BRITISH WOODIES IS BOOK OF THE MONTH

British Woodies from the 1920s to the 1950s by Colin Peck is reviewed in the March 2010 edition of Best of British magazine.

Click image to view full size

Forthcoming in 2010! American Woodies 1928-1953
By Colin Peck.
Looks at the American Woodies built from the 1920s to the early 1950s, which came in a variety of models including station wagons, convertibles and sedans. Whereas the station wagons were built for functionality, the Woodie sedans and convertibles were constructed purely for style.
More info.

STARS SET TO SHINE ON RALLYE SUNSEEKER

Six-times Rallye Sunseeker winner Marcus Dodd and co driver Andrew Bargery in their Hyundai Accent WRC.
The eagerly anticipated battle for the 2010 MSA Gravel Rally Championship gets underway next weekend when crews from all over the UK as well as further afield converge on the South coast resorts of Bournemouth and Poole for the annual ANCRO season opener as the 25th annual Rallye Sunseeker roars into life.

And with the best entry assembled in recent years, fans on the South Coast's premier motorsport event will be revelling in the atmosphere amidst the Dorset forests.

Six-times event winner and very much the local hero Marcus Dodd from nearby Poole along with co driver Andrew Bargery from just down the coast at Hove, will be looking to win back the crown they relinquished to Isle of Wight Subaru driver Will Nicholls and co driver Nick Broom last year, and given that Nicholls and Broom are not returning to defend their title, the Hyundai Accent WRC pairing will start the event as one of the favourites.

Whereas Dodd is the reigning Pirelli MSA Gravel Rally Champion having landed the crown five times in total and the last three times in succession, he faces stiff opposition as heading the challenge will be four former champions who are making a welcome return to the fold.

Twice Rallye Sunseeker winner Roger Duckworth and co driver Mark Broomfield took the Championship honours in 1998 and the driver who lives near Silverstone is back for another crack at the title in his venerable Subaru whereas 2004 ANCRO winner and VK boss Steve Perez from Chesterfield along with co driver Paul Spooner has the ex Marcus Gronholm Ford Focus WRC07 at his disposal and is fresh from winning last weekend's Wyedean Rally. 2005 Champion Paul Bird is back with a vengeance in his works-specification Ford Focus WRC08 and the flamboyant chicken farmer from Penrith has won his last three events in a row along with co driver Kirsty Riddick but like Perez, has never sampled Sunseeker glory. The other winner of the national title to take to the start line is Ulsterman Kenny McKinstry who won the series in 1999 and the Subaru WRC driver will be looking to repeat his win on Rallye Sunseeker of 2002, this time with co driver Harvey Bell on the notes.

The rivalry between Perez and Bird is legendary in Rallye Sunseeker history, but they, as well as Dodd, Duckworth and McKinstry, will be having to look to their rear view mirrors as there are a host of top names expected to be in the mix come Saturday afternoon.

Double British Champion Jonny Milner is reunited with his trusty Toyota Corolla WRC and co driver Ian Windress so could be the dark horse whilst Irish marauders Richard Cathcart/Martin Brady (Subaru WRC) and Jonny Greer (Mitsubishi Evo 9) could spring a surprise. County Durham driver Stephen Petch teams up with John Richardson in their Hyundai Accent WRC and don't rule out local aces Anthony Willmington/Andrew White (Mitsubishi Evo 6) and Scotsman Dave Weston Jnr and Ieuan Thomas in their latest version Subaru. Scandinavian drivers Daniel Sigurdarson and Johannes Gunnarson add to the international ambience in their respective Mitsubishis as part of the shakedown for the upcoming Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge.

With the traditional Friday evening Winter Gardens and Seafront stage not included this year, the event gets underway with a pompous ceremonial start at Poole Quayside at 18.15 on Friday, before the event proper starts on Saturday morning with the traditional loops around the forests and stately homes of Ringwood and Wareham before the winners' champagne is uncorked in Bournemouth town centre around 17.30.

More details, including entry lists, spectator information and maps etc on the event can be found at www.rallyesunseeker.co.uk and information on the 2010 MSA National Gravel Rally Championship is listed at www.msagravelrallychampionship.co.uk.

Honda Teams return for 2010 MotoGP

Honda MotoGP Team

Once afresh this year, Honda will attempt in the MotoGP class, the arch chic of the Road Antagonism World Championship Grand Prix (WGP)-the world's top-level race-and booty on challenges with the aim of acceptable all three championship titles, recapturing the rider's appellation as able-bodied as the aggregation and constructor's.

The Repsol Honda branch aggregation will attempt with two riders: the adept Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso, who is in his additional year as a branch rider. The aggregation has fabricated some cadre changes to augment its absolute ability for acceptable these championship titles. Kazuhiko Yamano (HRC), who has served as Aggregation Manager, will booty over as HRC Aggregation Director and baby-sit all operations including the branch teams and accessory teams.

For the branch team, Toshiyuki Yamaji (HRC) will become the new Aggregation Manager and will absolute the absolute Repsol Honda team. To enhance the riders' potential, Alberto Puig (Spain), who aforetime served as aggregation chief, has been appointed as the Pedrosa Aggregation Manager for this season. For the Dovizioso team, Gianni Berti (Italy), addition above aggregation chief, has been appointed as the Dovizioso Aggregation Manager. In this way, Honda will strengthen its alignment as it seeks to achieve the championship titles this season.

Three teams and four riders will attempt for the accessory teams. Hiroshi Aoyama of the Interwetten Honda MotoGP team, who won the championship blithely in aftermost year's 250cc Grand Prix, has stepped up to the arch chic and will be the alone Japanese addition to attempt in this chic this season. Also aggressive will be the Italian addition Marco Simoncelli of Aggregation San Carlo Honda Gresini, who rode in the 250cc chic aftermost year and fought for the championship with Hiroshi Aoyama up to the final race. These two riders will be aggressive in the MotoGP chic as rookies from Honda. Simoncelli will be abutting by assistant Marco Melandri, who is abiding to Honda this season. The adept addition Randy De Puniet will participate afresh from LCR Honda MotoGP, aiming for a top position.

HRC affairs to chase six RC212V machines in this chic beneath the advice of Grand Prix Technical Director Shinichi Kokubu (Honda R&D). With the 2010 RC212V, Honda has developed a awful aggressive antagonism apparatus by abacus abundant improvements to the agent while redesigning the anatomy to bout the agent characteristics.

Expectations are aerial for success of the six Honda riders in MotoGP World Championship Round 2, the Grand Prix of Japan (finals), which will be captivated at Twin Ring Motegi in Tochigi Prefecture this advancing April 25.

Jorge Lorenzo MISS PRE-SEASON TESTING

Fiat Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo, The runner-up in the 2009 MotoGP Championship is not having a good start to this year’s season.Due to a hand injury ,Jorge Lorenzo’s doctors told him he couldn’t participate in the second series of pre-season Moto GP testing in Sepang next week, but Lorenzo also learned he may miss the final pre-season testing in Qatar March 18-19.

“At the moment there are serious doubts as to whether Jorge will be fully recovered for the Qatar test,” Lorenzo’s press manager Hector Martin told the press. “We must wait and see how his injury and rehabilitation go after he has his stitches removed, which will be next Friday or Monday.”

Last week, motorcycle racer Lorenzo fractured the base of his first finger and suffered a displaced thumb while motorcross training near Barcelona.

During the first series of pre-season testing, the Spaniard posted the fifth fastest time on the first day, and the third fastest time on the second day, just O.36 seconds slower than Ducati Marlboro rider Casey Stoner and 0.755 seconds slower than his teammate, defending MotoGP Champion Valentino Rossi

MotoGP 09/10 Races To PS3 And Xbox 360

The Moto gp exhibition on MotoGP 09/10 from Capcom is expected to hit Xbox 360 and PS3 on March 16 for North America. And what makes it sweeter is that Capcom will be offering, not only the game, but all-new tracks, team updates, and bike classes, soon after the launch all free DLC, with a new 2010 season. You can also not only look up race records for your own races, but also world-wide records when the race ends.

New Features Also Include:
• 20 Player Online Races
• Upload and download ghosts and riding lines to better improve your overall skills to ride like a pro.
• Robust Mode; Allows players to vote for laps, bike class, and circuit before racing in Online Arcade or Championship modes.

MotoGP 09/10 demo will be out on PSN and XLBA soon before the game comes is released.

MATRA SPORTS CARS REVIEWED IN OCTANE

Many thanks to Octane magazine for this review of Matra Sports Cars – MS620, 630, 650, 660 & 670 - 1966 to 1974 by Ed McDonough.


Click here for more info about the book or buy a copy now using PayPal or credit card.

THE GHOSTS OF CIRCUITS PAST!

Monza

Brooklands

Augusta



New! Speedway – Auto racing’s ghost tracks

By SS Collins & Gavin D Ireland



An evocative and original look at the history of eight abandoned race circuits in the USA and Europe, and viewed as they are today in stunning new photographs.

Around the world languish a number of long-forgotten raceways; windswept and abandoned, the derelict pit roads and crumbling concrete are all that remain of once great race tracks. From the NASCAR heartland of North Wilkesboro and Middle Georgia to the great European super speedways at Monza and Brooklands, these faded circuits are now monuments to the victories, defeats, triumphs and tragedies once played out before excited crowds.

With roots as diverse as Nationalist Socialism and Prohibition-era bootlegging, the histories of these places offer an insight to different times and attitudes, as well as the evolution of motor racing. Many of the characters who raced on these circuits had a profound impact on their sport; these circuits, which fostered and occasionally destroyed such great drivers, are revisited here – photographed as they are now, but also remembered in their prime by word and picture.

With over 180 images, this unique and evocative book is available now from bookshops or from www.velocebooks.com.