Tuesday, September 19, 2006

News bites

Generally a slow newsweek in motorsport but some items that caught my ear:

  • Ilmor, the company that builds McLaren's Mercedes engines in F1 is planning on entering MotoGP in 2007 with it's own bike. This is not news. What is though is that they'll run it in the last two races of the season with the master of the rear wheel slide Garry McCoy on board.
  • The Spyker F1 project continues to move forward, with the latest development being a repainting of the car. As with most things Dutch it is now painted orange. To be honest I'm pulling for these guys, since they're a bona fide sportscar manufacturer who happen to have picked up some good financing from the Middle East and Dutch computer giant.
  • Next year is looking increasingly shakey for Carl Fogarty's World Superbike team. They have yet to line up a sponsor to replace Petronas, or pick a bike to run. Even worse, they've just lost star rider Steve Martin, who moves to his old team, DFX, to take the place of Frankie Chili, who is retiring.
  • This weekend will see the debut of the Lavaggi LMP1 car in the final round of the Le Mans Series.
  • It's been confirmed that Tommy Hayden will move from the Kawasaki team in AMA Superbike to Suzuki, taking the place of the aging, slowing Aaron Yates.
  • Former F1 driver Jean Alesi is about to be a former DTM driver too. He's had a tough season in a year-old car and is probably fed-up with being uncompetitive.
  • Suzuki clinched the World Endurance crown last weekend at the Bol d'Or (again). They've been the class of the field for a number of seasons.

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