Says Michael Schumacher
The day after the Monza win, recalling the crowd under the podium and announcement that he was retiring, the emotion is as high as ever. Thinking it over, Michael can only smile.

"It was an indescribable day. I think I did the right thing saying that I would retire having won. I know that many people were surprised by my decision ... [ more ]

The best ever in Formula One?
Michael Schumacher will retire as a multiple drivers' world champion, a man of achievements and unequalled statistical records, but dogged by controversy fuelled by his most unforgiving critics.

At 37, he has raced in 247 Formula One Grand Prix, 178 of them for Ferrari, won 90 races, 71 for Ferrari, taken 68 pole positions, ... [ more ]

Michael wishes to end his career at the top
Germany's seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher revealed Monday that his decision to quit Formula One was due to his desire to end his career at the top rather than stay on and become an also-ran.

The 37-year-old Schumacher announced his retirement after winning Sunday's Monza Grand Prix with his Ferrari ... [ more ]

Nothing will be the same...
Ferrari commenced a 'new era' at Monza on Sunday, the Italian press proclaimed on Monday morning.
''Michael (Schumacher) would gladly have continued,'' national sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport wrote, ''but not alongside (Kimi) Raikkonen.''

Tuttosport added: ''For ten years Formula One identified itself with Schumi and ... [ more ]

Hamilton still a possibility
Pedro de la Rosa is not certain that he is going to retain the McLaren race seat for the remaining three Grand Prix of 2006.
Team principal Ron Dennis said prior to Monza that it is 'most likely' that Spaniard de la Rosa would race in China, Japan and Brazil in the role vacated earlier this year by Juan Pablo Montoya.

But ... [ more ]

An impossible probability
Michael Schumacher's manager has ruled out speculation that the retiring German racer could be groomed as a replacement team principal for Ferrari boss Jean Todt next year.

The Italian team announced that Schumacher, the 37-year-old seven time champion, would maintain an unspecified Ferrari role beyond the end of 2006.

But ... [ more ]

At the Park Systems Rally
County Durham based Stephen Petch Junior overcame a pair of punctures on this weekends Park Systems Rally to salvage valuable points and keep his Mitsubishi Evo cup hopes alive with only 1 round left to go, finishing a creditable 9th overall on possibly the roughest rally of the year along the way. (In fact the roads were so rough that ... [ more ]

Top two cars closely inspected
The Fiesta SportingTrophy UK had its penultimate round on the Park Systems Rally where the front-running competitors found their cars under extra examination.

The top two competitors in the championship had their cars taken to post rally scrutiny after the seventh round of the hotly contested series to ensure that the strict ... [ more ]

And the championship lead
George Thomas scored an emphatic Fiesta ST victory on the Park Systems National Rally, the seventh round of the VK Vodka Kick supported Fiesta SportingTrophy UK (FST UK).

Thomas set the fastest Fiesta ST time on three of the four stages including the mammoth 19 mile Arroch Hill which ended the event. He was classified in sixth ... [ more ]

Who leaves Malaysia as World Championship leader
Jorge Lorenzo claimed his seventh win of the season in Sepang and extended his World Championship lead to 12 points in the process. The downside for the Fortuna Aprilia team was Hector Barbera who, after starting in pole, suffered a spectacular crash on lap two.

Lorenzo got away well and positioned himself ... [ more ]

Sepang : Yamaha Tech3 - Race
The Tech 3 Yamaha Team led by Spaniard Carlos Checa put in another typically determined effort during the Malaysian Grand Prix held in sweltering conditions at the Sepang circuit in an absolutely enthralling race won in style by fellow Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi.

Checa managed to finish in 12th position in front of factory ... [ more ]

Sepang : Team KR - Race
In another enthralling encounter as a vintage World Championship season reaches boiling point, the Malaysian Grand Prix, played out in front of 43,000 hardcore fans, provided yet another high octane duel won by Valentino Rossi from the reliably combative Loris Capirossi, with red-hot rookie Dani Pedrosa third.

After the monsoon-aborted ... [ more ]

Iannone, Pasini, Bradl, Masbou…
In the 125 class warm-up session, while practising his start, Alexis Masbou hit hard Stefan Bradl parked in front of him.

The disastrous impact caused serious consequences to the German rider, who received fractures to his right heel and fibula and a displaced right tibia fracture. He will return to Germany for the required ... [ more ]

Sepang : Repsol Honda - Race
Repsol Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Nicky Hayden finished in third and fourth places in today's Malaysian Grand Prix and remain in a strong position at the head of the riders' world championship. Pedrosa defied the pain of injuries sustained in a crash yesterday to take a heroic third, with Hayden just 1.9s behind.

It had ... [ more ]

Sepang : Pramac d'Antin - Race
Alex Hofmann finished 15th after a difficult race where he gave, as always, his maximum.
The German rider once again finished with a points paying position. José Luis Cardoso, after a hard and hot day, finished 17th with his Ducati Desmosedici GP06 “Sat”.

Both Pramac d'Antin riders suffered from a lack of grip that hindered ... [ more ]

Sepang : Konica Minolta Honda - Race
The washout causing the cancellation of the Malaysian Grand Prix qualifying session of yesterday made space today to the typical sunshine of this country with temperatures reaching 50°C on the ground.

In the twenty minutes' warm up of this morning, the Konica Minolta Honda Team together with Tamada, finished the tests ... [ more ]

Sepang : LCR Honda - Race
Honda LCR rider Casey Stoner was physically exhausted after finishing a brave eighth in a hot and humid Malaysian Grand Prix.

Stoner was slowed by back pain from halfway through the 21 lap race, after making a spirited challenge for the podium in the early laps. After passing Sete Gibernau (Ducati) for fifth place, Stoner was ... [ more ]

Sepang : Camel Yamaha - Race
Camel Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi moved another step closer to the summit of the MotoGP World Championship today thanks to a breathtaking victory in the Malaysian Grand Prix.

After starting from pole position the Italian was part of an entertaining battle for positions over the first half of the race before breaking clear ... [ more ]

Sepang : Suzuki - Race
John Hopkins raced his Rizla Suzuki GSV-R to a superb sixth place at today's Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang after being relegated to 14th on the first lap.

Hopkins started from eighth on the grid but was boxed in at the first corner and was lucky to avoid an incident that saw the two Kawasaki team-mates collide. At the end of the ... [ more ]

Denial of any Raikkonen pre-contract
After an emotional Michael Schumacher had stood on the top step of the Monza rostrum, and had then explained to the World that he was going to quit as a Formula One driver at the end of the current season, it was the turn of Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Jean Todt to explain his feelings regarding the future loss of his ... [ more ]

''The king of motor sport abdicates his throne''
Michael Schumacher was the face on the front pages of most German newspapers on Monday as the country hailed one of their greatest sporting heroes following his decision to retire from Formula One.

Schumacher kept in contention for an eighth world title by recording his 90th career victory in the Monza ... [ more ]

''Danke Schumi'' - La Gazzetta dello Sport
The Italian press was full of glowing tributes to Michael Schumacher on Monday after Formula One's most successful driver announced his retirement.

The Ferrari star confirmed what everyone had expected just moments after winning Sunday's Italian Grand Prix at Monza, a victory which keeps him firmly in contention ... [ more ]

If Renault don't like it they can leave
Ferrari team chief Jean Todt said Renault and defending World Champion Fernando Alonso must accept decisions that go against him without complaining.
Todt hit back at Alonso's claim that he no longer regards Formula One as a sport.

The Spaniard, and his Renault MD Flavio Briatore, said on Sunday that he believed ... [ more ]

Ron Walker full of praise for retiring ChampionMichael Schumacher helped ensure the success of the Australian Grand Prix and made a significant contribution to charity, Australian GP race organisers said Monday.

The seven-times World Champion announced at Monza that he would retire at the end of the current season.

"The legacy of Michael's magnificent ... [ more ]

Willi Weber looking at young talent
With Michael Schumacher's driving career no longer the subject of intense speculation, similar attention is already turning to those closest to the multiple World Champion.
But close friend and Ferrari Team Principal Jean Todt refused at Monza to give in to the latest rumours, as speculation about Ross Brawn's intentions ... [ more ]