April 2002

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F.Holden round 2: Hackett on pole at the Creek Australian F3 champion Peter Hackett took pole position for the first race of tomorrow's second round at Eastern Creek. The Murphy Motorsport Reynard 95D will start ahead of Ralt Australia pair Will Power and Stewart McColl, the latter replacing Mark Noske. Click for reports on practice and qualifying at the official site, and here for results. Qualifying, race and championship positions will be added on this site after the race.

Wolf Racing team launched The Wolf Racing team of Maurizio and Ivan Bellarosa were due to present their Formula 2 team on Wednesday (24th) according to Prorace. The launch was to take place at the Park Hotel Ca'Noa near Brescia. Ivan Bellarosa will be driving one of the team's two Lola T96/50 chassis in the new series, which starts at Pergusa on 26th May.

FIA F3000 round 3: Pantano in last lap win; first victory for Coloni Giorgio Pantano won a thrilling round 3 at Barcelona today, the Italian taking the lead on the last lap after pressuring Super Nova's Sebastien Bourdais into running wide. Pantano's second win was the first in F3000 for Coloni, who have been competing on a regular basis since 1997. Polesitter Bourdais was pressured from the start by Pantano, who appeared quicker but couldn't pass despite a number of efforts, mainly after getting a "tow" along the main straight. While Tomas Enge (Arden) struggled to stay with the lead duo, Bourdais came under increasing pressure and locked up his wheels a number of times. Running wide into the left-hand turn 7 on the final lap, he ploughed through the gravel and rejoined in third, behind Enge. Ricardo Mauricio took fourth for Red Bull Junior after a steady run, with Mario Haberfeld in fourth for Astromega, passing Coloni's Enrico Toccacelo early in the race. Much of the race behind was processional, with few changes of position. Retirements included Zsolt Baumgartner, who went off at high speed, Tiago Monteiro, after pitting for a new rear wing, and Alex Muller who pulled his Durango car off the circuit at the pit exit. Despite finishing out of the points today, Rodrigo Sperafico keeps the championship lead with 16 points, with Pantano (14) climbing in the table to match the tally of Bourdais. Race results are here, positions and championship standings also added in the season stats page.

Sarandeses signs for GD Racing The final remaining seats for the Telefonica World Series by Nissan are filling up fast, with Spaniard Rafael Sarandeses confirmed at GD Racing. Sarandeses is a veteran of Formula Nissan (2-litre series) who also competed briefly in Italian F3000. The silly season page has been updated.

FIA F3000 round 3: Bourdais on pole at Barcelona Super Nova's Sebastien Bourdais took pole position for the third round at Barcelona yesterday. Times are here.

Burgueño fastest in Jarama testing Two-day official testing for the Dallara Nissan V6 3000 World Series cars finished today, with Angel Burgueño setting the pace for Repsol YPF Meycom. His time of 1:23.157 compared to Franck Montagny's pace-setting 1:23.309 on the slower day one for Racing Engineering. Narain Karthikeyan (TATA-RC Motorsport) was second quickest today and also second in the combined times, while F3000 champion Justin Wilson improved to finish third today with Racing Engineering. The times available so far are here.

Perth circuit under threat from council The F1-standard cicuit proposed for Perth, Western Australia, is under threat from the local Belmont City Council. The $30 million track is due to host a flyaway round of the Formula Nippon series if it is built. It is also planned to host Formula 1 cars and Grand Prix motorbikes. In a recent article in the Southern Gazette Community local newspaper, Belmont's mayor Peter Passeri said: "Noise from Formula One racing cars is significantly louder than a jet aircraft and Formula One racing can last up to six hours without a break. The potential impact of such events on our community would be terrible, and the cities of Swan, Canning and Bayswater have good reason to be concerned at the proposal."

TV coverage to resume at Barcelona Live TV coverage of International Formula 3000 will resume this weekend as Eurosport are scheduled to show the third round at Barcelona on Saturday. The first two races were not broadcast due to an apparent dispute over the price of the television rights.

Sarandeses to test for GD Racing According to Spanish reports, Rafael Sarandeses is strongly linked to a seat at GD Racing alongside confirmed driver Luciano Gomide (news thanks to Jose Ramon Galan). According to the entries at f1es.net (see news yesterday), Marc Hynes was confirmed at the team, but this news casts doubt upon any deal for the Briton. Sarandeses is due to be testing for GD Racing in the official Jarama tests which start today.

No Vacis at Vallelunga; "Babalus" budget problems... In the opening Euro 3000 round at Vallelunga last weekend, Italy's Luca Vacis was not competing as expected for Sighinolfi Autoracing. He had been scheduled to drive the number 6 car alongside late signing Valerio Scassellati, but before the race he was replaced by Gabriele Lancieri for reasons that are not clear. Another driver not taking part was "Babalus", whose non-appearance with Bieffe Competition was due to budget problems, it has emerged. The final race times from the round have been slightly amended here with information from AUTOSPRINT, which are different to our original source times.

Sundberg signs for TATA-RC Motorsport Swedish driver Peter Sundberg has signed to race for TATA-RC Motorsport in the Dallara Nissan World Series. The 25-year old will join Indian Narain Karthikeyan at the squad, which has graduated from F3. Team principal Carlo Migliavacca said while on the way to Madrid for the Jarama tests: "In my opinion with this line-up TATA-RC is tied at the top of the championship ranking with the [Spanish F3] champion team [Racing Engineering], which has Max [he means Justin!] Wilson alongside 2001-champ [of F.Nissan] Franck Montagny." (source: TATA/RC Motorsport). Sundberg was sixth overall in the Spanish F3 championship last year, competing a part-season with Paco Orti Racing. He previously clinched the 1999 Italian F3 title with Prema Powerteam, and twice competed in Italian F3000 with Team Ghinzani in 1999. The silly season page has been updated.

Leinders, Hynes, Gomide, Ravier confirmed for World Series V6 A number of drivers look to have been confirmed as participants in the promising Dallara-Nissan V6 World Series, according to the "silly season" page at f1es.net (with thanks to the LeDieu family). Bas Leinders will continue to race with Kurt Mollekens' KTR squad as they move into the new series; Jean-Christophe Ravier is set to race for Epsilon by Graff as expected, partnering Ander Vilariño; Luciano Gomide and ex-British F3 champ and F3000 driver Marc Hynes are confirmed at GD Racing. Brazilian Gomide had planned to enter with Venturini which since decided to concentrate on the Formula Nissan 2000 series. The silly season page has been updated.

Durango test at new Italian circuit F3000 championship leader Rodrigo Sperafico and teammate Alex Muller tested with Durango Formula at the brand new Adria International Raceway on Saturday (20th). Sperafico set a best time of 1m06.70, while Muller managed 1:08.20 (source: f1es.net) Adria, which will host an Italian F2 race this year along with Italian F3 and Italian touring cars, is located between Venice and Padua in northern Italy. The circuit is 1.6 miles long.

Racing Engineering testing correction... Racing Engineering would like to point out that there was an error in their press release regarding their recent test at Albacete (see news 17/4/02). Justin Wilson did not in fact break the circuit record, and it is still held by Ricardo Zonta on 1m17.8s.

Euro 3000 round 1: Dumas wins at Vallelunga Romain Dumas took his first ever Euro 3000 win in the first round at Vallelunga yesterday. The Frenchman's win was also the first for John Village Automotive competing under their own name. Rookie Martin Basso (GP Racing) finished second, almost five seconds behind after setting the fastest lap, with Thomas Biagi (Team Ghinzani) in third. The final points placings went to Alessandro Piccolo (GP Racing), Matteo Grassotto (Draco Junior Team) and Gianmaria Bruni (Coloni). The race was shortened from 47 to 35 laps due to heavy rain. Augusto Farfus (Draco), starting from third, retired in a spectacular accident with Dumas on the opening lap. The wheels of the cars made contact at approximately 250km/h into the Cimini curve, the Brazilian claiming that Dumas didn't give him room. Although 26 drivers made the entry list for the opening race, "Babalus" did not take to the track with Bieffe Competition for reasons that aren't clear. The next round is at the Nurburgring in Germany on May 5th. The qualifying and race results are available here, while positions have been added in the season stats page here.

Italian F2 calendar change: Imola race confirmed It has been confirmed that a Formula 2 race will be held at Imola on 21st July this year. Previously a date had been pencilled in for either Monza or Imola in September. Now only one race, at Mugello in October, is still subject to confirmation as a round of the seven race championship. The updated calendar can be seen in the Italian Formula 2 section.

Euro 3000 round 1: Piccolo on pole at Vallelunga Alessandro Piccolo took pole position for round 1 of Euro 3000 at Vallelunga today. The Italian, driving for GP Racing, set a best time of 1:05.349, with Romain Dumas (John Village Automotive) joining him on the front row after setting a time of 1:05.507. The second row sees Augusto Farfus (Draco Junior Team) the best rookie in third and veteran Thomas Biagi (Team Ghinzani) fourth. Fifth on the grid is Martin Basso (GP Racing), and sixth Gabriel Gardel (Uboldi Corse). SudAm F3 champion Juliano Moro could only qualify 22nd for Charouz ISR after suffering brake problems. The qualifying times are available here, while positions have been added in the season stats page here.

No show for Euronova and Orbit The new Super Nova affiliated team Euronova Racing failed to take part in the first round of Euro 3000 at Vallelunga today. It is not clear what the team of former F3000 champion Vincenzo Sospiri, given provisional entry numbers 14 & 15, have planned for this season, although they were recently linked to an Italian F2 entry. Also, Orbit Motorsport, which previously competed in Italian F3000 (which evolved into Euro 3000), are not competing, despite being named as entries 30 & 31 (Orbit Motorsport with Celestine) in a provisional entry list at the official Euro 3000 site. Other teams now ruled out, but previously linked to a Euro 3000 campaign, are Martello Racing (which took Giorgio Vinella to the 1999 F3000 Italia title), Fortec Italia Motorsport and Eau Rouge Motorsport.

Euro 3000 seats filled This weekend's action at Vallelunga revealed which drivers got the last available seats for the Euro 3000 series. Gabriele Lancieri rejoins Sighinolfi after a season with Durango in International F3000; Fabrizio del Monte races for Team Ghinzani; Bieffe have signed up Sergei Zlobin and "Babalus"; Tom Nemarnik joins Great Wall Racing; Yannick Schroeder joins Ublodi Corse; finally, Jaroslaw Wierczuk joins Scuderia Fama after losing his Sighinolfi seat. The entry list can be seen, including results, here.

Motoyama quickest in Mine testing Reigning champion Satoshi Motoyama was quickest in the two-day official testing session at Mine which finished today. The XBOX IMPUL driver set a time of 1:12.849 to finish ahead of PIAA Nakajima pair Ralph Firman and Tsugio Matsuda. Firman was quickest on the first day on 1:13.327. Richard Lyons finished the test in 9th overall, returning to a Nippon cockpit for Dandelion. He was an impressive fourth on day 1. Dominik Schwager was 9th overall after replacing Masami Kageyama at Team LeMans, while Hidetoshi Mitsusada (16th) returned with 5Zigen, filling in for the injured Ryo Michigami. The testing times are available here on the official site.

Zele Motorsport to miss test Dallara Nissan World Series team Zele Motorsport will miss the forthcoming collective test session in Jarama. The Austrian squad and drivers Nicolas Filiberti and Kari Mäenpää have opted in favour of preparing a second Dallara chassis, which is due to arrive this weekend, before testing again. They will arrange private testing and a team presentation at the A1-Ring, Austria, on 30th April, with TV and media present as the Dallara takes to the track. (Source: Zele Motorsport)

Great Wall Racing sign Melo Great Wall Racing, run by Traini Corse, have signed former International F3000 driver Jaime Melo for this year's Euro 3000 series which starts this weekend, according to Autosport. Brazilian Melo raced for Petrobras Junior and Durango in the International series, with a best result of second at Interlagos last year. The silly season page has been updated.

Dumas and Boss join John Village John Village Automotive has signed up series front-runner Romain Dumas and American driver Peter Boss for the Euro 3000 series, Autosport reports. Frenchman Dumas was 7th overall last year after racing for most of the season with B&C Competition, last year run by JVA. Boss was 14th overall in last year's Barber Dodge Pro Series. David Rutledge had been strongly linked to the team, but the Canadian will now have to look elsewhere. He is said to have a full budget for the season. The silly season page has been updated.

Wirdheim tests new laser safety light Arden's Bjorn Wirdheim tested a new laser warning light at Imola last weekend (source: Autosport). The system is designed to alert drivers of a car in front when they are running in wet weather, with a laser light projecting 20 metres behind the car. The FIA wants all the F3000 cars to be fitted with the device at next weekend's Barcelona race, with plans to introduce it to F1 next year if it proves successful.

Reynard chassis production to continue The rights to the Formula Nippon car design of collapsed constructor Reynard have been purchased by International Race Management, Autosport reports. IRM runs the YGK Co Le Mans programme, and has restarted production of the 2KL chassis through its sub-contractors. It plans to begin delivering pre-existing orders within six weeks. IRM has also bought the rights to the Reynard 02S-P675 sport prototype design, and is looking at taking over the rights to the Champ Car chassis.

Gollin to race in GT series International F3000 veteran Fabrizio Gollin will move into the FIA GT Championship this year. He will race a second Chrysler Viper for the Carsport Holland team, pairing up with Luca Cappellari.

Bruni and Giammaria join Coloni for Euro 3000 Former British F3 front-runner Gianmaria Bruni will race for Coloni Motorsport in Euro 3000 this year, autosport.com confirms. He will be partnered by German F3 graduate Raffaele Giammaria. "Gimmi" Bruni plans to take the title in his debut year and graduate to the premier International F3000 category in 2003. He said: "The Euro F3000 series is a valuable step in my racing career and to be doing it with the Coloni Motorsport team is very special." Bruni impressed Coloni in testing their International F3000 car late last year. Team boss Paolo Coloni said: "To finally have him drive for Coloni Motorsport is something I have been working on for a while - and it's a promise I have kept to myself. I know his potential - I have seen it before, as have others. Racing in the British F3 series did not show a true mark of his ability." Bruni was fifth overall with Fortec Motorsport in British F3 for the past two seasons. His teammate Giammaria had been expected to race in German F3 this season for Van Amersfoort Racing, having finished 12th overall with Prema Powerteam last year. The silly season page has been updated.

Lyons to drive Dandelion car at Mine Former Team Nova driver Richard Lyons is to drive the second DoCoMo Dandelion #69 car at the forthcoming Mine tests, it has been revealed. It is not clear whether he will race for the team, but it could be a possibility if he performs well. News thanks to Tooru Kitajima.

Wilson fastest in Albacete testing Justin Wilson was fastest for Racing Engineering in unofficial World Series by Nissan testing at Albacete, following the official two days of testing at Valencia at the weekend. Wilson broke the circuit's track record with a time of 1:18.507, despite the track surface being oily and dirty following a recent truck race. Team manager Alfonso de Orleans said: "I am absolutely amazed by Justin. Every time he goes out in car, he impresses me by his talent. He is so good at understanding the car and trying to make the best possible set-up in so few laps. He has already integrated himself perfectly in the team and is able to work with both the mechanics and engineers with great ease. He is going to be one of the main contenders of this year's Super Nissan championship." (source: Racing Engineering).

Italian F2 calendar updated - first race now in May There have been some more amendments to the inaugural Italian Formula 2 series' schedule. The first race will now be almost a month later than planned, the pencilled in Misano or Monza date now replaced by Enna-Pergusa as the first race on May 26th. Meanwhile, the round scheduled for Imola on July 21st is replaced by a date at either Monza or Imola on September 1st (subject to confirmation). The first collective tests have also been put back, with tests at Vallelunga on May 9th confirmed, and the April 22nd Misano test cancelled. See the updated calendar in the Formula 2 section.

Schwager replaces Kageyama at LeMans Former F3000 driver Dominik Schwager will return to Formula Nippon this year. The German has replaced Masami Kageyama in the number 7 Team LeMans Reynard, for reasons which are not yet clear. He will drive in the forthcoming Mine collective tests (source: T.Kitajima).

Mitsusada stands in for Michigami at 5Zigen Hidetoshi Mitsusada will return to Formula Nippon with 5Zigen, starting at the official Mine tests which start on Friday (source: Tooru Kitajima). He last raced for the team in 1996. Mitsusada is standing in for Ryo Michigami, who was injured in an horrific head-on crash in qualifying in Fuji when his throttle stuck open. Michigami's injuries were not as bad as originally feared, although the badly bruised driver is not ready to return to action yet.

Dandelion to run extra car at Mine DoCoMo Dandelion Racing are to run an extra car (number 69) at the Mine tests, alongside regular driver Jonathan Cochet. It is not yet clear who will be driving (news thanks to Tooru Kitajima).

Filiberti to European Minardi F3000 or World Series? Argentina's Nicolas Filiberti is to decide whether to return to F3000 or race in the new Nissan World Series this week, according to f1es.net. The former Prost Junior F3000 driver could return to F3000 with European Minardi at Monaco, replacing David Saelens who is on a race-by-race deal. Alternatively he could compete in the World Series, having impressed in testing with Zele Motorsport at Valencia at the weekend. According to www.pitstop.tv, Filiberti is talking to World Series team KTR.

Mäenpää ruled out of KTR drive According to www.pitstop.tv (news thanks to J De Swert), Finn Kari Mäenpää is now reportedly out of the question as a KTR driver, having tested for Zele Motorsport since being tipped to sign for the Belgian team. Meanwhile, Nicolas Filiberti is reportedly talking to KTR about a seat (see news above).

Engine problems for Gabord Competicion The pre-season preparations of the World Series Dallara-Nissan by Gabord Competicion have been affected by a shortage of engines, after Nissan took theirs and those of others back to England for checks after problems were found in initial testing (source: f1es.net). Drivers Ricardo Zonta and Tuka Rocha were planning to test at Albacete and Jarama, but have been unable to.

Rookie Power wins Formula Holden opener Formula Holden rookie Will Power took the opening round at Phillip Island at the weekend by winning both races in his Reynard 94D. It was the first round win for Graham Watson's Ralt Australia team. The Australian Formula Ford graduate beat Christian Murchison (Hocking Motorsport) and Peter Hill (Murphy Motorsport) in race 1, while he also overcame leader Hill to win in race 2, with Mark Noske (Ralt Australia) in third. Polesitter for race 1, Noske crashed out but made amends when he charged through from last place in the second race. Power leads the points standings on 40 to Hill's 27 and Murchison's 21. Roger Oakeshott (Murphy Racing) leads the Silver Star class after two fifth places. More information in the race report at the official site. The full results can be seen here, while the positions and updated standings have been added in the championship, qualifying & race results page.

Sighinolfi replace Wierczuk with Scassellati Sighinolfi Autoracing have replaced Pole Jaroslav Wierczuk with Italian Valerio Scassellati, who drove for Great Wall Racing last year. The Euro 3000 front-running team said they made the decision at the recent Vallelunga group test, where ex-Formula Nippon driver Wierczuk was off the pace. Scassellati was Italian Formula Ford champion in 1997, and finished third in Italian F3 in 2000. He will drive the number 5 car, with Luca Vacis as team-mate (source: autosportnews.com). The silly season page has been updated.

Vilariño confirmed at Epsilon by Graff Spanish F3 champion Ánder Vilariño has been confirmed as a driver for the Epsilon by Graff team in the World Series V6 by Nissan (news thanks to Jose Ramon Galan). Jean-Christophe Ravier looks likely to be his teammate. The silly season page has been updated.

Montagny fastest again in Valencia test day 2 Official testing for the new Dallara-Nissan V6 3000 cars which will race in the the Telefonica World Series continued at Valencia today, Formula Nissan champion Franck Montagny (Racing Engineering) once again setting the pace as times predictably dropped as drivers and teams got to grips with the chassis. Ricardo Zonta took to the track today, finishing third overall for Gabord Competicion, behind Montagny and Bas Leinders (KTR). The top 10 combined times from yesterday and today are available here (source: formulanews.com.br). Yesterday's times (source: f1es.net) have also been updated - in fact 17 drivers took to the track, not 10 as the sourced report originally stated. The drivers also testing were Víctor Ordoñez (Repsol YPF Meycom), Marc Hynes (GD Racing), Ánder Vilariño (Epsilon by Graff), Jean Christophe Ravier (Epsilon by Graff), Miku Santavirta (Zele Motorsport), Kari Mäenpää (Zele Motorsport) and Gabord Competicion test driver Jordi Gené. Some pictures of the Saturday testing can be seen here. Mäenpää had previously been tipped to sign for KTR, so the silly season page has again been updated.

Wilson to test Newman Haas Champ Car? International F3000 champion Justin Wilson has been linked to a possible Champ Car test drive with Newman-Haas, according to rumours in the United States (source: formulanews.com.br). Wilson is to compete in the new Dallara-Nissan V6 World Series this year for Racing Engineering.

Moro joins Charouz ISR The Brazilian driver who has signed for the Prague based Charouz ISR Racing team is reigning SudAm F3 champion Juliano Moro, it has been confirmed (news thanks to Petr Hubáèek). Jaroslav Janis will drive the number 24 Lola B99/50 for the Arden-associated team, with Moro driving car number 25. Ex-Formula Palmer Audi driver Moro had earlier been linked to Coloni, Euronova and Fortec Italia. The silly season page has been updated.

Karthikeyan confirmed at RC Motorsport It has been confirmed that former Formula Nippon driver Narain Karthikeyan has signed for RC Motorsport for this season's World Series. The Indian and the team made their joint debut in the new category in testing at Valencia today. The silly season page has been updated.

Meycom driver correction... We mistakenly claimed that Victor Fernandez had signed for Repsol Meycom for the Nissan World Series V6, but in fact it is Victor Ordoñez who was signed to partner Angel Burgueño. Apologies for the mistake. The corrected details have been added to the silly season page.

F3000 round 2: Bourdais takes controlled win Super Nova's Sebastien Bourdais took his second F3000 win at Imola today, the Frenchman leading from start to finish. The polesitter established a small lead over Rodrigo Sperafico (Durango), who then made a mistake but made up the ground again to hassle Bourdais all the way to the flag. Third place went to Giorgio Pantano (Coloni), after a battle with Antonio Pizzonia (Petrobras Junior). Patrick Friesacher (Red Bull Junior) and Tomas Enge (Arden) took the remaining points positions. Sperafico continues to lead the points standings, his second place following on from his win in Brazil. He lies on 16 points with Bourdais second (10 points), Mario Haberfeld third and Pizzonia fourth (both on 6 points). Read autosport.com's race report here. The final race results are available here, while the positions and updated standings have been added in the championship, qualifying & race results page. A lap chart will be available here at the FIA site soon.

Montagny fastest in historic Valencia test day 1 The first major outing for the new World Series by Nissan V6 championship took place at Valencia today, as official group testing began. Franck Montagny was quickest of 17 drivers taking part in the brand new Dallara-Nissan, setting the pace for Racing Engineering on 1:25.187. Angel Burgueño was second for Meycom, with Bas Leinders third with KTR, who have defected from International F3000. Reigning F3000 champion Justin Wilson took to the track with Racing Engineering, setting the sixth fastest time. There were some surprise appearances at the test, which have been updated in the silly season page - Nicolas Filiberti drove for Austria's Zele Motorsport, while ex-US F3 champion Luciano Gomide (who was to drive for Venturini before they decided not to enter) drove for GD Racing. There were also some other drivers present at the track - Marc Hynes at GD Racing, along with the confirmed Gabord Competicion drivers Ricardo Zonta and Tuka Rocha. The day one times are available here (source: f1es.net).

Gené to be Gabord test driver Former F3000 race winner Jordi Gené is to help Gabord Competicion develop their Dallara-Nissan World Series cars this year, having joined them as test driver, according to f1es.net. The brother of F1 tester Marc Gené, Jordi had been due to test the car today. Gabord are bringing one chassis to the Valencia group tests, to be shared by Gené and regular race pilots Ricardo Zonta and Tuka Rocha.

Hackett loses Charouz drive; "big buck" Brazilian signed It has emerged that Peter Hackett was close to a Euro 3000 drive with ISR Charouz Racing, the Czech team linked to Arden. A Brazilian, yet to be identified, has apparently signed, with Jaroslav Janis already confirmed in the other seat. According to a report at the Formula Holden site, "Hackett was planning to contest the European F3000 Championship, but a last-minute deal with a ‘big-buck’ Brazilian saw him miss out on the seat, having believed his drive with Prague based team ISR/Charouz was secure." Hackett signed a last minute deal to compete in Formula Holden for Murphy Motorsport, after a deal for Fabian Coulthard (cousin of David) to drive collapsed. He commented: "It’s all been a bit of a rush to be honest. I was ambushed by a young Brazilian kid and missed my drive in the European F3000 Championship, but to snare the drive with Murphy has made up for it somewhat."

Bourdais linked to Sauber test drive Sebastien Bourdais, today's F3000 Imola race winner (see above), has been linked to a test drive role at Sauber in F1, according to f1es.net. The Frenchman was in talks with the Swiss team at the recent Brazilian GP meeting. He could have the backing of Renault, which is not official at the moment despite Bourdais driving for the Renault affiliated Super Nova F3000 team. Sauber are also reportedly looking at two drivers on the Renault Driver Development programme, Formula Renault pilots Robert Kubica and Carlo van Dam.

Formula Holden kicks off at Phillip Island The Formula Holden series begins this weekend at Phillip Island, with practice taking place today. Read the official series preview here. There have been a few last minute changes to the field. Peter Hackett has signed for Murphy Motorsport, Alan Gurr has abandoned plans to compete, and veteran Mark Noske could join Ralt Australia. Read about the changes here.

F3000 round 2: Bourdais takes pole at wet Imola Sebastien Bourdais took pole for Super Nova in qualifying today for tomorrow's race at Imola. The Frenchman shares the front row with round 1 winner Rodrigo Sperafico (Durango Formula), the Brazilian again impressing on the wet circuit. Giorgio Pantano (Coloni) and Antonio Pizzonia (Petrobras Junior) will start third and fourth, ahead of rookies Tiago Monteiro (Super Nova) and Nicolas Kiesa (PSM Racing Line). Tomas Enge, who dominated the Brazil opening round until he retired, will start seventh. He was the only driver apart from teammate Bjorn Wirdheim to improve his position in the second qualifying session, when rain fell again. In the first session he had gambled on slicks when the track was at its best, but wet tyres were still needed, meaning he had to improve on 12th in the second session. The final qualifying times are available here, while the positions have been added in the championship, qualifying & race results page.

KTR set to run Leinders and Mäenpää Belgian team KTR are likely to run their 2001 season F3000 driver Bas Leinders and German F3 graduate Kari Mäenpää in the Dallara-Nissan World Series by Nissan this year (news thanks to Geert Barentsen). Although agreements with the pair are not yet completed, KTR boss Kurt Mollekens was hoping to have contracts signed this week. Belgian Leinders was seventh in F3000 last year, his third season in the series, while Finn Mäenpää was 14th overall in German F3 with the Swiss Racing Team. KTR will be present at the official tests this weekend with one car. The silly season page has been updated.

Karthikeyan to shakedown car for RC Motorsport Ex-Formula Nippon driver Narain Karthikeyan will shake down RC Motorsport's Dallara-Nissan SN01 car in the Valencia official tests this weekend (source: RC Motorsport). The Indian will drive chassis number 10, fresh from the Dallara factory, as he makes his debut in the new World Series by Nissan V6 championship. RC Motorsport are yet to confirm whether he will be racing for them this season, although Autosport reports that he will. Karthikeyan abandoned plans to race for Team LeMans in Formula Nippon at the last minute, favouring a return to Europe. The silly season page has been updated.

Sighinolfi in talks with Bassi and "El Kobra" Sighinolfi Autoracing are in talks with two drivers about competing in Italian F2 this season. The team, which is contesting the new series alongside its Euro 3000 effort, is talking to Alex Bassi and "El Kobra" according to a source. US-based Swiss driver Bassi has raced in Formula Mazda, Super Production Endurance Racing and Barber Dodge Pro Series. He previously raced karts with last year's Sighinolfi Euro 3000 driver Alessandro Piccolo, and hence has a relationship with the team. Italian "El Kobra" raced in Italian Formula Renault last year for BVM Minardi Junior. Both drivers tested cars for Sighinolfi (before the formation of Italian F2) in the middle of last year at Varano. The silly season page has been updated.

Euronova could enter F2; GP Racing drop plans? According to a press release of provisional entries, sent to us from the series' official site, Euronova Racing could enter Italian F2 this season. The team, headed by Vincenzo Sospiri, was formed this year to compete in Euro 3000, with the technical support of Super Nova. They already have a satellite outfit in the Italian Formula Renault championship. Meanwhile, another Euro 3000 team, GP Racing, appear to have dropped plans to enter, as they are not included on the provisional entry list.

Brinkmann signs for Coloni Arnold Brinkmann from Ecuador has signed for Coloni Motorsport to contest the inaugural Formula 2 series in Italy (source: official site). Coloni will decide on a team-mate after testing some drivers shortly. US Formula Ford 2000 graduate Brinkmann tested Coloni's International F3000 car last October. Former Prost Junior F3000 driver Nicolas Filiberti has been linked to the other seat. The silly season page has been updated.

Italian F2 silly season updates... There have been a number of updates added to the Formula 2 silly season page, after a press release of provisional entries from the official site. Filippo Zadotti has been linked to the second Wolf Racing seat along with Simone Galluzzo (Ivan Bellarosa is confirmed in one seat). Arnold Brinkmann has signed to race for Coloni (see news above), while ex-Prost Junior Team F3000 driver Nicolas Filiberti has been linked to the other seat. David Bruni has been linked to the second PSM seat, Lorenzo del Gallo already confirmed at the team. Finally, Andrea Bellichi and Paolo Pezzoli are linked to the Sport Center team. Earlier, Dutchman Jeroen Bleekemolen was predicted to drive. Some of the car numbers have also been changed on the provisional entry list, while there are also some team updates (see story above).

F3000 television farce continues Once again it looks as though there will be no live TV coverage of this weekend's International F3000 race at Imola. The season opener at Interlagos was not shown on British Eurosport due to contractual problems, which apparently are yet to be resolved. In this thread at the Ten Tenths single seater racing forum, co-commentator and former racer Gareth Rees commented: "I haven't been told to get on a plane this weekend, so unless I get a last minute call I would guess it won't be on. I know it's frustrating, but from what I can gather it isn't Eurosport's fault. They want to televise F3000 but they cannot justify paying what is being demanded for the TV rights."

Piccini in sportscar move Former F3000 driver Andrea Piccini will compete in the top class of the FIA GT Championship this year. The Italian has signed to race a Ferrari 550 Maranello for Scuderia Italia, partnering ex-F1 driver Jean-Denis Deletraz. Piccini raced for Kid Jensen Racing and European Minardi in F3000 between 1999 and 2001.

Tavano to race ETCC Honda Euro 3000 race winner Salvatore Tavano will race a Honda Civic Type-R for CiBiEmme in this year's European Touring Car Championship. Fellow Italian Sandro Sardelli could be the former Sighinolfi driver's team-mate, according to Autosport.

Durango to run second prototype Durango will run a second prototype in the FIA Sportscar Championship from round three at Brno, Autosport reports. The veteran F3000 team has almost completed a second Judd-powered car, which will be renamed the Durango 001. Mirko Venturi and Alessandro Battaglin finished 7th in the season opener at Barcelona in the GMS Durango-Judd.

Zonta signs for Gabord Competicion; Rocha joins as teammate Ex-F1 driver Ricardo Zonta was today confirmed as a driver for Gabord Competicion in the inaugural World Series by Nissan V6 championship. Brazilian karting champion Tuka Rocha has signed as his teammate. 19-year old Rocha told autosport.com: "It's hard to believe that I left go-karting in the year 2000, and now I'm about to start competing in Europe in a category that is already considered superior to International Formula 3000. It's really good to have someone like Ricardo by my side. I'll look at his data and I can compare myself with the best driver in the series."

Wilson confirmed at Racing Engineering It has been confirmed that International F3000 champion Justin Wilson will race for Racing Engineering in the World Series by Nissan V6 series this year, as predicted (see news 7/2). He told Autosport (source: autosport.com): "It's great to finally get something sorted out. The team were strong in Spanish F3 and although it's their first attempt at this level, they're professional and ambitious – just how I like it." Wilson added: "It's meant to be a bit like Formula Nippon was five years ago – a series which is well recognised where you can earn some money," said Wilson. "I have no problems doing this for a couple of years, but the ultimate aim is still to get to F1 or CART." Wilson teams up with another former F3000 ace, Franck Montagny. The silly season page has been updated.

Burgueño and Fernandez sign for Meycom Angel Burgueño and Victor Fernandez will race for Meycom in the Nissan World Series V6 this year, it has been confirmed. (source: J-R. Galan). The silly season page has been updated.

Karthikeyan and Hynes to race? According to Spanish reports (source: J-R. Galan), Narain Karthikeyan and Marc Hynes are both likely to race in the series. Karthikeyan, who apparently abandoned his Team LeMans Formula Nippon drive in favour of a European return, will almost certainly be racing, autosport.com even stating that he will be in the series. Former British F3 champion and sometime F3000 driver Marc Hynes is strongly tipped to race this year, the Brit having tested the Dallara-Nissan already.

Vergani sign Couto and Porteiro Vergani Racing have signed former F3000 and Formula Nippon driver Andre Couto and Spanish F3 graduate Felix Porteiro for their Telefonica World Series V6 team. Macanese driver Couto previously raced for the Italian squad in the Formula Opel Euroseries in 1995. Spaniard Porteiro, 18, impressed Vergani in testing a Formula Nissan (2 litre) car over the winter. The team's Formula Nissan 2000 drivers will be Matteo Bobbi and Milka Duno. Couto and Porteiro will test the Dallara-Nissan V6 3000 cars this weekend in the official Valencia meeting (source: Vergani Racing). The silly season page has been updated.

Zonta close to Gabord Competicion deal Former F1 driver Ricardo Zonta is close to signing for Gabord Competicion for the Nissan World Series V6, according to reports in Spain (source: J-R.Galan). The Brazilian, who raced in F1 for BAR and Jordan, tested the Dallara SN01-Nissan V6 3000 chassis on its track debut along with Antonio Garcia earlier this year. The silly season page has been updated.

Boss to race for John Village? A source has confirmed that Peter Boss was the pilot driving for John Village Automotive in last month's official Euro 3000 testing at Vallelunga. The American reportedly has the budget to compete in the series. The silly season page has been updated.

Hill looking at Euro 3000 Former International F3000 driver Derek Hill is considering a return to the secondary F3000 series this year, a source has informed us. The American, son of F1 champion Phil, revealed at the recent Fontana Grand-Am meeting that he is considering entering Euro 3000. Hill raced for DAMS in International F3000 last year. In 2000 he had his rookie F3000 season in the Italian series, forerunner of Euro 3000, with Da Vinci (Team Martello). The silly season page has been updated.

Ravier and Vilariño to Graff? The latest driver linked to an Epsilon by Graff seat in the World Series V6 by the Spanish press is Spanish F3 champion Ander Vilariño, who could race alongside Jean-Christophe Ravier (news thanks to Jose Ramon Galan). Peter Sundberg was earlier tipped to partner Ravier at the French team. The silly season page has been updated.

Saelens and Sperafico in action at A1-Ring European Minardi's F3000 drivers took part in a KL Minardi Asiatech track event at the A1-Ring, Austria, on Sunday. Along with Alex Yoong and Paul Stoddart, the pair drove the European Minardi F1x2 two-seater F1 cars around the Austrian GP venue, giving rides to 50 VIP passengers, competition winners and media representatives. Four of the eight cars the team operates were running on the day, the team running three-and-a-half Grand Prix distances over six hours. The three drivers present signed autographs for the public and fielded questions for the media (source: http://www.minardi.it/)

Biglieri impressive in GT races Symbol Racing's Italian Formula 2 driver Paolo Biglieri took part in the first round of the Euro GT Series at Montmelo at the weekend. Driving a Ferrari 355GT, the Argentinian was second in a wet race one to ex-GP driver Arturo Merzario (also in a Ferrari), but won the second race with Merzario in second (source: Nestor Biglieri).

Bourdais/Boullion win in Spain Super Nova's F3000 driver Sebastien Bourdais and former champion Jean-Christophe Boullion won the first round of the FIA Sportscar championship at Barcelona on Sunday. Driving a Courage-Peugeot for Pescarolo Sport, the French pair finishing ahead of Franck Montagny and Olivier Beretta's ORECA Dallara, which led before a starter problem cost them three laps.

Wilson to race in Nissan World Series International Formula 3000 champion Justin Wilson will race in the inaugural World Series by Nissan V6 championship this year. The news was unofficially announced on the reliable Justin Wilson Yahoo! group that the Brit will drive for Racing Engineering in the series, the Spanish F3 championship winning team running reigning Formula Nissan champion Franck Montagny as his teammate. The news was due to be announced yesterday. Wilson commented: "The car looks really good, the dimensions are very similar to an F1 car and the whole set up is very professional out there. Obviously I'm looking forward to getting back racing and I think at the minute that this championship is a very good option for me." Wilson visited the team at the start of the week and will try out the Dallara-Nissan V6 3000 car for the first time in official Valencia testing next weekend. Earlier Gabord Competicion had reportedly offered him a free drive in the series for the year.

Formula Nippon round 2, Fuji: Motoyama wins Polesitter Satoshi Motoyama took victory in round 2 of Formula Nippon at Fuji Speedway today. The XBOX IMPUL driver finished just over three seconds ahead of round one winner Ralph Firman (PIAA Nakajima) in second. The final step on the podium went to ARTA's Juichi Wakisaka. Seiji Ara (Olympic Kondo) was fourth, Haruki Kurosawa (Forward Nova) fifth and Takeshi Tsuchiya (LeMans) the final points scorer in sixth. There were six retirements in the 17 car field, Ryo Michigami absent after his big crash yesterday. Firman now leads the championship standings with 16 points to Motoyama's 10, with Tsuchiya in third on 7 points. Race positions and driver/team standings have been added here. Full race results are here on the official site (where an English race report should follow soon).

Ryo Michigami update There has been an update on the condition of Ryo Michighami, injured in a heavy qualifying crash yesterday, at his site's message board. Although the auto-translation of the text doesn't all make sense, it appears that Ryo's body is essentially OK, despite him remaining in some pain, and that considerable rest is needed. Also, it appears that his face above his left eye is apparently swollen, but he seems to be alert and is talking a little. The translation reads: "Some time ago, it went back and forth to staff several names and the hospital where the top of the road is hospitalized. Because it has passed interview time, about 10 minutes you visited, but the circumstances are reported. First, according to release of the 5ZIGEN it is concerning state. It raises this way, even in tonight this HP. So, main person on this road. Also what the top of the left eye becomes swollen rather in purple, talks so just a little painfully. It appealed also the pain of the waist rather. Of course, it cannot move from bet. So, those like the machine which takes the electrocardiogram which is attached to the fingertip showing "The ET we would like to see and the ?" and, the extent where also joke springs out. Also the light hating mouth coming out, it is on the usual road. As for the body however painfully so is, all right. So you felt. Simply, after all, considerable rest seems that is necessary. It will wait for the revival on the road which had strong perseverance. The message which now it receives to morning 5 o'clock, printout, It gave to the mother who attends at the hospital. Because be sure to report the message of everyone on the road, We ask the message of the continuation encouraging."

Bourdais to start Sportscar race from pole Super Nova's F3000 driver Sebastien Bourdais will start the opening round of the FIA Sportscar Championship from pole position. The Pescarolo Sport Courage of Bourdais and former F3000 champion Jean-Christophe Boullion gained the position at Barcelona after original polesitters Franck Montagny and Olivier Beretta (ORECA Dallara) were sent to the back of the grid for a technical infringement.

Serious accident for Michigami Ryo Michigami suffered a very serious accident in qualifying at Fuji. The Japanese Team 5Zigen driver apparently lost control of his Reynard in the 100R curve, the front of the car breaking on impact with the barriers. According to our translation of one of the official site's news pages, Michigami was partly conscious but had pain in his waist. He was extricated from the car and taken by helicopter to Tokai University Hospital. There is no news yet of his condition, but we would like to extend our best wishes for his recovery.

Formula Nippon round 2, Fuji: Motoyama on pole Reigning champion Satoshi Motoyama qualified in pole position for the second round of Formula Nippon at Fuji. The XBOX IMPUL driver's time of 1:15.345, set in the quicker second session, places him ahead of Team LeMans' Takeshi Tsuchiya (1:15.783) on the grid. Round 1 race-winner Ralph Firman (PIAA Nakajima) is third, ahead of teammate Tsugio Matsuda, ARTA's Juichi Wakisaka and 5Zigen's Naoki Hattori. Qualifying positions have been added here. Full qualifying results are here on the official site.

Uncertainty over LeMans seat In a press release of 1st April (news thanks to S.Rowe) Team LeMans stated that Narain Karthikeyan (originally signed to drive the number 7 car) had a virus and would be absent from round 2, with Masami Kageyama once again taking his place. After the race at Fuji, where Kageyama has indeed been driving the car, the team will decide who will drive for the remainder of the season. LeMans are apparently keeping the seat open in case Karthikeyan fails to secure a drive in Europe. Reports stated that the Indian was to compete in the Nissan World Series V6, his name this week being linked to two teams, casting doubts on the "virus" explanation for his non-appearance in Formula Nippon.

F2 calendar updated - Misano test postponed More changes have been made to the Italian F2 calendar, according to the schedule at the official site. The official test at Misano, originally scheduled for yesterday, has been moved back to April 22nd. Meanwhile, the first round of the series, on 28th April, will now take place at either Imola or Monza, subject to confirmation. Previously the venues under consideration were Misano and Monza. Finally, the fifth round is now pencilled in for Imola on July 21st. It was previously a choice between Monza and Imola on September 1st. The July 21st race is still subject to confirmation. The calendar has been updated on the Formula 2 page.

Saelens to continue for first four races Further to the news earlier today, it now appears that David Saelens will continue with European Minardi for the time being. According to this thread on the Ten Tenths single seater forum (news from Belgian websites and other sources), the Belgian has an agreement to race in the next four races, at Imola, Barcelona, A1-Ring and Monaco. He will also reportedly work for the Minardi F1 test team, which is due to be introduced after the Monaco GP, as the engineers rate his technical feedback, although this doesn't mean he will be the official test driver, a role he has previously been linked to. Saelens will also take part in the Minardi F1 single-seater promotional race at the A1-Ring, Austria, this weekend, along with team boss Paul Stoddart and regular drivers Alex Yoong and Mark Webber.

Hill tops final F.Holden test on the Island The final test session before the Formula Holden season kicks off took place at Phillip Island on Tuesday (2nd). Peter Hill emerged quickest for Murphy Motorsport, with a time of 1:25.7. Read the full report here at the official site.

Formula Nippon set to take one-make route Following the collapse of Reynard Motorsport, which supplies all the cars in this year's Formula Nippon field, the Japanese series is likely to become a one-make series like International F3000 in the future. According to Autosport the series organisers have had talks with Lola about supplying a chassis from 2004. The collapse should have little effect on Formula Nippon in the immediate future, with the moulds and tooling for the 1999 Reynard chassis, which has since been updated, likely to go to the Japanese importer, Le Mans Company.

Sundberg and Ravier to race for Graff? According to reports in Spain (news thanks to Jose Ramon Galan), Swede Peter Sundberg is strongly linked to a seat at Epsilon by Graff in the new Telefonica World Series by Nissan V6. The ex-F3000 Italia driver, who competed in Spanish F3 last year, is likely to team up with Frenchman Jean-Christophe Ravier at the French squad. In other World Series news, Andre Couto set a best lap of 1m19.20s testing with Vergani Racing at Albacete recently. The silly season page has been updated.

Karthikeyan targeted by two teams Narain Karthikeyan, who has abandoned plans to race in Formula Nippon, has been targeted by at least two World Series V6 teams according to Autosport. The Indian is believed to be in contact with Epsilon by Graff and RC Motorsport. However, Peter Sundberg and Jean-Christophe Ravier have both been strongly linked to the Graff seat. The silly season page has been updated.

Saelens could race at Imola According to Autosport, David Saelens could continue to race with European Minardi F3000 in the second round at Imola, Italy. The team, which signed the Belgian on a one-race deal for the Interlagos opening round, is seeking a full time driver to partner Alex Sperafico for the remainder of the season, but admits that finding a driver with the full budget in time is difficult.

Barber Dodge driver looks to F3000 Barber Dodge Pro Seres driver Leonardo Maia has set his sights on a career in Europe, including competing in F3000 in his goal to reach F1. The Californian, born to a Brazilian family, told Autosport: "The aim is Formula 3, F3000 and then F1, but I'm keeping an open mind." Maia was sixth in the Formula Dodge National Championship last year, and won a funded drive for 2002 in Barber Dodge's scholarship programme.

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