Pos. No. Driver Time Speed
1 22 Patrick Carpentier 101.948 95.661
2 42 Michael Valiante 102.153 95.469
3 59 Marcos Ambrose # 102.207 95.418
4 1 Max Papis 102.365 95.271
5 33 Ron Fellows 102.434 95.207
6 9 Boris Said 102.542 95.106
7 14 Kyle Krisiloff # 102.696 94.964
8 47 Andy Lally 102.699 94.961
9 41 Scott Pruett 103.081 94.609
10 66 Steve Wallace 103.086 94.605
11 28 Niclas Jonsson 103.107 94.585
12 90 Stephen Leicht 103.526 94.202
13 *17 Michel Jourdain 103.903 93.861
14 7 Mike Wallace 103.911 93.853
15 18 Brad Coleman # 104.015 93.760
16 20 Aric Almirola 104.230 93.566
17 88 Andy Pilgrim 104.271 93.529
18 77 Ron Hornaday 104.431 93.386
19 27 Jorge Goeters 104.904 92.965
20 38 Jason Leffler 105.590 92.361
21 *98 Alex Garcia 105.828 92.153
22 60 John Andretti 106.089 91.927
23 *30 Stanton Barrett 106.321 91.726
24 37 Casey Atwood 106.363 91.690
25 36 Brent Sherman 106.671 91.425
26 99 Mark Green 107.247 90.934
27 10 John Graham 107.259 90.924
28 35 Bobby Hamilton Jr. 107.735 90.522
29 *72 D.J. Kennington 108.193 90.139
30 *0 J.R. Fitzpatrick 108.710 89.710
31 25 Richard Johns 110.229 88.474
32 *52 Scott Gaylord 111.074 87.801
33 *63 Mike MacKenzie 111.983 87.088
34 *71 Trevor Boys 114.029 85.526
35 *01 Joe Fox 118.409 82.362
36 *89 Morgan Shepherd 121.980 79.951
37 *76 Jerick Johnson 128.719 75.765

The crew worked to repair the damage and is expected to complete the work once the garage opens in the morning.  "It's pretty much fixed," Eury said. "I just gotta put these braces on underneath it in the morning." Scenedaily.com

The Generac 500, featuring the American Le Mans Series, will mark another track first with its four-hour format and twilight finale on Saturday. The series features prototype and production-based sports cars from the world's most elite auto manufacturers. At Road America these cars reach average qualifying speeds in excess of 133 mph for prototypes and 120 mph for production-based GT cars. Historically, finishing times within classes have margins less than 0.4 seconds and three of the 10 closest overall finishes in the series' history have occurred at Road America. 

Q. A question to all of you: the 2008 calendar has been released; what are your feelings about it and the lack of a US Grand Prix?

Aguri Suzuki: It's OK because our sponsor is not the United States and is very important in the Asian market or something like that. But Formula One is very important in the United States because it is a World Championship of Formula One. But otherwise the rest of the calendar is OK.

Colin Kolles: We are basically happy with the calendar. It's unfortunate that there isn't a race in the USA but it isn't up to us.

Flavio Briatore: Very happy. I believe that if you have the USA, we need a proper Grand Prix. Sure, that is not Indianapolis. The logistics are not great. If we do something in the future in America, I believe in doing it in the right place with the right advertising, the right commitment from everybody and make sure people know we're there.

Top 10 Grand-Am GT Montreal Qualifiers:
1. Collins, Edwards, Pontiac GXP.R 1:42.610
2. Ham, Tremblay, Mazda RX8 1:43.042
3. Miller, Werner, Porsche GT3 1:43.646
4. Assentato, Longhi, Mazda RX8 1:43.747
5. Farnbacher, Baas, Porsche GT3 1:43.756
6. Nastasi, Borcheller, Ford Mustang 1:44.232
7. Lux, Nearn, Pontiac GXP.R 1:44.340
8. Lewis, Reese, Pontiac GXP.R 1:44.605
9. Lacey, Wilkins, Porsche GT3 1:45.537
10. Johnson, Davis, Porsche GT3 1:45.598

Having said earlier today in Hungary that spying teams should be penalized, the Renault boss did not then defend Ferrari from McLaren's accusation that it won the Australian grand prix with an illegal F2007 car.

A statement issued by Ferrari at the Hungaroring said McLaren's accusation was "both serious and false".

McLaren claims Ferrari was only compelled to change its Melbourne-spec car after 'whistleblower' Nigel Stepney alerted the Woking based team to the F2007's allegedly illegal floor.

Briatore told a news conference on Friday: "I think the floor changed after the (Melbourne) race. Looked like it was not right in the first place."

The Italian chief, meanwhile, refused to be drawn on Renault racer Giancarlo Fisichella's claim in Hungary that he is "expecting" to be offered a new contract for 2008.

"Today I don't know," Briatore said.

"At this moment I am thinking and I believe I will decide in September around Monza time, I don't want to decide before."

The French team's boss, who presided over championship triumphs versus McLaren in 2005 and Ferrari last year, also told reporters at the Hungaroring that Renault would again be at the upcoming appeal.

Briatore, who thinks the scandal is damaging the sport, said earlier this weekend that teams who break the rules should be punished.

"I want to know exactly what is going on," he said.

"I believe this story is damaging everybody a little bit, including me ... stuff like this is not good for the sponsors or anybody."

The Italian's counterpart at Renault-powered Red Bull Racing, however, told the same news conference that his team would not attend the hearing at the Court of Appeal.

Christian Horner said: "The matter doesn't concern our team or any employees of our team and we trust in the governing body to make the right decisions."

In yet another letter that has been also released to the press, the McLaren boss on Friday explained to Italian motor sport chief Luigi Macaluso that he only decided to publicly release the document because "your letter to me has been published".

"I suggest that we now leave this process to the internal consideration of the FIA," the Briton added.

Dennis' letter is the latest in an extraordinary and hostile exchange between the two teams, the FIA, and the Italian body ICA, following the decision of the World Motor Sport Council to not penalize McLaren for espionage.

Dennis also wrote to Macaluso: "We are not comfortable with any attempt to undermine the credibility of the decision of the WMSC by a misleading version or events portraying Ferrari as having had insufficient opportunity to present its case.

"It is not a case of an insufficient opportunity but just dissatisfaction with the outcome."

Pos  Driver        Team               Time      Behind  Laps
 1.  Alonso        McLaren-Mercedes   1:20.919            29
 2.  Kovalainen    Renault            1:21.283  + 0.364   39
 3.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes   1:21.338  + 0.419   32
 4.  Rosberg       Williams-Toyota    1:21.485  + 0.566   40
 5.  Heidfeld      BMW Sauber         1:21.517  + 0.598   37
 6.  Raikkonen     Ferrari            1:21.589  + 0.670   29
 7.  Massa         Ferrari            1:21.620  + 0.701   29
 8.  Fisichella    Renault            1:21.698  + 0.779   36
 9.  Trulli        Toyota             1:21.857  + 0.938   35
10.  Kubica        BMW Sauber         1:21.906  + 0.987   37
11.  R.Schumacher  Toyota             1:21.912  + 0.993   29
12.  Wurz          Williams-Toyota    1:21.987  + 1.068   35
13.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault   1:22.325  + 1.406   28
14.  Coulthard     Red Bull-Renault   1:22.483  + 1.564   33
15.  Davidson      Super Aguri-Honda  1:22.510  + 1.591   41
16.  Button        Honda              1:22.550  + 1.631   47
17.  Sato          Super Aguri-Honda  1:22.556  + 1.637   42
18.  Barrichello   Honda              1:22.727  + 1.808   29
19.  Liuzzi        Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:23.136  + 2.217   42
20.  Vettel        Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:23.148  + 2.229   39
21.  Sutil         Spyker-Ferrari     1:23.673  + 2.754   34
22.  Yamamoto      Spyker-Ferrari     1:26.307  + 5.388   29

* Not confirmed

Stepney denial is another spy saga twist

The latest twist is that beleaguered former Ferrari chief mechanic Nigel Stepney is even siding against McLaren, by denying that he 'whistle-blew' about the allegedly illegal Melbourne-spec F2007 car.

Ron Dennis' famous letter this week bordered on praising his countryman for the act, but Stepney's lawyer provided a quote attributable to her client to the Italian media.

"It is not true," he reportedly said.

"It was obvious to anyone who works in formula one that something was not right (about Ferrari's car).

"At McLaren, there was no need for a whistle blower."

McLaren-Mercedes' Norbert Haug, meanwhile, defended his team's participation in the tit-for-tat exchange of open letters in recent days.

"The letters on the internet was started by the other side," Mercedes' competition chief told the German broadcaster Premiere.

"It is not as if we enjoy writing letters, it was about clarification.  Up to the (World Council) hearing we were totally reserved."

Albeit only a few minutes before the end of the ultimate 90-minute session in Budapest, the 22-year-old's silver McLaren had to be craned out of the gravel trap at turn eight following a spun.

Hamilton ended the session third, nearly half a second slower than his teammate Fernando Alonso, who in the recent European grand prix closed to within two points of the drivers' standings lead.

Renault's Heikki Kovalainen showed promising pace throughout the 90 minutes and ended up second best, while his countryman Kimi Raikkonen and Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa were just sixth and seventh.

Massa in particular had a scrappy practice and spent significant time in the garage apparently honing his setup.

Spy scandal 'a shame' - Ecclestone

"What can I say?" F1's chief executive told La Gazzetta dello Sport in Budapest.

The latest chapter in the story was yet another Ferrari press release, received by journalists during afternoon practice, denying that the Melbourne-spec F2007 was illegal -- a sentiment amply delivered by Kimi Raikkonen himself on Thursday.

Ecclestone said: "It is a shame that it is happening but it is up to the journalists to decide what is important enough to report.

"I do not influence your choices."

Ecclestone, 76, played down the observation that his sport has never seen a scandal on this scale.

"There have always been scandals," he said. "At the moment I don't know how this one is going to end."

Bernie also refused to criticize his close ally and FIA president Max Mosley for perpetuating the saga by sending the decision of the World Motor Sport Council to the FIA's Court of Appeal.

"He acted within his powers," Bernie said. "The same thing happened a couple of years ago with Honda in Imola.

"I haven't spoken with anyone. There is the FIA, there has been the World Council meeting, there will be the appeal. They are problems of the Federation, not mine."

BMW boss Mario Theissen in Hungary called for a quick end to the scandal that has turned into an gloves-off fist fight between championship rivals McLaren and Ferrari, who accuse one another of cheating and espionage.

"It is not good for the sport when things like this are the centre of attention," the German told the Sport-Informations-Dienst news agency.

Theissen said a date for the Court of Appeal hearing should be set "as soon as possible", while urging a "clear judgment" so that the sport can move on.

Renault's Flavio Briatore, however, thinks it is important that the FIA comes to the right decision about McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan's possession of reams of Ferrari secrets.

"If they had that information then they should be punished," he said.

"I am not a judge, but we have ethical and sporting rules, and these must be adhered to."

Briatore said the saga has sunk beneath thousands legalese words and the tit-for-tat exchange of minute accusations.

"Really it is simple," he said. "The rules need to be respected, and those who do not respect them must be punished."

Doornbos setting new Dutch records

After his second victory in San Jose last weekend, Doornbos is now only one victory away from joining Arie Luyendyk with a total of three victories in the championship.

However, Luyendyk’s total came from 142 Champ Car starts – Doornbos’ total of two victories has come from only nine races.

Now trailing Sebastien Bourdais by only 10 points in the Championship chase, Doornbos’ efforts could earn him the record for the best championship finish by a Dutchman as well. Luyendyk’s best season finish was 7th in 1987.

Should Doornbos win the championship, he will become only the third European driver to claim the title, following Nigel Mansell in 1993 and Sebastien Bourdais in 2004, '05 and '06.

With one race to go before heading to Europe, the Dutchman is eagerly awaiting the chance to race on home soil.

“It is going to be very special. Also, because we did a lot of preparations for it,” Doornbos said.

“For Champ Car it’s their first time there. For me not really, I raced there seven years ago, in 2000. It’s just great to drive in front of your home crowd. And for sure it gives you an extra boost that you need.

“The last time I won a race in front of my home crowd was in Spa-Francorchamps in F3000, the feeling afterwards is just great. I just hope I can give them a good show and get a good result.”  Press Release

It's business, and it's a feud between America's ruling racing families. Indianapolis Motor Speedway's date for the Brickyard 400 got changed by NASCAR. NASCAR is run by the France family. The Indy Racing League, which is run by third generation Indianapolis Motor Speedway heir Tony George, changed the Indy Car date at Michigan International Speedway.

One of our readers, Tim Wohlford of Jackson, has analyzed the Indy Car problem at Michigan International Speedway and come to another conclusion:

"If you look at the map, there are 27 top-flight races (NASCAR, IRL, CCWS, NHRA and F1), selling well over 2 million seats, within a day's drive of MIS. The IRL alone has 10 of those races, trying to sell well over 600,000 seats. Might I suggest that our motorsports market is saturated, even before we look at ARCA, Truck and Busch races?" Detroit News

Q and A with Nelson Piquet Jr

What are your memories of racing in Hungary with the GP2 Series in 2006?
For the whole of last year we [Piquet Sports] had a good car at most of the circuits and had seven pole positions after ten races. But in Hungary, in particular, it seemed that the other teams just didn’t have a close pace to us.

Hungary: Kubica tops practice 1

The 90-minute session at the warm track near Budapest was surprisingly topped by BMW-Sauber Robert Kubica, who respectively led the two Ferraris and McLarens.

Kimi Raikkonen, who like his Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa and McLaren's Fernando Alonso did a 1.22.5 laptime on Friday morning, denied that the Monaco-esque Hungaroring would play into McLaren's hands here.

The Finn said: "I think we have made some progress and we should be stronger than we were in Monaco.

"Okay, it's similar to Monaco here but this is a proper circuit.  We've got some new parts from the test last week, so I think they are going to help."

Pos  Driver        Team               Time      Behind   Laps
 1.  Kubica        BMW Sauber         1:22.390            25
 2.  Massa         Ferrari            1:22.519  + 0.129   18
 3.  Raikkonen     Ferrari            1:22.540  + 0.150   21
 4.  Alonso        McLaren-Mercedes   1:22.585  + 0.195   18
 5.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes   1:22.654  + 0.264   19
 6.  Heidfeld      BMW Sauber         1:22.891  + 0.501   24
 7.  Rosberg       Williams-Toyota    1:22.983  + 0.593   19
 8.  Button        Honda              1:23.294  + 0.904   20
 9.  Barrichello   Honda              1:23.601  + 1.211   20
10.  R.Schumacher  Toyota             1:23.802  + 1.412   27
11.  Davidson      Super Aguri-Honda  1:24.102  + 1.712   13
12.  Trulli        Toyota             1:24.318  + 1.928   30
13.  Wurz          Williams-Toyota    1:24.321  + 1.931   12
14.  Coulthard     Red Bull-Renault   1:24.474  + 2.084   17
15.  Kovalainen    Renault            1:24.733  + 2.343   18
16.  Vettel        Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:24.905  + 2.515   26
17.  Fisichella    Renault            1:24.920  + 2.530   19
18.  Liuzzi        Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:24.976  + 2.586   20
19.  Sato          Super Aguri-Honda  1:25.307  + 2.917   13
20.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault   1:25.584  + 3.194   14
21.  Sutil         Spyker-Ferrari     1:26.332  + 3.942   29
22.  Yamamoto      Spyker-Ferrari     1:28.118  + 5.728   30

The pair will follow in the footsteps of an accomplished list of former winners, including 1996 Champ Car champion Jimmy Vasser (who won the inaugural Team USA Scholarship in 1990); Champ Car and IRL race winner and current American Le Mans Series contender Bryan Herta (1991); Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series standouts Memo Gidley (1995), Paul Edwards (1998) and Andy Lally (1999); 2004 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice (1997); this year’s Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Phil Giebler (2000); Champ Car race winner-turned NASCAR Nextel Cup competitor A.J. Allmendinger (2001) and current Star Mazda Championship leader Dane Cameron (2006).

• Spy saga still sizzling in Hungary
• No more GP visits for Schu - spokeswoman
• Webber defends Ferrari fury in spy scandal
• Trouble in Hungary for Red Bull teams

Spy saga still sizzling in Hungary
(GMM) A Ferrari spokesman in Hungary did not criticize McLaren for issuing a blanket 'no comment' on the ever-worsening spy scandal.

After Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton were pulled from all media engagements in Budapest, Ferrari's media representative said: "We have nothing more to say on this subject."

Luca Colajanni did not even counter McLaren chief Ron Dennis' claim that Kimi Raikkonen won the Australian grand prix in March at the wheel of an illegal car.

He said: "We're not getting involved in a tennis match with McLaren; we've said all we're going to."

Ferrari did, however, allow its drivers to speak with the media on Thursday; a decision given "full marks" by the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph.

"At least (Raikkonen) took his place in the official press conference, which is exactly where Fernando Alonso should have been before being inexcusably pulled by his bosses," journalist Kevin Garside said.

Carpentier calls IRL racing unsafe

Carpentier, a Las Vegas resident, has been racing sports cars this season after spending the previous nine years in open-wheel racing. He said he hopes to further his career in NASCAR with a strong showing in the inaugural Busch Series race Saturday at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve road course in his native Montreal.

It's not that Carpentier doesn't like oval racing - he said he just didn't like oval racing in the IndyCar Series.

"I loved the ovals - I always have - but I don't want to do the ovals in the (IndyCar Series) anymore for safety reasons," he said. "I want to do it with NASCAR."

To that end, Carpentier competed in a stock-car race last year in Canada's version of NASCAR. He started 21st and finished sixth on a 5/8-mile oval in Cayuga, Ontario, which fueled his desire to make the move to stock-car racing.

"I really love driving these cars," he said.

Carpentier, 35, made 140 starts in CART/ChampCar from 1997 to 2004 and won five races and five poles. He spent the 2005 season with Red Bull Cheever Racing in the IndyCar Series and posted three top-five finishes in 17 starts.

Carpentier said he has turned down offers to return to open-wheel racing so he could concentrate on this weekend's race.

"I don't miss the open wheel," he said. "I've had calls from (team owner Bobby) Rahal this year and a couple other teams that wanted me to get back into it and I said, 'No, I'm going to focus on NASCAR. I want to do well in Montreal in the Busch.'"  Las Vegas Sun

Champ Car drivers to raise money for cancer research

The Tour de Road America benefiting Lance Armstrong Foundation brings together race fans, drivers, race teams, cancer survivors and cyclists in a fun, family-friendly bicycle ride around Road America’s beautiful permanent road course. For fans of the series, it will be a rare chance to pedal alongside their racing heroes. Participants can ride a single lap or up to 40 miles at their own pace. The ride takes place on August 10, 2007 at 6:30 PM, following the day’s racing events.

Fogarty will make that pole attempt in a 15-minute session, beginning at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time, which is quickly followed by a 30-minute final practice at 10:50 a.m. The 92-lap, two-hour, 30-minute Montréal 400k is set to go green at 4:15 p.m., with same-day-delay television coverage beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern time on SPEED Channel. Live timing and scoring and Internet radio coverage will be available at http://www.grand-am.com.

Driver Quotes:

Alex Gurney: “It was a good first day for the GAINSCO team – we got through a few setup things and the track kept getting better all day, so again the No. 99 was there at the end. We’re pretty happy with the car, but the weather is a big question mark – everyone will be going in blind if the rain comes down. The 99 seems like it’s hooked up relative to everyone else, so we should be good. With the GT traffic in this race, it’s a lot different than the DP-only events we ran. It was very difficult to get a clear lap in practice, and getting around the GTs will be a big challenge in the race. It’s probably good that we got some of that today, because now we know some of the good spots to pass, and where you’ll be held up.”

Jon Fogarty: “Track conditions were quite interesting this morning – going out in the beginning, the track was very slippery, but it’s gotten a lot better since then and I think it’ll continue to improve – which could mean we want to turn fast laps later on in qualifying. We have to balance that with making sure the tires are at their best. This circuit has an interesting rhythm – straightaway, heavy braking, straightaway, heavy braking, repeat. That creates an accordion effect, which makes it difficult with the GT cars, because they accelerate pretty decently. With the linked left-right-left-right corners, they really only have one option for a line, so if they get off-line to let a prototype by, it screws up the whole section for them. It’s quite different from most of the other circuits we visit, and it’s a fun track to drive, especially with the GAINSCO car working well again.”

Q: Sebastian, when did you know you were actually driving for Scuderia Toro Rosso?

Sebastian VETTEL: Well, at the beginning of the week. All our talks and stuff started a bit earlier than that but 100 percent I knew it at the start of the week and then on Tuesday there was the announcement, so it wasn't a long time ago.

Q: There were announcements from both Red Bull and BMW; are you a Red Bull Sauber driver first or Red Bull second? Which way round is it?

Vettel: I think the most important thing is that I was supported by both of them quite early on. Since 2005 I was supported by BMW as well and earlier than that by Red Bull. I did the race at Indy for BMW as a reserve driver (standing in) for Robert. For sure, as a race driver, you want to race, so I took the possibility to come to Toro Rosso and race.

Q: So what are your aims and goals for the rest of the season?

Gregg, a Camden, Ohio native, will substitute for Jonathan Klein.

"Travis is very professional, and we know he will represent the team well," team co-owner Mark Moore said. "He has a great history at Kentucky Speedway, and we'll do our best to give him a good car."

Californian Speed, 24, is reported to have clashed physically with team principal Franz Tost at the European grand prix, after telling the press on Saturday that both Tost and Gerhard Berger wanted to "get rid" of both him and Tonio Liuzzi.

One set of fans at the circuit on Thursday held up a banner that accused Berger and Tost (pictured right) of being 'a--holes and dumbsh-ts'.

But at a press conference to welcome Sebastian Vettel to the number 19 car in Hungary, Tost said of Speed: "The progress of his performance wasn't done in the way we expected.

"It has nothing to do with what happened at the Nurburgring.  It was done before (that) because we were simply not happy with his performance."

Berger, who owns the Faenza based outfit alongside Red Bull's Dietrich Mateschitz, added: "I don't want to spend one more second talking about Scott Speed.  That's history.

"He didn't perform and that's why he isn't here anymore."

Berger confirmed that Speed could still test for the team, which ties in with reports that his contract has not actually been terminated.

Liuzzi is also under pressure from multiple Champ Car title winner Sebastien Bourdais to keep his seat in 2008, but Berger said on Thursday that the Italian regular "still has chances to deliver" before Vettel's teammate next year is decided.

"Tonio also has to deliver -- but he still has chances to deliver," the Austrian and former ten time grand prix winner said.

"I really hope for him that he works well with Sebastian.

"Recently, we didn't have a good atmosphere here -- and I'm not saying it's Scott's fault or our fault.  It just didn't work out and the only solution was to stop it."

[Editor's Note:  More BS from Tost as Speed has outqualified and outraced his teammate Vitantonio Liuzzi the last couple of races and they have always qualified within tenths of a second of each other.  In fact both drivers almost always qualified side-by-side toward the back of the grid underscoring the fact that the car was horrible.  Neither driver produced significantly better results than the other, so if performance was the issue, Liuzzi's days are numbered as well.....we suspect to make way for Bourdais, who we expect to be announced soon.]

Here Colin Kolles, team principal and managing director speaks of the current situation….

A new driver lineup for the second Grand Prix in a row! What made you go for Sakon?
Sakon is a very good all-round package. We were very clear that the driver we chose needed to bring a certain financial benefit, but needed to have good, relevant experience too. Sakon has both covered. He has driven on all of the circuits we are going to in the second half of the season, except for Spa, which will be an advantage to the team as we move forward.

Recent reports said that a contract for 2008 was being readied by lawyers, but team boss Theissen said the 30-year-old might have to wait until after the looming summer break.

"We have had some very good discussions but still nothing is signed," Theissen said.

He added: "No-one should expect a conclusion this weekend -- it will probably happen only in the summer break."

The announcement on Thursday that former BMW-Sauber test driver Sebastian Vettel will drive for Toro Rosso in 2008, however, increases the likelihood that BMW will field an unchanged race lineup next year.

34-year-old Renault driver Giancarlo Fisichella, meanwhile, told reporters at the Hungaroring on Thursday that he is "expecting" to be given a new contract for 2008.

Team boss Flavio Briatore has reportedly delayed his decision about drivers for next year, while it is a fact that tester Nelson Piquet Junior is desperate to make his grand prix debut in 2008.

Fisichella said in Budapest: "I'm doing my best and working really hard and for that I'm expecting once again to be confirmed for next year.

"Soon we'll know -- but I don't know when.

"I'm happy.  On this aspect, everything is under control and I'm quite confident.  I've done my best but unfortunately the car hasn't been so good."

STR confirm Vettel to also race in 2008

Having already replaced the ousted Scott Speed, the German rookie's teammate for the balance of this season is Vitantonio Liuzzi, but Faenza based STR stopped short of confirming who will race alongside Vettel next year.

The front runner for the second seat, however, is multiple Champ Car title winner Sebastien Bourdais, but it is believed that Toro Rosso's contractual 'option' on the 28-year-old Frenchman actually expired on Tuesday.

It also emerged in the Hungaroring paddock on Thursday that McLaren, after being granted an official pardon for Fernando Alonso's scheduled FIA press conference appearance, also called off Lewis Hamilton's usual appointment for the media.

The British rookie was, however, spotted at a sponsor event for Vodafone, but 25-year-old Alonso has on Thursday not yet been seen at the Budapest venue.

Kimi says Melbourne car not illegal

Amid the espionage war of words with his counterparts at Ferrari, Dennis wrote in an open letter on Wednesday that the underbody of Raikkonen's winning F2007 in Melbourne was not legal.

Asked by a reporter in Budapest what he thought of Dennis' comments, Raikkonen - who drove for McLaren between 2002 and last year - said: "We would have been disqualified if the car had been illegal."

The Finn does agree with Dennis, however, that the long-lasting spy scandal is detracting from the on-track action.

Referring to the upcoming Court of Appeal hearing, 28-year-old Raikkonen said: "No matter what happens in the next weeks, it would be better if everything could be decided on the track."

Reigning world champion Fernando Alonso, meanwhile, had been scheduled to attend the official FIA press conference on Thursday, but - for reasons unknown - failed to show.

The BMW-Sauber duo have always shared a slightly tense relationship, but it was strained even further when they both blamed each other for their first lap crash in Germany two weeks ago.

Kubica had reportedly said: "A driver who punts two of his competitors off the road within 20 laps does not have a very long future in formula one."

According to the news agency Sport-Informations-Dienst, however, team boss Mario Theissen on Thursday convened a meeting with his drivers in the BMW motor home in Hungary to discuss the incident.

Heidfeld, 30, in Budapest played down talk of "tension" with his Polish teammate, who in Hungary marks a full year since making his F1 debut.

"We get along very well with one another, but on the track we fight really hard," said Heidfeld, who is German.

He said he understood Theissen's frustration about the Nurburgring conflict, because it dashed the Hinwil based team's chance of a podium.

Heidfeld also did not want to react to Kubica's alleged comment that his Nurburgring tactics might not assure him a long future on the grid.

"I only heard about it from someone else, so it doesn't bother me," he said.

But, when the dust settles, this really is just a glorified downsizing.

Teresa Earnhardt and Max Siegel  and Bobby Ginn talk about strengths in the future. But, the hard fact is two cars, the No 13 and No. 14, that weeks ago were qualifying for Nextel Cup races are parked. Dale Earnhardt Jr. pointed out his biggest concern the other day was wondering which of his friends at Ginn and DEI will lose their jobs as the shops combine to run four cars instead of a total of six.

More of this sort of thing appears to be on the horizon. The Robert Yates "merger" with Newman/Haas/Lanigan may only be part one of that deal. Another team like the Woods Brothers or Robbie Gordon or both may need to join to maximize the engineering potential from Newman/Haas with the sponsorship potential of a solid Nextel Cup team.  Detroit News

Toyota, which also took a 4% hit in April sales, saw a 29% drop in Corolla sales and a 20% decline in Yaris sales in July.

The Camry was up just 1%. The Prius hybrid and new Tundra full-size pickup were up 45% and 125%, respectively.

“The industry stumbled this month, on continued housing weakness,” said Jim Lentz, Toyota Motor Sales executive vice president, in a press statement. “Though Toyota didn’t match last July’s record–setting sales, heightened demand for hybrids and crossovers is reassuring, particularly with the next-generation Highlander just now hitting showrooms.” Detroit Free Press

Sales were down across each of GM's eight brands, including a 22 percent drop at Chevrolet, GM's top-selling nameplate. Truck sales were down 16 percent and cars sales fell 24 percent.

One bright spot: GM managed a 15 percent increase in retail sales to individual customers. The automaker has worked to increase retail sales while pairing back less profitable sales to rental fleets. Year to date, GM sales are down 9 percent.

In mid-July, the incoming chairman of Chrysler made his call in dramatic fashion at a final product review, according to people familiar with the event.

"That car," Bernhard said, "will never see the light of day."

His swift decision is a preview of how Chrysler will operate under Cerberus Capital Management, the secretive private-equity giant that will soon complete its $7.4 billion buyout of the No. 3 U.S. automaker.

With Cerberus exec Bernhard as its hands-on chairman, Chrysler is expected to move quickly and forcefully to turn around its sagging domestic operations and grow its international business.

Cerberus is expected to close on its acquisition of Chrysler from DaimlerChrysler AG as soon as Friday, according to people close to the process.

It's the deal of the decade in the global auto industry and the beginning of a new era for Chrysler, the smallest of Detroit's struggling Big Three automakers.

Big changes are in store for the new Chrysler, including the possibility of an expanded alliance with Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co. and a deal to build cars in Russia, The Detroit News has learned.

But overseas projects and U.S. product moves are only part of the transformation awaiting Chrysler, which lost $680 million in 2006. More at Detroit News

Domestic automakers had a record low 48.1 percent of the market in July. The passage -- though representing just one month's sales -- reflects U.S. automakers' steadily shrinking presence in a market they once ruled.

Across the country, high fuel prices, slumping housing markets and economic concerns drove down sales of almost every major automaker and further hampered recovery efforts in Detroit.

"This is certainly not the way we wanted to start the summer selling season," GM sales analyst Paul Ballew said Wednesday. "We have been running below where we discussed we need to be in terms of the North American restructuring plan."

But over the past year, that competition has been pushed to the back burner.

Maybe that goal was a little overly ambitious. Nevertheless, Detroit seems to have given up on the effort, at least in any meaningful sense.

That comes just as Danica Patrick has become one of the biggest stars in Indy-car racing - certainly the most marketable.

"Ultimately it's about exposing NASCAR to bigger audiences and growing the brand," said Blake Davidson, NASCAR's managing director of licensed products. "Plus it supports our diversity objective."

• Dennis slams Ferrari as saga enters third month
• Berger fails to back beleaguered Liuzzi
• Kimi admits title chances fading
• Brawn admits rival team talks likely

Dennis slams Ferrari as saga enters third month
(GMM) Media reportage of the espionage scandal entered a third consecutive month on Wednesday.

McLaren made public a lengthy letter from team boss Ron Dennis to Italian motor sport president Luigi Macaluso, whose own letter to Max Mosley this week resulted in the re-opening of the FIA investigation into the spying affair.

In his letter, Dennis refers to sacked Ferrari employee Nigel Stepney as a 'whistleblower' who alerted chief designer Mike Coughlan to illegal floors and rear wings on the 2007 Ferrari.

"McLaren took steps to confirm whether (Stepney's) allegations were true, and we concluded that they were," Dennis wrote, accusing Ferrari of then winning the Australian grand prix with the illegal floor still attached.

He added: "Were it not for Mr. Stepney drawing this illegal device to the attention of McLaren, and McLaren drawing it to the attention of the FIA, there is every reason to suppose that Ferrari would have continued to race with an illegal car."

Dennis slammed as "completely misleading" Ferrari's claim that Stepney's whistle-blowing amounted to the divulgence of "confidential information".

"He acted properly and in the interests of the sport in blowing the whistle about this," Dennis said of Stepney.

He added: "No team can expect their employees to keep quiet if they suspect - correctly in this case - that their employers are breaching the rules of the sport."

Dennis also defended not telling Ferrari about Stepney because "it is in the interests of formula one that whistle-blowing is encouraged and not discouraged".

"If team members think that their identity will be revealed they will not whistle-blow," he wrote.

As for the separate issue of Coughlan's receipt of 780-pages of secret material, Dennis said Ferrari "has gone to extraordinary lengths to try to maximize the damage to McLaren".

He describes as "offensive and false" Ferrari's claim that other McLaren staff were aware that Coughlan was in possession of the Ferrari dossier, which the now suspended chief designer subsequently copied, shredded and burned in his back garden.

Dennis also rejects Ferrari's claim that it was not allowed to participate in the World Council hearing, revealing that Ferrari submitted a dossier of evidence, attended the meeting in Paris with lawyers who were "given several opportunities to ask questions and make submissions", while Jean Todt also spoke.

He said: "McLaren's reputation has been unfairly sullied by incorrect press reports from Italy and grossly misleading statements from Ferrari.

Did Penske stick his foot in his mouth again?

"When I look at Indy cars, I believe over the next five years we will see one open-wheel series," said Penske. "It appears that the Champ Car group is primarily looking outside the U.S. for its support, while the IndyCar Series remains anchored by the Indianapolis 500. It will be critical to continue to build a relationship with core tracks, and I think the IndyCar Series is doing that.

"We’ll have one series, with a mix of perhaps 60/40 with ovals and road courses. I think it’s important that ovals remain the majority. Because we are using the same cars on both ovals and road courses — and because we’re using common chassis, engines, and so forth — our costs have been brought to sustainable levels. I also see Indy-car racing partnering with sports cars on race weekends to build and cross-pollinate both fan bases."

McLaren is not aware of any new information or arguments that have arisen since the meeting of the World Motor Sport Council and therefore assumes that these same materials will now be considered by the FIA International Court of Appeal. Whilst this is both disappointing and time-consuming, McLaren is confident that the FIA International Court of Appeal will also exonerate McLaren and we will in the meanwhile continue to focus on our current World Championship program. McLaren PR

Jourdain to drive for Roush in Montreal

Jourdain last competed in the Busch series for Roush Fenway Racing in Mexico with the No. 17 Dish Network team where he qualified 11th and finished 25th after getting caught up in a late-race incident.  Since Jourdain's last outing in Mexico City he has been competing overseas in the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) with SEAT. 

"I really like racing at Montreal," said Jourdain.  "As a driver you have to be really aggressive on the brakes to get a good lap, but at the same time you must take care of them to finish the race.  You can pick up a lot of time in the chicanes by being very aggressive.  I think the trickiest turn is the hairpin because there is a very long straightaway after it and there is a lot of time to be gained there.  I've been racing overseas this summer in the WTCC with SEAT and have had fun while learning a lot, but I'm excited to be back in the No. 17 Dish Network Ford Fusion for Roush Fenway Racing."

Sprint Nextel, NASCAR's top series sponsor, bought the largest sports sponsorship ever sold, exclusivity included, and has spent close to $100 million a year since 2004. Cingular and Alltel were allowed to stay as team sponsors under certain restrictions.

But in a preliminary injunction ruling in May, a judge said AT&T could replace Cingular on the No. 31 Nextel Cup car because the restriction on rebranding wasn't spelled out in NASCAR's contract with Richard Childress Racing.

Those in the industry said it was widely known that Cingular and Alltel could not rebrand if one of them merged with another company in the volatile telecom world. But NASCAR didn't put it in writing, so AT&T's blue globe has been on the hood of the orange No. 31 for the past two-plus months.

"AT&T has nothing to lose," said Zak Brown, founder and CEO of motorsports agency Just Marketing. "They might not have very good relationships in the industry, but they've got the globe on the car. It just shows how corporate the sport is.

"In the old days, you'd get called into the (NASCAR trackside) trailer and sort it out. But the days of going to the trailer are long gone."

AT&T's emergence in NASCAR this year has led Sprint Nextel to say that its exclusivity has been compromised. And it remains at risk, based on the current legal precedent. Alltel is ripe for acquisition, analysts say, which could allow another company to rebrand Alltel on the No. 12 Penske Racing entry. Alltel was bought earlier this year by two private equity firms.

"For Alltel and other brands with competitive categories, this will make them take notice," said Jonathan Gibson, vice president of marketing at Pierce Promotions and a former executive at Miller Brewing. "This is one of the first major cases of somebody pushing the envelope. NASCAR and other sanctioning bodies selling entitlements are going to have to closely monitor their language in these contracts and watch for potential changes. You can't predict every change, but you have to be strategic in your approach."

Unless the judge hearing NASCAR's appeal of the preliminary injunction on Thursday overturns the ruling, Sprint Nextel must prepare for its next move.  More at Sporting News

The first wave of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series teams will test in preparation for “The Great American Race” on Jan. 7-9 with Jan. 10 serving as a rain date. The second wave of NEXTEL Cup Series testing will be Jan. 14-16 with Jan. 17 serving as a rain date.

Construction underway on MotoGP road course at IMS

IMS officials plan to have all construction completed by Opening Day for the 92nd Indianapolis 500 in early May.

"Our motorcycle event is Sept. 14, 2008, and we have a little event called the Indy 500 in May and you really can't work on anything in May," said Joie Chitwood, IMS president and chief operating officer. "So the goal is to get it done as soon as possible so that we're prepared for May for the Indy 500 and our other events."

"When Scott came to the pit wall after going off the track, he complained about the very bad performance of the team because of the delay he suffered during the pitstop," Tost told Autosprint magazine.

"By contrast, I firstly asked him why he went off, then I tried to explain to him that he was the one who actually caused the chaos, but he didn't listen to me. He carried on wanting to know why the team took so long to change his tires when he came into the pits.

"It seemed like that was his only worry, while mine is, most of all, that the team are not put in doubt and their job not denigrated.

"There was a reason why the pitstop lasted that long: in his in lap Scott overtook our other car - that of Vitantonio Liuzzi - in the last sector. The GPS fit on our cars did not show that Scott had overtaken Tonio, cutting through the chicane, just before entering the pitlane. [The GPS] maybe didn't have enough time to catch the move.

"The team there, who were expecting to see Tonio coming, were left dumbfounded and were unprepared. Scott overtook his teammate by avoiding the chicane and I think he would have had to give back the position to avoid a penalty, if he stayed in the race.

"That's why I got upset: I was annoyed by his attitude, by the fact that his only worry seemed to blame the team. I mean, he went off the track, he made a mistake: I make mistakes every day as well, that's not the problem. But I can't tolerate that he casts a cloud over the work of the team.

"That's why, when he turned around to leave, I followed him and grabbed him by the shoulder. 'While I'm talking to you,' I said, 'you can't leave like this.' I deny having grabbed him by the neck, while it's true that, once I had calmed down, I apologized to him."

Martinez will be the fifth driver at Racing Engineering this season, and he will partner Javier Villa, winner of two sprint races this year.

Venezuelan Viso had competed in three races for the team, but had failed to score any points.

Martinez had raced for Racing Engineering in the Spanish F3 championship.

"The arrival of Marco in GP2 is good news for Racing Engineering as it shows once again how its F3 program, made possible by the continuous support of its sponsors Repsol and Telefonica, has been really successful not only in producing victories and championships for the team but also as a great feeder for the GP2 project," the team said.

Piquet and his wife Viviane, who also had her license revoked, must attend a week of lessons to learn good and safe driving conduct, and then pass an exam. BBC

The Briton's sacked former colleague at Maranello based Ferrari, Nigel Stepney, claimed on Tuesday that Brawn was the ringleader of a band of workers who wanted to take their talents elsewhere in pitlane.

Referring to a 'breakaway' group, countryman Stepney said it "would have been led by my friend Ross Brawn".

Brawn responded to the Italian news agency ANSA: "Ferrari is the only team or group with whom I have discussed my future."

He added: "All the press articles that link me with other teams are either inaccurate or just speculative."

Brawn said he was motivated to speak to ANSA because of "recent reports about my situation".

He reiterated that he decided to take a sabbatical in 2007 purely for "personal reasons".

"After 30 years in motor racing I wanted to dedicate some time to my family and to pursue personal ambitions that I had been unable to do."

Brawn said he has now begun to negotiate with Ferrari in order to explore the "possibility to work together again in the future".

He added: "After ten fantastic years, the people and the culture of Ferrari and Italy are in my heart.  Ferrari is my team."

The Briton's sacked former colleague at Maranello based Ferrari, Nigel Stepney, claimed on Tuesday that Brawn was the ringleader of a band of workers who wanted to take their talents elsewhere in pitlane.

Referring to a 'breakaway' group, countryman Stepney said it "would have been led by my friend Ross Brawn".

Brawn responded to the Italian news agency ANSA: "Ferrari is the only team or group with whom I have discussed my future.  All the rest is speculation."

• Montoya first to crack SPEED Weekly Top 20 in two different series (F1, NASCAR)
• Champ Car drivers Doornbos, Neel make first appearances in Top 20

Updated 8-1-07
Pos.  (LW) Driver (Series)                    Pts
1. (1) Fernando Alonso (F1)                  8.063
2. (2) Scott Dixon (IRL)                     7.986
3. (3) Dario Franchitti (IRL)                7.905
4. (7) Jeff Gordon (NASCAR)                  7.796
5. (26) Robert Doornbos (CCWS)               7.561
6. (6) Tony Stewart (NASCAR)                 7.543
7. (14) Kyle Busch (NASCAR)                  7.284
8. (4) Sebastien Bourdais (CCWS)             7.166
9. (11) Jeff Burton (NASCAR)                 7.156
10. (8) Kevin Harvick (NASCAR)               7.114
11. (9) Matt Kenseth (NASCAR)                6.932
12. (5) Carl Edwards (NASCAR)                6.865
13. (10) Felipe Massa (F1)                   6.814
14. (28) Will Power (CCWS)                   6.572
15. (NR) Juan Pablo Montoya (NASCAR)         6.550
16. (15) Clint Bowyer (NASCAR)               6.517
17. (24) Martin Truex Jr. (NASCAR)           6.462
18. (13) Denny Hamlin (NASCAR)               6.398
19. (35) Jani Neel (CCWS)                    6.270
20. (18) Kurt Busch (NASCAR)                 6.189
 
Dropped out: Justin Wilson (CCWS), Casey Mears (NASCAR), Ryan Newman (NASCAR), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (NASCAR), Greg Biffle (NASCAR)

Provided by STATS Inc.
Current year results, last 10 races, last five races and last race are factored in equally, with an adjustment factor to compensate for the series different scoring systems. In addition, a competition difficulty factor has been included to balance the competitive depth of each series.

Following the McLaren driver's disastrous Nurburgring race two weeks ago, where his run of podium finishes came to an end, betting agent William Hill lists 22-year-old Hamilton as only the third favorite to win in Budapest.

London based William Hill, one of the two largest bookmakers in the UK alongside Ladbrokes, is also offering 4/6 odds that Hamilton will lose his slender 2 point lead to on-form teammate Fernando Alonso this Sunday.

Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) and Alonso are joint favorite to win, at 2/1, and the pair is also at 9/4 to start at the front of the grid.

Hamilton, meanwhile, is 10/3 to win and 11/4 to secure pole.

"Punters are starting to desert Hamilton as Alonso hits form -- this weekend's result is make or break for Lewis," said spokesman Rupert Adams.

Meira debuts innovative driving suit

The suit structure is kept together by a series of elasticized sections including a large horizontal band on the waist, which substitutes the traditional belt. The suit is ‘vertically quilted’ instead of ‘box quilted’ and SOFY DRY® treated for a quicker release of body heat.

The general concept behind the creation of the Monoposto is to provide drivers with a product that is closely fitted to the body in order to eliminate the excessive Nomex® material that drivers usually fight with once in the cockpit. The suit provides the following main advantages

Wurz admits rivals for 2008 seat

The Austrian veteran, who has struggled to impress alongside his teammate Nico Rosberg so far this year, particularly in qualifying, revealed to the news agency APA that he is yet to secure a contract beyond the end of 2007.

Wurz, 33, said: "I sleep very calmly at night, although many people are knocking on the Williams door -- and some can offer a lot of money."

Current team test driver Narain Karthikeyan, with a swag of backing from India, wants to return to the grid next year, while Nelson Piquet Jr and Giancarlo Fisichella have also been linked with Wurz's seat.

The former long time McLaren test driver, however, said he prefers to concentrate on his race weekends rather than worry about the future.

"Everything else will then follow naturally," Wurz added.

He said: "Anyway, I think it is too early to think about 2008.  But that doesn't mean that I cannot keep my eyes open."

• Speed 'not released' from contract - manager
• McLaren fume at spy case appeal
• Silverstone agrees on $50m British GP upgrade
• Spy appeal 'not good' for FIA image
• Ape-like Kimi relaxes with beer

Speed 'not released' from contract - manager
(GMM) Scott Speed is yet to comment after being dropped by the Toro Rosso team.

Faenza based STR announced in a statement on Tuesday that former BMW test driver Sebastian Vettel would instead drive the number 19 car alongside Vitantonio Liuzzi for the balance of 2007, but made no mention of the contractual situation involving Speed.

The 24-year-old from America has not so far been reached for comment following the Vettel news, but his manager Glen Hinshaw replied to an email enquiry from the newspaper LA Times.

Hinshaw said Speed "is not released from (his) contract" and that further details "regarding the team and driver ongoing relationship" would be announced after Sunday's race in Hungary.

McLaren fume at spy case appeal
(GMM) McLaren expressed anger but also confidence after it emerged that the FIA's espionage case against the Woking based team would now be appealed.

Ron Dennis' team in a statement expressed cynicism that Max Mosley only decided to send the case to the Court of Appeal "following a thoroughly misleading press campaign by Ferrari and pressure from the Automobile Club D' Italia" (ACI).

The appeal will be heard in late August or early next month, according to sources.

Mosley, the FIA president, wrote in his letter to the ACI on Tuesday that - although McLaren were not punished by the World Council last week - there are "a number of suspicious elements" to the team's defense.

At the same time, Ferrari's board of directors met in Maranello and gave the green light for more legal action, this time presumably against McLaren.

The highly successful 13-year partnership between the Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) and the Repsol YPF brand has brought nine 500cc and MotoGP World Championship titles, 96 race victories in the premier class and 163 podium finishes to date.

HRC Managing Director, Mr. Satoru Horiike commented: “After 13 years with Repsol, HRC is very pleased to continue the relationship with a new agreement from the 2008 season.”

The Board has ratified what happened until now, which is the action taken against Nigel Stepney over the fact of the powder found around the refueling aperture on the F1 cars during the Monaco Grand Prix tests. The submission of another legal action against Stepney concerning the theft of technical informations, the civil action presented to The High Court of London against Mike Coughlan, chief designer of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, and his wife, concerning the theft of the aforementioned documents.

The Board took note of the FIA World Council's decision of 26th of July and of today's decision from the FIA President, Max Mosley, to refer this matter to a hearing of the FIA Court of Appeal, where Ferrari, as the injured party of the incident, will be accorded all the rights to which they are entitled in a trial, which was not the case at the World Council meeting.

The Board gives its full authority to the Board of Administration's President, to the CEO, and to the Managing Director to initiate and continue any necessary legal action, in the name of the Company, in addiction to those legal actions already underway in every legal, civil, criminal, administrative, sporting jurisdiction be it, in Italy or abroad.

A best-guess estimate was about 225,000, so let's keep things in perspective. That's still the biggest crowd for any Cup race all season, but it's far from a sellout for a facility that has 257,000 seats.

Many seats on the lower rows of the frontstretch were empty, along with blocks of open grandstands in Turns 2 and 3. ESPN.com

Commenting on the third season’s race calendar, A1GP chief executive officer, Pete da Silva said: ‘This year’s race calendar sees a few changes and the addition of one new venue which I feel reflects the evolution of this fantastic racing series.

‘A1GP is growing throughout its markets, developing an exceptionally strong fan base across Asia. Our provisional television ratings clearly demonstrate that we have created a firm foothold in one of the biggest emerging markets in the world and it is for this reason that we are delighted to have the opportunity to return to China twice again this season. 2007/08 is going to be a bigger and better season with so much to look forward to.’

The venue for the 4 November event will be confirmed in due course following the conclusion of negotiations with the relevant parties.

[Editor's Note:  This really is too funny.  A pickup truck with pneumatic air bags on the chassis that blow out.  Did the Wood Brothers design that?  Or perhaps the air bags were made of the same design as Goodyear's NASCAR 'blow out at any time' tires.]

Mazda's profit slipped to 2.48 billion yen ($20.9 million) for the three months ended June 30, down from 6.61 billion yen the previous year. A weak yen usually is a plus for Japanese exporters like Mazda but this time it resulted in some losses due to forward foreign exchange contracts, the company said.

Quarterly sales jumped 11 percent on-year to 814.29 billion yen ($6.85 billion), the Hiroshima-based manufacturer said.

Q and A with Pastor Maldonado

Pastor Maldonado: During the winter testing I always tried to push very hard, and in the last sessions I was constantly in the top-5; that gave me a lot of confidence. I really didn't expect to meet reliability troubles, that prevented me from showing the real potential of the team and, of course, mine.

I'm sure that without these issues we would have been able to fight for the top, as happened at Monte Carlo and in the following races. In the last rounds things got progressively better, and my standing position improved as well.

Q. In the last four rounds you scored four points finishes, climbing up several positions in standings; what was the difference with the first rounds?

“It is an honor to, not only be selected by Ganassi but to fill in for Montoya," the 27-year-old said.

He will  also be fulfilling his normal duties in the Grand-Am Rolex Series so it will be a busy weekend for the Canadian.

Letter to Max Mosley from Luigi Macaluso

Dear President,

We have been informed about the outcome of the most recent meeting of the World Motor Sport Council held on July 26, 2007 in Paris. We have also exchanged views with our license holder, Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro (owned by Ferrari SpA).

We must confess that we find it quite difficult to justify how a team has not been penalized while it has been found in breach of clause 151c of the International Sporting Code. Indeed, this probably is the most fundamental provision of our sport, In the present case the infringement is serious since it has been assessed that the team Vodafone McLaren Mercedes has repeatedly breached such provision, over several months, though several top team representatives, to the detriment of its most direct competitor and therefore to it direct or indirect advantage knowing that such infringement would still be ongoing would it had not been fortuitously discovered.

The very fact that the breach of clause 151c has been assessed by the World Motor Sport Council means that all conditions of such breach were fulfilled.
We cannot see why additional conditions would have demonstrated in order for a penalty to have been inflicted, The recent history of Formula 1 offers several examples of causes in which a party was inflicted a severe penalty because of a breach if clause 151c, without the subject matter of such having been used by a team or having any detrimental effect of the competition.

2nd Annual Champ Car Tailgate Party
Presented by CARA CHARITIES
Road America
Friday, August 10, 2007
6:30-9:30 pm
Please note time change due to Champ Car Qualifying

Please join us at the Champ Car/American Le Mans Series Hospitality Paddock
at Road America for a night of food, drink and entertainment.

AND
The Great American Racing Auction
Great collectables from today’s stars and an array of racing memories from the 1980’s and 1990’s.
Something for every fan and every budget.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE

Proceeds will benefit CARA Charities, Champ Car Ministries, American Le Mans Series Grid Kids
and
Elkhart Lake First Responders & Elkhart Lake Volunteer Fire Department

Tickets $50 per person       $10 Kids under 12

To place a ticket order or sponsorship please call the CARA Charities office at 317-299-2277
or go online at www.caracharities.org

Tickets are $50 per person and proceeds benefit CARA Charities, Champ Car Ministries, American Le Mans Series Grid Kids, and the Elkhart Lake First Responders and Volunteer Fire Department. Contact CARA Charities at 317-299-2277 or online at www.caracharities.org.

Walther was driving so recklessly while trying to avoid Beavercreek police July 18 that officers were forced to give up the chase because they feared other motorists could be hurt, said Detective Rodney Curd.

An anonymous tipster who "knew Walther had warrants" notified Beavercreek police July 18 the former race car driver was pumping gas at a BP station on North Fairfield Road about 8:40 p.m., Curd said.

When an officer approached him, Walther fled in a 1992 Mercury Grand Marquis, leading police on a chase on North Fairfield and Interstate 675.

Walther, 59, son of late Dayton industrialist George N. Walther, turned himself into the Warren County Jail at 1:37 p.m. Sunday. Curd said he would present a felony charge of failure to comply with police to a Greene County grand jury today.

Walther is wanted in Warren County for not appearing for sentencing July 11 after admitting in April that he failed to pay more than $20,000 in child support.  Dayton Daily News

The Faenza based team confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that Vettel, formerly BMW's 20-year-old reserve driver, will replace beleaguered American regular Scott Speed for the balance of 2007, starting this weekend in Hungary.

The statement, however, made no mention of media speculation that German Vettel is also first in line for a full time seat with the team in 2008 and 2009.

But Berger, a ten time grand prix winner, told the news agency Sport-Informations-Dienst: "Sebastian is in his twelfth year as a Red Bull man.  He has a long past and hopefully also a long future with us."

Berger clarified that it meant Vettel would race for Toro Rosso "probably also next year".

"He is an extremely intelligent and engaged driver," Berger continued, "who already knows formula one well through BMW.  Therefore he is the ideal man for us."

Following the written request of Ferrari's national sanctioning organization, the Automobile Club d'Italia (ACI), Mosley said it was right to further investigate the case because Ferrari had not been allowed to present evidence in last Thursday's hearing of the World Motor Sport Council.

McLaren in Paris was found to be in breach of clause 151c of the International Sporting Code but was not penalized, which in ACI president Luigi Macaluso's view is "quite difficult to justify".

He claimed that "several top team representatives" of McLaren knew about chief designer Mike Coughlan's espionage activities over several months, but that Ferrari had been unable to counter McLaren's defense that no employee besides Coughlan knew about the 780-pages of secret information.

In a written reply to Macaluso, who after the Paris hearing had also verbally questioned the FIA's decision, Mosley said probing the matter further was also important for "public confidence in the outcome".

He wrote: "I will send this matter to the FIA Court of Appeal ... with a request that the Court hear both Ferrari and McLaren and any other Championship competitor who so requests and determine whether the decision of the WMSC was appropriate and, if not substitute such other decision as may be just."

Michael Schumacher's sacked former chief mechanic, who is at the centre of the espionage saga that has scandalized formula one, hit back at Ferrari just days after Maranello based chiefs expressed rage that McLaren escaped punishment for spying.

"Ferrari spy on me," Briton Stepney is quoted on Tuesday as telling the Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

He said he has again fled Italy, and revealed that he was followed "the whole way" from Modena to France.

"They can do whatever they want to me but they have dragged my family into this," said Stepney, who claims he is the victim of a set-up.

He added: "Someone gave away the (780 pages of) designs but it wasn't me.

"Someone set me up and that person is still working for Ferrari.

"But I don't want to say any more because I only know part of the story. Ferrari knows everything."

Stepney also said the 'white powder' and accusations of sabotage are part of the set up.

"They put the powder in my pants pocket while I was taking a shower," he insists.

He said he only thought about joining a band of disgruntled Ferrari employees who wanted to defect to another formula one team after his relationship with boss Jean Todt began to break down.

"It would have been led by my friend Ross Brawn," Stepney said.

He also revealed that he has accepted a new job outside of the sport, categorically ruling out joining McLaren after being labeled a 'McLaren informer' by Ferrari's Italian lawyers.

He said: "I do not like Ron Dennis. I met him (in the past) only once and he suggested that I work for him."

The track provides a very particular challenge for teams and drivers. It’s tight and twisty, which precludes sustained high speed running, but it also has something of a reputation as a car-breaker. The weather is always an important factor in any grand prix, with the importance of correct tire choice for the conditions illustrated perfectly by the European Grand Prix last time out. With part of Europe under flood conditions and part of Europe experiencing a heat wave, Hungary could be interesting, although advance predictions are showing hot and sunny conditions.

Vettel replaces Scott Speed at STR

"However, the current testing rules mean that he barely gets a chance to drive for us. Now he has been offered the opportunity to get inside a Toro Rosso cockpit. We have sponsored and coached Sebastian over a number of years.

"To place obstacles in his career path now would go against our concept of talent promotion."

[Editor's Note:  The smartest thing Champ Car could do is get American Scott Speed in a competitive car immediately, i.e. at Road America, and sign him for a long-term contract.  The guy is fast and can prove he belonged in F1 if given a car that has a chance of winning.  Like Bourdais, Andretti, Montoya and Zanardi, Champ Car is a way into F1, unlike the oval-centric NASCAR and IRL series which do not rate with F1 team owners.  Being he is a Red Bull driver, Red Bull can easily make this move happen, and should.]

07/31/07 The BMW Sauber team have released Sebastian Vettel to drive for Scuderia Toro Rosso, the German squad announced today.  Sebastian Vettel will be been confirmed to replace American Scott Speed at Toro Rosso effective immediately. More to follow.....

Big Boy customers will be able to experience the speed and excitement of both the American Le Mans Series and the IndyCar Series on Grand Prix weekend, August 31-September 2, 2007, by picking up a voucher while supplies last at over 130 Big Boy restaurants throughout the state of Michigan, and in Cleveland and Akron, Ohio only. The vouchers are redeemable for a $5 discount on any Reserved Grandstand ticket for Saturday’s action at the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix.

Dear Joe, ESPN and ABC only care about NASCAR. They have to ensure the TV ratings are high for NASCAR because they have a huge financial obligation to NASCAR. Meanwhile Champ Car pays ESPN and ABC to air their races and they use that money to pay NASCAR (and the IRL) and none of it goes toward promoting Champ Car as you see almost zero promotion of Champ Car on ESPN like originally promised. Mark C.

• Honda appoints new marketing man
• Marko defends Red Bull driver program
• Piquet Snr loses driver license
• Hamilton best '07 driver - survey
• Unhappy Massa reserves spy verdict opinion

Honda appoints new marketing man
(GMM) Formula one team Honda has appointed a new marketing director, following the departure in May of Alistair Watkins.

Alongside 19 Entertainment, Watkins - the son of former F1 doctor Prof. Sid Watkins - was responsible for the radical 'Earth Car' concept for 2007 but he left the Brackley based team to join the Swiss America's Cup squad Anlinghi.

On Monday, it was announced that David Butler - from the sports awards Laureus - had now replaced him, and his first challenge will be to build on the 'Earth Car' concept, Honda said in a statement.

Marko defends Red Bull driver program
(GMM) Red Bull's Helmut Marko has defended the energy drink's arguably failed junior driver development programs.

With Toro Rosso's Red Bull-developed lineup of Scott Speed and Vitantonio Liuzzi on the verge of collapse, former grand prix racer Marko - whose role at races is to liaise with Red Bull's drivers - insisted that the company's up and coming stars justify the driver program.

"We have some very good people (on the program)," the Austrian said in an interview with motorline.cc.

"One of them is Sebastien Buemi, who is in F3 and recently did a very good formula one test."

Marko also singled out Brendon Hartley and Filipe Albuquerque as young stars of the future.

"So we have a multiplicity of good drivers who are very successful in the junior categories," he insisted.

"If you make your judgment about Red Bull's junior program only on the basis of the performance of Speed and Liuzzi, then I don't think that is fair."

Piquet Snr loses driver license
(GMM) Triple world champion Nelson Piquet lost his driver's license in Brazil last month, according to reports.

The news agency Globo News said the 54-year-old, whose son Piquet Jr tests for the Renault team, lost all of his demerit points due to a range of traffic infringements, including speeding.

Piquet reportedly did not contest the cancellation of his credential.

Brazilian authorities would not however confirm the news, or answer speculation that the final infringement was a speeding breach of more than 50kph above the legal limit.

To regain his license, former Brabham and Williams racer Piquet began a driving reform program in the central capital Brasilia on Monday.