Rally

Burns To Miss Next Season With Brain Tumour

Former World Rally Champion Richard Burns will miss the 2004 season after being diagnosed with a brain tumour. Burns, who won the title with Subaru in 2001, was forced to withdraw from this month's decisive Rally of Britain after suffering a blackout while driving to the event in Wales.

The 32-year-old Briton had been fourth overall in the championship at the time, five points off the lead, and was one of four drivers challenging for the title. Initial tests failed to discover anything wrong, but a Peugeot statement on Monday said Burns has been diagnosed with a condition known as Astrocytoma and would undergo a course of radiotherapy.

"Richard has been undergoing tests in hospital to determine the cause of the health problem he suffered before Rally of Wales," the statement said. "These tests have been concluded and the doctors have now confirmed that he has an Astrocytoma. Richard will undergo a course of radiotherapy treatment which the doctors are confident will prove successful."

Burns, who was to rejoin Japanese team Subaru from Peugeot next season, said: "I would really like to thank everyone for their continued support -- it means a lot to me.

"The doctors have advised that I am unable to get back in a rally car for the 2004 FIA WRC Championship and I have to accept that.

"I'm obviously extremely disappointed but I am feeling very positive and I am determined to focus all of my efforts on getting back to full fitness as soon as I can."

Subaru, for whom Norway's Petter Solberg won the drivers title this year, have yet to decide who will replace Burns. Team principal David Lapworth said on Monday: "We are very concerned at this news about Richard.

"There will always be future rallies and future championships but for now Richard needs to put his own health first.

"We have not yet had much time to consider all the alternative driver options for next year but we hope to make an announcement in the coming weeks."

One option would be for Colin McRae, who is without a team after being dropped by French outfit Citroen, to return to Subaru for whom he drove to become the first British world champion in 1995.

Rally Of Britain Organisers Unaware Of Downgrading Plan

Organisers of the Rally of Britain said they have not received any notification about the possibility of the event being downgraded by motorsport's governing body the FIA. The status of the rally has been referred to the International Automobile Federation's (FIA) world motorsport council meeting on Monaco on December 12 after top drivers were fined for speeding on public roads during the 2002 event.

A proposal will be discussed for the rally to have "observer status" and therefore not count towards the World Championship. But Rally GB Limited has not been made aware of the plan.

"Rally GB Limited, organiser of Wales Rally GB, can confirm that it has not received any notification from the FIA regarding any change to the status of the event for 2004," a statement said on Wednesday.

The rally's timed special stages in Wales are held on Forestry Commission land but drivers have to use public roads and motorways to get to them from the service park and rally headquarters. A court last week fined four former champions. The targeting of 17 rally drivers, including former champions Colin McRae and Richard Burns of Britain along with Spain's Carlos Sainz and Finland's Tommi Makinen, made front page news in Britain.

An FIA spokesman said at the time: "The actions of police and the magistrates seem to indicate that this is an exceptionally dangerous location for a rally.

"The FIA has therefore asked its safety delegate for a report on the suitability of the local public roads for a world championship event."

Rally GB Limited said it accepted the FIA's concerns about the speeding fines.

"Rally GB Limited does recognise the concerns raised by the FIA regarding policing of speed limits on the roads in Wales," the statement added. "(We) will be working extremely closely with the FIA safety delegate during the planning for the 2004 Wales Rally GB to ensure that all concerns are addressed."

The rally is due to move from its season-ending November slot to September next year. The 2003 event was held earlier this month.

Reports provided by Reuters

  MotoGP

Doohan Backs Rossi For Yamaha Success

By Nick Mulvenney

Five-times World 500cc Champion Mick Doohan believes Valentino Rossi will soon be winning MotoGP races with Yamaha, just as he has with dominant Honda over the past four years.

The Italian world champion decided to leave Honda after winning his third consecutive world title with them last month and, last Monday week, Yamaha said they had signed up the 24-year-old on a two-year deal.

"Valentino is still going to be the guy to beat for next year's championship," Australian Doohan told the official MotoGP website. "He may need a little time in the beginning to win as dominantly as he did on the Honda, but his consistency will still be a plus. In all honesty, I don't think the Yamaha is that much behind the Honda."

Rossi said he decided to make the switch because he no longer found it a challenge to win on the Honda RCV.There has been speculation that his deal with Yamaha could be worth around $10 million a year and Doohan, 38, suggested the move may also have something to do with the set-up of the team.

"He's had a great run with Honda but, at the end of the day, business is business," said Doohan. "The challenge for any rider in Valentino's position is to stay at the top of the game and make sure the environment is right.

"He's obviously confident in his ability to pull all the various pieces together to keep winning."

Doohan, who won his five titles from 1994 to 1998 with Honda, was also linked with a move to Yamaha several times during his period of domination.

"Yamaha hasn't had a really strong rider since Wayne Rainey and they haven't won a championship since 1992," he said. "Valentino knows that, as I did when there was talk I'd go there at various stages of my career.

"This time around it appears Yamaha are sick of losing. They've decided to do something and get serious about needing to win. They obviously believe Valentino is the rider to go with to get the results they want."

Xaus Follows Superbike Teammate Hodgson To MotoGP

Spain's Ruben Xaus will ride alongside World Superbike champion Neil Hodgson for the Team d'Antin Ducati outfit in next season's MotoGP championship.

Xaus, who finished second behind his British teammate in this season's Superbike championship, will renew his formidable partnership with the Briton at the Ducati factory satellite team run by Spain's Luis d'Antin

"I'm excited with the new challenge," the 25-year-old Catalan told the Ducati website. "I'm going to give it everything...and am happy to be in a Spanish team and to continue racing with Neil (Hodgson).

"I've been with Ducati for the past four years and I'm pleased to be able to continue. Until now I haven't had the chance to try the MotoGP bike and I'm really looking forward to it."

The Superbike championship has lost former champions Colin Edwards and Troy Bayliss as well as several manufacturers to Grand Prix racing over the last couple of years.

Reports provided by Reuters

  Rally Raid

New Dakar Boss Insists On Security

New Paris-Dakar rally chief Patrick Zanirolli unveiled the itinerary for the 2004 race on Tuesday, placing an emphasis on safety. Zanirolli, who replaced Hubert Auriol last month, said special care would be taken to avoid the accidents involving spectators which have tarnished the race in the past.

"The organisation (has) strengthened speed controls in towns and villages. The compulsory GPS will record and control excessive speeding," Zanirolli said. "Sporting and financial penalties will be handed out to those found speeding," he added.

The new Paris-Dakar boss called the 26th edition of the race, which will for the most part take place in its traditional countries - France, Spain, Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso and Senegal - "a return to sources". The most difficult part of the rally, which will cover more than 11,000 km over 17 stages, will be the six stages in Mauritania, said Zanirolli.

"Mauritania will be the main course of the race, with a mixture of short and long stages designed like an endurance race without assistance," he said. "Everybody will have to go to the limit of their talent, strength and courage," he added.

Of the 11,052 km, more than half will be timed sections. Organisers said 563 vehicles had registered so far, 140 cars, 200 motorcycles, 58 lorries and 165 assistance vehicles. Seventeen former winners will be at the start.

McRae To Achieve Dream In Paris-Dakar Rally

Briton Colin McRae will achieve a dream when he embarks on his first Paris-Dakar rally at the wheel of a Nissan in January.

"It's something I've always wanted to do," he said. "I always enjoyed the Safari, especially the old Safaris, an event where you could pace yourself, but it's very much a learning year for me."

The 35-year-old Scot was speaking in Paris as Nissan presented a strong team on Tuesday for the January 1-18 rally that starts in France's Auvergne region. McRae, who has never taken part in such an event before, said he was "looking forward to showing what I can do in a different type of rallying".

The Briton has not been retained by Citroen for next season's World Championship but is among the favourites to take over from compatriot Richard Burns at Subaru next season. Burns will not be able to take part in the 2004 season because of a brain tumour.

However, the Dakar rally finishes just five days before the World Championship season starts and McRae would not be able to test with Subaru after coming straight out of the African race.

"At the moment I'm only thinking about Paris-Dakar and Richard," McRae told journalists after the news conference. "It's a very cruel world sometimes and this sort of thing is a big shock. I really hope Richard can make a full and speedy recovery," he added.

Nissan have strong ambitions in the Paris-Dakar rally in 2004 with drivers such as Finn Ari Vatanen, who has won the race four times, France's Yves Loubet and South African Giniel De Villiers.

Fifth last year thanks to De Villiers, the Japanese constructor is aiming for a podium spot this year, said new Nissan team manager Gilles Martineau, former head of Ford sports. "I'm glad to embark on a train rolling towards a podium," Martineau said.

Reports provided by Reuters

  NASCAR

Labonte Lucks In After Elliott Dominates

It was a race that Bill Elliott looked like winning for a long time. But a last lap tyre problem prevented it, allowing Bobby Labonte to 'steal' the win, the final Winston Cup race after Winston announced they would be leaving the sport earlier in the year. The race was also the last race for Pontiac, after GM announced a few weeks ago they would be no longer supporting the brand despite the make capturing the 2000 and 2002 Winston Cup titles. Johnny Benson, in his last race for MB2 motorsport, gave Pontiac a decent send off, by running up front and scoring his best result for the season in fourth place.

Jamie McMurray and Bobby Labonte filled the front row on the reconfigured Homestead track, now a more traditional oval with banked corners at each end. At the start McMurray grabbed the lead but was challenged immediately by Brian Vickers, Vickers taking the lead before lap one was over with Gordon and Busch following past McMurray soon after. Kevin Harvick was on the move early, and was driving underneath Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch through turn two on lap four when Harvick's car broke loose, Harvick catching the slide but not before he slammed into Ryan Newman, with Newman forced up into Busch, Newman and Busch suffering heavy damage while Harvick escaped virtually unscathed as the first caution of the day came out on lap five. A few cars pitted to make repairs to their cars including both Joe Gibbs cars.

Back to green on lap ten, Vickers leading Jeff Gordon and McMurray, though as they completed lap twelve the top two swapped positions as Gordon took over the lead. Rusty Wallace and Jimmie Johnson were on the move, up to third and fourth, with Wallace taking second from Vickers on lap fifteen and the lead from Gordon a lap later, while Johnson took third on lap 17 from Vickers and second from Gordon on lap 19 before taking the lead from Wallace a few laps later. It was back to caution on lap 30 however when 2003 Winston Cup champ Matt Kenseth's engine went up in smoke. The field pitted, with Jimmy Spencer and Bill Elliott taking fuel only as they led Johnson, Johnny Benson and Rusty Wallace off pit road who like most of the field took fuel and tyres.

Back to green on lap 35, Benson taking third later that lap as Johnson came in to the pits the next lap with a flat tyre, dropping him from the top five to 39th, one lap down. Up at the front Spencer, Elliott and Benson were close together but had a gap over fourth placed Wallace, the tyre gamble paying off so far. As they completed lap 39 Benson took second from Elliott, then took the lead from Spencer as they entered turn one to begin lap 40, Elliott following past Spencer later that lap to move to second. Elliott then took the lead back from Benson seven laps later, as Michael Waltrip and Rusty Wallace were now up to third and fourth as Spencer began to fade, Wallace moving up to third on lap 56. After his earlier indiscretion, Harvick was flying once more and was inside the top ten and closing on the top five when the caution came out on lap 74 when Waltrip hit the turn two wall after his right front tyre failed, having just lost fourth place to Jeremy Mayfield.

More pit stops, with Elliott leading teammate Mayfield, Benson, Wallace and Harvick back on to the track. The race resumed on lap 79, with Benson moving back to second later that lap before Mayfield took it back two laps later, but was back to caution on lap 82 when Jeff Green's engine failed, this caution allowing Johnson to get back on the lead lap. Lap 87 and it was back to green, Mayfield challenging and taking the lead from Elliott a lap later with Benson and Wallace just behind, Elliott retaking the lead on lap 92 of the 267 lap event. Harvick took third on lap 95 having just passed Benson and Wallace, with Wallace taking fourth from Benson two laps later, with both Harvick and Wallace demoting Mayfield during the next ten laps as Tony Stewart was up in the top five after being near the rear of the field after the first caution.

Stewart was up to third when another flat right front tyre led to hard contact with the wall, this time for Brian Vickers, bringing out the caution on lap 122. In came the field for stops, Harvick leading Elliott, Stewart, Mayfield and Wallace off pit lane. The race restarted on lap 129, with Elliott challenging Harvick for the lead before taking the place on lap 133 as Johnson's recovery from the flat tyre saw him move inside the top five on lap 139 as Mayfield slowed with a deflated right rear, the rubber from his tyre causing the caution on lap 143. In came the field once more for stops, Elliott taking fuel only to lead the rest of the field out by miles, with Sterling Marlin, Wallace, McMurray and Gordon next out, some of those just taking fuel and two tyres.

Back to green on lap 152, Elliott opening a gap as a tough battle for second place raged. the field getting three, four and five wide as they battled through some lapped traffic, Wallace eventually taking second from Marlin on lap 158 after clearing the traffic with Stewart taking third a lap later. Lap 163 and Stewart continued his march up the order, taking second from Wallace as Johnson closed in onto Wallace's rear bumper, taking third a lap later, Harvick taking fourth on lap 171 as Wallace slowly dropped back through the top ten. Johnson continued his charge forward as he moved past Stewart to move up into second place soon after as Harvick and Benson continued to fill out the top five. Another right front flat tyre, this time for Greg Biffle, brought out the next caution on lap 200.

In came the field, Stewart leading Elliott, Benson, Harvick and Johnson off pit road. The race resumed on lap 208 but was back to caution two laps later when Joe Nemechek spun off turn four after a tap from Jeff Burton. Back to green once more on lap 215, Stewart leading at the restart but Elliott swept back through to the lead two laps later and opened a gap, with Benson closing in on Stewart and taking the place a lap later as Harvick moved on to Stewart's bumper, the trio running together lap after lap. Meanwhile Stewart's teammate Bobby Labonte had moved his way steadily up the order and was now running fifth, he and Johnson in sixth eventually catching the trio in front to make it a five-car train for second place.

Benson managed to open up a small gap as the fight for third intensified. Lap 237 saw Labonte take fourth from Harvick, Harvick taking the place back on the next lap and then losing it again, losing another place on the same lap to Johnson as he got boxed in behind the lapped Newman, one of the cars he caused major damage to in the opening laps. The caution came out a few laps later on lap 244 after Mark Martin got loose on the inside of Ward Burton in the middle of turns one and two, the resultant slide sending both cars into the wall and causing severe damage to both cars. Just under half the lead lap cars pitted, most of the leaders staying out except for Tony Stewart, who dropped to thirteenth place.

The race restarted on lap 250, the top five of Elliott, Benson, Labonte, Johnson and Harvick leading the field away, Labonte taking second place from Benson before the lap was over. Lap 254 and it was back to caution once more, as Ricky Rudd's smoking car finally blew up. With nine laps remaining, the race went back to green, Elliott just leading Labonte as Benson came under pressure from Johnson, but before he could pass Benson, Johnson lost fourth place to Harvick with eight laps to go, Harvick then taking third from Benson two laps later. Up front Elliott was just a little bit faster than Labonte, though he still had Labonte in his mirror.

Four to go and Johnson took fourth from Benson, Jeff Gordon the next in line but not really close enough to do anything about it. Though Labonte was close, Elliott seemed certain to make it two victories in two weeks. Until a wiggle through turn two on the last lap indicated a deflating right rear tyre (like his teammate around half distance), Labonte shooting past as Elliott tried his hardest to lost as few places as possible. Labonte went on to take the win, beating Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Johnny Benson and Jeff Gordon. Bill Elliott did make it to the finish, dropping to eighth place, one place behind Tony Stewart.

Result of NASCAR Winston Cup, Round 36 of 36, Homestead Motorsports Complex, Florida, United States:

Pos  Driver                Car
 1.  Bobby Labonte         Chevrolet Monte Carlo
 2.  Kevin Harvick         Chevrolet Monte Carlo
 3.  Jimmie Johnson        Chevrolet Monte Carlo
 4.  Johnny Benson         Pontiac Grand Prix
 5.  Jeff Gordon           Chevrolet Monte Carlo
 6.  Jeremy Mayfield       Dodge Intrepid
 7.  Tony Stewart          Chevrolet Monte Carlo
 8.  Bill Elliott          Dodge Intrepid
 9.  Jamie McMurray        Dodge Intrepid
10.  Sterling Marlin       Dodge Intrepid

Final Standings: Matt Kenseth 5022, Jimmie Johnson 4932, Dale Earnhardt Jr 4815, Jeff Gordon 4785, Kevin Harvick 4770, Ryan Newman 4711, Tony Stewart 4549, Bobby Labonte 4377, Bill Elliott 4303, Terry Labonte 4162, Kurt Busch 4150, Jeff Burton 4109, Jamie McMurray 3965, Rusty Wallace 3950, Michael Waltrip 3934, Robby Gordon 3856, Mark Martin 3769, Sterling Marlin 3745, Jeremy Mayfield 3736, Greg Biffle 3696, Ward Burton 3550, Elliott Sadler 3525, Ricky Rudd 3521, Johnny Benson 3448, Joe Nemechek 3426, Dale Jarrett 3358, Ricky Craven 3334, Dave Blaney 3194, Jimmy Spencer 3147, Kenny Wallace 3061, Todd Bodine 2976, Steve Park 2923, Tony Raines 2772, Jeff Green 2656, Casey Mears 2638, Ken Schrader 2451, Kyle Petty 2414, John Andretti 2379, Mike Skinner 1960, Jack Sprague 1284, Larry Foyt 1228, Mike Wallace 1189, Kevin Lepage 877, Christian Fittipaldi 857, Jerry Nadeau 844, Derrike Cope 822, Jason Leffler 764, Scott Wimmer 599, Brian Vickers 379, Hermie Sadler 373, Johnny Sauter 356, Brett Bodine 308, Scott Pruett 236, Bobby Hamilton Jr 203, Boris Said 201, Ron Fellows 200, Buckshot Jones 160, Jason Keller 152, Johnny Miller 146, David Green 125, Casey Atwood 113, Ron Hornaday 103, Hideo Fukuyama 98, PJ Jones 91, Mike Bliss 85, Paul Menard and Jason Jarrett 76, Ted Musgrave 70, Morgan Shepherd 68, Geoffrey Bodine 46, Stacy Compton 39

NASCAR points distribution

  CART

CART Announces 19 Race Schedule For 2004

Battling against financial uncertainty, the U.S.-based CART Champ Car World Series announced a 19 race schedule for 2004 on Thursday while awaiting government and shareholder approval of a stock buyout. On Monday, Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) issued a release stating it planned to have the buyout proxy in the hands of shareholders for a vote on December 18.

The series plans to make its debut in Las Vegas and South Korea, as well as maintaining overseas races in Australia, Canada and Mexico. Fourteen of the races are set, starting on February 22 with the series opener in St. Petersburg, Florida and ending on October 24 in Surfers Paradise, Australia.

Four races have dates "to be announced" in Seoul, Mexico City, Miami and California Speedway. The Brands Hatch event in England is also expected to be determined before the season begins.

"We have crafted a schedule that is challenging for our teams and drivers, as well as enticing to our sponsors and fans," CART president and CEO Christopher R. Pook said in a statement.

Explaining the races without dates "we have an unresolved situation in terms of a date at California Speedway," Pook added. "Until this issue is resolved, we are unable to finalise dates at Mexico City, Korea and Miami. However, agreements exist with all of these venues and once the California Speedway issue is resolved, we will announce the remaining race dates.

"A similar situation exists with a possible return to Brands Hatch, and we will be able to proceed in that regard as soon as ownership rights to the track are worked out."

Report provided by Reuters

  Upcoming Events Calendar

• November 22 - Bathurst 24 Hour, Mount Panorama, Australia
• November 23 - Korean Formula 3 Super Prix, Changwong, South Korea
• November 23 - Superfund World Series by Nissan, Round 9 of 9; Interlagos, Brazil
• November 30 - V8 Supercar Championship Series, Round 13 of 13; Eastern Creek, Australia
• December 3 - Middle East Rally Championship, Round 6 of 6; Dubai International Rally
• December 5 - Asia-Pacific Rally Championship, Round 6 of 6; India Rally