MOTORSPORT: New headaches for Gold Coast

The British company that has looked after the Ferrari-engined cars that run in the series, A1 Grand Prix Operations Ltd, has gone into liquidation.

"Like many other companies in today's difficult economic environment, we had cashflow problems and we haven't been able to pay them (the suppliers)," an A1 GP spokeswoman said.

The news came just days after A1 GP confirmed Surfers' Paradise as the first round of its next series, as well as another new round at Assen in Holland.

Gold Coast Super GP general manager Greg Hooton has downplayed the British company's liquidation -- which has dislocated 40 staff working at Silverstone and in London -- as A1 restructuring and moving its headquarters to the new Portimao circuit in Portugal.

"I have been speaking to A1 GP and, the way that they have explained it to me, it is all a part of their restructure and in no way impacts on them coming to Surfers' Paradise," Hooton told Motorsport enews.

He had said before this news that "things are building nicely as we approach the 100-day countdown mark (on July 14) and the start of circuit construction in August".

This week he said: "I don't think that the number (of ticket sales) of last year will be the same."

The Queensland government is committed to pumping $11.6 million a year into the Gold Coast event, where A1 is to share joint billing with the V8 Supercars.

European reports suggest though that A1 GP will struggle to make season five.

A1 was founded by Sheik Maktoum Hasher Al Maktoum of the Dubai royal family, but he bailed out after a couple of years, handing control to diamond dealer Tony Teixeira with much of the ownership in the hands of private equity outfit RAB Capital, which has seen the value of its investment virtually wiped out.

Season four saw only seven rounds after cancellation of races at Mugello in Italy, Indonesia's Lippo Village, Mexico City and at Interlagos in Brazil.

There was no Australian round last season -- the previous three seasons Sydney's Eastern Creek hosted a round -- and the New Zealand round only went ahead after automotive tycoon and Team Kiwi principal Colin Giltrap funded the airlift of cars and equipment from Sepang in Kuala Lumpur to the Taupo circuit.

Teixeira said recently: "Our plans for season five include some very exciting new venues (which apart from the Gold Coast are believed to include Jakarta, Kyalami in South Africa, Portimao and a new street race in Dublin).

"We have submitted a 10-race calendar (to the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile's World Motorsport Council). I am hopeful of adding one or two more dates in the coming months. Next season we will have 12 races, eight of them paying fees -- our best ever."

While A1 GP, with teams and drivers representing countries rather than racing for individual glory, has provided some excellent track action during its checkered career there has always been a big difference between its boastful announcements and reality.

We suspect a rabbit will yet again be pulled out of the hat, with the failed British operation indeed relocated in Portugal, but it continues to be a very rocky road for A1.

Meanwhile, the Middle East and Asian-based stock car series Speedcar that has featured ex Formula 1 drivers Jacques Villeneuve, Jean Alesi, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Johnny Herbert and Vitantonio Liuzzi (who has also raced in A1) has collapsed.

US reports link Ambrose to Stewart or Gibbs entry
Dual Australian V8 Supercar champion Marcos Ambrose broke his long Ford association this year to race a Toyota in his first full season in NASCAR's premier division, the Sprint Cup, and there's speculation in the US now that he could be on the move again next season.

Ambrose, 18th in the series standings, drives for JTG Daugherty which entered a one-year technical alliance which sees Ambrose's Toyota prepared by Michael Waltrip Racing.

But some reports have linked Ambrose and JTG Daugherty to a third entry in this year's Sprint Cup leader Tony Stewart's Chevvy team next year. Others have suggested he may be in a fourth Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing.

JTG Daugherty team owner Tad Geschickter has said that "the Michael Waltrip Racing scenario for a single-car owner starting its first year in Cup has been absolutely the right solution" and that he is not "shopping" for a new alliance for the Ambrose entry next year.

"As far as what we're doing next year, we have started discussions with them (MWR) yet," Geschickter said. "We'll have to renegotiate for the next year.

"They have done a really good job. The secret's been that we have integrated our people into their (race) shop."

More here and here but beware the reference that Geschickter "is not sure how many races the #47 will run over the second half of the season". We take that to mean uncertainty about whether to contest any more second-tier Nationwide Series rounds after Ambrose doubles up in that championship on the road courses at Watkins Glen and in Montreal.

There have plenty of reports recently suggesting reigning V8 Supercar king Jamie Whincup is contemplating a move to NASCAR and even that he may quit racing by 30 -- four years away.

We sense a lot of disinformation in the air and might stay away from all that until Whincup announces his plans towards the end of this month.

Confirmation that Mark Skaife will partner Greg Murphy in the Phillip Island and Bathurst endurance races is tipped to come at Townsville's new V8 Supercar street race next week.

NSW Parliament gives Rally Oz green light
Legislation has now been enacted by the NSW Parliament to ensure the new Rally Australia round of the World Rally Championship is held in the Kyogle and Tweed shires in the state's north at the start of September -- and then every second year until 2017.

The legislation was amended on the way through the two houses of Parliament to require a review after the first year to consider the impact of the rally on people, the environment and the regional economy.

While many business welcome the rally's arrival in the Northern Rivers area, there is still a lot of hostility from environmental groups.

Meanwhile, the Coffs Coast Rally, which was to have been the NSW round of the Australian Rally Championship in June but was postponed because of damage to roads by torrential rains in that area in late March and mid-May, has now been formally cancelled.

That leaves on July 31 to August 2 as the last round of this year's ARC.

Raikkonen will drive an Abarth Grande Punto from the stable of Ferrari's parent company Fiat.

His co-driver will be Kaj Lindstrom, who previously called the pace notes for Finnish four-time world rally champion Tommi Makinen, whose team will run the Abarth. Raikkonen and Lindstrom have already done three lesser rallies this year, with a best finish of 13th.

Raikkonen -- reported by Forbes magazine to be the world's highest paid competition driver on a salary of US$45 million a year -- has scored only 10 points from the eight F1 GPs so far this season.

Spanish newspaper Diario AS has speculated that Ferrari will announce on September 11, the eve of the Italian GP, that Spanish dual world champion Fernando Alonso will drive for the team of the Prancing Horse for the next five years.

And Germany's major daily, Bild, is suggesting that Australian Mark Webber's young German teammate Sebastian Vettel will also become a Ferrari drive -- something F1 commercial tsar Bernie Ecclestone would love to see.

"Bernie is sort of like Sebastian's secret manager," Red Bull Racing principal Christian Horner said. "But why would Sebastian want to leave us? At the moment we're at the front and Ferrari are not."

And a Ferrari spokesman told Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport: "Everyone should remember that Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen have contracts which include 2010."

Following an agreement between the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA)  and promoter SRO the series was granted world championship status at the recent World Motorsport Council meeting.

SRO convinced the council it could provide a calendar of 12 events in 12 countries, spanning five continents.

SRO has been the promoter of two FIA-sanctioned GT series -- the FIA GT Championship, since 1997, and the FIA GT3 European Championship since 2006.

The new GT series will be the first among four FIA world championships -- the others are FI, the WRC and the World Touring Car Championship -- aimed entirely at independent teams rather than manufacturers.

Meanwhile, the WTCC -- now featuring diesel and petrol cars -- is to have a single engine specification from 2011.

It will be a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol-burning motor -- the same as is to be used from 2011 in the WRC for Super 2000-based cars.

Danica Patrick takes stock of future
Lots of talk in America that Indy Racing League darling Danica Patrick will be moving to NASCAR next year, most likely with Ganassi Racing

Winner of just one IndyCar race, in Japan last year, and fifth in this year's series with Andretti Green Racing, Forbes magazine reckons Patrick already pockets US$7 million a year but could triple that in NASCAR -- although plenty of other Indy stars have flopped in stock car racing.

Patrick is now managed by IMG, sometimes uncharitably called International Money Grabbers.

Here's how we've read of Patrick describing herself recently: "My brand is determined. It's feminine and hopefully -- I feel a little bit awkward talking about myself like this -- but something beautiful, something fast, something interesting and exciting and something inspiring and something iconic and something doing things that's never been done before."

NASCAR's "King" Richard Petty, whose 25th anniversary of his 200th win is being celebrated at Daytona this weekend doubts Patrick could succeed in the Sprint Cup.

"I just don't think it's a sport for women, and so far, it's proved out. It's good for them to come in. It gives us a lot of publicity. It gives them publicity. But as far as being a real true racer, making a living out of it, it's kind of tough," Petty said.

One former Indy -- and F1 -- star making headway in NASCAR is Juan Pablo Montoya, who is 12th in the Sprint Cup standings this season with Ganassi Racing, albeit by just one point.

If Montoya can maintain that position he will be among the dozen drivers in The Chase over the final rounds to decide the title.

Another ex-F1 ace, Finnish dual world champion Mika Hakkinen, who rarely conveyed excitement about anything, has emerged as an enthusiastic NASCAR fan.

"It's really very exciting," Hakkinen said. "I think that is something even F1 people are saying, that in F1 there aren't that many spectators. You don't feel the public. But in NASCAR, you have hundreds of thousands of people watching, and it's beautiful.

"And the racing itself, it's tough, and you've got so many tactics, and it's easy to understand. NASCAR is quite a tough program, many races."

Last weekend's New Hampshire round of the Sprint Cup was the first NASCAR round of the year to post improved TV ratings.

And, in what may become a precedent in sports drug cases, US District Court judge Graham Mullen this week forced NASCAR to lift its indefinite suspension of Sprint Cup team owner-driver Jeremy Mayfield for a test that the sanctioning body said had been positive for methamphetamines.

The judge's decision -- in which he said "the harm to Mayfield substantially outweights harm to NASCAR" -- cleared the way for Mayfield to return at this weekend's Daytona 400, although he admitted "it might be a little late for this weekend".

An Autosport report said tyre ramps, sidepod extensions and brake backing plates were intended to give teams the option of adding up to 300 pounds of downforce to cars from the Kentucky event on August 1.

This weekend the series is on the road course at Watkins Glen in New York State, once home to the US F1 GP.

Meanwhile, IRL and Indianapolis Motor Speedway chief Tony George has been forced out of those positions in a family power struggle, although he will remain on the boards of both bodies.

George, who has run The Brickyard since 1990, founded the IRL in 1996, starting the infamous 12-year split in American open-wheeler racing, and introduced NASCAR, F1 and MotoGP at Indianapolis, will concentrate on running his Vision Racing outfit that fields his stepson Ed Carpenter in the IRL and Australian James Davison in Indy Lights.

We also note that an ex-Allan Moffat Ford Mustang is to run at Goodwood, although Moffat won't be there to drive it.

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