Anthony Davidson to stay with Super Aguri

Super Aguri's managing director Daniele Audetto insists he will persevere with Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson in 2008.

There had been a suggestion that the team would ditch Davidson before the start of the new season, but Audetto will remain loyal to the 28-year-old.

When asked whether he would keep Davidson, Audetto said: "Definitely, 100 per cent. He's doing a fantastic job. I think Anthony is proving that he was a good choice.

"The speed is still there and the maturity is coming. So I expect that next year we are going to have two very good drivers." Sato scored four points for the team in 2007 while Davidson's best finish was 11th, even though he did better than his Japanese team-mate in ten out of 17 qualifying sessions.

Davidson said of the uncertainty surrounding his future in Formula One: "I think some of the driver choices that have happened in the past, and will continue to happen, have been shocking.

"I mean, this is Formula One - we're supposed to be the best guys in the world driving these cars, and clearly history would suggest that hasn't been the case."

Formula One: Japanese Grand Prix Preview

Formula One racing goes back into the melting pot this weekend as the championship battle moves on to the unknown territory of the Fuji International Speedway near Gotemba, in the shadow of Mount Fuji.

After 20 years at Suzuka, the race’s move to this updated venue - scene of the original Japanese Grands Prix in 1976 and ’77 puts everyone in the same position of having precious little empirical information for setting up their cars.

McLaren and Ferrari venture to the East still locked in battle. Recent events may have cemented the world championship for constructors in the latter’s favour, but the drivers’ title is still wide open with Lewis Hamilton leading on 97 points from Fernando Alonso (95), Kimi Raikkonen (84) and Felipe Massa (77). All of them still have a chance of winning.

The Ferrari drivers are both very confident after their one-two in Belgium. Raikkonen, the victor there, said: “Our car is going extremely well and we have high hopes for the final three races. As far as we are concerned, the championship battle is far from over and we will keep pushing to the very end.”

With medium downforce levels similar to Spa, the reds are feeling very optimistic, but the track’s characteristics will also suit McLaren, though not necessarily with the margin seen at low-downforce venues such as Monza and Indianapolis.

“I haven’t even seen Fuji Speedway yet, but I am sure it will be a great place to race,” Hamilton said. “Hopefully there will be some overtaking opportunities because of the really long start-finish straight. I was a bit disappointed that I wouldn’t be getting to race at Suzuka because everyone goes on about how great it is, but this season I have really enjoyed going to new tracks and learning them.

“It provides a slightly different challenge so I am looking forward to it. Everyone will be in the same boat and it should be quite exciting. Everything is so close in the championship now, so we have to go out there in Fuji and get as many points as possible. It would be great to win. Also, Japan is one of my favourite countries and the fans are very enthusiastic, so it would be even better to win in front of them!”

Alonso is equally enthusiastic. “In 2006 I did a couple of demonstration laps with passengers here and it seemed really good. It is going to be a challenge to find the optimum set-up for the cars. To be honest, we will have to wait until after Friday free practice to tell more, but I am looking forward to seeing what it is like.

“We are not in any position to make any predictions, but I am sure the championship will continue to swing between all four drivers. Ferrari were strong at Spa, we were strong at Monza, everyone in the team is pushing hard to be strong at Fuji, Shanghai and Interlagos. We can still win races, and will be doing everything to make this happen in Japan.”

The race will also be critical for the three Japanese teams: Toyota, Honda and Super Aguri, while Williams (with their Toyota engines) and Spyker (with Sakon Yamamoto) also feature local interest factors.

Toyota will have a revised TF107 with aerodynamic and suspension updates, for Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli to drive. “I remember the old Fuji circuit from my time racing in Formula Nippon in Japan and I always enjoyed racing there,” the former said. “One of the most impressive things about Fuji Speedway is the location, with Mount Fuji in the background. The track itself is also very impressive, especially now the facilities have been improved. It is now one of the most modern in Formula One but they have kept a lot of the character of the old track, with the very long main straight.”

Honda stopped off in Odaiba prior to the trip to Fuji, for the annual Tokyo Motorsports Festival where Jenson Button and James Rossiter demonstrated the thrills of Formula One machinery to thousands of fans by taking the RA107 car around the streets of the city.

“The Japanese Grand Prix is always a very special weekend for the whole Honda Racing F1 Team as it is one of our two home races of the year,” said Button. “I have had fantastic support as a Honda driver at the Honda-owned Suzuka circuit in the past few years and the Japanese fans always create such a special atmosphere over the race weekend.

“This year will be a new challenge for both myself and the team as the race returns to the Fuji International Speedway. It is an unknown quantity so I will be studying the circuit layout with our engineers in advance but we will only find out its true characteristics during our track walk on Thursday and the first few laps of practice on Friday.”

Much of the original track layout’s character has been retained in the revamp, which still features an epic 1.5 kilometre main straight. This is the longest in Formula One Racing and will undoubtedly encourage slipstreaming opportunities of the sort seen at Monza. Additional corners have been added to promote more exciting racing and overtaking.

The key changes have been made at the end of the lap, where some slower corners have been added to decrease entry speed for the start-finish straight. As in Indianapolis, teams will have to compromise on their set-ups to retain as much top speed as possible, while engineering in sufficient downforce for the low- to medium-speed corners round the rest of the lap.

Unpredictable weather is also another factor at Fuji; everybody remembers the heavy rain that was such a factor in the 1976 championship decider here. Thus Bridgestone will also have supplies of wet and extreme wet-weather tyres just in case, besides their prime choice of the medium compound dry tyre and the softer compound option.

Source: Formula One official website

Using GPS Technology to Improve the Auto Racing Fan Experience

Combining high-speed data communications, global-positioning technology, and real-time camera control, the Racef/x system from Sportvision provides graphical enhancements for live television coverage of racing events. The system allows the announcer to activate on-screen pointers to identify selected cars in the race along with an optional virtual dashboard showing vital statistics, such as speed and position in real time. The system employs an onboard telemetry system to send sensor and GPS (global-positioning-system) data to a network of receivers in strategic positions around the track. Differential-GPS techniques determine each car's position, comparing satellite-position signals to known fixed positions. Several of the broadcast cameras include remotely controlled pan and tilt heads, enabling them to automatically follow the position data from the selected car. Updated several times per second, custom software synchronizes transmissions and collects statistics from as many as 55 cars racing around the track at more than 200 mph. Sportvision introduced its Racef/x system during the 2006 Indy Racing League season, and NASCAR is now also using the system in its 2007 Busch series season. This type of tracking system also allows sanctioning organizations to capture additional revenue with subscription-based data it delivers over the Internet so that users can follow their favorite competitors.

McLaren Formula One - The Early Years

The start of the 2007 Formula One season has seen the spotlight fall firmly on the McLaren Formula One team with the arrival Lewis Hamilton on the scene. With his incredible success so far in his debut season and a few controversies along the way, McLaren has barely been out of the sports news pages.

However this success is not new for the team. During its history the team has won 8 constructors championships and 11 drivers championships with motor sport legends such as Emerson Fittipaldi, James Hunt, Ayrton Senna and more recently Mika Häkkinen. In fact they are the second most successful formula one team after Ferrari, with more Grand Prix wins under their belt than any constructor other than Ferrari.

The team was founded in 1963 by New Zealander Bruce McLaren and was at that time know as Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Limited. They spent their first three years building a formula one car and were finally ready to make their debut at the Monaco Grand Prix of 1966 with the team founder at the wheel The first race ended in failure as a result of a serious oil leak however the team went on to score their first championship point later that year. 1968 saw the team score their first race win as Bruce piloted the McLaren Ford to victory in Belgium. They then went on to record further wins in Italy and Canada later that year.

The 1970s started in tragedy for McLaren as Bruce McLaren lost his life in a testing accident at Goodwood. Although the team continued his legacy they wouldn’t see another race win for two years. Finally at the South African grand prix in 1972 Denny Hulme, former world champion, recorded his first race win for McLaren since Bruce’s death..

1974 saw a turnaround in the teams fortunes. Emerson Fittipaldi joined the team and with his driving managed to win their first world constructors title as well as the world drivers title. They even managed to win the Indianapolis 500 in the same year. The team’s next championship win came in 1976 with James Hunt taking over from Fittipaldi and taking the drivers championship. . By the 1980’s McLaren were back on form. The McLaren team merged with Ron Dennis’ Formula 2 team to from the current McLaren F1 team and they began their dominance of Formula one. A succession of top drivers over the next few years, the likes of Niki Lauda, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna brought great results with McLaren taking the championship in 1984, 1985, 1988 and 1989.

Team mates Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost achieved the highest number of double race wins of any pair in F1, notching up 14 wins between them in 1988 and 1989. This partnership holds the record for the most wins in a season, winning 15 out of the 16 races in 1988. 1988 was seen as the pinnacle of their success to date. The winning combination of Senna & Prost together with class leading new Honda engine meant that not only did they win all but one race, they also led all but 27 laps of the season, a record still unbeaten today.

To keep up with the latest Formula one fashions and show your support with the latest Lewis Hamilton and McLaren F1 merchandise visit http://www.lewis-hamilton-f1-driver.co.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matt_D

Iowa Speedway Uses First SAFER Barrier in New Construction

Iowa Speedway, which hosts the IndyCar Series and Indy Pro Series this weekend for the first time, became the first track to be constructed using the SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) Barrier developed by the Indy Racing League and the University of Nebraska.

The SAFER Barrier was first installed in all four turns at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2002. Subsequent installations of the system around the globe have been retro-fit to existing concrete walls of racetracks.

That changed with the design and construction of Iowa Speedway. At the suggestion of Indy Racing League senior technical director Phil Casey, the track became the first to install the new Alternative Backup Structure around the entire perimeter of the 0.875-mile racing surface. The new system incorporates anchored steel posts with bundles of closed-cell polystyrene foam between them and the (40-inch tall, 28-feet long) square structural steel tubing (8 inches each, stitch welded at seams every 12 inches) that comprises the “soft wall.”

“Racetracks that are already built have cement walls, so it was easy to put the SAFER Barrier and the foam against the cement walls,” Casey said. “If you have temporary circuits like road courses or building a new racetrack, you need a way to put up SAFER Barriers and it’s so expensive to put up cement walls (about $4 million on a mile racetrack). Consequently, the Alternative Backup Structure saves about a third of the cost.”

All 12 ovals on the IndyCar Series schedule contain the SAFER Barrier.

Impacts in early races at the speedway have supported data of development and testing by the University of Nebraska group.

“It’s very strong,” Casey said. “There was considerable testing. A few ARCA cars and Silver Crowns have hit it and it performed well.”

A similar structure – a steel post imbedded in a concrete barrier with the foam and steel tubing fronting it -- could soon be incorporated in sections of road/street courses (selected corners) and ovals (pit lane walls, inside racetrack).

“Any new facility or road course that needs it in high-speed corners, the recommendation would be to put the latest generation in,” Casey said.

The sanctioning body also is working with the University of Nebraska team on development of a pit lane attenuator system (nose of pit lane wall), which is entering the testing phase. Upon impact, the device compacts (slides on a center rail) to absorb the energy.

“There is always room for development,” Casey said.

source: IndyCar

Fernando Alonso Will Be World Champion - Flavio Briatore

Flavio Briatore, Renault Team Boss believes that Fernando Alonso is going the win the world championship.

The flamboyant Italian was the team boss of Renault when he scouted Alonso and he guided him to his first 2 world championships in 2005 and 2006.

Lewis Hamilton, Alonso’s nearest competitor has moved 10 points ahead in the standings after another win at the USGP.

“Fernando will win, I’m 100% sure,” Briatore said in a newspaper interview. “He knows what he needs to do. Last year there was a moment when it looked like he would lose the title. Everybody thought he was going to lose it. But pushing together we ended up winning."

“To win, he must do the same thing he did in the last four races last year. Focus on his work in the car, not let outside voices distract him.”

Briatore added: “I think Fernando, above all, is a champion. Like everybody, he is having difficulties to adapt to a new team. He has gone from using Michelin tires to using Bridgestone, while Hamilton already knows the tires from GP2.

“He has experience and, if the McLaren stays ahead of the Ferrari, he must remain calm, focus on himself, forget about the rest, and that way he will win the title.”

Emerson Fittipaldi wants Renault to give Nelson Piquet Jr. a chance.

Nelson Piquet Jr should be given a chance to resume his personal battle with former GP2 Series rival Lewis Hamilton, according to double world champion Emerson Fittipaldi.

The Brazilian veteran has told Reuters that he feels his younger countryman could surprise as much as Hamilton has done if given the chance to race this season, despite the fact that Piquet would be lining up with Renault. Hamilton won his second grand prix in as many weekends when he beat team-mate Fernando Alonso to the line at Indianapolis on Sunday, but most accept that his success has been accelerated by running with Mclaren, which has established itself as the form team in 2007.

Fittipaldi, however, has called on Renault boss Flavio Briatore to replace one of his current line-up with Piquet Jr, a decision that may have been easier until the end of last month as rookie Heikki Kovalainen struggled for form. However, the Finn has since recorded back-to-back points finishes in Canada and the USA, coming from last on the grid to take fourth in Montréal and out-qualifying veteran team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella at Indianapolis.

Piquet has been tipped to replace either driver since being signed as Renault's reserve this season, but is more likely to step up at the end of the year should Fisichella decide to hang up his helmet.

"Nelson and Lewis were the two hardest competitors in GP2 last year," Fittipaldi reasoned, "He's extremely talented and, if you ask me what is the next hope for Brazil, I think it's Nelson Piquet Jr. Talking about natural talent, I think Nelsinho could surprise as much as Hamilton has surprised."

The Brazilian A1GP team boss, who has first hand experience of working with Piquet in the World Cup of Motorsport, went to claim that his 'protege' had more potential for success than current Ferrari points leader Felipe Massa - in much the same way as Hamilton has raised British hopes over and above those previously carried by Jenson Button.

source: crash.net

John Andretti set to take Kyle Petty's ride for five Nextel Cup races

by Jason Tweed, GrandPrixChamp.com

John Andretti made a less than spectacular return to Indy in May. He finished 30th after an interlude with the wall.

Apparently, he's now returning to NASCAR, at least part time. According to the Allentown Morning Call, local paper to Nazareth, Pennsylvania, where the Andretti's call home, Andretti is returning to Richard Petty's racing team for a few races this season. Kyle Petty is scheduled to do a few races from the broadcast booth, in what would appear to be a long overdue career transition.

Read the full story: John Andretti Set to Take Kyle Petty's Ride for Five Nextel Cup Races

Dale Earnhardt Jr. to Drive for Hendrick Motorsports in 2008

We don't normally report on NASCAR in this forum, but some news impacts all of motor sports. The news that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has signed with Hendrick Motorsports is such a story.

If you haven't been following NASCAR this season, this is important because Dale Earnhardt Jr. failed to reach an agreement with his current team, founded by his late father. Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) is owned and operated solely by Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s widow Teresa. Many fans felt that Dale Earnhardt created the team as a legacy for his son, however Earnhardt Sr. made it very clear in his will, signed only a short time before his death, that 100% ownership of the team would pass to Teresa.

Earnhardt Jr. was renegotiating his contract in this, his last season with DEI. As part of this negotiation, he requested 51% ownership in Dale Earnhardt Incorporated. It was reported that he had come to an agreement with the company, then suddenly reported later that the agreement fell apart before the signing.

Today Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports, announced the Dale Earnhardt Jr. would race with his team. Hendrick Motorsports has multiple NASCAR championship trophies, most notably last year's trophy with Jimmie Johnson and four championships with Jeff Gordon.

Check out this report and video of the press conference with Dale Earnhardt Jr. from ESPN.com.

Alex Lloyd could win $$$ for the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation

Sam Schmidt Motorsports and Indy Pro Series points leader Alex Lloyd announced the "Racing for Recovery Challenge," a pledge drive to take place leading up to the Liberty Challenge at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on June 16-17.

The team is offering an opportunity for companies and individuals to sponsor a race car with all proceeds going to the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation. If Lloyd wins either race, those responsible for pledges will agree to donate $1,000 to the foundation. Should Lloyd win both races, the donation price tag will be raised to $3,000. If Lloyd does not win either event, donors that have made pledges will owe the foundation nothing.

Lloyd has won the first five races of the 2007 Indy Pro Series season, a series record. He will try to be the first driver to win on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval and road course in the same year, as he won the Freedom 100 on May 25.

"As many races as Alex has been winning, we felt it'd be a great time to utilize his hot streak to help raise funds and awareness for our foundation," Schmidt said.

Read the full story: Schmidt Foundation Could Reap Bounty Of Lloyd's Victories At USGP