Martin Brundle and son Alex aiming for a class win at the 24-hour race this year.

Morning mist, barbecue smoke wafting across the Mulsanne straight and the dazzle of headlights in the darkness are part of the Le Mans experience that former winner Martin Brundle looks forward to sharing with his son Alex this year.

The dangers, at a circuit that saw two huge crashes involving the dominant Audis last year, will have to be negotiated with care.

The two Britons will join Spaniard Lucas Ordonez in a Greaves Motorsport-run Nissan LMP2 team for the 24-hour sportscar race at the La Sarthe track on June 16/17 with the aim of getting to the finish as best in class.

There have been other father-and-son pairings over the years, with 1992 Formula One champion Nigel Mansell and his sons making a short-lived appearance in 2010, but this will be the first time former F1 racer and commentator Brundle has taken part since 2001.

“We are taking it very seriously as I'm sure Nigel was. You can't play around with Le Mans,” he told Reuters in an interview.

“It's a hell of a challenge and we need to get to the end. We've got 18 cars in our class, 56 cars in the race, it's the equivalent of a grand prix season more or less in a day that you do in terms of miles that you are going to cover and it's hard to get to the end of it.”

Brundle won Le Mans with Jaguar in 1990, before he became a full-time Formula One driver, and calendar clashes with his other commitments have kept him away in recent years.

He freely admits that there is an element of “the old guilt trip”, making up for all the birthday parties missed and parental absences in his years on the road, but mainly it is about racing.

Alex, 21, competed in Formula Two last year and is ultimately aiming to follow his father into Formula One. He will be in GP3 at Formula One's European weekends this year and also the European Le Mans series.

STRANGE SENSATION

Brundle senior said it would be a strange sensation to be battling in the midfield at Le Mans with the Audis and other LMP1 cars blasting past.

“I have only ever been there in the fastest cars, with the works cars, as team leader,” said the 52-year-old, whose last lap at Le Mans was as race leader for Bentley.

“Funnily enough these cars that we are in (now) do about the same lap time as I used to do in the works cars. They are not slow cars, it's just that the Audis are going unbelievably quickly now.

“What I am going to struggle with is that I am not used to anybody catching me at Le Mans and passing me. And apparently the lights on the Audi burn your paint off, they are so bright. And you can't tell whether they are one km behind you or 100 metres behind,” added the Briton.

Alex tested at Le Mans last year, with his father on hand to advise him on potential perils.

“Alex's job is probably to help me go faster on a lap-by-lap basis but my job...is to say: 'Here's where it went wrong for me in the past' and: 'Here's some near-misses I had' and: 'Here's how to cope with this situation',” said Brundle senior.

“I suspect it's completely different for the pair of us but for me it will be 'that's my boy', and helping strap him in the car and sending him off down into the night will be something quite amazing.

“Sharing that incredibly intense experience with your son is something pretty amazing...but first and foremost we are there to win the class, we are there with our racing heads on.”

Le Mans, he said, was the perfect timing.

“It just fits, father and son. It works for the sponsors, it works for the manufacturer, it gives Alex a starting point in sportscar racing. He's doing the whole championship and it's a window of opportunity for me before I get too old,” said Brundle.

“I'll be 53 when I do the race, while I can still just about hang on to his shirt tails speed-wise and get the job done. I won't be a burden to him that's for sure but you don't know how much longer that will be the case for.” -Reuters

This weekend sees the first round of the 2012 Pro Tour at Phakisa in the Free State.

This weekend sees the first round of the 2012 Pro Tour at the Phakisa circuit in the Free State, with the opening shots being fired in six National series.

Headlining the programme will be two races for Shelby Can-Am sports cars, with the entry list headed by defending South African champion Rui Campos - but he'll be under fire Brian Algar, Alan Eve, Hanno Pengilly and Andrew Strike, with Ferdi van Niekerk, Capetonian Greg Walker and Doug Macdonald also there or thereabouts.

The SA Shelby Can-Am series, now in its 13th year, features identical Shelby chassis powered by strictly controlled 3.5 litre V6 Nissan engines, all running on Hoosier control tyres.

'It's all down to driver skill and racecraft'

The one-make format makes for incredibly close racing, with winning or losing all down to driver skill and racecraft .

Also predicated on a one-make format is the ZX-10R Masters Cup, where all the riders are on identical 1000cc Kawasaki superbikes.

Reigning South African champion Gavin Lightfoot has moved on another racing category, which makes former SA Superbike champion Stewart MacLeod the favourite to win the 2012 series, but this will be in fact only his seconds full season of Masters Cup racing, and he will have to deal with challenges from riders with a lot of experience in the class, such as Pieter de Vos, former off-road star Brian Bontekoning, Joe Shearer and Simon Bezuidenhout.

This National series for grown-up riders is expected to pull close to 40 entries in 2012, divided into Class A, for riders between 35 and 45 years old, and Class B is for those older than 45.

'Stick to racing, Vernon - it's safer'

Some of the fastest - and most expensive - cars in Pro Tour racing are the GT Cars, where Phakisa fans will see Vernon Bricknell, back in action after recovering from serious road-crash injuries will be veteran Vernon Bricknell in his Porsche 996 GT3 RSR.

Bricknell will lead Class GTC1, challenged by drivers such as Sun Moodley (Porsche 997 GT3 Cup), Wilhelm Baard (Nissan GT-R Nismo), and Charl Arangies (Noble).

Nicky Dicks (Ferrari F430 Challenge) and Andrew Culbert (Porsche GT3 Cup) will be the men to beat in the GTC2 category, with Kris Budnik (BMW M3) the favourite in Class GTC3.

Back in harness after recovering from a broken neck last year will be Howard Blake, racing his Nissan 350Z in Class GTC4.

FIFTY CARS ON THE GRID

Veteran Peter Hills will defend his National title in the Formula Vee category from Alan Holm, Jaco Schriks, Zaahir Essa and Symm Grobler, with Johan Gouws, Gert Van Den Berg, Nicholas Tennant, Gareth Jackson and Ben Pienaar also in the mix.

This is also on the verge of becoming a one-make class with Gouws the sole hold-out in a Mantis; everybody else will be in Rhema 2 cars.

The biggest entry, however, should be in the Goldwagen Challenge races, with four classes and up to fifty cars on the grid, ranging from two-litre racing vehicles in Class A to near-standard 1600cc cars in Class D, with a wide range of Golf and Jetta models represented. The series has become an accepted ladder of opportunity for youngsters making the leap from karting to long-circuit racing.

There will also be two races for GT Classic cars, with a number of Porsche owners expected to do battle. Markus Minihold (Porsche RSR) should be the man to beat, chased by drivers such as Gordon Harvey (Porsche 944 Turbo), Willem van der Westhuizen (Porsche 911 RSR), Andreas Letnik, (Porsche 928 S), Harry Arangies (Porsche 944 Turbo), George Avvakoumides (Porsche 911 RS), and Andrie Bester (Porsche 911 SC).

BE THERE EARLY

The gates at Phakisa gates will open at 7.30 on Saturday; admission will be R40.00 per adult, and free for under-sixteens.

Jari-Matti Latvala has overcome a late puncture to win the Rally of Sweden.

Ford's Jari-Matti Latvala overcame a late puncture to win the Rally of Sweden on Sunday and make amends for crashing out of the Monte Carlo season-opener on the first day.

The 26-year-old Finn beat compatriot and former team mate Mikko Hirvonen, now with Citroen, by 16.6 seconds while eight-times World champion Sebastien Loeb finished a distant sixth.

Loeb, winner in Monte Carlo, saw his hopes vanish when he hit a snow bank on the opening day but the Frenchman retained the championship lead by winning the power stage for three extra points.

Loeb now has 39 points to Hirvonen's 32 and Norwegian Petter Solberg's 29. Latvala has 26.

Latvala had to overcome a late scare when he hit an exposed rock and punctured the front right tyre on the 22nd stage, two from the end, in a setback that slashed his lead from more than half a minute to eight seconds and cranked up the pressure.

Latvala, who was able to reassert himself and rebuild his lead while Hirvonen struggled on worn tyres, said later: “It’s amazing. Four years ago I won this rally and now I got it again

“The first time I won this rally I became the youngest ever winner of a World championship rally and beat my hero Henri Toivonen's record. It's fantastic to win it again,” added the Finn.

Solberg, Latvala's 37-year-old team mate, hit the same rock on the same 22nd stage and lost third place to compatriot Mads Ostberg, also in a Ford.

Latvala said: “We got a lot of pressure after Monte and I felt the pressure coming to this event. This has taken a lot of pressure out of the coming events

“I think we're really going to challenge Citroen. We're working very hard.”

The victory was Ford's sixth in a row on the snowy Swedish roads, and their cars filled four of the top five places at the ceremonial finish in Karlstad. - Reuters

RESULTS

1 Jari-Matti Latvala (Finland) Ford 3hours 18min28.3

2 Mikko Hirvonen (Finland) Citroen +16.6sec

3 Mads Ostberg (Norway) Ford +38.8

4 Petter Solberg (Norway) Ford +1min14.3

5 Evgeny Novikov (Russia) Ford +2min41.4

6 Sebastien Loeb (France) Citroen +2min55.1

7 Henning Solberg (Norway) Ford +3min49.5

8 Patrik Sandell (Sweden) Mini +5min8.9

9 Martin Prokop (Czech Republic) Ford +5min30.0

10 Eyvind Brynildsen (Norway) Ford +06min27.2

DRIVER STANDINGS

1 Sebastien Loeb (France) Citroen - 39 points

2 Mikko Hirvonen (Finland) Citroen - 32

3 Petter Solberg (Norway) Ford - 29

4 Jari-Matti Latvala (Finland) Ford - 26

5 Evgeny Novikov (Russia) Ford - 21

6 Daniel Sordo (Spain) Mini - 18

7 Mads Ostberg (Norway) Ford - 15

8 Francois Delecour (France) Ford - 8

9 Henning Solberg (Norway) Ford - 6

10 Pierre Campana (France) Mini - 6

11 Ott Taenak (Estonia) Ford - 4

12 Patrik Sandell (Sweden) Mini - 4

13 Martin Prokop (Czech Republic) Ford - 4

14 Armindo Araujo (Portugal) Ford - 1

15 Eyvind Brynildsen (Norway) Ford - 1

CONSTRUCTORS

1 Citroen Total WRT - 65 points

2 Ford World Rally Team - 55

3 M-Sport Ford WRT - 28

4 Mini WRC Team - 26

5 Qatar World Rally Team - 8

6 Armindo Araujo WRT - 4

7 Palmeirinha Rally - 2

If we want a WRC round in South Africa, we have to run the National series to WRC rules.

South African rallying is moving closer to the regulations of the FIA, the controlling body of motor sport - and there's an important reason for it.

The 2012 SA Rally Championship will be contested in a simplified format of only two championship classes, with the premier class remaining Super 2000 (S2000) for modified, normally-aspirated, four-wheel drive cars with engine capacity not exceeding two litres.

Rally commission president Richard Leeke explained: “The growth of S2000 locally in recent seasons and the competitive nature of our national championship makes ours one of the most respected championships in the world.

“It's no secret that we want South Africa to host a round of the World Rally Championship and, by aligning ourselves more closely with the technical regulations of the FIA, we want to make our championship even more relevant, both domestically and internationally.”

S2000 CHALLENGE

But that means some of the older, privately run S2000 cars - and the Group N production cars in class N4 (engine capacity over two litres) that run with them - will no longer be competitive, so this season will see the first S2000 Challenge for the earlier-generation S2000 and Group N4 cars, which will be scored separately from the overall championship.

Leeke added: “We have done this to recognise the privateers who make up a significant proportion of our premier class and who, together with the factory entries and the top privateers, make up the strongest S2000 class in any national rally championship in the world.”

S2000 entries averaged around 17 last season and, in all, 20 crews scored championship points during 2011.

TWO-WHEEL DRIVE CHAMPIONSHIP

The second National championship class will be Super 1600 (S1600) for modified, normally-aspirated, two-wheel drive cars with engine capacity not exceeding 1.6 litres.

Both S2000 and S1600 will compete for National title, while S1600 entrants will also compete in the Two Wheel-Drive Championship, introduced in 2011, and cars built to the 2011 Super 1400 regulations can compete in S1600 if they are upgraded to S1600 specifications.

Commission technical director Hein Lategan, a leading S2000 competitor, said; “That way, we didn't have to tinker with the well-supported S2000 Class and we expect S1600 to grow and lift the standard of competition among young, up-and-coming crews.”

The new season will open with the Total Rally in KwaZulu-Natal on March 23 and 24. There will be eight rounds with the seven best results to count towards the championship.

2012 SA RALLY CALENDAR

Total Rally - March 23/24

Sasol Rally - April 20/21

Toyota Gauteng Dealer Rally - June 8/9

Volkswagen Rally, July 13/14

Gauteng Rally - August 10/11

Toyota Dealer Cape Rally - August 30/September 1

Polokwane Rally - October 5/6

Garden Route Rally - November 2/3

Former F1 driver set to compete at Le Mans and two other world endurance races.

Former Formula One driver Nick Heidfeld will compete in the famous Le Mans 24 Hours and two further 2012 world endurance championship races for Swiss team Rebellion Racing.

The team said in a statement Wednesday that Heidfeld, 34, would share a Lola-Toyaota car with Nicolas Prost and Neel Jani at the 80th edition of the Le Mans race, the Sebring 12 Hours and Spa 6

Hours.

“I am really looking forward to this new challenge ... Since I did Le Mans in 1999 I always knew that I wanted to come back to endurance racing. I am very happy to join Rebellion Racing and hope I can help building up on their already impressive achievements,” said Heidfeld.

Heidfeld made his F1 debut in 2000 but was dropped midway through the 2011 season by Lotus-Renault, where he took the place of injured Robert Kubica. He did not get a 2012 contract at an F1

team. -Sapa-dpa

This year the season-opening classic meeting was held under the banner Passion for Speed.

The motorsport season at Zwartkops Raceway, west of Pretoria, traditionally opens with the annual international classic race meeting on the last weekend in January, held this year under the banner “Passion for Speed”.

And a passion it was, with hundreds of competitors crowding the pits and more than 12 000 spectators waving and cheering as the circuit reverberated to the sound of big old rumbling V8's, snarling Porsche flat-sixes and crackling supercharged fours.

The cars included the ex-Michael Schumacher Benetton-Ford B194, which was driven by Dutchman Jan Lammers, and a 1965 BRM P261 fitted with a two-litre V8 Tasman Series engine and driven by Le Mans winner Richard Attwood.

The two races for international sports prototypes were David and Goliath battles between the light and nimble 1969 Chevron B19 of Brit John Sheldon, and the huge, dark green 1969 Lola T70 driven by local V8 Supercar hero Hennie Groenewald, who received a special award as Driver of the Day.

Unfortunately a loose wheel on the Lola resulted in its retirement from the first race, which allowed Sheldon to romp to a clear victory, followed by Jonathan du Toit in a Chevron B8. Groenewald turned the tables in the second race and took the win after the race was red-flagged as the rain started falling and the cars began to spin and skid on their slick tyres.

Sheldon won overall on combined results for the two races though, with Andre Bezuidenhout (1974 Martini Porsche) taking runner-up spot from Peter Bailey (1970 Porsche 917).

Colin Frost (Lucky Strike Porsche 917) won Class B, with Brian Algar (1974 Porsche 911 RS) collecting the honours in Class C, while Carel Pienaar (1969 Chevrolet Camaro) was the only finisher in Class E.

The 2011 motorsport season has opened on a grim note with two deaths in one weekend.

The 2012 motorsport season has opened on a grim note with two deaths in one weekend.

Multiple South African champion Curt Alchin, 44, one of the country's most versatile drivers, died after an accident at the Victory Raceway in Port Elizabeth on Saturday evening.

Alchin was awarded National colours on 2004 in recognition of his outstanding success in international oval-track racing.

His South African National championship titles include: 1995 Production Car Champion, 1999 Modified Saloons Champion, 2002 Standard 1600 Saloons Champion, 2005 Modified Saloons Dirt Champion, 2006 Modified Saloons 1600 Tar Champion.

Alchin was an honorary member of the Algoa Motorsport Club, awarded to him for his achievements and contributions to motorsport in Port Elizabeth.

He also competed successfully raced in the Engen VW Cup series in 2011.

WIM PRETORIUS

Reigning Thunderbike Class B champion Wim Pretorius died on Sunday morning during the Day of the Champions motorcycle meeting at the Zwartkop Raceway, after crashing in Turn 5 during the first Thunderbikes race.

Pretorius, 37, was a relative latecomer to motorcycle racing; he entered the sport in 2009 and finished the season ninth overall in the Thunderbikes series despite competing in only eight of the 22 races.

In 2010 he competed in only four races, of which he won two and finished second in the other two, and in 2011 he won Class B of the Zwartkop Thunderbikes championship.

In the World Rally championship, being told you drive like a girl is not an insult.

An all-girl Swedish team has announced plans to make a challenge in the male-dominated sport of rallying - in a black-and-pink Mitsubishi Evo X.

The Ramona Racing team, made up of driver Ramona Karlsson and co-driver Miriam Walfridsson, will compete in the Production Car World Rally Championship.

Karlsson said at the team launch: I've been rallying for 10 years and this has always been a dream for me that I've worked for from the beginning. I have to pinch my arm, that it has finally come true.”

She said she’d always dreamed of driving in an all-girl team.

“When I started rally driving I was looking for a female navigator but of course it's difficult, so when I had the luck to meet Miriam I immediately decided I wanted to work with her.

“As far as I know we're the only women-only team in the World Championship at the moment. That is both fun and unique,” she added.

The PWRC is a companion rally series to the World Rally Championship and is limited to production-based cars.

Karlsson and Walfridsson have spent the past year securing sponsors and raising funds for the project, and their aim is to finish in the top five of the championship.

Ramona Rallying will contest six of the eight rounds of the series, starting on gravel with the Rally of Mexico from March 8-11.

Michele Mouton of France, who was appointed WRC manager in 2011, is the most successful woman in the history of the championship, finishing second in 1982 driving an Audi Quattro.

Pat Moss, the late sister of motorsport legend Sir Stirling Moss, was also a successful rally driver in the 1950s and 60s, notably with navigator Ann Wisdom . - Reuters

SA bike racing fans will have three local riders to cheer for in World Supersport in 2012.

South African motorcycle racing fans will have no less than three local riders to cheer for in the World Supersport championship in 2012.

Sheridan Morais, Mathew Scholtz and Ronan Quarmby have all secured full-time rides in this series for 600cc bikes, a stepping stone into the World Superbikes big-league.

Morais, SA’s former Superbike and Supersport champion who has made previous World Superbike and World Superstock appearances in the past few years, will be riding a Kawasaki ZX-6R run by the DeltaFin Lorenzini team. He secured the ride after impressing the Lorenzini team when he rode a Kawasaki for them in last year’s Superstock 1000 championship, which included a podium in Portugal.

Quarmby, the 2010 SA Supersport champion who campaigned a Triumph Daytona in World Supersport last year, will this season move to a Honda CBR600 run by the front-running PTR team.

His team mate will be fellow South African Mathew Scholtz who made his mark on international racing in 2008 when he was selected to contest the Red Bull Rookies MotoGP Series, taking a win and three podiums that year. He then moved on to racing in the Spanish and German 125cc Championships as well as Moto2 with impressive results.

PTR Honda is a front-running team in World Supersports and has finished runner-up twice (in 2009 and 2010) and enjoyed eight podiums out of 12 races in 2011, giving both Quarmby and Scholtz a real opportunity to shine in their international careers.

The first round of the World championship will be run at Phillip Island in Australia on February 26.