Standings: Bjorn Wirdheim 26, Giorgio Pantano and Ricardo Sperafico 16, Enrico Toccacelo 14, Vitantonio Liuzzi 10, Patrick Freisacher 8, Rob Nguyen and Jaroslav Janis 5, Yannick Schroeder 4, Tony Schmidt and Nicolas Kiesa 3 etc

Formula 3000 points distribution

  NASCAR

Johnson's Revenge

Jimmie Johnson couldn't do it last year, but 2003 was different. Winning the first two segments of The Winston in 2002, but unable to win the crucial third segment, Johnson played his cards right this time and ended up well placed for the start of the third segment, taking the lead early on and staying there to win, taking home the one million dollar prize for the winner of The Winston. The Winston event was full of incidents, including a multi-car wreck on the last lap of the second segment of The Winston which left one of the drivers with broken bones. It also saw the first appearance of Steve Park and Jeff Green in their new colours, Park having been dropped by DEI and then signed by RCR, while Green was dropped by RCR and picked up by DEI!

First race of the night was the Winston Open, a race for the 27 cars not qualified for The Winston. The format for the race was a 30 lap event, split into two sections, with the top fourteen after the first 20 laps going through to the final ten green flag laps, the final ten laps taking place after a few laps behind the pace car during which drivers can pit if they want to, with the winner at the end of the ten green flag laps going through to The Winston. Steve Park, now in Childress colours, was on the pole, and got a huge jump at the start. The race was soon under yellow when Mike Wallace subbing for Jerry Nadeau was tapped into a spin by Ken Schrader spun in turn three on lap one, while Park received a stop-go penalty for jumping the start.

The race restarted but was almost immediately under yellow when firstly Brett Bodine squeezed Jeff Green in turns one and two, sending Green and Jeremy Mayfield into a spin. Seconds later Todd Bodine was hard into the inside wall on the backstretch after contact with Tony Raines. The race restarted again on lap 10 with Kenny Wallace and Mike Skinner at the front, Skinner pulling ahead into the lead with Dave Blaney moving up to second. After starting well back, Jeff Burton was in the top five by lap 12, and continued to march forward, moving up to third at the end of the 20 lap segment. Ken Schrader made the next segment by finishing 14th, while Jeff Green led the cars who failed to make the cut. Under the pace car everyone pitted, Jimmy Spencer just beating Jeff Burton off pitlane to lead the field at the restart.

At the restart, Skinner in third got a good start and looked under Spencer into turn one. The resultant three wide running through the turn saw Spencer shot out backwards as Burton passed them both and Skinner drop back a spot too. Dave Blaney was now second and close to Burton, but Burton's car was just too good and he went on to win the Winston Open and gain entry to The Winston.

The Winston field comprised of 24 cars, made up of winners in the 2002 and 2003 Winston Cup seasons, recent The Winston winners and previous Winston Cup champions, with these drivers taking a qualifying run which included a pit stop to determine starting positions, with Jeff Burton, winner of the Winston Open, starting last. The Winston itself was again a three segment race, as in 2002: a 40 lap race with a compulsory four tyre stop under green flag conditions, the top twenty going through to segment two; a 30 lap segment with the top fourteen going through to segment three; and a 20 lap green flag sprint to determine the winner of The Winston. Between each race teams were able to do limited work on their car in a short break between races. Oh, and a poll of NASCAR fans was taken to determine how many places in the final segment would be reversed before it began, the choices being four, six, eight or ten.

Bill Elliott sat on the pole with Tony Stewart alongside, falling back alongside Earnhardt Jr in a battle for third as Elliott was passed by Kevin Harvick for the lead, Stewart taking third place and chased the leaders down, taking second from Elliott as they completed lap five. Lap fourteen saw Stewart finally take the lead from Harvick after lap after lap of trying, as cars began to make their compulsory green flag stops. During this period of pit stops Joe Nemechek had a wild ride as he spun down the frontstretch after getting loose as he exited turn four, resuming without any damage apart from flat-spotted tyres which he came into replace at his green flag stop anyway.

After the stops Stewart had a bigger lead than before the stops, with Harvick still second but Jimmie Johnson was now third having been outside the top ten before the stops began, teammate Terry Labonte making similar gains to jump up to fifth place. Sitting in 21st was Ricky Rudd, in a battle with Rusty Wallace for the last spot into the next segment. After several laps of battling with Harvick, Johnson took second on lap 34 as Wallace continued to hold off Rudd for 20th. Johnson couldn't really close the gap that much to Stewart, and so Stewart went on to take the win, while in the closing laps Wallace moved clear of Rudd, still looking safe enough heading of the backstretch on the last lap but Rudd hadn't given up, and took the high line through three and four to round up Wallace off turn four and take the last place through to the next segment.

The 30 laps of segment two began in the finishing order of segment one, with Tony Stewart leading as the field took the start, Harvick moving up to second ahead of Johnson down the backstretch. Further back there was side-by-side battling for position. This saw the first caution of The Winston on lap 17, with Jeff Gordon washing up into Sterling Marlin after getting slightly pinched by Marlin on the entry, Marlin spinning. Some cars, including most towards the back, took the opportunity to pit under the yellow, the biggest surprise being Earnhardt Jr pitting who was running fourth, coming out of the pits sixteenth.

The race restarted on lap 10, with Johnson taking second from Harvick to repay him for the move at the start of the race. Lap 15 saw Jeff Burton almost kiss the turn two wall, losing several places in the process, while one lap later brother Ward was in the backstretch wall after being bumped from behind by Jeff Gordon, bringing the caution out again. This time the top two runners of Stewart and Johnson pitted, along with Ryan Newman, Earnhardt Jr (again) and a couple of others, with Stewart and Earnhardt Jr having slow stops that saw them restarting at the back of the pack as Kevin Harvick led the race from Kurt Busch, Busch closing up on Harvick. Further back Jeff Gordon was fading as his battered car began to take its toll.

Into turn one on lap 24 Busch took the lead from Harvick, but Harvick drove under him off turn two and retook the lead as they entered turn three before Busch drove under Harvick off turn four and took the lead for good. At this point Stewart was in the top fourteen while Earnhardt Jr was just outside it. Just in front of Stewart they were three wide through turns three and four with six to go, but on the exit of four Ryan Newman who had been on the inside three wide got loose and spun, eventually hitting the fence, taking out the 2002 The Winston winner. The race was red flagged as they cleaned up the debris and attempted to finish the segment under green.

The race went back to green with two laps remaining, Jeff Gordon in grave danger of missing out on making the final segment as he sat outside the top fourteen with a less than perfect car. However, as they entered turn one for the final time, Stewart looked under Terry Labonte in a very optimistic move. Stewart realised he wasn't going to make it through but it was too late, Labonte turning in and being spun by the nose of Stewart's car. Cars just behind had nowhere to go, with Bill Elliott, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Mark Martin and Dale Jarrett caught up in the mess, none of them able to go any further. The crash left Elliott with three broken bones in his foot. With fourteen cars to go through to the final section, there were only twelve cars still running!

Now it was time to find out how many positions the fans would invert. In an upset (well, not really) the fans chose to invert the maximum of ten positions. This meant that Sterling Marlin and Jeff Gordon now started on the front row while race leader Kurt Busch dropped to tenth. The first attempt to restart was waved off, but the second attempt was successful, Gordon and Marlin barrelling through one and two side-by-side before Gordon took the lead, teammate Johnson moving up to second as they entered turn three as Marlin dropped back through the field.

Johnson was up with Gordon and looking for a way through. Lap four and Johnson looked and got alongside but Gordon held him off, one lap later and Johnson made it work as Gordon began to fall back like Marlin had at the start. Having restarted tenth, Kurt Busch was flying and was up to third after just five laps of the twenty lap finale as Johnson opened up a small gap over second placed Michael Waltrip, who soon had Busch on his bumper. Six to go and Busch made it through, Bobby Labonte following past Waltrip on the next lap. It was too late for either of them to catch Jimmie Johnson though, as the winner of the first two segments in 2002 won the final segment in 2003, Johnson taking the million dollar win.

Result of NASCAR Winston Cup, The Winston, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States:

Pos  Driver                Car
 1.  Jimmie Johnson        Chevrolet Monte Carlo
 2.  Kurt Busch            Ford Taurus
 3.  Bobby Labonte         Chevrolet Monte Carlo
 4.  Joe Nemechek          Chevrolet Monte Carlo
 5.  Michael Waltrip       Chevrolet Monte Carlo
 6.  Matt Kenseth          Ford Taurus
 7.  Kevin Harvick         Chevrolet Monte Carlo
 8.  Jeff Gordon           Chevrolet Monte Carlo
 9.  Jeff Burton           Ford Taurus
10.  Ricky Craven          Pontiac Grand Prix

  Superbikes

Monza Magic!

Yes, Neil Hodgson has scored another two wins to make if eight from eight this season. But unlike most of his wins this season, he didn't win either race in a canter, and towards the end of both races it was quite possible he wouldn't win either of them. But he used his head and pushed hard enough when he needed to, as he continues to stretch his lead in his push for the title, as Gregorio Lavilla's impressive riding moves him to within a handful of points of second place in the championship, Hodgson's teammate Ruben Xaus.

Neil Hodgson was once again on pole with several Ducatis close by, but his teammate Ruben Xaus wasn't one of them, back in twelfth after a rider fell in front of him during qualifying, preventing him from taking part in the Superpole session. Race one began with Hodgson leading out of the first chicane ahead of Regis Laconi, Vittorio Iannuzzo on a Suzuki, Gregorio Lavilla and James Toseland. Before the end of the lap Iannuzzo's fall through the field began as Toseland and Lavilla passed him, while Xaus had a moment at Ascari, recovering but resuming in last place.

Early on lap two Chili moved up into fifth and joined the leading pack as Laconi stuffed it inside Hodgson at the second chicane, Hodgson riding over the inside of the kerb, being passed by Lavilla on the exit as the top five began to form a breakaway. As they completed lap two Hodgson got into the slipstream and made it back into second by the first chicane, losing the place to Lavilla at the next chicane however. On the run down to Ascari Hodgson moved back into second. As they completed lap three Hodgson moved back into the lead down the front straight, and began to slowly inch away from the group of four riders comprising of Chili, Laconi, Lavilla and Toseland. This pack of four shuffled positions lap after lap, outbraking and slipstreaming each other relentlessly.

Despite all the position swapping Hodgson wasn't pulling away very much, and this became apparent when the pack began catching Hodgson in the last three laps of the race, reducing the three second gap with three laps to go down to just over a second with a lap to go. As they began the lap the order was Toseland, Laconi, Lavilla and Chili. By the first chicane it was Laconi, Lavilla, Toseland and Chili. Meanwhile Hodgson came across two backmarkers who nearly crashed into each other, allowing the pack to move even closer. They got very close to Hodgson, but they couldn't beat him, as he beat Laconi by less than four tenths of a second, while Laconi beat Lavilla by 0.037 of a second, Toseland a further seven thousandths back, and Chili just over a second further behind.

Race two saw a different beginning, with Hodgson having problems, Laconi leading Chris Walker, Iannuzzo, Toseland and Lavilla, with Xaus in seventh and Hodgson down in ninth. By the end of the lap the positions had changed, with Laconi leading Toseland, Walker, Lavilla and Iannuzzo, with Xaus up to sixth and Hodgson eighth, Lavilla passing into the first chicane to move up to second. As the leading trio completed lap two they had opened a small gap, while Hogdson crossed the line in seventh but was up to fourth, past teammate Xaus, as they negotiated the first chicane! Into Ascari on lap three Lavilla took the lead from Laconi, as Laconi and Toseland went past him as they entered the first chicane on lap four.

The leading trio was joined by Hodgson and Chili, and soon after by Xaus. Four wide as they ran down the front straight at the start of lap five, Hodgson took the lead but Lavilla wasn't having it, taking the lead back at the second chicane. Hodgson blew back by him again on the next lap. While unable to break away like he could in the first race, Hodgson continued to lead as Laconi and Lavilla stayed with him and swapped places with each other, the next three riders around a second further back before Chili broke free and began to chase down the leading trio. Lap nine saw Lavilla take the lead again at the second chicane, Hodgson retaking the lead down to Ascari later that lap.

By lap 10 Chili had made it a pack of four, the race calming down a little with Hodgson leading Lavilla, Laconi and Chili. It all changed again on lap 13 when Lavilla stuffed it inside Hodgson in the same way Laconi did in race one, Hodgson once again riding over the inside of the kerb, allowing Laconi and Chili to come through as well, back to fourth, Laconi taking the lead from Lavilla as they entered Ascari, before Lavilla and Chili demoted Laconi back to third down the straight before the Parabolica. Into the first chicane on lap fourteen Laconi moved back from third to first!

All this time Hodgson sat at the back of the pack, keeping a watching brief, as Lavilla took the lead again into the Parabolica, before Laconi took the lead back again into the first chicane on lap 15, Lavilla snatching it back into the second chicane. With three laps remaining Hodgson was still back in fourth place, the top four still unchanged one lap later. Into the first chicane on the penultimate lap Laconi took the lead from Lavilla and Hodgson took third from Chili, but Hodgson lost the place on the exit after being baulked by Lavilla. Down into Ascari Lavilla took the lead from Laconi as Hodgson still sat at the back of the pack, taking third from Chili on the run to the Parabolica.

As they began the last lap, Hodgson slipstreamed Laconi, taking second, then Lavilla, taking the lead, entering the first chicane with a small lead! A slow run through the chicane meant Lavilla was right back on his tail on the exit, and Lavilla continued to hound Hodgson for the lead, forcing Hodgson to weave down the straight between Ascari and the Parabolica as he tried to shake Lavilla off his tail. Meanwhile Laconi and Chili were having their own battle, finally being resolved in Chili's favour when he outbraked Laconi at the Parabolica. Hodgson managed to hold on, taking the win by 0.044 of a second, Chili and Laconi less than a second behind, with James Toseland in fifth five seconds behind the winner. Ruben Xaus had a bad end to his day, crashing out with two laps remaining.

Result of World Superbike Championship, Round 4 of 12, Monza, Italy:

Race One

Pos  Rider                 Motorcycle
 1.  Neil Hodgson          Ducati 999F03
 2.  Regis Laconi          Ducati 998RS
 3.  Gregorio Lavilla      Suzuki GSX 1000R
 4.  James Toseland        Ducati 998F02
 5.  Pierfrancesco Chili   Ducati 998RS
 6.  Chris Walker          Ducati 998F02
 7.  Ruben Xaus            Ducati 999F03
 8.  Marco Borciani        Ducati 998RS
 9.  Steve Martin          Ducati 998RS
10.  Lucio Pedercini       Ducati 998RS 

Race Two

Pos  Rider                 Motorcycle
 1.  Neil Hodgson          Ducati 999F03
 2.  Gregorio Lavilla      Suzuki GSX 1000R
 3.  Pierfrancesco Chili   Ducati 998RS
 4.  Regis Laconi          Ducati 998RS
 5.  James Toseland        Ducati 998F02
 6.  Chris Walker          Ducati 998F02
 7.  Steve Martin          Ducati 998RS
 8.  Marco Borciani        Ducati 998RS
 9.  Vittorio Iannuzzo     Suzuki GSX 1000R
10.  Lucio Pedercini       Ducati 998RS

Standings: Neil Hodgson 200, Ruben Xaus 115, Gregorio Lavilla 111, Regis Laconi 96, James Toseland 91, Chris Walker 68, Pierfrancesco Chili 59, Steve Martin 58, Marco Borciani 48, Lucio Pedercini 44 etc.

Superbikes points distribution

  IRL

Car Shortage Takes Drama Out Of Bump Day

By Lewis Franck

This year's car shortage meant filling the field of 33 for this week's Indy 500 was more a formality than the nailbiting drama it had been in previous years on Sunday's last day of qualifying. Only nine drivers went after the nine slots up for grabs at the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway after 24 drivers qualified last week.

In previous years more drivers than spaces available on final qualifying day have resulted in rivals bumping each other off the starting grid. Jimmy Vasser, a driver in the rival CART series, said it had been a little anti-climactic.

"There is a little different feel," said the American, who was third fastest in the Team Rahal Dallara Honda at 226 mph. "When I was a rookie here I was bumped out and had to bump my way back in, I had to wait to get bumped in the second week. That was nerve-wracking."

"It seemed like a bit of a formality than pressure packed than it usually is. Usually, there's always some cars left in line and some broken hearts and egos."

American Alex Barron, who was substituting for the injured Arie Luyendyk at Mo Nunn racing, was quickest on the four-lap qualifying run with an average speed of 227.274 mph. Although Barron was 15th fastest overall, he will line up behind the 24 cars that clinched their slots last week under the traditional qualifying rules.

Barron has no regular ride in the Indy Racing League and had no deal to drive in next Sunday's showpiece event until twice champion Luyendyk was withdrawn in midweek following a crash.

"To walk in here on opening day and not have a ride, it's very frustrating and I'm sure a lot of drivers can describe it as an up-and-down emotional rollerscoaster," said Barron, who had limited time in the G Force/Toyota due to bad weather.

Second fastest of the day was Vitor Meira, of Brazil, who qualified his Dallara/Chevrolet at a speed of 227.158 mph. Brazil's Helio Castroneves won the pole last Sunday with a speed of 231.725 mph in the Penske Racing Dallara Toyota.

The final practice for the 87th running of the Indianapolis 500 will take place for two hours on Thursday, with the 200-lap, 500-mile race taking place on Sunday.

The Field Is Complete, Just

Sarah Fisher must have been a rather nervous person early in the week following Pole Day. In 24th and last position, she was the most vulnerable to being bumped from the field if they could find ten cars to lap faster than her time on bump day. As it was, only nine drivers fronted for Bump Day, meaning Fisher was safe and the 2003 Indianapolis 500 would have 33 starters, albeit without a reserve.

The thinnest Indy field in decades is being blamed primarily of the lack of competitiveness of the Chevrolet engine, which would power anyone without a supply contract with Honda or Toyota. The other is that with so many competitive teams at the front of the field, expectations of the smaller teams attaining good results, and correspondingly good press coverage has been lessened dramatically this year. What has been exposed, is that the apparent glowing health of IRL, as it has appeared recently when compared to CART, is only skin deep.

However, the pointy end of the field is perhaps the broadest pointy end seen at Indy in some years. Team Penske, Andretti Green Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing, Team Rahal, Mo Nunn Racing and Kelley Racing will all be gridding up on Sunday with expectations of winning. Those six teams represent 16 of the field's 33 cars. Half the field.

Andretti Green Racing, arguably the premier team in the race, exudes strength, both in quality and quantity. While team co-owner Michael Andretti qualified the slowest of the team's four cars, this is his swansong to competition. The winningest driver in the history of CART will hang up his helmet for good on Sunday evening. The other three AGR cars are ahead of Andretti's 13th, with Andretti's long-term replacement Dan Wheldon fifth, regular driver Tony Kanaan has recovered from his broken arm to be second, with Robby Gordon alongside who is driving injured driver Dario Franchitti's car.

Double defending champion Helio Castroneves is on the pole though and neither he nor Team Penske teammate Gil de Ferran can be discounted, as 'The Captain', Roger Penske, has a kind of affinity with the Brickyard.

Chip Ganassi has unfinished business at Indianapolis. Despite winning several championships, the 500 has largely eluded him. This year New Zealand racer Scott Dixon and South African speedster Tomas Scheckterwill start fourth and twelfth in a much leaner operation than usual.

Team Rahal leads with former Indy 500 winner Kenny Brack while Jimmy Vasser will start down the field in 27th after qualifying on Bump Day. Kelley Racing have qualified well with Tony Renna and Scott Sharp both on the third row while the wily veteran of the field Al Unser Jr is in 17th.

Mo Nunn Racing has its Japanese driver Tora Takagi in seventh, while Alex Barron in 25th was the fastest of the Bump Day runners. Team leader Felipe Giaffone starts a disappointing 16th.

Toss into the mix the smaller teams running Roger Yasukawa, Shinji Nakano, Greg Ray, Richie Hearn, and AJ Foyt's three car team of his grandson A.J. Foyt IV, Shigeaki Hattori and Airton Dare, who might have expecatations of podium results.

All of the above teams and drivers are Toyota or Honda powered. The first Chevrolet on the grid is, unsurprisingly, 2001 and 2002 IRL series champ Sam Hornish Jr's Panther Racing Dallara in 18th, the outside of the sixth row. On the face of it it would seem the Chevys will be uncompetitive. The speed of Vitor Meira on Bump Day to be second fastest holds some small promise, but all of the gun drivers are ahead of him. While the Chevys have been thereabouts elsewhere on the IRL races this year, Indy is longer, faster and harder on everything. The ten Chevrolet drivers will struggle, despite the talent within them, like Hornish, Meira, Buddy Rice, the Lazier brothers, Sarah Fisher and Robbie Buhl.

It is the ultimate race for a single driver to win, the ultimate test of one driver's ability to beat his fellows. This Sunday 33 cars will cross the row of bricks all aiming to be the first one to do it 201 times.

Starting grid for 2003 Indianapolis 500, Indy Racing League, Round 4 of 16, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indiana, United States:

Pos  Driver              Team
Row 1
Pole Helio Castroneves   Team Penske Dallara-Toyota
 2.  Tony Kanaan         Andretti Green Racing Dallara-Honda
 3.  Robby Gordon        Andretti Green Racing Dallara-Honda
Row 2
 4.  Scott Dixon         Chip Ganassi Racing GForce-Toyota
 5.  Dan Wheldon         Andretti Green Racing Dallara-Honda
 6.  Kenny Brack         Team Rahal Dallara-Honda
Row 3
 7.  Tora Takagi         Mo Nunn Racing GForce-Toyota
 8.  Tony Renna          Kelley Racing Dallara-Toyota
 9.  Scott Sharp         Kelley Racing Dallara-Toyota
Row 4
10.  Gil de Ferran       Team Penske GForce-Toyota
11.  Roger Yasukawa      Super Aguri Fernandez Racing Dallara-Honda
12.  Tomas Scheckter     Chip Ganassi Racing GForce-Toyota
Row 5
13.  Michael Andretti    Andretti Green Racing Dallara-Honda
14.  Greg Ray            Access Motorsports GForce-Honda
15.  Shinji Nakano       Beck Motorsports Dallara-Honda
Row 6
16.  Felipe Giaffone     Mo Nunn Racing GForce-Toyota
17.  Al Unser Jr         Kelley Racing Dallara-Toyota
18.  Sam Hornish Jr      Panther Racing Dallara-Chevrolet
Row 7
19.  Buddy Rice          Cheever Racing Dallara-Chevrolet
20.  Jaques Lazier       Team Menard Dallara-Chevrolet
21.  Buddy Lazier        Hemelgarn Racing Dallara-Chevrolet
Row 8
22.  Robbie Buhl         Dreyer & Reinbold Dallara-Chevrolet
23.  A.J. Foyt IV        A.J. Foyt Racing Dallara-Toyota
24.  Sarah Fisher        Dreyer & Reinbold Dallara-Chevrolet
Row 9
25.  Alex Barron         Mo Nunn Racing GForce-Toyota
26.  Vitor Meira         Team Menard Dallara-Chevrolet
27.  Jimmy Vasser        Team Rahal Dallara-Honda
Row 10
28.  Richie Hearn        Sam Schmidt Motorsports GForce-Toyota
29.  Billy Boat          Panther Racing Dallara-Chevrolet
30.  Shigeaki Hattori    A.J. Foyt Racing Dallara-Toyota
Row 11
31.  Robby McGehee       Panther Racing Dallara-Chevrolet
32.  Jimmy Kite          PDM Racing Dallara-Chevrolet
33.  Airton Dare         A.J. Foyt Racing GForce-Toyota

Bump day report provided by Reuters

  Formula Nissan

Masterly Montagny

Franck Montagny is 'doing a Zonta' on the Superfund World Series by Nissan. With two victories from two starts at the French stopover at Magny-Cours, the Frenchman has won five of the season's six races and has a points tally more than double the number of points held by Bruno Besson, who is second in the championship.

Rain was falling as the first race gridded up. Instead of being the great leveller however, it seemed to play to Montagny's advantage as he stormed away from the grid and the field, taking the lead under brakes at the hairpin. The day-glo green Gabord car continued on in the same fashion as it flashed across the line over 40 seconds in front of the field.

Fellow Frenchman Bruno Besson moved through the field of rotating cars, claiming second from the freshly bunkered Stephane Sarrazin with only a few laps to go. They were the only two cars not delayed by the weather. Polo Villaamil made the best of his spin to beat the field to third place. Jean-Christophe Ravier took fourth place ahead of Finn Heikki Kovalainen and Carlin Motorsports driver Bruce Jouanny.

By race two the rain had gone and the track was drying. A disappointing qualifying session would see Montagny start sixth, but such was his mastery of his home track that by lap six he was leading and running away. Behind him there was no late race error from Sarrazin and he kept Besson out of second position.

Fourth was a recovery effort for Narain Karthikeyan after a clash of wheels with Enrique Bernoldi at the start of the race. With the pace of the top three in the conditions, fourth was a great effort. Bas Leinders was next ahead of Kovalainen.

Montagny now has 112 points compared to Besson's 50. It is a rediculous margin, but strange things often happen in racing. Karthikeyan and Kovalainen share third with 40 points, five ahead of Marc Gene.

Result of Superfund World Series by Nissan, Round 3 of 9, Magny-Cours, France:

Race One

Pos  Driver                   Team
 1.  Franck Montagny          Gabord Competicion
 2.  Bruno Besson             Saulnier Racing
 3.  Polo Villaamil           RC Motorsport
 4.  Jean Christophe Ravier   Epsilon Euskadu
 5.  Heikki Kovalainen        Gabord Competicion
 6.  Bruce Jouanny            Carlin Motorsport
 7.  Angel Burgueno           Vergani Racing
 8.  Carlos Pereira           RC Motorsport
 9.  Ander Vilarino           Epsilon Euskadu
10.  Paul Edwards             Keerbergs Transport Racing

Race Two

Pos  Driver                   Team
 1.  Franck Montagny          Gabord Competicion
 2.  Stephane Sarrazin        Racing Engineering
 3.  Bruno Besson             Saulnier Racing
 4.  Narain Karthikeyan       Carlin Motorsport
 5.  Bas Leinders             Racing Engineering
 6.  Heikki Kovalainen        Gabord Competicion
 7.  Polo Villaamil           RC Motorsport
 8.  Bruce Jouanny            Carlin Motorsport
 9.  Tuka Rocha               Superfund Zele Racing
10.  Paul Edwards             Keerbergs Transport Racing

Standings: Franck Montagny 112, Bruno Besson 50, Narain Karthikeyan and Heikki Kovalainen 40, Marc Gene 35, Bas Leinders 33, Polo Villaamil 29, Jean Christophe Ravier 25, Bruce Jouanny 23, Ander Vilarino 22 etc.

  DTM

Albers' Adria

Dutch driver Christijan Albers showed a lot of promise last year. The fact that he was considered for a Formula One drive this season, even if it was with Minardi, says something of the regard he is held in. Albers broke through for his debut DTM victory as the V8 tintops visited Adria in Italy for the first time. Albers in his Mercedes beat the Abt-Audi pairing of Mattias Ekstrom and defending champ Laurent Aiello.

The fastest lap in the Superpole session was recorded by the CLK-DTM of Marcel Fassler. Fassler got away well and led last start winner Bernd Schneider over the line from Albers, the fast starting Opel of Peter Dumbreck and Martin Tomczyk. Schneider would be the first of the front runners to stop for his first compulsory pit stop on lap 10, a lap behind the recovering Aiello. Just as the Mercedes was being serviced, the long battle between Dumbreck and Tomczyk ended when the Opel driver made a slight mistake, allowing the Mercedes through into what had become third.

Next lap around and race leader Fassler pitted, Albers tucked in behind the Merc's huge wing. Albers team worked perfectly to vault their charge past Fassler and into second position. Second? The AMG squad had been better and Schneider now led the race, with Fassler and Jean Alesi making a Mercedes 1-2-3-4. Mattias Ekstrom led the Audis in fifth with Dumbreck still the top Opel in sixth.

The radar guns had been busy though, and Schneider, Alesi and Christian Abt would all be called back to the pits for drivethrough penalties. Abt ignored his for several laps, causing the officials to lose patience and toss a black flag at him, effectively disqualifying the Audi driver. Alesi would compound his penalty with a spin shortly afterwards.

The dash to the flag started when the second round of stops were completed around lap 33. Albers was now leading and controlling the race ahead of fellow Mercedes pilots Fassler and Schneider. Faster though were the two Audis of Aiello and Ekstrom. Ekstrom caught Aiello first, and the Frenchman let his teammate through into fourth as the pair caught Schneider. The pair monstered the 2001 champion, eventually passing Schenider together on lap 40. With five laps to go, the pair caught Fassler. The Audis again double teamed their Mercedes foe and set off after Albers, but it would be too late.

Albers controlled the final laps to beat the Audis home. Fassler and Schneider were next ahead of the steadily improving Opel of Dumbreck. Alesi recovered from his twin set-backs to be seventh ahead of the Opels of Alain Menu and Joachim Winkelhock.

Schneider and Albers jointly share the championship lead, just one point ahead of Fassler, with Aiello a further point away. The series gathers again this weekend at the Nurburgring for round three.

Result of Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, Round 2 of 10, Adria, Italy:

Pos  Driver               Car
 1.  Christijan Albers    Mercedes CLK-DTM
 2.  Mattias Ekstrom      Audi TT-R
 3.  Laurent Aiello       Audi TT-R
 4.  Marcel Fassler       Mercedes CLK-DTM
 5.  Bernd Schneider      Mercedes CLK-DTM
 6.  Peter Dumbreck       Opel Astra V8 Coupe
 7.  Jean Alesi           Mercedes CLK-DTM
 8.  Alain Menu           Opel Astra V8 Coupe
 9.  Joachim Winkelhock   Opel Astra V8 Coupe
10.  Bernd Maylander      Mercedes CLK-DTM

Standings: Bernd Schneider & Christijan Albers 14, Marcel Fassler 13, Laurent Aiello 12, Mattias Ekstrom 9, Jean Alesi 7, Peter Dumbreck 6, Timo Scheider 2, Alain Menu 1

DTM points distribution

  Rally

Solberg To Stay At Subaru Until 2006

Norwegian Petter Solberg will stay at Subaru until the end of 2006 after agreeing a three-year extension to his contract, the team said on Thursday. The 28-year-old was runner-up in last season's world championship, winning the final British round, after joining the team in 2000.

"Maybe I could have switched teams, and perhaps got into another car that could win straight away, but there would be no feeling or passion about that," he told the team's website.

"When we start winning at Subaru, I will have worked hard and there will be a feeling of achievement and that's what I really want."

Team boss David Lapworth said the length of the deal reflected former champions Subaru's long-term commitment to the championship. He said Finland's Tommi Makinen, four-times world champion and currently Solberg's teammate, remained an option for 2004 but only Solberg so far was confirmed.

FIA Gives Rally Deutschland The All-Clear

The Rally of Germany will remain on the 2003 world championship calendar after a satisfactory safety report, world motor sport's governing body said on Tuesday.

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) said in a statement that the World Motor Sport Council had unanimously voted to keep the rally after a second safety inspection by FIA nominated observers. The rally organisers were warned last month that it could be struck off after a bad report from last year's event.

An excessive number of spectators lining the roads caused the cancellation of the penultimate stage at the inaugural running of the Trier-based event won by Citroen's French driver Sebastien Loeb last August.

Tobacco Sponsorship To Be Allowed In Cyprus Rally

Sponsorship by tobacco firms will be allowed in the Cyprus Rally this year and in 2004 under a law passed by parliament on Thursday.

The law, approved by a majority amid fierce debate, will be applicable only to foreign crews in the June 19-22 rally, part of the World Rally Championship.

Cyprus law now bans smoking in public places, but the regulations are widely ignored.

Reports provided by Reuters

  Briefs

• Gianmaria Bruni has won the second round of the European Formula 3000 Championship, held at Magny-Cours. He had a gap of over 2.5 seconds at the flag over Matteo Grassotto with Augusto Farfus just winning the battle for third from Roman Rusinov. After winning the first round, Bruni now leads the series with 20 points, double the score of Grassotto and Farfus who share second place with ten points.

• Bruno Thiry continues to sweep all before him in the European Rally Championship, winning the TOFAS Rally in Turkey in his Peugeot 206 WRC. The sparsity of genuine WRC cars continues to blight the results, with a host of Super 1600 cars filling the results. Second though was taken by Turk Serkan Yazici in his Ford Focus WRC, some five minutes behind Thiry. However, most of that time was lost in the rally's closing stages as the conditions took its toll on Yazici's tyres, causing him two punctures on one stage and forcing him to limp to control. Nine minutes behind Thiry was the third placed Super 1600 Fiat Palio of Paolo Andreucci. Fourth and fifth were both taken by Super 1600 cars, the Citroen Saxo of Ercan Kazaz and the Fiat Punto of Volkan Isik.

  Upcoming Events Calendar

• May 23 - African Rally Championship, Round 2 of 6; Zimbabwe Challenge Rally, Zimbabwe
• May 25 - Indy Racing League, Round 4 of 16; Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indiana, United States
• May 25 - World Motorcycle Championship, Round 4 of 16; Le Mans Bugatti, France
• May 25 - NASCAR Winston Cup, Round 12 of 36; Charlotte Motor Speedway, North Carolina, United States
• May 25 - Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, Round 3 of 10; Nurburgring, Germany
• May 25 - European Touring Car Championship, Round 3 of 10; Brno, Czech Republic
• May 25 - V8 Supercar Championship Series, Round 4 of 13; Winton, Australia
• May 25 - FIA-GT Championship, Round 3 of 10; Brno, Czech Republic
• May 25 - European Formula 3000 Championship, Round 2 of 9; Enna-Pergusa, Italy
• May 26 - British Formula 3 Championship, Rounds 9 & 10 of 24, Silverstone, United Kingdom
• May 26 - British Touring Car Championship, Round 3 of 10; Thruxton, United Kingdom
• May 30 - European Rally Championship, Co-efficient 20 event, Rally of Poland
• May 31 - International Formula 3000 Championship, Round 4 of 10, Monte Carlo, Monaco
• May 31 - Champ Car World Series, Round 6 of 19; Milwaukee Mile, Wisconsin, United States
• May 31 - Nurburgring 24 Hours, Germany
• June 1 - NASCAR Winston Cup, Round 13 of 36; Dover Downs International Speedway, Delaware, United States
• June 1 - World Superbike Championship, Round 5 of 12; Oschersleben, Germany
• June 4 - World Rally Championship, Round 6 of 14; Acropolis Rally, Greece
• June 7 - Indy Racing League, Round 5 of 16; Texas Motor Speedway, Indiana, United States
• June 8 - World Motorcycle Championship, Round 5 of 16; Mugello, Italy
• June 8 - NASCAR Winston Cup, Round 14 of 36; Pocono International Raceway, Pennsylvania, United States
• June 8 - Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, Round 4 of 10; Lausitzring, Germany
• June 8 - European Formula 3 Championship, Round 3 of 10; Pau Street Circuit, France
• June 8 - All-Japan Formula Nippon Championship, Round 4 of 10; Motegi, Japan
• June 8 - V8 Supercar Championship Series, Round 5 of 13; Barbagallo Raceway, Australia
• June 8 - British Touring Car Championship, Round 4 of 10; Silverstone, Great Britain