Skaife recovers in New Zealand

Motor racing round-up...

Bowe's crash and an earlier incident involving Jamie Whincup, Jason Bargwanna, Max Wilson, Steven Richards, Paul Radisich and Bowe raised concerns about the safety of the format. Bowe however was quick to point out that the reverse grid played no part in his crash.

"That wasn't a result of the reverse grid," he said. "It was the effect of poor decisions from other drivers in an earlier incident, simple as that."

One man with no complaints at all after New Zealand was round winner Mark Skaife.

Skaife took out the round with a win in race one, a fifth place in the reverse grid race and another win in race three. The Holden Racing Team leader said the win was "a fantastic victory." Skaife failed to finish in the opening round in Adelaide and his car needed to be fully rebuilt following not one, but two major crashes.

Ford performance vehicles driver Mark Winterbottom had his best ever V8 Supercar result finishing the weekend as runner-up. "We were quick from the outset and I then thought a top-five (but) second overall is fantastic," he said.

A third overall to Ford's Russell Ingall moves him into the series lead, only one point ahead of Toll HSV driver Rick Kelly, and Kelly's team-mate Garth Tander who won the controversial reverse grid race.

Series promoter V8 Supercars Australia claimed another record crowd for the event with 103,426 spectators over the three days of the event.

International
Michael Schumacher delighted his loyal band of Ferrari fans at Imola by holding off Renault's Fernando Alonso to win the San Marino Grand Prix.

After breaking Ayrton Senna's record for the number of pole positions in F1, Schumacher led from the start before he was challenged by Alonso late in the race. A small mistake on lap 59 by Alonso when he ran wide in the chicane put an end however to any hopes of yet another win for the French manufacturer.

Schumacher's win was his first since last year's controversial US Grand Prix at Indianapolis.

Juan Pablo Montoya drove a sensible race in the McLaren to finish third ahead of Schumacher's Ferrari team-mate Felippe Massa. Kimi Raikkonen in the McLaren-Mercedes came home in fifth place, the Finnish driver seemingly just going through the motions right now with plenty of informed media speculation claiming that he has already signed for Ferrari in 2007.

Australian Mark Webber claimed some valuable points for Williams in sixth position.

Honda driver Jenson Button was fast early however a three stop strategy and problems with a refuelling rig on his second stop put an end to any hope of the Englishman's first F1 victory. In the end he hung on for seventh place.

The race got off to a spectacular start after the cars of backmarkers Yuji Ide in the Super Aguri Honda and Christian Albers' Midland F1 Toyota tangled on the opening lap. Albers' car went into a series of barrel rolls that left the Midland a tangled wreck but thankfully caused no injuries to the driver.

Helio Castroneves has taken his second straight IndyCar Series win of the season with a victory at the Twin Ring Motegi oval in Japan.

Castroneves, who won through the streets of St Petersburg earlier this month, dominated the 200-lap race and crossed the finish line 6.385 seconds ahead of defending series champion Dan Wheldon. Tony Kannan was third.

Kevin Harvick led home a Chevy quinella from Tony Stewart to win last Saturday's NASCAR round from Phoenix Raceway. Matt Kenseth in a Ford was third.