G&R SF250 Race Report

Hey Matt,

G&R Racing battled terrain and mechanical challenges to finish top ten at SCORE San Felipe 250

Ron Whitton piloting the #39 G&R racing trophy truck finished 6th in class and 12th overall at SCORE San Felipe 250. Considered to be one of the roughest races of the year, the 22nd Annual SCORE San Felipe 250 had a massive attrition rate with many of the top competitors breaking just after the famous "Zoo Road" spectator area. G&R Racing campaigned a two-trophy truck team, the #38 trophy truck of Garron Cadiente and the #39 trophy truck of Ron Whitton. Garron Cadiente, who had previously won the ultra rough SCORE San Felipe 250 in 2006, was unable to finish due to mechanical failure. Garron's teammate, Ron Whittion, fared much better implementing a conservative race plan that paid off in spades, ultimately allowing him to finish with a 6th place in trophy trucks.

Ron Whitton had this to say about the effort, "It was a good race. We stuck to our plan and it paid off. I tried to drive smart and not get too crazy. We passed a lot of broken vehicles. We had a little problem with the radiator which probably cost us 20 minutes, but I am happy with the finish.

Cadiente remarked, "Our plan was to stay up front just off the leader and save the truck until the end of the race. Right after Zoo Road we noticed our tranny was running hot. We tried to lay back and not push it too hard, but the tranny gave out around race mile 65. At that point we knew we were out of the hunt. So we changed the tranny and went for the finish. At race mile 167 the second tranny failed, I lost all gears but first, so we had to call it a day."

G&R racing's next race will be the SCORE Baja 500

On behalf of the entire team I would like to thank each and every one of our Dirt Squad newsletter members for taking an interest in G&R Racing. Enjoy the content and feel free to send me your comments.

Hasta Luego

Brian Godfrey
Team Manager

Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton to get McLaren F1 lm if he wins two titles

The McLaren F1 lm is the ultimate dream car and has a price tag of £2 million, however Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton has been promised one if he manages to win two F1 drivers titles. The McLaren F1 Lm is the world’s rarest supercar, however that has not stopped McLaren boss Ron Dennis from promising the gift to his young driver.

Lewis Hamilton said “The LM has always been my ultimate dream car since I first saw it when I was 13.” He also added “When I first went to McLaren it was there and I fell in love with it.”

There are only five McLaren LMs in existence, it will go from 0-60 in 2.9 seconds and has a top speed of 225mph. The supercar is powered by a V12 engine, the car will fall into insurance group 20, however I am sure that Lewis can afford the premium.

Source - The Sun

BMW Sauber emerging to challenge Ferrari and McLaren in Formula One

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The recent history of Formula One is a tale of one-on-one rivalries: Ferrari versus McLaren, Senna versus Prost, Michael Schumacher versus the world.

Change, however, appears to be afoot.

As the Formula One circus left the Asian tropics of Malaysia this week for the Arabian desert of Bahrain, Ferrari and McLaren are facing up to the real possibility of a three-way struggle for the 2008 drivers' and constructors' titles.

Ferrari left Malaysia revitalized, with Kimi Raikkonen winning to assert his world championship defence and put the woes of the Australian season opener behind the team.

For all the momentum the Finnish driver's win produced for Ferrari, it was the performance of BMW Sauber that was perhaps the most significant outcome of the race.

Robert Kubica's second place in Malaysia gave the team podium finishes in two straight races for the first time. The 11 points BMW Sauber earned in the race were also a record for the team, and Nick Heidfeld turned the fastest lap.

It was the first time in his 136-race career that Heidfeld had recorded a fastest lap. Coming from a driver known more for being tidy than quick, that spoke volumes about the team's potential in 2008.

Ferrari's team principal Stefano Domenicali can hardly fail to see the threat posed by BMW Sauber, which leads the Italian team by eight points in the constructors' championship standings even after the Malaysia win.

"We need to respect them and we will for sure," Domenicali said.

After being clearly the best-of-the-rest in 2007 behind the dominant Ferraris and McLarens, BMW Sauber was aiming for more this year.

"We set two goals for this year," team principal Mario Thiessen said. "One of them was to make the battle in front of us into a three-way battle, and it looks like we are doing that - at least based on the two races so far.

"The other target was to win our first race this year, and I am confident we can do that."

Should it succeed in winning races this year, the competition for the constructors' title, if not the drivers' title, could become the closest since the 2003 season when the top three teams ended up separated by just 16 points.

Certainly, BMW Sauber travels to Bahrain with the least concerns of the top three teams.

For Ferrari, some of the polish was taken off Raikkonen's Sepang win by the failure of teammate Felipe Massa, who spun off the track while in a comfortable second place and under no pressure.

Coming on top of Massa's failure in Melbourne, where he also spun off before retiring, the Sepang mistake prompted further speculation about how long the Brazilian will last at Ferrari, his three-year contract notwithstanding.

Even before the race, Toro Rosso's rising star, Sebastian Vettel, was being linked with the second seat at Ferrari, and Renault's two-time world champion, Fernando Alonso, also has said it was natural he was being connected with the Italian team.

The prospect of Alonso driving for Ferrari may have been boosted by the exit of former team principal Jean Todt, now a team adviser, who had previously spoken of his opposition to recruiting the Spaniard.

McLaren has concerns of its own after an error-ridden performance in Malaysia.

Firstly, its two drivers were relegated five spots on the grid each for causing interference in qualifying.

Then Lewis Hamilton put in a drive more in keeping with a raw second-year youngster than the preternatural prodigy he appeared to be in 2007, when he conceded the championship by one point in the last race of the season.

He flat-spotted and delaminated his tires, both as a result of a loss of grip caused by driving too close to the Red Bull of Mark Webber, and spent much of the race following, and overdriving.

Hamilton - who leads the drivers' championship by three points after his win in Australia and points in Malaysia - was also compromised by a questionable choice of a softer tire in the middle of the race.

Only the timing of the safety car in Australia prevented Hamilton's McLaren teammate Heikki Kovalainen from being level on points with the Briton, and the No. 1 status he appeared to inherit with the departure of Alonso to Renault may not be permanent.

source google news

Vanguard Integrity Professionals Terminates Sponsorship of Team Gordon, Inc. for 2008, 2009 and 2010 Dakar Rally

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Andrew Lavin

A. Lavin Communications

(212) 290-9540

alc@alavin.com





Vanguard Integrity Professionals Terminates Sponsorship of Team Gordon, Inc. for 2008, 2009 and 2010 Dakar Rally



-- Company Initiates Litigation to Prohibit Team Gordon from Associating Itself with Vanguard Trademarks --



LAS VEGAS -- March 26, 2008 -- Vanguard Integrity Professionals, Inc. announced today that on Jan. 30, 2008 it terminated its sponsorship of Team Gordon, Inc. for the 2008, 2009 and 2010 Dakar Rallies.



On Jan. 4, 2008, the Dakar Rally 2008 was cancelled by the Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) due to threats of terrorist attacks by al Qaeda against the Rally and its participants.



Vanguard is in the business of security, providing security software and services to many government agencies and Fortune 500 companies around the world. The company’s software protects its customers from internal and external threats including cyber-terrorism attacks.



At the time of the cancellation of the 2008 Rally, Vanguard had independently confirmed the terrorist threats and agreed with the ASO’s decision to cancel the Rally; the risk of attacks by al Qaeda was real, and the risk was simply too great. Factory-sponsored teams registered for the Dakar 2008 and others also supported the ASO’s decision to cancel the Rally due to the terrorist threat.



Vanguard continues to believe Robby Gordon is one of the most talented off-road race drivers in the world, and has the highest respect for his driving abilities. However, with the cancellation of the 2008 Dakar Rally due to terrorist threats, along with Team Gordon’s public statements in response to that cancellation, continued sponsorship of Team Gordon no longer provides Vanguard with the appropriate promotional opportunities.



-more-

Vanguard Discontinues Sponsorship of Team Gordon/page 2





On February 19, 2008, Vanguard took legal action against Team Gordon Inc. seeking an injunction prohibiting Team Gordon from associating itself with Vanguard’s trademarks. Vanguard is also seeking a declaration from the Court confirming Vanguard’s proper termination of the Sponsorship agreement.



About Vanguard Integrity Professionals

Vanguard Integrity Professionals provides enterprise security software and services that solve complex security and regulatory compliance challenges for government agencies and Fortune 500 companies around the world. With solutions for Identity Management, Assurance & Compliance, Access Management and Intrusion Detection, Vanguard automates processes necessary to identify and mitigate the risks customers face. Vanguard’s customers receive a rapid return on investment and are able to focus on other critical business needs thereby becoming more productive and more secure. For more information, visit www.go2vanguard.com.

Qatar to upgrade Losail circuit to F1 standards

Qatar plans to improve its Losail MotoGP circuit to cater eventually for Formula One, the head of the Gulf country's motor sports federation said on Wednesday.

"We are planning a massive upgrade of the Losail circuit to make it possible to host Formula One races when the time comes," Qatar Motor and Motorcycling Federation president Nasser Khalifa al-Attiyah told Qatar's Gulf Times newspaper on Wednesday.

"We will be shortly inviting tenders for the job and once we decide on whom to award the contract, work will start soon," he added.

Losail hosted MotoGP's first night race earlier this month but may have to wait many years for the chance to host a Formula One Grand Prix, with Bahrain already on the calendar and Abu Dhabi making its debut next year.

"You cannot say what is going to happen in the future," al-Attiyah said.

"Formula One teams can use the track for testing which will put Qatar on the map and also help us earn good revenue."

Bahrain hosts the only Middle Eastern Grand Prix next week at its Sakhir circuit.

(Source: Reuters)