BTCC: JORDAN CONFIRMS HIS RETURN IN 2011

Andrew Jordan has confirmed that he will return to the MSA British Touring Car Championship in 2011 with the Pirtek Racing team. He returns to the sport alongside teammate Jeff Smith to form an extended line up of two Vauxhall Vectras being operated by team boos Mike Jordan.

The 2010 season saw the Pirtek team claim two victories in their maiden season, whereas Smith comes into the team with having only one race experience at Knockhill last year. 

Andrew Jordan commented, "It’s great to be back in the BTCC with Pirtek Racing, we had such a strong debut last year and we have been busy building on those foundations in readiness of the upcoming season."

We now have a bigger team behind us, we have greatly increased our staffing levels and our biggest focus is to develop and improve the Vectra for an even stronger season this year. Fundamentally the Vectra is a great chassis, the engine had teething issues in its development season but Swindon, the engine builders have also been focusing on improving the performance during the winter. As a team we are confident that we will be able to once again fight for victories in the BTCC and our aim is to be Independent Drivers Champions.”

Business Development Director at Pirtek UK, Alistair Wiggins, added, "The Pirtek brand received great exposure from being part of the BTCC, which is why we have returned for a second season.

“This year the team will field two cars, and with double the technical feedback, increased development on the car, as well as increased exposure, Pirtek Racing will be looking to equal, if not better their success in 2011.”

CAPE TOWN'S FORMULA ONE BID HITS MAJOR HURDLE

Cape Town's bid to bring Formula One back to South Africa hit its first major hurdle with only a few days of making their plans public. It was announced by the local tourism authority that a full impact assessment needs to be carried out before any agreement can be made with Formula One Management (FOM). 

Igshaan Amlay has been working on his proposal for 15 years and it consists of creating a street circuit with elements similar to the Monaco Grand Prix. He claims that building a street circuit instead of a permanent track is the cheaper option, however with that said, the 5.3km track does feature a section travelling through a $600m stadium, a layout similar to the Race of Champions at Wembley. 

Amlay has been in constant communication with FOM since the end of 2009 and has made 'significant progress' with Mr Ecclestone. They both arranged to meet up in 2010 to discuss the proposal, however the South African government was too focused on the FIFA World Cup and the meetings had to be postponed.

"But, the 2010 World Cup has now allowed Mr Ecclestone to evaluate a major event in South Africa and we hope to secure a meeting with him before the grand prix season."

Ferrari: 2011 F1 car to be called F150

Ferrari have announced that their new F1 car for the 2011 Formula One World Championship will be called the F150. It marks the 150th anniversary of Italy's unification and will be launched at a special event organised by Ferrari in Maranello on Friday. 

Ferrari president, Luca di Montezemolo was there to announce the machine's new name, saying, "Ferrari is an expression of Italian excellence, talent and creativity. 

"All the men and women who put so much effort and passion into their work at Maranello share the pride and responsibility of representing our country around the world and it is in this spirit that we chose to dedicate this car to an event that is so important for the whole of Italy." 

Italian president Giorgio Napotilano expressed his support towards the Scuderia at the event. In a press statement released by Ferrari, Giorgio "took the opportunity to wish the Scuderia the best of luck for the forthcoming season."

The car will also feature the traditional 'Tricolore' from the Italian national flag in its livery. 

Mercedes Play Down Schumacher Simulator Sickness

Mercedes have downplayed the recent stories surrounding Michael Schumacher's simulator sickness, saying that the poor performances seen in the 2010 season were not connected to the simulator sessions. They remain adamant that he is still as capable to win races as he was when he was with Ferrari. 

Throughout his career, Michael from time to time has been susceptible to simulator sickness,” a statement from Mercedes read. "It hasn't adversely affected Michael's race preparation or competitiveness with regard to his team-mate.

"Simulator sickness has affected the length of time that he can spend on a simulator. This is a relatively common occurrence for many people in all fields of simulator activity including military, aircraft and racing cars.

"The simulator is one of a number of tools which drivers use to prepare for the race weekend [but] Michael has not been disadvantaged as together with his engineers he has made his simulation work effective."

To prevent any further effects the simulators have on their drivers, Mercedes are designing a new one which will be ready for the 2012 season, according to Ross Brawn. 

"The situation has been exacerbated by the level of our current simulator technology,” Mercedes added. "For many reasons, we have invested in higher quality and more realistic simulation equipment which will be completed and available for our drivers shortly."

Berger: Red Bull will be unstoppable in 2011

Former part-owner of the Toro Rosso F1 team and ex-joint BMW motorsport director, Gerhard Berger, said that the Red Bull outfit will be unstoppable again in 2011. 

Berger told Auto Motor Und Sport that the 'genius' of chief technical officer Adrian Newey will play a vital role in the success of the team. He also added it would be better if the driver played a more crucial role. 

“I do not see a chance for the others, unless the regulations change dramatically.

“Adrian Newey is quite simply in the area of aerodynamics a genius. It would however be much, much better if driving genius would play the crucial role.”

Berger also commented that the price of running an F1 team deterred him away from becoming involved in the sport once again.

"With the way F1 is today, there is not the opportunity. I cannot afford it. The sport has become too expensive.

“You just can't find the money that you need in order to do a good job on the open market.”