BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team heads to Canada

The month of August has been the most intense period on the 2009 American Le Mans Series calendar. The rush of events at Mid-Ohio, Road America and now Mosport provide race fans with nearly uninterrupted action. The BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team heads to Canada and Mosport International Raceway fresh from its first GT2 win on August 16 at Road America, where the No. 90 M3 of Joey Hand and Bill Auberlen led a one-two class sweep for the team in only the seventh race of its inaugural season.

With three high-profile events remaining in the season, the team has had no time for rest. Mosport is known as the fastest track in the history of the American Le Mans Series. The circuit’s high-speed corners and elevation changes require complete preparation and focus by the crew and drivers.

The two-hour-and-forty-five-minute race will also provide an excellent opportunity to fine tune for the equally demanding Road Atlanta and the grueling ten-hour Petit Le Mans on September 26.

F1 Updates: BMW seeks new buyer, FIA re-opens selection process, Renault granted appeal, etc.

It's anything but business as usual this year in Formula One, and this past week has been no exception, with one team scrambling to secure its future, another receiving the go-ahead to continue racing, and others re-submitting applications in the hope of joining the grid for next year.

First up is BMW, which announced it would be withdrawing its support from the Sauber team at the end of this year. After the team's eponymous founder failed to put the cash together to buy his team back from the Bavarians, the outfit is going ahead with its program to launch successive updates to its current car for Valencia this coming weekend and Singapore later this season in to demonstrate its capabilities in the hope of finding a new buyer before the season's out.

The FIA isn't holding its breath, however, and has informed seven outfits that submitted so-far unsuccessful bids to participate in F1 next season that there'll be another spot opening up on the grid for next year. In addition to BMW Sauber, reports suggest that Epsilon Euskadi and Prodrive are vying for the spot.

Meanwhile the Renault team has been given the green light to race at Valencia after successfully appealing the ban imposed on the team at the last grand prix for a loose wheel nut. The team will have to pay a $50,000 fine, whiole newcomer Romain Grosjean is confirmed to replace Nelsinho Piquet and partner Fernando Alonso.

As for Felipe Massa, the injured Ferrari driver currently recovering, the latest reports indicate that while he could be ready as soon as the Italian Grand Prix – the home race for his team – he'll more likely wait until the later race in his home country of Brazil to make his comeback.

New BMW Car - 2009 BMW M3 GT4

BMW doesn’t want the Maserati GranTurismo MC to get all the spotlight at the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife this year. The May 23rd race will be the premiere run of BMW’s M3 GT4 car.

BMW is importing Augusto Farfus, Jorg Muller and Andy Priaulx from the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) to give the M3 GT4 a workout. While BMW has been a dominate force of the WTCC circuit, it has an uphill battle in the GT4 class. It’s been won by an American car, the Ford Mustang FR500C, for the last two years (the driver was German.)

Audi R15 TDI to contend three ALMS events this yearAudi R15 TDI to contend three ALMS events this year

Diesel is fast - scary fast - as Audi's R10 TDI proved when it swept through the world of Le Mans and endurance racing by storm in previous years. Since then rule changes have dampened the flame somewhat, but it's still a competitive and formidable platform. This season, it's getting a full-scale upgrade with the launch of the R15 TDI Le Mans Prototype racer.

The first test-in-anger of the new car will be at the legendary 12-hour race at Sebring, Florida, on March 21, but according to a new report the car will contend two additional Le Mans races on American soil. The Bleacher Report claims Audi has reversed an earlier decision to avoid most of the 2009 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) and will now compete in a total of three races.

The information comes from Audi boss Rupert Stadler, who revealed that the two new R15 TDI race cars will appear at the Petit Le Mans event at Road Atlanta on September 26 and the season finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on October 10.

In the cockpits of the first R15 for the first rate at Sebring will be Allan McNish, Dindo Capello and Tom Kristensen, while the second car will be manned by Lucas Luhr, Mike Rockenfeller, and Marco Werner. The two trios hope to pilot the new car to a ninth victory at the event.

Honda sells F1 Team to former team principal Ross Brawn

Honda has announced today a new owner for its Brackley-based F1 outfit in the form of former team principal Ross Brawn. The entire shares of the team, previously owned by UK holding company Honda GP Holdings Ltd., were sold to Brawn for an undisclosed sum earlier this week. As a result of this sale, ownership of the entire operation has transferred to Brawn, who plans to have the new team compete for this year's F1 season.

The latest announcement follows news that team staff at Honda's Brackley were previously told to prepare for imminent winter tests in Spain and subsequently the beginning of the 2009 season in Melbourne, Australia.

It's understood the 2009 race car has been adapted to fit a Mercedes Benz V8 engine and will commence testing in Spain on March 9. It remains unclear, however, what name the team will now operate or in what livery the cars will race. One possibility gaining credence is 'Brawn GP'.

As for the drivers, an official statement has revealed that Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello will race for the new team.