2008

It has been two years for the pinup boy of V8 Supercars to break through for a race win. Today James Courtney realised his enormous calibre with victory in the opening race of the City of Ipswich 400 at Queensland Raceway.

1. James Courtney SBR/Jeld-Wen Ford 38 laps 46mins 30.0751secs 2. Mark Winterbottom FPR/Ford Credit Ford 38 laps 3. Russell Ingall Morris/Supercheap Holden 38 laps 4. Garth Tander Toll/HRT Holden 38 laps

Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug has added weight to McLaren's defence of Heikki Kovalainen amid suggestions that the Finn is to under threat of being replaced by Nico Rosberg next season.

Valentino Rossi has signed what could be his final MotoGP contract after it was officially announced that the Italian superstar will, as expected, stay at Yamaha for the next two seasons.

Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa have stressed that the errors committed in the British Grand Prix a fortnight ago - branded 'stupid' by Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo [see separate story -

The session was red flagged with 21 minutes to go after a fast accident for Kawasaki's Anthony West. West walked away but a section of airfence needed to be repaired, forcing the stoppage. Valentino Rossi and Jamie Hacking were the only riders to lap slower in the afternoon...

Laguna Seca left an instant impression on MotoGP rookie Andrea Dovizioso, who labelled it as a 'mad track' - in both a good and bad way - after finishing a highly impressive seventh in Friday morning free practice for the US Grand Prix.

By Lynne Huntting Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa is still suffering from his orthopaedic injuries sustained last weekend in Germany. He sprained his right ankle and fractured two fingers of his left hand - index and ring fingers - as well as his wrist.

By Lynne Huntting Ducati Marlboro's reigning MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner dominated first free practice for the US Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Title contender Dani Pedrosa, who fractured his left hand and sprained his right ankle last Sunday in Germany, completed 21 laps...

The FIM Motocross World Championship returns to South Africa this weekend for round ten of the 2008 MX1 and MX2 season.

Honda looks likely to keep both Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello in its Formula 1 line-up in 2009 - that was the assertion of the Brackley-based concern's team principal Ross Brawn ahead of the German Grand Prix this weekend.

Nick Heidfeld has admitted that he was beginning to get very frustrated by the problems that saw him fall away from BMW Sauber team-mate Robert Kubica towards the halfway point of the Formula One season.

2004 FIA Production Car World Rally champion Niall McShea took the 'Last Chance Qualifier' invitation for the X Games 14 rally event last weekend when he won the New England Forest Rally.

Lewis Hamilton has likened his 'hunger' to lift his first Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship crown to that of Rafael Nadal chasing his maiden Wimbledon men's singles tennis trophy on the same day that the McLaren-Mercedes star so memorably triumphed in the British Grand Prix two weeks ago.

The Bennetts British Superbike Championship returns from a brief summer break with the series' second trip of the season to Oulton Park.

This weekend's US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca will mark the MotoGP debut of AMA Superbike contender Jamie Hacking, who will deputise for the injured John Hopkins aboard Kawasaki's Ninja ZX-RR this weekend.

Double US Grand Prix winner Nicky Hayden talks through a lap of Laguna Seca, where he will be racing in front of his home fans this weekend...

For the first time this year, Dr Mario Theissen has suggested that BMW-Sauber will retain an unchanged driver line-up in Formula 1 in 2009 - seeming to quell speculation about Nick Heidfeld's future at the squad.

In speculation that could turn the Formula 1 driver market on its head, Nico Rosberg has been tipped to replace Heikki Kovalainen - the man he defeated to claim the inaugural GP2 Series crown - at McLaren-Mercedes next year, according to Michael Schumacher's manager Willi Weber.

Czech World Superbike fans will have another rider to cheer on this weekend when the series reaches Brno for round nine of the championship after DFX Corse announced Jiri Drazdak make his debut for them.

Crash.net With many people expecting you to announce Troy Corser as your new rider for 2009, can you explain how the deal with Ruben Xaus came about and why was he on top of your shortlist?

Yukio Kagayama has admitted that he is being held back by the hand injury he sustained in an accident at the N?rburgring last month, but remains adamant that just one thing is motivating him to return to full fitness as rapidly as possible - victory.

IRWIN Racing has announced that Marcus Clarke is to take on the role of race engineer for the Ford Falcon of Marcus Marshall from the next round of the V8 Supercar Championship in Queensland.