SELECTED
MOTORING NEWS HEADLINES
January 4th to
September 30th 2006
See www.topsclub.co.uk for
updates since then
30
Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Al Maktoum is selling his controlling share in A1
GP and there is no round scheduled for Dubai in 2007
30
Alonso, Schumacher R and Webber have replaced Coultard, Schmacher M and Trulli
on the board of the GPDA
27
Nurburgring will host the German GP next year, leaving Hockenheim without a GP
in 2007
25
Donington Park race circuit has been acquired by an American consortium
20
Ford has bought the rights to the Rover marque for c £6 million
16
Ford now says Jaguar is not for sale
16
The former BBC motor racing commentator
Raymond Baxter has died at the age of 84
15
FOA profit rose 11% to £166m last year and increased sales by 12% to
£417m. New owners, CVC Capital are
hoping for a return of 20% in due course
15 Fiat is spending $800m to buy back 29% of Ferrari, giving them 83% ownership of the business
11
Midland F1 (Alex Schnaider) confirmed sale of F1 Racing to Spyker Cars, a
Dutch-Arab consortium
11
Michael Schmacher confirmed he will retire at the end of 2006 and will be
replaced by Kimi Raikkonen
11
Aintree expect to have the Tatts corner reinstated on the motor race track
5
The Ford Motor Company is to sell Aston Martin
3
Adrian Newey had another accident at Goodwood but has been released from
hospital
August
26
CVC is expecting £260m from its investment in FOM administration which it
bought earlier in the year from the 3 German banks
24
The BRDC are seeking a new Secretary to replace Roger Lane Nott
24
JCB Chairman Anthony
Bamford has
expressed interest in purchasing
Jaguar if Ford was prepared to split the loss-making carmaker from Land Rover
24
JCB has set a new diesel land speed record with a first run average speed of
365.779 mph and returned at 335.695 mph
23
It is expected that Midland F1 will be sold very soon to a Dutch consortium
23
DaimlerChrysler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, continues to consider the
purchase of the McLaren company. They
already own 40% of the team
23
Toyota has left the Grand Prix Manufacturers' Association, leaving BMW, Mercedes-Benz
and Honda as the only serious members
23 There are
reports that the Ford Motor Company is trying to sell Jaguar and Land Rover as
a package
23
Porsche is setting up a new wholly-owned import, sales and service subsidiary
in Switzerland
21 Gunnar Elmgren, Martin Grant Peterkin and
John Quenby are all due to leave their roles as our representatives with the
MSA FIA Historic Motor sport Commission. Carol Spagg of
Historic Motor racing News would make an excellent replacement with your interest
at heart. To try to persuade her contact@historicmotorracingnews.com
July
24
Fiat Auto and Crédit Agricole have agreed to form a 50/50 joint venture with
Fiat Auto Financial Services carrying
out the main financing activities related to Fiat Auto in Europe
24
Group Lotus is in discussions with other car manufacturers about the
possibility of producing Lotus-branded versions of their cars
24 SAGIS, the company that rents the Autodromo Enzo & Dino Ferrari from the Imola municipality is offered for sale. There are 3 bidders.
19 Chimay circuit has been closed
by the RACB Belgian authorities on the grounds of safety
June
11 Fiat and Mediobanca have agreed to postpone
the expiry date on the put option which would have the Italian bank sell its
stake in Ferrari to Fiat
8 Fiat is expected to buy back the Ferrari shares
it sold to Mediobanca except for 5% of the Ferrari shares which they sold to
Mubadala Development in Abu Dhabi
3 Villeneuve will drive his F1 BMW in Hyde Park
on June 13
3 Despite petition by local residents Sefton
council has agreed that Aintree horse race course can have a new grandstand on
Tatt’s corner thereby cancelling all use of the famous motor race circuit
May
26 Schumacher accused of cheating during practice
for the Monaco GP and made to start from back of grid
15 The GPMA have signed a Memorandum of
Understanding providing a basis for a new Concorde Agreement – peace for a
while
April
29 The BRDC current Board of Directors survived a
vote of No Confidence
28 Nigel Mansell hopes to expand the facilities
at the Dunkeswell kart track near Honiton,
upgrading the circuit for karting and some racing. The locals are objecting
28 The
EGM and AGM of the BRDC takes place today
14 Harry Stiller has offered the BRDC members a
proposal for the development of Silverstone Circuit and grounds. This is in opposition to recommendations by
Sir Jackie Stewart and the Board who are thought to have been canvassing proxy
support, particularly from overseas member, prior to the AGM on 28 April where
it is anticipated that a vote of no confidence in the Board may be
proposed. Ecclestone has indicated to
Harry Stiller a willingness to help save Silverstone
4 Damon Hill has been nominated as the next
President of the BRDC, replacing Sir Jackie Stewart
March
31 CVC Capital Partners now owns all SLEC shares
and is expected to purchase Allsport Management which looks after F1 track
signage
30 Alex Hooton, CEO of the BRDC, will step down at the end of June
27 The threat to the Italian Grand Prix is over
but Monza will have to look at reducing sound levels at the circuit
27 Silverstone will show soccer on giant screens
the same day as F1 qualifying is going
on
27 The threat of a Formula
One breakaway has receded after five rebel teams submitted their entries for
the 2008 season
13 Paul Stoddart has
decided to suspend all scheduled flights of his OzJet Airlines due to financial
difficulties
13 Bernie Ecclestone has said he would be
interested in becoming a shareholder in Ferrari, after Mediobanca said this
week that it planned to sell its 15% stake in the team
3 The EU has extended its inquiry into the
acquisition of SLEC Holdings by CVC Capital Partners
1 Stephen Beattie has been jailed for three years
and seven months after admitting in court that he conned the British Racing
Drivers Club, which owns the UK's Silverstone racing circuit, using club
cheques made out in his name
February
28
Historic ERA racing driver Martin Morris has died
28
Jaguar is NOT for sale the vice president of Ford Europe told shareholders
23
At the BRDC EGM to discuss the Silverstone development, members won more time
for further discussion
18
Under the proposed Silverstone circuit redevelopment thee is talk of moving the
circuit east and loosing Club, Abbey and Bridge corners
18
Rumour that Michael Schumacher may start his own F1 team
3
The French Government has decreed that all obsolete army vehicles must be
scrapped by the end of the year. This
includes Classic and vintage tanks, jeeps etc.
January 2006
31
There is some discontent among the BRDC members over lack of information about
the St Modwen proposal and the ‘Heads of Agreement’
25
The BRDC has announced that their president Sir Jackie Stewart,
president of the Club since 2000, will not be seeking re-election at the annual
general meeting in the Spring
25 St Modwen Properties PLC (Birmingham) has won
the deal to develop Silverstone in partnership with the British Racing Drivers'
Club
25 Silverstone
circuit has announced plans to add 8,900 new grandstand seats for the June
British Grand Prix
25 It is thought that Red Bull Racing has hired
McLaren's head of aerodynamics Peter Prodromou
21
Belgian GP unlikely to take place due to lack of time to get the improvements
done
18
Daimler Chrysler has suspended 6 senior managers over allegations that the
company paid kickbacks for contracts under the UN’s oil-for-food programme in
Iraq
17
McLaren seems to have settled out of
court with legal firm Baker & McKenzie over the SLEC monies
16
The Cologne public prosecution service has confirmed that it is filing charges
against three former staff members of Toyota suspected of using technology stolen
from Ferrari
16
McLaren is taking its former lawyers to court this week over advice relating to
monies due from the sale of SLEC
16
Work has begun on the Circuit Monteblanco in Spain to include .87 miles of
street circuit track
11
Imola is to be given a $12.8 grant from the local government to fund necessary
upgrading work
9 In
order to preserve the Belgium GP, the "Bus Stop" chicane is expected
to be re-vamped – again - under a new deal between FOM and the Spa promoters
Wallonian regional government
5 Ferrari deny sponsorship from De Beers LV
4 The
Walloon government has signed a new contract with Formula One Management to
preserve the Belgian Grand Prix. There
are strong rumours that many F1 circuits are loosing so much money that if their
governments do not make up the shortfall there could be a serious problem.
Nürburgring and Hockenheim may alternate Grands Prix after Hockenheim declared
an operating loss of 1.5m euros in 2005
4
Korea has cancelled its plans to hold a Formula 1 race in the Chinhae area –
where, luckily, the track had not yet been built.
4 De Beers LV will probably be one of several companies to replace Vodafone as a Ferrari sponsor also probably Telecom Italia Alice broadband
4 Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the Prime Minister of
the United Arab Emirates and the Emir of Dubai has died. it is expected that
the new Emir will probably have a more open view to hosting a Grand Prix in
Dubai
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