TWO SEASON’S YOUNG, TWO WINS FOR AL KHAN

MUSTAFA AL KHAN WINS THE BATELCO 2000CC CHAMPIONSHIP

RACE REPORT
ISSUE 07 JUN - JUL 2009 FREE
BUTTON TASTES TURKISH
POSTER DELIGHT AS BRAWN
INSIDE DOMINATE F1

THE
CHAMP IS
CROWNED
ALI ARYAN TAKES THE
BAHRAIN DRAG RACING
CHAMPIONSHIP IN STYLE!

A VISION OF F1 2010
THE FUTURE OF THE WORLD’S RICHEST MOTORSPORT
RT
T
f1 burgers nitrous grilled chicken grand prix steak pit stop pasta synthetic fresh juices racing fuel shishas
 How would you
eat the BIGGEST
burger in town
BAHRAIN

Where hungry people go.

west bound on budaiya hwy before saar roundabout open daily: 1pm to 1am +973 17 592-583
 CONTENTS
54
Bahrain Drag Racing
Championship 2009

DRIVER PROFILE
60 JENSON BUTTON
The star of Formula 1 2009

2
VOLUME 1 / ISSUE 7 / JUN-JUL 2009

NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS
End of season awards
ceremony for the Champions
of the Middle East

38
QATAR MARINE FESTIVAL
MEM covers Qatar’s
Powerboat challenge

42
BATELCO 2000CC
The Season review of the
Challenge with controversy
surrounding the final round

64
RACE REPORT
David Hyatt’s analysis of
the Turkish GP

72
3
 EDITORIAL TEAM

Editor-in-Chief
SAMEER UCHI
sameeru@maxmediaco.com

Group Editor
MOHD KAYANI
mohammedk@maxmediaco.com

Deputy Editor
PARITOSH PALAV
paritosh@maxmediaco.com

Feature Editor
ALI FALAH

Welcome
ali.maxmedia@gmail.com

Staff Writer
VARUN MENDON
varun.maxmedia@gmail.com

CONTRIBUTORS
YAS MARINA
DUBAI AUTODROME
BAHRAIN INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT

Dear Readers, PRODUCTION TEAM

P^aZo^aZ]ZgZ\mbhgiZ\d^]\hnie^h_fhgmala^k^Zmma^h_Û\^ZlfZgrh_ma^
k^`bhgZekZ\bg`l^kb^l\Zf^mhZg^g]'Ma^lnff^kfhgmalZk^bgZg]bmlmbf^mhik^iZk^
_hkZg^pl^Zlhgh_bgm^gl^kZ\bg`Zmhnk\bk\nbmlbgma^Fb]]e^>Zlm'
Bg;ZakZbg%ma^;Zm^e\h+)))<<<aZee^g`^\Zf^mhZg^g]pbmaFnlmZ_Z:eDaZg
\ebg\abg`mph\aZfibhglabilbgZkhpZg]l^\nkbg`ablmbme^Zlma^[^lm+ebmk^]kbo^kbg
;ZakZbg'G^qml^Zlhgikhfbl^lmh[^bgm^gl^pbmahma^kkbo^klehhdbg`h]^makhg^ma^
\aZfibhgln\aZlLaZbdaCZ[^kpbmaablBgm^`kZmri^&K[^Zlm
Ma^;ZakZbg=kZ`KZ\bg`<aZfibhglabiZelh\Zf^mhZ\ehl^pbmaÛ^k\^\hfi^mbmbhg
[k^pbg`[^mp^^g;ZakZbg*kZ\bg`Zg]:e:gZ[bKZ\bg`'Ma^mphm^ZflaZo^
\hgmbgnhnlerbfikho^]ma^bkmbfbg`mh\hfi^m^lb]^[rlb]^makhn`ahnmma^\aZfibhglabi
Zg]hnk\aZfibhg:eb:krZgaZl`kZ\^]hnk\ho^k_hkmablblln^'Blihd^mh:ebZ[hnmabl
i^klhgZeZf[bmbhglZlp^eeZlablik^iZkZmbhgl_hk^Z\aknghgma^]kZ`lmkbi'
Ho^kbg=n[Zb%ma^Gb`amh_<aZfibhglmhhdiZ\^mh\khpgZeema^a^kh^lh_ma^
kZ\bg`e^Z`n^lmaZmaZii^g^]makhn`ahnmma^r^Zkbgma^N:>'P^p^k^bgobm^]mh\ho^k
ma^^o^gmpab\alZpiZkmb\biZgml_khfKZeer\bk\nbmkZ\bg`Zeeng]^khg^khh__hkma^
ZpZk]l\^k^fhgr'
K^gZnemaZo^[^^gm^lmbg`ma^bk\Zkikbhkmhma^?*l^ZlhgZg]]^\b]^]mhl^g]ma^bk
m^Zfmh=n[Zbmh`bo^_Zglma^\aZg\^h_l^^bg`Zg]_^^ebg`ma^ihp^kh_Zg?*\Zkikbhk
mhma^ÛklmkZ\^bgma^N:>maZmpbeemZd^ieZ\^bgGho^f[^k'
?bgZeerp^aZo^Z]kbo^kikhÛe^h_C^glhg;nmmhgpahblfZdbg`pZo^lbgma^ablmhkr
[hhdlh_?*pbmaablk^fZkdZ[e^lmZkmmhma^l^Zlhg':[kb^_k^\Zih_ablkZ\^bg;ZakZbgbl
_heehp^]nipbmaZgbgm^kob^ph_ma^fZgabfl^e_Zlp^eeZlZkZ\^k^ihkm_khfMnkd^r'
Bahi^rhn^gchrk^Z]bg`mablfhgmalblln^Zg]lmZrbgmng^pbmafhmhklihkmbg
ma^Fb]]e^>Zlm'
:EB?:E:A email: memotorsport@maxmediaco.com
Production Manager
SACHAN K.C.
Layout Designers
SACHAN K.C.
SHAJI THOMAS
Photographer
MANI.T
Distribution Controller
SANDEEP
Sales Executive
ADEL AKRAM
Published and produced by MAXMEDIA CO. W.L.L. P.O Box
108, Manama Bahrain. Tel: 973 17 402482 Fax: 973 17 402483, E-mail:
memotorsport@maxmediaco.com website: www.maxmediaco.com.
M.E MOTORSPORT is published bi-monthly (6 issues) and has a GCC circulation
of 10,000 copies. It is available in all supermarkets and book stores in Bahrain
and across the GCC. If you cannot find our magazine in your area, please call
+973 17402482.
Annual Subscription to M.E MOTOR SPORT Bahrain BD5 ($15), GCC Subscription
BD10 ($30.00) for 1 year, or BD15 ($40.00) for 2 years. Foreign Subscription
BD20 ($50.00) for 1 year, or BD30 ($80.00) for 2 years.
E-mail us all and any kind of motoring news to: memotorsport@
maxmediaco.com
Ministry Of information printing License # ISSN 1985-8248. Copyright 433\04
ME MOTOR SPORT Magazine all rights reserved. Reproduction in any form is
prohibited without our written permission. The content of this publication is
the exclusive property of MAXMEDIA CO. W.L.L. and must not be
reproduced in any form without written permission. Every effort has been
made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication.
However, MAXMEDIA CO. W.L.L. and all its publications cannot
accept any legal responsibility for any error or omission. Magazine is printed at
Awal Printing Press Bahrain and is distributed in Bahrain by Al Hilal Corp. Tel:
39677709, 17534559
 SINGLE CYLINDER, 4 STROKE,
SPARK IGNITION, AIR COOLED, OHV, 499cc

Sh. Salman Ave., P.O. Box : 308, Manama, Bahrain, Tel: 17 404044, Fax: 17 401333
Email: biljeek@biljeek.com.bh, Website:www.biljeek.com
 REGIONAL
MOTORSPORT
NEWS ALL THE NEWS FROM
IN AND AROUND TH
GU LF
E
7
NEW FACES ON THE PODIUM
A field lined up for the opening
round of the 2009 DAMC
Sprint Challenge.
AL KHAN
DISQUALIFIED
FROM FINAL RACE
Newly-crowned Batelco 2000CC
champion Mustafa Al Khan has been
stripped of his final round race win
following a technical infringement, but
has retained his title.
Following a complaint, Al Khan’s
car was found to have contravened the
technical regulations after running with a
non-standard part on his car.
The exclusion means the new
champion loses his race one win and
victory is handed to Shaikh Jaber with
Mohammed Saleh in second and Tim
Birkin in third.
However, the change in results does
not affect the final standings with Al
Kahn having done enough to clinch the
championship with 130 points, 12 points
clear of Jaber.
6
8
ROTAX CHAMPIONSHIP SET
FOR ULTIMATE ROUND
BIC host the seventh Karting
Championship.
10
SYRIAN INTERNATIONAL RALLY
Misfer Al-Marri and Ulster
Chris Patterson lead a 19-strong
international field.
KART ZONE SET FOR
ACTION-PACKED SUMMER
Motor racing fans can look forward to organisation at BIC and with the world-famous
an exciting summer of karting action main grandstand, Sakhir Tower and Grand Prix
at Bahrain International Circuit. The circuit as your backdrop.
award-winning Sakhir track announced that the Kart Zone is open to all, including
Kart Zone will be open on Wednesdays, Fridays corporate clients who are looking for an
and Saturdays between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. opportunity to experience some raw energy
Karting is the cradle of the world’s greatest and a heightened sense of speed. For more
driving talents, and is where the hard work information or for bookings, call the BIC
begins in order to fulfil dreams of one day Hotline on +973-17-450000.
becoming a Formula One world champion.
But above all, karting – as the purest form of
motor sport – is fun, accessible and affordable,
and Kart Zone is the leading venue for both
aspiring racers to hone their skills or for those
simply looking for a thrill.
There are two tracks at the facility – one for
senior drivers and another for juniors. Prices
range from 5 BD to 25 BD for seniors and from
4 BD to 22 BD for juniors, depending on the
duration of the desired drive. Participants must
be at least 1.4 metres in height and up to 15
years old to be able to take part as a junior driver.
Helmets and race suits will be provided
to all, and a mandatory safety briefing will be
conducted. Then, you will be free to race – all
under the safe supervision of the first-rate
 REGIONAL
FAIRYTALE START FOR YAMAHA NEWS MOTORSPORT

After the first eight minutes of the free
practice in Catalunya, nobody other than Fiat
Yamaha team-mates Valentino Rossi and
Jorge Lorenzo sat on top of the timesheets.
The pair alternated the top spot
frequently during the hour; home hero
Lorenzo making three P1 appearances and
leading most of the session, but Rossi set
the fastest lap on seven occasions, the last of
which saw him bump Lorenzo from the top
with five minutes to go.
Rossi and his crew had made a slight
change to their base setting before they got
started and the reigning six time MotoGP
world champion, who starts round six behind
both Casey Stoner and Lorenzo in the points,
was pleased with the results.

TEST YOUR SKILLS AT THE HUMMER ACADEMY

Bahrain International Circuit calls on
all petrolheads and adventure junkies
to take advantage of one of the most
exciting offers available in the Kingdom this
summer. The award-winning Sakhir track is
opening its doors for ‘The Ultimate Hummer
Experience’, which offers a unique opportunity
for guests to test their nerves and show off their
driving skills at one of the most challenging off-
road courses in the world.
In the event, a personal instructor will guide
you as you take on each of the 32 intense
obstacles one by one. Along the course, you
will be performing gravity-defying maneuvers
in a Hummer H2 or H3 vehicle, and the sheer
amazement of tackling such hurdles will get
your heart racing.
Following the drive, you will be taken to
enjoy the pleasures of a more serene and
relaxing environment at Royal Golf Club, with
a chance to play the 9-hole ‘Wee Monty’
academy course designed by legendary
Scottish golfer Colin Montgomerie.
You will also be able to get behind the wheel
of a Mini Hummer during your round, and all
the top-of-the-line golfing equipment will be
provided. Further, the experience includes a
lavish pick-up and drop-off on a chauffer-driven
Hummer from and to anywhere in Bahrain,
ensuring that you travel in style for a most
unforgettable experience.
This unique and never-before-seen offer,
available through to September, can be
purchased for the unbelievable price of 99 BD.
A truly memorable and thrilling time waits,
so hurry and secure your seat today for ‘The
Ultimate Hummer Experience’, available only at
Bahrain International Circuit.

NEW FACES ON THE PODIUM

Evo), with third place going to debutant
Murat Binici (Corvette Z06).
Other winners in the car classes on

AFTER OPENING NIGHT

A small but formidable field lined up
for the opening round of the 2009
DAMC Sprint Challenge held under
floodlights at Dubai Autodrome Circuit.
UAE Touring Car regular Julian Griffin
(DXB Racing Porsche GT3 RS) was the
class of the car field and ended fastest by
almost two seconds. He took overall top
honours, Class B victory and also won the
inaugural Sprint Shootout at the end of the
evening, which pitted the top three runners
in the car class for a winner takes all one lap
challenge. Second place went to Red Line
Challenge Champion Aref Ramli (Mitsubishi
the night included: Class B Abdul Hamid
Al Awadi (Honda Civic), Class C Keith
Alderson (Lotus Exige) and Class F Geoff
Forster (Caterham 7SV).
The much anticipated two wheel battle
between current Stock 600 UAE Sportbike
Class Champion Hussein Al Kooheji
and reigning DAMC Sprint Challenge
Champion Hennie Sauerman did not
materialize. Al Kooheji entered to ride a
Yamaha R1 but due to unavailability arrived
on a brand new Suzuki (GSXR 1000) which
he subsequently dropped on his warm up
lap, rendering him out of contention.
Sauerman on the Liberty Kawasaki
XZ10R had his hands full with Rob
Nicholas (Honda CBR 1000RR) who
snatched the win in the premier 1000
Stock Class by a mere 0.056 seconds.
Sauerman went on to make amends in the
newly introduced Shootout, at the end of
the evening, setting a scorching pace and
bagging the fastest lap.
In the Stock 600 Class there was no
one to touch Omran Al Sayed (Kawasaki
ZX6R) who beat UAE Sportbike regular
Steve Blackney (Honda CBR 600RR) by
just over half a second with Peter Devlin
(Yamaha R6) taking third.

7
 REGIONAL
MOTORSPORT
NEWS
NATIONAL ROTAX
CHAMPIONSHIP SET FOR
PENULTIMATE ROUND
Bahrain International Circuit will
host the seventh penultimate
round of the National Rotax Karting
Championship at Kart Zone. The season is
headed for an exciting climax as the battle for
both the seniors and juniors titles heat up. The
championship is quickly gaining in popularity
and more drivers enter each round.
Ali Dadi will be looking to maintain his
position at the top of the seniors division,
which he currently occupies with 351 points.
Dadi is followed closely by Lee Stones in
second place with 332 points. Mohammed Al
Alawi is third with 301, and Darren Di Mattia in
fourth with 300 points. Bader Haider comes
in fifth on the table with 293 points in the
championship but still in reach of the leaders.
Graham Pervis is sixth on 280, while Yahya
Mohammed Ali is in seventh place with 273
points and Wesley Carr eighth on 270. In the
juniors championship standings, up to three
drivers are in tight competition for the crown.
Omar Fareed tops all competitors’ with353
points in first. He holds a slim lead ahead of
Vishesh Mahtre, who has 344 points. Christian
Yarwood is in third place with 326 points,
while Ryan Hesp is within striking distance
on 288 points in fourth place. Dadi and
Fareed were both victorious in their respective
groups during the previous round of racing.
They hope to extend their fine showing with
another victory.
8
ONSLOW-COLE RETURNS
Tom Onslow-Cole will make a surprise
return to the HiQ MSA British Touring Car
Championship at Croft after being named as
a late replacement for Alan Morrison in the
Team Aon line-up.
The former Team RAC and Vauxhall
driver was due to be in action in the North
East at the wheel of the doctor’s car but was
given the opportunity to return to racing
The UAE’s Sheikh Khalid
Al-Qassimi has an excellent
opportunity to win the
Syrian International Rally for
a second time.
AL-ATTIYAH FORCED TO
MISS SYRIAN RALLY
Defending FIA Middle East rally
champion, Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah,
will not be able to become the first
driver in history to claim four outright wins in
the Syrian International Rally, when the third
round of the regional series gets underway
in Sednaya. The Qatari is also tackling the
FIA Production World Rally Championship
(PWRC) and the recent date change for the
Syrian event has caused a direct date clash
with the Acropolis Rally in Greece. Al-Attiyah
would be penalised for missing the crucial
Greek round of the production series and that
has left the door wide open for a potential new
winner of the Syrian event. Of the registered
championship contenders, only Sheikh Khalid
Al-Qassimi has won the event in the past and
the date clash has enabled the UAE driver
and several of Al-Attiyah’s other closest
challengers to move back into title contention.
The Qatari would have been bidding for
a third successive victory in the newest round
of the regional series, which ran for the first
action when Morrison was ruled out.
Onslow-Cole proved to be a ready-
made replacement for the Ford team and
will now join Tom Chilton on track at the
wheel of a Focus ST. Team boss Mike
Earle admitted Onslow-Cole was a ‘great
replacement’ although he played down
expectations for the youngster given his lack
of seat time in recent months.
time as a candidate event in 2000 and
joined the championship in 2001. Al-Attiyah
and the retired multiple regional champion
Mohammed Bin Sulayem currently have three
wins apiece in the all-desert rally, which is
being organised by the Syrian Automobile
Club and will be based at the Sheraton Ma’aret
Sednaya for the fifth time. Bin Sulayem is now
the vice-president of the FIA and the president
of the Automobile & Touring Club of the UAE.
He won the candidate round in 2000 with
Irish co-driver Ronan Morgan and went on to
claim two further wins in 2001 and 2002 with
Jordan’s Khaled Zakaria and England’s John
Spiller reading the notes. Al-Attiyah’s winning
streak began in 2005 and he repeated the feat
with Ulster co-driver Chris Patterson in 2007
and 2008. The event was cancelled in 2006.
“It’s always a nice rally and one which I enjoy
very much,” enthused Al-Attiyah, who has
claimed a maximum 20 championship points
from the two rounds of the series so far in
Qatar and Kuwait.
 REGIONAL
MOTORSPORT
NEWS
QATAR’S MISFER AL-MARRI LEADS FIELD
INTO SYRIAN INTERNATIONAL RALLY
SEDNAYA (Syria): Qatar’s Misfer
Al-Marri and Ulster co-driver
Chris Patterson lead a 19-strong
international field into the Syrian
International Rally, round three of the FIA
Middle East Rally Championship.
In the absence of Qatar’s Nasser Saleh
Al-Attiyah and the UAE’s Sheikh Khalid
Al-Qassimi – who are both tackling the
Acropolis Rally in Greece – a new winner
of the newest round of the regional series
is guaranteed.
Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi and the
UAE’s Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qassimi should
be Al-Marri’s closest challengers over the
13 desert special stages in the area around
Deir Atiyah. Of the entered drivers, only
Al-Qassimi and Lebanon’s Michel Saleh
have won a round of the regional series
before and a new winner is highly likely
on the 151st event in the history of the
championship.
Al-Marri will catapult himself into the
outright championship lead if he can secure
10 points for victory and his chance of
taking the regional title for the first time
will be further bolstered by the news
Qatar’s Misfer Al-Marri starts
as the top seed to win the
Syrian International Rally.
Whatever the outcome, a
new winner of the event is
guaranteed in the absence of
Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and
Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi.
10
MAT CONFIDENT OF STRONG RUN
Mat Jackson says he is confident of a strong
run at Croft as the HiQ MSA British Touring
Car Championship heads to North Yorkshire
for the fifth round of the campaign.
The Racing Silverline driver heads North
following a tough outing at Oulton Park,
where he qualified on the front row but
suffered a disastrous race day that yielded just
four points.
that Volkswagen cross-country rallying
commitments in Brazil may well force
Al-Attiyah to miss the forthcoming Rally of
Lebanon as well.
Mechanical problems cost Al-Rajhi
crucial points in Kuwait back in March, but
the Saudi driver collected eight for second
position in Qatar and is also eyeing a bid for
the crown, in what could develop into the
most open title race for years. Al-Qassimi
finished second overall in Syria last season
and had the measure of Al-Marri, so a
fascinating three-way battle is in prospect
for the podium places.
Haitham Al-Yousefi and Ahmad Hamsho
head the Syrian Rally Team and there is a
strong presence from the Qatar Motor &
Motorcycle Federation (QMMF). Joining Al-
Marri on the entry list are Mubarak Al-Hajri,
veteran Jaber Al-Marri, Khalid Al-Suwaidi,
Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari and the 1993 regional
champion, Sheikh Hamed Bin Eid Al-Thani.
Nick Georgiou will be chasing regional
championship and Pirelli ‘Star Driver’
points. The Lebanese driver missed out on
the coveted Pirelli prize on a technicality
last season and needs to finish in Syria
Eager to put it firmly behind him, the
2008 title runner-up said he was hopeful of a
strong run at Croft, with the circuit being one
where his Chevrolet Lacetti should be strong.
Jackson added that he was keen to add to the
single win achieved so far this season, and
said he was sure that good results were just
around the corner.
to stake his claim on the West Zone
championship and qualification for the
Pirelli final in Dubai in December.
Kuwait’s Meshari Al-Thafiri has
already qualified for that final - courtesy
of his performance in Kuwait in March -
and he heads the Kuwaiti contingent,
which also includes Meshari Al-Sabti,
Meshal Al-Nejadi, Mufeed Mubarak and
Essam Al-Nejadi.
Also in need of a useful finish is Saudi
Arabia’s Ahmed Al-Sabban. The Toyota
S2000 driver arrived in Syria with numerous
spare parts for his two-wheel drive car and
has recruited the UAE’s Wael Marjan to
read the pace notes.
Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al-
Rajhi will be aiming for his first
full MERC win in Syria.
 INTERNATIONATL
MOTORSPOR
NEWS AROUND THE WORL
D
GORDON PENALIZED
FOR RULES VIOLATION
Robby Gordon has been penalized by
NASCAR for a technical rule violation
following his third place in the Coca-
Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
NASCAR confiscated the rear axle of
Gordon’s car after the conclusion of the
rain-delayed event. Further checks at
its research and development center in
Concord, North Carolina found that the
part exceeded the maximum specified
toe of plus or minus one degree.
As a result, Gordon has been docked
50 points in the drivers’ and owners’
standings, in which he ranks 34th.
Gordon’s crew chief Kirk Almquist has
also been fined $50,000 and placed on
probation until the end of the year. During
the race, Gordon was one of three drivers
who gambled on staying out while most
in the field stopped for fuel and tires
during the final caution of the day, shortly
before officials red-flagged the event for
the final time due to rain.
12
16
BUTTON GETS BIG MONEY OFFER
Brawn GP is ready to
rewrite Jenson Button’s
three-year contract.
20
TIE AT THE TOP IN SPA PRACTICE
Oreca drivers Olivier Panis and
Nicolas Lapierre recorded the
same time as the Peugeot trio.
WILLIAMS NOT TRYING TO SPLIT FOTA
Williams CEO Adam Parr says the
British squad is not trying to split up
the teams with its decision to submit
its entry for the 2010 championship. The team
became the first to confirm its present in next
year’s championship, a decision that caused
the Formula One Teams’ Association to
suspend Williams from the organization.
FOTA is still at loggerheads with the FIA over
the 2010 regulations, and the teams’ body
wrote to President Max Mosley saying they
AL-ATTIYAH WINS PLACE
ON DAKAR DREAM TEAM
Fresh from his first victory
in the Production WRC
in Argentina, Qatari driver
Nasser Al-Attiyah has gained
selection for Volkswagen’s crack
squad to tackle the 2010 Dakar Rally.
Al-Attiyah’s background in Middle
East competition is understood
to have placed him in as strong a
position for the drive with the 2009
winners as his current form in the
P-WRC. Having previously won the FIA Middle
East Rally Championship, FIA International
Cup for Cross Country Bajas and the UAE
30
F1 TEAMS SEEKING SOLUTION
F1’s current teams remain wholly
committed to finding a solution
to their dispute with the FIA
remained united. However, Williams confirmed
it had submitted its entry for next season, but
Parr made it clear that the decision had nothing
to do with a hidden agenda to destabilize
FOTA. Parr added that the other members of
FOTA have not expressed any hard feelings
against Williams. FOTA met in London as it
continues working in trying to reach a deal
with the FIA. Parr said the organization also
discussed Williams’s continued participation
in the group.
Desert Challenge, the 38-year-
old believes he can deliver on the
opportunity handed to him by the
German giant.
Partnered with German co-driver
Timo Gottschalk, Al-Attiyah joins this
year’s 1-2 finishers Giniel de Villiers
and Mark Miller, with double WRC
champion Carlos Sainz also retaining
his place in the team. Volkswagen
boss Kris Nissen said: “With his
Cross-Country World Cup title and stage wins
at the Dakar, Nasser Al-Attiyah proved that he
ranks among the best drivers in this sport.”

INDYCAR TEAMS BACK UP GEORGE NEWS
The IndyCar Series team owners have expressed
their support for Tony George following reports
suggesting his future as CEO of the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway was in doubt. It was reported
earlier that George, founder of the Indy Racing
League, had been voted out of his position at a
board meeting. IMS issued a statement denying
Tony George this, but did suggest that future restructuring was
possible, and that the board had asked George
HENNING: I GAVE IT MY ALL
LOEB RECEIVES FRENCH KNIGHTHOOD
INTERNATIONAL
MOTORSPORT
to “to devise a plan for management of
Hulman & Company, the Indy Racing League,
Clabber Girl and the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway that would allow him to focus on the
business which requires the greatest attention.”
IMS runs both the Indianapolis track and the
IndyCar and Indy Lights championships, among
other businesses, while George is also the head
of his own Vision Racing team.
Henning Solberg admitted he
was ‘pushing like mad’ on the
final day in Sardinia, despite being
unable to secure seventh place in the event
from Mads Ostberg.
The Stobart VK M-Sport driver struggled
to get into his rhythm on the opening day
but managed to hold sixth place going into
the second day.
However, a puncture on SS9 was
followed by broken suspension in the
afternoon and left the Norwegian to
SupeRally on the final day.
Starting the day in tenth place, Solberg
posted two quickest stage times and
climbed up into the top eight although he fell
just under a second shy of overhauling Mads
Ostberg for seventh place.
“We were pushing like mad on the last
stage but unfortunately it just wasn’t enough
to gain another place,” he said.
“I feel really positive though as we made big
improvements on the car and it felt the best
that it has ever felt on the stages today. I
think that my two fastest times showed that.
“It has been a really hard rally and our
championship hopes took a bit of a knock
but I just wanted to go out and get a good
time and that’s what I did.”
Five-time World Rally Champion
Sebastien Loeb has received a
knighthood for his services to France.
Loeb was knighted by French president
Nicolas Sarkozy, who awarded him the Legion
d’honneur, at Elysee Palace in Paris.
The Legion d’honneur is the highest
award given to a private individual in France,
recognizing an outstanding achievement.
Following the ceremony, Loeb said: “I am
extremely honored to have been recognized
in this way by the president of the Republic.
This award is given to an individual, but I
would like to share it with each and every
member of the Citroen team. I hope now that I
can continue to worthily represent my country
by claiming a sixth consecutive World Rally
Championship title at the end of this year.”
13
INTERNATIONAL
MOTORSPORT

NEWS RENAULT FIGHTS FOR WIN

Fernando Alonso is confident his Renault
team will be in a position to fight for
victories late in the season, despite a slow
start to the campaign. The French squad
has been unable to fight near the top of the
field, with Alonso having two fifth places as
his best results after six races. Teammate
Nelson Piquet is yet to score a point.
Alonso admitted Renault needs a
significant improvement to be able to fight
at the top, but the two-time champion is
convinced his team will be able to achieve
that later in the season.
Renault’s chief of engineering
Pat Symonds insisted the team is fully
motivated to keep on pushing to get
better results.

MIXED FORTUNES FOR LEBANON’S

BASIL SHAABAN AT THE LAUSITZRING
LAUSITZRING (Germany): The
Arab world’s leading Formula 3
racing driver, Basil Shaaban, endured
mixed fortunes in the third and fourth rounds
of the 2009 F3 Euro Series at the 3.478km
Lausitzring, near Brandenburg in Germany.
The Lebanese driver was forced to start
the opening race from the rear of the grid,
after sliding into a gravel trap, and eventually
improved to take 20th position in his Shell-
backed Prema Powerteam-run Dallara
Mercedes-Benz F308/9. He went on to finish
21st overall in the fourth round of the world’s
most competitive single-seater racing series.
Shaaban admitted that his car was difficult
to drive in the first race and starting from the
back of the grid did not help at all. He has been
classified 15th in the final practice session a
mere 0.78 seconds off the fastest driver, with
one second separating the top 20 runners,
such is the competitiveness of this year’s F3
Euro Series.
But he was forced to start the opening 24-
lap race from the rear of the grid after sliding
off a drying track in qualifying. The Shell-
backed Dallara got stuck in the gravel and
not just that but everyone else improved their
qualifying times on the dry track. “It was one
of those things,” said Shaaban. “I had to make
the best of it after that.”
Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas claimed pole
position for the ART Grand Prix team with a
fastest lap of 1m 31.308s. French team-mate
Jules Bianchi was second, with Finland’s
Atte Mustonen and Jean-Karl Vernay of the
Signature Team lining up on the second row of
the grid.
Shaaban’s championship-leading team-
mate Stefano Coletti lined up in 16th position
and finished the first race in 15th overall.
Bianchi eventually secured victory in the
opening race from Bottas, with Vernay finishing
third overall.
Christian Vietoris claimed victory in the
second race for the German Mücke Motorsport
team. Spaniard Roberto Merhi finished second
and Britain’s Sam Bird claimed third place. Bird
and Merhi now hold joint second places in
the 20-race series behind new leader Bianchi.
Coletti slipped to sixth position in the rankings
after failing to score points. He finished 23rd in
the second race.

14
INTERNATIONAL
MOTORSPORT
NEWS
EARNHARDT JR. SPLITS WITH CREW CHIEF
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his long-
time crew chief Tony Eury Jr. will
part ways with immediate effect
as Hendrick Motorsports announced
changes to the No. 88 team lineup.
Following a poor start to his season,
NASCAR’s most popular driver will have
a new crew chief for the race at Dover.
Team manager Brian Whitesell will fill in the
role, while Lance McGrew will take up the
position as interim crew chief at Pocono
Raceway. Whitesell won two of seven races
he did alongside Jeff Gordon as his interim
crew chief in 1999, while McGrew claimed
the 2003 NASCAR Nationwide Series
championship with driver Brian Vickers. He
also won a Sprint Cup race with Vickers at
Talladega in the autumn of 2006, and most
BRAWN TO MAKE BUTTON
BIG MONEY OFFER
Brawn GP is ready to rewrite Jenson
Button’s three-year contract in a bid to
see off attempts by rival teams to lure
him away. Button agreed to a substantial pay-
cut, to continue with the team this year after
signing a new contract with Honda worth in
the region of $13 million a season shortly
before the marque decided to quit Formula 1
last year. Although he is committed to Brawn
until the end of the 2011 season, team
bosses are concerned that a big-money offer
from a rival team could encourage the World
Championship leader to activate exit options
that are in his contract.
Team CEO Nick Fry admitted that
discussions will be opened up with Button
later in the season with a view to offering
a compensation package that rewards his
status as World Championship leader. How
much the team is able to pay Button could
depend on what commercial deals it is able
to put together. But Fry is confident that the
team has the resources not only to keep
Button, but also to keep developing the
Brawn BGP 001 that has won five out of six
races this year.
16
LACONI RECOVERY CONTINUES
Regis Laconi is now back home in France stabilize the fractures. A fragment of bone
and continuing to recover from the injuries that had lodged close to the spinal cord was
sustained at the Kyalami round of the 2009 also removed and plastic surgery carried out on
World Superbike Championship. Laconi was the relevant area with a skin graft from the hip.
placed in an induced coma after falling in the It will naturally take a considerable amount
opening minutes of free practice, an accident of time for the 2004 WSBK title runner-up
that also left the DFX rider with two fractured to make a full recovery. While he recovers,
vertebrae. Brought out of his coma several days Laconi’s place at DFX has been taken by
later, Laconi then had a metal plate inserted to Lorenzo Lanzi.
recently led rookie Brad Keselowski to a
seventh place finish at Darlington.
Earnhardt and Eury Jr had a dream
debut with Hendrick Motorsports last year
when they won the pre-season Budweiser
Shootout at Daytona, taking another win in
one of the qualifying races for the Daytona
500. Earnhardt Jr made the Chase for the
Sprint Cup in 2008, but his form took a
dip during the series and he finished the
year in 12th position in the drivers’ ranking.
This season they have a second place at
Talladega as their only top five finish and
Earnhardt Jr ranks 17th in the drivers’
standings, while all other three Hendrick
drivers have all won at least once and are
all among the top 12 in the championship,
one-third into the season.
FOYT HOPES TRACY
WILL STAY ON
A.J. Foyt says he is keen for Paul Tracy to stay
on with his team if the Milwaukee race goes
well. The former Champ Car champion – who
returned to the IndyCar Series for a one-off
with KV Racing at Indianapolis and finished
ninth – is deputizing for Foyt’s regular driver
Vitor Meira after the Brazilian sustained two
fractured vertebrae in a crash during the Indy
500. At present the deal is for Milwaukee
only, but both parties are keen to extend it
if this weekend is a success. The Canadian
has already committed to returning to KV
for the Toronto and Edmonton events, and
Foyt accepted that he might have to find a
temporary substitute.
 INTERNATIONAL
LEADING NOW MEANS NOTHING NEWS MOTORSPORT

Casey Stoner, who returned to the head of
the MotoGP World Championship with
victory last time out at Mugello, insists
leading the standings at this stage in the
season means ‘absolutely nothing’. The
Australian took his first victory since the
Qatar season opener with a one-second win
over Jorge Lorenzo in the wet/dry Italian
Grand Prix. The win was Stoner’s 18th in
the premier-class, matching countryman and
fellow world champion Wayne Gardner.
Not just that but Stoner and Nicky Hayden
will be honoured by the Circuit de Catalunya
with the unveiling of their own plaques on
“Champions Avenue” - adding their names
to those of Michael Schumacher, Lewis
Hamilton and Dani Pedrosa, amongst others
- in celebration of their MotoGP titles.

ROSSI ‘SINCERELY DISAPPOINTED’
Valentino Rossi will start his home
Italian Grand Prix from outside of the
front row for the first time since the
1999 250cc event, after being bumped back
to fourth in the qualifying session.
The Fiat Yamaha star, chasing his eighth
consecutive Mugello victory, had been on
pole with less than two minutes to go, but
narrowly lost out to Suzuki’s Loris Capirossi,
Ducati’s Casey Stoner and his own team-
mate Jorge Lorenzo.
“Sincerely I am quite disappointed to
miss out on the first row!” said Valentino.
“Usually I don’t mind so much but here, in
Mugello, it’s special so I am sorry for this.
It was a great fight today and we had good
potential for the pole position but in the
end we lost the front row to Loris, who did
a great lap.”
Rossi will start round five level with
Stoner in the world championship and just
one point behind pole sitter Lorenzo, who
appears to be the only rider with a race pace
better than Rossi.
“Our setting is good, we have some
small details to check but our race pace
with the harder tyre is very good so I am not
too worried,” confirmed The Doctor. “Of
course starting from the second row makes
life a little more difficult but we don’t think
about this. The weather situation is very
important because if it’s like this then we
know we are fast but if it changes, which
seems possible from the forecast, then it will
be a bit more difficult.”
“As far as race preparation goes that was
a good session, because we were always
fast,” stated team manager Davide Brivio. “In
the hot laps with the soft tyres at the end we
just missed out on the front row but this is
not the end of the world. Our race set-up is
very good and, although starting from fourth
makes our job a little harder, we know that
Valentino will be in the fight tomorrow. We’re
looking forward to a great race.”

FIFTH PLACE FOR KTM’S MARQUEZ

Red Bull KTM Moto Sport’s
Marc Marquez, just 16-year-old,
delivered the promise of a future
champion on the Mugello circuit in the
125cc GP by drawing high praises from
the team’s technical director Harald Bartol.
“Now from KTM’s side we have to ensure
that our motorcycle is as good as our rider.
This was an impressive performance from
Marc!”, commented Bartol. The talented
young Spaniard finished fifth after being
one of the most impressive protagonists of
a five-rider dogfight contesting fourth place
right through the second half of what was a
nail-biting race.
“The weekend was very difficult as we
didn’t have such a good set up so I really had
to ride on the limit, but the time was never
very good. We made a big change in the set
up which was really working out in the right
direction. I was able to make a good time
in the qualifying and I had a good position
for the race”, explained Marquez. “Then in
the middle of the race, when Simon started
pulling away I wasn’t able to go at the speed
of the front group and I stayed on to battle
it out with the second group. Then in the
last corner I bet everything on one tactic. I
opened the gas earlier and I was finally able
to slip past two guys.” Factory teammate
16-year-old American Cameron Beaubier did
not contest the race. He did ride four laps in
qualifying but then withdrew to return to his
home base in Barcelona. The team decided
he should rest his injured wrist until the next
race in Catalunya, Spain. Beaubier damaged
his wrist during a fall at the last race in Le
Mans, France.

17
INTERNATIONAL
MOTORSPORT

NEWS VALENTINO ROSSI ENJOYS

ISLE OF MAN TT VISIT
Reigning six time MotoGP world champion
Valentino Rossi enjoyed his weather-delayed
visit to the Isle of Man TT.
The Italian superstar and countryman
Giacomo Agostini were invited to the event
by Dainese, and the two most successful
premier-class grand prix riders in history
watched trackside as John McGuinness won
the Superbike TT at an average speed of
over 130mph.
Rossi presented McGuinness with his
prize before he and Agostini took to the track
for a parade lap of the world-famous 37.73
mile (60.7 km) circuit.

PREZIOSI HAILS
STONER’S MUGELLO WIN
Ducati Corse general manager Filippo
Preziosi, architect of the factory’s
Desmosedici MotoGP machine,
has hailed Casey Stoner’s Italian Grand Prix
triumph as one of his top three moments.
Stoner finally handed Ducati its first
home Mugello victory at its seventh attempt,
breaking Valentino Rossi’s seven-year reign in
the process.
“Mugello is Valentino’s track,” Preziosi
wrote on Ducati’s ‘Desmoblog’. “Mugello is
Valentino’s track... no other racer in the history
of motorcycle racing has ever won so many
times on the same track.
“The gift Casey gave all of us Ducatisti is
something that will stay with us forever, like the
first MotoGP victory in 2003 at Barcelona with
Loris Capirossi and the 2007 world title.”
Stoner’s second win of the season
means he is now back on top of the MotoGP
World Championship standings after five
of 17 rounds, and Preziosi admits Ducati’s PEDROSA’S
349KPH TOP
success against the Japanese factories since
joining MotoGP in 2003 has been ‘almost
inconceivable’. Ducati has won 19 grands prix
- all but one with Stoner - since the switch to
800cc engines in 2007. That number is two SPEED RECORD
CONFIRMED
more than nearest rival Yamaha, 15 more than
Honda and 18 more than Suzuki. Kawasaki is
yet to win a race.
After winning the 2007 world Dani Pedrosa’s astonishing
championship, Stoner finished second to 349.3kph top speed during the
Rossi last season. Italian Grand Prix weekend has now
been officially confirmed, making it a
new MotoGP record.

SETE GIBERNAU CONFIRMS Pedrosa’s 800cc RC212V set the

speed during the free practice session,
but was subject to official confirmation

CATALUNYA RETURN
Sete Gibernau has confirmed that
he will return to MotoGP action at
his home Catalunya after breaking
his left collarbone. The Grupo Francesco
Hernando rider fractured his left collarbone
in a practice accident at Le Mans and the
injury also forced him to miss the entire
Italian Grand Prix.
However the 36-year-old, returning to
MotoGP after two years in retirement, will
be back on track for round six.
Gibernau’s last MotoGP appearance
at Barcelona saw him tangle with Ducati
Marlboro team-mate Loris Capirossi into
turn one, sending the Spaniard into a
somersault that brought down Capirossi,
Marco Melandri, Dani Pedrosa, Randy de
Puniet and John Hopkins.
by timing specialists at Dorna after
differences were found in the results
produced by the telemetric systems on
some bikes.
However, the official MotoGP
website states that Pedrosa’s top speed
has now been confirmed.
The previous official top speed
record for a motorcycle grand prix
machine was 343.7km/h set by Makoto
Tamada, on a 990cc Honda, during
qualifying at Shanghai in 2006.
The Chinese circuit is no longer on
the world championship calendar, but
the previous highest official top speed at
Mugello was 343kph set by Alex Barros
on a 990cc factory Honda during the
2004 race.
Pedrosa crashed out of Sunday’s
wet/dry grand prix, which was won by
Ducati’s Casey Stoner.

18
 NOW TO
ANY MAGAZINE & WIN
CALL +973 17402482, MOBILE: 39216641

c r i b e H LCD +
ASH

Subs
NC 3 C
40 I TATION 00
S $10
PLAY

& W I N
2 1 6 6 41
Call 3 9 $1000
ibe ibe ibe
scr scr scr
sub Any e sub Any e sub Any e
to zin to zin to zin
ga ga ga
ma
0 ma
0 ma
0
BD1 BD1 BD1

Bahrain’s official Most popular College lifestyle #1 Real Estate

Business magazine magazine
car magazine for youth magazine

e
b s crib MOTOROX BD5 VOUCHER
su Any e
to zin
ga BD5 You also get a BD5 food and beverages voucher BD5
ma
0
BD1
when subscribing to any Maxmedia magazines.

CALL +973 17402482 for details

CA
The Gulf’s 1st Motor Fill form below and send payment. We will mail you your first copy of the magazine along with your Raffle ticket
Sports magazine MAXMEDIA CO. W.L.L P.O. Box 108 Manama Bahrain Call +973 17402482, Fax +973 17402483

Select your 1 year subscription magazines choice below and fax back to +973 17402483.
❏ BD10 ARABIA MOTORS ❏ BD10 B-I-G ❏ BD10 CO-EDS ❏ BD10 ARABIAN HOMES ❏ BD10 M.E MOTORSPORT
❏ GCC Countries BD20. All other foreign countries BD30
Your details
Full Name: Villa: Road: Block:

Area: P.O. Box: City: Country:

Tel Number: Mobile: Email address:

Customer Signature:
Payment Details
Please find enclosed my cheque payable to MAXMEDIA company for or cash for or charge my

Card Number:

Cardholder Name: Cardholder Signature: Expiry Date:

Fill & Fax to +973 17402483
INTERNATIONAL
MOTORSPORT

NEWS GAVIN PREPARES FOR

END OF AN ERA
Oliver Gavin admits it will be the end of an
era when he lines up for Corvette in the Le
Mans 24 Hours in France. Gavin will team
up with regular team-mate Olivier Beretta
and Marcel Fassler as part of the Corvette
Racing line-up in what will be the final race
for the GT1-spec C6R before the team turns
its focus to GT2 back in the American Le
Mans Series. With Aston Martin having
turned its focus to LMP1, Corvette will start
as red hot favorite for the class honors against
the privateer entries from Luc Alphand
Aventures, Jetalliance and JLOC with Gavin
chasing a fifth victory.

Narain Karthikeyan

KARTHIKEYAN
TO JOIN LE
MANS SERIES
Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan has
signed with Team Kolles to drive in the
European Le Mans Series for the rest of
the season. Karthikeyan, who became
India’s first Formula One driver when
he raced for the Jordan team in 2005,
will also be competing in the popular
Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race, but
his first LMS outing will be in Belgium.
Team head Colin Kolles stated that he is
happy to have Narain on board.
TIE AT THE TOP IN SPA PRACTICE
Oreca drivers Olivier Panis and
Nicolas Lapierre recorded the same
time as the Peugeot trio of Marc
Gene, Alexander Wurz and David Brabham
in free practice for the Le Mans series race
at Spa Francorchamps in Belgium.
Both posted quickest times of exactly
two minutes 6.740 seconds in a session
that was disrupted by both rain and a pair
of red flag incidents.
In the first, the Aston Martin 007 car
stopped on the track with Darren Turner at
the wheel; then, Jose Ibanez went off the
track in his Courage LC75 Ibanez Racing
Service car.

SOLBERG TO TEST LE MANS SERIES CAR While one Le Mans Series
Courage-Oreca Team car will be
running a new V10 AIM engine
during its upcoming test run, a second
car appearing on track is sure to attract
attention as well since former Subaru World
Rally Team driver Petter Solberg will be at
the wheel!
The 2003 WRC champion will be
switching from the rally car environment
to the endurance racing scene during
this test at the controls of the Courage-
Oreca LC70E. Team principal Hugues de
Chaunac offered the opportunity, to which
the Norwegian responded very favorably.
Peter Solberg
“As for what comes next, we will see
Petter’s and the team’s impressions. First
comes the test,” stated the Courage-Oreca
Team boss. “We’re impatient to have a
World Champion in the seat of the LC70E!”
With such power at his disposal,
Solberg will surely be impressed when
he takes to the track. Two team drivers
will be there to assist and guide him,
including Nicolas Lapierre and F1 veteran
Olivier Panis. The date of the test was
not disclosed.
In regards to Petter Solberg’s rally
programme this year, he indicated that
“there are still some issues to sort out
regarding which car I will be driving this
season, but a decision will be made soon.”

20

AUDI ANNOUNCE LE MANS LINE-UP
Audi have announced their driver
line-up for their three entries at
the June 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The number one Audi R15 TDI will be
driven by last year’s winners Italian Dindo
Capello, Danish legend Tom Kristensen
and Scotsman Allan McNish.
The trio recently won the 12-hour race
at Sebring in the USA.
PEUGEOT 1-2 IN
QUALIFYING
Team Peugeot took a one-two ahead
of the Le Mans series race at Spa
Francorchamps in Belgium after
qualifying amid overcast weather
conditions. Both posted quickest times
of exactly two minutes 6.740 seconds in
a session that was disrupted by both rain
and a pair of red flag incidents.
In the first, the Aston Martin 007 car
stopped on the track with Darren Turner
at the wheel; then, Jose Ibanez went off
the track in his Courage LC75 Ibanez
Racing Service car.
YOU NEVER KNOW AT LE MANS NEWS
Aston Martin Racing ace Darren Turner
admits that it will be a challenge for the team
to try and secure a podium finish at Le Mans,
although the Briton conceded that the French
classic is a race where ‘you never know what
will happen next’.
Having turned his focus back to sportscar
racing, Turner will form part of the #008 crew
for Aston Martin as it seeks to challenge for
The number two R15 also features
the same line-up which ran at Sebring:
Germans Lucas Luhr, Mike Rockenfeller
and Marco Werner.
The third R15 will be shared by German
Timo Bernhard and Frenchmen Romain
Dumas and Alexandre Premat.
The new additions to the team,
Bernhard and Dumas, have thoroughly
JETALLIANCE TARGETS DEBUT PODIUM
Jetalliance Racing will look to secure
a podium finish on its debut in the
Le Mans 24 Hours – in what will
be the final race at La Sarthe for the current
GT1-spec cars. The team will field the only
Aston Martin DBR9 entered into the race, with
team boss Lukas Lichtner-Hoyer joined at the
wheel by Alex Muller and Thomas Gruber. Set
to become the first Austrian outfit at La Sarthe
INTERNATIONAL
MOTORSPORT
outright honours with a trio of Lola-Aston
Martin LMP1 machines, with the former
SEAT touring car racer joined at the wheel by
Anthony Davidson and Jos Verstappen.
Preparations for the #008 crew have been
far from ideal after Verstappen suffered a high-
speed testing accident at Monza, but with the
trio now heading to La Sarthe, Turner said he
was confident they would be a strong line-up.
familiarized themselves with the Audi R15
TDI in test runs.
The first second-generation diesel-
powered race sports car has undergone
further development since its victorious
debut at Sebring, with an aerodynamics
package optimized for the Le Mans high-
speed track.
since 1972, the team will face the challenge
of taking the fight to the factory Corvette team
and the privateer Corvettes entered by Luc
Alphand Aventures – a challenge Muller admits
will be far from easy. The team has already
competed in the Spa 1000km as a pre-cursor
to Le Mans, and Lichtner-Hoyer said that finally
taking his place on the La Sarthe grid would be
the realization of a dream.
21
INTERNATIONAL
MOTORSPORT
NEWS
CARROLL DOUBLES UP
AS IRELAND CROWNED
Adam Carroll became the first driver
this season to secure wins in both
races to help Ireland to lift the A1GP
title at Brands Hatch.
Following his success in the Sprint Race,
Carroll stormed to victory in the Feature
Race ahead of Jeroen Bleekemolen for the
Netherlands and Switzerland’s Neel Jani to
give Ireland the championship crown and leave
Switzerland to settle for second.
From pole position, Carroll dominated the
race and led from start to finish – pit stops
aside – to come home more than
ten seconds clear of Bleekemolen, while Jani
took third for Switzerland despite a damaged
exhaust on his car to ensure the runner-up slot
in the standings for the outgoing champions.
Clivio Piccione was fourth for Monaco,
having run second in the early stages,
PALMER HAILS FORMULA
2’S FIRST EVENT
Formula 2 promoter Jonathan Palmer says
he was pleased with the outcome of the
first round of the new championship last
weekend in Valencia. Palmer admitted he
was relieved that the championship got
underway in a successful manner following
months of hard work to get it ready in time.
Despite rating the event a success, Palmer
admitted there are still a lot of things that
can be improved.
22
BENSON’S TRUCK SERIES SHUT DOWN
Mooresville, N.C.-based Red Horse Racing
has announced it is ceasing operations with
its No. 1 Toyota Tundra driven by Johnny
Benson in NASCAR’s Camping World
Truck Series, effective immediately. The
team cited lack of sponsorship as the reason
for its closure. Sponsorship for Benson
was thought to be secure before the season
began, but the economic downturn kept that
FAUZY JOINS BRDC
A1 Team Malaysia driver,
Fairuz Fauzy, has been elected
to the elite British Racing
Drivers’ Club, making him part of a select
group to hold the honour.
sponsor from being able to participate.
Benson has competed in eight events
behind the wheel of the team’s truck this
year. He earned four top-10 finishes,
including a fourth-place finish at Texas
Motor Speedway.
Red Horse Racing will continue to field
the No. 11 Toyota Tundra, driven by TJ
Bell, as that truck does have some support.
while fifth place for Filipe Albuquerque
was good enough to secure third in the
standings for Portugal – who had been the
third team in with a chance of the title going
into the weekend.
Mexico took sixth in the race ahead
of Britain’s Dan Clarke, who had to
contend with a damaged exhaust and a
late trip off track to take seventh from John
Martin. Eight for Martin wasn’t enough to
put Australia ahead of New Zealand in
the championship standings with the pair
level in points but Black Beauty having a
superior finishing record. Tonio Liuzzi and
Nicolas Prost rounded out the top ten for
Italy and France.
The final race of the season featured
early drama when China, India and the
USA clashed at Paddock Hill Bend on the
opening lap.
While JR Hildebrand was able to
continue and ultimately finished 14th for
the USA, both India and China were out
on the spot with Narain Karthikeyan lucky
not to roll when his car when sideways into
the gravel after being tagged by a spinning
Frankie Cheng.
Fauzy has bases in Malaysia and the
UK. He is only a stone’s throw away from
the BRDC Clubhouse when he is at his
UK home. The BRDC headquarter is
located close to the Silverstone circuit in
Northamptonshire.
BRDC membership is only available to
racing drivers who are born within the UK
or a Commonwealth country, and the entry
criteria to the Club remain very strict with
Full Membership offered only to those
who have attained international success
over a number of seasons.
“It is an honour to be a member of
such a prestigious and elite organisation,”
Fauzy said. “The BRDC is a unique motor
racing club, which only top racing drivers
are invited to join. I am very proud to
have been elected as a member and to
represent such a historic club. I am really
looking forward to taking my family and
friends into the Clubhouse to watch the
races and to be involved with the club and
its important activities in motor racing.”

SCOTT SCORES FIRSTTRUCK
SERIES WIN AT DOVER
Opting to stay on the track and
forego fresh tires before a 10-lap
run to the finish, Brian Scott won his
first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
race in his 39th start at Dover International
Speedway. Though blown right-front tires
plagued almost the entire field in the AAA
Insurance 200 and deprived Kyle Busch of
a chance to win Scott, Dennis Setzer, Stacy
Compton and Jason White stayed out after
Busch and Colin Braun each blew right
fronts and hit the outside wall in the same
corner on Lap 184 of 200.
Scott, 21, stayed out front for the final
10 laps and held off a closing Setzer on the
final circuit. David Starr ran third, followed
by White and Johnny Sauter. Busch charged
from the back in the final laps to finish ninth.
SWITZERLAND VOWS TO BOUNCE BACK
FIA CAN’T JUST ENTER FERRARI NEWS
Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali
has made clear that the FIA can’t include
the Scuderia on the entry list for the 2010
Formula One season unless demands made
by the Formula One Teams Association are
met. As thing stands, the current teams –
Williams and Force India aside – have only
lodged conditional entries which are largely
dependent on the FIA dropping the proposed
Busch led 133 laps but fell victim to hard
luck in the closing stages of the race. He had
suffered a similar fate approximately three
hours earlier when he lost the Nationwide
Series race at Dover with a tire problem
before a restart two laps from the finish.
Ron Hornaday Jr. slammed the Turn 1
wall after blowing his right front tire on Lap
34. Though Hornaday finished 26th, 157
laps down, he retained the series points
lead over eighth-place finisher Mike Skinner,
who trimmed Ron’s advantage from 84 to
27 points.The final 14 laps were the only
laps Scott led. In six previous truck series
races this season, he had led a total of eight
laps. His best previous finish in the series
was second last November at Homestead-
Miami Speedway.
INTERNATIONAL
MOTORSPORT
budget cap it is keen to implement next year.
With the clock ticking down to the
announcement of those teams to have been
selected for the new season, rumors have
suggested that the eight FOTA teams would
be classed as ‘automatic’ entries for 2010
but Domenicali again insisted that Ferrari
wouldn’t be on the list unless the FIA agreed
to the demands made by the teams.
Team Switzerland has vowed to
battle hard to reclaim its title after
seeing Ireland secure the A1GP
crown at Brands Hatch.
The Swiss had gone into the season
finale as one of three teams in with a chance
of lifting the crown, with Ireland and Portugal
also hoping to secure championship glory.
While Adam Carroll duly took a double
pole and double win to give Ireland the
crown. Having qualified eighth and fourth for
the two races, Jani finished eighth and third
– despite a broken exhaust in the feature
race – and he conceded that the pace just
hadn’t been there to try and defend the title.
“In the sprint race, there wasn’t much I
could do with the car that still didn’t handle
properly,” he said. “In the afternoon, it all
went significantly better. Unfortunately, an
exhaust pipe broke after a few laps, which
had a noticeable effect on the engine
power. I am sure that otherwise, I could have
finished ahead of the Dutchman and maybe
even put Ireland under pressure.”
Despite missing out on the title,
team boss Max Welti refused to be too
despondent and conceded that his outfit
could still be happy with the way it had
performed during the year.
23
INTERNATIONAL
MOTORSPORT
NEWS
WURZ SET TO LEAD SUPERFUND INTO F1
Former Formula 1 driver Alex Wurz
has lodged an entry in the 2010
Formula 1 World Championship
with a new start-up operation called Team
Superfund.
The former Williams, McLaren and
Benetton racer, will become team principal
of the new outfit, which is set to be funded
by Austrian business tycoon Christian Baha
— the founder and owner of the investment
company Superfund. The team’s cars will
be powered by the standard-specification
Cosworth engine.
Superfund joins Prodrive, Lola, Campos
Meta1 and Team US F1 as one of several new
ventures seeking to enter the sport following
the FIA’s plan to introduce budget caps to F1
for 2010.
Superfund has been in serious
discussions with the FIA already, that
planning for the project is at an advanced
stage, and that it has been in contact with
key personnel. The team is waiting until it has
secured its entry before it begins acquiring
assets and staff however.
BRISCOE TAKES MILWAUKEE POLE
Ryan Briscoe moved out from
under the magical shadow of his
teammate by winning the pole
position for the ABC Supply/A.J. Foyt 225
at The Milwaukee Mile. Briscoe recorded a
record four-lap time of 1:26.7966 seconds
– 168.394 mph – around the historic oval
in the No. 6 Team Penske Dallara-Honda
shortly before his teammate, Indy 500
winner Helio Castroneves, crashed during
his qualifying run. That put Briscoe, who
started second at Indy and ran second
behind Castroneves before being forced
to pit late in the race, 0.14 second ahead
24
LOTUS DISTANCES FROM LITESPEED
Group Lotus plc has hinted that it could take
action to protect the Lotus brand name after
the Litespeed team revealed it has lodged
its entry for the 2010 Formula One season
under the Team Lotus banner.
The British F3 runners are one of a
number of new teams to be chasing a
slot on the F1 grid for next season, and
revealed over the course that it had secured
Alex Wurz
Superfund is also understood to be awaiting
for the outcome of talks between the
governing body and the Formula One Teams’
Association over proposals of existing teams to
assist new outfits before it decides on how to
structure the operation.
Investment company Superfund is poised
to go from being a backer of support series like
Euro F3000 to a member of the F1 club.
of the next-fastest qualifier, Graham Rahal.
Briscoe won the race last year, giving Roger
Penske his 300th victory as a car owner.
Rahal, who also started second last
year at Milwaukee, was clocked at 168.117
mph in the No. 02 Newman/Haas/Lanigan
Racing Dallara-Honda. Tony Kanaan, driving
despite bruised ribs and other injuries,
qualified third-best, followed by Scott
Dixon, Mario Moraes and Hideki Mutoh.
Kanaan, who crashed hard during the Indy
500, had X-rays on his ribs that proved
rights to use the Lotus name from rights-
holder David Hunt.
However, in much the same way that the
Brabham family has announced that it will
challenge plans by the Formtech company
to enter under the Brabham Grand Prix
moniker, Group Lotus has moved to distance
itself from the Litespeed plans and said it will
take steps to protect its name if needed.
It is believed that Wurz would prefer to
align the team with an existing constructor
based in the UK, perhaps renting space,
facilities and staff from its factory, while
Superfund takes time to build-up its own
headquarters, possibly based on existing
resources in Austria. This would also give the
new team an opportunity to gain essential
experience from existing expertise.
It is understood however that finances are
already in place for Superfund to create a team
from the ground up if necessary.
Baha, who is known to be a huge
motorsport fan, has sponsored F1 teams and
junior series in the past and came close to
setting up a Superfund category of his own
earlier in the decade.
Wurz retired from Formula 1 racing at the
end of 2007 with Williams, though he spent
last year as test and reserve driver for Honda
and has stayed on the team’s roster since it
became Brawn. The 34-year-old Austrian is
expected to continue racing for Peugeot in
sportscars and will compete in the Le Mans 24
Hours next month.
negative. Instead, doctors have treated
the deep bruising with pain killers and rest.
Danica Patrick qualified seventh, followed
by Dario Franchitti, Raphael Matos and
Tomas Scheckter in the No. 23 Dreyer &
Reinbold entry.
Castroneves says he was pressing hard
when the No. 3 Penske Dallara-Honda
spun. He will start 20th in the 21-car field.
So Briscoe, who won the IndyCar season
opener at St. Petersburg and stands third in
points, is the one getting the attention after
qualifying at Milwaukee’s tricky flat oval.
 INTERNATIONAL
JOHN CELEBRATES TT TRIUMPH MOTORSPORT

John McGuinness was delighted to

overcome the ‘pressure’ of winning for
Honda on their 50th anniversary of road
racing by claiming an outstanding 15th career
Isle of Man TT victory. The TT legend
was in dominant form throughout as he
smashed both the race and the lap record,
McGuinness recording three laps that would
average more than 130mph.
Overcoming a lack of grip at the start,
McGuinness says he settled into a good pace
NEWS
by the fifth lap as he attempted to make a
break away from HM Plant Honda team-
mate Steve Plater. Leading a historic 1-2-3
for the Honda brand, McGuinness
was proud to have won for a 15th time,
particularly given the pressure he felt by
representing the manufacturer.

WICKENS DOMINATES FIRST F2 RACE Robert Wickens completed a
perfect round at the Formula 2
championship by winning the
second race at Valencia.
The 20-year-old Canadian, who had
already taken victory in the first race, put in
another faultless drive from to take away
two pole positions and two wins from the
first event of the season.
For the second race in succession,
Wickens’ fellow front row starter made a
terrible getaway. This time Andy Soucek
bogged down off the line and dropped
to fourth, leaving Wickens with an
unchallenged run to the first corner.
His fellow Red Bull-backed driver Mirko
Bortolotti looked capable of threatening
Wickens in the early laps and began to
close on the race leader at one point, but
Wickens was able to maintain a much
stronger pace once the tyres started to
wear. By half distance he was building his
lead at half a second per lap to earn himself
a comfortable run to the finish.
Bortolotti was always clear in second,
leaving Philipp Eng to keep Soucek at bay
for third. Soucek had reclaimed third from
Nicola de Marco half way round the first
lap, but he couldn’t catch Eng to take back
his starting spot.
It was fairly eventless further down the
order with Mikhail Aleshin and Edoardo
Piscopo having quiet runs to sixth and
seventh, and Carlos Iaconelli and Tobias
Hegewald climbing to eighth and ninth
by overtaking Julien Jousse, who slipped
back to 10th.

KESELOWSKI SNATCHES NATIONWIDE WIN

Brad Keselowski claimed an once again lost out to Busch on lap 109. He
unexpected victory in the Heluva said he had a good final restart and was simply
Good! 200 (yes, that was the actual caught out by Busch’s slower entry speed
name!) NASCAR Nationwide Series event at into Turn 1. Busch, who has led nearly half the
Dover International Speedway. He was running laps ran during the Nationwide season, was
third when the green flag waved for the last left with yet another near miss after looking
time with two laps remaining, following the last to be on his way to what would have been his
of nine caution periods. Keselowski suddenly fourth victory of the season. Clint Bowyer ran
found himself leading into Turn 2 when Joey consistently in the top five and finished third
Logano tapped the rear of his teammate without challenging the leading Gibbs’ pair.
Kyle Busch as the leading duo entered Turn Brian Vickers finished fourth for Braun Racing,
1. The pair slid up the track after they made while Carl Edwards had a quiet day and
contact, leaving the door open for Keselowski rounded out the top five. Behind them Scott
and others to get past, and losing Joe Gibbs Speed made a great charge from the back of
Racing a certain victory as between Busch the grid, following an engine change, to score
and Logano, they had led 195 out of the 200 his best result of the season with seventh,
scheduled laps. While Logano was able to and Penske’s Justin Allgaier finished 10th as
recover and finish second, Busch ended up the best rookie of the day. While Keselowski
down in 17th place with a flat right-front tire. celebrated his third career victory in the
The victory was also the first for JR Nationwide series, it was not a good day for
Motorsports this year, putting a smile on the the second JR Motorsports car driven by Ryan
face of team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. Not just Newman, who was involved in two separate
that but Logano felt devasted at having ruined incidents, the last one putting an early end to
the end of the race for both Gibbs cars. His his race on lap 126. Other Cup notables facing
battle with Busch had been race-long and they trouble were David Ragan and Kevin Harvick,
had swapped the lead between them three who ended up against the barrier when the
times. The 19-year-old had started from pole, Roush Fenway racer lost control of his car
then lost the lead on lap 57 when he caught ahead of Harvick.
traffic, then regained it in the pits on lap 77 and

25
INTERNATIONAL
MOTORSPORT
NEWS
CAPPS ROLLS ON WITH
TOPEKA NHRA WIN
Ron Capps continued his
dominance over the Funny Car
field with his win at the 21st
annual O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals
at Heartland Park Topeka.
Larry Dixon and Allen Johnson also
visited winner’s circle after dominating
their respective classes at the race that
marks the halfway point of the regular
season for the NHRA Full Throttle Drag
Racing series.
Capps showed why he’s the car to beat
this season in Funny Car, driving his NAPA
Dodge Charger R/T to a 4.265-second run
at 286.07 mph; enough to push the driver
past runner-up and No. 1 qualifier Ashley
Force Hood and give Capps his third win
of the season.
The win helped strengthen Capps’ lead
over second-place Del Worsham in the
point standings.
26
GHOSN CALLS FOR MORE REVENUE
Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn thinks that the
FIA is not the only organization in F1 that
needs to compromise in the row over future
costs cuts – as he called on the sport’s owners
to start delivering more revenue to the teams.
With the FIA due to announce the list of
entrants that have been accepted for the 2010
championship, Ghosn thinks it is time that a
bigger share of commercial rights income is
Larry Dixon was dominate over the Top
Fuel class the entire day and picked up his
second win of the season with a 3.971 run
at 301.74 in the final round. The run in his
Alan Johnson Al-Anabi Racing dragster
was just enough to push Dixon past Clay
Millican, who was making his first final
round appearance in over five years.
The win pushed Dixon from sixth into
the fourth spot, just 141 points behind
first-place driver and defending world
champion Tony Schumacher.
In Pro Stock, Allen Johnson grabbed
his first win in almost three years, driving
his Team Mopar / J&J Racing Dodge
Stratus to a holeshot win at 6.726 at
204.94 over Mike Edwards.
The runner-up finish for Edwards
closed the gap between he and current
points leader and defending world
champion Jeg Coughlin to just 75 points.
handed to the sport’s competitors. Speaking
to France’s National Assembly, Ghosn was in
feisty mood as he urged F1 supremo Bernie
Ecclestone and owners CVC to reform the
payment structure. Renault’s wholehearted
commitment to reducing costs was made
clear in letters leaked earlier confirming the
team was to shut its factory down and was
serious about its threat to quit.
ROMANCINI CLAIMS
FIRST INDY LIGHTS WIN
Mario Romancini, the polesitter in
the No. 5 Revita/Win Brazil/Allied/RLR
Andersen Racing car, led every lap
of the Husar’s House of Fine Diamonds
100 Presented by Charter and won by
.0907 seconds over J.R. Hildebrand at the
Milwaukee Mile.
It was the second victory in the series for
RLR/Andersen Racing – the other coming at
Kansas Speedway in 2008 with Hildebrand
behind the wheel. Alex Lloyd in 2007 is the
only other winner to lead from flag to flag at
The Milwaukee Mile.
Romancini was able to keep Hildebrand at
bay on a Lap 91 restart (a caution flag thrown
when Daniel Herrington’s No. 28 LeBleu/Bryan
Herta Autosport car made contact with the
inside retaining wall at the pit lane entrance).
He led by 0.7677 of a second on Lap 95 and
0.8986 of a second on the white flag lap. He’s
the fifth different winner in six races.
Hildebrand’s AFS Racing/Andretti Green
Racing teammate, Sebastian Saavedra,
overtook Gustavo Yacaman on Lap 99 to
claim third place. Yacaman, driving the No. 44
Crepes & Waffles/Sam Schmidt Motorsports
car, posted a season-high fourth.
James Davison, who started seventh in
the No. 21 People’s Liberation Vision Racing
car, finished a season-high fifth and Wade
Cunningham was sixth in the No. 11 Lucas Oil/
Sam Schmidt Motorsports car.
James Hinchcliffe advanced from 10th to
finish seventh in the No. 7 Hinchtown/Sam
Schmidt Motorsports car. Andrew Prendeville,
driving the No. 2 TMR-Xtreme Coil Drilling
entry, was eighth and Pippa Mann scored her
first top 10 in the No. 16 Panther Racing car.
INTERNATIONAL
MOTORSPORT
NEWS
UNITY WILL MAKE EPSILON CONFIRMS 2010 F1 ENTRY ATTEMPT
F1 STRONGER
John Howett
Toyota F1 president John Howett
believes Formula 1 will emerge from
the dispute between the teams and the
FIA as a much stronger sport provided
the governing body accepts the
conditions attached to the FOTA teams’
entries for 2010.
Every F1 team has submitted
an entry for next year’s World
Championship, but all those apart
from Williams have entered under
the condition that FOTA’s terms are
met. The terms include scrapping the
proposed budget cap and two-tier
system, and ensuring the regulations
remain largely the same as those in use
this year.
Howett, who is also vice chairman
of FOTA, insists that the unity shown
wby the teams will make F1 stronger in
the long run.
He reaffirmed Toyota’s desire to
commit to F1, but says the manufacturer
will stick by FOTA’s call for its conditions
to be met.
Howett also confirmed that FOTA has
proposed its own cost-cutting measures
and will not accept a budget cap for
2010, but still welcomes the addition of
new teams into F1.
28
AWARD TO ENCOURAGE LMP1
A new award to encourage LMP1 teams to
contest events in more than one sports car
championship is set to be launched by Le
Mans organizing club, the Automobile Club
de l’Ouest.
The Intercontinental Trophy will
combine events in the American Le Mans
Series, the European-based LMS, and the
Asian LMS. The trophy, which is set to
The Epsilon Euskadi team has
officially confirmed that it has
submitted its entry to compete in
Formula 1 next season.
Epsilon boss Joan Villadelprat said the
team wanted to be silent until the necessary
MARCH AIMING TO RETURN TO F1
March is among the teams to have
lodged an entry for the 2010 Formula
1 World Championship. March
Racing Organization still exists as a non-trading
registered company despite not having any
involvement in motorsport since the F1 team
collapsed in the build-up to the 1993 season.
The company is owned by British businessman
and chairman of English Football League 1 club
Swindon Town Andrew Fitton, who acquired
March in 1993. Although the team is unwilling
to make any further comment on its plans until
the FIA announces its 2010 entry list.
March has nominated Cosworth as
its engine supplier on its application and
would have to start up its operation from
scratch should it be granted an entry. March
launch next season, will encompass between
six and eight races, though these have yet to
be selected.
ACO general manager Remy Brouard
said: “The 24 Hours will not be part of
it, but the trophy will be for the major
manufacturers or big teams. If there is a
problem it’ll happen in 2011.”
budget was in place, but the former Tyrrell
and Benetton team manager has revealed
he has now secured the finances for the
next four years if the Spanish squad is
chosen by the FIA, when the entry list for
2010 will be announced.
Villadelprat, whose team has raced in the
Le Mans 24 Hours with its own LMP1 car, said
Epsilon has submitted its entry with the new
budget cap rules in mind. But the team boss
admitted he was not too worried about the
possibility that the cap could be increased, as
he reckons he has the necessary budget to do
a good job.
Villadelprat feels his team deserves the
chance to compete in grand prix racing, and he
reckons Epsilon is in a strong position thanks
to its infrastructure and its philosophy.
Engineering was, with FIA president Max
Mosley, one of the co-founders along with
Alan Rees, Robin Herd and Graham Coaker.
In 1970, it made its first foray into F1 as both
a works team and a customer car supplier,
with the Ken Tyrrell-run March 701 of Jackie
Stewart taking a debut pole.
In all, March started 197 grands prix,
winning the 1970 Spanish, 1975 Austrian and
1976 Italian Grand Prix before dropping out
of F1 for good after the 1992 season, during
which it scored just three points.
March is one of a number of teams that
have lodged entries for F1. Among its rivals
for entries are Prodrive, Lola, Team Superfund,
Team USF1, Litespeed, Epsilon Euskadi and
Campos Meta1.
 INTERNATIONAL
ACO DECLARES AUDI BODYWORK NEWS MOTORSPORT

Le Mans organizer the ACO has ruled
the bodywork on Audi’s R15 legal after
dismissing the protest lodged by Peugeot
before the practice session.
The French manufacturer called for a
clarification of the regulations after claiming
that flaps and appendages fixed to the R15’s
front wings are in violation of the rule that
parts of the bodywork cannot be fitted with
the sole purpose of generating downforce.
Peugeot will now appeal to the FIA, as
the team stated it would if the protest was
not upheld by the stewards. The ACO also
announced that it will, at the request of the
manufacturers, hold a meeting for technical
directors and design engineers to discuss
the regulations for 2010 and 2011.

DAKAR RALLY TO RETURN

TO SOUTH AMERICA
Argentina has been confirmed as
the host of the 2010 Dakar Rally,
following the event’s success
earlier this year.
Next year’s 32nd running of the event
will start and finish in Buenos Aires on
January 1 and 17, and will hold stages
throughout Argentina and Chile.
Dakar Rally director Etienne Lavigne
said: “Following a really successful 2009
Dakar Rally, hosted jointly by Argentina
and Chile, we are pleased to announce
that the 2010 Dakar Rally will once again
be returning to South America.”
Leonardo Boto of the Argentine
tourist authority added: “This is a major
success for Argentina; it will be a boost
for our tourism industry and for our
international prestige.

RED BULL CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT NOT OVER

Red Bull Racing boss Christian
Horner is adamant the title battle is far
from over despite Brawn’s significant
lead in both the drivers’ and Constructors’
Championship.
Brawn’s Jenson Button claimed his fifth
win in six races at the Monaco Grand Prix,
extending his lead in the drivers’ championship
to 16 points over teammate Rubens
Barrichello and 28 points over Red Bull’s
Sebastian Vettel.
Although Horner concedes that the gap
is “huge,” he is confident that the pace of the
Red Bull, which has been as quick or quicker
than the Brawn for much of the season, will
allow them to close the gap.
Horner believes that circumstances have
favored Brawn’s drivers so far this season,
and feels that bad luck has denied the Milton
Keynes-based team several more wins.
In both the Bahrain and Spanish Grands
Prix, Vettel became caught behind the KERS
cars of Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa
respectively, costing him the chance of
challenging Button for victory.

29
INTERNATIONAL
MOTORSPORT
NEWS
F1 TEAMS SEEKING SOLUTION, NOT NEW SERIES
MALLYA WANTS FOTA
SUSPENSION REVERSED
Vijay Mallya has asked the
Formula One Teams’ Association
(FOTA) to reconsider his team’s
suspension from the organization,
following its decision to lodge an
unconditional entry to next year’s
championship.
Force India was officially informed
by FOTA that it had been suspended
alongside Williams for breaking away
from the block conditional entries lodged
30
PEDROSA TO FIGHT ON
Dani Pedrosa has vowed to fight on
despite a painful start to the Grand Prix
of Catalunya, his second home event of
the year.
The 23-year-old Spaniard received a
pain-killing injection prior to this afternoon’s
session to try and make his cracked thigh
bone more manageable, but remained in
considerable discomfort throughout the
Formula 1’s current teams remain
wholly committed to finding a solution
to their dispute with the FIA over the
future of the sport, despite suggestions from
FIA president Max Mosley that they should go
off and do their own series.
With no solution yet in sight in the row
over a £40 million ($60m) budget cap for next
year, the nine members of the Formula One
Teams’ Association (FOTA) are awaiting a
response from the FIA about the conditions
by the other eight teams. Mallya made
it clear that he had no choice but to
lodge an unconditional entry because of
banking covenants.
“I have only been told by John [Howett],
who is vice-chairman of FOTA executive
committee, today for the very first time that
the executive committee, when they had
a teleconference call last week, that they
decided to suspend us when we changed
our entry to an unconditional entry. Mallya
said it was too early to judge if his request
to get back in FOTA would be accepted.
He also stated that if they appreciate it,
well and good, if they don’t appreciate it
then why should I lose sleep over it? I am
doing what is good for Force India, first
because I have a duty to comply with my
legal obligations, I have a duty to the team
and the company, and at the end of the day
if it stops racing there is no business.
hour, which he finished in just 14th place.
Due to his physical condition, Pedrosa
only got a brief chance to try a modified
chassis design, aimed at improving stability
under braking.
As was planned, team-mate Andrea
Dovizioso only used the standard chassis,
with which he set the fourth fastest lap time.
they laid down for them to enter next year’s
championship. They want a Concorde
Agreement signed, plus the current plans for
2010 regulation changes to be abandoned, in
favor of their own proposals.
Although the teams have not yet had
an official response from the FIA about the
conditions of their entry, Mosley suggested
that if FOTA was unhappy with the
proposed rules it should form a breakaway
championship. BMW motorsport director
Mario Theissen made it clear in Turkey that
FOTA was far more interested in reaching a
deal with the FIA than going off and doing its
own series.
Theissen said that FOTA did not have
any plans to meet to discuss the situation,
although it would do so if the FIA responded.
Although there have been some causes for
optimism that the teams and the FIA were
heading for a solution, Theissen was more
cautious about the chances of the matter
getting sorted out and revealed that the
decisions made by FOTA to lodge conditional
entries was suggested to them by Mosley.
MOSLEY: F2 CAN
BE AN F1 FEEDER
FIA president Max Mosley is confident that
the revived Formula 2 championship will be a
successful feeder series to F1 following his visit
to the opening round at Valencia.
Mosley hosted the podium ceremony for
the first race of the season, which was won by
Robert Wickens, and praised the championship
for delivering on the aims the FIA set out with.
Williams director of engineering Patrick
Head, who led the design team that created the
new F2 car, hosted the podium for the second
race – also won by Wickens – and believes
that F1 teams will look seriously at testing the
leading F2 drivers at the end of the season.
RACE REPORT

BUTTON’ S
TURKISH
DELIGHT
Jenson Button continued his domination of the
current Formula One season with his sixth victory
in seven races to move a step closer to clinching his
maiden world championship.

J
enson Button was unstoppable
again, this time at the Turkish
Grand Prix. Making it six wins out
of seven 7 races in 2009.
Sebastian Vettel who started from
pole lost the lead on the opening lap
after a mistake and due to a very strange
pit stop strategy. He also lost second
place to team mate Mark Webber by the
end of the race.
Vettel, Button and Webber all had
good starts. It was third on the grid
Rubens Barrichello who was in trouble.
After nearly stalling at the start he
fell back to 13th place, as he tried to
make up ground he crashed into Heikki
Kovalainen then Adrian Sutil. Before
he had time to damage more cars his
gearbox gave way sending him
into retirement.
Vettel lead the race from the start with
button close behind, then at turn 9/10
Vettel ran wide allowing Button to take
the lead. With this, Button set fastest
lap… after fastest… lap pulling
away with ease.
Button started the race on a 2 stop
pitstop strategy with Vettel on a 3 stop.
Vettel needed to stay ahead of button for
this to work. This did not happen.
At this point Redbull should have
changed Vettel to a 2 stop strategy (for
some reason they did not). With this
Vettel had no chance of racing Button
because he had to make one more pit
stop. This also gave Vettels team mate

32
RACE REPORT

33
RACE REPORT

Mark Webber the chance to slip past him

because he was only making 2 stops. As you
would understand Vettel was a little upset
with his team about this (Oopps).
With all this Button cruised to seal win
number 6, while Webber came 2nd and his
upset team mate Vettle 3rd. Webber said
after the race Button was on another planet.
(I have to say I agree as there seems to be
no stopping him).
Jarno Trulli took fourth for Toyota, a
very good result after such a bad
result at Monaco.
Nico Rosberg came 5th which sure
was a good result after some frustrating
earlier races.

34
 RACE REPORT
Ferrari never looked like they had
the speed to fight at the front. Felipe
Massa had to settle for a distant 6th
with Kimi Raikkonen struggling after he
damaged his front wing due to running
into Fernando Alonso. Raikkonen ended
the race 9th.
BMW’s Robert Kubica finally opened
his 2009 points account coming 7th.
Timo Glock raced from the back end
of the grid to 8th. After a bad qualifying
his team filled his car with fuel and hoped
for the best. This time it worked.
Kazuki Nakajima was in the hunt
for points but fell back to 12th after a
problem with his left front wheel in his TURKISH GP RESULTS
last stop. Anyone who thinks pit stops are
easy, are very, very wrong. 1. Button Brawn GP
Alonso, who finished 10th admitted
his Renault is simply too slow and 2. Webber Red Bull
amongst the slowest cars in the field.
(What does that make his team mates car, 3. Vettel Red Bull
he must be in a GP2 car or more likely the 4. Trulli Toyota
driver is no good).
McLaren’s season seems to get 5. Rosberg Williams
worse with Lewis Hamilton coming
6. Massa Ferrari
13th and Kovalainen 14th. Hamilton is
already starting to say this season is over 7. Kubica BMW
for them. (I agree with him, the 2009
McLaren is really bad). 8. Glock Toyota
9. Raikkonen Ferrari
10. Alonso Renault

Drivers Championship

1. Button 61 points
2. Barrichello 35
3. Vettel 29
4. Webber 27.5
5. Trulli 19.5
6. Glock 13
7. Rosberg 11.5
8. Massa 11
9. Alonso 11
10. Raikkonen 9

Constructors Championship

1. Brawn 96
2. Red-bull 56.5
3. Toyota 32.5
4. Ferrari 20
5. McLaren 13
6. Williams 11.5
7. Renault 11
8. Bmw 8
9. Torro-Rosso 5

35
SCREENING
King of the Road

s and other

J
ournalists, photographer
of the me dia we re guests
members
al Cir cuit
of Bahrain Internation
tor ox Ca fé, wh ere they all
at Mo
tton take yet another
witnessed Jenson Bu
h an unb elie vable drive at the
victory wit
kis h Gra nd Prix in Istanbul.
Formula One Tur
y signalled
As the Brawn GP victor
h win out of sev en races, PR
Button’s sixt al Circuit,
Inte rna tion
Executive at Bahrain
Say ed, tha nke d the members of the
Jamal Al
tching the gripping
media for joining in wa
2009 F1 World
seventh round of the
Championsh ip.
erb attendance to
He added that the sup
ing wa s a cle ar indicator of the
the screen
rt cul ture in the region. Al
growing motorspo sp
prizes to the winners
Sayed later presented

,
se in attendance.

L
all tho

U
of a raffle hel d for

N B
IASWITN FAOR BUTTON
AND MEDIA M E M B E R S

36
 SCREENING

arathne took
Sanjaya Sadakalum Jay
e of a ret urn ticket to
home the grand priz lf Air.
rier s Gu
Dubai with national car cam e
er win ner s wh o
Among oth Jas sim
gift s we re
away with valuable BIC i, Mohammed
d, Ha me d Al Ma har
Mohamme
ah.
Faker Aldeen and Ali Fal
e nex t offi cia l F1 scr eening will be held
Th
Jun e, as the eighth round
on the 21st of
ce at the Santander
of the season takes pla
British Gra nd Pri x.

37
FEATURE

UAE NATIONAL RACING: YELLOW HAT UAE TOURING CAR

NIGHT OF
CHAMPIONSHIP WITH HOUSE
OF PORTIER
Mohammed Al Owais Overall Winner

Karim Al Azhari Class 1 Winner

CHAMPIONS
Raed Hassan Class 2 Winner

Costas Papantonis Class 3 Winner

Mohammed Al Owais Class 4 Winner

OF THE 2008/2009 Abdulhamid Al Awadhi Class 5 Winner

UAE SPORTBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP

SEASON
Hussain Al Kooheji Overall Winner

Juzar Motiwala Stock 1000 Class Winner

Hussain Al Kooheji 600 Stock Class Winner

HONOURED
Pascal Grosjean Superstock Class Winner

GULF RADICAL CUP

Bassam Kronfli Overall Winner

DAMC RED LINE CHALLENGE

T
Aref Ramli RLC Overall Winner
he Green Community Courtyard Motiwala was another popular recipient of
Marriott hosted the cream of the UAE Sportbike Championship trophy
Raoul Dice Montano 1M Class Winner
the UAE’s racing drivers, team for the premier 1000 Class.
principals, officials and media The biggest cheer of the night was Jenniever Verana 1S Class Winner
gathered for an awards ceremony to honour reserved for the UAE’s Mohammed
the 2008/2009 season UAE National Al Falasi who was bestowed with the Imad Mrad 2M Class Winner
Champions - the evening was billed as the prestigious, and most impressive trophy
“Dubai Autodrome Motorsport Club Night
presented by Glenn Portier, for the House Weaam Abdou 2S Class Winner
of Champions”.
of Portier UAE Touring Car Driver of the
Dubai Autodrome Chairman Saeed
Khalfan opened proceedings with a Bashar Mousa 4M Class Winner
speech that praised all involved in making
2008/2009 the finest motorsport season ” Our sport is growing from Fadi Bikawi 5M Class Winner
to date. He said, “In the short space of strength to strength and Samer Abdel Malak 5S Class Winner
four years track racing has grown in leaps
and bounds. In the early days we were today we are here to honor
lucky to attract 20 entries on a National the Champions, but in truth Aref Ramli VM Class Winner
Race Day. This year we often had over 60 everyone who competed this
entries on each of the eight National Race TRACK TALK DAMC KARTING
Days. Our sport is growing from strength past season on our circuit CHAMPIONSHIP
to strength and today we are here to honor is a Champion.”
the Champions, but in truth everyone who Thomas Bale Cadet Class Winner
competed this past season on our circuit
is a Champion.” Edward Jones Junior Max Class Winner
Year Award. A visibly emotional Al Falasi
On the night it was Emirati Mohammed accepted his honour graciously amidst
Al Owais who, to a massive ovation, Scott Latham Rotax Max Class Winner
thunderous applause, “I am speechless.
collected two titles for winning the Class
This is a great and totally unexpected Damian Knott Max Masters Class Winner
4 and Overall Yellow Hat UAE Touring
Car Championship with House of Portier. honour. I congratulate all the Champions
Bahraini rider Hussein Al Kooheji received here tonight and thank my family, my team, Maurits Knopjes DD2 Class Winner
a standing ovation when called upon to UAE Corvette Club and Dubai Autodrome
collect his trophies for winning the UAE for making this possible. I believe this award Warren Christie TAG Class Winner
Sportbike Championship 600 Class and will serve to inspire other Emirati’s to take up
the Overall title. Dubai based Indian Juzar our great sport.”

38
 FEATURE

Mohammed Al Falasi (middle) receives his House of Portier trophy for the UAE Touring Car Driver
of the Year from Dubai Autodrome Chairman Saeed Khalfan (right) and Glenn Portier (left)

All the Champions with their trophies after the Dubai Autodrome Night of Champions Awards ceremony.

39
FEATURE

LT E X P E R I E N C E S
RENA U

D U B A I

40
 FEATURE

l
co m p le te d a successfu
ault F1 Team on Piquet
The ING Ren e d riv e r N els
Dubai as rac h third drive
r
Roadshow in s a lo n g w it
nstration Adam Khan.
led the demo em o d riv e r
sjean and d
Romain Gro studded e
ted Bridgeston
IN G specially-adap m pl et ed a series of
nth year, th e n co
ow tyres, Nelso

E
ntering its seve d of f sn e bo tto m of the
na ul t F1 Ro adshow kicke do nu ts in th e snow at th
gineers 16
Re
ign with a uniq
ue Bridgestone en
its 2009 campa ar 's slo pe. It took the 2, 01 6 studs, but
format which
saw last ye
at ho ur s to m an ually insert all fort!
r, the R28, de
monstrated ell worth the ef
Renault F1 ca in clu di ng th e th e en d result was w e ev en t, Nelson
ve nu es ac ross Dubai, , th e Sp ea kin g at the end of th
vario us
bai Autodrom
e. How ev er Dubai has en be
desert and Du s sa id: “Coming to
r the spectato
r ev en ts wa Pi qu et success for
main venue fo nce and a real
ba i in fro nt of the world's a great experie t in to this event and
Downtown Ba
rj Du
m on st ra tio ns Re na ul t. W e packed a lo pe the fans
tallest building
with the de l things that I ho
t flo at in g pl atform built on di d some unusua ow in an F1 car is
staged on a gi
an
en jo ye d. Dr iving on the sn ha ve the
lagoon. ought I would
the Dubai Mall e Ro ad show on Sund
ay
so m et hing I never th n. ”
of th t of fu
The climax rate the R28 at and it was a lo
quet demonst chance to do
saw Nelson Pi i slo pe . Fi tte d with
indoor sk
'Ski Dubai', an

41
REGIONAL EVENT

42
FAZZA

3
QATAR
 REGIONAL EVENT

V
ictory for Fazza 3 in the opening round
of the UIM/WPPA Class 1 World
Powerboat Championship was sealed
by Arif Al Zafeen and Nadir Bin Hendi.
Second place went to home favourites Sheikh
Hassan Bin Jabor Al-Thani and Steve Curtis,
with Class 1 debutant Mohammad Al Mehairi
and Jean-Marc Sanchez claiming third place in
a sun-kissed Qatar Marine Festival Grand Prix.
The reunited pairing of Al Zafeen and Bin
Hendi powered through to a comfortable
victory in the end, but they did not have it all
their own way. A fantastic start by Qatar 95 saw
the Edox Pole Position winner's storm away
with the early lead, but engine troubles forced
them to retire on lap nine while leading the
race. This cleared the way for Fazza 3 to take
the first win of the season. With the experience
of two world champions in the raceboat, they
never looked in doubt of getting the season of
to the perfect start. "I'm very happy with the

43
REGIONAL EVENT
win, but this season is much tougher, 95 and
96 are really strong and so are our team-mates
in Victory 1," said the returning Al Zafeen. A
delighted Bin Hendi added: "We went neck-
and- neck at the start, but they had the greater
speed. Once they got in front, we had to push
to the max. I am very happy to have won here
for the second year in a row."

LOCAL TALENT SHINES

Sheikh Hassan and Steve Curtis, in Qatar 96,
grabbed second place in the team’s home
grand prix. Having been happy to just finish
on the podium in the run up to the race, the
second place will be welcomed by the team
although there were mixed reactions as it came
at the expense of their team-mates, Qatar 95.
Sheikh Hassan said: "We would have settled
for third, it is unfortunate what happened to
95. We really wanted them to finish first."
Whilst Steve Curtis said: "The start here is so
important, we had a good one, but we will be
happier in the rough."

The final podium place went to newcomer
Al Mehairi and Sanchez. The new pairing were
overjoyed with their first race together and the
instant success they have achieved. Al Mehairi,
who had set his sights on a podium finish prior
to the race, said: "I'm very happy with my first
race, the aim for the Victory team is always
to finish on the podium." While Sanchez,
guiding a rookie driver to the podium for the
third successive season in Doha, added: "I'm
delighted with my new driver, this was our first
time together and there is more to come."
The early leaders Abdullah Al-Sulaiti and
Matteo Nicolini had got off to a perfect start

44
 REGIONAL EVENT

and pulled away from the chasing pack only

to see all their hard work from the weekend
come to a miserable end as an engine failure
brought their challenge of claiming a win to
a sudden halt. Despite their early retirement,
Al-Sulaiti was upbeat: "Before it stopped, the
gap was over 15 seconds. It was an excellent
performance by the boat. It is a good sign, we
were strong and fast."
Aurantium, with Giovanni Carpitella and
Christian Rivolta racing for the first time
together in Class 1, turned their qualifying
promise into an excellent performance in the
race. They were delighted with their fourth
place which sets them up nicely for their home
grand prix in Alicante, where the rougher
conditions will suit them better. "It was a very
good performance; the boat is running very
well. The boat is fast, we prepared this morning
and we were with the leaders at the first mark,
but the Victory boat was too close for us to get
to the corner first."
Giorgioffshore also had a good start to
the season finishing in fifth. The new pairing
of Nicola Giorgi and Riccardo Calugi showed
good speed and reliability as they look to build
their partnership. Foresti & Suardi - Roscioli
Hotels' Giampaolo Montavoci and Francesco
Pansini came through in sixth place, despite
gearing problems hampering their efforts at
the start and end of the race.
There was frustration for European
Champion Jorn Tandberg and Christian
Zaborowski in Welmax 90, the quietly
confident Norwegians snapped a prop shaft on
lap three and a bitterly disappointing weekend
for Maritimo Australia concluded when engine
trouble saw Maritimo 11 retire on lap five.

45
 E A S O N
SEASON REVIEW

S
King of the Road

A G
DCOMRES TO EXCITING END AS
CHAMPIONS
CROWNED

56
46
 SEASON REVIEW

Another explosive & sweat drenching season of drag racing

has ended at the Gulf's premier drag strip in Bahrain's BIC.
The final round of the ALBA Bahrain National Drag Racing
Championship came to a close with local favourites Bahrain1
clenching the title.MEM brings in depth coverage with an
exclusive interview of champion Ali Aryan.

57
47
SEASON REVIEW

ROUND SIX RESULTS

Street Fwd :
Fadhel Saleh ( BRN ) 11.620@187.50 ( Al
Moh’d Saleh Sham Team )
( BRN ) 11.633@182.85 ( Al
Adel Hassan Sham Team )
( BRN ) 11.685@187.60 ( KFH
Team )
Street Rwd :
Ali Radhi ( BRN ) 11.810@184.65
Jameel Ebrahim ( BRN ) 12.135@177.43
Moh’d Ebrahom ( BRN ) 14.078@121.70
Street V8 :
Khalid Saif ( BRN ) 9.372@229.58
Adel Khameri ( Sniper Team )
( BRN ) 9.508@232.47
Ali Haji ( BRN ) 9.853@223.30
Super Street Fwd :
A.Rahman Mubark ( BRN ) 10.502@209.13 ( Tea
Ebrahim Mubark m Bin Hasher )
( BRN ) 14.158@150.64 ( Tea
Ali Moosa m Bin Hasher )
( BRN ) 10.616@217.98 ( Mas
ter Exhaust )
Super Street Rwd :
Saad Al Mooran ( BRN ) 8.409@266.60
Ebrahim Kanoo ( Top Speed Team )
( BRN ) 8.455@277.76
Moh’d Ali ( BRN ) 8.707@266.88 ( Team Get Boost )
Super Street V8 :
Moh’d Qassim ( KWT ) 8.457@254.05 ( Q8
Mizher Al Tanak Racing Team )
( KWT ) 8.523@250.91 ( STS
Sulayman Alqurashi ( KSA ) 10.6 Racing )
61@198.80 ( Team SLR )
Competition 7.5 :
Hisham Al Mulla ( KSA ) 7.577@283.34
Muslim Al Qalaf ( Team SPG )
( KSA ) 7.647@288.24
Rashid Bin Tammim ( UAE ) Bro
ke the 7.5sec ( 7.48 )
Outlaw Fwd :
Bader Janahi ( BRN ) 9.479@203.45
Ebrahim Mubark ( Team KFH )
( BRN ) 10.300@230.08 ( Tea
Wassem Agha m Bin Hasher )
( QTR ) 10.091@227.19
Outlaw Rwd :
Moh’d Haji ( BRN ) 9.107@154.79
Moh’d Saeed ( Get Boost )
( BRN ) 10.161@198.29 ( Al
Yousof Al Zayani Kunazi Team )
( BRN ) 9.282@244.91
48
 SEASON REVIEW

T
his year hosted record-breakers of the highest
standards with unforgettable performances, near
death crashes and heated rivalries of the standard of
international drag events! With competition still heated
to the last round, there was plenty to endure during the final
round of proceedings.

COMPETITION
Close to 100 cars and bikes competed in the sixth and final
meeting, which witnessed the coronation of some of the region’s
top drag racers in their respective competition categories.
Among those celebrating were Bahrain1 Racing owned by
Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa and SPG Team. Both were
among the top performers
in the Pro Mod category.
While SPG ace Ali Al Kaabi won the season’s final race,
Bahrain1 drivers Ali Aryan and Khalid Mohammed did enough to
claim first and second overall on the season’s
final standings.
Al Kaabi was a comfortable winner over Mohammed in the
Pro Mod final. He won after clocking a mark of 6.359 seconds
with a speed of 359.12 kph, while Mohammed
suffered some problems in his car and finished in

Outlaw 10.5 :
Salah Salahuddin (BRN ) 7.215@331.46 ( Team QRT )
Nasser Saadudin ( KSA ) 8.624@248.23

Pro Mod :
Ali Al Kaabi (UAE ) 6.359@359.12 ( Team SPG )
Khalid Moh’d ( BRN ) 15.863@84.14 ( Team Bahrain 1 Racing )
Ali Aryan ( BRN ) 8.086@182.85 ( Team Bahrain 1 Racing )

Street Bike :
Khalid Al Dooseri ( KSA ) 8.787@261.08
Bader Bin Edan ( KWT ) 8.854@258.71 ( Team STS )
Khalid Al Foozan ( KWT ) 8.898@258.67

Super Street Bike :

Mishari Al Turki ( KSA ) 7.414@311.50
Rafet Alshareef ( KSA ) 9.352@239.40
Khadim Alali ( KWT ) 9.177@237.69

Pro Bike :
Moh’d bu Rashid ( KWT ) 7.333@299.30
Nawaf Al Dooseri ( KSA ) 9.506@224.63
Khalid Al Foozan ( KWT ) 9.548@235.09

FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Street Fwd :
1. Moh’d Saleh 2200pts
2. Fadhel Saleh 1900pts ( Took 2nd on best Qualify runs )
3. Adel Hassan 1900pts

Street Rwd :
1. Sayed Nader 2200pts
2. Jameel Ebrahim 2000pts
3. Ali Radhi 1300pts
49
SEASON REVIEW
15.863 seconds while running with a speed of 84.14 kph.
Aryan finished third, but it was well enough to clinch him
the Pro Mod crown with 1900 points. Mohammed had 1600
points, while Robert Von Smith of Al Anabi Team from Qatar
came third overall with 1300 points.
Plenty of other action was seen elsewhere, with plenty
of Bahrain’s top drivers emerging victorious. Al Sham team
members Fadhel Saleh (11.620 seconds) and Mohammed
Saleh (11.633 seconds) claimed a one-two in the Street Fwd
class, with the former taking the victory by a
narrow margin.
Saad Al Mooran of Top Speed Team (8.409 seconds) was
also a close winner. He claimed the Super Street Rwd win
over Ebrahim Kanoo (8.455 seconds).
Salah Salahuddin claimed the Outlaw 10.5 category in
7.215 seconds. He beat Saudi Arabia’s Nasser Saadudin,
who had a 8.624 seconds time. In the Pro Bike class, it was
Kuwait’s Mohammed bu Rashid who finished
first in 7.333 seconds, convincingly ahead of Nawaf Al
Dooseri from Saudi, who had a mark of 9.506 seconds.

FINAL STANDINGS
Such results played their role on the final championship
standings. Among the winners on the season were
Mohammed Saleh in the Street Fwd, Sayed Nader in the
Street Rwd, Ahmed Al Zaabi in Street V8, Bader
Janahi in the Super Street Fwd, Saad Almooran in the
Super Street Rwd, Mohammed Qassim in the Super
Street V8, Hisham Al Mulla in the Competition
7.5, Bader Janahi once again in the Outlaw
Fwd, Mohammed Saeed in the Outlaw Rwd,

50
 SEASON REVIEW

Street V8 :
1. Ahmed Al Zaabi 1850pts
2. Ali Haji 1500pts
3. Moh’d Suliyman 1250pts

Super Street Fwd :

1. Bader Janahi 1700pts
2. A.rahman Mubark 1600pts
3. Ahmed Faisal 1500pts

Super Street Rwd :

1. Saad Almooran 2400pts
2. Moh’d Ali 200pts
3. Ebrahim Kanoo 1350pts

Super Street V8 :
1. Moh’d Qassim 1750pts
2. Mizher Altanak 1150pts
3. Ebrahim Ahmed 700pts

Competition 7.5 :
1. Hisham Al Mulla 2200pts
2. Tariq Hadi 1400pts
3. Ali Hamza 1000pts

Outlaw Fwd :
1. Bader Janahi 2000pts
2. Ebrahim Mubark 1900pts
3. Moh’d Redha 1700pts

51
SEASON REVIEW
Salahuddin in the Outlaw 10.5, Khalid Al Dooseri in the
Street Bike, Mishal Al Turki in the Super Street Bike, and
Mishal Al Saaber in the Pro Bike.
Hundreds of fans braved the heat and humidity and
gathered at the award-winning circuit to witness all the
action along the drag strip. They were also treated to plenty
of entertainment outside of the ALBA
championship, with performances from stunt bikers and
non-stop music played by a top-class DJ and Bahrain’s
cheering band. At the end of the evening, drivers from
across all 14 categories thanked officials and the organizers
for their efforts in making the ALBA Bahrain National Drag
Racing Championship a phenomenal success, and added
that they are already looking forward to next season. The
championship was organised by the Bahrain Drag Racing
Club, sanctioned by the Bahrain Motor Federation and
sponsored by ALBA.

52
 SEASON REVIEW

Outlaw Rwd :
1. Moh’d Saeed 2200pts
2. Ahmed Altayeb 1700pts
3. Ali Abdulla 900pts

Outlaw 10.5 :
1. Salah Salahuddin 2100pts
2. Sultan Al Zaabi 1400pts
3. Hussain Alshumeri 1050pts

Pro Mod :
1. Ali Aryan 1900pts
2. Khalid Moh’d 1600pts
3. Robert Von Smith 1300pts

Street Bike :
1. Khalid Al Dooseri 2300pts
2. Khalid Al Foozan 1700pts
3. Bader Bin Edan 1600pts

Super Street Bike :

1. Mishari Al Turki 2200pts
2. Hatan Al Abadi 1000pts
3. Rufat Alshareef 950pts

Pro Bike :
1. Mishal Al Saaber 2150pts
2. Khalid Al Foozan 1900pts
3. Moh’d Bu Rashid 1500pts

53
 BA H R A I N 1

54
 COVER STORY

R A C I N G
THE WINNING FORMULA

55
 WHY DID THE TEAM DECIDE TO
CHANGE THE NAME FROM POPEYE
RACING TO BAHRAIN 1 RACING?
We are representing Bahrain so we have to use

S
Bahrain’s name to promote our country while
o with Bahrain racing internationally.
1 Racing taking BAHRAIN 1’S MAIN COMPETITION
the Bahrain Drag IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP IS AL ANABI
RACING. IS THIS A PERSONAL RIVALRY
Racing Championship, OR ARE YOU ALL FRIENDS?
we caight up with Ali They are a big team. They have done a good
job. They deserve to be one of the top teams
Aryan who secured the around the world. We understand that we have
most points to find out done our job as well. We work hard. The two
teams’ members are good friends. It’s a kind
how the green machines of normal competition between the two teams,
really work. nothing personal.

CAN YOU GIVE US A LITTLE MORE

CAN YOU GIVE US A BRIEF
DESCRIPTION OF WHO BAHRAIN 1 IS
AND WHO YOU ARE IN PARTICULAR?
Bahrain1 is owned by H.H. Shaikh Abdulla
bin Hamad Al Khalifa and run by 12t local
Bahrainis plus 3 Americans. The team
manager is Amir Akhterdzadah. Chief crew is
Khalil Toorani. Khalid Mohammed and myself
are the team drivers. Khalid is running Nitros
Promod Car. I am running Camaro Pro Street
1967 model.
HOW DID YOU FIRST GET INVOLVED IN
DRAG RACING?
We started officially in 2005 at the BIC when
we bought our 1969 Popeye Camaro and won
the championship our very first year!
DETAIL ON THE CAR YOU ARE USING IN
THE COMPETITION?
My car is a 1967 Camaro. I’m running with “If I have the
an Anderson Blower Engine. My best time
so far this season is 5.82 seconds doing
397km. We are very confident that the car can
opportunity to
do better than that. It’s only a matter of time.
We’re just waiting for the right time to come
do a circuit race
with the right weather.
then I would”
IN YOUR OPINION WHAT
DISTINGUISHES YOU FROM OTHER
TEAMS COMPETING?
I think we are almost the same. I probably
focus more and take it more seriously more
than the others but other than that there isn’t
much between us.

56
COVER STORY

57
58
 COVER STORY

“Final words
go to my
teammates for
supporting me
from day one”
HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT
ABOUT VENTURING INTO OTHER
MOTORSPORT RACES SUCH AS THE
NEW LUMINA CHAMPIONSHIP THAT
WILL BEGIN SHORTLY?
I used to take part in the Mini Challenges in
2003 and 2004. I used to race the Lumina
Circuit Race as well. I like circuit racing as
well. If I have the opportunity to do a tarmac
race, I would.

WE KNOW YOU RECENTLY CAME BACK

FROM QATAR, WHERE ELSE HAVE YOU
COMPETED?
I’ve competed in Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait.

OUT OF ALL OF THESE PLACES, WHICH

COUNTRY IN YOUR OPINION IS YOUR
FAVORITE TO RACE?
I would have to say the USA because it is the
home of drag racing.

HOW DO YOU PREPARE YOURSELF

BEFORE EACH RUN?
First of all, I make sure I have enough sleep
the night before. Then, eating well. Drinking
as much water as I can and relaxing away from
mechanics and motoring issues so that I can
focus as much as possible during the race.

THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO

ATTEND THE TEST TUNE WHO
ARE LOOKING FOR FUNDING AND
SPONSORSHIP TO COMPETE MORE
SERIOUSLY, WHAT ADVICE DO YOU
HAVE FOR THESE PEOPLE?
It’s not that easy. They have to think of putting
a nice package proposal together. Then,
they should try to get a company that is into
motoorsport. I’m sure they’ll be able to get a
sponsorship if they have a good history.

ANY FINAL WORDS FOR ALL

YOUR FANS IN BAHRAIN AND
ACROSS THE GCC?
I’d like to thank them all for supporting me
whether they were inside or outside Bahrain.
I’ll try make sure to provide whatever makes
them happy wither in Bahrain or outside
Bahrain. Final words go to my teammates
for supporting me from day one. Special
thanks to H.H. Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad
Al Khalifa and our sponsors, Zain, GB CORP,
CEBARCO, and BIC.

59
DRIVER PROFILE

History In The Making

JENSON BUTTON
J
enson Alexander Lyons Button (born 19 January 1980 in
Frome, Somerset) is a British Formula One racing driver
from England currently driving for the Brawn GP team. He
first drove in Formula One in the 2000 Season with the
Williams team, and won his first Grand Prix in Hungary, on 6 August
2006 after 113 races. Following the withdrawal of Honda from the
sport in December 2008, he was left without a drive for the 2009
season until Ross Brawn led a management buyout of the team in
late February 2009 and Button suddenly found himself in a highly
competitive, Mercedes-engined car. He has gone on to win six of
the first seven races so far this season (2009), equalling a record
achieved by only two other drivers, Michael Schumacher
and Jim Clark.

PERSONAL LIFE
Button attended Selwood Middle School and then Frome
Community College. He is the son of Simone Lyons and former
Rallycross driver John Button from London (during the 1970s
well-known in the UK for his so-called Colorado beetle Volkswagen,
whose best overall results were to become the runner-up in both
the Embassy/RAC-MSA British Rallycross and TEAC/Lydden
Rallycross championships of the year 1976) and named after the
car marque Jensen. Jenson Button's parents are divorced, and
he has three older sisters, Tania Katrina (born 1967), Samantha
Chantal (born 1970) and Natasha Michelle (born 1973).

KARTING
Button began karting at age eight after his father bought him his
first kart, and he made an extraordinarily successful start. He won all
34 races of the 1991 British Cadet Kart Championship along
with the title.
Further successes followed, including three triumphs in the
British Open Kart Championship. In 1997 he became the youngest
driver ever to win the European Super A Championship and won
the Ayrton Senna Memorial Cup as well, precipitating a move
into car racing.

FORMULA FORD
By the age of 18, he contested the British Formula Ford
Championship with Haywood Racing and won the title with nine
race wins. He also triumphed in the Formula Ford Festival at Brands

60

Hatch, ahead of future Indianapolis 500 winner
Dan Wheldon. At the end of 1998 he won the
annual McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver
Award. His prize included a test in a McLaren
Formula One car, which he received at the end
of the following year.
FORMULA THREE
Button entered Formula Three in 1999 with
the Promatecme team. He won three times
- at Thruxton, Pembrey and Silverstone - and
finished the season as top rookie driver.
He was third overall in the championship,
behind Marc Hynes and Luciano Burti, and
finished fifth and second respectively in the
Marlboro Masters and Macau Grand Prix
(0.035s behind winner Darren Manning
in the latter).
WILLIAMS F1 TEAM
At the end of 1999 Button had his McLaren
test prize at Silverstone, and also tested for
the Prost team. A vacant race seat became
available at the Williams team following the
departure of Alex Zanardi, and team boss
Frank Williams arranged a 'shoot-out' between
Button and Formula 3000 racer Bruno
Junqueira. Button won the seat. He finished
eighth in the 2000 Drivers' Championship.
At the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, he
qualified 3rd and finished 4th. However, he
made a number of rookie mistakes during the
season, including crashing while under safety
car conditions at Monza. He was outscored by
his more experienced teammate,
Ralf Schumacher.
BUTTON DROVE FOR
BENETTON IN THE
2001 SEASON
In 2001, although still under contract with
Williams, Button drove for Benetton, which
had just been purchased by Renault. He had a
dismal season; the car, which was constantly
under development that year, was never
fast, nor was Button. He did, however, place
fifth at the German Grand Prix, but finished
a disappointing seventeenth in the drivers'
championship.
RENAULT
In 2002 Renault renamed Benetton as
Renault F1. Though his teammate Jarno Trulli
routinely outpaced him in qualifying, Button
occasionally had the superior race pace. He
narrowly missed third place (and his first
podium) at the Malaysian Grand Prix, being
passed by Michael Schumacher in the last
lap due to a suspension failure in his Renault,
and ultimately finished the race in fourth. The
Brazilian Grand Prix gave him another fourth
place, and he finished seventh in that year's
drivers championship.
For the 2003 season Renault team principal
Flavio Briatore replaced Button with Fernando
Alonso, previously test driver for the team.
Despite a "huge outcry" Briatore stated "Time
will tell if I am wrong." In 2005 Alonso won
the Drivers' Championship with Renault, while
Button had yet to win a race and was involved
in his second contract dispute in two years.
The Times quoted Briatore as saying "Jenson
is a fine driver but there were too many
DRIVER PROFILE
contracts, too many things in the background."
After his replacement at Renault, in early
2003 Button joined the BAR team, alongside
former World Champion Jacques Villeneuve.
As the season progressed, Button gained
the upper hand in qualifying and also enjoyed
better races. Button's best result of the season
was fourth place in Austria. However, he
crashed heavily during Saturday practice in
Monaco, causing him to miss both the race
and the following testing session at Monza.
By the end of the season, though, things were
looking up, and at the 2003 United States
Grand Prix Button led a lap for the first time.
He finished ninth in the Drivers' Championship
that year with 17 points.
In 2004, Button and BAR-Honda made
significant progress and BAR finished
the season second in the Constructors'
Championship. Button scored his first
ever podium finish with a third place in the
Malaysian Grand Prix, and added 9 more
throughout that season.
Button and BAR's first pole position came
in April at the 2004 San Marino Grand Prix,
in which he finished second. He ended the
season third overall, behind the two dominant
Ferrari drivers, with 85 points.
Button was one
of the first to offer
support of the cost
cutting for 2010
61
DRIVER PROFILE
BRAWN GP
On fifth of March 2009, it was announced
that the former Honda team would become
Brawn GP, following a buy-out by Ross Brawn,
the previous team principal of Honda Racing.
Button and Rubens Barrichello were confirmed
as the team's drivers for 2009.
Button took pole position at the 2009
Australian Grand Prix, his first for the team and
fourth ever, with his team mate Barrichello in
second place. Button led the race from start to
finish to win the race ahead of his team-mate,
the first time a team had scored a 1-2 finish on
their debut since 1954.
One week later, he made it two poles and
two wins in a row at the Malaysian Grand Prix,
setting the fastest lap in order to jump ahead
of Trulli and Rosberg during the first pit stops.
The race was stopped due to heavy rain with
less than 75% completed meaning only half
points were awarded. In this race Button
scored his first hat trick (pole, win and fastest
lap) and his first fastest lap.
At the Chinese Grand Prix Button finished
third behind Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and
Mark Webber. Button won the 4th race of the
62
season, the 2009 Bahrain Grand Prix, from
fourth on the grid, finishing ahead of Sebastian
Vettel and Jarno Trulli, who had set pole
position. This was the first time he had taken
the chequered flag at racing
speed this season.
After the first improvements of 2009, at
Barcelona, Button took pole after complaining
of balance problems for the Spanish Grand
Prix. He went on to win his fourth race of
the season after his teammate stayed on a
three-stop strategy as Rubens suffered from
huge amounts of oversteer in his middle stints
dropping him back behind Button.
On fifth of March
2009, it was
announced that
the former Honda
team would become
Brawn GP
 DRIVER PROFILE

BUTTON AT THE 2009

TURKISH GRAND PRIX.
At the Monaco Grand Prix Button got his fourth
pole position of the season and his first at the
Principality, after a last gasp lap, which was
also his fastest in the entire qualifying session.
He had been complaining of balance issues
the whole weekend and set his fastest lap of
his weekend as his pole time. He was also the
heaviest car out of the top eight apart from
Barrichello, in a similar situation to Australia. He
went on to take the win from his teammate to
take his first hat trick of wins and lead Brawn's
third 1-2. Button made a good start to the race
and built a lead during the first stint by handling
the soft tires better than Barrichello.
At the Turkish Grand Prix Button qualified
in second place behind Vettel, but in front of
team-mate Barrichello. After being somewhat
uncompetitive during Friday's Practice
sessions, he came alive in qualifying and
certainly came alive for the race. During the
first lap, Button took the lead after Vettel ran
wide allowing the Brit through. Vettel, by
virtue of a light fuel load after his first stop,
was able to close right up on Button but was
unable to overtake. His two-stop worked
perfectly leaving Vettel's three stop strategy
uncompetitive. Button won the race ahead
of Mark Webber and Sebastien Vettel with
Barrichello giving Brawn their first retirement.
Jenson's lead has now been extended to
61 points over team mate Barrichello's 35
and Vettel's 29.
After the World Council meeting, which
confirmed the cost cutting plan for 2010,
Button was one of the first to offer support of
the cost cutting for 2010.

63
SEASON REVIEW

TWO S E A S O N ’ S
TWO W I N S F O R
64
 SEASON REVIEW

Mustafa Al Khan wins

the Batelco 2000CC
Championship once

YOUNG, T
again as controversy
plagues the final round
he final weekend of racing witnesse
d 15

AL KHAN
drivers step up their game to com
pete
one last time in the Batelco 200
0CC
Challenge which is sponsored by
leading
telecommunications company, Bate
lco, organized
by the Circuit Racing Club, sanc
tioned by the
Bahrain Motor Federation and prom
oted by
Bahrain International Circuit.
During the first practice session,
Shaikh
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa scored
the fastest lap
time of 1:20.170 minutes as Step
hen Kellogg
followed closely behind with a 1.22
0 second gap,
whilst Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khal
ifa took third
just 2.621 seconds from the lead
.

65
SEASON REVIEW
Mustafa Al Khan face technical problems
with his car as Shaikh Jaber bin Ali Al Khalifa
faced some misfortune and came in
14th place.
The qualifiers witnessed a similar result
as Shaikh Hamad once again took first
place as Mustafa Al Khan stepped up the
competition to take second place, whilst
Mohammed Saleh followed behind in third
and Shaikh Salman stood in fourth place.
Shaikh Jaber continued to struggle with
some mechanical problems that drove him
to qualifying in last place. Al Khan showed
his superb sportsmanship by lending Shaikh
Jaber some parts to enable him to compete
and joined the back of the grid for the first
race having failed to score any timed laps
during the practice sessions.
Meanwhile, race one saw competition
intensify one last time this season as Al Khan
66
and Shaikh Jaber made a clean start from
the back of the grid whilst Shaikh Hamad
and Shaikh Salman faced mechanical
problems forcing them to retire early from the
race. Shaikh Jaber and Al Khan continued
their battle for the last time which led to Al
Khan taking first position, Shaikh Jaber in
second and Mohammed Saleh in third,
so it seemed.
Al Khan was using
a non-standard
cosmetic part on his
car which violated
the technical rules
and regulations
 SEASON REVIEW

FINAL DAY
CONTROVERSY
A turn of events following the final round of
the Batelco 2000CC Challenge, as a protest
was lodged against Mustafa Al Khan, led to
his exclusion from the final results
of Round 8.
Following a complaint, race stewards
investigated a protest submitted against
Mustafa Al Khan, driver of car number 2,
which revealed that Al Khan was using a
non-standard cosmetic part on his car which
violated the technical rules and regulations
of the Batelco 2000CC Challenge.
As a result, the 2008/2009 champion was
excluded from the final round putting Shaikh
Jaber in first place, Mohammed Saleh in
second and Tim Birkin in third place at the
end of the first race. However, Al Khan still
stands as the overall winner with a clear win
of 130 points, 12 points ahead of Shaikh
Jaber who holds 118 points at the end
of the season.
During the final round this weekend,
top officials including the newly-appointed
CEO of Batelco Bahrain, Gert Riedar, BIC
Chief Executive Officer, Martin Whitaker,
Chief Operating Officer, Shaikh Salman bin
Isa Al Khalifa and Bahrain Motor Federation
President Shaikh Abdulla bin Isa Al Khalifa
were present to watch the final round and
present the winners with their trophies.

67
FEATURES

68

A VISION OF
F1
T
2010 his season the F1 world looked
forward to the famous Turkish Grand
Prix, but with apprehension about
what the future would hold exactly
exactly.
With precisely a few days till the expiry of
the 2010 entry deadline, a stand-off is still
going on. But what would happen if neither
manufacturers nor the FIA climbed down?
What would F1 2010 look like?
The first would be to survey the damage.
Only hypotheses can be made about who
would remain, as it is near-impossible to gauge
the climate if one or more major manufacturer
leaves. But most probably Ferrari would be
gone, along with Toyota and Renault. The
last two have always been temporary players,
and so Ferrari’s loss would be the most
seismic. Red Bull has said they would go, but
as the best-funded team not beholden to a
manufacturer, there is a feeling in the paddock
that they could stay.
THE NEWCOMERS
We can reasonably assume at least one of
McLaren Mercedes or BMW would remain,
subject to boardroom approval. Williams would
be there, as would Brawn, and Force India. The
future of Toro Rosso would depend on Red
Bull, but let us assume that they remain too.
Then the new teams: Lola, USGPE, iSport or
Campos for the most likely, but also Prodrive.
According to Max Mosley, the £40million cap
will tempt more investors into the sport as
FEATURES
well. Additional incentives would be that any
sponsor or company could effectively adopt or
steal from one of the abandoned teams, using
its experience, infrastructure.
experience personnel and infrastructure
So there are ten teams or so that are likely
to be racing in 2010, supposedly replacing
the ones that had gone. On the track, an F1
preened of some of its excess but with an
emphasis on engineering excellence and
innovation would hold substantial appeal for a
vast number of fans. Equally, the leveling of the
playing field might produce interesting results;
fans would go to a race truly not knowing if a
McLaren or a Williams or a Prodrive would win.
EVOLUTION OF FORMULA 1
Paul Jackson of iSport made an interesting
point in an interview. He said he believed that
by their nature, big car manufacturers were
unsuited to the specific environment of F1.
‘Running a Formula 1 team, or a racing team
of any sort, doesn’t fit with a big corporate
structure. That moves too slowly; this has to
move very quickly. You need quick decision-
making and adaptability, and big corporations
don’t fit with that philosophy. In the past it
hasn’t worked, and it’s got to the point now
where it’s not working.” The logical conclusion
of this argument is that the exodus of car
manufacturers is part of the natural evolution
of the sport.
The other likely scenario if this all comes to
pass is the resurrection of the Grand Prix World
69
FEATURES

The FIA has always

been the unifyingly
detested, patriarchal,
teacher-like figure.
The question is
whether the pupils
can run an interesting
class themselves.

70

Championship, formed by the breakaway
group. Ferrari, Renault and Toyota, possibly
joined by Mercedes and BMW and other
car giants waiting in the wings, would hold
their own series, flushed with money (as long
as that lasts). This series would have to be
sanctioned by the FIA, which Mosley says it
would happily do, and run on its own circuits
around the world. One of the positives for fans
would be that some old great circuits might
be resurrected – others, like Spa and Monaco,
would be lost to that group.
FIA’S NEW APPROACH
One important point for any breakaway
series is that FOTA unity is a relatively recent
thing. Is there any guarantee that a group
of manufacturers, with different economic
models, markets, objectives and interests,
could run a series themselves? As any
historian will tell you it is one thing to form an
alliance against an oppressor, but it is quite
another to form a governing coalition with your
allies. The FIA has always been the unifyingly
detested, patriarchal, teacher-like figure. The
question is whether the pupils can run an
interesting class themselves.
Where would the fans go? One of Ferrari’s
strongest cards in this saga has been that
approximately a quarter of all the world’s F1
fans are first and foremost Ferrari fans. So
they could count on them following them to a
manufacturers’ series. If the racing was good,
more fans would defect from F1 to watch the
manufacturers. But a sizeable proportion would
remain with the genuine article, at least at first,
simply because of TV rights. For example, the
BBC will continue to show real F1, because
it has an agreement to do so for the next few
years. Of course, viewing figures would desert
it in droves if the racing was bad, but dull racing
has never killed F1 before…
THE CONTENDERS
Another key point is where the drivers would
go. Fernando Alonso said that he feared for
his F1 future if the big manufacturers left.
But many drivers would be attracted by the
FEATURES
possibility of racing on a more level playing
field and away from the big-money, political
and public relations world the manufacturers
have introduced to F1. An added incentive
would be the apparent fairytale story of
Jenson Button – career at death’s door at
Christmas and top of the world by the spring.
If you’re thinking its all because of talent and
engineering innovation, well sorry to say but it’s
because of money.
But some drivers have contracts with big
teams, and would continue to work in that
big money world. At present, drivers’ salaries
are included in the budget cap and so, on
a practical level, staying in F1 rather than
defecting to a manufacturers’ series might
represent a big pay cut for drivers. It is a fair bet
that roughly half the drivers would opt to stay,
and half to go.
THE DARWINIAN
EVOLUTION
What this cannot be compared to is the
split of the IndyCar Championship into IRL
and ChampCar in the US a few years back.
The split there was a disaster, as audiences
plummeted and the two were forced to re-
unite last season to save their collective skins.
But F1 has a much larger support base than
the open-wheel scene in the US and could
definitely withstand a defection from Ferrari
and two or three other manufacturers.
The doomsday scenario is also a possibility.
Both series could turn out to be lacklustre
affairs, with an over-regulated and sanitized F1
on one hand and a corporate demonstration
GPWC exercise on the other. But that situation
is still relatively unlikely at this point.
Most serious F1 fans watch the sport
because it is a unique mix of history, speed,
romance, excitement, danger and personality.
If two series emerge from this, there will be
nothing the fans can do to stop it. Whichever
series manifests those qualities better will be
the one that survives – a Darwinian evolution.
So F1 fans just have to wait, and not fear the
future, because it might be better
than the present.
71
RACE REPORT

RACE REPORT: BAHRAIN GP

BUTTON’S WINNING
STREAK RESUMES

A
fter watching Vettel and Webber make history in Shanghai, Button was back to his as I was getting alongside, and he did, but I got
winning ways in Bahrain to take his third victory out of four races this season. The 29- him going into Turn One and that was the key
year-old Englishman’s pace ended Toyota’s hopes of a first victory in Formula 1 after a to my race.”
very fast qualifying time, and Sebastian Vettel in his Red Bull-Renault added to Toyota’s With Hamilton and Vettel taken care of,
woes as he fought his way to second, leaving Jarno Trulli to settle for third place, despite having Button began closing the gap on the two
set pole position. As the Formula 1 circus heads back to Europe, the Brawn team and Button Toyotas. He knew that all he had to do was
have big leads in the two World Championships. The big question now is whether they can stay to wait because the Toyotas were lighter and
ahead as everyone rushes out new parts in an effort to close the gap... would pit earlier.
“Chasing down the two Toyotas was very
BACK IN BAHRAIN exciting,” Button said. “I was surprised by their
any hope of victory.
After qualifying Button was slightly alarmed. pace and not sure how it was going
“I knew when I got to Turn One that I really
The car was not as competitive as it had been had to make my move to get past Sebastian,” to work out.” Behind him Vettel was stuck
at the earlier races and the team was worried he explained. “Otherwise I would just get behind Hamilton. Button was in the
that the opposition was already getting close. stuck behind him. Lewis (Hamilton) had come perfect place.
As the teams lined up on the grid, there were barreling past on the right, so I went round the
rumors that the Brawns would have to detune outside of Sebastian and made it through to
the engines because of worries about over- fourth place. Lewis is always very difficult to TOYOTA’S FAILED
heating the engine, but it did not turn out that
way. Timo Glock took the lead from the start
pass and he was blocking very well and using
his KERS, but I knew those first laps were
STRATEGY
Glock pitted first having built up only a small
when Trulli’s engine bogged down a little. At going to be so important that I had to make it lead. It was lap 11. Trulli pitted a lap later.
the same time Button was slightly slow away work. He was making a few little mistakes and Jenson then took the lead and with no-one
but he knew that he needed to get ahead of I knew when we got to the start/finish line that ahead he was able to lower his lap times.
Sebastian Vettel, if he was going to have he’d press his KERS button and get away just

72
RACE REPORT

73
RACE REPORT

74
 RACE REPORT
When he stopped on lap 15, Vettel moved into
the lead, Hamilton had already gone into the
pits by then. This was Vettel’s chance but he
had lost too much time. When he went into
the pits Kimi Raikkonen had a moment of glory
and led the race for two laps. But then Jenson
was back ahead once more and there he
stayed. He stopped again on lap 37 and at that
point switched to the harder tires. For the next
three laps Vettel was in the lead once more but
the German had to pit. When he emerged from
the pits he found himself behind Raikkonen,
who was due to pit again. Unable to deal with
the Ferrari, Vettel had to wait. His tires lost the
edge and by the time he was able to get past
Raikkonen, Button was gone, leaving Vettel to
spend the last laps of the race with Trulli right
behind him, the Toyota driver now on the
good soft tires.
“He was very close in my mirrors,” said
Vettel. “But I didn’t make any mistakes.”
Trulli was disappointed with third and he
reckoned that the strategy of using the harder
tires in the mid-race was the wrong thing to do.
“I’m a little disappointed,” Jarno said. “I
thought we had a chance to take Toyota’s first

Ferrari had a KERS

advantage and used it,
leaving Glock behind him
win this weekend but it was a hard race. I was
slightly slower into the first corner than Timo
so I spent the first stint following him. I knew
I was going longer than him but it was still
difficult. Then we went for a very long second
stint on the hard tires. It was really hard fighting
with the other cars. After that Vettel was on the
hard tires and I was on the soft. I was pushing
him but there was no way to overtake.”
Glock disappeared down the order because
his stop was really too early. He went straight
to ninth, while a couple of laps later Trulli lost
only six places.
Later, after Raikkonen’s second stop on lap
44 Glock managed to scramble ahead of the
Finn but the Ferrari had a KERS advantage
and used it, leaving Glock behind him. After
that Timo was on Kimi’s tail but he could
not get ahead.

HAMILTON STILL
POSITIVE
WITH MCLAREN
While this was going on, Lewis Hamilton
was left to chase after the top three. “I’m
delighted with fourth,” he said after the race.
“The Toyotas, Red Bulls and Brawns were
so fast in the high-speed corners that it was
just impossible to keep up. But this is another
encouraging step for the team, we just need
to keep working on the car because we’re not
really fighting back quite yet, we are collecting
points. And the gap will be bigger when we go
to Barcelona because it’s a high-
downforce circuit.”
Rubens Barrichello tried a three-stop

75
RACE REPORT
strategy to get clean air and managed to get
up to fifth by the finish. It was a lot of work for
just one position.
“We brought home some valuable points
today,” he said. “But it was a tough race for
me. I lost a lot of time behind Piquet after
my first stop, which was a real shame as it
compromised my race plan. We went for a
three-stop strategy and then took the decision
to come in slightly early for my second stop as
I was being held up behind Hamilton. It was so
hot out there this afternoon and the car was
burning my waist on the right-hand side which
made it very difficult for me. It seems that luck
is on Jenson’s side at the moment and well
done to him and to the team for winning the
76
race today. I hope that my turn comes soon!”
FERRARI’S MISERY
CONTINUES
Behind the second Brawn, Kimi Raikkonen
brought Ferrari its first points of the season -
three to be precise. But they came at a price.
As Kimi and his team-mate Felipe Massa
clashed in the first corner. It was good to score
points but Ferrari was still well off the pace.
“I am happy to have picked up a few
points,” said Kimi, “but I can’t be that pleased
with our level of performance. I’ve been around
long enough not to get very excited about
a sixth place.”
For Massa it was another dreadful day.
“I was sandwiched between Kimi and
Rubens Barrichello and the front wing got
broken after making contact with my team-
mate’s rear wheel,” he said. “It was a shame
because once again we lost an opportunity to
score points.” He ended the day 14th,
a lap down.
SUMMARY
The final point of the day went to Fernando
Alonso in his Renault. He proved once and for
all that Flavio Briatore’s protestations about the
team having the third best car were
utterly misplaced.
“We did our maximum today,” he said. “The
start of the race was not perfect and we lost a
position which put me down to eighth. After
that nothing unusual happened and there were
no retirements so we were eighth fastest and
we finished eighth.”
He lost his drinks bottle in the course of the
race and was exhausted by the end of the race.
Team-mate Nelson Piquet was 10th and
had a better than usual run but it was worth
Alonso proved once
and for all that Flavio
Briatore’s protestations
about the team having
the third best car were
utterly misplaced

Button makes his way down the Paddock area
RACE REPORT
nothing, then at one point Rubens Barrichello
showed himself to be very angry with Nelson,
assuming, one must suppose that his fellow
countryman was a lap down and not getting
out of his way. In fact Nelson was perfectly
entitled to fight for position.
Nico Rosberg failed to score points again,
losing the benefit of his ninth place on the grid
as his KERS-equipped rivals overtook him at
the start. Team-mate Kazuki Nakajima was
the sole retirement in the race, damaging yet
another front wing early on and requiring a
replacement. That dropped him to the tail of
the field and he eventually stopped when oil
pressure problems hit his engine.
Mark Webber drove a solid race after his
disappointment in qualifying and was up to
12th when he got caught behind Piquet. The
Mark Webber drove
a solid race after his
disappointment in
qualifying
Red Bull team decided to switch him to a two-
stop strategy (he had been planning three)
but the car was not good on the harder tires
and so 11th was the best he could do. And
so it ended with Button and the Brawn team
celebrating once again. Button added that
there had been one more problem. He had
burned his bottom on an electrical box in the
cockpit... But it had been worth it. Button said
it was his finest hour in F1 to date and
no-one disagreed!
77
RACE REPORT
Q: Jenson, the dream start to the year
continues. And this was a dry race, this
was a race all the way.
Jenson BUTTON: It was indeed. This
was a tough race for us. You might say I was
leading for most of it but this race we had
not the pace we had in the first three races. I
don’t know where it has gone. I guess these
guys have just caught up and maybe passed
us. But the first lap of the race I knew was
very important because Sebastian was going
longer, so I made it work and I came out of
the first corner in third. From then on it was a
tough race but very enjoyable.
Q: Sebastian, a great result for you too.
A hard race and in a lot of traffic. A tyre
defined race in many ways but in the
end you are on the podium again.
Sebastian VETTEL: Yeah, a very good
result for us. Good points, but as you said
we will keep pushing. It was a difficult race.
The start was quite okay but then I was
surprised as all of a sudden there was Lewis
(Hamilton) next to me. When I first looked
78
Post Race
P ce Interview
in the mirrors he was not there but then I
guess he pressed his special button and that
gave him a bit of an advantage. At the first
corner there were three, me in the middle
and Jenson on the outside, so I had to give
way and lost two positions in the first lap and
then unfortunately I got stuck behind Lewis. I
mean you might have a chance immediately
to pass someone but then when you follow a
car your tyres just go down. There is a lot of
degradation. You start to slide and then you
never really come back. It is quite difficult
here as it is always hard braking, so you need
the tyres, you need the stability, so therefore
it is difficult to pass. I knew I had a longer
first stint which put me just behind Jarno,
so that was a bit of a shame as I was on soft
tyres and I could have gone a bit quicker.
Then I got stuck behind him again but then
I was able to overshoot, staying out a little
bit longer, which put me in front of him. But
then it was the other way around and I had
to defend from him. The whole last sting he
was very close in my mirrors. I think he was
pushing hard but I made no mistakes,
so in the end we came second.
Q: Jarno, a relatively early pit stop and
unlike most runners a switch to the hard
tyre for the middle stint.
Jarno TRULLI: Yeah, I am a little bit
disappointed because I was waiting for the
first win for Toyota. Unfortunately at the start I
think I had oil spillage which cost me the first
position. From then on it was a hard race as
I was following my team-mate. I was going
longer and then during the second stint we
used a very long stint on the hard tyres, so
I was trying to fight and it was really hard
fighting with a lot of cars. I was not extremely
quick but competitive being on the hard
tyres and then eventually Sebastian took the
position after my last stop. He was on the
hard tyres and I was on the soft and I was
pushing him. I was quicker but there was no
way to overtake him, so that was how the
race was. I want to thank the team as they
have done a very good job, so let’s wait to
fight again for the next race.
 RESULTS
GP2 ASIA SERIES CHEVEROLET SPEEDCAR SERIS
BAHRAIN SUPERCARS BAHRAIN
POS DRIVER TIME POS DRIVER TIME POS DRIVER TIME

1 D.Nunes 59.59.025 1 K.Al Faisal 19.20.222 1 V. Liuzzi 41.02.174

2 R.Rodriguez 4.906 2 A.Al Yaeeshi 3.579 2 T.Biagi 3.453

3 J.D'Ambrosio 7.905 3 A. Al Harthy 5.985 3 H.Al Maktoun 4.936

4 K.Kobayashi 15.282 4 P. Redolfi 12.384 4 N.Navarro 10.227

5 G.Van Der Garde 20.774 5 S. Salahuddin 18.644 5 G.Morbidelli 12.117

6 S. Yamamoto 31.624 6 F.Rafii 45.417 6 J.Herbert 12.464

7 D.Rigon 48.01 7 H.Al Khalifa 45.699 7 C.Buncombe 19.899

8 L.Razia 50.923 8 B. Al Silmy 72.052 8 C.Zoechlino 22.644

9 K.Chandhok 55.684 9 A. Hamidaddin 73.648 9 M.Lee 29.144

10 J.Jakes 55.853 10 C. Mariot 74.888 10 J.Alesi 35.642

11 G.Ricci 57.571 11 A.Raymond 81.385 11 M.Cioci 44.595

12 S.Perez 57.875 12 H.Al Saleh 82.137 12 H.Frentzen 52.811

13 M.Herck 58.122 13 T.Elgammal DNF

14 M.Bonanomi 65.328 14 F.Al Musalam DNF

15 J.Villa 75.745 15 J. Vaandrager DNF

16 D.Valsecchi 78.479

17 R.Teixeira 88.508
CHAMPIONSHIP 2008
18 F.Crestani 1Lap
POSITION DRIVERS TOTAL
19 V.Petrov 2Lap
1 Kamui Kobayashi 9 13 12 5 8 9 56
2 Jerome D'Ambrosio 2 2 13 4 2 13 36
MOBIL 1 SUPERCUP 3 Roldan Rodriguez 13 6 3 - 5 8 35
BAHRAIN 4 Davide Valsecchi 7 8 9 5 5 - 34
POS DRIVER TIME 5 Vitaly Petrov 4 4 - 11 9 - 28
1 J.Bleekemolen 25.38.878 6 Nico Hulkenberg - - 10 17 - - 27

2 R.Rast 2.497 7 Sergio Perez - 3 7 15 1 - 26

8 Diego Nunes - - - - 13 11 24
3 R.Westbrook 6.786
9 Sakon Yamamoto 6 1 - - - 6 13
4 P.Huisman 13.206
10 Javier Villa 10 - 2 - - - 12
5 R.Williams 14.678
11 Edoardo Mortara - - 6 5 - - 11
6 D.Faulkner 14.712 12 Giedo Van Der Garde - 5 2 - - 4 11
7 N.Siedler 16.773 13 Luiz Razia - - - 2 - 7 9

8 M.Halliday 19.417 14 Earl Bamber 8 - - - - - 8

15 James Jakes - - - - 7 - 7
9 L.Ferrara 22.237
16 Pastor Maldonado - - - - 7 - 7
10 S.Rosina 24.378
17 Davide Rigon - - - - - 6 6
11 J.Janak 24.574
18 Chris Van Der Drift 5 - - - - - 5
12 W.Langhorne 26.134 19 Yelmer Buurman - - - - 4 - 4
13 A.Al Faisal 33.463 20 Hamad Al Fardan - - - - 2 - 2
 RESULTS
BAHRAIN DRAG RACING CHAMPIONSHIP SPEEDCAR SERIES BAHRAIN
ROUND 5
Street Fwd: RACE 1 CLASSIFICATION
0. 1. Fadhel Saleh (BRN) 11.473@192.67 (Al Sham Team) 1 J. Herbert (JMB) 40 minutes 59.350 seconds
0. 2. Adel Hassan (BRN) 12.063@170.36 (Team KFH)
0. 3. Moh’d Saleh (BRN) 11.756@189.27 (Al Sham Team) _ 2009 Speedcar Bahrain - Action
Street Rwd: 2 H. Frentzen (Continental Circus) -10.339 seconds
0. 1. Sayed Nader (BRN) 11.483@188.16
3 V. Liuzzi (UP Team) -12.545
0. 2. Jameel Ebrahim (BRN) 11.900@179.82
0. 3. Jaffar Al Qassab (BRN) 12.426@180.75 _ 4 C. Zoechling (Continental Circus) -20.396
Street V8: 5 G. Morbidelli (Palm Racing) -23.398
0. 1. Mishal Suliyman (KWT) 8.921@243.70 (Q8 Racing Team)
0. 2. Ahmed al Zaabi (KWT) 9.117@244.99 (Team STS) 6 H. Al Maktoum (UP Team) -25.168
0. 3. Ali Haji (BRN) 9.689@226.54 _ 7 D. Pasini (JMB) -26.539
Super Street Fwd:
8 T. Biagi (Palm Racing) -34.563
0. 1. Moh’d A.Redha (BRN) 10.101@220.23
0. 2. A.Rahman Mubarak (BRN) 10.386@236.02 (Team Bin Hasher) 9 N. Navarro (Durango) -39.483
0. 3. Ebrahim Mubarak (BRN) 10.344@193.96 (Team Bin Hasher) _ 10 R. Azzam (Scuderia Giudici ) -46.854
Super Street Rwd:
0. 1. Moh’d Haji (BRN) 8.414@269.46 (Team Get Boost) 11 M. Cioci (Durango) -61.776
0. 2. Saad Al Muran (BRN) 8.603@270.34 (Team Top Speed) 12 M. Lee (HPR) - 1 LAP
0. 3. Yousif Abdulla (BRN) 11.230@206.21 _
DNF
Super Street V8:
0. 1. Yasser Shams (BRN) 9.778@220.88 (Team Sniper) D. Terrien (West Tec)
0. 2. Mizher Al Tanak (KWT) 11.793@118.37 (Team STS) G. Giudici (Scuderia Giudici)
0. 3. Moh’d Ghanim (KSA) 9.091@242.20 _
Competition 7.5: C. Buncombe (West Tec)
0. 1. Rashid Bin Tammem (UAE) 7.510@286.16 (Team Top Speed) J. Alesi (HPR)
0. 2. Hisham AL Mulla (KSA) 7.774@276.94 (Team SPG)
Fastest Lap
0. 3. Tariq Hadi (BRN) 7.591@293.16 (Team TRT) _
Outlaw Fwd: V. Liuzzi (UP Team) 2 minutes 07.791
0. 1. Bader Janahi (BRN) 9.200@196.93 (Team KFH) seconds on lap 2
0. 2. Ebrahim Mubark (BRN) 9.938@245.13 (Team Bin Hasher)
0. 3. Ali Asalim (BRN) 11.046@266.50 _ RACE 2 CLASSIFICATION
Outlaw Rwd: 2009 Speedcar Bahrain - Herbert spins
0. 1. Ahmed Al Tayeb (KSA) 8.977@249.97 (Team Mobile)
1 V. Liuzzi (UP Team) 41 minutes 02.174 seconds
0. 2. Moh’d AlJazeeri (BRN) 10.360@217.45
0. 3. Ali Abdulla (BRN) 11.482@189.14 _ _ _ 2 T. Biagi (Palm Racing) -3.453 seconds
Outlaw 10.5: 3 H. Al Maktoum (UP Team) -4.936
0. 1. Salah Salahuddin (BRN) 7.014@321.97 (Team QRT)
0. 2. Hussain Alshumeri (KWT) 8.204@268.58 (Team Q8 Racing) 4 N. Navarro (Durango) -10.277
0. 3. Khalid Yousif (BRN) 9.377@230.64 _ 5 G. Morbidelli (Palm Racing) -12.117
Pro Mod:
6 J. Herbert (JMB) -12.464
0. 1. Khalid Moh’d (BRN) 6.205@363.73 (Team Bahrain 1 Racing)
0. 2. Ali Aryan (BRN) 8.098@191.04 (Team Bahrain 1 Racing) 7 C. Buncombe (West Tec) -19.899
0. 3. Ali Al Kaabi (UAE) 6.344@359.78 (Team SPG) _ 8 C. Zoechling (Continental Circus) -22.644
Street Bike:
0. 1. Khalid Al Dooseri (KSA) 8.701@263.60 9 M. Lee (HPR) -29.194
0. 2. Bader Bin Edan (KWT) 8.907@260.62 (Team STS) 10 J. Alesi (HPR) -35.642
0. 3. Waleed Al Bdeen (KSA) 8.999@256.59 _
11 M. Cioci (Durango) -44.595
Super Street Bike:
0. 1. Mishari Al Turki (KSA) 8.064@295.00 12 H. Frentzen (Continental Circus) -52.811
0. 2. Hatan Al abadi (KSA) 7.892@299.91 DNF
0. 3. Raffat Alshareef (KSA) 9.331@240.34 _
Pro Bike: D.Pasini (JMB)
0. 1. Mishal Al Saber (KWT) 7.192@256.41 (Team STS) D. Terrien (West Tec)
0. 2. Moh’d Bu Rashid (KWT) 7.448@289.20
R. Azzam (Scuderia Giudici)
0. 3. Khalid Al Foozan (KWT) 9.692@233.89 _
Personal Best: G. Giudici (Scuderia Giudici)
0. . Fadhel Saleh (BRN) 11.473@192.67 (Al Sham Team) Fastest Lap
0. . Moh’d A.Redha (BRN) 10.101@220.23
0. . Moh’d Haji (BRN) 8.414@269.46 (Team Get Boost) V. Liuzzi (UP Team) 2 minutes 07.487
seconds on lap 4
. New Record in the 7.5 Competition
Rashid Bin Tammem (UAE) 7.510@286.16 (Team Top Speed)
MIDDLE EAST MOTORSPORT (M.E.M)

Strap yourself in and get ready to read!

Subscribe NOW BD10 for 1 year
With the amount of interest the racing scene has generated be it drag, circuit or kart, it
was imperative for us at Max Media (publishers of the G.C.C. Re-known Arabia Motors
magazine) to produce a magazine that would chronicle motorsport events from all over
the world, with a special emphasis on the Middle East.
Middle East Motorsport (M.E.M) is on a mission to not only highlight the region’s
achievements in the Motorsport world, but to also introduce the industry’s pioneers to
the racing community in the region. It’s all about bridging the gaps and bringing together
an industry that has long been in the making.

Subscribe online www.maxmediaco.com

Or call Bahrain +973 17402482
MAXMEDIA
P U B L I C A T I O N S