| 2005
NEWS
2004
NEWS
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PARIS-DAKAR:
NEW TYRE REGULATIONS (DEC 25)
New stricter rules will apply regarding tyres during this years rally.
Just one tyre type allowed for factory teams
Unlike in previous years, only 1 type of tyre will be allowed in 2005
Paris Dakar Rally. All factory teams (Mitsubishi, Nissan, Volkswagen)
have chosen to use BFGoodrich Baja T/A Rock (dimension: 235/ 85R16)
for all surfaces.
BFGoodrich (Aime Chatard): ".... For 2005, it has been decided
to switch to a single type of product and it is true that the BFGoodrich
Rock has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to cope with the variety
of ground types faced during mixed legs. Even so, this tyre requires
extreme rigour from the crews who must take time to adapt the pressure
of their tyres as a function of the terrain."
Remote
tyre pressure regulator systems outlawed
BFGoodrich (Aime Chatard): "... For some years, the
teams have benefited from a fairly sophisticated device that has enabled
them to adjust tyre pressures without getting out of the car ... And
even that system required unfailing discipline from the crews who
still had to make the necessary adjustment each time they moved on
from one type of terrain to another. However, one of the other main
changes to the regulations this year concerns the outlawing of this
type of aid. Crews are therefore going to have to stop and get out
of their car to adjust the pressure of their four tyres ... When
doing this, they will certainly have the impression that the seconds
are ticking away very quickly. Taking the time to properly adjust
pressure can mean avoiding future, more costly delays on the course.
On this rally, every second is precious but so are the tyres."
No
'tyre drops' during marathon legs
For 2 marathon legs in 2005 Paris Dakar Rally, competitors will have
to carry all their tyres on board (4 spare tyres). No outside help
is allowed during overnight stops.
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FORMULA
1: ALBERS' F1 DEBUT IN 2005 (DEC 24)
25 year old Dutchman will make his F1 debut in 2005 with Minardi.
He is a former Formula 3 champion. Last season he raced in German
Touring (DTM) with Mercedes and finished 3rd overall.
ALBERS: "... It has always been my dream to become a Formula
One driver ... I know I have to work hard and stay focused."
MINARDI (STODDART): "... Christijan has always been a naturally
quick driver, but it is clear there is now an added maturity and focus
with that ... We believe he is absolutely ready for Formula One"
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DAYTONA
24 - NASCAR CHAMPIONS TO RACE IN 2005 DAYTONA 24 (DEC 23)
24 hour Rolex Daytona in February 3-6 next year will feature an all
star team from Nascar Ford and Roush Racing. The reigning NASCAR champion
Kurt Busch will co-drive with 2003 NASCAR champion Matt Kenseth, 2002
NASCAR Busch champion Greg Biffle. The 3 NASCAR champions will be
teamed up with the 2003 Daytona 24 winner Scott Maxwell.
BUSCH: "... One of the first things I knew about Jack Roush was
his heritage in the 24-hour race at Daytona ... Now to be a member
of Roush Racing with Greg (Biffle) and Matt (Kenseth), and to team
up with Multimatic and Scott for this event gives me a chance to be
a part of history. It's going to be an All-Star effort for this Crown
Royal Special Reserve team, but there are some fantastic drivers in
the Grand Am Series that we'll be competing against ... We're going
to look to Scott to lead us goofy oval guys around those right turns
in Daytona, but we're definitely going to have fun with it."
BIFFLE: "... I'm privileged to have the opportunity to compete
in the 2005 Rolex 24 At Daytona ... When Dan Davis approached me this
summer about the opportunity, I jumped at the chance. I love road
racing and while I'm excited, I'm also a little nervous about what
to expect. I've never driven this type of car, so I'm anxious to get
down to Daytona and do some testing, especially at night"
MAXWELL: "... I'm excited about having a chance to run with Kurt,
Matt and Greg ... I've had a lot of great teammates during my career,
but having a chance to work with these three guys will be a treat.
We'll have some fun, but we're going to Daytona to win."
-
FORMULA
1: COULTHARD JOINS RED BULL (DEC 19)
After 9 years with McLaren Mercedes team David Coulthard will drive
Red Bull Cosworth next season. The new team was formed through purchase
of Jaguar Racing from Ford. The 33 year old Scottish driver drove
record 150 GPs with 1 team (McLaren) and has 13 career GP wins. Coulthard
has signed a 1 year deal with Red Bull Racing.
COULTHARD: "... After speaking to team owner Dietrich Mateschitz
I was impressed by Red Bull Racing's plans for the future. This is
definitely an exciting new team."
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WORLD
RALLY: ATKINSON JOINS SUBARU (DEC 19)
25
year old Australian Chris Atkinson will make the jump to top level
of world rallyng after just 4 years in sport. He has been signed by
world rally Subaru team for 2005 season. He joins former world champion
Petter Solberg and Stephane Sarrazin.
SUBARU (D Lapworth): "... I've been most impressed with what
Chris has achieved this year. I believe his performance in Australia,
where he set fastest stage times and beat drivers with far more experience,
is a strong indication of his potential. Now Chris has a great opportunity
to show us what he can do ... I'm confident though that both drivers(Atkinson
and Sarazin) have what it takes to be competitive across the board
... Of course it's a high-risk strategy, but it's a fundamental part
of Subaru's driver development philosophy. Our objective is to find
another Subaru world champion and we'll do all we can to help Chris
and Stephane reach that goal ... Chris and Stephane make a very balanced
pairing. Chris has demonstrated his impressive pace on gravel but
hasn't yet had the opportunity to show what he can do on tarmac, while
for Stephane the opposite is true."
ATKINSON: "... My aim has always been to reach beyond the national
championships and to make it on the world stage ... It's been extremely
hard work but now I've got the chance. I guess I'm out to prove that
an Australian can be fast in Australia and fast in the rest of the
world too."
SUBARU (Toshiya Azuma): "I'm very happy to welcome Chris to our
team. In common with Stéphane, Chris chose to start his rally
career with the Impreza, and after such a successful 2004 it's great
to be able to reward his efforts by giving him the opportunity to
drive with us. I believe we have an excellent driver line-up for next
year, one that combines Petter's World Champion experience, with the
very best in fresh talent. It's going to be a very exciting season."
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GRAND
AM: BOBBIE & GOLLIN MOVES TO US IN 2005 (DEC 19)
Matteo Bobbie and Fabrizio Gollin from FIA GT championship will race
for Doran Racing team in US. Bobbie and Gollin are both FIA GT champions
(2004 FIA GT co-champion Gollin; 2003 FIA GT champion Bobbi). They
drove Ferrari 550 Maranello Prodrives with the BMS Scuderia Italia
team.
BOBBIE: "... I'll be taking on this American adventure with great
determination, as I know that we can be competitive right from the
start ... I am fully aware of the excellent reputation of Kevin Doran's
team, therefore, when I had to choose from the offers made to me,
the decision I took seemed almost obvious. Racing in a team with Fabrizio
(Gollin) is also a dream come true. We have been friends for years
and we have always admired and respected each other as rivals. Racing
together will give us new stimulus and motivation."
GOLLIN: "... I am very impressed with how the Daytona Prototype
class has grown in the last two years. I'm sure that this will be
a big step forward for my career."
DORAN: "... Both Gollin and Bobbi have solid resumes, and I'm
sure they'll be a great addition to the Grand American Rolex Series
... We're looking forward to a competitive 2005 season, and especially
the Rolex 24."
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PARIS
DAKAR - ROBBY GORDON'S DAKAR DEBUT (DEC 13)
35 year old US Nascar driver Robbie Gordon will join factory
Volkswagen team for his first Paris Dakar Rally (starts 31 Dec 2004).
Gordon had extensive off-road experienece before he started Nascar
stock car racing. He is a 6 time off-road champion and 2 time Baja
1000 champion.
GORDON: "... I am looking forward to this opportunity ... I like
a challenge, one reason I still compete in the Baja 1000"
VW (Kris Nissen): "... With his diverse experience, Robby fits
perfectly in the Volkswagen team ... He convinced us of his qualities,
and we consider him to be the perfect addition to our team."
-
FORMULA
1 - BRITISH GP ON FOR 5 YEARS (DEC 10)
The oldest race in F1 calendar the British GP has been saved. It has
signed a 5 year contract to run the race at Silverstone. 2005 British
GP is likely to be held on July 3rd or 10th.
Richard Caborn (British Sports Minister): "This is a great day
for the future of the motor industry in the UK ... This should not
only secure the long- term future of the all the teams operating out
of the UK but will give the opportunity for others to join."
British Racing Drivers' Club (Jackie Stewart / Ray Bellm): "...
There has been much public debate on the future of the British Grand
Prix. We hope that this agreement heralds a more stable and secure
future for the race and consequently for our industry and sport in
the United Kingdom."
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DAYTONA
24: TRACY'S DEBUT (DEC 9)
Paul
Tracy will make his sports car debut at Daytona 24 in February next
year. The 2003 Champcar champion will drive Bell Motorsports Pontiac
Doran with Terry Borcheller and Christian Fittipaldi.
P BARBER (team owner): "... I'm really, really excited for this
rare chance to have a driver of Paul's caliber on our team .. We saw
his enthusiasm at the test and after two laps he was already running
competitive times. Paul was uniformly easy to work with and didn't
put a wheel wrong all day. He's shown he's got the competitive edge
and I hope it'll bring us victory"
TRACY: "... The car is very similar to my Champ Car but it's
heavier and there is less power. In terms of general handling characteristics
it does the same things as my Lola but the roof and windows are totally
different. It gets hot inside and I'm not used to that ... I'm attracted
to the Rolex 24 because you're always busy in the car. There are varied
speeds of cars on the track and, in Champ Car there are lots of times
when you're alone on the track. In the 24-hour the Daytona Prototypes
will pass 2-3 cars per lap so I'll have to be on my toes all the time.
It's a great tune-up for next season."
-
INDYCAR
- DANICA PATRICK TO MAKE IRL DEBUT (DEC 9)
22 year old Danica Patrick will make her Indycar debut next season
with Rahal Letterman Racing. She will be the only female driver in
the series next year and will partner Buddy Rice and Vitor Meira in
a 3 car operation. Patrick finished 3rd overall in this year's Toyota
Atlantic championship. She was a national karting champion and raced
in Formula Ford and Barber Dodge Pro before moving to Atlantic series.
PATRICK: "... I've been preparing for this the
last 13 years ... We'll let the results speak for themselves. I'm
accustomed to media coverage and it's not like I'm coming out of nowhere.
I need to stay focused, worry about my racing and no one can say I
don't belong here ... Since I first started racing when I was just
12 years old, my dream has always been to run the Indianapolis 500
... When I signed with Bobby (Rahal) in 2002 he told me to be patient,
because this was a lengthy process designed to advance me to the highest
levels of racing. Back then it was easy to say I could be patient,
but as a driver you never want to settle to be happy with the status
quo. Today all those years of hard work, moving to England at 16,
all the sacrifices have paid off, because I am ready to race in the
IRL IndyCar Series"
RAHAL: "... I'm convinced she's ready. She did
a very good job in Atlantics and, while she didn't win I can't blame
all on her. She did finish second a a number of times ... she has
her racecraft and pace ... The biggest concern I have had with Danica
is putting her here before she's ready and I do believe she's ready
for this .."
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WORLD
RALLY - MITSUBISHI RETURNS WITH ROVANPERA & PANIZZI (DEC 8)
Mitsubishi will return to full time world rallying in 2005 with former
Peugeot driver Harri Rovanpera. Gilles Panizzi will be retained but
will contest only selected rounds (asphalt).
MITSUBISHI (Isao Torii): "... The championship
is more and more dominated by gravel rallies and we need a driver
who knows all these events very well ... Harri Rovanpera is a good
loose surface driver, especially on the high-speed events. We feel
fortunate that he is joining the team and expect some good performances.
He drives consistently and finishes rallies; we will be very reliant
on him .... Gilles has been incredibly supportive of the team and
has contributed enormous amounts to our development program ... We
did not give him the car to challenge, but next year we have big expectations
and see him as a potential winner on Tarmac, especially in the second
half of the season."
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FORMULA
1 - BUTTON NAMED DRIVER OF THE YEAR (DEC 8)
BAR Honda driver Jenson Button was chosen as the International Driver
of the Year by readers of Autosport Magazine.
BUTTON: "... It is a strange situation because
I didn't expect it all. It is very nice. I feel a little bit embarrassed
holding it up because Michael (Schumacher) won so many races this
year and destroyed us in the championship but this trophy will mean
something in the future when we are world champions ... It is not
all down to me though. It is down to the team. We started testing
in January and no-one expected us to be so quick, people thought we
were running light, but we proved it with 11 podiums, second in the
constructors' and me third in the drivers' championship. We are a
top team."
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DTM
- GERMAN TOURING: GREEN JOINS DTM MERCEDES (DEC 3)
22 year old Jamie Green will make his DTM debut in 2005 with Mercedes.
Green is the reigning Formula 3 Euro champion. He dominated the season
with 7 wins driving for Mercedes.
GREEN: ".... my ASM team and Mercedes-Benz gave
me great support this year and made it possible for me to win the
Euro Series title. Of course, I'm really happy to be promoted to the
DTM which is the best touring car series in the world and a great
challenge for a young driver like me."
MERCEDES (Norbert Haug): "... Winning the 2004
Formula 3 Euro Series Jamie Green has proved his talent and is a valuable
addition for our DTM team ... By signing him we are continuing our
programme of supporting young drivers and we believe that he will
distinguish himself and repeat in the DTM what several of our Juniors
have already achieved."
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