, including between Formula 1 World Champions Michael Schumacher and Jenson Button in Group C.

The end of season extravaganza takes place at Düsseldorf’s ESPRIT arena over 3^rd and 4^th December. A draw took place at the stadium to during the week to set up the group stages, with the draw made by ex-F1 racer Heinz-Harald Frentzen and DTM racer Timo Scheider.

Group A sees reigning champion Filipe Albuquerque up for a tough start as he aims to defend him title, up against multiple WTCC champion Andy Priaulx, F1 legend David Coulthard and flamboyant American Travis Pastrana.

Group B will see DTM rivals Mattias Ekstrom and Martin Tomczyk battle it out, while it also creates an interesting WRC v IRC battle, with Sebastien Ogier and Jan Kopecky completing the group. Group C sees Schumacher and Button joined by American Brian Deegan and rally star Juho Hanninen,

Group D pitches newly crowned double Formula 1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel against Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen, with the group also setting up an interesting duel between Vitaly Petrov and Romain Grosjean, who are both in contention for the same Lotus F1 seat for next season.

Before the main action, the ROC Nations Cup takes place on Saturday. The draw for that has renowned the ancient rivalry of GB versus Germany in Group B, with home heroes Schumacher and Vettel needing to overcome Button and Priaulx if they are to win a fifth consecutive title together.

Race Of Champions (Sunday December 4)

Group A
Filipe ALBUQUERQUE

Andy PRIAULX

 David COULTHARD

Travis PASTRANA

Group B
Mattias EKSTROM

Martin TOMCZYK

Jan KOPECKÝ

Sébastien OGIER

Group C
Michael SCHUMACHER

Jenson BUTTON

Brian DEEGAN

Juho HÄNNINEN

Group D
Sebastian VETTEL

Tom KRISTENSEN

Vitaly PETROV

Romain GROSJEAN

ROC Nations Cup (Saturday December 3)

Group A
Team France (Sébastien OGIER & Romain GROSJEAN)

Team Nordic (Tom KRISTENSEN & Juho HÄNNINEN)

Team USA (Travis PASTRANA & Brian DEEGAN)

Team Germany 2 (Timo GLOCK & Timo SCHEIDER)

Group B
Team Germany (Michael SCHUMACHER & Sebastian VETTEL)

Team Slavic (Vitaly PETROV & Jan KOPECKÝ)

Team Great Britain (Jenson BUTTON & Andy PRIAULX)

Team All Stars (David COULTHARD & Filipe ALBUQUERQUE)

Speaking after the draw, Frentzen said: “Taking a look at the groups I have to say the crowds will definitely see several very interesting duels: F1 stars against rally aces, DTM drivers against sportscar stars. It couldn’t have worked out much better so the spectators can already look forward to a lot of thrilling race action.”

Frentzen will himself take part in a special ROC Legends Cup race on Sunday alongside fellow German F1 veteran Hans-Joachim Stuck plus former European rally champion Marc Duez and 1984 world rally champion Stig Blomqvist.

The drivers will compete in a variety of cars over the weekend, including the Audi R8 LMS, VW Scirocco, Skoda Fabia Super 200 rally car, ROC car, KTM X-Bow, WTCC car and the RX150 buggy.

Juho Hänninen In IRC Action For Skoda

Two of the brightest stars in rallying have become the latest drivers to sign up for the end of season 2011 Race Of Champions event, with Intercontinental Rally Challenge stars Juho Hänninen and Jan Kopecký joining the list of drivers competing in Germany in December.

Skoda works drivers Hänninen and Kopecký have impressive records in recent years, Hänninen winning the IRC in 2010 before combining an IRC campaign with a championship winning season in the Super 2000 class of the World Rally Championship this year. Kopecký meanwhile continued his unlucky streak in the IRC, having finished runner up in the series for the last three years now.

Finnish racer Hänninen will line up alongside Le Mans racer Tom Kristensen for Team Nordic in the ROC Nations Cup, while Kopecký, from the Czech Republic, will line up alongside Rusian Formula 1 racer Vitaly Petrov for Team Slavic, ROC’s first ever Eastern European partnership. Both drivers will then battle it out in the individual event the next day.

Hänninen said: “It’s an honour to be competing at the Race Of Champions. Finland has an impressive ROC record dating all the way back to Juha Kankkunen who won the first event in 1988. I’ve taken three wins in each of the S-WRC and the IRC this year, but I’m the only Finn in the ROC line-up so far – so no pressure then! Hopefully Tom and I have a blend of racing and rally experience that will work well as we try to take the ROC Nations Cup back to our part of the world.”

Kopecký added: “It’s been a strong 2011 for me and this chance to race against the world’s best drivers is the perfect way to cap off the year. I actually used to race touring cars before I switched to rallies so hopefully that can help me with the quick car changes. I’m looking forward to joining up with Vitaly for Team Slavic and I hope we can perform well in the ROC Nations Cup on behalf of Eastern Europe.”

ROC race organiser Fredrik Johnsson said: “The Race Of Champions started as an event for rally drivers before we opened up to other racing series. So we are thrilled to be able to add two more rally experts to our line-up for Düsseldorf. Juho and Jan have both performed well in recent years and they’ll both be tough opponents for anyone who has to race them in December.”

Drivers confirmed for the 2011 Race Of Champions:

• Sebastian VETTEL, 2010 and 2011 Formula 1 World Champion
• Michael SCHUMACHER, seven-time Formula 1 World Champion
• Jenson BUTTON, 2009 Formula 1 World Champion
• Andy PRIAULX, three-time World Touring Car Champion
• Travis PASTRANA, four-time Rally America winner and X-Games legend
• Brian DEEGAN, 13 X-games medals including Rally Cross gold in 2011
• Tom KRISTENSEN, eight-time Le Mans 24-Hour race winner
• Mattias EKSTROM, DTM star and triple ROC Champion of Champions
• David COULTHARD, winner of 13 Formula 1 grands prix
• Sébastien OGIER, winner of five WRC rallies in 2011
• Romain GROSJEAN, 2011 GP2 Series Champion
• Martin TOMCZYK, 2011 DTM Champion
• Vitaly PETROV, Formula 1 driver for Lotus Renault GP
• Timo GLOCK, Formula 1 driver for Marussia Virgin Racing
• Timo SCHEIDER, 2008 and 2009 DTM Champion
• Jan KOPECKÝ, three-time Intercontinental Rally Challenge runner-up
• Juho HÄNNINEN, 2011 S-WRC champion and 2010 IRC champion
• Filipe ALBUQUERQUE, 2010 Race Of Champions Winner

Filipe Albuquerque Winning The 2010 Race Of Champions

The surprise winner of the 2010 Race of Champion’s ‘Champions of Champions’ event Filipe Albuquerque has announced he will be returning to the end of season extravaganza in 2011 to defend his title.

Albuquerque will return to Dusseldorf’s ESPIRIT Arena, the scene of his 2010 victory, hoping to replicate the stunning performance that saw him beat Formula 1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel and World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb on his way to the most unlikely of victories. Albuquerque, who has been competing for Audi in this year’s DTM series, will also pair up with David Coulthard for Team All Stars in the ROC Nations Cup.

Albuquerque said: “Last year’s Race Of Champions was a life-changing moment for me so I’m delighted to be back. From the start I was up against such good drivers – I had to beat Sebastian Vettel twice and in the final Sébastien Loeb was really on it. But I just drove my race, I made no mistakes and everything went so well. I could not have asked for more. Now I know any element of surprise will be gone so I’ll just do my best again. A little mistake can cause you to lose everything in this competition so I’ll just try to stay smooth and see what happens.”

ROC race organiser Fredrik Johnsson said: “Filipe’s achievement in becoming the 2010 Champion of Champions against such a strong field was a true racing fairytale. He thrilled the crowds and I’m delighted he’s since gone from strength to strength. Of course our victor deserves an invitation to defend their title so Filipe will now have the chance to show it was no one-off by beating the world’s best all over again.”

The WTCC Could One Day Head To Wales - Photo Credit: fiawtcc.com

Ambitious plans have been drawn up for a new £200m motor racing circuit in the South Wales valleys, a track which would have the potential to host championship’s such as MotoGP and the World Touring Car Championship.

The plans are for a ‘motorsport centre of excellence’ within a new industrial, commercial and leisure complex. The new circuit would be in Ebbw Vale, which is situated on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park, 25 miles from Cardiff.

The circuit would be comfortably the biggest in Wales and would bring top level national and potentially international motorsport back to the country, with its current biggest circuits Anglesey, Pembrey and Llandow not capable of hosting top level events at the moment.

No planning application has been made yet, but a spokesperson for the project has confirmed they are in discussions with the Welsh government and Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council. Mr Nick Smith, the Labour MP for the area, says it would be a ‘real game-changer’ for the area and believes road connections in the area are good enough and that the complex would be a good source of employment for the area.

David Coulthard Will Compete Once Again In The Race Of Champions

Multiple Formula One grand prix winner David Coulthard has become the latest driver to sign up for the 2011 Race Of Champions at Dusseldorf’s Esprit Arena on December 3^rd/4^th.

Scotsman Coulthard enjoyed a glittering Formula One career, taking thirteen race wins and finishing in the top three of the world championship five times. Since retiring from F1 in 2008, Coulthard has competed in Germany’s DTM championship and now commentates for BBC’s Formula One coverage.

Coulthard returns to the Race Of Champions and will look to continue his successful run in the end of season extravaganza. His best performance came in 2008, where at his home venue, Wembley Stadium in London, Coulthard took rally legend Sebastien Loeb to the third heart of the best-of-three final before narrowly missing out on the win.

Coulthard said: “This will be my sixth appearance at the Race Of Champions. It’s a totally unique event and it’s a pleasure to take part. Every year there is very exciting racing, and for the fans there’s nothing quite like being able to see the whole track. I’ve come pretty close to winning it in the past so I’ll dust off my helmet again and see what happens this time. But win or lose it’s always a bit of fun to end the season.”

ROC race organiser Fredrik Johnsson said: “David has been a regular competitor at the Race Of Champions down the years, and he’s a great character. He’s the kind of person who’s not only quick on the track but also a big hit with the fans, and that’s one of the things that makes the event great. We look forward to watching him prove he can still mix it with the best next month.”

Brian Deegan Celebrates His 2011 X-Games Success

American Brian Deegan has been confirmed as the latest entrant for the 2011 Race of Champions event in Dusselldorf, Germany. The motorcross and off-road great will join fellow action sports legend Travis Pastrana in a unique Team USA line up.

Deegan has made a name for himself in American on two and four wheels, being the only rider to compete at every X-Games, picking up a total thirteen medals, while also enjoy success in cars, winning an X-Games gold medal in Rallycross this year. 

Deegan’s rebel attitude has made him a hugely popular competitor across the pond, especially as the talented racer has overcome many near-death experiences, including several broken bones, a lot kidney and a severe spleen injury. Alongside Pastrana, Team USA are sure to be exciting to watch over December 3^rd and 4^th.

Deegan said: “I’ve heard a lot about the Race Of Champions from Travis down the years so I’m really looking forward to joining him next month. It adds a bit of extra edge to be racing for Team USA in the ROC Nations Cup so we’ll bring a bit of our cowboy attitude and see how we get on. We know we’re up against a mighty field of motor sport specialists but we’ll give everything to come away with a good result.”

ROC race organiser Fredrik Johnsson added: “We could hardly have picked a more exciting line-up for Team USA. We’ve already seen the energy Travis brings to the Race Of Champions so it’s special to have two action sports greats together. Brian will no doubt prove to be just as big a hit with the crowds. And as for backstage and the parties afterwards, we might not know what’s hit us…”

Jamie Whincup (Photo Credit: Team Vodafone)

Jamie Whincup has extended the gap at the top of the V8 Supercar Championship table with a dominant win in today’s opening race of the Falken Tasmania Challenge.

Finishing 8.7 seconds clear of TeamVodafone team-mate and nearest championship rival, Craig Lowndes, the series leader recorded his eighth win of the season and his 50^th championship victory to take a 155-point lead in
the series.

Starting from pole, Whincup was beaten off the line by Orrcon Steel FPR’s Mark Winterbottom, but with Winterbottom suffering mid-corner understeer at turn six, just ten laps later, Whincup seized back the lead. From there on, he was never troubled, smashing the restart and assuming control of the race after a half-distance safety-car period when Greg Murphy’s Pepsi Max Crew Holden lost its rear right wheel on lap 24.

“This is the start of the end, we wanted to come out strong and that’s exactly what’s happened. The car was fantastic and I couldn’t be happier,” said Whincup.

“Frosty got me at the start which was disappointing, but we fought on and both TeamVodafone cars were unbelievably strong today.

“Every race is unbelievably important from here on in and we need to keep doing a good solid job.”

While Whincup cruised to victory, teammate Lowndes spent much of the race battling with Shane Van Gisbergen, until a lock-up on lap 32 while pressuring Will Davison sent the SP Tools Racing Falcon tumbling back down the order.

Davison, who had jumped from fifth to second in the Trading Post FPR Falcon by taking just two tyres in his stop, held Lowndes at bay but lost position with just eight laps to go as Lowndes slipped through at turn six in an identical move to the one Whincup had pulled on Winterbottom earlier in the race.

Starting from 10th, Toll Holden Racing Team’s Garth Tander had made ground in the early stages and he snatched the final podium spot when Winterbottom ran deep at hairpin trying to pass his teammate Davison.

Winterbottom and Davison came home close together in fourth and fifth, while Irwin Racing’s Alex Davison, Shane van Gisbergen, Bundaberg Racing’s Fabian Coulthard, Fujitsu Racing GRM’s Michael Caruso and Toll Holden Team Racing’s James Courtney rounded out the top ten.

A longer 200km race takes place on Sunday after a fresh qualifying session in the morning.

Race 23 results: