Hanninen and Kopecky set for ROC

Two of rallying's brightest stars are the latest drivers to confirm their participation in the Race Of Champions in Dusseldorf next month.

Finland's Juho Hanninen, who won the Intercontinental Rally Challenge in 2010 and the S-WRC title this year, will partner Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen for Team Nordic in the ROC Nations Cup on December 3.
Hanninen comes in as Sweden’s Mattias Ekstrom could not make the team event but he will still try to regain the Champion of Champions crown in Sunday's individual race.
"It's an honour to be competing at the Race Of Champions," said Hanninen. "Finland has an impressive ROC record dating all the way back to Juha Kankkunen who won the first event in 1988.
"I've taken three wins in each of the S-WRC and the IRC this year, but I’m the only Finn in the ROC line-up so far – so no pressure then!
"Hopefully Tom and I have a blend of racing and rally experience that will work well as we try to take the ROC Nations Cup back to our part of the world."
Czech driver Jan Kopecky is the other addition to the event and will team up with Russian Formula 1 star Vitaly Petrov for Team Slavic, the first ever ROC partnership from Eastern Europe.
Kopecky has an incredible IRC record, finishing as the runner-up for the last three years - including a total of six podiums and two victories for Skoda in 2011.
"It's been a strong 2011 for me and this chance to race against the world's best drivers is the perfect way to cap off the year," he said.
"I actually used to race touring cars before I switched to rallies so hopefully that can help me with the quick car changes."
The Race Of Champions is an annual end-of-season competition that brings together the world’s greatest drivers from a variety of motorsport disciplines – including F1, world rally, touring cars, Le Mans and the X-Games – and sees them battle head-to-head in identical machinery on a specially constructed parallel track.
On the day after the Nations Cup some of the drivers then compete in the individual Race Of Champions.
ROC vehicle list:
Audi R8 LMS, Skoda Fabia Super 2000, VW Scirocco Cup, KTM X-Bow, ROC car, RX-150, World Touring Racecar
Drivers confirmed:
Sebastian Vettel, 2010 and 2011 F1 world champion
Michael Schumacher, seven-times F1 champion
Jenson Button, 2009 F1 champion
David Coulthard, winner of 13 F1 grands prix
Andy Priaulx, three-times World Touring Car champion
Tom Kristensen, eight-times Le Mans 24-Hour race winner
Mattias Ekstrom, DTM star and triple ROC 'champion of champions'
Sebastien Ogier, winner of five WRC rallies in 2011
Juho Hanninen, 2011 S-WRC champion
Jan Kopecky, IRC runner-up 2009, 2010 & 2011
Romain Grosjean, 2011 GP2 Series champion
Travis Pastrana, four-times Rally America winner and X-Games legend
Martin Tomczyk, 2011 DTM champion
Vitaly Petrov, F1 driver for Lotus Renault GP
Timo Scheider, 2008 and 2009 DTM champion
Timo Glock, F1 driver for Marussia Virgin Racing
Brian Deegan, 13 X-games medals including Rally Cross gold in 2011

Mallya proud of Force India's season

Force India boss Vijay Mallya says 2011 has been the most complete season for his team in Formula 1 so far.

The Silverstone-based squad has managed to score points in 12 out of 18 races so far this season for a total of 57 points, and the team looks set to secure sixth place in the championship.
It would be Force India's best position yet in Formula 1, having finished in seventh place last year.
Mallya admits he has been very proud of what his team has achieved this season.
"I think 2011 has been our most complete season yet," said Mallya. "We've developed a car that has been strong in all areas and we've given some of the bigger teams a run for their money.
"I'm proud of what we have achieved, which is a testament to the dedication and commitment of all the team members.
"If we can secure sixth in the championship this weekend, it will be a key milestone in the history of this team because the competitiveness of the Formula One grid is as intense as I can remember."
He admitted, however, that he is not taking anything for granted ahead of the final race of the season in Brazil this weekend, despite Force India being 15 points ahead of Toro Rosso.
"Absolutely not," he said when asked if the team was celebrating already. "I still remember what happened last year when we missed out on sixth place by just one point. We certainly head to Brazil in a very strong position, but I've learned that you should never take anything for granted."

Vettel claims record-equalling pole

Double Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel dug deep to seize pole position at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and equal Nigel Mansell's 1992 record of 14 in a single season.

The 24-year-old German, who has already clinched his second title with Red Bull, saved his best for last after McLaren's Lewis Hamilton had been fastest in the first two phases of qualifying as well as final practice.
Hamilton will start the season's penultimate race alongside on the front row, with team mate and fellow Briton Jenson Button third.
Red Bull's Australian Mark Webber, seemingly no closer to a first win of the season, lines up fourth.
The pole was the 29th of Vettel's career and 17th in 18 races this year for Red Bull.
"I think it's going to be a long, fun race," said Vettel, who has won both of the two races held to date at the Yas Marina circuit, where last year he won from pole to become Formula One's youngest champion.
"They will be very quick in the race...it will be a long fight to the chequered flag," he added, grinning at the McLaren drivers sitting on either side in the post qualifying news conference. "I'm confident and ready.
"We expected if we got everything right to be closer, much closer than in practice," added the German, who hit the barriers on Friday.
"I felt there was more in the car and we just had to get to it. Overnight we tried to find where the problem was and this afternoon it was already much better."
Hamilton, who lapped just nine thousandths of a second faster than Button, appeared to have done enough for his second pole of a troubled season but Vettel pipped him right at the finish.
"I'm happy with today," said Hamilton. "And to not have any penalties is a blessing for me."
Ferrari's double champion Fernando Alonso and Brazilian team mate Felipe Massa shared the third row, with the latter well away from Hamilton after six collisions between the two this year.
The next rows also followed in pairs, with Mercedes' Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher seventh and eighth and ahead of Force India's Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta in ninth and 10th.
Struggling former champions Williams, with a meagre five points from 17 races representing their worst showing in F1, will fill the back row after Brazilian Rubens Barrichello failed to get a lap in.
"We had a brand new engine this morning and it was looking good. We went out and had difficulties after two laps (in practice). We tried to review the situation but before qualifying the team told me there was no way we could go out," said Barrichello.

Hamilton bullish on Abu Dhabi chances

Lewis Hamilton believes his McLaren team can head to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix confident about its chances of a victory, as it bids to topple Sebastian Vettel once again.

Although Vettel has won the last two times out, Hamilton thinks the long straights and low-speed corners of the Yas Marina circuit should play to the strengths of McLaren.
"I think we've got every reason to be confident for Abu Dhabi," he said. "This circuit should really suit the characteristics of our car - we should be able to capitalise on the layout to maximise the benefit of DRS and KERS, both of which are very strong on our car.
"Red Bull and Sebastian [Vettel] may have clinched both championships, but I'm still determined to end the season on a winning high. I've won two grands prix this year, and I'd love to double that by the end of the year! It would also be a great reward for everybody at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes."
Team-mate Jenson Button is the last man to have beaten Vettel, having triumphed in last month's Japanese GP, and he is equally upbeat about the potential.
"Our car should suit this circuit so I'm very optimistic," he explained. "We saw at the last grand prix that even though we didn't have the ultimate speed to catch and pass Sebastian, we made him work hard for the win.
"Tactically, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes ran a first-class race: I got all the right calls from the pit wall and the pit crew did a fantastic job. The championship may not be at stake any more but we're still aiming to win races and put on a tremendous show."
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh says the outfit is still pushing on with developments for its car, with new parts likely to be carried over on to its 2012 challenger.
"Even though we've secured second place in the Constructors' Championship, and Jenson has a very healthy margin in second place in the drivers' championship, the season isn't over for us by any means," Whitmarsh said.
"We're continuing to bring new developments to our car and we'll be fighting every bit as hard as we did at the first race in Australia back in March."

Virgin to run Wickens in practice

Formula Renault 3.5 champion Robert Wickens will drive for Virgin Racing in Friday morning practice at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix next weekend.

Wickens has been the team's reserve driver and is backed by its title sponsor Marussia. He narrowly beat Carlin team-mate and Toro Rosso third driver Jean-Eric Vergne to the FR3.5 title after a season-long battle, and made his debut for Virgin in an aero test at Vairano recently.
"I'm thrilled to be given the opportunity to test with the team in a race weekend context and at a track like Abu Dhabi," said Wickens. "This year just keeps getting better and better and I can't thank Marussia enough for their continued support.
"The Vairano test was a good grounding for me but the opportunity to kick things up a gear in a free practice session is obviously the next big step in my career and I hope my feedback will have a positive benefit on the team's performance there."
Jerome D'Ambrosio will stand aside for the session in favour of Wickens.
Team boss John Booth said Wickens' practice run underlined Virgin's commitment to nurturing young drivers.
"Robert has had a fantastic season in Formula Renault 3.5 and was the deserving victor of a hard-fought championship," said Booth.
"One of the founding principles of our young driver programme was that we would reward success with important seat time to aid the progression of our rising stars through the ranks.
"Abu Dhabi is a track at which Jerome has good experience as he ran there in the same Friday morning practice session a year ago and then in the young driver test the following week. The Yas Marina circuit therefore presents a better opportunity to provide this reward to Robert as there will be less impact on our engineering programme."
Wickens is also set to run for Renault in the young driver tests as his prize for claiming the FR3.5 title.

Tilke: Austin construction on track

Formula 1 track designer Hermann Tilke says that construction work at the new Circuit of the Americas track in Texas is on schedule and dismissed any suggestion that building work was running late.

Speculation about the United States Grand Prix venue surfaced in India last weekend when sources revealed that F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone had told teams there were some questions marks about it hosting the race in 2012.
Although Ecclestone later revealed that his fears were based more on issues inside the promotional company than on the track being ready in time, that did not stop questions about the building progress.
However, in the same week that the Austin venue got the go-ahead from local bodies to being construction work on the five major buildings - including the main grandstands and pit buildings - Tilke has also made it clear he is happy with progress.
"We are working on it," he told AUTOSPORT. "There are a couple of hundred workers on the site, a lot of machines, and everything is on schedule up to now."
Tilke is excited about the potential of the layout of the Austin track, which he believes will benefit from the kind of gradients that made the new Buddh track in India such a hit last weekend.
"In Austin we have had the advantage that we have some natural elevation and some hills which we could use," he explained. "It is going to be very fast."
As well as working on the new Austin track, which is due to hold its inaugural grand prix next November, Tilke is also helping out with the New Jersey GP venue that will be added to the schedule in 2013.
Although he is limited in design scope there, because it is in a city, he believes the track will be good for F1.
"It is a pure road track, a street circuit," he said. "We will have to take what is there, but it will be really fantastic."

Red Bull committed to F1

Red Bull remains totally committed to a long-term future in Formula, 1 and would not contemplate walking away from the sport even when its current dominance comes to an end.

That is the claim of Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner, who has scotched suggestions that its parent energy drink company may choose to take its marketing budget elsewhere if it felt F1 was no longer delivering value for money.
F1 has a long history of manufacturers investing heavily in the sport to achieve success and then suddenly walking away when results are harder to get, or it no longer feels its funding is justified.
Horner though sees no circumstances under which Red Bull would turn its back on the sport - and cites its lengthy spell in F1 as proof of its devotion to grand prix racing.
"I don't think so," he said when asked about the possibility of Red Bull quitting F1 now it has achieved success. "I think Red Bull is committed to F1.
"Dietrich [Mateschitz] is passionate about the sport and, as a sponsor and a shareholder in another team, Sauber, Red Bull has been around F1 for over 15 years now.
"Our target is to build on the success into the future, and where you look in the standings, where Red Bull already sits, it is already quite an achievement. We are ahead of some illustrious names in a very short space of time."
Horner believes that the global scale of F1 provides the perfect platform for Red Bull's marketing strategy – and could probably only be beaten by the Olympic Games.
"The global audience that F1 represents is a huge platform for Red Bull to market its product," he said. "It is impossible to correlate can sales with F1 visibility but, when you look at the amount of coverage that Red Bull and Red Bull partners have enjoyed, not just this year but the last three to four years, it is absolutely incredible.
"For sure, from a brand awareness point of view, F1 is probably only second only to the Olympic Games, which is every four years."
Horner also sees no reason why Red Bull Racing cannot continue to improve on its current form – especially judging by the steps forward it is continuing to make.
"I think stability has been important. The team is still a young team and I think this year, the team has been stronger in all areas than any previous seasons.
"Operationally we have been very strong. Strategically we have been very strong. Our development rate has been very good, we have had a very quick car, our design team reliability has been fantastic and I think that it is a combination of all those factors coming together from lessons learned over previous years that we have applied very well this year,
"Sometimes when we haven't had the quickest car on a Sunday we have still managed to win with it, and that demonstrates the strength of a team that is in total harmony and working in unison. That is the level that we have achieved this year, and will be looking to build on in the future."

Formula 1 chiefs approve name changes

Formula 1 chiefs have approved the name change requests that were put forward at today's F1 Commission meeting in Geneva - bringing an end to the long-running row over the Lotus moniker.

Following a lengthy meeting in Geneva on Thursday, sources confirmed that Team Lotus, Renault and Virgin Racing all received the necessary support to be allowed to change their titles for the start of next season.

It means from 2012, Team Lotus will become known as Caterham, Renault will switch to Lotus and Virgin Racing will switch to Marussia.

The changes still need to go through the FIA's World Motor Sport Council before becoming official, but this is believed to be a formality - especially because FIA president Jean Todt is a member of the F1 Commission.

There is not expected to be any public statements about the matter from any of the teams involved until after the WMSC meeting - which takes place on 7 December.

The decision to approve the name changes means that confusion over the Lotus name in F1 will be brought to an end, following a long-running dispute between Team Lotus and the road car company Group Lotus.

In a bid to clean up the matter after lengthy court proceedings, an agreement was reached which means that the Enstone-based Renault team will now be the only outfit running the Lotus name.

Team Lotus will make full use of the Caterham brand, less than one year after the outfit's owner Tony Fernandes bought the sportscar manufacturer.

Russia announces £125m to build F1 circuit

The Russian government plans to spend nearly £125 million building a motor racing circuit in Sochi to host the country's first Formula One grand prix in 2014, a senior government official has confirmed.

"The federal government has allocated 5.846 billion roubles (£122) for this project," Alaxander Ivanov, deputy governor of the Krasnodar region, told reporters. He said the construction of the track itself will cost about £125m.
The rest of the money will come from sponsorship and private investors, officials said.
Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone signed a seven-year deal with the regional governor last year to stage a Russian Grand Prix in the Black Sea resort from 2014 until 2020.
Sochi is also hosting the 2014 Winter Games and the opening race could be put back a year if it hinders preparations for the Olympics.
However, with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin backing the Formula One project, Russian officials have been optimistic that all the infrastructure would be built on time.

F1 set to race in New Jersey

Formula 1 is set to have two grands prix in the United States from 2013, with plans for a race around the streets of New Jersey expected to be confirmed as early as next week.

Although F1 is returning to the US for the first time next year with an event in Austin, Texas, Bernie Ecclestone has made no secret of the fact that he would like another event in the country - with his preferred location being New York.
Ecclestone told AUTOSPORT last year: "It's happening. We are talking to them and trying to do our best. Let's see what happens."
High level sources have revealed that the plans have now reached fruition, and an announcement is expected to be made by New Jersey governor Chris Christie and other local politicians next week.
It is understood that the New Jersey GP will take place in June 2013, so it can be a back-to-back race with Canada, which will then leave the Austin event to keep its place at the tail end of the schedule to tie up with the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Last year, the Mayors of Weehawken and West New York revealed that they were in the preliminary stages of talks with a group of investors, led by former YES TV Network executive Leo Hindery Jr, to hold a grand prix in the area from as early as 2013.
It is not confirmed where the track will be, but it is likely to run along the banks of the Hudson River - using the waterfront and the iconic Manhattan skyline as a backdrop.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday that a press conference has been scheduled at Port Imperial in Weehawken for next Tuesday, where an announcement could be made.