Hirvonen is ready to take on Loeb
The spearhead of the Ford World Rally Team for the forthcoming season will be Mikko Hirvonen, who must fill the big boots left behind by Marcus Grönholm when he retired from the World Rally Championship at the end of the 2007 campaign.

That is a big enough challenge in itself, but Hirvonen must also face the tough competition ... [ more ]

Suzuki driver hoping for opening round points
Rally driver Toni Gardemeister signed a two-year agreement with the Suzuki manufacturer team last December, a deal which has made possible the Finn's return to the World Rally Championship series.

Suzuki will be on its maiden voyage within the series this year, with a brand new SX4 World Rally Car serving as ... [ more ]

Solberg and Atkinson prepare for the 2008 season
To date this season Petter and Chris have been involved in testing the WRC2007 on two occasions, ahead of Rallye Monte Carlo and again in Sweden ahead of the rally on 8-10 February.

Both tests were successful in developing a good base setup on the new Pirelli P-Zero championship control tyre on wet and ... [ more ]

Rally Business of the Year
M-Sport and the BP-Ford World Rally Team have received the prestigious Rally Business of the Year Award on Thursday evening at the Motorsport Industry Association's (MIA) Business Excellence Awards dinner held at the Autosport International Show, NEC, Birmingham.

M-Sport Managing Director Malcolm Wilson was presented the award ... [ more ]

Big changes in the pipeline
The Finnish Round of the World Rally Championship, Neste Oil Rally Finland, is set as the 9th round of the 2008 season. There will be plenty of action on the gravel roads of Central Finland in late July - early August when, in addition to the WRC aces, drivers of both the Junior World Rally Championship (J-WRC) and Production Car World ... [ more ]

Green light from the FIA for gravel rubber
The new WRC gravel tyre from Pirelli is an innovative product that is both robust and environmentally friendly.

The 2008 FIA WRC regulations state that anti-deflation mousse cannot be used; so next year's gravel tyre has been considerably strengthened in order to resist cuts, abrasions and punctures from sharp ... [ more ]

Puncture eliminates Mikkelsen from the fight
Mads Ostberg and his co-driver Ole Kristian Unnerund won the first round of the Norwegian Rally Championship, Mountain Rally Norway, in their Subaru Impreza WRC. Ostberg was 93s ahead of Anders Grondal in a Subaru Impreza WRC.

20 year old Ostberg had a hard fight against the young star Andreas Mikkelsen (18) ... [ more ]

“We ought to be optimistic about 125cc”
Blusens BQR approach the 2008 season with a revamped look, hoping for good results in the 250cc and 125cc classes, under the direction of team boss Raul Romero.

With Romero's colleague Ricard Jove playing a bigger role in the sporting management of the project, the team will have a presence in the Spanish national ... [ more ]

“I'm looking forward to riding the new bike”
After the Christmas break the Honda LCR Team is back at work to start the 2008 racing season in the best way.

A new winter tests session will engage the MotoGP riders till the end of February before the first GP in Qatar on the 9th of March. Specifically Randy De Puniet and his staff will fly to Malaysia shortly ... [ more ]

“It's difficult for them to make a mistake twice”
Sharply contrasting in fortunes in 2007, the MotoGP axis of power experienced a shift in favour of Ducati last season at the expense of antecedent champions Honda.

The Italian factory are the current holders of the individual, team and factory titles in the premier class but, as CEO Claudio Domenicali ... [ more ]

First laps for Kubica in Valencia
The maiden laps of the BMW Sauber’s new car went off according to plan. The doors of the pit garage opened at 12.00, and seven minutes later Robert Kubica emerged with the BMW Sauber F1.08 for its first installation lap on the Valencia circuit.

BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen was clearly satisfied: "The roll-out ... [ more ]

First impressions and his Renault return
Fernando Alonso climbed aboard a Renault for the first time today since clinching the championship in Brazil in 2006. After his first morning of running in the R27, Alonso gives his thoughts on his return to Renault, former team-mates and his hopes for the coming season...

Happy New Year Fernando. What have you ... [ more ]

Jerez - Red Bull Renault - Test day 1
This week’s first test of 2008 marks the swansong for the the RB3, and for the morning at least, the weather was certainly the sort much loved by swans and other water birds.

Overnight rain continued into the morning, giving David Coulthard his first chance of driving in the wet without any traction control and engine ... [ more ]

Jerez - Williams Toyota - Test day 1
With the first of six snazzy new paint jobs ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Williams Toyota kicked off its three day test today at the Jerez circuit.

Ahead of the track debut of the new FW30, scheduled for next week, the team ran two interim FW29B chassis' for Nico Rosberg and Kazuke Nakajima.

Rosberg ... [ more ]

Jerez - Super Aguri Honda - Test day 1
The first day of group testing for the new year would prove to be a troubled one for the Super Aguri Honda team.

The team drafted in James Rossiter for the test but the British driver was only able to complete ten lap in the SA07B before an undisclosed problem halted his day.

Unsurprisingly, Rossiter was slowest ... [ more ]

Jerez - McLaren Mercedes - Test day 1
With heavy rain leaving the track very wet McLaren Mercedes limited their testing programme in the morning to carrying out sign off tests on some of the new components on Heikki Kovalainen’s car with Pedro de la Rosa not leaving the garage apart from his installation lap first thing.

Once the track dried out in the ... [ more ]

Jerez - Toro Rosso Ferrari - Test day 1
The first official test session of the new year got underway in southern Spain today, after heavy overnight rain meant the Jerez track stayed wet until the afternoon.

Although inconvenient in some ways, the damp conditions meant that both Sebastian Vettel and Sebastien Bourdais were able to experience the wet conditions ... [ more ]

Jerez - Renault - Test day 1
The holidays are over and the preparations at Enstone are well underway with the R28 soon to make its debut. In the meantime Renault returned to action this week in Jerez to commence its 2008 winter testing programme.

Damp conditions greeted the team this morning, and with large amounts of water on the track, it was difficult ... [ more ]

Jerez - Force India Ferrari - Test day 1
Tonio Liuzzi completed his first official day of duty for the Force India Formula One Team today as he opened the team's three-day test at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit in southern Spain.

After a wet start to the day, Force India - again running in its interim burgundy and white colour scheme - pushed on with ... [ more ]

Jerez - Ferrari - Test day 1
Today marked the first day of testing this week for Ferrari, working again at the Jerez circuit, in southern Spain.

Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa began work on the development of the F2008, both at the wheel of one of the new cars.

Rain slightly hampered progress in the morning, as the track remained damp up to the ... [ more ]