French Grand Prix in Le Castellet for Next 5 Years? 02/05/96 Motorsports News International has reported that the French Motorsports Federation chose Le Castellet in southern France as site for the French Formula One Grand Prix. The choice will have to be approved by the FIA, but if approved, Le Castellet will host the Grand Prix in 1997 and for the following five years. Other possible choices were Mangy-Cours and Le Mans. Le Castellet received 75% of the FFSA Board members' votes. Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel ##--##--##news00091 Mika Hakkinen Behind the Wheel Again 02/05/96 Atlas Team F1 reported that Mika Hakkinen drove for the first time since he emerged from his coma 87 days ago. He clocked a lap in 1:08.8 at Le Castellet. This is the first time he's been on the track since his crash at the Adelaide Grand Prix. There are reports that his eye-sight has not completely recovered. Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel ##--##--##news00092 Michael Schumacher in Le Castellet 02/05/96 Atlas Team F1 reported that Michael Schumacher drove 80 out of 81 planned laps at Castellet on Sunday. He was forced of the track when his engine lost power. His best lap time was 1:07.60. Barrichello clocked a lap time of 1:08.80, while Panis drove 100 laps and clocked a best time of 1:08.94. Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel ##--##--##news00093 Formula One Test Times Reported 02/05/96 Atlas Team F1 reported test times for Formula One racers. Here are the highlights for recent dates: Le Castellet, France P Monday, February 5 1996 Mika Hakkinen 1:08.8 P Sunday, February 4 1996 Michael Schumacher 1:07.60 Rubens Barrichello 1:08.80 Olivier Panis 1:08.94 Pedro Diniz 1:09.80 P Saturday, February 3 1996 Rubens Barrichello 1:07.95 Michael Schumacher 1:09.29 Olivier Panis 1:09.29 Pedro Diniz 1:11.60 P Friday, February 2 1996 Rubens Barrichello 1:20.50 Eddie Irvine 1:20.84 Olivier Panis 1:21.50 Pedro Diniz 1:27.90 P Estoril, Portugal (1995 Pole: David Coulthard 1:20.537) 2.709 Miles P Saturday, February 3 1996 H.H. Frentzen 1:23.92 Jacques Villeneuve 1:25.39 Johnny Herbert 1:27.16 Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel ##--##--##news00094 Wayne Taylor, Scott Sharp, and Jim Pace Win 24 Hour in Daytona 02/05/96 ESPNET reported on the victory of an American team at Saturday and Sunday's IMSA sanctioned Rolex 24 at the Daytona International Speedway. Wayne Taylor, Scott Sharp and Jim Pace drove their Oldsmobile R&S Mark III to victory, winning the closest race to the finish in the Daytona race's history. Overall winners Taylor, Sharp and Pace prevailed in a last ditch rush for the finish-line winning by a minute and five seconds--the margin of victory was 21 seconds closer than the previous record for closest race which was set in 1989.Sunday's finish marked the third time in the race's history that first and second place finishers were on the same lap. Taylor was challenged in the final 9 minutes of the 24 hour race by Max Papis in a Ferrari. Papis and the rest of the MOMO/Yokohama Team (Moretti, Wollek, and Theys) started the race in pole position but placed second in the World Sports Car class; Jim Downing, Butch Hamlet, Tim McAdam and Barry Waddell drove their Mazda to place third in the WSC. The GTS-1 class was won by Irv Hoerr (defending champion), Darin Brassfield and Rob Morgan, driving an Oldsmobile Aurora. Second place in the class went to Peru's Eduardo and Juan Dibos who drove a Ford Mustang; Almo Coppelli and Rocky Agusta of Milan, Italy placed 3rd in a Chevrolet Callaway Corvette. Lilian Bryner, Enzo Calderari, Ferdinand de Lesseps, and Ulrich Richter (3 time Daytona title winner) won the GTS-2 class in their Porsche 911. They finished third overall, tying the record time for any GTS-2 car in the event's history. Raimist and Doolin, also driving a Porsche 911, placed second in GTS-2; David Donohue, John Paul Junior, Javier Quiros and Bill Adams took third in their BMW M3. news00096.htmlCheck out a Summary of top 10 finishers in all categories. Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel ##--##--##news00095 Summary of Top 10 Finishers in Rolex 24 at Daytona 02/05/96 ESPNNET summarized the top ten finishers in the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway. The race was run over the past weekend. Here are the results: The top 10 finishers: No. 4, WSC, Danka/Konica/Oldsmobile R&S MK-III Wayne Taylor, Altamonte Springs, FL Scott Sharp, Norwalk, CT Jim Pace, Jackson, MS Total laps: 697 No. 30, WSC, MOMO/Yokohama/Ferrari 333SP Gianpiero Moretti, Milan, Italy Bob Wollek, Strasbourg, France Didier Theys, Brussels, Belgium Bill Auberlen, Redondo Beach, CA Total laps: 697 No. 63, WSC, Mazda Kudzu DLM Jim Downing, Atlanta, GA Butch Hamlet, Martinsville, VA Tim McAdam, Vail, CO Barry Waddell, Evansville, IN Total laps: 649 No. 55, GTS-2, Porsche 911 Lilian Bryner, Montagnola, Switzerland Enzo Calderari, Biel, Switzerland Ulrich Richter, Essen, Germany Total laps: 649 No. 43, WSC, Payne Racing/Oldsmobile R&S MK-III Lee Payne, Stilwell, KS Ross Bentley, British Columbia, Canada Franck Freon, Philadelphia, PA Don Kitch, Seattle, WA Total laps: 645 No. 78, GTS-2, Porsche 911 Richard Raimist, La Jolla, CA Mike Doolin, Sandy, UT Cort Wagner, Los Angeles, CA Steve Dente, San Diego, CA Total laps: 641 No. 5, GTS-1, Oldsmobile Aurora Irv Hoerr, Peoria, IL Darin Brassfield, Monte Sereno, CA Rob Morgan, Conway, AR Joe Pezza, Locust Valley, NY Jon Gooding, Longwood, FL Charles Morgan, Conway, AR Total laps: 641 No. 6, GTS-1, Yokohama/Ford Mustang Eduardo Dibos, Lima, Peru Raul Orlandini, Lima, Peru Jorge Koechlin, Huacho, Peru Juan Dibos, Lima, Peru Boris Said, Carlsbad, CA Total laps: 639 No. 06, GTS-2, BMW M3 David Donohue, Malvern, PA John Paul, Jr., West Palm Beach, FL Javier Quiros, San Jose, Costa Rica Bill Adams, Richmond, VA Total laps: 638 No. 41, GTS-2, Porsche 911 Franco La Rosa, Belgium Kurt Thiers, Belgium Michel Neugarten, Belgium Kurt Dujardin, Belgium Total laps: 608 Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel ##--##--##news00096 Mike Cooke Dies in NASCAR Wreck 02/05/96 ESPNET reported the death of stock car driver Mike Cooke after a crash on Saturday. The accident occurred at qualifications for the Copper World Classic, a NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour event at Phoenix International Raceway. The 49 year old driver from Gilbert, Arizona was waiting for a green flag to begin his qualifying run when his car spun and hit the fourth turn's outer concrete wall. Paramedics extracted Cooke from his car and he was flown to a hospital where he died Saturday night. Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel ##--##--##news00097 Johnson, Hofmann, and Yates All Winners at NHRA Winternationals 02/05/96 ESPNET reported victories for Blaine Johnson, Al Hofmann and Jim Yates in different dragracing events at Sunday's NHRA Chief Auto Parts Winternationals at the Pomona Raceway in California. Johnson won the Top Fuel category, beating Connie Kalitta in the final heat. The win marked Johnson's second consecutive win at Pomona; he averaged 299.70 mph for a time of 4.736 seconds on the 1/4 mile. Kalitta averaged 297.32 mph and finished in 4.821. Hofmann beat John Force in the final heat of the Funny Car race. The race marked Hofmann's second consecutive Pomona win; he averaged 302.72 mph for a final time of 5.054. Force suffered mechanical difficulties, averaging 228.94 mph and finishing in 5.401. Yates beat Billy Huff in Pro Stock; he averaged 195.48 mph and finished in 7.041. Huff averaged 194.88mph and finished in 7.147. news00099.htmlCheck out the point standings for the 1996 NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series season Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel ##--##--##news00098 Official Point Standings for 1996 NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series 02/05/96 The NHRA published the point standings for drivers in the 1996 NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series Season. These tables come from an NHRA press release: Top Fuel 
1.   Blaine Johnson           118
2.   Connie Kalitta            91
3.   Tommy Johnson, Jr.        72
4.   Larry Dixon               71
5.   Joe Amato                 57
6.   Scott Kalitta             54
     Cory McClenathan          54
8.   Mike Dunn                 53
9.   Kenny Bernstein           36
10.  Eddie Hill                35
Funny Car 
1.   Al Hofmann               116
2.   John Force                94
3.   Cruz Pedregon             78
4.   Gary Clapshaw             72
5.   Whit Bazemore             55
6.   Dale Pulde                52
     Del Worsham               52
8.   Richard Hartman           51
9.   Tony Pedregon             37
10.  Wyatt Radke               34
Pro Stock 
1.   Jim Yates                114
2.   Billy Huff                94
3.   Warren Johnson            78
4.   Chuck Harris              73
5.   Steve Schmidt             57
6.   Kurt Johnson              55
7.   Ray Franks                53
8.   Bill Glidden              51
9.   Tom Martino               36
10.  George Marnell            32
Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel ##--##--##news00099 GM Launches Website 02/06/96 The Associated Press reported that GM has launched it's official WWW page. GM says their site will become one of the largest integrated Internet projects with more than 16,000 pages and 98,000 links. The site is located at www.gm.com. Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel ##--##--##news00100 Fords January Sales Down 02/06/96 Reuters reported that January sales are down 3.4% at Ford Motor Co., ranking it last for January sales among the Big Three. Ford sold 269,579 cars and light trucks during the month, as compared to 268,424 in January of 1995 period. Total sales may be up, but the daily average sales rate fell because January had an extra selling day this year. Passenger car sales are down 8.8%. Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel ##--##--##news00101 Sales of Imports in Japan Rise 02/05/96 The associated press reported that sales of import vehicles in Japan rose 17.6% in January as compared to January 1995. The Japan Automobile Importers Association announced that 23,235 units were imported during January 1996. Sales of U.S. made passenger cars was up 38.4% to 8,207 units. Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel ##--##--##news00102 Suzuki to Make Motorcycles in Vietnam 02/05/96 Nikkei net reported that the Vietnamese government has granted Suzuki Motor Corp. permission to manufacture motorcycles in Vietnam. Vietnam Suzuki Corp. will start production in May, and is expected to produce 12,000 100-125cc motorcycles in its first year and 60,000 of them by the year 2000. Vietnam Suzuki is a joint venture of Suzuki, Nissho Iwai, and a firm local to Vietnam that is affiliated with the Vietnamese government. The firm will also produce 1000cc commercial vehicles. Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel ##--##--##news00103 WSC in Rolex 24 at Daytona: Record Finish for Doyle Racing 02/05/96 Motorsports News International reported that Doyle Racing's wining team of Wayne Taylor, Scott Sharp, and Jim Pace set a record at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, where they finished with the slimmest margin of victory in race history. The Doyle Team drove their Oldsmobile R&S Mk III 697 laps in the 24 hour race, averaging 103.324 mph; they came in only 64.099 seconds ahead of the MOMO Corse Ferrari 333 SP. The Doyle Racing Team victory marked the first time in three years of official competition that a World SportsCar had scored an overall victory in the Rolex 24. MOMO's Max Papis, the challenger to Doyle Team's lead in the final minutes of the race, established the race lap record in his Ferrari just six laps before the race ended. The contest between The Doyle and MOMO teams started even before the race, when MOMO driver Didier Theys turned a lap that qualified MOMO for the pole position (1:41.224 for average speed of 126.610). Taylor qualified the Doyle team for second position in the front row at just .3 seconds behind. The teams swapped leads several times during the 24 hours, with Doyle leading for final four hours and five minutes. The Rolex 24 was the inaugural event for Speedweeks 96 and it opened the season for the International Motor Sports Association's (IMSA) Exxon World SportsCar and Supreme GT Series. Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel ##--##--##news00104 World of Outlaws Increases Point Purse to $324,000 Plus 02/05/96 Motorsports News International reported that the World of Outlaws has added two sponsors (Carbone Industrie and AutoMeter Competition Instruments) and will consequently increase their points fund to more than $324,000. The larger purse size amounts to a 12.2% increase over the $285,000 awarded at the WoO award banquet after the 1995 season. Teams ranking top 12 in the season end points standings will get money from major sponsors like U.S. Tobacco, Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Vivarin and EcoWater Systems. Contingency sponsors are Brodix Heads, Maxim Chassis, MSD Ignitions, Shaver Specialties, Crane Cams, ProShocks, Weld Wheels and J&J Auto Racing. The WoO champion team will get $100,000, second place gets $50,000. Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel ##--##--##news00105 Hakkinen Back in F1! 02/05/96 Motorsports International reported that Mika Hakkinen, the Finnish Formula One driver who fractured his skull trying to qualify for last year's final Grand Prix in Adelaide, had a good day behind the wheel of his revised McLaren Mercedes MP4/10 at Le Castellet in France. His three month (87 day) break from driving seems to have left him in good condition. Hakkinen finished his first run at 1:08.8, only slightly slower than Barichello's run of the previous day in a Jordan-Peugeot. Hakkinen's second run was faster at 1:07.1, 1.2 seconds faster than Heinz-Harald Frentzen's best time of 1:08.3 in a Sauber-Ford. Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel ##--##--##news00106 Taki Inoue to Race with Minardi 02/05/96 Atlas Team F1 reported that Japanese driver Taki Inoue has signed with Minardi for the 1996 Formula One season. In 1995 Inoue drove for the Arrows Team. Inoue will debut with Minardi on February 14 at Estoril in Portugal. Minardi's leading driver is Pedro Lamy. Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel ##--##--##news00107