* Marco Andretti To Test Honda F1 Second Time: IndyCar Series driver Marco Andretti will join the Honda Racing F1 Team for a second test in Jerez on Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 7-8. With Jenson Button and Christian Klien focused on developing the first of the RA107 chassis, the team will have completed all meaningful running with last year's RA106 car, which presents the ideal opportunity for a further test with Marco. In his debut F1 test with Honda last December, Marco impressed the team with his obvious potential and the Honda team will be interested to see how he performs during a more comprehensive two-day program in the RA106 in Jerez. Marco's test in December was awarded in recognition of his achievements in the Honda-powered IndyCar Series last year. Marco had an outstanding first season, winning one race, in addition to finishing second in the Indianapolis 500 and being named Rookie of the Year. Gil de Ferran, sporting director at the Honda F1 Team, said, "We were impressed with Marco during his first test with our team and he performed well in the short time he had in the car. Given the potential that he has demonstrated and the availability of last year's RA106, we saw Jerez as a great opportunity to put him back in the car. We look forward to seeing his progress with a more specific program." 

 

    * Indy Pace Car in Chicago Auto Show: The 2007 Indianapolis 500 Pace Car Corvette Convertible will be featured in Chevrolet's display at the 99th Chicago Auto Show, the largest auto show in North America, from Feb. 9-18 at McCormick Place in Chicago. The car also will be prominently featured in Chevy's media activities Feb. 7-8 before the show opens to the public. Chevrolet will produce 500 special-edition replicas of the Indianapolis 500 Corvette Convertible Pace Car for sale to the general public. The cars, manufactured in Bowling Green, Ky., will be available starting this spring. 

    * IRL IndyCar News, Notes:  Seventeen drivers recorded 1,697 laps for a total of 4,615.8 miles in two days of  testing last week for the IndyCar Series at Daytona. "You'd be a fool to stand here and say, ‘No, we don't want to race here,'" said Brian Barnhart, the IRL's president and chief operating officer. "Of course we do. It's Daytona. Just like NASCAR wanted to race at Indianapolis, there's a reason we would love to race here. We're definitely a long way from getting there and accomplishing everything we need to accomplish to put on a race here, but we've certainly taken the right steps." Questions about whether Indy cars could handle Daytona's 31-degree banking appear to have been answered by the fall and winter test sessions on the DIS road course, the first time open-wheel, Indy-style cars have been at speed at Daytona since a disastrous debut at the track in 1959. Barnhart said the final decision about a possible IRL race at Daytona lies with International Speedway Corp. and NASCAR, but the league is hopeful that it will be invited. "It's hard for me to speak on their behalf, but we've clearly proven we can run here safely and put on a good show," Barnhart said. "Our guys like the place, and we have a desire to be here. The ball is in their court, for sure." Helio Castroneves had the fastest lap Jan. 31 before rain began to fall with about two hours remaining in the session, but, in spite of stacks of rain tires in the pits, no cars used the time to test wet setups. The reaction among drivers was positive for Honda's new 3.5-liter engine and 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol. Drivers reported increased torque in low power bands, less gear ringing during heavy acceleration and a more responsive feel. "The engine is much stronger on the lower end," Castroneves said. "The fuel is something that's new for us, but so far it's been a big plus. We're headed in the right direction. We're going to be fun to watch this year." Before the rain, Castroneves recorded a lap of 1:12.3538 in the No. 3 Team Penske Dallara-Honda, making him fastest in both the morning and afternoon sessions. Tony Kanaan was second fastest, followed by Scott Dixon, Dan Wheldon and Marco Andretti. Castroneves' best lap was little more than a tenth behind Kanaan's best lap of the Jan. 30 session, 1:12.2393. The IRL will test again Feb. 20-22 at Homestead-Miami Speedway's road course and oval before its season opener March 24 on the Homestead oval. ... The 2007 Chevrolet Corvette convertible will serve as the Official Pace Car for the 91st Indianapolis 500, a record fourth consecutive turn at the front of the field of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing." It's the ninth time Corvette will pace the Indianapolis 500, a record for the event. The previous years were 1978, 1986, 1995, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2006. It's the 18th time a Chevrolet will lead the field, also an event record. The 91st Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for May 27 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with live coverage on ABC Sports and the IMS Radio Network. The Pace Car driver will be announced at a later date. ... Indianapolis Motor Speedway Chief Executive Officer Tony George was named as one of four co-chairs of the organization that is working to bring Super Bowl XLV to Indianapolis in 2011. George, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson were announced as co-chairs of Indianapolis 2011, Inc. "I am looking forward to participating in the effort to bring the Super Bowl to Indianapolis in 2011," George said. "We are up against stiff competition, but I will do whatever I can to help get the job done." If Super Bowl XLV was awarded to Indianapolis, the game would be played in Lucas Oil Stadium, the state-of-the-art future home of the Indianapolis Colts currently under construction in downtown Indianapolis and scheduled to open in fall 2008. An independent study by PricewaterhouseCoopers showed the Super Bowl could draw 98,000 visitors and have $262 million in economic impact on the area, Indianapolis city officials said. The 10 most-watched television programs in American history are Super Bowls, and last year's game was watched by 141 million viewers. Fred Glass, president of the Capital Improvement Board and a partner in the Indianapolis law firm Baker & Daniels, is president of Indianapolis 2011, Inc. Other members of the organization are Cathy Langham, president of Langham Transportation Services and chair of the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce; John Lechleiter, president and chief operating officer of Eli Lilly and Company; and Dr. Eugene White, superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools. ... Dreyer & Reinbold Racing made big news with the announcement of two popular drivers to compete for the team in the 2007 IRL IndyCar Series--Buddy Rice and Sarah Fisher.  Rice was unveiled as driver of the No. 15 Bitburger Dallara-Honda, with Fisher to pilot the No. 5 EurUp Energy Drink Dallara-Honda. Roll Coater and Racing for Kids will return as associate sponsors with the team. Rice returns to the series with a full-time ride despite a brief flirtation with rival Champ Car World Series following his release by Rahal-Letterman Racing, where he had raced the past three seasons. Rice won the 2004 Indianapolis 500, among his three IndyCar Series triumphs. For now, Fisher's deal is for the partial schedule as the team has not secured enough funding for the road course events--meaning Fisher will compete in the 12 oval events on the 17-race schedule, including the Indianapolis 500. Fisher's accomplishments include being voted the IndyCar most popular driver for three consecutive seasons, finishing second at Homestead-Miami in 2000, placing third at Kentucky Speedway the following season and winning the Kentucky pole in 2004. She led three of her 48 career IRL starts, posting seven top-10 finishes. Fisher competed in the Indianapolis 500 five times, with a best finish of 21st. ... IndyCar Series and Indy Pro Series drivers helped Racing For Kids raise more than $200,000 for children's hospitals and touched the lives of more than 2,000 children at 24 hospitals around the United States and Japan through its popular driver visit program in 2006. Racing For Kids is a non-profit organization that uses motor sports to focus public attention and funding on the healthcare needs of children. Hospital visits are made by former IndyCar Series driver and current team co-owner Robbie Buhl, the organization's national spokesman, along with drivers from the IndyCar Series, the Indy Pro Series, the Star Mazda Racing Series as well as the Toyota Grand Prix celebrity challenge drivers. Since its founding in 1989, Racing For Kids has raised nearly $5 million. ... Marco Andretti, 19, the 2006 IndyCar Series Bombardier Rookie of the Year, received the T. Wayne Robertson Newsmaker of the Year Award Jan. 27 at the annual Eastern Motorsports Press Association convention. "It's a great honor," said Andretti, who captured the attention of the racing world with a second-place finish at the Indianapolis 500 and later became the youngest driver to win a major open-wheel series race with a victory at Infineon Raceway. "T. Wayne had the same belief that my entire family does, and that was getting the sport out there and getting it done. My entire family got the award. I'm honored to be the third." 

    * IRL Indy Pro Series News, Notes: Andersen Racing has announced Joey Scarallo of Smithtown, N.Y., will drive an Andersen entry in the 2007 Indy Pro Series. Scarallo joins Andrew Prendeville of Morristown, N.J., as the drivers the Fairfield, N.J.-based team will use for the entire 16-race season. Having competed in Trans-Am cars since 2003, Scarallo's getting back to his open-wheel roots. ... Pennsylvania native Robbie Pecorari will drive Team KMA's Indy Pro Series entry in 2007, team principals Ingo Strackerjan and Jon Lewis announced. Pecorari passed his Indy Pro Series rookie test Jan. 24 at Homestead-Miami. Pecorari will drive the Cabo Wabo-sponsored Dallara throughout the series-record 16-race season that features races on oval, street and road courses. Cabo Wabo Tequila is owned by rocker Sammy Hagar, who recently became a co-owner of Team KMA's car. Pecorari finished second in the 2005 Star Mazda Championship, just 11 points shy of capturing the title after claiming two victories and seven podium finishes. In 2006, he dominated the Toronto Grand Prix in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship, leading every lap and taking the victory. Pecorari will mentor the team's three Formula BMW drivers--Mike Hill, Julia Landauer and Jeffrey Petriello, who will be sponsored by the Cabo Wabo Cantina. 






 

      * NHRA Drag Racing News, Notes:  With less than a week to go before the start of the 2007 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Season, Jeg Coughlin appears ready to challenge for his fourth NHRA World Championship. During the Feb. 2 pre-season test session at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Coughlin made the quickest pass of the day when he drove his Slammers Ultimate Milk/Jegs.com Chevy Cobalt to a 6.690-second run. Although unofficial, Coughlin's time is quicker than the existing Las Vegas track record. In addition to his pace-setting 6.69-second run, Coughlin also drove his colorful Cobalt to runs of 6.71 and 6.70 seconds. Coughlin's teammate, Dave Connolly, was also among the leaders with a third-best 6.71 in his Torco Cobalt. ... NHRA announced that ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will continue to air 16 one-hour shows with coverage from select NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series national events in 2007. The series will be showcased on a taped-delay basis as part of NHRA's exclusive relationship with ESPN. The Lucas series has a long-standing tradition of serving as a developmental arena for the future stars of the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Anchoring the telecasts will be long-time NHRA announcer David Rieff, who will be joined in the booth by popular NHRA announcer Bob Frey. In addition, the popular Sportsman Spotlight segment, which aired on NHRA 2Day last year, will continue in 2007 as part of a special feature on Inside Drag Racing, a weekly show catering to drag racing and hot rod enthusiasts, which debuts on The Outdoor Channel beginning Wednesday, April 4. ... On his sixth-ever run in a Top Fuel dragster, 20-time NHRA winner Whit Bazemore earned his NHRA Top Fuel license. He now is licensed to compete in both nitro categories, Top Fuel and Funny Car. Bazemore raced his Matco Tools Iron Eagle dragster to 4.544 seconds at 326.24 mph on his first attempt Jan. 28 at Firebird International Raceway to meet the requirements needed to earn his competition license for drag racing's premier category. Bazemore's license was signed by teammate Rod Fuller and veteran NHRA racer-turned ESPN analyst Mike Dunn.  Bazemore and Fuller were to continue to test at the Phoenix track through Jan. 31 as they gear up for the 2007 NHRA season-opening event Feb. 8-11 at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
 

    * Formula One News, Notes:  Oil-rich United Arab Emirates will host a Formula One race starting in 2009 in its capital Abu Dhabi. F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone announced the seven-year deal Jan. 3. "Abu Dhabi's hospitality, the genuine warmth of its people and ever increasing number of world-class facilities, will ensure that its round of the FIA Formula One World Championship is a wonderful addition to the Formula One calendar," Ecclestone said. He made his remarks at the inaugural Abu Dhabi Formula One Festival. The Abu Dhabi track, which is currently under construction, will be located on Yas Island on the east coast and near the city's airport. The 5.6-kilometer (3.48-mile) race track will feature three sections including high speed areas, a street section and a marina area, said Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Affairs Authority. ... McLaren rookie Lewis Hamilton displayed impressive form Feb. 2 in Valencia on the final day of Formula One testing at the Circuito Ricardo Tormo. It was Hamilton's return to driving after crashing heavily in one of the new MP4-22s a week earlier. The Briton completed 112 laps--same as his closest chaser, Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen-- to card a best time of 1:11.119, the fastest lap logged at the Spanish circuit. Raikkonen ended up over 0.7s behind with a best lap of 1:11.855. BMW-Sauber's Robert Kubica was third, over a second slower than Hamilton after completing 57 laps. Pedro de la Rosa in the second McLaren and Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella rounded out the top-five. ... With two new blue-chip sponsors, a new engine and a new driver, the newly-rebranded AT&T Williams team last week unveiled the FW29, its challenger for the 2007 Formula One season. The new car, to be raced by former tester Alex Wurz and the returning Nico Rosberg, 19, will have the responsibility of restoring the squad's credibility after a disastrous 2006 campaign that saw Williams, the third-winningest team in F1 history, finish eighth in the constructor's championship (beating only the efforts of Toro Rosso, Spyker and Super Aguri). Oddly, new title sponsor AT&T is featured rather discreetly in the livery of the Toyota-powered FW29 as the team also has secured a deal with Chinese computer giant Lenovo. "Without question, 2006 was not our finest year but I am delighted to see how the entire Williams workforce has pulled together and redoubled its efforts over the winter," team boss Frank Williams praised. "It is how you perform in adversity that really counts. We begin this year with a completely new brand identity courtesy of our new partners AT&T, four new or upgraded sponsors including Lenovo, a wealth of new engineering talent and, of course, what we hope to be the focus of all these efforts and ambitions, the FW29." India's Narain Karthikeyan will be the team's third driver, while Japanese Kazuki Nakajima will also perform testing duties. ... The sole remaining Schumacher in Formula One hinted at the good form of Toyota's new TF107 by pacing the Feb. 1 timesheets at Valencia's Circuito Ricardo Tormo with relative ease. Ralf's best lap of 1:11.297, recorded after 60 laps completed, was the quickest time posted last week in Valencia. It also was over 0.3s faster than Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella as the Italian logged a massive 121 laps to end up just 0.021 ahead of teammate Heikki Kovalainen. Double world champion Fernando Alonso, who topped the charts on the two previous days, was fourth in the new McLaren MP4-22, turning a best lap of 1:11.710. BMW-Sauber's Nick Heidfeld rounded out the top five, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari. The Finn's fastest lap was over a full second slower than Schumacher's best. Jenson Button replaced Rubens Barrichello but the new Honda RA107 again failed to shine as the Briton managed only the 10th time in the 15-car field in action. The new Red Bull RB3 also endured another lackluster day, with David Coulthard and Mark Webber posting only the 12th and 14th times, respectively. ... Spanish interest in F1 was given a further boost with the news GP2 driver Adrian Valles has been signed as a Spyker test driver. The 20-year-old had a brief run in one of the team's cars at Silverstone last September. He is expected to be formally confirmed as a full-time test driver at the team's 2007 launch on Feb. 5. Valles is regarded as one of the most promising Spaniards currently coming through the ranks in the slipstream of Fernando Alonso's success. ... The possible addition of Abu Dhabi to the Formula One calendar in the near future will mean two Middle Eastern events for the pinnacle of motor sport as Bahrain's Sakhir circuit confirmed a renewal of its contract with Formula One Management (FOM) to host a Grand Prix well into the next decade. The deal is believed to be a five-year extension of the current contract, which was set to expire after 2008. "It was a real pleasure to bring Formula One to the Kingdom of Bahrain, and I'm pleased to confirm that this relationship will continue into the future," F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone said. "Just three years ago F1--and motor sport in general--did not have any presence in the region." ... F1 teams will be forced to go public with their tire choice for races this year if a plan by the FIA is successful. Autosport magazine reports FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting is to put forward a proposal that should allow the public and the media to gain an insight into team strategy for races. He wants teams to publish their initial tire choice for a Grand Prix once the event is actually underway, which will clear up the type of rubber that different drivers are on. Drivers have to run both type of available tire compounds in the races this year in a move that could throw up varying strategies as teams opt for different periods of the race to run hard and soft rubber. However, spec supplier Bridgestone's proposal to adopt a red-painted sidewall for the soft tires to allow easy differentiation of which compound the drivers were using--as has successfully been employed in Champ Car racing--was not supported because teams did not want their strategies to be made public. The failure of the red-tire rule left the possibility of the public being left in the dark about tire strategy--wasting a great opportunity for the sport to bring itself closer to the public. Whiting looks set to react to that situation by demanding teams be forced to reveal their initial tire choice once the event is underway--as happens in MotoGP, when each rider's tire choice is published after the start. This brings a greater understanding of strategy for the fans without letting rival teams know of tire choices before the start of the event.





 

    * GP2 Series News, Notes:  Pastor Maldonado, runner-up in last year's World Series by Renault season, will drive for the Trident Racing team in the 2007 GP2 Series campaign. The 21-year-old Venezuelan, who enjoys backing from his country's state-owned PDVSA oil company, will team up with Japan's Kohei Hirate on the squad that won three races last year, two with Gianmaria Bruni and one with Andreas Zuber.  Venezuelan Maldonado also is expecting to add some Formula One testing to his schedule in 2007. ... Despite tinkering with the possibility of a stateside switch in the past couple of seasons, Italian Giorgio Pantano has signed up for a third consecutive campaign in the GP2 Series championship. The Italian will partner Russian Vitaly Petrov at the Campos Grand Prix team in 2007. Pantano won two races last year driving for FMS International--a sweep of his home doubleheader at Monza--en route to fifth in the points standings, while Petrov, 23, drove in the last four races of the 2006 season for the DPR team. ... Spaniard Borja Garcia will drive for the Durango team in the 2007 GP2 season. Garcia, 24, returns to the series he raced in back in 2005 (with Racing Engineering) after one year driving in the World Series by Renault with the RC Motorsport squad. Durango officials also said Garcia's teammate will be confirmed in the next few days.


 

    * Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series:  The live broadcast of the 2007 Grand-Am  presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve Rolex 24 At Daytona on SPEED Channel set ratings records for the network. According to Nielsen Media Research, overall household viewership rose 26 percent (.43 to .54) from year-over-year totals. Buoyed by FOX Sports lead-off broadcast, the Jan. 27, 2:30-6 p.m. ET coverage window became the most-watched singular Rolex 24 At Daytona telecast in SPEED history. The network also enjoyed a three-day average increase of 28 percent over last year as 458,000 viewers tuned into the telecast versus 359,000 in 2006. Numbers also increased significantly within key demographics as men 18-49 grew 72 percent and men 18-34 rose 19 percent. The broadcast also was the most-watched Rolex 24 At Daytona on SPEED in the seven-year history of the Grand-Am Rolex Series. ... Results from AP listed five drivers for the No. 12 RVO Motorsports Pontiac Riley of Rockford which finished 47th in the Rolex 24 At Daytona--Roger Schramm, Jack Baldwin, Bill Lester, Justin Bell, John Heinricy--while the Grand Am Web site listed four drivers--team owner Schramm, Baldwin, Lester, Bell. See the earlier item in the Jan. 28 World of Wheels. 

   * World of Outlaws Sprint Car News, Notes:  With one week remaining until the World of Outlaws season opener, the 36th annual DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Mopar Speedshop at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., many drivers and teams have been turning laps in the Sunshine State to shake down their equipment and get into a rhythm. One of those drivers is Randy Hannagan, who is gearing up for the nearly 90-race World of Outlaws schedule by competing at East Bay Raceway Park. The Pittsboro, Ind., driver bested a 46-car field that included many fellow WoO drivers on Jan. 31 at the 1/3-mile track. Hannagan started on the pole in the 25-lap preliminary feature, with veteran Danny Smith beside him, and that's how they finished. The 2007 WoO season opens Feb. 9.