August
2002
Goodwood
- Herbert & Pirro race Moss
Audi
Sport UK Press Release, 30th August: Former Grand Prix aces
Johnny Herbert and Emanuele Pirro turn the clock back almost
50 years next weekend (7-8 Sept) when the duo race a pair of
three-cylinder, two-stroke DKW saloon cars at Goodwood’s “Revival
Meeting” in West Sussex. But
Herbert and Pirro, who drive at speeds of over 200mph in the
Audi R8 sportscar at Le Mans nowadays, will be following in
the wheel tracks of a former double Formula One World Champion
when they race the rare 1000cc DKW in Britain.
Somewhat
surprisingly Britain’s Jim Clark made his car racing début behind
the wheel of a DKW “Sonderklasse” owned by Ian Scott-Watson
in 1956. Clark, one of the world’s greatest single-seater drivers,
unexpectedly drove Scott-Watson’s DKW at an Aberdeen & District
Motor Club organised meeting at Crimond, located between Peterhead
and Fraserburgh.
Scott-Watson
entered Clark in the “Deek” for a sportscar race, a “scratch”
event with no handicap and not surprisingly, the strange little
896cc, 34bhp DKW was hopelessly outgunned by the more powerful
Lotus and MGA cars. Clark, who won the World Championship in
1963 and ’65 in a Lotus and was killed in an accident at the
age of 32 in 1968, finished last after retiring the DKW with
a broken half shaft but not before overtaking one car.
Herbert
and Pirro will be up against another British motor racing legend
in the 18-lap St Mary’s Trophy, a two-driver 50-mile saloon
car race on Sunday. Sir Stirling Moss, who contested the 1980
British Saloon Car Championship in an Audi 80 - along with Martin
Brundle the following year - will be in a field featuring cars
like the Austin A35, Morris Minor and Riley. Brentwood-born
Herbert teams-up with Desmond Smail, from Olney in Buckinghamshire,
in a 1957 DKW that has been imported by Audi UK from South Africa.
Meanwhile reigning American Le Mans Series champion Pirro, who
made history three months ago by claiming his third consecutive
Le Mans 24 Hours triumph along with Frank Biela and Tom Kristensen,
will co-drive German Martin Hesse’s 1958 1000cc DKW Coupé DeLuxe.
Both
DKWs feature a four-speed gearbox and can now produce around
85bhp. DKW was founded in 1907 by Dane Jorgen Skafte Rasmussen
and amalgamated in 1932 with Audi, Horch and Wanderer, to form
Auto Union. In 1969, NSU joined the “family” which is known
today as Audi.
The
three-day “Revival Meeting” at Goodwood not only turns the clock
back on the track for 14 action-packed races but in the Paddock
too. Drivers and team personnel, as well as spectators, are
asked to wear 1940-50s period dress.
Team
St George: update
Autosport,
29th August: Team St George has purchased the Lola-Cosworth
used by the now defunct Sigma Motorsport team earlier this year.
In the hands of Max Papis, the car finished in the top three
at both Long Beach and Milwaukee before Sigma shut down its
CART operation.
The
move could tempt Johnny Herbert back into the running for this
year's Rockingham race seat. Herbert has been reluctant to get
involved unless he has a car capable of showcasing his abilities
as he chases a full time seat in CART next year.
Speaking
at the launch of the team's livery, Bob Berridge of Oval Racing
Management, which is co-ordinating the project, was confident
that the team will be competitive come race day on September
14, despite the project receiving the go-ahead quite late in
the day.
"We've
got a car which we know can run at the front at Rockingham."
He said. "It's currently being prepared at Dale Coyne's workshop
in Chicago, then it'll be flown over to Ray Mallock's team
to start a test programme at the end of August."
Team
boss Dale Coyne says he is interested in a long term tie-up
with the project:
"We've
done co-ops like this before and they can work quite well.
England has a lot to offer with its manufacturing expertise,
but you need to be based at the heart of things over here.
We plan to compete with a two-car team next year. If we could
include a driver of the calibre of Johnny Herbert, that would
be of great interest to us."
Team
St George is expecting to unveil the car and driver at the beginning
of next month, where the car should hit the Corby oval in anger
for the first time.
Goodwood,
29th August:
THE
ST MARY’S TROPHY, SUN 8th SEPTEMBER, 10:45-11:20hrs
For
production saloon cars of a type that raced between 1951 and
1959
A
staggering entry of star drivers this year is headed by former
Formula One star Johnny Herbert, who makes his first Revival
appearance driving a 1958 DKW 1000. Johnny is joined by fellow
Grand Prix driver and 2000/2001 Le Mans winner Emanuele Piro
- the Audi he won twice with will be worlds apart from the DKW
he races this year.
ROYAL
AUTOMOBILE CLUB TT CELEBRATION, SUN 8th SEPTEMBER, 14:10-15:10hrs
For
closed-cockpit GT cars in the spirit of the RAC TT races, 1960-1964
The
TT during previous meetings has earned the reputation of the
‘jewel in the Revival crown’. This year we hope to repeat this.
With a grid valued at over £20 million, this one-hour two-driver
endurance race will see another outing by Johnny Herbert driving
a Ferrari 330 LM/B.
For full details, see the Forum posts by Helen - thanks, Helen!
Rockingham
rumour
Autosport,
21st August: The field at next month's CART race on the
Rockingham oval will be boosted by the appearance of Team St.
George, which is set to run a British driver in its sole car.
After
months of speculation, bosses at the Corby track have finally
confirmed that a Lola-Cosworth run by Ray Mallock Ltd will take
to the grid for the September 14 race. The team is being helped
by dormant Champ Car entrant Dale Coyne Racing, which has updated
the Lola to '2002-spec'.
The
identity of the driver has yet to be confirmed, but Rockingham
boss David Grace says that it will be a Brit.
"We
have some talented British drivers who are keen to take up
the challenge," he said. "Our job is to deliver the car and
team to give them a chance of victory."
Drivers
linked with the team included Johnny Herbert, Darren Turner
and Darren Manning. However, Herbert is understood to have serious
reservations about the competitiveness of the car. Darren Manning
appears to be emerging as favourite for the drive.
Charity
Kart Event
Johnny
Herbert Fan Club, 15th August: This year's event will take
place on Sunday 24th November 2002 at The Raceway, Kings Cross,
London.
The
event will benefit The National Kidney Research Fund and entry
per team of 5 drivers will be £500. Entry fees, by cheque
made payable to "The National Kidney Research Fund"
should accompany the completed entry form (but will not be cashed
until the event date).
For
more information, please email
Roy Craig or telephone him on 01494 711788. See the entry
form also.
IMSA
"For the fans" award - vote for Johnny!
IMSA
website: Fans of the American Le Mans Series have their
annual opportunity to select the recipient of one of the most
coveted and meaningful awards in the series: the American Le
Mans Series "From the Fans" Award.
The
award is presented each year at the series awards banquet to
an individual whom the fans feel has made the greatest contribution
to sport car racing during the past year. Voting is done through
the series website and the name of the winner remains a closely-guarded
secret until being revealed at the banquet.
Fans
can vote for whomever they choose. Voting will remain open until
10 p.m. (EST) on Saturday, October 13, the day of the season-finale
Audi presents Petit Le Mans event at Road Atlanta. Cast your
vote here.
Goodwood
Revival: more details
Audi
Sport UK, 9th August: Former Grand Prix drivers Johnny Herbert
and Emanuele Pirro take a break from racing their 220mph all-conquering
Audi R8 sportscars to turn back the clock at Goodwood’s Revival
Meeting next month (6-8 September).
Monaco-based
Herbert (38) and Pirro (40), who can boast almost 200 Formula
One GPs spanning 12 years between them, will each drive a DKW
“Sonderklasse” saloon car featuring an engine developing less
than one-sixth of the power their fearsome Audi sportscar delivers.
Walter Schluter won the 1954 European Touring Car Championship
driving a DKW.
Brentwood-born
Herbert, who also has a home in Oxfordshire, teams-up with Desmond
Smail, from Olney in Buckinghamshire, in a 1957 DKW that is
currently being imported by Audi UK from South Africa. Meanwhile
reigning American Le Mans Series champion Pirro, who made history
two months ago by claiming his third consecutive Le Mans 24
Hours triumph along with Frank Biela and Tom Kristensen, will
co-drive German Martin Hesse’s DKW.
Both
DKWs compete in the 20-lap St Mary’s Trophy saloon car race,
a two-driver 50-mile event. Herbert and Pirro must adapt to
driving a DKW with a mere three-cylinder, two-stroke 1,000cc
engine barely producing 70bhp. The Audi R8 features a 3.6-litre,
twin-turbocharged engine giving 610bhp. DKW, founded in 1907
by Dane Jorgen Skafte Rasmussen, amalgamated in 1932 with Audi,
Horch and Wanderer, to form Auto Union. In 1969, NSU joined
the “family” known today as Audi.
Johnny
will be at the Goodwood Revival
Goodwood,
1st August: Former Grand Prix star Johnny Herbert will make
his first appearance at this years Goodwood
Revival (6-8 September) driving a 1958 DKW in the St Mary’s
Trophy saloon car race. He will also drive a Ferrari 330LMB
in the RAC Tourist Trophy Celebration race. Herbert is a long-time
supporter of Goodwood, having driven at the Festival of Speed
in both Lotus and Ferrari.
Other
highlights for 2002 include Damon Hill driving a BRM in a special
tribute to his father Graham Hill who won so many races at Goodwood
in the circuit’s heyday of the late 50s and early 60s. Stirling
Moss will also share a Jaguar MkV11 with Rowan Atkinson in the
saloon car race.
[Thank
you to Helen Sanders for this news]
July
2002
Johnny
in the Rockingham CART frame
Reuters,
31st July: Johnny Herbert could be in the frame to take
on the top names in American motor racing at England's Rockingham
oval in September if plans for an all-British CART team get
off the ground.
"We
are talking about it, we'd love to have what could be almost
a 'Team Saint George' (in the race)," Rockingham chief executive
David Grace told Reuters.
Grace
said Ford-owned engine manufacturers Cosworth and chassis builders
Lola, both based in England, had been approached. Drivers had
been sounded out and tests at Rockingham could take place next
week.
Herbert,
a popular race winner who has been driving sportscars since
he retired from Formula One in 2000 and failed to secure a CART
drive, is likely to figure on any shortlist of English drivers.
"He's obviously one and that would be fine for us," said Grace.
"But there are a number of other names in the frame such as
Darren Manning or Darren Turner."
Grace
said he had discussed the idea with CART officials at the Vancouver
race in Canada last weekend and they were 'very keen to make
it happen'. But things had to move fast for the project to work.
"The
next week is critical," he said. "The chassis and cars are
available, it's not like trying to drag a Williams or a Ferrari
out of someone's garage. But getting the people together is
the issue.
"Pulling
it all together is quite complicated."
June
2002
Stefan
Johannson (not JJ Lehto) joins Champion
Autosport,
25th June: Former Ferrari and McLaren grand prix star Stefan
Johansson will replace JJ Lehto in Champion Audi's American
Le Mans Series attack to partner series leader Johnny Herbert,
starting from this weekend's Mid-Ohio race.
Johansson
is no stranger to the Champion Audi R8, having been part of
the crew which finished second at this year's ALMS season opener
at the 12 Hours of Sebring - ironically replacing Herbert, who
won the race in a works Joest-run car.
"I'm
very pleased and excited to be back in the saddle of the ADT/Champion
Audi, working with Dave Maraj and his excellent team," said
Johansson. "The Audi R8 is the best car out there, and I'm
really looking forward to more good results with the Champion
guys this season."
Champion
Vice President Don Skuta said:
"We
are very fortunate to have Stefan Johansson back with us in
the ADT/Champion Audi. He did a great job for us at Sebring,
and he has the motivation and the skill it will take to keep
Champion in the American Le Mans Series title hunt."
Although
Lehto had been previously nominated for the position left vacant
by the recent departure of Andy Wallace, the Finn's participation
had been blocked by Cadillac, with whom he is contracted to
contest Petit Le Mans.
JJ
Lehto to replace Andy Wallace at Champion
Autosport,
20th June: Former grand prix driver JJ Lehto will partner
Johnny Herbert in the Champion Racing Audi R8 for the remainder
of the American Le Mans Series season. Lehto replaces Andy Wallace,
who co-drove with Herbert at the opening race of the year. The
Finn is an experienced sportscar racer and has driven 25 times
in the ALMS, taking 11 wins.
"We
feel that JJ would be very complimentary to Johnny Herbert
as he focuses on winning the drivers' championship this year,"
said Champion Racing's vice president, Don Skuta. "Andy Wallace
has a strong commitment to Bentley and he is dedicated to
their program."
Herbert currently leads the ALMS points standings by seven points
over Audi works driver Tom Kristensen, after the Brit claimed
a win and a second in the first two races. Lehto's first race
will be at Mid-Ohio on June 30.
Every
effort is made to ensure factual accuracy but no
responsibility is accepted for the information on these pages.
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