In Brief, September 2010
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• DTM sources have indicated that a rules tie-up with the Japanese Super GT series is on the cards for 2014 or ’15. They are seeking common ground at the behest of BMW, which will only confirm its 2012 entry if it can race its DTM M3 elsewhere. A plan to let DTM and GT500 cars race together before then is also on the table.
• The equivalence between petrol- and diesel-powered LMP1 cars was adjusted ahead of the Algarve round of the Le Mans Series in July. Petrol-powered P1s were given a four per cent larger diameter air restrictor.
• French team ORECA will build an LMP2 contender to the new 2011 Le Mans rulebook. Hugues de Chaunac’s team believes it can build a car to the €325,000 price cap around its existing LMP1 monocoque.
• Cosworth has won two contracts from the Ministry of Defence to explore how technologies used to keep racing drivers safe could protect frontline troops. Tim Routsis, Cosworth Group chief executive, said: “It is encouraging to see the MoD recognise the potential of the technology available.”
• The Motorsport Industry Association held its annual summer reception at the House of Lords in July. MIA president Lord Astor of Hever, who is stepping down after 15 years, received the 2010 award for the ‘most outstanding personal contribution to the motor sport industry’.
• Nigel Mansell has won his long-running legal battle with a local council over the level of noise created by his outdoor karting circuit. East Devon District Council has withdrawn its case against Mansell Raceway Ltd after 30 months of wrangling.
• Ex-F1 race engineer Steve Hallam has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Huddersfield. Hallam started in F1 with Team Lotus in 1982 before joining McLaren in 1990, where he worked for 18 years before switching to NASCAR.
• Indycar driver Mike Conway is recovering well after his Indy 500 crash. The Brit, who tried a simulator at the PureTech Racing Centre, said: “It was the first day my foot was out of plaster. I was surprised how well I could brake.”