James Thompson will contest selected rounds of the World Touring Car Championship with Hartmann Racing this season, as part of another four-series campaign.

In 2009, the 35-year-old Briton raced in the WTCC with Lada, the British championship with a Team Dynamics Honda Civic, the Danish series with Hartmann’s Honda Accord, plus V8 Supercar outings with Ford at Phillip Island and Bathurst, and winning the end-of season European Touring Car Cup.

Thompson does not have full-time WTCC or BTCC plans this year, but with Hartmann he will contest the Danish and Scandinavian championships, the expanded ETCC and is also hoping to make the WTCC rounds at Monza and Brands Hatch.

“Last season was a busy one but we’re going to give it a go again this year,” Thompson said at AUTOSPORT International. “One of the disappointing things having done so much last year was that I couldn’t win any of the titles.

“I was leading the Danish and it would have been fantastic for my team to win it, but I was only committed to five of seven rounds and missing the last two meant we only finished third, so this year we’ll try to make amends for that.”

Thompson became the first driver to win a WTCC race in a Japanese car at Imola in 2008 and is hoping to repeat the feat this year.

“I’ve got the chance to win three championships and maybe have a go at winning another world championship race in the Honda, obviously Brands Hatch is somewhere I know very well,” he added.

Valentino Rossi is to test for Ferrari again later this month as a reward for winning another MotoGP championship – but will use an older chassis this time.

Rossi had several tests with the squad when he briefly considered moving to Formula 1 in 2006, and then had another two-day session in November 2008 when he requested another outing following his MotoGP title success that year.

Having wrapped up his ninth motorcycling world crown in 2009, Rossi again asked if he could have a Ferrari F1 run. Team boss Stefano Domenicali said Ferrari would happily oblige, but that current test restrictions meant he could not use the latest car.

Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa had to use 2007 cars provided by Ferrari’s client department last year when testing prior to a potential comeback and following injury respectively.

“I can confirm that Valentino, as we promised when he won his world championship last year, is going to test a historical Ferrari at Barcelona on 20-21 January,” said Domenicali at the Wrooom media event.

“After that Valentino knows we’re going to have to focus on our goals of the 2010 season.”

Although Rossi ruled out an F1 career when he decided against a switch in 2007 and has since insisted that all F1 tests are purely for fun, Domenicali believes he could still be a candidate for Ferrari if three-car teams were ever permitted.

“A pilot such as Valentino, should he be interested, could be consistent with this type of project,” said Domenicali.

He added that the door would be open for Casey Stoner if he wanted to try an F1 car. The Ducati rider said earlier this week that he was pondering a car racing career when his MotoGP racing days were over, although he suggested this would be in the Australian V8 Supercar series rather than F1.

“I’ve heard that he will concentrate on the [MotoGP] season but that he would like to better understand the world of cars and Formula 1, so we will see,” Domenicali replied when asked why Ferrari was testing Rossi but not Stoner, despite its close relationship with Ducati.

“Without entering into a path that is outside my competence, the main goal of Casey and Ducati is winning the championship this year. After that, we’ll see.”

Casey Stoner says he would like to race in Australia’s V8 Supercars once he retires from MotoGP, but the former champion says his main focus will remain bikes for now.

Unlike rival Valentino Rossi, the 2007 world champion has not participated in any serious races with cars, but Stoner admits his plan is to start trying once he is close to the end of his career as a rider.

“After I retire from bikes it’s my plan basically,” Stoner said when asked about a switch to four wheels during Ducati’s media event in the Dolomites.

“I enjoy driving dirt cars around. Before I retire I may be testing a few cars and get ready, but once I retire from bikes I think cars will be a little bit more of a relaxing sport for me.

“I’m not talking about going to Formula 1, but something like V8 touring cars in Australia. I think something like that would be a lot of fun.

“It’s something I’m planning on. But for now and for the near future I’m enjoying my bikes and that’s all I want to do for now.”

Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates has announced a star-studded line up for its assault in the upcoming 24 Hours of Daytona, where the team will field two BMW-powered Riley prototypes.

Ganassi, which has won three of the past four editions of the legendary endurance event, will have arguably the strongest line-up on the grid, fielding former IndyCar Series champions and Indianapolis 500 winners Juan Pablo Montoya, Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon – all former Daytona 24 Hours winners as well – in the #02 car, where NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Jamie McMurray will also take turns behind the wheel.

The #01 car will be driven by former Grand-Am champions and Daytona event winners Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas, joined by IndyCar race-winner Justin Wilson and American Le Mans regular Marino Franchitti.

This year the team has switched to BMW power following the departure of Lexus from the series. The V8 powerplants are built by California-based engine tuner Dinan, which has won Grand-Am events in the past.

“We have been fortunate to have experienced a lot of success in the Grand-Am series over the last six years,” said team owner Chip Ganassi.

“That success stems from a number of factors – like having great drivers behind the wheel, taking great equipment to the track, having great people in the shop and finding great partners. I am pleased to say that once again we will have all of that.”

The team has been among the pace-setters in this weekend’s official test at Daytona, posting the fastest time in one of the afternoon sessions on Saturday with its #02 car.

Last year Ganassi finished second in the event with the #01 car driven by Montoya, Pruett and Rojas as the Brumos team denied it a fourth consecutive victory.

The Gigawave Motorsport team, which was set to represent Nissan in this year’s new FIA GT1 World Championship, is to close down according to a report on this week’s AUTOSPORT magazine, published yesterday.

Gigawave was Nissan’s development partner on the V8-engined GT-R project in 2009, and was due to have coordinated sale of cars and spares for the Japanese manufacturer this year.

The company has not yet officially confirmed its decision, but AUTOSPORT understands that financial problems were behind the move.

Nissan, which is now looking for a new European agent and team to run a pair of its GT-Rs in 2010, still has two cars entered in the FIA GT1 World Championship with the Swiss Racing Team.

Team Vodafone’s Jamie Whincup showed his 2008 V8 Supercar title triumph was no fluke as he wrapped up back-to-back titles with a fifth place finish in race one of the Telstra 500 at Homebush.

It could have been a win or at least a podium but for a couple of small mistakes, but after practice a finish in the top ten would have looked like a good result. Struggles early in qualifying did n’o help, but in the end Whincup made the top ten before jumping up to third in the shootout.

Whincup becomes the first driver to take back-to-back V8 Supercar titles since Stone Brothers Racing’s Marcos Ambrose won the 2003 and 2004 titles, also for Ford. Ambrose now races successfully in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series in the USA.

Whincup also becomes the first driver since Holden Racing Team’s Mark Skaife in 2002 to lead the championship from the very first race of the season to the final race.

His season started well with four wins in the first four races as he set up another championship challenge, and he looked in control as the season reached its mid-point. But despite racking up the wins, Whincup’s lead while comfortable was not insurmountable.

His season suffered a little at Phillip Island when the car he was sharing with Craig Lowndes suffered a tyre issue in the closing laps of a race they had dominated, causing Lowndes and Whincup to lose the win on the final lap.

Late-race dramas struck again for Lowndes and Whincup as they tried to make it four Bathursts 1000 wins in a row, with a clutch problem with Lowndes at the wheel and then a battle with Jason Bargwanna in the final handful of laps meaning another win had slipped away, although the result at both Sandown and Bathurst could easily have been worse.

What did make these results costly was that the drivers who won both those races were the Holden Racing Team duo of Will Davison and Garth Tander. A 267 point lead over Will Davison after the first race at Ipswich was now down to 93 points, and with each of the remaining four rounds worth 300 points each, it was no certainty who would be the victor.

Contact early in the first of four races on the streets of Surfers Paradise meant a poor finish for Whincup as well as a poor starting position for race two and allowed Davison to move to within 51 points. After the second race the margin was down to 41.

Damaged steering for Davison in race three looked to have handed Whincup a golden opportunity to reopen the gap as he ran in fifth place, but distracted by some lapped cars, he crashed hard into the fence with just over a lap remaining and scored no points. That put Davison just 20 points behind.

The final race saw a storming drive from Whincup, charging from 23rd to sixth to open the gap marginally to 32 points with 900 remaining.

But after his struggles at Surfers Paradise, which saw him cancel an appearance at the Race of Champions to concentrate on his title ambitions, he returned to form and won the next three races, with fourth place and a DNF for Davison in the second race at Barbagallo all but sealing the title, today’s race finally confirming it.

With eleven wins from 28 races, along with six pole positions, the most for any driver this year, Whincup has again shown he will be tough to beat next season, when he and the Team Vodafone crew switch from Ford to Holden as he tries to claim three titles in a row and an unprecedented successive titles in different marques.

The AUTOSPORT Awards takes place in London this Sunday, with the evening culminating in the announcement of this year’s McLaren AUTOSPORT BRDC Award winner.

Six of Britain’s leading young drivers are in contention for the most prestigious prize in national motor racing, which includes £50,000 and a test in a McLaren-Mercedes F1 car. They will be joined at the Grosvenor House Hotel by an all-star line-up of guests from all levels of motorsport, including the contenders for awards voted for by readers of AUTOSPORT.

This year’s 28th annual Awards features a new title partner, the 2010 Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.

The island Kingdom of Bahrain is set to open next year’s Formula 1 calendar on March 12-14. Adding special significance to the opening race are the celebrations that Bahrain International Circuit has planned to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Formula One World Championship. Its partner Gulf Air will also celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2010 while the circuit also experiences a busy opening few months to the year as it plays host to both the Australian V8 Supercars Championship, GP2 Asia and the region’s increasingly popular Speed Weekend series of saloon car racing.

Martin Whitaker, Chief Executive Officer of Bahrain International Circuit, said: “Autosport has played an important part in the development of the Bahrain International Circuit over the past six years reporting on the many activities of the circuit. As we plan for the 2010 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix it seems astonishing that the Kingdom is now in its seventh year of organising a round of the FIA Formula One World Championship and it is a great honour for us to kick-off the 60th Anniversary celebrations.

“Becoming the Title Partner of the annual Awards underlines the standing that the circuit and the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix now have on an international stage and we are looking forward to the evening’s activities as well as to welcoming all those involved in Formula One, its many business partners and spectators to Bahrain in March.”

The Awards’ other partners include BMW, Grand Prix Racewear, Joe Bloggs, JMI, Mercedes-Benz, OAMPS, Pirelli and TW Steel.

Team Vodafone’s Craig Lowndes completed a strong weekend for the team with victory in race two of the Bigpond 300 at Barbagallo as his team-mate Jamie Whincup moved a step closer to back-to-back V8 Supercar titles.

Lowndes ran in the top ten in the first half of the race, but when Jason Bargwanna tapped Todd Kelly into a spin at the final turn and Lee Holdsworth slammed into Kelly’s door and brought out the safety car just before half-distance, it completely changed the complexion of the race.

Lowndes changed to slightly-used sprint tyres and charged through from tenth to the lead in nine laps, steadily opening the margin from that point onwards before easing his pace and cruising home in the closing laps.

Steven Johnson finished second after taking on sprints at his pitstop under the mid-race safety car, charging his way up from 17th at the restart on lap 46 to take the second step on the podium.

Third and fourth, and separated by a quarter of a second at the finish, were Garth Tander and Jamie Whincup. Both drivers used sprint tyres early in the race, and so were on the standard control tyres after the restart as they restarted in first and fifth.

They dropped as low as sixth and eighth with 13 of the 84 laps remaining before the cars on sprint tyres started to fall into their laps as the control tyres maintained their grip while the sprint tyres fell away.

Despite losing grip late in the race, the next five cars were on sprint tyres, with Russell Ingall fifth ahead of Jason Bright, Jason Bargwanna, Steven Richards and Cameron McConville, Richards recovering from a late-race off where he dropped to tenth with six laps remaining before making up two places on the second-last lap.

James Courtney completed the top-ten in tenth position, eight places behind Jim Beam team-mate Johnson, but the only car apart from Tander and Whincup in third and fourth on the standard control tyres that finished in the top-ten.

The incident between Bargwanna, Kelly and Holdsworth not only ended Kelly and Holdsworth’s races and shuffled everyone’s strategy. With his car mortally wounded, Holdsworth drove through the pits and parked his car to retire.

However, this left fluid on the track exiting the final corner as well as through pit entry and part of pitlane. Several cars went sideways, and one car hit the tractor tyres at the entry of pitlane after slipping on the fluid.

That car was Holden Racing Team’s Will Davison, and despite only travelling at around 40 km/h, the damage to the front left of his car forced him to retire just one lap later, all but ending his hopes of winning this year’s championship.

With one round to go at another new street venue, this time around the 2000 Olympics precinct at Homebush, Whincup has extended his lead over Davison to 281 points with 300 points available at the series finale. A 28th place finish or two 29th place finishes will be enough to secure Whincup the title even if Davison wins both races.

Today’s events played into Davison’s team-mate Garth Tander’s hands. The margin between the two Holden Racing Team cars is now down to 128 points, with the second Vodafone car of Craig Lowndes an outside chance to beat Tander, 222 points behind him, Lowndes unable to fall any further back in the order.

Pos  Driver                Make                  Time

 1.  Craig Lowndes         Ford Falcon FG        1h27m42.4547s

 2.  Steven Johnson        Ford Falcon FG        +    11.1607s

 3.  Garth Tander          Holden Commodore VE   +    13.8016s

 4.  Jamie Whincup         Ford Falcon FG        +    14.0469s

 5.  Russell Ingall        Holden Commodore VE   +    20.6538s

 6.  Jason Bright          Ford Falcon FG        +    24.3398s

 7.  Jason Bargwanna       Holden Commodore VE   +    25.2107s

 8.  Steven Richards       Ford Falcon FG        +    28.2625s

 9.  Cameron McConville    Holden Commodore VE   +    31.1981s

10.  James Courtney        Ford Falcon FG        +    31.3789s

11.  Fabian Coulthard      Ford Falcon FG        +    32.2929s

12.  Paul Dumbrell         Holden Commodore VE   +    40.1478s

13.  Shane Van Gisbergen   Ford Falcon FG        +    40.8522s

14.  Jason Richards        Holden Commodore VE   +    41.6065s

15.  David Reynolds        Holden Commodore VE   +    41.9546s

16.  Rick Kelly            Holden Commodore VE   +    44.9464s

17.  Mark Winterbottom     Ford Falcon FG        +    45.7059s

18.  Michael Caruso        Holden Commodore VE   +    52.5775s

19.  Greg Murphy           Holden Commodore VE   +    53.0860s

20.  Dean Fiore            Holden Commodore VE   +     1 lap

21.  Alex Davison          Ford Falcon FG        +     1 lap

22.  Tim Slade             Holden Commodore VE   +     1 lap

23.  Tony D’Alberto        Holden Commodore VE   +     1 lap

24.  Jack Perkins          Holden Commodore VE   +     1 lap

25.  Mark McNally          Holden Commodore VE   +     2 laps

Not classified/retirements:

     Driver                Make                  Laps

     Will Davison          Holden Commodore VE    41

     Lee Holdsworth        Holden Commodore VE    39

     Todd Kelly            Holden Commodore VE    38

     Michael Patrizi       Ford Falcon BF         29

The inaugural Abu Dhabi V8 Supercar event that will open the 2010 V8 Supercar season will follow in the footsteps of the Formula 1 event and be a day/night race.

The event, to be held on February 18 to 20 next year, will comprise two 200km races on a shortened version of the circuit that Formula 1 used earlier this month.

It will feature a section where the track drops 15 metres in around 100 metres through a series of off-camber corners that go left, right, then left.

“The phenomenal facilities at Yas Marina are absolutely mind-blowing and the lighting is out of this world,” said V8 Supercars Australia executive chairman Tony Cochrane.

“Utilising the ‘corkscrew’ section of the track for the first time of any category is also a huge honour for our sport and will provide some of the best racing of the year.”

The series has run events at twilight and at night previously over ten years ago, but this is the first time that the series will race under daylight-equivalent lighting as well as around a whole circuit’s length.

Lotus F1 Racing technical director Mike Gascoyne is confident that his team will not fall off the pace of the established teams when it makes its debut next season.

There are fears that the four brand new teams – Lotus, Team US F1, Campos Meta and Manor Grand Prix – will struggle to be near the pace of the nine existing outfits next season, but Gascoyne believes that although there is a danger of a “two-tier F1″, his team will not be too far off the pace.

“There is a risk that there will be a pack at the back, but we don’t intend to be in it,” Gascoyne told AUTOSPORT.

“Our aim is to be pretty close. F1 has been incredibly competitive this year with all of the teams within 1.5 seconds and I hope that we are not going to be far off that group.

“Where the other new teams are, we will have to wait and see.”

Gascoyne believes that beating the other new teams is the main target for Lotus in its debut season, and is confident of doing so because the team is well advanced with its aerodynamic development programme.

The team is running extensive aerodynamic tests in both the Fondtech and Aerolab wind tunnels and has already passed an internal crash test for the nose box of the car.

The car is currently scheduled for a rollout in the second week of February next year.

“Obviously, they are the first ones we have got to beat even though we started three months later than them,” said Gascoyne. “They are the ones we will be compared with because we have the same engine and gearbox.

“But still, aerodynamics drives performance in F1 and I think that our programme is better than the other teams even though we have still got a lot to do.”

All four new teams are running Cosworth V8 engines, and Gascoyne is confident that in terms of performance the unit will be competitive even though there is still work to be done on reliability.

“I think performance-wise it looks pretty good,” he said. “The big unknown is Cosworth must go from one-race reliability to four-race reliability in one step. That’s a big challenge.

“Reliability and fuel efficiency are the challenges. We’ll find out by the fourth races whether the engines will last!”