MOTORSPORT: Full throttle for openwheelers

Mark Webber predicts 'a cracker' GP in Malaysia, IndyCar kicks off with a new chassis, new engines and a new star, and Auckland puts proposal for V8 Supercars to return to Pukekohe under the microscope

Mercedes given thumbs on controversial wing

Another Formula One grand prix this weekend, just a week after the season-opener in Melbourne, and Mark Webber has predicted the Malaysian race will be "a cracker", while a new IndyCar series begins in Florida with the new wide-bodied -- and hopefully safer -- cars and a mix of engine suppliers.

One thing is highly likely in the Malaysian GP -- rain, especially with the race starting at 4pm Kuala Lumpur time Sunday. Something is highly unlikely -- the safety car being called into action. It hasn't been needed in the GP at the Sepang circuit in the past decade. There has been considerable fuss this week about the legality of the rear wings on the Mercedes cars of Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg.

Webber's Red Bull Racing and the Lotus-Renault team reckoned the F-duct on the Mercedes wings activated by the DRS (drag reduction system) helps "stall" the wings and produces a straight-line speed boost in breach of a rule banning driver-activated aerodynamic devices. However, the governing Federation Internationale de l'Automobile's F1 race director Charlie Whiting has deemed the wings legal.

"It (the Mercedes concept) is completely passive," Whiting said. "There are no moving parts in it... It doesn't interact with any suspension. No steering, nothing... Therefore I cannot see a rule that prohibits it."

The Mercedes W03 cars had impressive speed in Melbourne but that did not translate into race results. Schumacher is confident of a better showing in Malaysia and team principal Ross Brawn claiming to have got on top of a tyre degradation problem.

Having just missed out on a podium in Melbourne -- behind McLaren victor Jenson Button, Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel and the other McLaren star, Lewis Hamilton -- Webber is upbeat his prospects at Sepang.

In 10 starts there he retired the first five times but has finished the last five, with second place two years ago his best result. In Melbourne he had to overcome another poor start but said this week in his column for the BBC's website: "We don't want to make a habit of recovery drives, although you can expect one or two a year -- and hopefully that's one of them out of the way.

"Malaysia is very challenging, the drivers love it, and it's a really rewarding GP to get right... Sepang is a very different track from [Melbourne's] Albert Park, one that demands a lot from the tyres ... [but] there's a lot more chance to overtake, too.

"Melbourne is a tricky place to get past anyone, but Malaysia's not like that. If you have a pace advantage, you tend to be able to get through... Malaysia is quite an aerodynamically demanding track and the Lotus looks good in that area, so I'd also expect a challenge from Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean in Sepang.

"I think it will be a cracking GP." Elsewhere Webber described Sepang as "a beautiful circuit to drive on".

"We really get to feel the sensation of an F1 car, particularly through the middle sector. It's a great venue... Late afternoon is usually when the rain comes in Malaysia, and when it comes you know about it. That's something to be wary of."

Fellow Australian, 22-year-old Daniel Ricciardo is hoping for a repeat of his excellent performance in Melbourne -- ninth, from 10th on the grid, and ahead of Toro Rosso teammate, French rookie Jean-Eric Vergne, both in qualifying and the race.

Ferrari has given under-performing Brazilian Felipe Massa a new chassis for this weekend but already speculation is mounting of him being replaced by Jarno Trulli, the Italian veteran who lost his drive with the Caterham team to Russian pay driver Vitaly Petrov.

Aussies fire up with Chevy power for Indy series

The new IndyCar season gets underway without Danica Patrick, who has switched to NASCAR, but with the addition of Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, who arrives with almost two decades of Formula One experience.

The opening round is on the streets of St Petersburg in Florida with Australians Will Power and Ryan Briscoe again fronting for one of the powerhouse teams, Penske Racing. Power has won 13 Indy races and been runner-up in the championship to the Ganassi team's Dario Franchitti the past two years, while Briscoe won at St Petersburg in 2009.

The new generic Dallara chassis has been named the DW12 in honour of Dan Wheldon, the British two-time Indianapolis 500 winner killed at Las Vegas in the final round of last season.

The wider bodywork of the DW12 should make it much safer than the old IndyCars, especially when the series moves to the high-speed oval tracks.

Penske, KV Racing Technology -- fielding Barrichello and jointly owned by expatriate Australian Kevin Kalkhoven and former driver Jimmy Vasser -- and the Andretti four-car team will run engines from Chevrolet, which is back in the series after a seven-year absence.

Ganassi has stuck with previous monopoly engine supplier Honda, while Lotus also is building IndyCar engines now but does not have a top team among its line-up.

NASCAR penalties overturned but $100,000 fine stands

NASCAR fifth Sprint Cup this weekend is at Fontana in California. The mighty Hendrick Motorsports has won its final appeal against severe penalties imposed on it after five-time champion Jimmie Johnson's Chevrolet was deemed to have illegal aerodynamic modifications ahead of the season-opening Daytona 500.

Six-race bans on crew chief Chad Knaus and chief mechanic Ron Malec have been dropped, although they remain on probation, and Johnson and the team have been given back the 25 points he was docked. However, a $100,000 fine on Hendrick will still be enforced. Johnson jumped from 17th to 11th in the championship standings once he regained his 25 points.

Australian Marcos Ambrose, driving a Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports, is 24th in the points.

Auckland runs fine tooth comb over Pukekohe proposal

As it looks increasingly likely that the New Zealand round of the V8 Supercar Championship will return to the Pukekohe circuit after next month's final Hamilton 400 street race, the Auckland City Council has revealed it is considering a V8 Supercars Australia proposal regarding Pukekohe -- on the southern outskirts of the city.

Auckland mayor Len Brown said he was "extremely cautious around costs, particularly given the experience of Hamilton [where the event has cost ratepayers $40 million]".

"No decision will be made until we are absolutely satisfied that costs, benefits and risks are not only known but are proven to a very high degree of certainty to be reliable and affordable," Brown said.

V8 Supercars raced at Pukekohe each year from 2001 until 2008 before the move to Hamilton.

Geelong Speed Trials are back - in December

The Geelong Speed Trials that ran on the foreshore of the Victorian city from the mid-1950s until 2003 are to be revived.

The new event will be called the Geelong Revival and be held on December 1-2.

MOTORSPORT: Full throttle for openwheelers

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