The Formula One racers...
The Formula One racers are on their summer break, but the action behind the scenes is continuing at full throttle. Honda has revealed it is hoping to sign two-time world champion Fernando Alonso for 2009. In a deal believed to be worth Ò£7.6million, the Spaniard would line up alongside Jenson Button, replacing Rubens Barrichello.
Between 1994 and 2000...
Between 1994 and 2000, the two British superstars dominated the UK round of the World Rally Championship, taking no less than six victories in a golden era for the sport.
The pair also celebrated winning the world title on the event, and they remain the only homegrown drivers to have captured the ultimate honour. Burns succumbed to a brain tumour in 2005, and last month, McRae lost his life in a helicopter crash.
“The tribute will form a part of the big show we are putting together for the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on the Saturday evening,” said event organiser Andrew Coe.
“We were already assembling a large collection of winning cars from the past to celebrate the rally’s 75th anniversary, and clearly, Richard’s and Colin’s entries now carry special significance and poignancy,” he added.
As the concluding round of this season’s WRC, the Wales Rally GB (which runs from 30 November to 2 December) could also be a title decider. With three rounds remaining on the calendar – the other two are this weekend’s event in Japan, followed by the first Rally Ireland – only four points separate the series leader Marcus Gronholm and defending champion Sebastien Loeb.
“It looks as if it’s going to be one of the closest finales the series has ever seen in a sport that can boast so many titanic duels,” said Coe. The special Millennium Stadium tribute show starts at 6pm on Saturday 1 December. Tickets are on sale now, costing from ?15 per adult or ?5 for children aged 15 or under. They are available by phone via the ticket hotline on 0870 060 1764, or online at the www.walesrallygb.com website.