Dakar : BFGoodrich - Preview
With seven previous Dakar Rally wins to its name, including five with Mitsubishi, BFGoodrich is poised to set off on the African trail once more on January 6 for the 29th running of the world's most famous rally-raid, the Euromilhoes Dakar.

This year again, all the top teams have placed their confidence in BFGoodrich in their ... [ more ]

Dakar : Mitsubishi Motors - Preview
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) and its motorsport unit MMSP have completed their preparations for a potential seventh successive defence of their Dakar Rally title, after a hectic 10 days of physical training, team bonding, light-hearted motorsport competition and testing in France.

After completing a four-day ... [ more ]

With the new Mégane F1 Team R26
Listen up track-day enthusiasts. Renault Sport Technologies are proud to unveil an extreme update on the turbo-charged Mégane.

Fresh from its debut at the Paris Motorshow, the Mégane F1 Team R26 is the most potent, driver-focussed Mégane yet. And with just a few hundred models set for release in the UK, you’re sure to stand ... [ more ]

For the 2007 season
Audi has admitted interest in putting 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve behind the wheel of a DTM car in 2007.

With Heinz-Harald Frentzen no longer a part of the Ingolstadt based carmaker's foray in the German touring car series, a spokesman said Villeneuve and fellow F1 refugee Juan Pablo Montoya are top of Audi's Christmas wish ... [ more ]

"Fernando did a great job"
An unnamed engineer has praised Fernando Alonso's performance in his maiden test for McLaren Mercedes at Jerez last week.

For the back to back world champion's first laps in a silver single seater, the Spanish newspaper Diario As said 25-year-old Alonso almost instantly matched team-mate Lewis Hamilton's pace around the circuit ... [ more ]

Dakar : Volkswagen Motorsport - Preview
Call of the wild: On 6 January, Volkswagen starts the 2007 Dakar Rally with four Race Touareg 2 prototypes. For Volkswagen factory drivers Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/South Africa), Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn (Spain/France), Ari Vatanen/Fabrizia Pons (Finland/Italy) and Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (South Africa/Germany) ... [ more ]

Eliminating cross-country travel
The 2007 United States Rally Championship (USRC) is taking bold steps to make national competition more affordable and accessible to a larger number of rally teams. The new Championship structure minimizes or, for many teams, eliminates the need for cross-country travel by providing competition on each side of the country with ... [ more ]

With record pace in Qatar testing
Troy Bayliss brought the Ducati Xerox Team's successful year to a close with a record pace on the final day of Pirelli tyre testing at the Losail circuit in Qatar.

In much improved conditions the 2006 champion set a time of 1m58.1s, the fastest ever recorded by a Superbike around the desert track and 1.5 quicker than his ... [ more ]

With record pace in Qatar testing
Troy Bayliss brought the Ducati Xerox Team's successful year to a close with a record pace on the final day of Pirelli tyre testing at the Losail circuit in Qatar.

In much improved conditions the 2006 champion set a time of 1m58.1s, the fastest ever recorded by a Superbike around the desert track and 1.5 quicker than his ... [ more ]

At Losail test
The second significant test session in the run-up to the 2007 season proved to be another giant step for the all-new YZF-R1 and despite poor track conditions in the early sessions and having a mountain of development parts to work through, both Yamaha Motor Italia riders, Troy Corser and Noriyuki Haga, were able to set fast times.

Corser, ... [ more ]

“We soon realised that we had a lot of work to do”
The Pirelli 3-day tests at Qatar finished with Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra rider Max Biaggi posting the second fastest overall time, behind 2006 Superbike World Champion Troy Bayliss.

Bayliss finished with a lap of 1:58.1, almost two seconds inside the lap record set by Noriyuki Haga earlier this ... [ more ]

Awaiting new chassis for the Ferrari V8
After sitting out the nine days of pre-Christmas testing, Dutch F1 team Spyker will also not test in January, it has emerged.

The Silverstone based squad was the only Grand Prix team to miss the pre-season runs at Barcelona and Jerez following the 2006 season, having revealed the decision to not build an 'interim' ... [ more ]

Committed to Newman/Haas for the time being
Triple Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais has ruled out moving to Formula One with the Toro Rosso team in 2007.

Although Toro Rosso is now the only team yet to confirm its driver line-up for next year, 27-year-old Bourdais said he will categorically not abandon his Champ Car commitment with the Illinois-based ... [ more ]

Comments to follow regarding Sutil signing
Tiago Monteiro has promised to comment soon on the news that German rookie Adrian Sutil will take his race seat at Spyker next year.

Despite the indicative lack of official confirmation, Portugal's 30-year-old Monteiro - who joined the Silverstone based team in 2005 - has been recently confident about retaining ... [ more ]

At his funeral service in Switzerland
Former Formula One racing driver Clay Regazzoni, who died in a car accident in northern Italy last week, was laid to rest in Switzerland on Thursday following a funeral service attended by motor racing legends.

Former World Champions Jackie Stewart, who branded Regazzoni as being crazy when he ran him off the track ... [ more ]

WSBK: 3rd day of test
Times tumbled again at the latest Pirelli test in Losail, with a drop on the winds which had hampered the first two days being matched by an increase in ambient temperature.

The 5.380km Losail circuit still proved to be a tough challenge even on day three but nonetheless the times came down as the riders improved set-up and worked ... [ more ]

Despite engine deal with Toyota
Toyota's John Howett says Williams has not become a 'B' team for the Japanese carmaker in F1.

While the squads will develop 'synergies' through their engine supply collaboration in 2007 and beyond, the Toyota President insisted that Frank Williams is to retain his trademark independence.

"Where we can find positive ... [ more ]

A new name for La Filiere FFSA
On the occasion of the FFSA award ceremony held on 11th December last at the Paris Lido, Jacques Régis, Chairman of the French Motor Sports Federation, unveiled the brand new Auto Sport Academy.

With the aim of reinforcing its position on the international stage, the federal centre is getting a new name. From 2007, La Filière ... [ more ]