Ford star fights charge

Midweek motorsport reportNovember 1, 2006

Lowndes takes huge gamble
Craig Lowndes has daringly raised the stakes in the latest V8 Supercar storm. Rather than accept an immediate fine over his comments at the Gold Coast Indy, Lowndes is fighting the charge against him -- which could now cost the Ford superstar championship points as well as money.

At a hearing by the V8 investigating officer Peter Wollerman yesterday, Lowndes maintained his innocence, opted not to accept any judgment there and then from Wollerman, and to go to a stewards' inquiry on November 10 -- on the eve of the Tasmanian round of the championship at Symmons Plains.

Lowndes is charged with bringing the sport into disrepute after comments he made over two penalties he received at the Gold Coast. The first penalty was for illegally warming up his tyres with a "burn-out" as he approached the start line of the first V8 races, and the second for not immediately surrendering position to fellow Ford star Russell Ingall in the third race after cutting across a chicane.

The comments were interpreted as suggesting officials were trying to manipulate the championship by minimising Lowndes' lead, which has been cut to just 30 points over Holden's Rick Kelly. Lowndes has strongly denied that his remarks were aimed at officials, claiming instead that they were directed at the Holden camp.

The matter could have concluded yesterday with a fine had Lowndes accepted. In going to the stewards he risks significantly heavier penalties, including exclusion from the Gold Coast result and loss of points, as well as a fine. He's taken a bold gamble.

Renault power for Webber
Mark Webber will have a Renault engine behind him when he races for Red Bull next year. Red Bull had a contract to use Ferrari engines next season, but Ferrari boss Jean Todt was wary of Red Bull running a car designed by the iconic Adrian Newey with a Ferrari powerplant that could potentially upstage the Italian cars, so it has been agreed that Red Bull will use the Renault engines for which it also recently made a contract and satellite team Scuderia Toro Rosso, the former Minardi, will run the Ferrari motors.

Todt now says: "We are pleased to be embarking on a new long-term relationship with Scuderia Toro Rosso. It will allow us to strengthen our ties with the world of Italian motorsport and also to work with a team run by Gerhard Berger, our former driver and friend of Ferrari (and half-owner of Scuderia Toro Roso with Red Bull magnate Dietrich Mateschitz."

Drivers claim Mosley threat
F1 veteran David Coulthard claims FIA (Federation Internationale de l'Automobile) president Max Mosley threatened drivers with the loss of their superlicences after recent criticism of Monza, venue for the Italian GP. The Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) threatened to boycott the high-speed circuit, claiming their pleas for better safety were being ignored. Coulthard says that, "instead of real answers, we got a letter from Max saying we were speaking out of turn" and pointing out that the terms of a superlicence "include a clause that says we aren't allowed to speak out of turn or against the governing body, etc.".

Coulthard told F1 Racing magazine the drivers are "not intimidated" by Mosley's stance. "It's still us, and only us -- the drivers -- who really know what it's like to follow another car through a wall of spray at somewhere like Spa (in Belgium)," he says. "I'm all for everyone involved in the sport expressing their views; why, then, must we drivers not express ours?"

Phew! Massa's secret weapon
Felipe Massa has revealed an odd superstition that he reckons contributes to his success, which included two GP victories this year, the most recent being the season-ender in his Brazilian homeland. "If my weekend begins well (in Friday practice) I use the same underpants on Saturday. If that is also a good day, I wear them on Sunday. That is what I did in Brazil," Massa says. To be partnered by Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari next season, Massa says he will continue to regard recently-retired seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher as something of a university professor. "I learned an awful lot from him. I am certain that I will phone him for advice many times next year," Massa says.

Alan Jones, Australia's 1980 F1 world champion and the country's franchise holder in the A1 series, says his A1 Team Australia "is already off to a blistering start to the season" with Ryan Briscoe giving it a podium at the first round in Holland. The next round, the third this season, is on a 3.2-km street circuit in Beijing on November 12, which clashes with Briscoe's new commitment at the final Champ Car round in Mexico. That leaves Karl Reindler, Barton Mawer and Ian Dyke vying for the A1 drive that weekend, with Reindler, who drove at the second round in the Czech Republic, favorite to get another chance. China is the only country with two rounds in the series; its other one is in Shanghai. Teams compete in identical Lola single-seaters powered by V8 engines built by Zytek and producing 390kW. The emphasis is more on national, rather than individual driver, success. Tickets for the Australian round can be bought through www.ticketek.com.au www.a1gp.com.

However, Rally NZ chairman Chris Carr is hoping Loeb will make it. "The manufacturers' championship is very much alive (with Ford leading Citroen by 16 points). If he (Loeb) is fully recovered then he will want to race," Carr says.

MotoGP superstar Valentino Rossi will compete in a Subaru -- privately-entered but from the Prodrive stable in Britain

Melbourne rally chiefs quit
The Rally of Melbourne is slated for November 10-11 -- a little later than normal - on next year's Australian Rally Championship calendar announced recently, but Neil Cuthbert and Justin Hunt, who have run the event for four years since previous promoter Glen Cuthbert's disappearance in a boating accident, won't be in charge. The pair are bowing out, saying: "This has been a very difficult decision for both of us and probably not a decision we really wanted to make". Hunt says the impact on personal lives and those around them has been significant "and Neil (Glen's brother) and I feel it is now time to move on".

Finding a replacement promoter for this event is yet another hurdle for Australian rallying to overcome. Tasmania's ARC round has gone and the viability of several others is questionable, although NSW is back on the calendar for 2007 with the new Rally of the Great Lakes near Forster on the central north coast. "We are keen to see the (Melbourne) event continue, and would provide every encouragement and assistance to someone else to take the event over, and continue its place in the ARC," Hunt says.

More Busch for Montoya
Juan Pablo Montoya will race the final three rounds of the NASCAR Busch Series following his successful debut last weekend, when he finished ninth at Memphis.

Montoya will drive this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, then at on November 11 and Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18. He did two ARCA races, at Iowa and Talladega, before moving into the Busch category, and next year is set to compete in the premier Nextel Cup. He is driving Dodges for esteemed team owner Chip Ganassi.