Turner joins JMW for LMS season

By Hugh Podmore

Wednesday, March 10th 2010, 11:18 GMT

Darren Turner will race for JMW Motorsport in the Le Mans Series this season.

The 36-year-old former McLaren test driver will race an Aston Martin Vantage alongside team-mate Rob Bell, a drive which will tally with his participation in the FIA GT1 World Championship this year - in which he will also be driving an Aston Martin.

"I'm very happy to be joining JMW Motorsport for 2010," said Turner. "The team has already won the LMS GT2 title twice, outlining their winning capabilities. It's good to be teaming up with Rob again as we have won together before."

The team had previously signed Richard Westbrook for the seat, but after the demise of the FIA GT2 championship, Westbrook's Prospeed team decided to commit to the Le Mans Series. Westbrook was therefore contractually obliged to remain with Prospeed, so the vacancy at JMW arose for Turner.

JMW Motorsport team boss Jim McWhirter believes Turner's experience will be an asset to the team.

"This underlines our commitment to this championship and adds yet another strength to our very motivated team ethos," he said. "Darren brings a wealth of experience to the team as well as a working knowledge of the Vantage V8 GT2."

The opening race of the LMS will be the eight-hour race at Paul Ricard on April 11.

Massa expects best start in years

By Matt Beer

Wednesday, March 10th 2010, 11:18 GMT

Felipe Massa believes Ferrari could enjoy its best start to a season for several years given its performance in winter testing.

The Italian squad was quickest throughout the first test at Valencia and remained among the front pack throughout the month, while also having very few reliability issues.

Massa reckons his team will therefore not only put its 2009 misery behind it, but can get off to an even stronger start than it did when battling for titles in the previous three seasons.

"I am very happy and very motivated that we can start the championship in a better way not just than last year, which was not a very good year, but also than the other championships," he told the official Ferrari website.

"It looks like we are in good condition to start the championship with a good car and a reliable car, which is good for the start of the season. It's good to think about the points straight away."

While not being certain Ferrari will win in Bahrain this weekend, Massa is confident it will leave Sakhir with a strong points haul.

"My expectation is definitely to score many points," he said. "Even if maybe we don't know if it will be possible to win, it will be important to start the championship in the right direction. That's our expectation and that's what we're looking for."

But he added that he was staying calm about Ferrari's chances and not underestimating the strength of the competition despite his encouraging testing results.

"The feeling is good, but for sure feet on the ground, because we know we are going to have a very difficult championship," Massa said. "There are a lot of good cars, good teams and good drivers.

"But I can say that the feeling is really, really good. What we did in the winter tests was always very positive. Our car and our team were very competitive.

"I think it shows that we have a car ready to start the season. But we have to work every day to improve the situation and improve the car race by race to be at the top. But I'm very motivated."

Palmer to return to Formula 2

By Steven English

Wednesday, March 10th 2010, 11:07 GMT

Jolyon Palmer will return for a second season in Formula 2 this year.

The 19-year-old son of series boss Jonathan Palmer finished 21st in last year's standings with just one points finish.

But he took part in all four days of winter testing at Portimao in Portugal and is aiming for his first victory this year.

"Last season was a little disappointing for me until towards the end of the year when I scored my first points," he said. "I was also quick during winter testing and hopefully I can carry this momentum into my second F2 campaign.

"The testing in Portimao in December was particularly competitive and I went really well there, so this is hopefully a good sign that I can run at the front and get my first win in F2 this season.

"I will start the season on a race by race basis to see where I stand compared to the other drivers, but I really feel that I have the potential to be a contender and if things go my way, maybe even win the title."

Jonathan Palmer added: "As with a number of young drivers, F2 was always going to be a multi-year programme for Jolyon. Last year was very challenging - I think many people underestimated just how tough the competition was - but Jo improved encouragingly over the final couple of events. He was right on the pace in winter testing and should be a regular points scorer in 2010."

Former GP2 racer Ricardo Teixeira and Formula Renault graduate Benjamin Lariche have also confirmed their places in F2 in 2010.

Clos returns to Trident for Asia finale

By Matt Beer

Wednesday, March 10th 2010, 10:56 GMT

Dani Clos is to return to Trident for the final round of the GP2 Asia season in Bahrain this weekend.

The Spaniard had driven for the team in Abu Dhabi earlier this year, but Adrian Zaugg took the seat for the previous rounds at Sakhir last month, charging to eighth in the first race before colliding with Sergio Perez as they fought for the lead at the start of the sprint race.

Trident has now recalled Clos for the finale, where he will rejoin full-season driver Plamen Kralev.

Clos has already signed for Racing Engineering for this year's main GP2 championship, with the 21-year-old staying on for a second season at the Spanish squad after taking 21st in the 2009 standings and ending the season with a podium in the final round.

Lola: Single make still best for Indy

By Matt Beer

Wednesday, March 10th 2010, 10:38 GMT

Lola has warned that maintaining a single chassis supplier is the only cost-effective option for the next generation IndyCar Series chassis.

The Huntingdon firm is one of five contenders for the 2012 IndyCar deal, along with Swift, Dallara and new firms BAT and DeltaWing. The latter has made reintroducing multiple chassis builders a key part of its bid, declaring that its design is a rules concept that other companies can build.

But Lola's head of special project Peter McCool said that while his company would love a return to the level of chassis competition it enjoyed in Champ Car's heyday, it did not believe such a situation was sustainable now.

"Intense competition and battles with other constructors is a fantastic spectacle and a rich environment for our engineers to be in," McCool said. "However it is not conducive to keeping cost down. Which has been one key criteria.

"The R&D alone is cost prohibitive and at present it would be counter productive for the IndyCar series. This is exactly why the dual body style Lola IndyCars will short cut a great deal of the concerns of the series.

"A return to multi-chassis grids may well be one option in stronger economic times. If the landscape is right then Lola in terms of the engineering challenge would enjoy this environment."

Lola's proposal instead features two alternative body styles for teams to choose, which will be performance balanced.

"The main reason for choosing one Lola bodywork configuration over the other would be a preference for the visual variety," McCool explained.

"How it will work practically is that Lola will match the configurations in the windtunnel across the entire ride height range to ensure parity.

"It is most probable that the teams' engineers will try very hard to get an advantage from one kit or the other, but there will be means of policing that action.

"Lola has also designed a series of sized and configured aero blockers for the underbody that can be stipulated at a particular race venue. These will have the purpose of varying the downforce where required, but also ensure that one design does not gain an advantage over the other."

Another central element of the Lola concept is that the same basic chassis would be used for both IndyCar and feeder category Indy Lights, which McCool reckons could be the key to increasing grid sizes.

"The common chassis idea was creative thinking at Lola and generates a cost effective solution in the current economic climate and secondly in trying to assist the teams in terms of pragmatic racing in two series that run on the same bill," he said.

"The crossover when you look hard at it helps both series and will encourage new teams to enter both IRL and Indy Lights. Above all it will ensure over subscribed Indy 500 grids come May."

Lola also hopes its design would provide significantly better racing via an underbody and rear end design that aims to eliminate turbulent wakes, and that it would offer a significant step forward in safety.

Buurman gets AC Milan drive for 2010

By Matt Beer

Wednesday, March 10th 2010, 10:05 GMT

Yelmer Buurman will drive for the Atech-run AC Milan team in this year's Superleague Formula.

The 23-year-old Dutchman has been a Superleague regular since the football-themed series' inception - taking second in the inaugural championship for PSV Eindhoven (Azerti) and taking Zakspeed's Anderlecht entry to fourth last year. Atech ran 2009 Superleague champion Adrian Valles' Liverpool car.

"I am happy to be back in Superleague Formula with last year's championship-winning team and I look forward to scoring for a top club," said Buurman.

"AC Milan is one of the best clubs in the world and I am proud to defend their honours. After being second and fourth in the championship over the last two years I will now go for the top.

"I only have one aim and that is winning the championship for and with AC Milan. I am ready for it and I'd like to thank everyone at Atech GP for their confidence in my capabilities."

Team boss David Hayle said Buurman has long been a target for his squad.

"I'm very pleased to have finally penned a deal with Yelmer who I've known from his Formula Renault days," said Hayle.

"Over the years I've watched him grow up and over the last two seasons he has proven to be a particularly strong contender in Superleague Formula, finishing second and fourth. This season we'll be looking to go one stage further with him and I expect him to be in the fight for the championship."

Lorenzo determined to return for test

By Michele Lostia and Matt Beer

Wednesday, March 10th 2010, 09:53 GMT

Jorge Lorenzo is adamant that he will take part in the final MotoGP winter test in Qatar despite his injuries, but will not be pushing for quick times.

The Yamaha rider had to sit out the last test at Sepang having sustained a hand injury when he crashed a motocross bike while training.

His management had suggested Lorenzo would probably not be fit for the Losail test next week, but the Spaniard has decided he needs to get back on track as part of his recovery.

"Yes, I'm going to the Qatar test," Lorenzo told Motosprint. "I've taken this decision for several reasons, including the need to understand how my hand is doing, but certainly not to set the quickest lap time.

"I have thought about forgoing testing and going straight to the first race. But I feel like going to the tests. I'd like to recover some feeling, some confidence, basically I want to get back in touch with my bike. Even if it's just a couple of laps, I want to see how I feel on the saddle."

He admitted that the injury is likely to compromise his form in the season-opener at Losail in mid-April too, but is optimistic it will not spoil his title bid.

"I think I won't be well prepared when we get to the first race," said Lorenzo. "I won't be, and neither will be my bike.

"In any case I don't want to get disheartened. I carry on thinking positive, since the season is long: 18 grands prix are a lot of races, we need to think long term. As for the first race, I will try to limit the damage as much as possible - that would already be a positive thing for me."

Lorenzo said that starting the season carrying an injury would be a new experience for him.

"This is the first time I've hurt myself during the winter preparations, when there's testing, with the championship nearing," he said. "This is a new situation for me. This is an injury that takes a long time to recover from, it needs time and patience.

"The incredible thing is that sometimes you have big crashes while going quick and you don't hurt yourself at all, while this time I hurt myself plenty while going at 30km/h. The real problem is that I crashed on the asphalt. I was in a turn, the bike lost grip and I found myself down all of a sudden. I put down my hand and broke the first metacarpus. It's the right hand, the one you accelerate with.

"From a medical point of view, I can try to get some running in Doha. But I must go slow, and that's what I will do. I will try to think about everything except lap times. Neither mine nor the others'.

"Movement of the finger is still limited, and the arm has lost quite a lot of muscle tone. But this is normal, I'm not worried about that."

Collard makes surprise WSR return

By Jamie O'Leary

Wednesday, March 10th 2010, 09:24 GMT

Rob Collard has made a surprise switch to the WSR BMW squad for this year's British Touring Car Championship.

Collard won twice for Motorbase Performance last year on his way to sixth in the standings, and had looked certain to remain with the Kent-based squad.

However, he said that the opportunity to return to the team with which he took his maiden BTCC race win in 2005 in an MG, was "too good to turn down."

"I could see these BMWs on track last year and they just looked awesome," Collard said. "It was a very difficult decision for me to make a late switch from Motorbase.

"However, I have to think about what's best for my career and to now be driving in a championship-winning team is a big bonus."

Collard, 41, will partner Andy Neate at WSR in a pair of 320si models and team principal Dick Bennetts is delighted with his signing.

"It will be really great to have Rob back with us in a BMW," he said. "Rob already has two years' experience in the 320si. We are really looking forward to see how he performs with our set-ups on the car."

Bennetts said that he is still trying to finalise a deal to run a third car for Colin Turkington, who took the drivers' championship in a WSR BMW last year.

WRC set to introduce longer events

By David Evans

Wednesday, March 10th 2010, 09:23 GMT

Endurance rallying could return to the World Rally Championship next year, if a proposed removal of the maximum number of competitive miles is implemented.

Rounds of the WRC are currently permitted to run anything up to 310 competitive miles, an increase from the 220-mile rule which had been in place prior to this season's increase. But that limit could be binned next year following a meeting of the WRC's Global Working Group.

WRC Commission president Morrie Chandler said: "This is something the working group has talked about and it could be interesting. At the same time, I'm not too sure how many rallies would be interested in running really long rallies due to the cost implication. It will be interesting to see how many events run to the higher limit this year, not too many I would imagine."

The working group is also investigating the possibility of merging selected cross country rallies into the WRC, although such a move would be at least two years away.

Edwards keen to end feud

By Diego Mejia

Wednesday, March 10th 2010, 09:16 GMT

Carl Edwards says he is keen to bring an end to his feud with Brad Keselowski after the incident between the pair at Atlanta.

NASCAR announced yesterday that Edwards was being put on probation after admitting that he deliberately drove into Keselowski in the closing laps last weekend. The collision saw Keselowski's car launched into the air, although he emerged unscathed and was the latest episode in a row between the pair that stretched back to their dramatic late-race crash at Talladega in 2009.

Writing on his Facebook page, Edwards declared that he wanted to end the row with Keselowski and move on ahead of the next event at Bristol, one of NASCAR's tightest tracks and a venue where bumping between cars is frequent.

"I respect NASCAR's penalty and look forward to our meeting in Bristol," Edwards wrote. "I'm ready to put this behind us and get on with some good racing."

Edwards currently ranks 20th in the points, while Keselowski is 33rd ahead of the fifth event of the season, where the top 35 in the standings that have their start guaranteed for the next race will be reset based on the current rankings.