The month in Motor Sport

December

14: The Contracts Recognition Board decides that Williams, and not McLaren, has the right to employ David Coulthard in 1995.

14: Michael Schumacher tests a Ligier-Renault at Estoril. Later in the week, the French team allows German F3 champion Jorg Muller and Italian F3000 front-runner Massimiliano Papis to test. Also present in Portugal are Williams, for whom Jules Bouillon impresses once again, and Jordan, for whom Peugeot’s French touring car ace Laurent Mello completes a stint.

15: Toyota confirms that it will enter IndyCar racing as an engine supplier, certainly by 1996 and possibly before the end of the 1995 season. Dan Gurney’s All American Racers will run the project.

18: Michael Schumacher wins the Elf Masters Indoor Karting charity event in Paris’s Stade de Bercy.

19: Ligier confirms that it will use Mugen-Honda engines in 1995.

19: David Brabham quits F1 to drive for BMW in the BTCC. He will partner Johnny Cecotto.

19: Porsche confirms that it will enter two cars in the Daytona 24 Hours, in association with Tom Walkinshaw Racing. Mario and Michael Andretti will share one car.

19: Subaru recruits Mats Jonsson for the Swedish Rally. Jonsson will be one of four men to support regular drivers Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae in 1995. The others will be Piero Liatti, Richard Burns and Possum Bourne.

19: Ford confirms that it has registered for the World Rally Championship. Its Escort Cosworths, run by RAS, will be handled by Francois Delecour and Bruno Thiry.

20: The revised Venson British F2 Championship is officially launched. The plan is to groom drivers for F1 by providing Formula 3000 performance for the price of a season in F3. Competitors will use the Reynard-built VR1 chassis, powered by Cosworth DFY engines.

21: Allan McNish shakes down the Lola 195/30 F1 car at Silverstone.

22: Gareth Rees signs for the Omegaland F3000 team.

23: Julian Bailey re-signs with the Toyota BTCC team.

28: Total is confirmed as Jordan’s title sponsor. The French oil giant will put its name to all of Peugeot’s 1995 motorsport programmes.

January

3: Williams confirms that David Coulthard will be Damon Hill’s team-mate. Nigel Mansell insists that retirement isn’t on his mind; a possible one-year deal with McLaren is source of much speculation.

3: Team Lotus’s MD David Hunt extends the layoff of the company workforce as he continues to seek the necessary resources to ensure the team’s salvation.

3: Audi finally outlines its BTCC plans. It won’t be contesting the series, after all. Nissan’s participation is also unlikely, though works Primeras will appear in Germany and Spain. Nissan later confirms as much.

3: The first of Dallara’s F395 F3 chassis is seen in the UK, at the workshops of Edenbridge Racing. Former Edenbridge driver Oliver Gavin is tipped to return to the team, after his fruitless F3000 season.

3: Renault selects Philippe Bugalski as Jean Ragnotti’s Monte-Carlo team-mate. A surprising partnership on the entry list is that of 1973 winners Jean-Claude Andruet/’Biche’. The veterans will drive a Mini Cooper.

3: Toyota lines up a Celica for Mark Lovell’s use in the British and Irish Tarmac rally championships.

5: Volvo announces that Tim Harvey and Rickard Rydell will drive its new BTCC contender, the 850 saloon.

5: Mitsubishi launches a two-car British F3 programme with HKS. Warren Hughes and Marc Gene will drive.

5: Nissan expands its UK rally programme. Alister McRae and Gregoire de Mevius will head a three-car team of Sunny GTis in the British Championship. Finn Ari Mokkonen will drive the third car. Vauxhall likewise increases its commitment to the championship; Jarmo Kytolehto will drive a second Astra, alongside David Llewellin. VW, meanwhile, confirms its line-up: Dom Buckley and Tapio Laukkanen will drive Golfs.