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Atlas F1 Magazine Writers
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California 500 Cancellation Confirmed By CART
The season-ending California 500 CART race has been cancelled due to the wildfires plaguing the state, Champ Car officials confirmed last Wednesday.
California Speedway officials announced on Tuesday that the race had been postponed indefinitely but said that CART were not in agreement with the decision. But in a press release, CART President and CEO Christopher R. Pook said: "Our diligence in pursuing the continuation of the race was only to ensure that we had exhausted every option available to us."
"CART Champ Car regrets that the event has been cancelled and we offered to explore every possible avenue, including running the event on Monday or Tuesday at Phoenix International Raceway, which is owned by California Speedway's parent company International Speedway Corporation, or running at the California Speedway track sometime next week, allowing us to run this race in a safe manner and have a proper end to the 2003 season."
Canadian Paul Tracy clinched the CART title at the previous Sunday's race in Surfers Paradise, Australia. The last time a racing event was postponed in the United States due to a wildfire was in July 1998 when the summer Daytona 400 stock car race was called off.
California Speedway Wants Judgement Against CART
The company that owns California Speedway has filed a lawsuit requesting a declaratory judgement against CART after the final race of the series was cancelled.
International Speedway Corp (ISC) wants the forest fires in San Bernadino County, California, that led to the November 2 race being called off declared a "force majeure".
ISC said in a statement such a declaration, under the terms of its contract with CART, would entitle the race track to recover fees of some $2.5 million less a mutually agreed upon amount for reasonable expenses incurred by the CART in preparation for the race.
Paul Tracy, clinched the CART series title in October in a race at Surfers Paradise, Australia, and was crowned champion in a ceremony in California on Tuesday.
Final Standings: Paul Tracy 226, Bruno Junqueira 199, Michel Jourdain Jr 195, Sebastien Bourdais 159, Patrick Carpentier 146, Mario Dominguez 118, Oriol Servia 108, Adrian Fernandez 105, Darren Manning 103, Alex Tagliani 97, Jimmy Vasser 72, Mario Haberfeld 71, Roberto Moreno 67, Ryan Hunter-Reay 64, Tiago Monteiro 29, Mika Salo 26, Max Papis 25, Rodolfo Lavin 17, Gualter Salles 11, Geoff Boss and Patrick Lemarie 8, Joel Camathias 6, Alex Yoong 4, Roberto Gonzalez 3, Bryan Herta 2
Reports provided by Reuters
Victorious Valentino At Valencia
It was no surprise that Valentino Rossi left Honda in the best way possible, as he scored his ninth win of the season in his swansong ride for the manufacturer at Valencia. As in several other races this year, he had a race-long battle with Sete Gibernau, which ended in Rossi's favour. Rossi's post-race announcement of his split with Honda set off a raft of rider moves, although Rossi's own future hasn't been confirmed yet.
With Hayden out the way, Gibernau moved onto Capirossi's tail, taking second place from him on lap five, closing right in on Rossi as the leading duo edged ever so slightly away from the three-way battle for third, with Biaggi moving ahead of Checa for fourth place on lap eight and moving onto Capirossi's tail as Checa began to fall away. Up at the front Gibernau continued to hound Rossi, the chase eventually paying off when he took the lead on lap eleven as they flew down the pit straight into turn one. It was a short reign at the front, as Rossi duplicated the move a lap later to retake the lead. This dicing between the leading duo had allowed Capirossi and Biaggi to close back in, but as quickly as they had closed back in they began to fall away again, Biaggi right on Capirossi's tail but unable to find a way past.
Lap after lap Rossi and Gibernau ran nose-to-tail, sometimes lapping fast, sometimes lapping not-so-fast. Meanwhile, Capirossi was unable to close in on the leaders, but at the same time Biaggi's challenge also began to fade as they passed half-distance of the 30 lap event. Ten laps to go and Rossi still couldn't shake Gibernau, but four laps later Rossi began to turn up the heat and it was too much for Gibernau, Rossi opening up the gap on his season-long rival. And this was how it stayed to the end, Valentino Rossi winning his ninth race of the season to lead home Sete Gibernau, Loris Capirossi in third, Max Biaggi in fourth with Carlos Checa rounding out the top five in fifth place.
Result of World Motorcycle Championship, Round 16 of 16, Comunitat Valencia, Spain:
Final Standings: Valentino Rossi 357, Sete Gibernau 277, Max Biaggi 228, Loris Capirossi 177, Nicky Hayden 130, Troy Bayliss 128, Carlos Checa and Tohru Ukawa 123, Alex Barros and Shinya Nakano 101, Makoto Tamada 87, Olivier Jacque 71, Colin Edwards 62, Noriyuki Haga 47, Marco Melandri 45, Norick Abe 31, John Hopkins 29, Jeremy McWilliams 27, Kenny Roberts and Ryuichi Kiyonari 22, Nobuatsu Aoki 19, Garry McCoy 11, Alex Hofmann 8, Akira Ryo 6, Yukio Kagayama and Andrew Pitt 4
Constructors: Honda 395, Ducati 225, Yamaha 175, Aprilia 81, Suzuki 43, Proton KR 38, Kawasaki 19
Poggiali Takes 250cc World Title
By Nick Mulvenney
The Aprilia rider, who crashed in the morning warm-up, needed to prevent Roberto Rolfo from outscoring him by eight points to claim the crown in his debut season in 250cc racing and was never troubled by his Italian rival. Rolfo finished seventh after a disappointing weekend at the Ricardo Tormo circuit.
"This weekend was very difficult for me," said Poggiali, with the San Marino flag wrapped around him and still drenched from the champagne shower on the podium. "The race was tough as I had pain in my legs but it all finished OK as I won the championship."
It was a second world title for Poggiali after his 125cc triumph in 2001 and at the age of 20 years and 261 days, he becomes the third youngest rider to be 250cc champion after Marco Melandri last year and Valentino Rossi in 1999.
De Puniet, who started from pole and survived his engine stopping during the race, held off a strong challenge from Toni Elias for his third win of the season and fourth place in the championship behind the Spaniard. Elias, who twice briefly took the lead to the delight of the 120,000 crowd, finished second for another Aprilia podium sweep after a similar success in the 125cc race.
Rossi To Split With Honda
By Nick Mulvenney
MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi said on Sunday that he had decided to part company with the Honda team with which he has won the last three world titles because he no longer finds winning a challenge on their bike.
Rossi won on Sunday as he has in 32 other of his 64 races with the team since 2000, including 20 of 32 MotoGP Grands Prix on the Honda RCV over the last two years.
"I have decided to change because I've done everything with the bike," the 24-year-old Italian added. "I've won in the wet, won in the dry, won on my favourite tracks and my least favourite tracks like today."
The Honda team stressed that the split was amicable and that their failure to agree a new contract with their star rider had not been down to money or an overly-onerous public appearance schedule for the rider.
"As I am a Honda rider until the 31st of December, I cannot talk about any new bikes," Rossi said, then cheekily suggested that he be allowed to test the 2004 Honda before his contract expires.
Yamaha team boss Davide Brivio issued a statement after Rossi's announcement saying they were in discussions with the Italian's management team, which were "proceeding well". "We welcome this evening's news that the Honda-Valentino Rossi relationship has drawn to a close," the statement read.
"This is obviously a very exciting prospect for us. However, until we have one hundred percent finalised an agreement with Valentino we shall not be able to further comment on the situation."
Yamaha last had a World Champion in the top class of Grand Prix racing in 1992 when American Wayne Rainey won the last of his three titles.
Wherever he goes, Rossi's decision is a massive gamble as the RCV is clearly the best bike in MotoGP with the top three riders in this year's championship - Rossi, Spain's Sete Gibernau and Italian Max Biaggi - all riding versions of the four-stroke machine.
Rossi joined Honda in 2000, finishing second in the 500cc championship in his debut season and claiming the final version of that title a year later.
"To win the last 500cc championship was like a dream," Rossi said on Sunday. "And then there was the challenge of the new MotoGP era."
Rossi and Honda have completely dominated that era by running away with the first two MotoGP championships, but, as the rider himself conceded, the question of whether he can win on a lesser machine will only become clear when the 2004 season starts.
"To make this choice is a little bit crazy, but we'll find out next year how crazy," said Rossi.
2000 And 2002 Superbike Champ Edwards Joins Honda For 2004
By Nick Mulvenney
Twice Superbike World Champion Colin Edwards will race on a Honda RCV in MotoGP next season, the Telefonica Movistar team announced on Sunday after the Valencia Grand Prix. The 29-year-old American, who has had a miserable first season in Grand Prix motorcycling with Aprilia, will next year race alongside Spain's Sete Gibernau, who finished second in the championship behind champion Valentino Rossi.
Edwards won the 2000 and 2002 Superbike World Championships with Honda before leaving them in acrimonious circumstances and switching to MotoGP for this season. But the Texan has struggled in his first year on the Grand Prix circuit on the uncompetitive Aprilia Cube and finished 13th place in the riders' standings after Sunday's final race with 62 points. He will be replaced at Aprilia by British Superbike Champion Shane Byrne.
"I just want to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Aprilia," said Edwards. "I wish them good luck for the future."
Gibernau's surprise performance this season in winning four races indicates that Edwards should have the machine and team backing to mount a serious title challenge in 2004, especially if, as is expected, Rossi leaves Honda for Yamaha.
Edwards, a Texan, is best remembered for his comeback to reclaim his Superbike title from Australian Troy Bayliss last year, when he dominated the second half of the season and triumphed over his rival in a thrilling decisive final round at Imola.
Superbike Champion Hodgson Targets MotoGP Success
By Nick Mulvenney
Britain's World Superbike Champion Neil Hodgson has no intention of making up the numbers in MotoGP, but thinks the title may be beyond him in his first season next year.
"It's a step up, it's the next level," the 29-year-old Ducati rider told Reuters on Sunday, explaining why he had left Superbikes for Grand Prix racing. "With the sort of demise of world superbikes, it's what I've got to do.
"If I want to go to next level as a rider then I've got to ride against the best riders in the world. I've achieved my goal of being Superbike World Champion and the next step is to be MotoGP World Champion."
"I'm not going in thinking I'm going to win the world championship next year, I'm classing it as a learning year."
Ducati confirmed at the Valencia Grand Prix that, after running away with the World Superbike title, Hodgson would be following champion predecessors American Colin Edwards and Australian Troy Bayliss into Grand Prix racing.
"The level of competition will be a lot harder," said Hodgson. "There's 24 good riders in MotoGP, where in World Superbikes there's 30 riders but only about four good riders."
Edwards, World Superbike Champion in 2000 and last year, has struggled with Aprilia this year and was 13th in the championship before Sunday's last race. Hodgson believes he can learn from the Texan's experiences.
"What I've learnt from him is that if you're not on the right bike, you're going to suffer and that's what has happened with Colin," he said.
Hodgson said he was looking forward to taking a break before getting on board the 2003 Ducati Desmosedici he will be riding next year.
"It's been a really good bike this year," said the Lancastrian. "It's got some rough edges, but hopefully they can be sorted out.
"It's been the closest thing to the Honda this year, so I'm very confident that in my first year I'm on the right bike.
"A realistic goal is to finish in the top ten in the championship and have a couple of really inspired rides and finish on the podium, one of which hopefully will be (in the British Grand Prix) at Donington."
Hodgson, who finished 11th in the 500cc class in his last experience of Grand Prix racing in 1995, said he was looking forward to flying the flag for Britain, who have not had a Grand Prix World Champion since Barry Sheene in 1977.
"We've had some really good riders in the last 20 years, but never a good British rider on a good bike. Hopefully I now have that chance," he said.
Hayden Finally Making Waves For Stars And Stripes
By Nick Mulvenney
Former Superbike Champion Nicky Hayden is delighted to be finally making waves in his first year in Grand Prix motorcycling and wants to show what he can do in front of his own fans in the United States.
The 22-year-old American made a shaky start to his Grand Prix career with Honda but has bounced back to finish third in two of the last three races and on Saturday at the Valencia Grand Prix he qualified on the front row for the first time.
"Everybody said, 'When are you going to do something?'" said Hayden. "I said, 'When it feels right, when everything comes together and I feel good on the bike'. But I always believed in myself.
"I put a lot of pressure on myself to get some good results before the end of the year and these last few races things have just been going better and better."
Grand Prix riders from the U.S. have had a thin time of things in the three years since Kenny Roberts Jr clinched the 500cc world crown. No American has topped the podium since, a far cry from the era from 1978 to 1993 when Kenny Roberts Sr, Eddie Lawson, Freddie Spencer, Wayne Rainey and Kevin Schwantz won the title for the stars and stripes 13 times in 16 years.
"I think it's good for the series (to have an American on the front row). It can't just always be just Italians up there," Hayden said, smiling. "I think we need the variety and also in America more people are watching and getting interested."
The MotoGP championship visits 16 tracks around the world, but has not had a race in the U.S. since 1994.
"I know the American fans would love it," Hayden added. "Obviously I'd love it for my fans. You know they've never seen these bikes and I know they'd love them."
Japan's Ukawa Quits MotoGP
Tohru Ukawa of Japan is quitting MotoGP following a disappointing season with his Honda team, the official MotoGP website reported on Monday.
The 30-year-old was forced to retire from the Valencia Grand Prix on Sunday, the last race of the year, after colliding with his compatriot Shinya Nakano. He finished eighth in the world championship standings.
Ukawa, who plans to return to Japan to work as a test rider, earned 29 podium places in the 250cc class after starting his career in 1996.
His finest moment in MotoGP was winning the South African Grand Prix at Welkom in 2002.
All reports except MotoGP race report provided by Reuters
Solberg Hoping To Party Down On The Farm
By Alan Baldwin
Petter Solberg is not the red-faced sort of farmer, the kind who angrily orders trespassers off his land. Quite the opposite. If the Norwegian Subaru driver wins his first World Rally Championship in Britain this weekend, he will be happy to entertain all-comers at the family farm in Spydeberg, east of Oslo.
"I will tell you something," Solberg, 28, told Reuters before the Rally of Britain. "If it (the title) happens, it will be a hell of a chaos in Norway.
"If it goes well, everybody is welcome to my farm. It's going to be a very long weekend, I tell you."
Solberg, who started driving around the farm fields at an age when most children are getting to terms with their first bicycle, is one of three drivers in with a shout for the championship. Anything can happen between Thursday's start and Sunday's finish but he is well placed to take the crown after a storming year.
"Petter was very strong on the rally last year," said Gronholm after the last round in Spain left the Norwegian just a point off the overall lead. "It's going to be an exciting finish to the season but I think he will be too quick for the rest of them in Wales."
It was a year ago, in Wales, that Solberg celebrated his first rally victory. A repeat on Sunday would guarantee him the title. His Subaru will be reliable in the tricky British conditions while the Pirelli tyres could have a performance advantage over Michelin rivals in the wet.
Solberg has 62 points, with joint leaders Sebastien Loeb of France and his Spanish Citroen teammate Carlos Sainz on 63. Loeb has more of a reputation on asphalt while Sainz is a wily old veteran, a former winner in Britain with two championships under his belt.
"I will definitely do my best, I am pumped up for the rally," said Solberg, both of whose parents were keen rallycross drivers. "There's a lot of pressure building on me at home -- 'You can win it' and stuff like that -- but we can put the pressure on the other drivers.
"Carlos and Sebastien are leading the championship, I am third. So you can call me the hunter.
"Carlos is the very clever one and he's just going to wait and see what happens. And Loeb has improved a hell of a lot on gravel," he added. "Colin (McRae) can help also. I don't have to win the rally, I have to think about what the other drivers are doing but I think Colin will fly, fly like Hell.
"He will be completely mad I think. So just tell the spectators to stand away from the outside of the corners because he will use the whole road."
Briton McRae, Loeb's and Sainz's teammate, is running his final rally for Citroen and possibly the last of his World hampionship career after failing to find a drive for 2004.
The Scot is a former British rally winner, as well as being the 1995 World Champion for Subaru, and he also tips Solberg, saying: "It's hard to see past Petter given his current form and his extra experience of the Rally GB."
Solberg said he thought about rallying 24 hours a day but refused to let the pressure get to him. "I have driven cars since I was six years old and I know quite a lot about motorsport. I just go out there and have really good fun and sleep very good every night and just do my best," he said.
"If I don't win it this year, I will try to win it next. But I will not come into this rally and be stressed."
The same could not be said for Corsica last month, where Solberg crashed during the pre-race practice in an accident that could have ended his season.His Subaru went off the road at a fast right-hander, hitting a telegraph pole broadside.
"It was a big crash," he said at the time. "It's frightening to think what could have happened if we hadn't hit that pole. We were really lucky on two counts: If the pole had hit the car level with me, I would have been in trouble.
"And if the car hadn't hit the pole, then we would have fallen 200 metres."
After dicing with death, Solberg roared back to win the rally. He has been flat out ever since.
Burns's Title Hopes End In Hospital
By Alan Baldwin
Briton Richard Burns was ruled out of the world title showdown on Monday after he collapsed and was taken to hospital while on his way to the season-ending finale in Wales.
It was a cruel blow for the Peugeot driver and left the closest championship in rally history as a three-way battle between France's Sebastien Loeb, Spain's Carlos Sainz and Norwegian Petter Solberg. Loeb and Sainz, both Citroen drivers, are a point clear of Subaru's Solberg with ten points to play for.
"His condition is not serious, however doctors do want to carry out further tests," the team said. "On the advice of doctors, Richard will not be taking part in this weekend's Rally Britain."
Burns, five points off the lead, was fourth overall in the championship but the highest ranked driver for Peugeot, who trail stablemates Citroen in the manufacturers' standings by five points.
The British round starts in Cardiff with a superspecial stage on Thursday night. Burns, the first English driver to win the championship, had won his home event three times in the last five years.
"The doctors have basically told Richard not to do the rally," said Burns's co-driver Robert Reid. "He's having more tests done today but he's in good form considering the circumstances.
"I thought this year would have a sting in the tail but I wasn't quite prepared for this."
The Briton is due to return to Subaru next season after two barren years with Peugeot in which he has failed to win a rally for the reigning champions. He had not considered himself a favourite for the championship, however.
"Three people are in front of me and basically all three of them need to make a fairly serious mistake if they are not going to win it," he told Reuters last week.
"I've started every rally this year wanting to win. Some rallies I've had to accept at the end of the first day that I'm not going to be able to."
Burns's absence will be a blow for organisers eager to pull in local fans, with Britain's Colin McRae out of contention for the title and without a drive for next season after being dropped by Citroen. The rally could be the last appearance on the world stage for some time for the Scot, Burns's big rival.
The International Automobile Federation (FIA) said it had agreed to a Peugeot request for Belgian Freddy Loix, who joins the team next year, and co-driver Sven Smeets to take Burns's place this weekend.
Burns Released From Hospital After Fainting At Wheel
By Alan Baldwin
Britain's Richard Burns was released from hospital on Tuesday after fainting at the wheel in a motorway drama that left his world rally title hopes in tatters. A Peugeot team spokeswoman said Burns had left his hospital in Cardiff and been told to rest while awaiting the result of medical tests.
As he left, details of what happened on Sunday afternoon emerged with Ford driver Markko Martin revealed as Burns's safe pair of hands. A Ford team spokesman said the Estonian was travelling in the Peugeot driver's Porsche when the 32-year-old Briton blacked out at the wheel.
"They were in the car going down to Cardiff when it seemed that Richard didn't feel very well and fainted," he said. "Between the two of them they managed to get the car over without hitting anybody and Markko then phoned for an ambulance."
Burns's personal trainer Steve Benton was also in a car behind and examined the driver on the spot. Martin, a friend and rival of Burns, was reluctant to talk about how he wrenched the car to safety on the hard shoulder however.
"I don't think I'm in a position to comment," he told the Guardian newspaper. "I don't think I enjoyed it. I think it was better than if he was on his own."
Burns spent Sunday night in Newport hospital and was then moved to another in Cardiff on Monday.
Peugeot team boss Corrado Provera told the official www.wrc.com website that Burns, who leaves the team to return to Subaru next season after failing to win a rally in two seasons with the French manufacturer, had been given a scan.
"It is a very sad situation for him and for all of us. It is a pity for the end of his co-operation with us. We were sure he would have done something extraordinary on his home rally. Unfortunately he will not be doing it."
The British rally starts in Cardiff with a superspecial on Thursday night and Burns, world champion with Subaru in 2001, would have been one of four drivers fighting for the championship. His absence left a three-way battle with Citroen's French driver Sebastien Loeb and Spanish teammate Carlos Sainz a point clear of Subaru's Norwegian Petter Solberg.
Citroen are five points clear of Peugeot in the manufacturers' championship. Belgian Freddy Loix is replacing Burns for the rally before joining Peugeot next year.
McRae Announces World Championship Farewell
By Alan Baldwin
Colin McRae will be absent from the 2004 World Rally Championship after 16 years among the sport's elite. The former champion, in a statement ahead of his "last outing in the series for the foreseeable future", said last Friday that he would take a sabbatical to explore other forms of motorsport such as the Dakar Rally.
"At the time Citroen made its decision, Carlos was in a stronger position in the championship than me and still is," said McRae, who has yet to win this year. "It also has very strong links with the Spanish market so both of these factors obviously contributed. Had the driver regulations not changed, Citroen had always stated they would keep all three of us. Now they can't."
McRae, a household name selling millions of computer and video games, won the title with Subaru in 1995 and jointly holds the sport's record of 25 wins.
"It didn't help that a definite decision wasn't made early enough in the year to give anyone a chance of securing a drive," McRae said of the Citroen decision.
"Because of that, the only option left was to find the funds to pay for a drive and, given the short timescale, it's just almost impossible to pull that kind of money together."
McRae had explored the possibility of running a privately-entered car in a team run by his father Jimmy and with brother Alister, also out of a drive for next year. The Scot said 2003 had not been his best year and he had not really enjoyed the season.
"I've always said that when I don't enjoy it, I would seriously consider stepping back. The results haven't been there and these two things go together. If you're enjoying it, you're competitive.
"I'm not as competitive as I want to be and this is another reason for pulling out.
"I'm not disappointed and in fact am very positive about the future," added McRae. "I'm really looking forward to getting into other forms of motorsport. It's something I've always said I wanted to do.
"Everyone knows there are talks about me competing on the Dakar. Again, that's an event I've always thought about doing. There's potential for a deal there and also lots of others that would take me into different forms of motorsport."
The Scot has been linked to Nissan's Dakar team and is also keen on sportscar racing.
"2004 has the makings of a very interesting year and hopefully I will be in a position to make an announcement about certain things very soon," he said.
Burns Will Miss Sparring Partner McRae
By Alan Baldwin
Title contender Richard Burns says he would love old foe Colin McRae to leave the World Rally Championship in a blaze of glory this week. But, with a fistful of drivers chasing glory in the mountains and forests of south Wales, he doubts that will happen.
"I hope he does to be quite honest because I think rallying in this country needs everything it can get and to not have Colin next year is going to be quite a severe blow," the Englishman said.
Burns, England's first rally World Champion with Subaru in 2001, and McRae - Britain's first with the same team in 1995 - have fought fiesty 'Battles of Britain' over the years but this season's finale lacks the needle of old. While Peugeot's Burns is fourth overall, five points off the lead, McRae is out of contention.
The Scot, who said this month that Burns had blown his chance, has vowed to go flat out for his home fans but his English rival questioned how much of a threat he would be.
"The fact that Colin is not up there and in with a chance of winning the championship, (means) the motivation and his pace may suffer a little bit because he hasn't been having an enjoyable time of it recently," said Burns.
"Maybe just that little edge is knocked off because he hasn't had a great year, it is his last rally and he is fighting against people who are very, very hungry for the championship.
"So he'll be up against it to come out of this rally with a very good result."
Burns said he would miss the Scot: "Of course you are going to miss him more because he is part of the reason that you are followed," he said.
"It is a strange situation, I'll be the sole Brit out there (next year).
"It's not the way that someone like Colin should be leaving the sport. He shouldn't have been forced to leave the sport, it would have been much better all round if there was the choice."
One notable incident involved an inebriated McRae ringing Burns in the small hours to tell him that he was going to beat him when they next raced.
"For the last two years it hasn't been there quite so much but it was one of the big things of recent years in rallying, especially coming into the last round," said Burns.
"It was quite classic what happened in 2001 and it was very exciting to be part of it.
"It's a shame that there won't be that person but I'm sure the press will drag someone else out to be my foe."
Loeb A Champion In The Making, Sooner Or Later
By Robert Woodward
Everyone comments on Sebastien Loeb's coolness under pressure and even his rivals believe the Citroen driver has the makings of a World Rally Champion. But it might have to wait another year.
It has been a trying month for Loeb and his Citroen team, competing in their first full season. The winner in Sanremo, Loeb was leading the Corsican rally when a spin in the rain on the second day ended his chances.
In the season's penultimate rally in Spain, Loeb was leading on the final morning by a huge 49.7 seconds but Gilles Panizzi snatched victory as rain again derailed Citroen's challenge.
So instead of having a comfortable points cushion, Loeb leads Citroen teammate Carlos Sainz by virtue of having won more rallies - three - this season. They both have 63 points, with Norwegian Petter Solberg one point behind in third.
"Every time I'm in the lead it rains," says Loeb, whose team chose the wrong tyres for the final stages in Spain.
Born in Alsace, Loeb is a specialist on asphalt rallies such as those in Sanremo, Corsica and Spain. But the final rally in Britain this week is on gravel roads and Solberg (Subaru) won it last year.
"It's not going to be easy and I'm really going to have to battle and give everything I've got," said Loeb who showed his mettle on rough roads by taking this year's Australian rally.
Win or lose in 2003, only his second full season, Loeb has shown he is probably the most complete driver of a new generation which includes Solberg, Markko Martin of Estonia and Francois Duval of Belgium.
The first Junior World Champion to make it big in the World Rally Championship (WRC), Loeb has a reputation for smooth driving, mental toughness and speed - as a young man, he once went through a night-time police speed trap at 150 kph.
Loeb, a champion gymnast in his native Alsace as a schoolboy, started rallying in 1995, inspired by his best friend Pierre. They were both training to be electricians when Loeb gave Pierre a ride home in his car, terrifying his passenger by doing racing turns around every roundabout.
Pierre persuaded Loeb to do something with his obvious talent and he reached the final of the French young rally drivers' competition in 1995 and 1996. The following year he met Dominique Heintz, who was looking for an up-and-coming youngster from Alsace to sponsor.
Heintz, who had himself been sponsored by local companies to compete in the Paris-Dakar rally, read about Loeb in the local newspaper and offered him a rally car.
"I was his co-pilot on his first test drive and after the second lap I said to my friends 'either this guy hasn't a brain in his head or he's a genius'," Heintz said.
Heintz bought him a Peugeot 106 and then a Saxo for Citroen's single-make championship which he won in 1999. That year Loeb was given his World Rally Championship debut with Citroen, finishing 19th in Corsica, and the following year he competed in two races for Toyota while winning the French gravel championship.
By 2001, he was hot property having taken the Super 1600 title by winning every round in a Citroen. When he was given a drive in the Italy rally, he finished second behind Panizzi in a Xsara.
"Sebastien has got something which you cannot teach - he's got a gift for driving," says Frequelin.
A shy man, Loeb finds the hoopla surrounding his success embarrassing and hates giving speeches after his victories. But his self-confidence is growing as is his bank balance and Loeb is preparing to decamp to Switzerland to reduce his tax bill. He loves driving at the limit and gets a thrill out of challenging the older Citroen drivers, Sainz and Colin McRae.
"Frankly it was a bit strange at the beginning but it's my job and I can't stay behind them for ever.
"I knew this season was going to determine my future and I've really enjoyed proving that I am at their level."
Moya Hopes To Celebrate As Sainz Suffers
By Alan Baldwin
Together, Carlos Sainz and Luis Moya conquered the world and suffered the cruellest of misfortune. For 15 years and more than 150 rallies, the two Spaniards careered through forests and along rutted mountain roads to take the World Rally title in 1990 and 1992 before splitting up last year.
This week both will be back in Wales, scene of their worst nightmare, for the closest finale in World Rally history - a four-way showdown. Only this time they will be on opposing sides, with former co-driver Moya ready to do his utmost to prevent Sainz from winning the World Championship again.
Moya is now employed as a sporting director for Subaru, whose Norwegian driver Petter Solberg is just one point behind Citroen's joint championship leaders Sainz and Frenchman Sebastien Loeb. Briton Richard Burns, who joins Subaru next year, is five points off the lead going into this Friday's start.
Sainz, still driving and now partnered by Marc Marti, has a chance to exorcise the terrible ghosts that still haunt him from five years ago but Moya has no regrets that he is no longer alongside his compatriot.
"At the moment I don't care about Carlos," Moya told Reuters in an interview from his home in Barcelona. "I don't care who is in the other teams or what Carlos is doing.
"I am going to do the impossible so that Petter can win. I will do absolutely the impossible. I don't care who we are fighting with, I am working for Subaru."
"I took a decision. I said to Carlos 'I'm sorry but I cannot go with you under these conditions and that's it, end of story,'" said Moya of his decision to quit after failing to agree on money when Sainz moved to Citroen from Ford.
"I feel like a football player who has just joined a foreign team. Whether people like it or not that's not my problem," added Moya.
Moya, like Sainz, cannot return to the British Rally without facing questions about 1998 and helmet hurling. It was Moya, ever the fiery Latin, who lashed out and pitched his helmet at Sainz's smouldering Toyota in a moment of blind fury as his championship dreams literally went up in smoke. Sainz, stunned, wept quietly.
Moya says that afternoon of fire and fury at Margam Park remains the most painful memory of his sporting career.
"That was the worst moment, the most cruel situation I have ever seen," he said. "I love sport and I follow a lot of sports and I have never seen anything like that in any sport in my life. I have never seen anything even close to that. It was very cruel. But I think you always learn from these things."
Moya and Sainz had been in fourth place, taking no risks after sole rival Tommi Makinen had retired and returned to his hotel to prepare to fly home to Finland. Then the engine blew and Makinen, who retires after this year's romp through the Welsh forests, was champion for the third year in a row.
"What happened at that moment, my reaction...I'm a Latin, I have a heart and that's the way I reacted," said Moya. "When I apologised to (team boss) Ove Andersson afterwards in case Toyota were disappointed, he said "Luis, you reacted like a normal human being.'"
"It was a shock but you have to learn always in life that experiences like this should make you tougher and make you try harder next time," he said a few years ago. "The one thing I know is that I am never going to go through a situation like that again.
"To lose a championship with 300 metres to go is unbelievable, so I know that I have been through the worst thing in rallying and things can only get better."
Moya suspected that Sainz was nonetheless more determined than ever to pull out all the stops at the rally in Spain last fortnight.
"I'm sure that Carlos tried in Catalunya to get as many points as possible because he doesn't like to leave a championship to the last event. That's normal," he said.
Reports provided by Reuters
Earnhardt Jr's Arizona
Ryan Newman sat on the pole for the tenth time this season with Brian Vickers alongside, making his third career Winston Cup start. At the start Newman moved into the lead, with Jimmie Johnson taking second from Vickers as they began lap two, then the lead from Newman a lap later, Vickers taking third from Newman on lap five as Newman was slowly shuffled down the top ten. Moving the other way was Dale Earnhardt Jr, quickly into the top five and up to third by lap 20 of the 312 lap event, moving past Vickers for second on lap 27 as Johnson ran clear at the front. Jeremy Mayfield brought out the first caution of the day on lap 35 when his engine went up in a cloud of smoke. The field pitted, Kurt Busch taking two tyres to take the lead ahead of Newman, Johnson, Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr off pit lane.
The race went back to green on lap 44, Earnhardt Jr immediately passing teammate Waltrip for fourth place. Despite Busch taking just two tyres Busch had a gap as Earnhardt Jr took third from Johnson on lap 47 before having a long battle with Newman for second place, eventually taking the place on lap 67 but not before the duo made contact, with Earnhardt Jr suffering some minor damage, Earnhardt Jr temporarily dropping back to fourth at one point. Eventually four tyres proved to be better than two as Earnhardt Jr caught Busch just after lap 80 as Waltrip took third from Newman on lap 83, Earnhardt Jr taking the lead from Busch on lap 86. Newman stayed close to Waltrip, retaking the place about 30 laps after losing it. Soon after it was caution time again on lap 120 as Casey Mears lost an engine. Field headed to the pits again, Busch leading Johnson, Newman, Earnhardt Jr and Waltrip back on to the track.
In came the field for stops, Newman, Rusty Wallace, Harvick and Gordon taking two tyres and leading the rest of the field out of the pits, Johnson, Busch and Earnhardt Jr in fifth, sixth and seventh the best placed of those who took four. Back to green on lap 179, with a five car battle raging for third place, Gordon eventually taking the place just before a flat left rear tyre for Jeff Burton brought out the caution on lap 187. Racing resumed on lap 191, Newman continuing to lead as Busch grabbed fourth from Harvick just before the lap was over, Busch then closing Gordon for third before Earnhardt Jr closed on the duo, then took fourth from Busch as the three of them closed in on second placed Wallace. Before Gordon could pass Wallace, Earnhardt Jr took third place from Gordon on lap 207. Soon after on lap 210 it was caution time again after Steve Park crashed hard in turns three and four.
And once more the pits were busy, with Johnson leading Busch, Waltrip, Jamie McMurray and Mark Martin off pit road as they all took two tyres. Newman, Wallace, Earnhardt Jr and Gordon in seventh through tenth were the best placed of those who took four. Back to green on lap 218, Earnhardt Jr moving up to sixth over the next few laps before the caution came out on lap 230 after Wallace appeared to tap Stewart into a spin, followed by Scott Wimmer tapping Wallace into a spin before Wimmer escaped, while Bobby Labonte and Kevin Harvick got caught with nowhere to go as they piled into Wallace and Stewart, Harvick suffering severe damage while Wallace, Stewart and Labonte didn't get away scot free either. A few cars pitted but second placed Busch was the only one of the leaders to do so, Busch falling to 22nd after doing so.
The leaders stayed out but sixth placed Gordon came in and led most of those behind him into pit lane, Gordon resuming twelfth. Lap 276 and Earnhardt Jr led Johnson, Waltrip, Martin and Newman at the restart but it was back to caution on lap 282 when Kyle Petty made it five Dodge engines up in smoke, Busch and Kenseth having moved up to sixth and seventh during the green flag period. Back to green on lap 289, Busch taking fifth from teammate Martin one lap later as Newman took third from Waltrip on the next lap. 16 to go and Busch took fourth place from Waltrip as just behind them Kenseth had moved past Martin into sixth, just before the caution came out on lap 300 for Mike Wallace spinning in turn three and four.
With the race restarting with nine laps to go, the field lined up in single file, Earnhardt Jr leading Johnson, Newman, Busch and Waltrip. At the restart Johnson and Newman pushed Earnhardt Jr hard but it didn't stay that way long, Earnhardt Jr beginning to pull away again as the top five settled down though there were fierce battles between Newman and Busch for third and Waltrip and Kenseth for fifth. That was how it stayed to the end, Dale Earnhardt Jr winning the race ahead of Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman just holding off Kurt Busch and Michael Waltrip doing the same with Matt Kenseth.
Result of NASCAR Winston Cup, Round 34 of 36, Phoenix International Raceway, Arizona, United States:
Standings: Matt Kenseth 4828, Dale Earnhardt Jr 4600, Jimmie Johnson 4587, Jeff Gordon 4528, Ryan Newman 4499, Kevin Harvick 4477, Tony Stewart 4260, Bobby Labonte 4055, Kurt Busch 3983, Bill Elliott 3966 etc.
Brack To Have Further Surgery
By Lewis Franck
Swedish driver Kenny Brack, who suffered multiple fractures in a crash at the Texas 500 Indy Racing League (IRL) event last month, is to undergo further surgery on Tuesday and will need at least six months to recover.
"I expect to see him recovering very well," Gregory told reporters in a teleconference on Monday.
Brack said he had no memory of the crash on lap 188 of the 200-lap race in Fort Worth on October 12. He locked wheels with South African Tomas Scheckter, the son of ex-Formula One World Champion Jody, on the back straight heading for turn three and his Team Rahal car was flipped into the air. Brack crashed into the catch fencing, tearing the fence, before bouncing back on to the track where his car spun on its side before stopping.
The 1998 IRL champion and 1999 Indy 500 winner said: "I remember driver introductions before the race, and pit stops. I don't remember driving and the actual crash. I woke up Thursday (after the race).
"It's coming along pretty good considering what happened in Texas. I'm moving about doing a lot of rehab. I'm gaining strength. I'm not complaining, it's great to see progress every day.
"I can't walk yet because the ankles can't take any weight. I'm trying to do whatever I can to heal in the shortest period of time.
"Although I have a lot of broken bones, I don't have any casts. I guess I'm kind of glued together," he said.
Report provided by Reuters
CART
MotoGP
Valentino Rossi sat on the pole ahead of Sete Gibernau, Loris Capirossi and Nicky Hayden on the front row. At the start it was Rossi who led from Capirossi, Max Biaggi and Hayden, though Capirossi took the lead from Rossi into turn two while Gibernau grabbed fourth from Biaggi about halfway through the lap. Towards the end of lap two Rossi outaccelerated Capirossi from a hairpin, taking the lead as the top six began to ease away from the rest of the field, Carlos Checa the other member of the lead group, taking fifth from Biaggi at the same place Gibernau had taken third two laps earlier. The lead pack became five when Nicky Hayden lowsided at turn two on lap four, dropping him to the tail of the field after he eventually remounted.
Pos Rider Motorcycle
1. Valentino Rossi Honda RC211V
2. Sete Gibernau Honda RC211V
3. Loris Capirossi Ducati Desmosedici
4. Max Biaggi Honda RC211V
5. Carlos Checa Yamaha YZR-M1
6. Alex Barros Yamaha YZR-M1
7. Troy Bayliss Ducati Desmosedici
8. Colin Edwards Aprilia Cube
9. Norick Abe Yamaha YZR-M1
10. Makoto Tamada Honda RC211V
San Marino's Manuel Poggiali took the 250cc world title on Sunday by finishing third behind race winner Randy de Puniet of France at the season-ending Valencia Grand Prix.
"I have come here today to say thank you to Honda for an incredible four years but unfortunately next year we won't be racing together," Rossi said in a Honda media conference after the season-ending Valencia Grand Prix.
"Two riders like Sete and Colin are reason to have high hopes and expectations of top results," said team manager Fausto Gresini. "I am great admirer of Edwards - he is a rider who combines talent with determination."
"It hasn't been easy, there's been a few times this year when I've asked what I've got myself into," said the laid-back native of Kentucky, who was the youngest champion in the history of the AMA Superbike series last year, winning nine of the sixteen rounds.
Rally
Solberg went home last year to find some 2,500 happy campers lighting bonfires in his backyard and preparing to party after he had finished overall runner-up to Finland's Marcus Gronholm. There could be far more than that next week.
Solberg's Finnish teammate Tommi Makinen, four times a champion with Mitsubishi, bows out after the weekend and the Norwegian expects his friend to be a big help. "I think he will probably do his best rally of the whole year to try to help me to be a world champion. He will give everything."
A team spokeswoman said Burns, the 2001 champion with Subaru, was taken ill while travelling by car from London to Cardiff on Sunday evening and spent the night in Newport hospital.
Burns is likely to head for home, avoiding the media gathering in Cardiff for the season-ending Rally of Britain that will decide the closest title battle in World Championship history.
"We are sure there is nothing really important (wrong with) him, but according to what the doctors told us it really is impossible for him to enter the rally," he said.
The 35-year-old Scot has no drive for next year after Citroen announced they were not renewing his contract. This week's season-ending British rally will be his farewell. McRae has fallen foul of a rule change limiting teams to two registered cars next year. Citroen have already confirmed joint championship leaders Sebastien Loeb of France and Carlos Sainz of Spain.
The season-ending British round could be McRae's swansong after the Scot, without a drive in 2004 after being dropped by Citroen, announced on Friday that he was taking a sabbatical and would not be back next year.
The media have built up their rivalry over the years, with the perceived feud reaching a crescendo with a war of words before the 2001 British Rally. While Burns once likened McRae to Lara Croft, suggesting that some people thought the face that sold millions of rally computer games was as fictitious as the 'Tomb Raider' heroine, the Scot played his own mind games.
Loeb is going to need every ounce of his French sang-froid in the countdown to the end of the season and it will be a major disappointment for the 29-year-old driver if he does not become the first French champion since Didier Auriol in 1994.
"It's great to see a new driver arrive on the scene who is as quick as he is, it's an inspiration," said former champion Ari Vatanen who recommended Loeb to Citroen. "His maturity and speed and the fact he doesn't make many mistakes impress me."
Having secured a full works contract with Citroen in 2002, Loeb finished first in the Monte Carlo rally but was relegated to second after the team were penalised for an illegal tyre change. He won his first rally in Germany later in the year and this season he got revenge by winning Monte Carlo and was also successful in Germany and Sanremo.
Together, they went through the agony of losing a third championship in Britain in 1998 when their Toyota expired and caught fire within sight of the end of the last stage of the final race of the season.
"A lot of people asked me whether I was happy when Carlos was leading the championship," added Moya, the most successful co-driver in rally history with 24 wins. "I said no, I'm not happy. I'll be happy when Petter is leading the championship.
It would be easy to assume that the pressure will be on Sainz this week, particularly if he is leading into the concluding stages. That is probably wrong however. Sainz has revisited the 1998 episode since, chalking it down to experience and taking strength from it.
NASCAR
Despite coming close several times since (including more than once this year), it had been over two years since Dale Earnhardt Jr had won a non-restrictor plate race in the Winston Cup. Hpwever, he broke that streak on the weekend as he took victory at Phoenix in a closely fought race all day long. His victory meant that he maintained his second place in the standings as a sixth place finish for points leader Matt Kenseth sees Kenseth hold a 228 point lead with just two races remaining. Someone who took a hit in the points was Kevin Harvick after a multi-car mid-race incident saw him end the day in 34th place, dropping him from third to sixth in the points standings.
Lap 125 and the race resumed, but despite close racing at the front none of the top four positions changed before Ricky Craven brought out the next caution on lap 140 when he crashed in turn one and two. Most of the leaders stayed out, tenth placed Kevin Harvick the first car to stop, falling to twentieth as they came to the restart on lap 145, Busch continuing to lead Johnson while Kenseth, who had started in provisional land near the rear of the field, was inside the top fifteen. The top duo had a couple of seconds over the next pair, who were well clear of fifth placed Tony Stewart. Lap 170 and it was caution time again, Jimmy Spencer slamming the turn three wall hard backwards after he spun on his own oil, Ward Burton also bouncing off the wall after slipping on the oil and Kevin LePage glancing it.
Lap 238 and it was back to racing, Johnson leading Waltrip, Martin, Earnhardt Jr and McMurray. One lap later Earnhardt Jr was up to third, and two laps later he passed teammate Waltrip for second and closed in on leader Johnson. Jeff Gordon was slowly moving forward as well, taking fifth from McMurray on lap 245. Up at the front Johnson now had Earnhardt Jr on his rear bumper as Kenseth was charging into the top ten. After several laps of being right on Johnson's bumper, Earnhardt took the lead from Johnson on lap 262, while one lap later a ten lap side-by-side dice between Gordon and Newman for fifth was decided in Newman's favour. Kurt Busch's decision to pit at the last caution was proving to not look so bad after all, making it into eighth just before Jeff Green's blown motor brought out the caution on lap 269.
Pos Driver Car
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr Chevrolet Monte Carlo
2. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Monte Carlo
3. Ryan Newman Dodge Intrepid
4. Kurt Busch Ford Taurus
5. Michael Waltrip Chevrolet Monte Carlo
6. Matt Kenseth Ford Taurus
7. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet Monte Carlo
8. Jeff Burton Ford Taurus
9. Scott Wimmer Dodge Intrepid
10. Mark Martin Ford Taurus
IRL
Brack, who sustained fractures of his breast bone, right thigh bone, lower back and both ankles, needs further surgery to stabilise his spine, according to Robert Gregori, assistant medical director at the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana. After that he will need physical therapy for at least six months.
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