Winton shanghais China V8 Supercar round

V8 SUPERCARS
The rural Victorian circuit of Winton is back on the 2006 V8 Supercar calendar with a round to be held from June 2 - 4. The event replaces the previously listed round at Shanghai in China.

According to V8 Supercars Australia (VESCA)  negotiations are continuing with the promoter of the Shanghai Round with a view to an alternate date later in the year. Despite the hype of the visiting Australian media for the inaugural Chinese event, local sources were less than enthusiastic and many feel the date change may be means of extracting Chinese promoter The Greenland Group from its current contract with VESCA.

The return to Winton is a major boost for the local economy and will be popular with Victorian fans starved of V8 Supercar action until the Sandown 500 in September. "The passion for V8 Supercars in this part of Victoria is phenomenal," V8 Supercars Australia Chief Executive Officer Wayne Cattach said in a press release. Which begs the question: why did they leave in the first place?

The HSV Dealer Team has transport company Toll on board as major naming rights sponsor but in a surprise announcement the team also announced long time Stone Brothers Racing sponsor Pirtek as a support sponsor.

The deal is a part of a new business relationship with Toll and comes only a few months after Pirtek announced it's decision to leave motorsport.

Toll HSV Dealer Team owner John Kelly said that as such an integral part of V8 Supercar racing for many years, it was fantastic that Pirtek would continue its links with the sport by throwing its support behind the Toll HSV team. It probably says something about the nature of V8 Supercars that the biggest story in pre-season is the fact that Larry Perkins' cars are now black instead of white.

Brad Jones' BOC Falcon team unveiled its new look for 2006 and the opposing livery is gone. After three years, BJR will revert back to a more traditional look with both Jones' car and team-mate John Bowe's car in identical colours for 2006.

Despite some major disappointment on the track over the past few seasons the team was able to confirm it had retained support from major sponsors for season 2006. On the personnel side John Russell joins the team from FPR and the car will run engines from Stone Brothers in 2006.

The annual Clipsal 500 through the streets of Adelaide has won the Australian Tourism Award as the best Major Festival or Special Event in the country.

"This is great testament to both the tremendous success and stature of the Clipsal 500 and the fact that V8 Supercars are among the fastest growing sports in this region of the World," V8 Supercars Australia Chairman Tony Cochrane said.

Two other major motorsport events, the Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne and the Lexmark Indy 300 on the Gold Coast , were also nominated.

FORMULA ONE
F1 Testing is in full swing with cars out in force at both Barcelona and Imola. In Spain Honda continues to impress with Jenson Button taking the fastest time so far, ahead of the Renaults of Giancarlo Fisichella and defending World Champion Fernando Alonso.

McLaren has also been fast, and in the battle of the Williams drivers new-boy Nico Rosberg has outshone his more experienced team-mate Mark Webber. The Williams team however is looking for reliability in the current tests, and not outright speed.

Over at Imola the reborn Minardi outfit Scuderia Toro Rosso set the pace in very wet conditions. Tonio Liuzzi was quickest ahead of the BMW Sauber of Jacques Villeneuve. However it should be remembered that the Toro Rosso is still using a power-limited version of last year's V10 engine.

Despite the switch to the new smaller V8s and new aerodynamic restrictions not much has changed speed wise with Button clocking a 1m13.935s lap. This compares with the best V10 time at the track, set in April 2005 of 1m13.552s.

The first round of the 2006 Formula One World Drivers' Championship will be in Bahrain on March 12.

A1 GRAND PRIX
France has all but wrapped up the A1 Grand Prix of Nations with a clean sweep for Alexandre Premat at the Parque Fundidora circuit in Mexico. It was another bad weekend for Team Australia with Christian Jones finishing well down the order in both races.

NASCARFord driver Matt Kenseth has won the Auto Club 500 at California's Fontana Speedway, the second round of this year's NASCAR Nextel Cup season.

Kenseth's Rouch Racing Ford held off the Chevrolet of first-round winner Jimmie Johnson. Ford driver Carl Edwards was third. Greg Biffle, who won the Busch race on Saturday, led for most of the race but retired with engine problems on lap 230 of the 252 lap race.