Motorsport News 25/03/21

The British Rally Championship will hold a round entirely within a racing circuit for the first time in its 63-year history with the Neil Howard Stages at Oulton Park becoming the new season-opener. The Neil Howard is a staple of the Motorsport News Circuit Rally Championship calendar and will once again be a counting round of that series. The rally will take place on a Monday (May 31) and will offer eight stages, totalling 55 competitive miles. The closest the BRC has come to a similar-style event was the MSARally in 2000 that was held on airfields and in the grounds of stately homes near Grantham. MNCRC co-ordinator Darren Spann told MN: “Rallying needs to do this, not the MNCRC or BRC, but for rallying after the 12 months of turmoil we’ve had…

Ferrari. It is hard to find someone who doesn’t have a soft spot for the cars in red. Enzo’s team might not have always done things in the way they should be done, but there has never been any question that motorsport and the unrelenting quest for success has been at the core of everything it has done. It has been painful to watch the Italian giant missing the bull’s eye so often in recent seasons in Formula 1. It has the biggest budget, the biggest slice of the prize cake and has had some of the best talent behind the wheel. Its failures have been hard to swallow, and it will be determined to make sure that the SF21 fixes those problems when Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz take to…

Mercedes F1 boffins have said that they expect to be on the back foot at the opening grand prix of the season in Bahrain this weekend. Lewis Hamilton was fifth quickest and team-mate Valtteri Bottas was ninth after the three-day pre-season test at the Sakhir circuit recently. They were both outpaced by Max Verstappen’s Red Bull-Honda. While the Dutchman is circumspect on the Honda-powered team’s chances (see MN, March 18), insiders at Mercedes think that its rival team has the best hopes going into the opening races. Mercedes has introduced a new design philosophy around the rear of the W12 chassis, but both Hamilton and Bottas declared that it has made the machine twitchy and unstable. Mercedes strategy director James Vowles said: “There are a lot of unknowns. No-one up and down the paddock…

Fast Jeddah layout The design of the new Jeddah circuit in Saudi Arabia, which is due to join the grand prix line-up this year, will make it one of the fastest on the calendar, according to Formula 1. The 3.84-mile configuration will be the second-longest on the roster and will feature 27 corners. Early simulations suggest the average speed will be 155mph. Formula 1 managing director Ross Brawn said: “The design brings out the best of a modern street circuit but also has fast-paced free-flowing areas that will create fast speeds and overtaking opportunities.” Sabine Schmitz dies Saloon car racer and Nurburgring expert Sabine Schmitz passed away last week aged 51. She had been suffering from cancer. Schmitz, who formed the Frikadelli Racing team with her husband Klaus Abbelen, is the only woman…

Daniel Rowbottom will line up alongside Gordon Shedden for the restructured Team Dynamics operation in this year’s British Touring Car Championship. The team has forged a multi-year alliance with backers Halfords and Cataclean, which sponsors Rowbottom, as Honda has pulled out its works support and team owner Matt Neal steps aside from the BTCC driving seat (see separate stories). Former Renault Clio UK Cup racer Rowbottom made his debut in the BTCC in 2019 at the wheel of a Ciceley Motorsport Mercedes and was in the points on four occasions. The Kidderminster racer took a sabbatical from racing in 2020 but is eager to get to grips with his new car. Rowbottom, 32, said: “For me, this an absolute dream come true. This is a great opportunity for me with a top-flight team.…

Bosses at Honda UK have said they have ended the partnership with Team Dynamics in the British Touring Car Championship after an 11-year association with the squad and has “significant regret” over the end of the partnership. Honda has been allied with Team Dynamics as an official factory operation since 2010 and the Droitwich operation has run the Japanese cars since 2004. Since the beginning of the relationship, drivers Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden have taken three drivers’ titles apiece. Dynamics has also claimed 14 manufacturer and teams’ titles with Honda. Olivia Dunn, head of communications at Honda UK, said: “As a business, we continually review our marketing. Therefore, it was with significant regret that we had to inform Team Dynamics that we were unable to continue.” Team owner Neal, who has raced…