Psychology of color

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Color is such an important element in our lives. It has been a part of the natural world since the beginning of time, yet we continue to be fascinated by the mysterious nature of this subject. Our personalities can be reflected in our color choices. Warm colors are red, orange, and yellow. These warm colors evoke emotions ranging from feelings of warmth and comfort to feelings of anger and hostility. Cool colors are blue, purple, and green. These colors are often described as calm, but can also call to mind feelings of sadness or indifference.

Psychology of color

Home page

Color is such an important element in our lives. It has been a part of the natural world since the beginning of time, yet we continue to be fascinated by the mysterious nature of this subject. Our personalities can be reflected in our color choices. Warm colors are red, orange, and yellow. These warm colors evoke emotions ranging from feelings of warmth and comfort to feelings of anger and hostility. Cool colors are blue, purple, and green. These colors are often described as calm, but can also call to mind feelings of sadness or indifference.

PHOTO GALLERY: Daytona 2000 by Dave Franks

29 pictures from Dave Franks (Thanks Dave!) from New Smyrna Speedway and Daytona Int'l Speedway (featuring mostly Canadians) from the year 2000. It's snowing outside (in Toronto), so I thought it would be nice to remember that racing isn't that far away.

Two Canadians rookies recognized for their efforts on the DIRTcar Racing NE Circuit In 2007

Weedsport, NY - Headed by Motorsports Safety Systems/G-FORCE Rookie of the Year award winners Mike Bowman (Advance Auto Parts Big-Block Modified), Eric Landry (358-Modified), Larry Wight (Sportsman) and Jocelyn Roy (UMP Pro Stock), the DIRTcar Racing NorthEast circuit boasted an influx of new talent during the 2007 season.

Those same four divisions accounted for 73 first-time feature winners in 663 events, meaning after every nine races there was a new face for fans to see in victory lane during the past season. And some of those same drivers made a return trip to the winner's circle, emerging even more familiar with solid showings in their respective home track point standings.

Of the 20 first-time DIRTcar Big-Block Modified winners, recently crowned Brewerton (NY) Speedway champion Willy Decker and New Jersey standout Ryan Godown led a half-dozen in repeat runs with four apiece. The mighty Modifieds staged 194 events at 29 tracks with 74 drivers taking checkered flags.

Chris Shultz, Jeremy Markle and Johnny Guarino logged inaugural Small-Block wins at Orange County Fair (NY) Speedway to pace a poised group of nine first-timers in the DIRTcar 358-Modified ranks. Seventeen tracks ran off 147 main events with 60 more drivers joining the finish line celebration.

A grand total of 34 new drivers graced victory lane in DIRTcar Sportsman competition with a dozen promoters handing out trophies to at least one first-time winner. In all, 81 different drivers showed their prowess in 222 features contested at 16 tracks around the Northeast.

Exactly 100 main events were charted for the DIRTcar Racing UMP Pro Stocks in '07 and 27 drivers made their maiden voyage to victory lane at seven tracks. Two-time defending overall Hoosier Tire-Sunoco Race Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Pro Stock Champion Pete Stefanski led every DIRTcar division with 17 feature wins.

For their own accomplishments, '07 DIRTcar NE rookies Bowman, Landry, Wight and Roy collected a $700 package Motorsports Safety Systems at the season ending awards banquet in November that included a new G-FORCE helmet, set of six-point G-FORCE safety belts, one pair of G-FORCE driving gloves, and a $225 gift certificate toward the purchase of a HANS device. Bowman was also awarded a ButlerBuilt Racing Seat valued at $2,000.

2007 Motorsports Safety Systems/G-FORCE Racing Gear
DIRTcar NorthEast Rookies of the Year

MIKE BOWMAN - Baldwinsville, N.Y. (20 yrs.)
- driver of the no. 16 Klaben Nursery-Fulton Springs/Bicknell Big-Block Modified entry;
- competed at Cayuga Co. (16th pts/1 top-10), Brewerton (21st/3 top-10), Fulton (24th/1 top-10);
- finished 24th in overall Mr. DIRTcar Modified points (9th-place best at Cayuga County);

ERIC LANDRY - Trois-Rivieres, QUE (26 yrs.)
- driver of the no. 81 D'Artagnon's Bar/Bicknell 358-Modified entry;
- competed at autodromes Drummond (12th pts/4 top-5, 7 to-10) and Granby (20th pts);
- finished 28th in overall Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified points (19th-place best at Drummond).

LARRY WIGHT - Phoenix, N.Y. (15 yrs.)
- driver of the no. 99 Gypsum Express-Stadium International/Bicknell Sportsman entry;
- competed at Can-Am (15th pts/3 top-5), Fulton (19th pts/2 top-5), Thunder Alley (16th pts/2 top-5);
- finished 8th in overall Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman pts (1 top-5, 4 top-10 finishes).

JOCELYN ROY - Ste-Helene, QUE (28 yrs.)
- driver of the no. 05 Roy Racing Products/Chevrolet Monte Carlo Pro Stock entry;
- competed at Cornwall (13th pts/2 Top-5); Semi-Pro at Drummond (11th pts), Granby (16th pts);
- finished 13th in overall Mr. DIRTcar Pro Stock pts standings (1 top-5, 3 top-10 finishes).

The Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Block Modifieds is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Advance Auto Parts, Hoosier Racing Tire and Sunoco Race Fuels. Promotional partners include AMB i.t., Rite Aid Corporation and the University of Northwestern Ohio and the contingency sponsors are Bert Transmission, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Crane Cams, Integra Shocks, MSD Ignitions, Motorsports Safety Systems, Penske Shocks and Wrisco Industries.

From Tom Skibinski, DIRTcar Racing NorthEast Public Relations Director

SAD NEWS: John Thompson has passed away

UPDATE (12/12/07): I just received a fax from Robbie Thompson, detailing the family's plans for visitation.

"Notice of Arrangements for John Thompson.

A private family service will be held following John's wishes.

John's love and friendship reached circles far and wide. From ball fields and hockey rinks to race car tracks, the trucking industry and world class golf courses, he touched many lives.

Friends and family are invited to join the family in a "Celebration of John's Life" at the Best Western 'Inn on the Bay' (located at 1800 - 2nd Avenue East, in Owen Sound, Ontario) on Saturday, December 15 from 2 to 6 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the Grey Bruce Regional Health Centre Foundation Oncology Department or NASCAR's 'Victory Junction Gang Camp' would be appreciated by the family.

'A time to share, reminisce and love all the many memories left by this great man.'

****

John Thompson, the father of former ALSTAR Series champ Robbie Thompson, passed away last night in a Toronto hospital.

Thompson, of Owen Sound, was well known in the Ontario racing scene as the sponsor of Don Biederman's legendary #43 car.

Details surrounding his passing and the family's plans for visitations and the funeral are not yet available. We will post the family's plans once they are released.

Inside Track offers its sincerest condolences to the family and friends of John Thompson. John always had a big smile on his face and I looked forward to speaking with him at the track.

(Photo: John and Robbie Thompson in victory lane following an ALSTAR race at Mosport Speedway in 2002 / Dave Franks Photo)

Rally champ ices title with consumer winter tires

In the last half of the last day of the last event of the year, reigning Canadian rally champion Antoine L’Estage turned to consumer winter tires from Yokohama to win one of the country’s toughest rallies and help secure his second consecutive Canadian Rally Championship.

For L’Estage, it was the culmination of a year spent pursuing the national title but not the first time the team has called on Yokohama winter tire technology to come through when it counted most.

L’Estage and co-driver Natalie Richard were virtually tied for the lead of November’s Rally of the Tall Pines when the team selected Yokohama Ice Guard tires to negotiate the icy roads and winter conditions in the closing hours of the season’s final rally. L’Estage and Richard, from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, turned their teamwork, driving skill, car preparation and traction from their winter tires into a decisive victory in the rally and their second national title.

It was the fifth win of 2007 for L’Estage, Richard and their powerful Hyundai Tiburon, and the sixth consecutive victory in the series for competitors using Yokohama tires.

While the six-event Canadian Rally Championship literally takes teams from the Atlantic to the Pacific, in every season, in every driving condition, it is the severe challenges of the winter events that forge an important link between professional rally drivers and consumers seeking the security, safety and predictable performance of winter tires for everyday use.

“What makes rallying so appealing to us, and what makes our involvement so relevant to our customers, is the fact that our teams can use regular street tires like the new Ice Guard IG 20 winter tires for the icy roads and winter conditions of Canadian rallies,” reflects Brad Sherwin, marketing communications manager for Yokohama Tire (Canada) Inc. “We think there’s no better real-world endorsement of our tires than success in Canadian rallies.”

The new Ice Guard IG 20 automobile tires, and companion Geolandar I/T G072 winter tires for light trucks and SUVs, were introduced across Canada this fall. Both the new Ice Guard IG 20 and Geolandar I/T lines utilize sophisticated new compounds featuring shelled microbubble and absorptive carbon flakes, as well as highly evolved tread designs optimized for each application.

In addition to the Yokohama Ice Guard winter tires, L’Estage and Richard rely on highly specialized Yokohama competition tires for the rugged mountain and forestry roads in the spring, summer and fall rally events.

Yokohama Tire (Canada) Inc. markets and distributes a full line of tires for high performance, passenger car, light truck, and commercial truck applications, as well as off-the-road tires for mining and construction applications. It maintains distribution centres across Canada to serve more than 800 independent tire dealers.

CHRISTIAN MILLER TO DRIVE WITH COMPASS360

December 11th, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Newark, CA -- Christian Miller returns to the KONI Challenge in 2008 after a successful run in 2007. This season, he's driving for Compass360 in their #75 Acura TSX, which he'll be sharing with Kevin York.

"I'm thrilled that Christian's joining our team," remarked Compass360's Karl Thomson. "We took note of him last year. He did a great job in an i-Moto TSX, getting a podium finish at Laguna Seca, and finishing fifth at Iowa." In fact, Miller had four top-ten finishes in ten race starts in 2007.

Christian, who competed in the 2005 SPEED World Challenge series for 034 Motorsports in his VW Jetta, started racing in 2001. He competed in SCCA Pro Spec Miata for three seasons, with numerous race wins, finishing fourth in that championship in 2003 and in 2004. He's also a regular Time Attack competitor, most recently taking the 034 Motorsports Audi to a class win at the 2007 Redline event at Laguna Seca.

"I'm really excited to be back in a TSX," enthused Miller. "Last season, I watched the Compass360 crew all year long and know the kind of preparation and commitment they bring to every race. They won four times and their cars were always at the top of the charts. I know we've got a strong package, and I'm looking forward to good results!"

The signing of Miller rounds out the second Acura of Compass360's three-car effort. Miller and York will share the #75 car, while team veterans Thomson and Travis Walker drive #76. The team is finalizing the driver line-up for their #74 car. "We're working to put together really strong driver line-ups in each car," noted Thomson. "Our goal is to have three cars that are capable of winning a championship, piloted by drivers that can win in endurance racing. I know Christian's one of those kind of guys and he's a great addition to our driver roster."

034 Motorsports is a well-known aftermarket performance tuner based in northern California. Miller heads their technical support group, and specializes in harness development. He's also lead test driver.

Compass360 Racing is the motorsports division of Compass360 Design + Advertising, a firm offering branding expertise to clients in diverse industries across North America. For details visit http:// www.compass360.com/racing or email racing at compass360 dot com.

PR inquiries about the Compass360 Racing team should be directed to Team Principal Karl Thomson at (416) 465-2299 x21 or email karlt at compass360 dot com

NASCAR Truck Series Test Concludes at Rockingham Speedway

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. (Dec. 12, 2007) - Five teams from the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series turned up for a two-day test session at the newly reopened Rockingham Speedway.
 
Johnny Benson, driver of the No. 23 Excide Batteries Toyota Tundra was the most experienced driver at Rockingham Speedway participating in the test. The 2002 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rockingham race winner was back at the speedway to test new engine components for his truck and to work on different set-ups that are more time consuming to try during a race weekend.
 
Four time Truck Series race winner, David Starr tested his Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra at Rockingham to help reacquaint himself with his old team – the team he also raced for during the 2006 season.
 
Three Truck Series rookies also joined the two veterans during over the two day period. Justin Marks attended the test driving for Germain Racing, Phillip McGilton driving the No. 22 for Bill Davis Racing and Donnie Lia driving the No. 59 Harris Trucking entry all turned numerous laps in their Toyotas. All three drivers were excited to get the opportunity to run laps at the fast, one-mile track.
 
Following are selected quotes from each of the drivers attending the two day test session:
 
Johnny Benson - No. 23 Bill Davis Racing Toyota
 
"I've always loved this race track. It is the same old Rockingham, it's bumpy, you slide around and stuff but man I have always loved this place it is way cool."
 
"I think the truck series would but on an excellent race here - they seem to put on great shows here no matter the series so I think a truck race would be awesome."
 
"The ARCA race here is going to be very cool. I am not sure if I can race in it but it would be fun to come watch. I really do hope the fans will come out and watch it."
 
"They are throwing a different restrictor plate spacer on us next year to slow us down, so we worked on that a lot to try and figure where that will put us as far as chassis set-ups with less power. It is just to try and give us a heads up on what the engine department needs and what we need to do with the chassis to compensate for it."
 
"I think it was a good test, we did a bunch to the chassis that we normally don't do or don't have time to do and we were just curious how it would work. You know normally when you go test it is a lot of different things you want to do, this or that but we tried something just totally different, something that you may not normally think about or just different areas of the truck that you just might not change at the track that is time consuming."
 
David Starr - Red Horse Racing Toyota
 
"I love Rockingham, it is a great race track, I grew up watching a lot of great races on television here and I've seen a lot of fantastic finishes. It's just a shame that the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series never got the chance to race here it would have been one heck of a race. All of the other NASCAR series put on a heck of a show here and I know the truck would to. Great place, it's got a lot of history and to be here and to be able to test here is really cool."
 
"It's a great place to test, we're working on a lot of suspension stuff – you always heard this place would wear out a lot of tires but it's not bad on tires, actually you can run about 30-35 laps on a set of tires."
 
"We have learned a lot of stuff; it's been good for our team, Red Horse Racing. We've learned so much we could quit right now but we still have a couple more hours to go. It's a great race track and a great place to test and we are going to benefit from it."
 
"We're working on suspension stuff and educating ourselves on stuff we can learn and hopefully take to other tracks."
 
"I wish Rockingham was on our 2008 schedule but hopefully in the future we will see it on the Truck Series schedule."
 
Justin Marks - Germain Racing Toyota
 
"This place is awesome, probably my new favorite track. Like my second or third lap this morning in the race car I was thinking I have got to come back here and run the ARCA race – it's a lot of fun. It's one of those tracks that is really rewarding when you get a good lap time because you really work for it, it's definitely a drivers track – it's bumpy and you really have to get up on the wheel to get a good time out of it and that is the type of track I love."
 
"I think the ARCA race is going to be awesome, I think it is going to be a difficult race because you will really have to show patients and respect the place but I definitely want to came back and be a part of it."
 
"The test was about 30% learning about the bump compliancy of the trucks and how the truck handles over the bumps and 70% for me to just get the opportunity to work with my team for next year and just get two solid days working with my crew chief Jason Overstreet."
 
"I got a couple of races under my belt at the end of last season but I am about to campaign for Rookie of the Year in the Truck Series so it is just a good opportunity to be working with the guys I am going to be working with all year and really get to know them and really work on developing that communication thing with Jason."
 
Phillip McGilton - No. 22 Bill Davis Racing Toyota
 
"I really like this track. This is the first time I ran here since I came here with Andy Hillenburg's FastTrack Driving School a couple of years ago and this is my first time back."
 
"I went through FastTrack here a couple of years ago with one of the three day schools and he [Andy Hillenburg] was one of the guys that helped me get started in racing and I owe a lot of thanks to him for giving me the chance to get the experience and get out there."
 
"It's a little bumpy in a couple of spots but that is good for what we are trying to achieve testing. I had a really good time with it, it's a lot of fun, it is kind of a challenging little track, kind of tricky to get around so it is really good for testing you have to really be on your game and hit your marks and stuff to get around here good."
 
Donnie Lia - No. 59 Harris Trucking Toyota
 
"I really like Rockingham; it's a lot of fun. I like the bumps and the speed and the banking – I am really enjoying it."
"We're just making changes set-up wise so I can get a feel of what different things do to the feel of the truck and so I can get accustomed to the way these things drive."
 
"We are running really good but everybody is trying different things I know some are running with next year's power packages and everyone's got different tires so I don't think you can really compare the times here today. But throwing the times away and just looking at how the truck feels and what we've learned I am really happy with today and it is really valuable for me to come and run laps, this place is so cool I'm really enjoying it."
# # #
 
From Charles Hudson

NASCAR PHOTOS: Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus and their 2008 car

- From Drew Brown / GMR Live

ACT/Thunder Road: Marjorie Fay to Step Down as Marketing Director

WATERBURY, VT – Marjorie Fay will step down from her position as Director of Marketing and Advertising from the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) stock car racing sanctioning body, which also operates Thunder Road International Speedbowl in Barre, VT, effective December 13.  Fay was hired to the organization as Director of Media in 1985, and held several positions in the company during the last 23 racing seasons.

"My time at ACT and Thunder Road has provided much professional and personal development, and it has been inspiring to work with such talented people both on and off the track," she said.  "I will miss it."

During her tenure, Fay was the recipient of the 1995 ACT President's Award, as well as the 2004 Ken Squier Award for exceptional service to fans and competitors.  Fay was also Chief Scorer for the ACT Late Model Tour, the Série ACT Castrol in Canada, and weekly events at Thunder Road since 1999.

"Marjorie has spent over 22 years helping to build ACT racing," said ACT President and Thunder Road Promoter Tom Curley.  "Her work in a multitude of areas is appreciated, and she will be missed."

For more information on ACT, visit www.acttour.com or call (802) 244-6963.  For information on Thunder Road, visit www.thunderroadspeedbowl.com.

From Justin St. Louis / ACT

(Wow. This marks the end of an era. To many, Tom Curley and Marjorie Fay were the ACT. Congratulations to Marjorie on her career with ACT and T-Road and all the best to her in her future endeavours. - G.M.)

Grand Bend Motorplex: Pro-Am coming to Canada

The management of the Grand Bend Motorplex and IHRA have entered into an Agreement that will make Grand Bend the site of the first IHRA Pro-Am racing event in Canada.

"We're proud to be hosting this event. The Summit Pro-Am Tour is a perfect addition to our racing season here at GBM," said Paul Spriet, Chief Operating Officer of the Motorplex. "We were honored to bring IHRA National event drag racing into Canada in 2000, and we're honored to do the same thing with the IHRA Sportsman Series."

The event will feature Summit Pro-Am points-races each day, allowing racers two chances to win points and purse in one weekend. GBM also plans to run specialty classes both days to allow every competitor to do as much racing as possible while they're on site. The double event will feature all Summit Pro-Am classes: Top Sportsman, Top Dragster, Quick Rod, Super Rod and Hot Rod. Also competing will be the always popular, Super Stock and Stock classes.

Grand Bend Motorplex, the home of the Mopar Canadian Nationals presented by Castrol, is located just outside the popular resort town of Grand Bend, The track is only a five minute drive from the beaches, shops and nightlife of town, making it a popular stop for racers looking for some R & R (Racing and Relaxing).

From Ron Biekx / GBM

A1GP Team Canada: Wickens to Lead Canada's Chinese Charge

Montréal, Canada (December 11, 2007) - Toronto's Robert Wickens will once again lead A1 Team Canada's charge as Round 4 of the 2007-08 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport heads to pastures new and the introduction of China's Zhuhai International Circuit to the schedule this weekend, Friday 14th - Sunday 16th December.

Following a stellar race debut last time out in Malaysia, where Wickens scored Canada's first podium and points of the season courtesy of a third place Sprint finish, the 18-year-old will remain behind the wheel with the team looking to build momentum in China before heading into the Christmas break.  With the 4.3km Zhuhai track debuting on the A1GP schedule, the first of two rounds hosted in China, Robert's rookie status will further benefit Canada as the 2006 Formula BMW USA Champion is eligible to run in Friday morning's 'Rookie-Only' session with 50-minutes extra track time.

As in Malaysia, James Hinchcliffe will again accompany the team, the 21-year-old's experience behind the wheel of the 550bhp A1GP car, in which he has 18 career starts to-date, invaluable as Canada looks to crack the top-ten in the A1GP Nations Standings from its current 12th place foot-hold.  Hinchcliffe led laps for the Canadian entry at the corresponding round last season in China, the races on that occasion situated on a tight, challenging street circuit in the capital city of Beijing.

Wickens is similarly eager to run at the front of the pack and is looking forward to sampling the Zhuhai International Circuit, situated on China's South Coast not far from Macau and Hong Kong.

"It seems like it's a pretty fast track," stated the teenager.  "Obviously I don't know too much about it having never raced there but it looks like it's got some fast corners and in particular the last one leading onto the start-finish straight.  We've all got plenty of practice time over the weekend so the fact that none of us have raced there before won't be a factor as you can pick up the characteristics of a track pretty quickly.  Hopefully we'll get the results the team deserves.  Malaysia went well for us, we scored points and reached the podium so hopefully we can build on that and stay consistent!"

Team Manager Simon Cayzer echoed Wickens' thoughts; "We had a good weekend in Malaysia so we want to keep building on that momentum.  We've never raced at Zhuhai but, although it's a new circuit for everyone, it's still going into the unknown so we've done a lot of work since the last race on simulations and finding out as much about the circuit as possible before we arrive.  It'll be really interesting as it puts everyone on a level playing field and I'm keen to see where we are in comparison.  We're still not quite where we want to be, which is right with the front-runners, but we're moving in the right direction and we'll be pushing really hard to get there this weekend."

Sunday's 20-minute Sprint race starts at 11am local time (10pm EST Saturday 15th December) with the 70-minute Feature race starting at 3pm in China (2am EST Sunday 16th December).  Live Feature streaming available via - www.a1gp.com

SPEED will air Round 4 as a tape-delay on Thursday 27th December at Noon EST - www.speedtv.com

Top-Ten A1GP Standings - Round 3/10: 1st Switzerland (61), 2nd France (53), 3rd New Zealand (46), 4th Netherlands (39), 5th South Africa (39), 6th Great Britain (37), 7th Ireland (31), 8th Brazil (22), 9th Mexico (17), 10th China (16), *12 Canada (10)
ENDS - www.a1teamcan.com

Photo Credit: 'A1 Team Canada's Robert Wickens made the top-three on his debut in Malaysia' - Jakob Ebrey Photography
Copyright-free A1 Team Canada images are available for download at www.a1gp-photo.com/can

From: A1 Team Canada Media Relations: Stuart Morrison - PR & Media Manager

Shameless self promotion

Click here for the podcast of the Dec. 9 Raceline Radio show. During the broadcast, I was interviewed by host Erik Tomas about some of the highlights from the recent Canadian stock car season, including the NASCAR race weekend in Montreal.

- (G.M.)

We can't confirm that Alonso's contract stipulates that Piquet's car will only have 3 wheels....

From TSN

"Alonso steps back into a situation at Renault that he found unworkable at McLaren - a rookie teammate with the potential to overshadow him. However, you can bet this time around that the Spaniard has asked for and will likey receive special treatment in order to avoid a repeat of 2007. " (Continued at the link above).

Fernando Alonso will return to Renault starting in 2008. See below for a picture of the car his new teammate Nelson Piquet Jr. will be driving, so as not to be a threat to the 2-time world champion....

And your prize is.... NO RACE FOR YOU

From IMS

IMS WINS PRESTIGIOUS FORMULA ONE PROMOTIONAL AWARD

INDIANAPOLIS, Monday, Dec. 10, 2007 ­ The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has won the FIA Formula One Promotional Trophy, presented to the best promoter and event organizer in Formula One each year.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway CEO Tony George accepted the trophy during the season-ending FIA Gala awards ceremony Dec. 7 in Monaco. It's the second time in seven years IMS has won the award, also capturing the honor in 2000 after the inaugural United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis.

"The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has enjoyed hosting the FIA Formula One World Championship and the United States Grand Prix since 2000," George said. "On behalf of our dedicated employees, the citizens of Indianapolis and all of the fans who have supported the event, we appreciate being recognized with this honor."

IMS played host to Formula One from 2000-07 on a 2.605-mile road course that incorporated part of the historic oval. The race is not on the 2008 Formula One schedule.

RallyCross: Autodrome St-Eustache (Dec. 9, 2007) by Rick Young

Rick Young's 'Rick @ the Races'
December 7, 2007 .... RallyCross at Autodrome St-Eustache

I woke early this morning and traveled the one and a half hours to St Eustache in Quebec, to see an unexpected addition to my 2007 racing season. Since my trip to Middletown NY for the Eastern States Weekend, I've been taking it easy waiting for the winter ice racing to start. A couple of days ago, I happened to be surfing the internet and came across a RallyCross taking place this weekend , not far from home.

The first of three events in 'La Super-Serie De Rallye Cross CADSI 2008 ' was at the Autodrome St Eustache . St Eustache is a town situated a short distance north of Montreal and during the regular season the track hosts NASCAR sanctioned stock car racing. I'd seen racing on the oval before, but this was the first time I'd been there for a RallyCross .

There were quite a few cars in attendance with the majority being Subaru's, many of which had been driven to the event by their owners. There were two tracks in use, one which utilized part of the regular oval and the other which used the extended area of the facility which consists of a long straight which goes out into the 'countryside'. Both tracks were covered in snow following a late November 'dump' of the 'white stuff'.

The North American way of doing RallyCross is a lot different to the way I'm used to it being done in Europe. Instead of four cars racing wheel to wheel for a handful of laps, they race solo against the clock, one car at a time. It's more of a participation thing for the individual driver rather than an exciting spectator sport. Everyone seamed to be enjoying themselves, and it was definitely more fun to watch than some of the time trials I have to endure at the big races I attend. I must admit, I wouldn't mind giving it a try myself.