In brief, October 2009

A Lamborghini Murciélago has become the third car to be developed for the new-for-2010 FIA GT1 World Championship. The German Reiter Engineering team unveiled its Murciélago R-SV at the Spa 24 Hours in July.

The GT1 division is set to disappear from the Spa 24 Hours next season. The Belgian enduro is scheduled to be a round of the FIA GT2 European Championship, with additional entries in GT3 and GT4, while two one-hour races for the FIA GT1 World Championship are set to take place after the 24 Hours on Sunday afternoon.

Nigel Mansell will return to the track on September 13 in the Silverstone 1000Kms Le Mans Series event. The 56-year-old will share a Team LNT Ginetta-Zytek LMP1 with son Greg and team boss Lawrence Tomlinson. Mansell has considered a prototype drive since testing a Lola last year (see Motor Sport, September 2008).

Fifty years to the day after Tony Brooks won the 1959 French Grand Prix at the wheel of his Ferrari 246, the British driver returned to the Reims circuit to celebrate his win. Brooks toasted his victory, which enabled him to finish second in that year’s Drivers’ Championship behind Jack Brabham.

Following the success of the TTXGP at the Isle of Mann TT, the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclism (FIM) has created a new series for electric bikes in 2010. “I am happy to announce this new series,” said FIM president Vito Ippolito. “We are convinced that shortly the motorcycle World Championships will be accessible to non-polluting engines.”

The Motor Sports Association has granted the title rights to the British Rallycross Championship and the British Rallycross Grand Prix to Lydden Hill following an open tender process. The circuit will host both series for three years from January 1, 2010.

Sir Stirling Moss has relaunched his website, www.stirlingmoss.com. The site now includes exclusive videos, images from the past and present, Stirling’s blog, news, features and a range of branded products which can be bought through the online shop.