Formula One Test Schedule--Estoril, Portugal 02/09/96 Motorsports News International reported the schedule for this month's Formula One tests in Estoril, Portugal. Here's the schedule from February first through the twenty-fifth: 
	Testing Dates		Team
	-----------------------------------------
        02/01-02/04		Sauber-Ford Zetec
        02/03-02/07		Williams-Renault
        02/06-02/10		Ferrari
        02/06-02/10		Tyrrell-Yamaha
        02/06-02/10		Benetton-Renault
        02/09-02/11		McLaren-Mercedes
        02/12-02/23		Williams-Renault
        02/14-02/16		Minardi-Ford ED
        02/14-02/22		Benetton-Renault
        02/17-02/23		Arrows-Hart
        02/19-02/22		Ligier-Mugen Honda
        02/20-02/23		Jordan-Peugeot
        02/21-02/25		Ferrari
Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel ##--##--##news00117 Benetton Takes Over Taormina to Launch Renault Powered B196 02/09/96 Benetton became the first of the "big four" Formula One teams to roll out a new car. Motorsports News International and Reuters both reported the spectacular unveiling. Benetton drivers Jean Alessi and Gerhard Berger drove B195s through the streets of the Sicilian town of Taormina to the 2,000 year old Teatro Greco where the new B196 was unveiled. The B196 is powered by a Renault V10 engine, and sports a revised cockpit which meets 1996 season safety regulations. It features a seven-speed longitudinal gearbox, revised suspension and new rear-end aerodynamics. The Benetton Team's managing director Flavio Briatore asserted the team's determination to win the world championship this year, after losing driver Michael Schumacher to the Ferrari F1 team. International F3000 Champion Vicenzo Sospiri will be Benetton's test and reserve driver this year, and a Benetton F3 team will run in the German series with Jarno Trulli as lead driver. Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel ##--##--##news00118 Toyota Will Sell Cars in Korea Starting in April 02/09/96 NikkeiNet reported that Toyota Motor Corporation will start selling the U.S. made Avalon in South Korea, beginning in April. Establishing a sales base in South Korea will allow the Japanese carmaker to test that market before it sets up an import subsidiary, which is scheduled to be established in 1998. Toyota has signed a sales contract with one dealer in Seoul and expects to also make deals with other retailers in other cities. Japanese carmakers meet obstacles in Korea such as regulations that ban the import of most cars made in Japan and South Korean reluctance to buy imports. Only 7 out of every 1,000 cars sold annually in South Korea are imported. The South Korean import market is expected to grow to 20-10,00 vehicles annually, and Toyota is angling for a piece of that action. Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel ##--##--##news00119 Toyota to Put Imported Engines in Domestic Japanese Cars 02/09/96 NikkeiNet reported that Toyota Motor Corporation will start putting Indonesian engines in cars they sell commercially in Japan. They hope to lower costs by using internationally produced parts. The move will mark the first time a Japanese carmaker will use an Asian built import engine in their domestic market. The engines will come from one of Toyota's joint ventures in Indonesia, PT Toyota-Astra Motor. PT Toyota-Astra Motor currently builds 5,000 engines a month for a locally produced Kijang sport utility vehicle. Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel ##--##--##news00120 New IMSA Series to Debut at 12 Hours of Sebring 02/09/96 The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) announced that a news series will join the ranks of Exxon World SportsCar and Exxon Supreme GT Series racers beginning with this month's 44th annual Exxon Superflo 12 Hours of Sebring. The New Slick 50 Pro Series will be an eight-race championship open to cars that include the Toyota-powered World Sports Racer and 1.9 liter Ford-engined Sports 2000 cars. Races in the series include the debut event at Sebring, and events at Road Atlanta, Texas World Speedway, Watkins Glen, Mosport Park (also the IMSA Endurance Championship), Sears Point, Mosport Park (also the Exxon World SportsCarSM Championship and Supreme GT Series) and New Orleans. The payout purse for each race will amount to $16,000, plus contingency awards. news00122.htmlCheck out the whole IMSA press release Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel ##--##--##news00121 New IMSA Slick 50 Pro Series To Debut In 1996 February 2, 1996 IMSA Press Release from imsaracing.com TAMPA, Fla -- The International Motor Sports Association, Inc. (IMSA¨) today announced the addition of a new series to the sanctioning bodyÕs roster of professional championships. The new Slick 50 Pro Series is an eight-race championship competing on race weekends with the Exxon World SportsCarSM Championship, Exxon Supreme GT Series and IMSA Endurance Championship. Eligible cars in the series include the Toyota-powered World Sports Racer and 1.9 liter Ford-engined Sports 2000 cars. The Slick 50 Pro Series makes its debut at next monthÕs EXXON SUPERFLO 12 Hours of Sebring race weekend. Among the drivers expected is Mike Davies of Houston, Texas, the defending Shelby Can Am series champion, who will pilot a World Sports Racer. After Sebring, the series travels to Road Atlanta, Texas World Speedway, Watkins Glen, Mosport Park (with the IMSA Endurance Championship), Sears Point, Mosport Park (with the Exxon World SportsCarSM Championship and Supreme GT Series) and New Orleans. A ninth race may be added at a later date. Each event will post a $16,000 race purse, plus contingency awards. "Slick 50 Products is proud to be involved with the new Slick 50 Pro Series, with IMSA and with all the millions of fans who love professional sports car racing," said Jim Scott, Senior, Vice President Marketing and Sales for Slick 50 Products. "Over the years, we at Slick 50 have been involved with many winning promotions that not only promote the cars and drivers but also provide great entertainment for the fans who are our customers. This is a unique opportunity for Slick 50 and our retail partners and we anticipate great success both on and off the track." "The Slick 50 Pro Series fills an important niche in the overall IMSA package, providing cost-effective racing in a scaled-down version of an IMSA World SportsCarSM," said George Silbermann, IMSA president. "The attractive new series should prove exciting for competitors and fans alike. " The Toyota-powered World Sports Racer is a specified design car designed and engineered by Kevin Singleton, a former IMSA GTP engine builder for Toyota Racing Developments (TRD) and Nissan Performance Technology, Inc. (NPTI). The car is manufactured by World Sports Racer, Inc. of Vista, California, and employs special computer-aided design components coupled with production automotive parts. The chassis is constructed of fixture-welded tube frame mild steel and chromoly tubing built around a blend of hand crafted wishbones and Toyota suspension components and drive train of the 1.6 liter Toyota MR2. All World Sports Racers feature a Toyota five-speed transverse gearbox and four-wheel disc brakes. The engine is ToyotaÕs 1.6 liter DOHC 16 valve, in-line four cylinder producing 145 horsepower at 7800 rpms. Also eligible in the series for 1996 are 1.9 liter Ford-engined Sports 2000 race cars, a long-standing international formula that is very popular across North America. Official sponsors of the Slick 50 Pro Series include Toyota, Racing Electronics and Yokohama Tire, the specified tire for the series. All cars competing in the Slick 50 Pro Series will use Exxon Supreme unleaded racing fuel, the same fuel used by teams competing in all of IMSAÕs professional series. ##--##--##news00122 IMSA to Add Race at Mosport to 1996 Endurance Championship Calendar 02/09/96 The International Motor Sports Association announced that it will add a 24 hour race at Mosport Park to the Endurance Championship series. The race will run June 22-23 on Mosport Park's 2.459 mile road course which is located outside of Toronto, Ontario. The IMSA Endurance Championship features four classes (Grand Sports, Sports, Touring, and Compact) of American, Japanese and European sport coupes and sedans like the Pontiac Firebird, the Formula, the BMW M3, and the Ford Mustang Cobra R. IMSA's new series championship for Toyota-powered World Sports Racers and Ford-engined Sports 2000 cars, the Slick 50 Pro Series, will also compete at the 24 Hours of Mosport. news00124.htmlCheck Out the Whole IMSA Press Release Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel ##--##--##news00123 IMSA ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP ADDS "24 HOURS OF MOSPORT" TO 1996 CALENDAR IMSA Press Release from imsaracing.com February 2, 1996 TAMPA, Fla. -- The International Motor Sports Association, Inc. (IMSA¨) today announced the addition of a 24 hour race at Mosport Park for IMSA Endurance Championship cars. The event, The 24 Hours of Mosport, will take place June 21-23, 1996, at the 2.459-mile road course located outside Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The series returns to Mosport Park August 23-25, for a three hour race during the Chrysler Mosport 500 weekend which features the Exxon World SportsCarSM Championship and Exxon Supreme GT Series. "Mosport Park, Canada's Home of Motor Racing, is delighted to add a second weekend of world class IMSA racing to our 1996 calendar for Canadian race fans," said Bernard J. Kamin, Q.C., Executive Vice President and Secretary of Mosport Park Ltd. The IMSA Endurance Championship showcases the best American, Japanese and European sport coupes and sedans, such as Pontiac Firebird Formula, BMW M3 and Ford Mustang Cobra R. The cars are divided into four classes: Grand Sports, Sports, Touring and Compact. Also competing at The 24 Hours of Mosport will be IMSA's new Slick 50 Pro Series, a championship for Toyota-powered World Sports Racers and Ford-engined Sports 2000 cars. ##--##--##news00124 Chrysler Says No to Kerkorian, Appoints John Neff to Board 02/09/96 Reuters Reported that Chrysler Corporation Rejected billionaire Kirk Kerkorian's bid to put his top strategist and former Chrysler Chief Financial Officer Jerome York on the board. They passed over York and appointed former managing director of Wellington Management Co., John Neff to the position that former Kmart Corp CEO Joseph Antonini vacated late last year. Kerkorian had criticized Chrysler for not having a major stockholder on it's board and asked them, through his investment company, Tracinda Corp., to appoint York. York, if appointed, would have pressed for more share buy-backs. Chrysler stated that it would continue its corporate governance review, which it began after Kerkorian proposed changes to Chrysler's bylaws. The statement made no mention of Kerkorian or his Tracinda Corp. Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel ##--##--##news00125 Major Car Dealers to Launch Car Superstores 02/09/96 Reuters reported that nine of the nations bigger auto dealers from around the country have banded together to launch a chain of car superstores called Driver's Mart Worldwide, Inc. The Dealers follow the lead of Circuit City who started CarMax, the first car superstore, in October 1993 and Blockbuster founder Wayne Huizenga who announced plans to start a car superstore chain called AutoNation USA last November. Driver's Mart Worldwide, Inc has had a pilot store operating in Neenah Wisconsin for about two months, and plans to have eight locations across the country by the end of the year. Within the next 5 years, Driver's Mart expects more than 100 stores nationwide with somewhere between 450 and 650 late model cars and truck for sale at every location. Driver's Mart Worldwide will be headquartered in Grand Rapids, MI. Major players and the big investors in the company are eight auto dealers from different places who, all tolled, operate more than 100 new car dealerships with incomes of $3 billion; company chairman Donald Flow, president of Winston-Salem's Flow Automotive Cos., which operates nine vehicle franchises; and CEO Thomas Eggleston, former CEO of Amway Asia Pacific, Ltd. Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel ##--##--##news00126 Spring Training for IndyCar 02/09/96 The Associated Press reported that IndyCar racers had their first week of "spring training" this week. The IndyCar season doesn't officially open until March 1 when the Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami will occur. The pre-season event occurred for the first time this year, as the new oval track at the Homestead Motorsports Complex has just been completed. The new track at Homestead will host the Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami. Most of the top teams IndyCar teams showed up for the practice runs. In other CART/IndyCar news, the Associated Press reported on the reactions of CART president and some IndyCar drivers to the Indy 200 at Walt Disney World and the division between CART and the Indy 200 sponsor, the Indy Racing League. IRL president Tony George started the Indy Racing League because he saw CART moving away from the traditional and particularly American IndyCar roots such as the oval track. In order to encourage participation in the new IRL, George reserved some IRL spots in the Indy 500 starting field. CART's response was to take their cars and go home. CART decided to hold their own race on the same day as the Indy 500 and call it the U.S. 500. CART has encouraged as many drivers to race in their race as possible, and as a result predictions are that competition at the Indy 500 this year will be low. Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel ##--##--##news00127