Bobby Allison making an appearance in Ancaster, Ontario on Dec. 1

The Ancaster News has a story containing the news that legendary NASCAR driver Bobby Allison will make a promotional appearance at a store in Ancaster, Ontario on Friday, Dec. 1.

McIntosh's open-wheel talents continue to shine in Europe

Courtesy Stuart Morrison Public Relations

Tuesday 21 November, 2006 - Vancouver's Sean McIntosh relished another successful season abroad as he raced his way to a sixth place finish in the 2006 World Series by Renault. Once again, he was Canada's sole open-wheel racing representative competing in Europe, Formula One's proving ground, were he tackled legendary circuits such as Monaco, Le Mans and Spa-Francorchamps, not to mention 29 equally ambitious international rivals, along the way.

McIntosh's debut in the World Series by Renault followed two decorated seasons in the United Kingdom where he showcased his talents outside North America for the first time by winning the 2004 'Graduate Cup' for top rookie driver in the Formula Renault UK Championship before multiple wins and a championship challenge followed in 2005.

It was a natural progression for the 21-year-old to remain in Renault's open-wheel development ladder in 2006. Following his 2005 Formula Renault UK season, McIntosh proved his talents with more powerful equipment over the 2005-2006 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport winter season, notably with a victory for A1 Team Canada. A move into the World Series by Renault with the Belgian-based KTR squad duly followed. The Canadian would this time be testing his skills with a 425bhp Formula Renault 3.5 single-seater car.

"We set out at the beginning of the year to try and finish in the top-ten at the very minimum and hopefully get a few podiums and possibly a win," McIntosh reflected. "I was disadvantaged by not having had any winter testing with my new team. So, heading into the first pre-season tests in March and April, I was on the back foot a little and it's a big step going from the Formula Renault 2.0-litre car to the 3.5-litre World Series car. That said, looking back at the end of the season, to come away as the highest ranked Formula Renault 2.0-litre graduate is pretty pleasing as the competition level was exceptionally high."

"I'd definitely class 2006 as a successful season for me," he continued. "I scored a couple of podiums and took my first pole at the final round in Barcelona. It would be easy to say that I should have scored a couple of wins at Donington, and if it hadn't been for one or two other issues we could have ended up fighting for a championship as I was a regular top-five runner. But, at the end of the day others could argue the exact same thing. More important to me is the fact that I showed I was quick throughout the season and was capable of competing successfully at this level."

Acknowledging his time served racing in the United Kingdom proved useful as a foundation for stepping up into the World Series by Renault, one of Sean's biggest challenges was learning eight new European circuits with England's Donington Park the only track he'd experienced prior to the start of the season.

Recalling this Sean remarked, "My two seasons competing in the UK were undoubtedly a great learning experience but the venues we raced at weren't necessarily on the same level as the ones I had to face up to this season. You definitely step up when you start racing at places like Monaco, Nurburgring, Spa and Barcelona. I grew up watching races at these circuits on television so to get the chance to actually race on them was fantastic but each time out I was faced with the challenge of having to learn the track. I've done it so many times now that it's not something I let bother me but you could see how comfortable I was when we raced at Donington in England, I was on the pace immediately as I knew the track well from my time in the UK."

Sean's rookie season in the World Series by Renault netted two podium finishes, the first being a second place finish in Round 5 at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium back in July, followed later by a third place finish in Round 9's season-finale in Barcelona, Spain at the end of October.

In addition the young Canadian scored a total of ten top-ten finishes and one pole position on his way to sixth overall in the Driver Standings, the World Series title going to Comtec Racing's sophomore driver, Alx Danielsson from Sweden.

On the highs and lows of his season Sean mused, "The highlight for me was definitely my pole position in Barcelona. We should have had pole at Donington Park but that didn't work out but Spain was sweeter as it came on the last lap of the last qualifying session of the season. It was a great feeling mirrored by my drive through to second place and my first podium finish at Spa. The final race in Barcelona was similarly pleasing as I had secured sixth in the standings and rounded out the season with another podium."

He continued, "The lowest part of the season was definitely Donington Park as I should have been on the front row of the grid but a fuel calculation error in qualifying cost me the position and I was forced to race my way from the back of the field. I still proved something with the pace of the car during the race but we know that was a weekend where I could have won. Other low points include being taken out by other drivers but there's nothing you can do about that unfortunately."

"I think I learned how to work with the team a little bit more," McIntosh commented on what he's taken from the 2006 season. "I was obviously comfortable with Team Firstair who I ran with for two seasons in the UK before joining KTR this year. With a new team you've got to start again and perhaps learn to deal with people differently. When racing in Europe, you're also faced with the challenge of people speaking different languages and so on."

"It was a great experience for me and on top of that I think I learned how to develop the car even more, a fact definitely reflected in my performances over the second half of the season. I had a car that really suited my style of driving and I think that came from the relationship I developed with the team and in particular with my engineer Paul Heath. Europe's a very competitive proving ground and you've got to learn to take care of yourself!"

Proud to be flying the maple leaf flag in European open-wheel racing, McIntosh's talents have been noted on both sides of the Atlantic, something he takes pride from but won't allow him to sit back and take it easy as he continues his rise through the ranks.

"I think when I first raced in England people there didn't have any expectations but I proved over in Formula Renault that I could compete and belonged to be there. I had earned respect and so when it came to moving up into the World Series this year people were already aware of what I could do based on my accomplishments in the UK as well as A1GP. I was more of a known quantity when I graduated to European competition this season!"

"The main thing is that if you're quick, it doesn't really matter where you're from. But from a pride perspective it's satisfying to be doing a good job as a Canadian and importantly to have people back in Canada recognise what I'm trying to accomplish over in Europe. Moving up to the highest level of motor racing could be political but the important thing for me is to keep pushing and to win races wherever I compete next season!"

Chinese Double Score for A1 Team Canada's Hinchcliffe

Courtesy Stuart Morrison Public Relations

Sunday November 12, 2006 - A1 Team Canada's James Hinchcliffe endured a fast but frustrating third round of the 2006-07 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport in Beijing, China Sunday as the 19-year-old from Toronto added to the team's points tally with fourth and tenth place finishes in the Sprint and Feature races with the fastest race lap, and bonus point, also going to the Canadian charger.

With the grid for Sunday morning's 20-minute Sprint race based on Saturday's limited practice session, following vital track modifications to the Beijing street circuit, Hinchcliffe found himself taking the start in fourth. The tight nature of the Jingkai track in the Olympic city was never going to lend itself to spectacular overtaking and as expected the Sprint race proved to be a static affair as the 22 Nation field finally unleashed their identical 550bhp V8-powered A1GP racing machines. Hinchcliffe held fourth to score three more points for Canada, his third straight points-scoring performance, with pole-sitter Jeroen Bleekemolen winning for A1 Team Netherlands ahead of Mexico's Salvador Duran and Italy's Enrico Toccacelo.

The Feature race saw Hinchcliffe climb into podium contention early in proceedings, taking the third spot as the Mexican entry floundered. As soon as the pit window opened on lap 20 the front-runners pitted with the exception of Canada who opted to stay out and build up an advantage over the rest of the field. Unfortunately for Hinchcliffe, almost as soon as he assumed the lead two safety car periods in quick succession denied him the opportunity to streak too far away or similarly pit for a fresh set of tires. When the track finally returned to green James put pedal to the metal but the advantage lay with Holland in fourth having already stopped followed by a string of similarly placed cars. This failed to halt Hinchcliffe's stunning pace demonstration and he duly set the fastest lap of the race on lap 39.

Finally relinquishing the lead on lap 50, the end of the pit window, James pitted and rejoined 11th. He quickly climbed to eighth and with some final drama he was looking good to rebound and score a potential top-five finish following the retirements of Holland, Germany and Malaysia until he in turn found himself hitting the wall following a close last-lap dice with France's Nicolas Lapierre. Classified tenth at the checkered flag, with a point for position and another for fastest lap, there was some consolation for the young Canadian after another eventful A1GP race. Enrico Toccacelo scored the Feature win for Italy, in doing so becoming the fifth nation this season to triumph, with Great Britain's Oliver Jarvis in second and Australia's Karl Reindler wrapping the podium celebrations in third.

"I'm super disappointed," stated Hinchcliffe at the end of the Feature. "It was a good race and we're unfortunate to be in the position, like Brno last time out, where we led lots of laps but haven't finished on the podium. I really had the hammer down to try and build an advantage but we were caught out by the safety periods. I thought France had a problem at the end and was letting me go as I ran wide but he started to race me again and I found myself out on the marbles and into the wall. It's frustrating but overall we showed great pace today and that's encouraging for the future!"

Round 4 of the 2006-07 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport takes place in two weeks time, Friday 24th - Sunday 26th November, at the Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia - www.a1gp.com.

A1GP Nations Standings after Round 3/12: 1st Mexico (24), 2nd Germany (22), 3rd Great Britain (20), 4th Italy (19), 5th Malaysia (17), 6th Canada (16)

McIntosh Ninth Fastest for Canada in Malaysian A1GP Qualifying

Courtesy Stuart Morrison Public Relations

Saturday 25 November, 2006 - Sean McIntosh ensured A1 Team Canada kept its top-ten qualifying record intact Saturday as he posted the ninth fastest aggregate lap time at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia ahead of Round 4 of the 12-round 2006-07 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, starting with Sunday morning's 20-minute Sprint race.

McIntosh (21), competing for A1 Team Canada for the first time this season, was keen to keep the team's streak of top-ten starts going following James Hinchcliffe's excellent qualifying performances in the Canadian car over the opening rounds in Holland, the Czech Republic and China. The 21-year-old from Vancouver failed to disappoint as he reacquainted himself with the 550bhp, V8-powered A1GP car that he drove to victory in Indonesia in the inaugural A1GP Championship last season.

Straight out on a brand new set of tires for the first of four timed runs, the fastest two being used to set the aggregate qualifying time and the grid order for Sunday's Sprint race, McIntosh lapped the 5.54km Sepang International Circuit in 1m 53.142s. His next lap would be faster as he made the most of another set of new tires to post a time of 1m 52.210s, the sixth fastest lap of the second session.

Sean's third run, and final outing on fresh rubber, was less fruitful as he admitted he might have pushed a little too hard for the lap, setting a 1m 53.424s, ninth fastest from the 22-strong field of nations. The Canadian's last run of the session, this time on old tires, was a competitive 1m 53.398s and a faster lap than his previous one. With his first two laps being the fastest of the four, and therefore forming his aggregate lap time of 3m 45.352s, McIntosh ended Saturday's qualifying session ninth overall to secure a top-ten grid slot for Sunday's Sprint race. Pole went to Switzerland's Neel Jani with New Zealand's Jonny Reid lining up alongside on the front-row for the rolling start.

Encouraged to be starting 13 spots higher up the grid from last season's rain-soaked A1GP qualifying session in Malaysia, McIntosh's competitive edge meant he was still left wanting more. "The car certainly had pace today," he commented. "I didn't get the best from my first set of tires but the second run was more promising. The track had warmed up by the third outing and I probably pushed a little too hard. I didn't come here to qualify ninth, I wanted to be higher than that on my return with the team but compared to last season's start position at Sepang it's a definite improvement!"

A1GP Round 4 Qualifying - Aggregate time from two fastest laps
1. Switzerland - Neel Jani - 3:43.014
2. New Zealand - Jonny Reid - 3:43.305
3. Germany - Nico Hülkenberg - 3:43.381
4. Great Britain - Robbie Kerr - 3:43.941
5. China - Congfu Cheng - 3:44.884
6. Netherlands - Jeroen Bleekemolen - 3:44.932
7. Malaysia - Alex Yoong - 3:45.068
8. South Africa - Adrian Zaugg - 3:45.238
9. CANADA - SEAN MCINTOSH - 3:45.352
10. France - Nicolas Lapierre - 3:45.410

Sunday's 20-minute Sprint race starts at 11 am local time (10 pm EST Saturday) with the 70-minute Feature race starting at 3 pm in Malaysia (2 am EST Sunday). The races can be watched live in Canada or on demand later via the A1GP website - www.a1gp.com.

TSN: Schumacher on the record

TSN has a story quoting Michael Schumacher, saying he retired because he'd lost his motivation. In the same piece, he says his one big regret was the incident in '97 when he ran into Jacques Villeneuve in the final race.

No clarification on whether or not he regretted doing it... or regretted not finishing the job. :)

The story begins...

"Michael Schumacher says he lost the motivation to drive at the high level necessary to succeed in Formula One and that is one of the main reasons he decided to retire.
In an interview with a German publication, which coincides with the release of his updated autobiography, the seven time world champion also says if there was one regret in his career it was the 1997 incident at the European Grand Prix involving Canadian Jacques Villeneuve.
At that race, Schumacher deliberately turned into Villeneuve, who was closing in on his first world championship with Williams. The move backfired as Schumacher was forced to withdraw from the race due to car damage while Villeneuve limped home in third to clinch the title. After the season was over, Schumacher was stripped of his results from that season.
"If there were a situation in my career which I could undo, it would be this," he tells the Suddeutsche Zeitung magazine."

photo: This is what Jacques Villeneuve saw coming at him in the '97 European GP. "Ramming speed!!!!!!!!"

... continued at the link above

Nice story.... Zanardi drives an F1 car

Alex Zanardi is an inspiration to anyone who has dealt with hardship.
There is an AP story in today's Toronto Star, about his recent outing in a Sauber F1 car.

***

PAUL LOGOTHETIS // ASSOCIATED PRESS
"VALENCIA, Spain—Alex Zanardi nestled himself into the car, fiddled with the buckles on his helmet until they were just right, then accelerated past a crowd of onlookers and on to the track. After driving four laps in a modified BMW-Sauber C24-B, the Italian pulled into pit lane just like any other Formula One driver.
But Zanardi is no regular professional race car driver: he has no legs.
"To put a guy with no legs, a handicapped athlete, into an F1 car, it's a good thing," Zanardi said yesterday after becoming the first double amputee to test drive a Formula One car.
"This is why I'm so proud to be the one who is doing this, because for me I don't look at it from this point of view, but inevitably there will be a lot of people who will say, `Sometimes I play in life, but look at that guy — he's driving an F1 car.'"

... continued at the link above

Tim Miller bemoans the lack of information regarding the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series

Veteran motorsports journalist Tim Miller has a piece in today's Hamilton Spectator.

"The newly formed NASCAR-Canadian Tire Series has been a source of frustration and puzzlement since it was announced.
With the Christmas season fast approaching, a race schedule has yet to be announced, leaving the former CASCAR series teams scrambling for sponsorship.
The running of a stock-car team at this level is not cheap and most competitors must rely on sponsorship.
But the teams going into the boardrooms of prospective backers cannot even provide details of where and when the races will be held in 2007.
This must be especially frustrating for the series teams. They have not had a title sponsor for the past several years and they thought, with two such well-known names as NASCAR and CTC, they'd have an easier time getting sponsorship."

... more at the link above.