Late Racing News.(Brief Article)

IRL is fast at Richmond

The action at Richmond International Raceway is some of the fastest in motorsports, particularly when you consider the shortness of the racing line (.750 mile). Jeff Gordon set the Winston Cup record in 1999 at 21.344 seconds, a speed of 126.499 mph and the overall track record belongs to Randy Tolsma in a USAC Silver Crown car (131.374 mph). So why will heads be spinning in late June? Because the IRL's first race at the track June 30 will produce unthinkable speeds if testing is anything to go by. During an open test last week, Buddy Lazier ran a lap of 16.796 seconds, which equates to 160.753 mph. Eddie Cheever also ran laps in the 16-second bracket.

Will we see it?

MG's new Le Mans contender could race in the States this year. That's the message coming out of Lola, which is masterminding the British marque's racing return. Managing director David Bowes predicts ``another race or two'' after the LMP675 class car's Le Mans debut next month. Outings in the American Le Mans Series are one possibility. ``Petit Le Mans would be a good one to do,'' he says.

Bernie rising

Bernie Ecclestone sits at the top of this year's ``biggest risers'' section of The Sunday Times Rich List, following the sale of a further 25 percent of his F1 ...