European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 1, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Wednesday february 1, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 25 racing Roundup Phoenix up Hof race guaranteed we noted last week that Phoenix ariz., was among the candidates for hosting the . Grand prix on june 4, but added that the heat would make things intolerable for racing. Phoenix would be great for a grand prix in january we said. But june forget it. Now you May recall that a . Grand prix was staged in Dallas during july 1984 and that most Drivers on raceway morning yet threatened to Boycott it because among other things they found during the morning Warmup session that the track was disintegrating under the Texas Sun. It took Finland s Keke Rosberg always a Brave Man to motivate his colleagues to go out and give it a go and they reluctantly did. The fact that the race was being carried live worldwide by television also had something to do with it along with threats from the team owners like no race no so they raced but afterwards All the Drivers including Rosberg cried never again and sure enough that was the end of formula one grand prix racing in Dallas. Rosberg by the Way won that first and last Dallas up in a Williams Ford. Now heat or no heat Phoenix has won out Over such logical Sites As Laguna Seca raceway in Monterey calif., and it will be entertaining to hear the anguished wails of the grand prix Drivers once again. They Are not racing in Detroit this year because they Don t like that Street circuit. It was not Safe enough. Now the Phoenix layout May be safer but then who knows the race is Only four months away and no one has an idea of what the downtown circuit will look like or what kind of surfacing will be used to withstand pressure from High Speed formula one cars in the desert Sun. We Are not knocking Arizona by any Means. We lived in Tucson for Many enjoyable years while working for the Tucson daily citizen. It s just that the summer season in Southern Arizona attracts Little publicity in the various chamber of com Merce brochures. But in his infinite Wisdom Bernie Ecclestone the Czar of formula one racing finalized an agreement with Phoenix last week and All agreed that the race will be run on a 2.3-mile downtown Street course of some kind. The Phoenix City Council authorized a five year contract for formula one races along with an option for five More years. Phoenix plans to make a lot of Money out of the Deal and has also been willing to spend a lot to become Host of the . Grand prix. The formula one people also plan to make a bundle. If you look at All this from a cynical Angle you might come to the conclusion that a formula one race could be staged in Tierra Del Fuego if the Money were right. But Back to the . Grand prix. If the Drivers Clad in fire resistant Long underwear and fire resistant racing suits heavy gloves and All the rest survive the rays of the Phoenix Sun in june this year then things May improve. Ecclestone said at a press conference that future world championship races in Phoenix May be run in the autumn or the Winter but that plans have not been finalized yet. After the june 4 race at 115 degrees or so we have a Hunch that these plans will be finalized in a hurry. Joachim Winkelhoch Winner of last year s German formula 3 championship has achieved his goal of moving into formula one Rac ing by signing a contract with the French based age team. He will be partnered by the French Man Philippe Streiff who drove for age last year after leaving the British Tyrrell team. Streiff has driven in formula one since 1984. Racing Joachim Winkelhoch the announcement of Winkelhoch s move into formula one was made by his sponsors . Reynolds to Bacco International Reynolds saying that this announcement confirms our continued policy of supporting Young up and coming talents As Well As our support of established formula one the press release also confirmed Streiff s signing with age for the 1989 season. Streiff turned in several notable performances last year for the fledgling French team which is entering its third season in formula one racing. Winkelhoch and Streiff Are scheduled to go testing late this month with new age cars powered by Ford co Worth engines. We talked to Winkelhoch during the German grand prix last year and he said at the time that his Only ambition was to move up to formula one and that he hoped to make it for the 1989 season. Now that he has moved into the top echelons of racing he should do Well even though the age team is anything but a leading one. Regardless Winkelhoch will give it his Best Effort. Now 28, Winkelhoch started racing in 1980 in the Renault 5 series and while he was always relatively successful on his moves into higher categories Lack of funds kept him from his formula one goal. He finished second in the German formula 3 championship in 1987, and then last year with Strong sponsorship from Reynolds he won the for Mula 3 title. His brother Manfred an extremely popular Driver who raced for the ats and ram formula one teams was killed in 1985 while driving in a world championship sports car race in Canada. With Winkelhoch s signing there will be four German Drivers in formula one racing this season the others being Christian Danner and Volker Weidler on the rial team and Bernd Schneider who continues with Zak Speed. This is the largest contingent of German Drivers in formula one since pre world War ii racing Days. The first major sports car race of the year gets under Way this weekend with the 24 hours of Daytona this race the opening round in the North american International motor sports association Simsa championship series. The organizers report that last year s Winner Jaguar along with Nissan Toyota and private entry porsche teams Are All planning to Field cars. The first round in the sports car world championship series meanwhile takes place april 9 in Suzuka Japan. And where the world championship is concerned the British Aston Martin company announced last week that it plans a full return to Competition in that series and will enter the first round in Japan. Aston Martin which will Field a pair of 700 horsepower cars has signed the British Drivers Brian Redman and David Leslie. The Veteran red Man has competed in All types of racing his career starting in the mid-1960s. Aston Martin which challenged Jaguar and Mer cedes for supremacy in sports car racing during the 1950s, will do the entire championship series including the 24 hours of be mans. An Aston Martin car driven by the texan Carroll Shelby and the englishman Roy Salvadori won the be mans race 30 years ago that 1959 Victory Aston Martin s Only one on the famous Sarthe circuit. Aston Martin which is owned by Ford said it will spend $45 million Over the next six years to bring its racing team up to top standards. In next week s racing Roundup column we will publish the annual racing schedules these to include the formula one grand prix world driving championship series the sports car world championship German touring car championship european drag racing championship european historic car championship european truck racing championship Lascar cart indy car and Simsa along with the world championship schedules for motorcycle racing and Motocross. Where to go this weekend the 6th International adar Hallen Cross Berlin an in door Motocross will be staged on saturday in the deutschland Halle in Berlin with the action Start ing at 6 . And ending about 11 . Top riders from Germany the United states France Austria and other nations Are entered. The riders will com Pete in this Motocross aboard 125cc bikes. The stars and stripes norwegian stakes his claim by Piero Valsecchi Beaver Creek Colo. A watch out for Ole Christian Furuseth. The Blond haired 21-year-old norwegian has not won a world cup race yet but he s being dubbed As a future Champion of Alpine skiing. His consistency in slalom and giant slalom races this season has been second Only to top guns Marc Girar Delli and Alberto Tomba and his sensational first in the slalom portion of the world championship combined event monday was a testament to his improved Talent Between the Gates. No doubt he s one of the Best technical skiers of the new generation. He has a Bright future ahead said Mario Cote i an italian television commentator who was the technical director of Gustav Thoeni and Pierino Gros at the time the italian ski team earned the nickname Blue Avalanche because of its winning streaks. In monday s race Furuseth Defeated the slalom elite including former world slalom Champion Jonas Nilsson of Sweden Girardelli Liechtenstein Veteran Paul Frommelt world cup Overall Champion Pirmin Zurbriggen and the Best austrian Gate skiers. Tomba who does not run downhills and therefore skipped the combined was not among the , whose Best result had been a 15th slalom world ski championships place on his second world cup season last year explained that better physical conditioning combined with new skis and boots were behind his Good Start this Victory by one Hundredth of a second Over Nils son could hardly give him a medal in the combined a downhill specialists such As Girardelli Zurbriggen and Markus Wasmeier of West Germany Are expected tomake up for monday s Gap in Friday s downhill por , a norwegian who is expected to renew the memorable world cup deeds of countryman Erik Haker in the 1970s, conceded he will be behind in the downhill a discipline he has not skied this his two faultless heats indicated that he can shoot for a medal in the regular championship slalom while being rated among the favourites in the giant Sla has made the top 10 in six world cup slalom this season and finished second to Girardell in a giant slalom at Adele Den Switzerland. Several experts Are betting that he will take a world cup race before the ski season ends in March. The Saga of scandinavian Gate winners initiated by Sweden s Ingemar Stenmark seems Likely to continue. Ole Christian Furuseth leans into monday s Victory. A
