Updates from the Rest of the Racing World
Atlas F1 Magazine Writers
Advice: The points tables for most series covered by Elsewhere In Racing are available here. Individual series are linked to their corresponding points table after each report.
Vale Tony Renna, 1976-2003
Renna made his debut in the Indy Racing League last year driving for Kelley Racing, finishing tenth in his first race. During 2002 he achieved a career-best finish of fourth at Michigan, before sitting out 2003 apart from competing at the Indianapolis 500, where he qualified eighth and finished the race in seventh place. His move to the Indy Racing League followed several competitive seasons in the IndyLights championship, including a win and several podium placings.
Earlier this month it was announced that he would be moving to Target Chip Ganassi Racing where he would be teammate to the 2003 Indy Racing League Champion, New Zealander Scott Dixon, the duo having been teammates in 2000 in IndyLights when Dixon took the title. Renna's death comes less than two weeks after Kenny Brack was seriously injured at the Indy Racing League season finale at Texas Motor Speedway following a collision with Tomas Scheckter. It was Scheckter that Tony Renna was to replace at Target Chip Ganassi Racing.
Corsican Ambush
Petter Solberg's early exit from Rally San Remo masked just how far Subaru had come on tarmac since the early year tarmac rallies. More particularly, how far Pirelli had come as Solberg lit up the rain-affected stages. As the WRC teams arrived on the French island of Corsica, their rally cars reconfigured into touring cars for the all-asphalt adventure called the Tour de Corse, the boys in blue were quietly confident of the Norwegian's chances. Solberg needed the result too. He had a championship to resurrect. Solberg had come a long way on this rally, as his car was in pieces on Thursday night after smashing into a telegraph pole in the pre-event shakedown. On the second day, the Norwegian ambushed the field with his pace. It was an amazing turn around in fortunes, and Solberg would reward his exhausted mechanics in the best manner possible.
Citroen started the rally best with Carlos Sainz and Sebastien Loeb taking turns at recording fastest time on the first two stages, although the more consistent Focus 03 of Markko Martin headed the timesheets entering Stage 3, where Martin underlined his best with a best time. Into Stage 4 and Ford was on top again as Francois Duval scorched through the Corsican scenery. Martin lost his lead after a spin cost him half a minute and Citroen's tarmac terror took up a familiar place. Loeb finished the day just under four seconds up on Duval with Gronholm just a second and a half away. Sainz was next while the high pace of Martin over the final two stages saw him recover to fifth ahead of Richard Burns, Colin McRae and Solberg.
On Saturday morning's Stage 8 the rally came slightly unglued. Downfield Solberg spun, Loeb slid off the road and Martin crashed, breaking a wheel and losing four minutes on the leader, Duval. The changeable weather conditions were having its effect. Loeb had to be pushed back onto the stage by spectators, the Frenchman resuming in 18th. Sainz was now second with the recovering Solberg slipping into third briefly until Gronholm moved past. Belatedly, defending winner Peugeot's Gilles Panizzi was now moving forward, winning Stage 9. From Stage 10 onwards the rally saw a blistering charge from Solberg as conditions deteriorated. He won Stage 10 by thirteen seconds, Stage 11 by three and Stage 12 by nine. Duval was now chasing the Subaru to the tune of 18 seconds with Sainz the only other driver within shouting distance. McRae now led the rest, despite having had visibility problems when the demister and wipers stopped, and was over a minute from the fleeing Subaru.
It was Solberg though who collected the trophy and performed the celebratory donut in front of the ecstatic Subaru team. Their man was back in the title race. Tommi Makinen was ill for much of the rally and he would collect only two points for seventh place.
While Loeb failed to finish the rally, Sainz's second place puts him into the lead of the World Rally Championship, bringing a big positive for Citroen. McRae followed the leaders home in fifth place, losing the best of the rest battle to Marcus Gronholm during the third leg. Phillippe Bugalski finished the fourth tarmac Xsara in ninth place, just ten seconds from the points.
Ford could take some positives away from Corsica. While Martin failed to score, and slipped from the title race as a result, Duval's pace was extremely encouraging, only losing second to an inspired tyre choice by the wily Citroen veteran. And Mikko Hirvonen had won his first WRC Stage, the rain blighted Stage 8 on Saturday morning. Still using the '02 Focus, Hirvonen continues to develop as a rally driver for the future.
Toni Gardemeister brought the only Skoda Fabia home in 11th place on an event where there were only two retirements amongst the bigger teams. Didier Auriol did not even make the first stage as water got into the electrics of his Skoda and could not be easily cured.
For the first time, Peugeot have lost the lead in both championships, with Sainz three points ahead of Burns and Solberg tied with Burns. Three points behind and Sainz's rear gunner, but with one more tarmac rally to come a championship threat, sits Loeb. Martin and Gronholm sit 18 points from the lead, both needing two wins and multiple retirements from rivals to be anything other than a mathematical chance. Next is Catalunya, Sainz's home event. Will Citroen dictate team orders to Loeb and can Peugeot find something, anything, to keep Burns in the hunt prior to the RAC finale? Will Solberg get the rain he is surely praying for? And will Colin McRae and Tommi Makinen bow quietly from the stage without reminding us they were once world champions?
Result of World Rally Championship, Round 12 of 14, Tour de Corse, France:
Standings: Carlos Sainz 61, Richard Burns and Petter Solberg 58, Sebastien Loeb 55, Markko Martin and Marcus Gronholm 43, Colin McRae 40, Tommi Makinen 23, Francois Duval 21, Harri Rovanpera 18 etc.
Manufacturers: Citroen 137, Peugeot 129, Subaru 88, Ford 78, Skoda 21, Hyundai 12
Solberg Rates Title Chances After Brush With Death
By Robert Woodward
After dicing with death in Corsica, Petter Solberg reckons he can win enough points over the final two rallies of the season to beat twice champion Carlos Sainz to the world title.
Solberg won the Corsican rally despite almost crashing over a cliff in practice on Thursday. His Subaru crew worked for 16 hours overnight to repair the car in time for Friday's start when the Norwegian was still shaken up by his accident. But he took the lead in the rain on Saturday and his masterly performance over the final two days makes him one of the favourites to win in Spain - another rally on tarmac - and in Britain, which he won last year.
"I was really frightened by the crash and I was very lucky -- there was a sheer cliff of 200 metres and I thought I was going over it. But perhaps that was a good lesson for me."
Sainz took over the championship lead from Britain's Richard Burns by gambling on slick tyres over the final two stages on Sunday. He flew ahead of Francois Duval of Belgium on the final stage to finish second in his Citroen and build his title advantage to three points rather than just one. The Spanish veteran has 61, Burns and Solberg 58 and Sebastien Loeb of France 55.
"It's fantastic, nothing better could have happened," said Sainz. "I am going to start the Catalunya rally, my national race, as leader of the championship with my team which leads the constructors' championship."
Sainz, victorious once this season in Turkey, won the Catalunya rally in 1992 and 1995. At 41, his calm consistency will stand him in good stead as the pressure mounts towards the end of the season.
Like Solberg, Loeb has won three rallies this season and would probably have added a fourth if he had not spun in the rain on the eighth stage in Corsica. He lost 10 minutes but roared back to win all four stages on the final day. Loeb is one of the best tarmac drivers around - he won at Sanremo - and can still pose teammate Sainz a real threat.
For the second successive rally, Burns performed disappointingly in his Peugeot -- he finished eighth in Corsica and he has yet to top the podium this season. The wind seems to have gone out of his title challenge, helped by a change in the points system which benefits consistent finishers, ahead of his return to Subaru next season.
"Our title chances don't seem all that good at the moment," admitted Burns.
Sainz Stays Cool As Title Race Hots Up In Catalunya
Double World Champion Carlos Sainz has plenty of reason to celebrate as he prepares for the Rally of Catalunya this week after edging to the top of the championship standings.
The 41-year-old Spaniard, who won his second world title a full 11 years ago, finished second in Corsica last week to take the lead in the standings for the first time in five years.
Sainz has been a model of consistency this season, finishing outside the top five in just three rallies and notching the 25th rally victory of his career in Turkey. Although he has allowed himself a little time to savour the leadership, the battle-hardened Citroen driver knows better than anyone that the championship is far from over.
With two races to go and 20 points still at stake, Sainz leads by three points from Norway's Petter Solberg, who recovered from a dramatic cliff-side crash to win in Corsica last week, and 2001 champion Richard Burns of Britain. Sainz's teammate at Citroen, French driver Sebastien Loeb, is hot on their heels, three points further back.
Loeb has been in devastating form on tarmac this season, winning in Monte Carlo, Germany and Sanremo and will be favourite to take another victory on the asphalt in Catalunya.
"The parts of the course that I know suit me," says Loeb, who might have won in Corsica had he not lost 10 minutes after spinning out on the rain-soaked eighth stage. "I've got a good feeling about this one."
The championship will not be settled until the season-ending British rally in early November, but Catalunya is likely to have a major say in who wins the title.
"It will all be decided in Britain," says Sainz, twice a winner in Catalunya. "But starting that one in a good position will be a big advantage. "Solberg will be up there, Loeb has shown himself to be almost unbeatable on tarmac this year and Burns will be out to make sure he gives as little ground here as possible so he can arrive at his home rally with a chance of victory."
After a ceremonial start on Thursday, three days of gruelling racing begin on Friday close to the Mediterranean holiday resort of Lloret de Mar.
Catalunya preview reports provided by Reuters
Rossi Runs Away
Valentino Rossi sat on pole, ahead of Loris Capirossi, Sete Gibernau and Troy Bayliss. But it was Max Biaggi who led into turn one, only to run wide and drop back to the middle of the lead pack just behind Rossi, with the Ducati of Troy Bayliss taking over the lead. Bayliss held onto the lead until the final corner, where his wider line allowed Gibernau to take over first place as he dropped into second. Marco Melandri had made a great start and was already up to third, and then second when he passed Bayliss into Honda Hairpin.
Melandri wasn't done yet, taking the lead on the entry to the Hayshed on lap two. As they completed lap two Bayliss retook second place from Gibernau. Lap four and Bayliss was looking to take the lead back from Melandri, and was right on to his tail on the run into Honda Hairpin. Right on his braking limit, Marco Melandri moved across to take the entry into the hairpin. No contact was made but Bayliss may have been spooked as he lost control of his bike, crashing out and being temporarily knocked unconscious. Debris from the crash also caused Biaggi to crash, and although he resumed, it ended his chances of scoring any points for the day.
Before the lap was over Nicky Hayden and Gibernau passed Melandri, though Melandri retook the lead as they entered Doohan Corner on lap five. During all this action Rossi had recovered from his poor start to move up to fourth, then third past Gibernau at the same time Melandri retook the lead. Out of Southern Loop Hayden took the lead from Melandri, Rossi sizing up a move, taking third place at Honda Hairpin. Where the yellow flags were waving for Bayliss, still motionless to the side of the tarmac.
Lap eight and Melandri took second back once more into Doohan Corner, but Hayden took it back into Honda Hairpin. Lap nine and Melandri took second place back into Doohan Corner, and Hayden took it straight back into Southern Loop but ran wide, allowing Melandri to take second back on the exit, as all this dicing had allowed Gibernau, Tohru Ukawa and Capirossi to close right in and Rossi to move further away in the lead. Into Honda Hairpin Hayden ran wide, allowing the chasing pack to move past as he fell from third to sixth.
Second placed Melandri now was able to hold off those behind as Capirossi made his way up to third by lap eleven. Capirossi then took second into Doohan Corner on lap twelve only to run wide on the exit and allow Melandri to retake the place, the duo swapping places into Lukey Heights and again at the hairpin that followed, Capirossi taking second into Doohan Corner on lap thirteen, Melandri taking it back into the Hayshed, Capirossi retaking into Lukey Heights before Melandri took it back again into the following hairpin. Finally Capirossi took second place for good on lap fourteen into Doohan Corner, Capirossi moving away from the pack behind him.
Rossi continued to put in fast lap after fast lap, lapping around a second faster than anyone else, and so by lap nineteen Rossi was back into second place on adjusted time, with Capirossi his only barrier to victory. With four laps remaining, Rossi moved back into the lead of the race, having opened a ten second gap over Capirossi. And he continued pushing to the end, his fifteen second margin allowing Rossi to take a five second win over Capirossi, with Hayden winning the battle for third place on the last lap from Gibernau and Ukawa.
Result of World Motorcycle Championship, Round 15 of 16, Phillip Island, Australia:
Standings: Valentino Rossi 332, Sete Gibernau 257, Max Biaggi 215, Loris Capirossi 161, Nicky Hayden 130, Tohru Ukawa 123, Troy Bayliss 119, Carlos Checa 112, Shinya Nakano 101, Alex Barros 91 etc.
Rossi Pays Personal Tribute To Sheene
By Greg Buckle
Rossi carried the flag into his news conference and described Sheene, who later settled in Australia and became a popular television commentator, as more than just a top sportsman.
"I made the number seven flag out of respect for my friend Barry Sheene," Rossi said. "I know Barry from my father's stories (of Graziano Rossi's track duels with Sheene in the 1970s).
"I always remember Barry Sheene with the number seven," he said.
Honda rider Rossi clinched his third successive World Championship in the premier class by winning last week's Malaysian Grand Prix. The Italian said he had dined with Sheene, who won the 1976 and 1977 500cc world championships on a Suzuki, at last year's Australian Grand Prix.
Australia's five-time 500cc world champion Michael Doohan rode one of Sheene's old race bikes around the Phillip Island track before Sunday's race as a tribute to the former Londoner who famously played hard on and off the track.
Spain's Pedrosa Breaks Both Ankles
By Greg Buckle
Spain's newly-crowned 125cc World Champion Daniel Pedrosa broke both ankles in a spectacular ending to his season at the Australian Grand Prix on Friday. The teenager lost control of his Honda bike during a morning practice session at the Phillip Island circuit and slid into a wall of tyres, taking the full impact with his feet.
The 18-year-old was airlifted to a Melbourne hospital for surgery and Honda said he would spend several days in hospital before returning home to Barcelona. Pedrosa's parents and younger brother had arrived in Australia on Thursday to celebrate his world title.
The rider tipped by MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi as one of the rising stars in the sport will miss now the final round of the season in Valencia on November 2.
Pedrosa, who clinched the world title with two races to spare by winning last week's Malaysian Grand Prix, had told reporters on Thursday of his plans for switching to the 250cc class in 2004.
"Yes he has spoken of it (going to 250cc class) but we are not thinking about that at the moment," a Honda spokesman said.
Rossi Says Australian GP Track Is Dangerous
By Greg Buckle
World MotoGP Champion Valentino Rossi said on Saturday he would be telling Australian Grand Prix officials their track contained a "very dangerous" corner. Newly crowned 125cc World Champion Daniel Pedrosa fractured both ankles during a morning practice session on Friday at the Phillip Island circuit, 130 km south-east of Melbourne.
Honda rider Pedrosa was thrown feet first into a wall of tyres. He had to have pins inserted in both feet and surgery on both legs in a four-hour operation at Melbourne's Alfred Hospital on Friday night. The 18-year-old was not expected to be riding a motorcycle again for four months, Honda said in a statement.
Pedrosa won the 125cc world title with victory in last week's Malaysian Grand Prix. Italy's Rossi, also a Honda rider, clinched his third successive title in the premier class by winning in Malaysia.
Spain's Honda rider Sete Gibernau, who is second in the standings behind Rossi and a member of the riders' safety committee with the Italian, also voiced his concerns after qualifying third on the MotoGP front row.
"On this race track, you have the bike a lot of time leaned at very high speeds. So maybe this race track needs even more run-off area than normal because the amount of time you have risking a crash is high," Gibernau told a news conference. "There are two or three places that are quite dangerous.
Track steward John Thomson told Reuters: "Where Pedrosa crashed, it's quite a safe area. They have just raised an issue about the run-off area."
Rossi's pole time of 1:30.068 seconds was well ahead of the previous Phillip Island best pole of Briton Jeremy McWilliams who recorded 1:31.919 last year.
Rossi said: "To be nearly two seconds quicker is incredible. Within five years we will arrive at Formula One speeds if we go on like this."
Money Won't Decide My Future, Says Rossi
By Greg Buckle
Valentino Rossi might consider leaving Honda for another team, possibly Ducati, but money would not be the motivation for the move, the World Champion said on Thursday.
The 24-year-old Italian, who won his third consecutive world title last week with victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix, also light-heartedly dismissed any idea that he might make a move to Formula One in the near future.
"We need to (discuss) some more things. So I don't have any news. I don't know exactly the situation." Asked if Italian manufacturers Ducati could win the race for his services next year, Rossi said: "Maybe that is possible, yes."
"It's not a question of money (with Honda), we have fixed the money," he said. "It's a question I need to speak for two or three hours to explain some other problem about the contract. It's not money."
Earlier negotiations had foundered on the length of the deal, with Rossi wanting a one-year contract and Honda holding out for two or more. Ferrari became the latest Formula One team to offer Rossi a test drive earlier this week but the five-times World Champion, who won the 125cc series in 1997 and 250cc crown in 1999, said any move to four wheels would not come anytime soon.
"Maybe it's possible in the future but it's not easy to drive a Formula One car," Rossi said. "I won't drive a Formula One for two or three years."
"It's all news to me. It's another story. I am very happy to have an offer from Ferrari. When I hear this I say 'ah, very good'. But I don't know when it is possible."
The uncertainty over Rossi's future has had a knock-on effect on other riders, who are waiting to see the implications of any possible move. Asked if he was aware of his impact on the contract negotiations of others, a laughing Rossi said: "I am so sorry. I am very sorry.
"But I need to think about my decision and I know why some (riders) are waiting for me, because they want my bike. It's not my problem."
All MotoGP reports except race report provided by Reuters
Swede Brack Remains In Satisfactory Condition
Bock said Brack "remained in satisfactory condition and would be under the care of Dr Kevin Scheid, an orthopaedic surgeon". Before leaving the Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Brack, the 1999 Indy 500 winner, wrote a note of thanks to his fans.
"I broke five major bones and most of them are complicated, back, ankles etc. The Dallas crew of doctors and nurses worked about 15 hours to put my body back together," said Brack in his note. "They did a great job and they think I have a good chance to get back to normal. I know it will take time, several months, but give me half a chance and I will do it."
Brack crashed on lap 188 of the 200 lap race in Texas 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 at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.
The Swede said he had no recollection of the accident. "I have not seen the actual accident but I have heard about it. It certainly opens your eyes about higher powers," he said in his note.
Unser Jr Fractures Pelvis In Accident
Al Unser Jr, twice an Indy 500 winner, has sustained a fractured pelvis after a miniature all-terrain vehicle (ATV) rolled on top of him at his home in Chama, New Mexico.
"I'm sorry this had to happen," Unser Sr said in an Indy Racing League statement on Monday. "We had been driving on his property and just having fun.
"It's one of those things that happens when you least expect it. He must have hit a rock or something because the ATV just rolled on top of him."
Reports provided by Reuters
Gordon's Martinsville Double
Gordon's victory came after claiming the pole and leading the early laps of the race. Then during the middle of the race and some of the fifteen caution periods, comprising a record 117 laps, he dropped down to the bottom of the top ten, before moving back to the front around two-third distance. From that point onwards that was where Gordon stayed, leading a total of 311 of the 500 laps, taking victory ahead of teammate Jimmie Johnson and last week's winner Tony Stewart.
Gordon's biggest challenge for victory came from Dale Earnhardt Jr, who pitted for fresh tyres at the second last caution, having been pressuring Gordon hard for the lead. This dropped Earnhardt Jr down the order but the new tyres worked for him, allowing him to charge back up to fourth place but unable to make it to the very front by race's end, a battle with Ryan Newman for fourth place raging for many laps before Earnhardt Jr made his way past.
Result of NASCAR Winston Cup, Round 32 of 36, Martinsville Speedway, Virginia, United States:
Standings: Matt Kenseth 4548, Kevin Harvick 4308, Dale Earnhardt Jr 4265, Ryan Newman 4248, Jimmie Johnson 4242, Jeff Gordon 4202, Tony Stewart 3971, Bobby Labonte 3840, Terry Labonte 3775, Bill Elliott 3685 etc.
By A Solitary Point
The circus arrived in Monza, very definitely home territory for Alfa Romeo, giving BMW a certain amount of foreboding. But qualifying would be very much game set and match for BMW. The series was already short one of its stars, Rickard Rydell's engine failure from Estoril could not be repaired in time and ART Engineering only fronted one Volvo S60 for Sandro Sardelli. Autodelta wanted to give Tarquini the best chance they could, so the Italian had no less than four teammates on hand as new Sauber signing Giancarlo Fisichella and BTCC runner's-up James Thompson joined Roberto Colciago and Nicola Larini in the little red cars.
SEAT had BTCC champion Yvan Muller back again as well, but it was BMW who won the guest driver PR war. With a special hand controlled version of its 320i, the BMW Spain-Italy squad had Alex Zanardi on hand to partner outgoing champion Fabrizio Giovanardi and Antonio Garcia. It was BMW's German and British squads who had point duty, with both Jorg Muller and Andy Priaulx in the championship chase.
But where were Alfa Romeo's championship contenders Tarquini and Larini? The rot for Autodelta was started when Giancarlo Fisichella crashed at Ascari on his outlap, leaving the Formula One driver without a time or a straight car. It became ridiculous when Larini crashed at the same corner, again on his outlap. Just when it couldn't have appeared any sillier, Tarquini buried his 156 GTA in the sand trap at Ascari, once again on his outlap. Three of the Autodelta machines were relegated to the back of the grid, and two of them were doubtful starters. Come Sunday morning, Fisichella was a spectator, the team understandably focussing on the two title shots. But race one would all be on the shoulders of Colciago and Thompson to stop Jorg Muller getting away. The race could scarcely be more dramatic, could it?
Alfa Romeo was struck another blow when privateer Paolo Ruberti stopped on the warm up lap with no gears. As it turned out, he was the lucky one. While the Mullers ran away from the grid, the midfield descended on the Rettifilo and tangled, spitting out eight cars in all directions in various states of disrepair. All three SEATs were involved with Yvan Muller and Frank Diefenbacher out on the spot while Jordi Gene limped back to the pits. Fabio Francia's Alfa Romeo and Andre Couto's Honda Civic could not continue while BMW lost Garcia and Zanardi and Duncan Huisman was amongst the walking wounded.
Thompson followed Colciago under the chequer, but was awarded the win when Colciago was blamed by officials for punting Dirk Muller and handed a DSQ. Priaulx was second, and now second in the title chase, a point ahead of Muller, with Coronel taking third in the race. Tarquini's scarcely believable fourth put him in the box seat. Tarquini 101, Priaulx 97, Muller 96. Larini was out of it now, tenth not enough to keep him in the chase. Two favours slipped in Muller's direction. He finished twelfth, and thus would start there in the final race of the year, and not at the back. The second? Eighth and seventh from the first race, and now the front row holders under the top eight reverse system were the comparatively slow cars of Tomas Engstrom's Honda and Adriano de Micheli's Alfa.
Sure enough it was Giovanardi who leapt past the front row to take up the lead, while just behind Tarquini clashed with Huisman. Priaulx lurched into the spinning Huisman and Muller was now right with Tarquini as the pair chased after Giovanardi. Muller needed to win and he needed Tarquini to finish fifth. With the pair already fighting over second the title seemed Tarquini's. Giovanardi was not driving flat out. The top two had gapped the two flying Beemers of Muller and Tom Coronel, but Giovanardi was slowing Tarquini's pace. The two Italians swapped places at the Rettifilo on lap four, but the damage was done and it was now three against one as Giovanardi dropped behind the other two BMWs and the trio chased down Tarquini. Alfa could no longer provide support as Thompson dropped from the battle with a failed engine, Larini was buried mid-pack and Colciago had an off, dropping several laps.
Muller did all he could, screaming across the line to win ahead of Coronel in his new car, donated by BMW to help in the title battle. Tarquini was third and the 1994 British Champion added the European Championship to his resume by the margin of a single point. There was an appeal from Huisman against Tarquini for the lap one incident at the Rettifilo but it was dismissed.
Behind Giovanardi, Andy Priaulx led home the rest of the field in sixth place, and could only wonder at what might have been. Just behind Priaulx was Alex Zanardi. His first drive back since his horrific leg injuries during the 2001 CART Lausitzring event may not have revealed much, but seventh place and two championship points certainly got everyone's attention.
Result of European Touring Car Championship, Rounds 19 & 20 of 20, Monza, Italy:
Final Standings: Gabriele Tarquini 107, Jorg Muller 106, Andy Priaulx 100, Nicola Larini 92, Dirk Muller and Roberto Colciago 66, Duncan Huisman 47, Antonio Garcia 46, Fabrizio Giovanardi 43, Tom Coronel 27, Rickard Rydell 18, Paolo Ruberti and James Thompson 12, Alessandro Balzan 10, Frank Diefenbacher 9, Jordi Gene and Fabio Francia 4, Andre Couto and Adriano de Micheli 3, Alex Zanardi 2, Tomas Engstrom 1
Manufacturers: BMW 290, Alfa Romeo 249, SEAT 13
Little Champions
Joest were not going to do take it easy in winning their championship. Marco Werner took pole position by 0.7 of a second to start the #1 car of the defending series champions at the front of the field. At a circuit known for the premium it places on handling, James Weaver was able to put the Dyson Lola-MG second fastest. JJ Lehto put the Champion Audi in third place just under a second from Werner, with Olivier Beretta fourth in the leading Panoz entry. Defending his championship hopes, Chris Dyson would start from fifth after Didier de Radigues qualified the Dyson #20 car. Sixth was the second Panoz, with Scott Maxwell in command. Jon Field in the Intersport Lola-MG was next ahead of the two Riley & Scott entries, Clint Field qualifying the Elan-powered Intersport car ahead of Michael Lewis in the American Spirit entry.
In GTS Veloqx Prodrive held the ascendancy, David Brabham qualifying in twelfth ahead of the Olive Garden Ferrari of Emanuelle Naspetti and the Veloqx Ferrari of Alain Menu. Oliver Gavin led the Chevrolets, some three seconds from Ferrari's pace, and slower than Alex Job Racing's factory Porsche of Sascha Maassen. Teammate Timo Bernhard made it an AJR 1-2 in GT qualifying in the Porsches. Bill Auberlen had the first non-Porsche in the BMW, three seconds behind Maassen.
The yellows flew as Weaver parked in a dangerous position down at turn two. With only five laps logged, few pitted, although the Corvettes did, as did GTS leader Brabham in the Ferrari. The yellows flew again almost immediately after the class leading Alex Job Porsche of Timo Bernhard clashed with the Olive Garden GTS Ferrari. The Ferrari joined the Lola-MG in early retirement. Bernhard continued with the Porsche until a damaged door fell off and he pitted for a replacement. The surviving Lola-MG quickly lost track of the Audis forcing the pace, with Olivier Beretta moving into third in the Panoz.
In GTS, the Corvettes, already struggling for pace against the newer Ferraris, dropped a lap when Lehto lapped the pair just before a yellow appeared for the crashed Johnny Mowlem Porsche. It would be a gap never recovered as the race went on. An hour in, both Audis pitted, leading the majority of the field. Beretta stayed out, and the Panoz took up the lead at the restart, only to pit shortly after going green again. JML were pitting to a plan, knowing they couldn't match the Audis for pace.
Lehto resumed in the lead, a lead that became much larger when Frank Biela spun just under 100 minutes into the race. The Joest Audi clouted the wall, but not hard, and the #1 car returned to the pits for repairs. Winning the race would be unlikely. The car needed a lot of work and Biela would lose eleven laps. Panoz were running second and third now, with the Lolas of Chad Block and Duncan Dayton keeping close company.
The battles at the front of the field settled down as attrition started to bite into the prototypes. In GTS and GT, class lead was being swapped with each pit stop as the Porsches and Ferrari fought over GT, while Prodrive took command of GTS, now two laps clear of the Corvettes after three and a half hours. At the front, Johnny Herbert had three laps on David Saelens in the Panoz with the second Panoz in third.
At the four-hour mark, another nervous moment, as Tomas Enge in the leading GTS Ferrari spun and hit Marco Werner. Both continued with little damage, although David Brabham now led GTS in the other Prodrive Ferrari. Overheating was starting to affect the Intersport Lola-MG, dropping it down the order into the clutches of the older Lola-Nissan of Essex Racing and Jason Workman. Panoz's nostalgic entry of an old Esperante GT-LM lasted just into the sixth hour before it crashed in turn two. The Dyson Racing Team was struggling to keep their Lola-MG going, pitting with a small fire. All they had to do was to keep the car circulating.
As the Joest Audi, having climbed gradually back through the order, completed its 276th lap, it would now be classified, regardless of what would happen later in the race. And Marco Werner promptly had an off in turn two. The car was going again fairly quickly. In the remaining hours, the Joest Audi raced its way past the GTS cars filling the middle of the top ten, before finally climbing past the #12 Panoz with 30 minutes to go. Third would be as far as they would get.
Fifth outright was the battleground for the two Prodrive Ferraris in the end. The winner would overtake the second Corvette team in the points race for third in the championship, and the #88 car of Peter Kox, Tomas Enge and Alain Menu won the class, as the team drove across line within a second of each other. The win put Tomas Enge and Peter Kox past the second Corvette crew of Oliver Gavin and Kelly Collins. The gap between the two teams would be just a single point with David Brabham another two points behind. Gavin, Collins and Andy Pilgrim finished third in class, some nine laps behind the Ferraris.
In GT, Alex Job Racing ran in a dominant 1-2 class win, five laps ahead of the Risi Competizione Ferrari of Ralf Kelleners and Anthony Lazzaro. The win for the team's second car of Timo Bernhard and Jorg Bergmeister, allowed them to secure a 1-2 in the championship as well.
ALMS have announced a 2004 calendar, but the series is still in decline. What shape the grids of 2004 will form is open to question.
Result of American Le Mans Series, Round 9, Petit Le Mans, Road Atlanta, Georgia, Untied States:
Final Standings: Frank Biela and Marco Werner 170, JJ Lehto 163, Johnny Herbert 160, Olivier Beretta 127, David Saelens 101, Gunnar Jeannette 82, Michael Lewis and Tomy Drissi 60, Scott Maxwell 57, Stefan Johansson 48, Clint Field and Max Papis 46, Benjamin Leuenberger 43, Didier Theys 36, Phillipp Peter 26, Mike Durand 24, Eric van de Poele 23, Emanuele Pirro 22, David Brabham and Mark Blundell 19 etc.
LMP675: Chris Dyson 137, Jon Field and Duncan Dayton 121, Jason Workman 92, Andy Wallace 89, James Weaver and Butch Leitzinger 85, Didier de Radigues and Chad Block 48, Howard Katz and Jim Downing 42 etc.
LMGTS: Ron Fellows and Johnny O'Connell 144, Tomas Enge and Peter Kox 117, Oliver Gavin and Kelly Collins 116, David Brabham 114, Jan Magnussen 94, Emanuele Naspetti and Domenico Sciattarella 70 etc.
LMGT: Lucas Luhr and Sascha Maassen 164, Timo Bernhard and Jorg Bergmeister 104, Ralk Kelleners and Anthony Lazzaro 96, Cort Wagner 77, Kevin Buckler 74, Johnny Mowlem and Craig Stanton 73 etc.
Ducati Double
The championship may have been over, and Ruben Xaus secure in second in the standings, but it didn't stop the factory Ducatis of Neil Hodgson and Ruben Xaus from trying, the duo splitting the two race victories between them as they showed they were still the dominant duo, no-one else able to hang on to them in either race. Neil Hodgson's season came to somewhat of an embarassing end in race two when he fell with a couple of laps remaining while chasing Xaus for the win. A twisting and turning battle for third in the points finally resolved itself in James Toseland's favour after Regis Laconi's strong hold on the place was broken with a rear tyre problem in race two.
Race one began with Neil Hodgson leading Regis Laconi and James Toseland through Estoril on lap one, but before they reached the Adelaide hairpin both Toseland and Ruben Xaus had moved ahead of Laconi, Chris Walker moving into fourth on lap two, Gregorio Lavilla into fifth on lap three as Laconi continued to drop down the order. Though Toseland and Xaus were right on Hodgson's tail, they just couldn't find a way past him. And then from lap seven Hodgson began to edge away, as Walker and Lavilla joined the fight for second place, Xaus taking second from Toseland into Adelaide hairpin on lap seven but Toseland drove straight back through on the exit to retake the place. Lap 10 and Xaus did it again into the Adelaide hairpin, and this time it stuck.
For the next couple of laps Toseland remained right on Xaus's tail, but then he began to fall away, with Walker and Lavilla all over him looking to take third from him. Meanwhile Xaus was taking a tenth or two away from leader Hodgson, reducing a gap which was only a couple of seconds to begin with. Finally on lap eighteen Walker passed teammate Toseland for third place at the Adelaide hairpin, Gregorio Lavilla taking fourth from Toseland one lap later at the 180 hairpin, the duo having lost over five seconds to Xaus while fighting their way past Toseland. With two laps remaining, the gap between Hodgson and Xaus was down to six tenths of a second, but Hodgson responded, opening up the gap on the next lap to prevent Xaus from closing in enough to take the win, Hodgson holding on to take the win from Xaus, Walker in third just holding off Lavilla with Toseland a lonely fifth. With Laconi finishing in sixth, Toseland still had a slim chance of taking third in the final standings.
Race two began badly for Foggy Petronas, with Troy Corser crashing out of the race on the warm-up lap. At the race start, Hodgson again jumped into the lead while teammate Xaus had a terrible start, dropping out of the top five as Toseland and Walker moved into second and third place, Pierfrancesco Chili in fourth after a race one DNF. Lap two and Walker went through on the inside at the fast Estoril to take second place, while Xaus recovered from his poor start to end lap two in fifth place as Laconi sat just outside the top five. Lap four and Xaus passed Chili for fourth into turn one, while Toseland took second back into the Adelaide hairpin, as Xaus closed in on the leading trio, Xaus making it a pack of four by the end of the lap. Chili's race two ended in the same way as race one, another DNF.
Lap six and Xaus was up to third into Adelaide hairpin, as his teammate Hodgson began to edge away from Toseland. One lap later and Xaus repeated his move on Walker on Walker's teammate Toseland, to move into second place. With a smaller gap than race one, getting to second earlier and being not as far behind, Xaus set off after Hodgson and began to close as Lavilla joined the battle for third with Toseland and Walker. Lap 10 saw bad news for Regis Laconi as a rear tyre problem forced him to pit for new rear rubber, dropping him out of the points. However, this was good news for James Toseland, with a third place finish in the standings now a strong possibility if he could finish third or better. Xaus continued to charge, and before the end of lap 13 of the 23 lap event Xaus was right with Hodgson.
Into Adelaide hairpin on lap 14 and Xaus took the lead, only for Hodgson to retake it on the exit, but Xaus wasn't done with and took it back again as he stuffed it down the inside into 180. Xaus quickly opened a lead of just under a second over Hodgson which remained constant for several laps. Meanwhile Lavilla's fight with Walker and Toseland, which had raged for several laps, ended as Lavilla began to lose pace and drop away from them. As the laps wound down Hodgson prepared to make a run at Xaus in the last couple of laps, but before he got to those last couple of laps he lowsided on the exit of Chateau D'Eau on lap 21, ending his race. This moved everyone up a place, with Toseland and Walker now up to second and third. With Laconi still out of the points, Toseland was now on track to finish third in the points. Xaus held on over the remaining laps to take an easy win in the end ahead of Toseland and Walker, Lavilla in fourth with Steve Martin rounding out the top five.
Result of World Superbike Championship, Round 12 of 12, Magny-Cours, France:
Final Standings: Neil Hodgson 489, Ruben Xaus 386, James Toseland 271, Regis Laconi 267, Gregorio Lavilla 256, Chris Walker 234, Pierfrancesco Chili 197, Steve Martin 139, Lucio Pedercini 112, Marco Borciani 111, Mauro Sanchini 108, Troy Corser 107, Juan Borja 87, Ivan Clementi 76, Giovanni Bussei 52, Shane Byrne 50, John Reynolds 42, Vittorio Iannuzzo and Alex Gramigni 37, Yukio Kagayama and Leon Haslam 35, David Garcia 28, Michael Rutter 23, Hitoyasu Izutsu 20, Mat Mladin 13, James Haydon and Sergio Fuertes 12, Sean Emmett and Nello Russo 11, Aaron Yates 10, Dean Ellison 9, Sebastien Gimbert, Atsushi Watanabe and Serafino Foti 8, Walter Tortoroglio, Bertrand Stey and Horst Saiger 6, Christian Zaiser and Kenichiro Nakamura 4, Luca Pedersoli, Paolo Blora and Frederic Protat 3, Gianmaria Liverani, Luca Pini and Jiri Mrkyvka 2
Manufacturer Standings: Ducati 600, Suzuki 306, Kawasaki 130, Petronas 118, Yamaha 69, Honda 31
Superbikes points distribution
Winners Bentley Pull Out Of Le Mans
Le Mans winners Bentley will not compete in next year's 24 Hours sportscar race, the British-based carmaker said on Friday.
Bentley's Speed Eight cars took first and second place in this year's Le Mans race, their first success there in 73 years, with Denmark's Tom Kristensen, Italian Rinaldo Capello and Briton Guy Smith in the winning car.
The celebrated 'Bentley Boys' dominated the event with five outright wins between 1924 and 1930.
Paefgen said Volkswagen-owned Bentley had been more successful than the company could have dreamed. "I'm not saying we are leaving motorsport for good, and we will certainly continue to review our position," he added.
Report provided by Reuters
IRL
On the morning of Wednesday October 22nd, Indy Racing League driver Tony Renna was fatally injured following a practice crash at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Renna was taking his first laps for his new team Target Chip Ganassi Racing when the accident occurred at turn three of the two and a half mile superspeedway. He was transported from the track to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Rally
"This is an amazing result," said Solberg. "I can't say enough for the team and everybody who has worked so hard to achieve this. Sitting in my hotel room on Thursday morning, this seemed such a long way away. I didn't really believe that I could actually take part in this rally never mind win it. It's fantastic. Now I am right back in with the championship fight."
Rain was falling again on Sunday morning and Solberg used the weather and his Pirellis to double his lead out to over 30 seconds, from where he could control the event as the Island gradually dried in the afternoon. As the day wore on the battle for third closed as the experienced Sainz put pressure on Duval, whose experience of Corsica is very light. Entering the final pair of stages Sainz stuck a proverbial finger in the air and switched to slick Michelins at the last moment, and while on Stage 15 it was slightly the wrong decision, on Stage 16 it was definitely right and Duval had no defence against the veteran Spaniard.
This time last year we were pondering if Peugeot could be beaten. Now Gronholm is struggling to finish rallies and Burns' pace, while consistent, has slipped off the boil as the season has progressed. Fourth and eighth for the pair, along with sixth for Gilles Panizzi is merely indicative of how the 206 has reached the end of its development potential and a new car is needed. The 307CC can not arrive soon enough for Gronholm.
Pos Driver/Co-driver Car
1. Petter Solberg/Phillip Mills Subaru Impreza WRC2003
2. Carlos Sainz/Marc Marti Citroen Xsara
3. Francois Duval/Stephan Prevot Ford Focus RS WRC 03
4. Marcus Gronholm/Timo Rautiainen Peugeot 206 WRC
5. Colin McRae/Derek Ringer Citroen Xsara
6. Gilles Panizzi/Herve Panizzi Peugeot 206 WRC
7. Tommi Makinen/Kaj Lindstrom Subaru Impreza WRC2003
8. Richard Burns/Robert Reid Peugeot 206 WRC
9. Philippe Bugalski/Jean-Paul Chiaroni Citroen Xsara
10. Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen Ford Focus RS WRC 02
"I feel really good about the end of the season," said Solberg after his third win of the year in arguably the most dangerous rally on the calendar. "If I finish the Rally of Catalunya with some nice points then I have a real chance to win the title. Whatever happens, it's going to be real fight.
"Arriving at your home rally as leader is great," he said earlier this week. "It always gives you extra motivation to race in front of your own fans, but you mustn't get carried away and it is important to remember that the only time to celebrate the leadership is after the last race of the season."
MotoGP
Valentino Rossi showed his greatness in taking victory at Phillip Island on the weekend, though it took the issuing of a penalty against him to bring it out. A ten second penalty for passing under yellow flags was not a big enough barrier to prevent Rossi from taking another win. Loris Capirossi was Rossi's closest rival, yet he finished over five seconds behind after the penalty was applied, while Capirossi's Ducati teammate ended the day in hospital after an early race fall. With one round remaining, the top three points finishers are secure, though where they will ride next year isn't.
Just like at Donington, Rossi had passed under yellow flags in full view of everyone watching. It would be interesting to see if he would be penalised, and when it was imposed this time, after the post-race effort last time. Before lap five was over Rossi moved into the lead, taking it into the hairpin after Lukey Heights. Immediately Rossi began to edge away from the pack as Melandri retook second into Doohan Corner on lap six, Hayden taking the place back just over a lap later into Southern Loop, the duo swapping second place twice more that lap at Honda Hairpin and Siberia.
During all that action on lap twelve, about ten minutes after committing the illegal pass under yellows, Rossi was issued with a ten second penalty to be added to his race time. Now he needed to open the gap over the rest of the field, Capirossi in second about four seconds behind with another five riders only a second or two further back. This pack became four riders when Melandri crashed heading towards the final turn on lap fifteen. Up front Rossi was just realising what he had been hit with, and began to push harder to open up the lead which had remained constant for a few laps. As Hayden, Ukawa and Gibernau diced, it soon became clear that Rossi would be able to put a big enough between him and them to finish ahead of them after the penalty was imposed, but could he beat Capirossi as well?
Pos Rider Motorcycle
1. Valentino Rossi Honda RC211V
2. Loris Capirossi Ducati Desmosedici
3. Nicky Hayden Honda RC211V
4. Sete Gibernau Honda RC211V
5. Tohru Ukawa Honda RC211V
6. Olivier Jacque Yamaha YZR-M1
7. Shinya Nakano Yamaha YZR-M1
8. Carlos Checa Yamaha YZR-M1
9. Kenny Roberts Suzuki GSV-R
10. Makoto Tamada Honda RC211V
MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi paid a special and home-made tribute to Barry Sheene, after the Italian's thrilling win in the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday. Rossi, 24, did a victory lap at the Phillip Island track, 130 km south-east of Melbourne, with a black and white number seven flag draped across his shoulders in honour of the British former world champion who died in March, aged 52.
"He was a magic person, more than just a world champion. In March this year when he died I was very sad," Rossi said. "We made this flag with the hotel bed sheet this morning. We painted the number seven on," he said. "I'm sorry hotel," he joked.
Pedrosa was immediately taken to the Cowes hospital near the track for X-rays of his feet. "The initial report indicated fractures on both the right ankle and left ankle and a broken left astragalus," a Honda team statement said.
"This track is not so bad but the point where Pedrosa crashed is very dangerous," Rossi told a news conference after taking pole position for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.
"We will go around the race track and see the points we have to work on."
"We give our offer to Honda in Malaysia. They say it's not possible," Rossi, who is contracted to Honda until the end of the year, told a news conference ahead of last Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.
IRL
Swedish driver Kenny Brack, who suffered multiple fractures in a crash at the Texas 500 Indy Racing League event earlier this month, remains in a satisfactory condition in hospital. Dr Henry Bock, director of medical services for the IRL, said in a statement on Tuesday that Brack had been transferred to the Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.
Al Unser Sr, a four-times winner of the Indy 500, said his 41-year-old son was taken to hospital in his hometown of Albuquerque after the accident occurred on Sunday.
NASCAR
Back in April Jeff Gordon took his first win of the season at Martinsville. Six months later, and it was Gordon winning again to take the Martinsville double, only Gordon's second win this season. It was a race that, at times, Gordon looked like being the obvious winner and yet at other times he looked like he'd be lucky to make the top ten. After extending his lead in the points last week, a thirteenth place finish for Matt Kenseth saw all his challengers move closer, Kevin Harvick just 240 points behind. The only problem is there are only four races remaining in the season...
Pos Driver Car
1. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet Monte Carlo
2. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Monte Carlo
3. Tony Stewart Chevrolet Monte Carlo
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr Chevrolet Monte Carlo
5. Ryan Newman Dodge Intrepid
6. Terry Labonte Chevrolet Monte Carlo
7. Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Monte Carlo
8. Jamie McMurray Dodge Intrepid
9. Bill Elliott Dodge Intrepid
10. Jeff Burton Ford Taurus
ETCC
All year, the racing has been close and it has been hard in the European Touring Car Championship. It was somewhat fitting that the result was still in the balance on the final lap of the championship. The final round of the season lived up to expectations and delivered one of the most dramatic racing weekends seen. Jorg Muller did what he had to, and won the final race of the year. But it wasn't enough. Just one point separated the German from the crown, but Gabriele Tarquini successfully defended Alfa Romeo's ETCC in an absolute heart stopper.
Qualifying was an absolute sensation. On Alfa Romeo's test track of choice the unrelated Muller 'brothers' scorched around the Autodromo to annexe the front row of the grid for Bavaria. Roberto Colciago was third fastest ahead of Thompson, Duncan Huisman, Antonio Garcia and Priaulx.
Five laps into the race and the Mullers exchanged places, with Dirk dropping back into rear gunner role as Colciago and Thompson closed. Colciago and Dirk Muller climbed from La Roggia side by side. The pair clashed and the BMW spun from the circuit, slamming the barriers, leaving Jorg Muller without a teammate for the weekend. Colciago, with Thompson in support, charged down Jorg Muller, and the Autodelta pair rapidly demoted Muller to third with the third man in the title chase Andy Priaulx closing in, followed by pacesetting privateer Tom Coronel. Then Muller slowed. He'd punctured, running over debris left by his teammate on his way to the barriers. Priaulx, Coronel, and a red car flew past. The pile up that had decimated the midfield gave Tarquini a free ride to the back of the frontrunners, and suddenly championship fortunes swung dramatically in the reverse direction.
Down the chute into the fifth lap Muller pulled alongside as the ballast heavy Tarquini struggled to hold back the BMW. With the preferred line Tarquini held the lead. The following lap Muller powered up alongside again, and this time the BMW took the lead. A lap later and Coronel moved into second place. Giovanardi now threatened to shuffle back another position, but Tarquini wasn't done yet, retaking second. The Alfa then moved up to Muller, and the pair briefly touched. With just over a lap to go Tarquni tried to charge down the inside towards the Parabolica only to find Coronel screaming past. Just behind, Nicola Larini, his own slim chances gone, did the best thing he could for his team leader. While the leaders squabbled, the Alfa Romeo veteran had caught and passed Giovanardi. Muller needed the defending champ in front of Tarquini, but Gabriele had a rear gunner now and Muller's chances were gone.
Round Nineteen
Pos Driver Team
1. James Thompson Autodelta Alfa Romeo 156 GTA
2. Andy Priaulx BMW Team Great Britain BMW 320i
3. Tom Coronel Carly Motors BMW 320i
4. Gabriele Tarquini Autodelta Alfa Romeo 156 GTA
5. Duncan Huisman Carly Motors BMW 320i
6. Fabrizio Giovanardi BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320i
7. Adriano de Micheli Scuderia Bigazzi Alfa Romeo 156 GTA
8. Tomas Engström PRO Motorsport Honda Civic Type-R
9. Sandro Sardelli ART Engineering Volvo S60
10. Nicola Larini Autodelta Alfa Romeo 156 GTA
Round Twenty
Pos Driver Team
1. Jorg Müller BMW Team Deutschland BMW 320i
2. Tom Coronel Carly Motors BMW 320i
3. Gabriele Tarquini Autodelta Alfa Romeo 156 GTA
4. Nicola Larini Autodelta Alfa Romeo 156 GTA
5. Fabrizio Giovanardi BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320i
6. Andy Priaulx BMW Team Great Britain BMW 320i
7. Alex Zanardi BMW Team Italy-Spain BMW 320i
8. Adriano de Micheli Scuderia Bigazzi Alfa Romeo 156 GTA
9. Fabio Francia Clever Cats R&M Team Alfa Romeo 156 GTA
10. Jordi Gene SEAT Sport SEAT Toledo Cupra
ALMS
The Petit Le Mans again gathered the cream of sports car racing to the exciting Road Atlanta road course to wrap up the American Le Mans Series. JJ Lehto needed the win, but a finish, virtually any finish given the pace of the Team Joest Audi R8, would give the title to Frank Biela and Marco Werner. The official three quarter distance of 276 laps would decide that. If the Joest car made it that far, then anything Lehto and his co-driver Johnny Herbert could do would be in vain. And so it proved, with Joest taking third behind the Champion entry and the leading JML Panoz. Similarly, lap 276 was the champion-making lap for Chris Dyson in the Dyson Racing Lola-MG. With an even larger points advantage all he had to do was be classified in the slim LMP675 entry.
Weaver jumped well at the start, too well. Officials warned the Lola to drop back behind Werner's Audi after his start was deemed a jump. While the front row holders sorted themselves out JJ Lehto took advantage and jumped the #38 Audi into the lead. Weaver pitted after only two laps, as problems manifested aboard the #16 Lola. Weaver rejoined momentarily, but the car was smoking now. It would not complete the lap. The team's #20 car was now on its own in the fight with Intersport. But the Intersport team were having problems of their as their Riley & Scott car pitted with a loose plug lead.
A similar disaster almost befell LMP675's hopeful champions, when Chad Block walled the Lola. Just as officials got the Lola going again to limp back to the pits for lengthy repairs, the Interpsort Riley & Scott slid into one of the attending officials and resumed with little damage, other than to driver Larry Oberto's ego.
Out front Lehto and Herbert had the leading Panoz of Beretta, Saelens and Max Papis well under control, the team taking the signature event of the ALMS series as consolation for missing the big prize. Lehto would fall just seven points short of the Joest team. JML Team Panoz finished second and fourth in the final event of the year. But they face heading into another season with an ageing car and the proposed replacement of two years ago a failure. What fate lies in store for prototype racing in 2004?
Pos Drivers Team
1. Johnny Herbert/JJ Lehto Champion Racing Audi R8
2. Olivier Beretta/David Saelens/ JML Team Panoz Panoz LMP01 Elan
Max Papis
3. Frank Biela/Marco Werner Team Joest Audi R8
4. Gunnar Jeannette/Ben Leuenberger/ JML Team Panoz Panoz LMP01 Elan
Scott Maxwell
5. Peter Kox/Tomas Enge/Alain Menu Veloqx Prodrive Racing Ferrari
550 Maranello (1st GTS)
6. Jan Magnussen/David Brabham/ Veloqx Prodrive Racing Ferrari
Anthony Davidson 550 Maranello (2nd GTS)
7. Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins/ Team Corvette Racing Chevrolet
Andy Pilgrim Corvette C5-R (3rd GTS)
8. Timo Bernhard/Jorg Bergmeister/ Alex Job Racing Porsche 996
Romain Dumas 996 GT3-RS (1st GT)
9. Sascha Maassen/Lucas Luhr Alex Job Racing Porsche
996 GT3-RS (2nd GT)
10. Michael Lewis/Tomy Drissi/ American Spirit Racing
Melanie Patterson Riley & Scott Mk IIIC Lincoln
Superbikes
Race One
Pos Rider Motorcycle
1. Neil Hodgson Ducati 999F03
2. Ruben Xaus Ducati 999F03
3. Chris Walker Ducati 998F02
4. Gregorio Lavilla Suzuki GSX-R 1000
5. James Toseland Ducati 998F02
6. Regis Laconi Ducati 998RS
7. Steve Martin Ducati 998RS
8. Troy Corser Foggy FP1
9. Juan Borja Ducati 998RS
10. Mauro Sanchini Kawasaki ZX7RR
Race Two
Pos Rider Motorcycle
1. Ruben Xaus Ducati 999F03
2. James Toseland Ducati 998F02
3. Chris Walker Ducati 998F02
4. Gregorio Lavilla Suzuki GSX-R 1000
5. Steve Martin Ducati 998RS
6. Leon Haslam Ducati 998RS
7. Juan Borja Ducati 998RS
8. Sebastien Gimbert Suzuki GSX-R 1000
9. Ivan Clementi Kawasaki ZX7RR
10. Mauro Sanchini Kawasaki ZX7RR
Sportscars
"When we announced our return in November 2000, we always said this would be a three-year programme," said Bentley chairman Franz-Josef Paefgen in a statement.
Upcoming Events Calendar
Please Contact Us for permission to republish this or any other material from Atlas F1.
 Email to Friend
Volume 9, Issue 43
2003 Season Review
2003 Race-by-Race Review
2003 Drivers Review
2003 Teams Review
2003 Technical Review
The Atlas F1 Top Ten
Atlas F1 Exclusive
Giancarlo Fisichella: Through the Visor
Columns
2003 Qualifying Differentials
2003 Trivia Quiz
Elsewhere in Racing
The Weekly Grapevine
> Homepage |
