• FIA demands action after racist abuse at Barcelona F1 test
• British GP still under threat despite Silverstone go ahead
• Australia rejects F1 night race demand, GP under threat
• Austrian F1 circuit renovation plan abandoned
• ACO adds Chinese race
• BTCC renews UK TV deal
• SEAT to generate 11.2 GWh of solar power at Martorell plant

• AIAM supports EPA's refusal of federal waiver for Californian emissions legislation

• Ex-Shell chairman: EU should impose absolute 35 mpg limit on new cars
• London Low Emissions Zone for >12 tonne trucks in force from today

The FIA has demanded action from the Real Federacion Espanola de Automovilismo, the governing body of Spanish motorsport, after McLaren-Mercedes Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton was subjected to racist abuse by spectators while testing an F1 car at the Catalunya circuit in Barcelona last week.

In 2007 Spanish driver Fernando Alonso was Hamilton’s team mate at McLaren and is felt to have been unfairly treated by the team in the view of some of his supporters.

According to Spanish media reports Hamilton was jeered whenever he made his way from the McLaren-Mercedes motorhome to the pits, that racist taunts had been heard and that large sections of the crowd had been involved. In response the circuit owners closed sections of the grandstands adjacent to the McLaren pits and erected a fence between the McLaren motorhome and the pits.

The RFSA has been asked to submit a report explaining what happened and how it intends to prevent a reoccurrence of such behaviour.

An FIA spokesman told the UK’s Guardian newspaper, "We have not yet received a full report but we have received clear assurances from the circuit and sporting authorities in Spain that measures are now in place to prevent any repetition of the kind of racist abuse witnessed last weekend.

"We understand that such abuse is a criminal offence under Spanish law and the authorities will not hesitate to act if required. This zero tolerance approach is welcomed by the FIA and we will monitor events very closely at the forthcoming formula one tests to ensure that everything is done to prevent any repeat of those appalling scenes in Barcelona.

"Racism has no place in motor sport and racists will not be allowed to hijack our sport from the many millions of genuine motor racing fans from across the world."

The Guardian also quoted Ramon Padreras, the managing director of the Circuit de Catalunya, who said the incidents been blown out of proportion. He said, "Last Friday, 10 people with a megaphone behaved in an unacceptable way against the British driver. Right away, we kicked two of them out, we cleared the stands right in front of McLaren's garage and we decided to take measures for Saturday, closing up the terrace right above them. The problem was solved then.

"In no way can the behaviour of 10 fans represent the 55,000 who enjoyed the three days and knew how to behave. I think that in some cases the behaviour of some 10 or 15 people has been taken out of context, and we are in complete disagreement with that information.”

Plans for the redevelopment of the UK’s Silverstone race circuit near Northampton in order to secure the future of the British Grand Prix at the venue have received local council approval opening the way for an application for planning permission. Despite this Formula One impresario Bernie Ecclestone has reiterated his view that the future of the race is uncertain.

On Monday the Joint Silverstone Circuit Development Brief was adopted by South Northamptonshire Council's Cabinet Committee having already been endorsed by the Aylesbury Vale District Council. The Brief sets out the "Vision for the Circuit" and the principles of sustainable development which will maximise the social and economic benefits for the local and regional area. It also sets out the land use and infrastructure requirements against which any future planning application has to be assessed.

Silverstone development director Spencer Canning said, "The adoption of the Development Brief means that for the first time in its long and illustrious history, Silverstone is now being considered as a whole, with an eye towards what it can deliver to the UK as well as meeting the needs of the Grand Prix.

"This is an important step towards creating a framework for the delivery of a world- class venue for motorsport, education and high technology development.

"The decision is also testament to the enthusiasm and dedication of all the agencies and organisations who have worked on this important step, including the local authorities, the South East of England Development Agency, the East Midlands Development Agency, Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire County Councils and the government."

Richard Phillips, the managing director of Silverstone Circuits Limited said, "With the Development Brief in place we can now complete the preparation of a planning application to bring the circuit facilities into the 21st Century and transform Silverstone into a world leading centre for business, leisure and technology. This will ensure the UK remains at the forefront of the motorsport industry and maintain its position as a major regional and national employer."

Robert Brooks, the chairman of the British Racing Drivers Club, which owns Silverstone, said, "Our members are excited about the future of Silverstone and welcome this essential step towards delivering the much needed improvement of facilities on the site. The joint decision of the local authorities means we can move forward quickly to protect Silverstone's status as a global leader and the home of motor racing."

In an interview in the UK’s Daily Telegraph Bernie Ecclestone responded to the Silverstone announcement by saying, "Assume the facilities are built and we like it. The next problem is the commercial agreement for us to be there.

"This has not been discussed other than the guy who came to see me some time ago saying there is no way we could pay you even what we have paid you in the past. So there are two things to overcome. First they need to build the facilities, then they need to pay the market rate. There is no sentiment in this from my point of view. I want only what we do in any other country, no more, no less. I sincerely hope they are in a position to deliver what they know they have to carry out to get the grand prix in 2010."

The organisers of the Formula One Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, Victoria have rejected a demand to stage their race at night or risk losing it.

Although Formula One impresario Bernie Ecclestone was again quoted over the weekend as say that the future or the race could not be guaranteed unless its was held at a time that better accommodated European television schedules, Victoria Tourism Minister Tim Holding told The Age newspaper, "We don't want to lose it, but we don't want to pay any price for it either. So it's a balance.

"We've made it clear that we wouldn't have a night race and Mr Ecclestone has made it clear that he accepts that decision and, in fact, supports it."

Speaking to the Australian Daily Telegraph newspaper Ecclestone said, “In Melbourne, if we were to continue to be there, we would have to have a night race. That would be the only option.

"Maybe we don't want to be in Australia. Our costs are very high in Australia and we get a lot less money. It's bloody bad for us.

"We've got quite a few places on the list that would like to have Formula One and, as it seems your guy (Victorian Premier John Brumby) down there doesn't want Formula One, we can make him happy and make the other people happy."

In late 2007 Victorian Premier John Brumby said that the future of the F1 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne was in doubt if it became too expensive and licence fees went up after it emerged that the 2007 race race lost almost $35 million. The Melbourne contract comes up for renewal in 2010 and New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma has restated his interest in bringing race to Sydney if the price is right. He said, "Sydney is Australia's only global city, having held the most successful Olympics of all time, the best rugby world cup in living memory. If it comes up in 2010 ... for the right price and the right deal, Sydney is the right city."

Plans for 750-million Euro renovation of the A1-Ring race circuit, which last staged the Formula One Austrian Grand Prix in 2003, have been abandoned.

The circuit at Spielberg in the country’s Styrian region was originally built in the late 1960s when it was known as the Oesterreichring. From 1970 to 1987 it was a regular and popular fixture on the Formula One calendar.

After the circuit was shortened, updated and re-named the A1-Ring it staged the F1 Austrian Grand Prix on seven further occasions starting in 1997. In 2004 the track was acquired by Red Bull energy drinks magnate Dietrich Mateschitz who demolished much of the circuit infrastructure in preparation for a programme of renovations.

A 750-million Euro project had been under discussion which included a motorsport and aviation center with a luxury hotel and academy at the site of the former F1 race track but on Tuesday the Austrian Wiener Zeitung newspaper carried a report which said that a plan to revive the circuit as either a new race venue or a related project had been abandoned. This followed an announcement by Styrian governor Franz Voves that a meeting of representatives of potential investors Red Bull, KTM and Magna had been decided the project was not economically feasible.

The future of the site is now uncertain, the Wiener Zeitung story says that Styrian economic councillor Christian Buchmann had appealed to Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz to come up with a suitable proposal and that there was a small chance of a smaller, follow-on project featuring a race track “with a public character.”

According to the report Red Bull has said it will restore the circuit to its original condition and pursue contacts with firms in the automotive and motorsports industries to see if a smaller, follow-on project is feasible. If it is not, Red Bull will return the property to the provincial government.

The French Automobile Club de l’Ouest, the organiser of the Le Mans 24 Hour race, has announced that it will stage a 1000 kilometre sportscar endurance race in China in 2008.

The race is scheduled to take place on the Shanghai International Circuit November 2nd and the ACO hopes that it will attract entries from competitors in both the European base Le Mans Series and the US based American Le Mans Series.

The Shanghai 1000 Kms is intended to be a pilot event for an Asian Le Mans Series in 2009, will include at least two events, one in China and one in Japan.

An incentive to participate in the Shangahi race is that the winners of the LM P1, LM P2, LM GT1 and LM GT2 categories will receive an automatic invitation for the 2009 Le Mans 24 Hours.

The organisers of the British Touring Car Championship have confirmed that they have finalised a new three year agreement of UK television coverage of the championship which will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2008.

Under the terms of the new deal with the UK commercial terrestrial network ITV the BTCC will, in 2008, enjoy a total of 46 hours of live air time on the ITV4 digital in addition extended coverage of the main ITV 1 channel. Eight of the ten rounds of the championship will be shown live and non-stop on ITV4.

Alan Gow, the BTCC series director, said, “This is fantastic news for everyone associated with the BTCC – our teams, drivers, partners and fans – who will all benefit from the increased ITV coverage of our events. To have 76 hours of BTCC programming is simply phenomenal... that’s a staggering 4,560 minutes of ITV scheduling, broadcast on both the ‘free to air’ digital and terrestrial platforms.

“With five hours of live coverage on race-day, ITV4 is able to now devote more time and resources to fully cover our events as well as to reflect on the BTCC’s history, in what is the championship’s 50th anniversary season.

“ITV has been the BTCC’s TV broadcaster since 2002 – and the fact that it has embarked on such an expansion of its coverage, while also committing to a multi-year agreement, is solid proof of its enthusiasm for the championship as a major sporting spectacle for its viewers.”

Mark Sharman, ITV’s director of News and Sport, said, “We are delighted to have secured coverage of the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship for ITV4 – as the channel is an increasing destination for premium sports events and is now available to almost nine out of ten UK homes, as well as being simulcast on itv.com.

“This new contract will see a significant increase in the airtime we are devoting to the BTCC, allowing us to broadcast the races live and reflect more of the excitement and scale of the ten events.”

SEAT is this year planning to become one of the world's largest solar energy generators, with the firm's factory at Martorell to see the large-scale installation of solar panels generating enough renewable power to avoid the emission of more than 11,700 tonnes of CO2 a year.

By putting up a 8.5 megawatt (MW) array of solar photovoltaic panels, the system will generate 11.2 Gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity a year by the end of 2008. The first phase of solar panels will be placed on the roof of SEAT's corporate building in Martorell, as well as on the support structure of one of the finished vehicle parking lots.

The next step will be to cover two more distribution areas with a total surface area of more than 66,000 m2 (16.3 acres). Adding panels to the roofs of several other assembly buildings will further increase generating capacity by 139,000 m2 (34.3 acres).

Another recent advance at Martorell is expected to remove up to 25,000 trucks from Spain’s roads. On 18th January the first FGC (Ferrocarriles de la Generalitat de Catalunya) train carrying vehicles from the SEAT factory in Martorell reached the Port of Barcelona.

The trip marked the culmination of a €6.8 million (£5 million) project to connect SEAT-Martorell and the port by rail. To create the connection between the Martorell factory and the port a new branch line had to be built, part of the main railway line adapted and a new access point to the unloading area of the port created. When fully operational the new goods transport service will see two trains per day transport an expected 80,000 vehicles per year.

On 1st February the U.S. Association of International Automobile Manufacturers (AIAM) issued a statement reiterating its support for a single federal approach to improving motor vehicle fuel economy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by intervening on the side of EPA in a lawsuit brought by the State of California against EPA concerning California's greenhouse gas emissions regulations.

"This is not a lawsuit to resist greenhouse gas emissions regulation. Rather, our intervention is focused on only one issue -- who should set those standards," said Michael J. Stanton, President and CEO of AIAM. "We believe that for important policy and legal reasons, it is the federal government that should set those standards."

Stanton added, "In fact, AIAM was one of the most vocal supporters of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which requires an overall interim fleet standard of at least 35 mpg by 2020 - an increase in fuel economy of 40% or more - and the 'maximum feasible' level fuel economy by 2030.”

Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, the former chairman of Shell, now chairman of the mining group Anglo American, told the BBC R4 Today programme this morning that the EU should ban the sale of new cars that do under 35 mpg, rather than simply tax them. Recalling the London-wide absolute ban on coal fires, he said taxing the use of high-consumption cars simply let rich people avoid taking responsibility for tackling climate change.

Interviewed on the views he had expressed on the BBC News website’s ‘Green Room’ opinion pages, Sir Mark said: "Nobody needs a car that does 10-15 mpg. We need very tough regulation saying that you can't drive or build something less than a certain standard. You would be allowed to drive an Aston Martin - but only if it did 50-60mpg."

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders spokesman Nigel Wonnacott said it was enough that drivers of polluting cars already paid extra through VED (road tax) and petrol duty, but Sir Mark said his years in industry had taught him that the market would provide solutions if governments demanded them with enough conviction, and the EU was “far too lax” with motor manufacturers.

On average, European manufacturers’ products do currently achieve approximately 35 mpg, and the European Commission’s proposal for a fleet-average 130 g/km CO2 tailpipe emissions limit per manufacturer is roughly equivalent to raising each manufacturer’s fuel economy target by around 25%. The maximum fines currently envisaged for manufacturers’ failure to meet the new CO2 limit would impose on Porsche (according to analyst John Lawson of Citigroup, as reported by British columnist Neil Winton in today’s Detroit News), a cost of over £13,000 per Cayenne SUV sold. Porsche is currently developing a hybrid version of the vehicle.

- A new tax which came into force in the Netherlands on Friday 1st February penalising cars that exceed a CO2 emissions limit unspecified by Planet Ark’s report brought forward sales of some high-consumption cars. A Mercedes-Benz Netherlands spokesman said the cost after tax of high-end V8 models could easily increase by up to €10,000.

The Dutch Cabinet agreed in December road pricing on all Dutch roads, differentiated according to time, place and environmental factors, starting with freight transport in 2011 subject to negotiations with neighbouring countries, with passenger cars following a year later.

The Road Haulage Association has estimated that nearly 20,000 goods vehicles will be affected by London’s Low Emission Zone which comes into force today, charging operators of pre-Euro III trucks over 12 tonnes GVW £200 per day to enter it. Transport for London identified 120,000 trucks over 12 tonnes operating inside the zone during six months of monitoring in 2007, and estimates 10% of them, built before 2001, do not meet Euro III, which limited particulate emissions to 0.05 g/km.