As of 1st June 2005, Dominik Hoberg (34) became Director of Corporate Image at Automobili Lamborghini, a new function in the company. He is responsible for strengthening the image of the House of the Raging Bull worldwide. In this new position, Hoberg coordinates the activities of the Merchandising department and also the Communication department, which remains the responsibility of Sergio Fontana (54), the Press Spokesman for the company. Dominik Hoberg, who reports to Stephan Winkelmann, the President of Automobili Lamborghini, was born on 17th November 1970 in Cologne. He worked previously at Fiat Automobil AG (Germany), where he was Press Spokesman for the Alfa Romeo and Lancia brands.

Alfa Romeo are presenting two Alfa 159 models, a 3.2-litre V6 and a M-Jet tubodiesel, at the 2005 Autosalon Brno which opens its doors to the public today, and runs until next weekend. Autosalon Brno, the Crezch Republic's bi-annual International Motor Show, is one of the most significant trade fairs of its kind in Central Europe and it is included in the prestigious calendar of motor shows of O.I.C.A., International Organisation of Car Manufacturers.

Scuderia Ecosse is delighted to announce today that Nathan Kinch, Andrew Kirkaldy and Anthony Reid will drive the team's Ferrari 360 GTC at Le Mans this month. Anthony Reid completes an all-Scottish line up for the Edinburgh-based team embarking on its first Le Mans campaign with high expectations. This will be the sixth Le Mans 24 Hours for the Scot whose long, successful career has spanned single-seaters, touring cars and sports car racing. Most recently Anthony was crowned 2004 BTCC Independent Champion and won the inaugural 'BTCC Masters' event. He's looking forward to joining Scuderia Ecosse at Le Mans: "This is a very interesting opportunity for me. Le Mans is an amazing event and one that I thoroughly enjoy taking part in; in fact it is my favourite circuit of them all. I am very proud to be part of a Scottish team at one of motorsport's most prestigious events and I'll be doing everything I can to make sure we come away with a great result!"

The Segal and Barbosa crew guided the Scuderia Ferrari of Washington GT-class Maserati Trofeo Light to a superb fifth place in the testing Grand American Rolex Sportscar Series 6 Hours of Mt Tremblant, in Canada yesterday. Heavy rain fell for four of the six hours of the race, influencing the outcome. The Trofeo Light did not take part in the last race at Laguna Seca in order to prepare properly for this event. The tactic paid off as the car held the lead in the GT class for more than an hour and was in the top five throughout. It was a solid performance and one that bodes well for the rest of the championship.

Fiat Auto's new Panda has just been voted Best Budget Car in the Diesel Car of the Year Awards 2005. New Panda, voted Car of the Year 2004 by a wide-ranging international jury of senior motoring journalists, has already won over the UK automotive press; picking up a series of important awards, including Auto Express Car of the Year, Auto Express Budget Car and City Car, What Car? City Car of the Year, and Top Gear Budget Car of the Year. All commentators have been repeatedly impressed by Panda’s winning combination of build quality, space, refinement, big car feel, comfort, driving pleasure and value for money. In securing this latest award, the Fiat Panda MultiJet beat off strong competition from the Smart Forfour and Vauxhall Corsa 1.7 CTDi to claim top honours. Diesel Car's journalist judging panel were unequivocal in their remarks: "The perfect city car for the new millennium – the Panda has plenty of space for four and a nippy diesel engine." Simon Heptinstall added: "Loveable little Latino that's simple, efficient and enjoyable. Fiat have surprised us all by producing the definitive, diminutive diesel." And freelance writer, editor and broadcaster, Sue Baker, had the last word: "Big-hearted small car, powered by the most compact common rail diesel in the world. The 1.3 litre 16v MultiJet turbodiesel is quiet, refined and very flexible - it's a real little honey." New Panda is available throughout Fiat Auto's UK dealer network in either petrol or diesel versions, three trim options and a host of dedicated accessories. Prices start at £6595 on the road.

Cornes, Maserati’s official importer in Japan, has celebrated the inauguration of a stunning new showroom. The afternoon press conference was followed by a reception party, which was attended by more than 100 guests in spite of the rainstorms. A beautiful Bianco Fuji Maserati Quattroporte on display was admired by all present. Mr. Watari, President of Cornes, made a short speech to thank everyone for their support. A special opening fair, welcoming over 700 customers, was held from 13-15 May.

To mark the culmination of Fiat’s successful sponsorship of top class international rugby this season, Fiat Auto UK is giving away a brand new Fiat Stilo Sporting, worth over £13,000, to a lucky Heineken Cup Final spectator during the game at Murrayfield, Edinburgh, on Sunday 22 May. The race to become rugby club champions of Europe reaches its climax next weekend (22 May). And before kick-off, as rugby fans prepare to take their seats in the 68,000 capacity stadium for the 10^th Heineken Cup final between 2001 finalists Stade Francais Paris, and (twice) previous winners Toulouse, there will be an opportunity to pick up a Fiat leaflet at the Ground, asking spectators to simply text the word STILO, followed by their name and seat number, to a phone number printed on the leaflet. At half-time, the Stilo Sporting prize car will be making a guest appearance inside the stadium itself, and the lucky winner will be requested to join Fiat Auto UK managing director, Giulio Salomone, on the pitch, to collect the ignition keys in person.

The occasion was one of the most important horse racing events in Hong Kong, the Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup, held on 24 April. Exclusive Swiss watchmakers, Audemars Piguet, work in close collaboration with Maserati. The elegant Quattroporte and aggressive Gransport were displayed in the special Members’ Only area of the world-class Sha Tin Racecourse, the first time that the Hong Kong Jockey Club has allowed cars to be displayed in that particular area. The two Maseratis drew a lot of positive attention between the exciting races.

Ferrari will provide study grants for young engineering graduates to engage in specific research aimed at transferring innovative technical solutions to the road-going Ferraris of the future. Five graduates will be selected from the most prestigious Italian and international third level institutes. They will receive study grants and the possibility to carry out some work experience at Ferrari’s Innovation Department, within the Ferrari Technical Division. Some of the universities which will take part in this project are: TongJi University Shanghai, Tsinghua University Beijing, McGill University Montreal, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Melbourne, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. To implement this project, Ferrari has come to an agreement with MIP, the Engineering Management School at Milan’s Politecnico.

Young Czech driver Adam Lacko will switch from Alfa Romeo to BMW from the next round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship in Magny-Cours. Lacko, who drove an Alfa Romeo 156 GTA at Monza, securing third place in the Michelin Independents’ Trophy’s Race 2, dropped the Italian car for driving the Crawford Racing’s second BMW 320i alongside Carl Rosenblad. The car will be run by the Swedish under the colours of IEP Team. The 21-year old Lacko had first driven the car during the official testing in Monza. "He showed a huge potential," team manager Eje Elgh said, “His merit list is impressive despite his young age." Carl Rosenblad sees his new team mate as a positive injection for the team: “It’s always good to have a team mate to compare and analyse together with. But we will also be competitors and I will do my best to be fastest in the team.”

Scuderia Ecosse’s Ferrari 360 GTC triumphed at the opening race of the British GT Championship. Nathan Kinch and Andrew Kirkaldy were the men in the driving seat at the Donington Park circuit. The car, developed by the Ferrari Corse Clienti department in collaboration with Michelotto Automobili, was in top spot for the whole of the race after starting from pole position. The gap at the chequered flag over the second-placed Hughes/Pearce TVR was over forty seconds. The Scuderia Ecosse’s other Ferrari 360 GTC, crewed by Niarchos/Mullen, also made it onto the podium. In fourth spot came the Porsche of Jones/Jones.

GPC Sport has announced that their second FIA GT Championship Ferrari  575 GTC will be driven by Brazilian driver Jaime Melo and Frenchman Jean-Philippe Belloc, the 2001 FIA GT Champion. Melo raced for both JMB Racing in a Ferrari 575 GTC, winning the Donington round with Karl Wendlinger, and with GPC Sport in a Ferrari 360 Modena, for whom he won the final round in Zhuhai. As for Belloc, he won races in both 1999 and 2001, all in a Chrysler Viper.

The Alfa Romeo, BMW, SEAT and Ford FIA World Touring Car Championship teams have tested for three days this week in Magny-Cours, from Tuesday to Thursday. Alfa Romeo ran two cars for their four drivers: Farfus, Giovanardi, Tarquini and Thompson. “We are happy with the work done in these three days, which gave important indications. Again we have focused on the balance of the car, and our performances were excellent compared to our competitors,” said Matilde Tomagnini, chief of FIAT Group sporting activities.

Fiat Automobili AG have today announced the appointment of Werner H. Frey as its new Chief Executive Officer. He will take up the role on 1st July 2005. Frey is currently the Vice-President of Hyundai Europe, and started his automotive career with Adam Opel AG in the mid-1970s. The position at Fiat's German importer has been vacant since Stephan Winkelmann left to take over as CEO of Lamborghini in November 2004.

After nearly a week spent acclimatising to the heat and humidity of Kuala Lumpur, Minardi F1 Team drivers Christijan Albers and Patrick Friesacher today had their first chance to sample the challenging Sepang International Circuit, scene of Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix. Driving interim Minardi Cosworth PS04B chassis, the men spent Friday’s two one-hour practice sessions familiarising themselves with the 5.543-km track and adjusting the handling of their cars to suit. Albers and Friesacher both reported that circuit grip levels improved during the morning, and subsequently made progress with chassis set-up in the afternoon session. Paul Stoddart, Team Principal of Minardi Cosworth commented, “It’s clear to everyone that the 2005 regulations are a resounding success – so much so that they’ve succeeded in adding more than three seconds to Minardi lap times compared with last year. Furthermore, it is interesting to note that, in the first practice session today, in near-identical climatic conditions to 2004, the top 10 cars were, without exception, faster than last year.”

After the second day of free practice for Saturday's opening round of the 2005 American Le Mans Series, the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring, the Care Larbre Ferrari 550 Maranello has been slowly but surely making its imprint amongst its competitors in the GT1 category. A collaboration between Care Racing Development, owners of one of the most successful GT cars in recent years, and Larbre Competition - GTS Champions in the 2004 Le Mans Endurance Series with the same car - has seen the French based team bring its 6-litre, V12 engined Ferrari to the US. It is being driven by an all-star line up of Champions including reigning Champ Car Champion, Sebastien Bourdais, reigning Le Mans Endurance Series GTS Champion, Christophe Bouchut, and reigning FIA GT Champion, Fabrizio Gollin. For Bourdais and Bouchut, Sebring presents an ideal opportunity for the two Frenchmen to drive together again after their race-winning partnership at the 2002 Spa 24 Hours. Both have a great deal of experience at Sebring. Italian Gollin, a Florida resident now that he is competing for Doran Racing in the Rolex Sportscar Series, is making his Sebring debut and has spent much of the recent practice time available learning the track. "It was very slippery this afternoon but I am learning. It is very important to know this track well because if you want to go faster you have to take a risk. I don't want to take those risks yet but I have been watching our competitors as I go round the track and all the time learning. I am using their experience at the same time as gaining my own!  I know I have more feeling for the track now and, while I maybe can't do the fastest lap, I can do a good race."

Veronica Magazine today confirms that it will be an official sponsor of Minardi F1 Team driver, Christijan Albers. The first indication of the arrangement came during the Australian Grand Prix weekend, when the logo of The Netherlands’ best-selling weekly magazine appeared on Albers’ distinctive orange and black helmet. Edition No 10 of Veronica Magazine, which appeared in the stores the Tuesday after the Australian race, published an interview with Holland’s only Formula 1 driver. During the season, Veronica Magazine will carry regular coverage of Albers and the Minardi Formula 1 Team. Albers will also attend several Veronica Magazine events. Peter Contant, Editor-in-Chief of Veronica Magazine, says of the sponsorship arrangement, “Christijan is the most talented Dutch Formula One driver competing at this time. Veronica Magazine is the best, largest and most trendy magazine in The Netherlands, and thus we find a connection with Chris. Through our sponsorship, we express our trust in his racing talent.”

Fourth and final day of testing this week for Scuderia Ferrari, once again today at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit, in Spain. At the wheel of an F2004 M, Marc Gene completed the Bridgestone tyre programme aimed at the forthcoming Malaysian Grand Prix. Luca Badoer continued working on the set-up of the new F2005. By the end of the session, Marc Gene had completed 85 laps, with a best time of 1:21.330, while the Italian test driver did 33 laps, the quickest in 1:20.627. The Scuderia resumes testing on Tuesday 15th March at Fiorano, with Luca Badoer at the wheel of an F2005. Test DEtails: Circuit: Jerez de la Frontera – 4.428 km; Drivers: Luca Badoer and Marc Gené; Car: F2005 and F2004 M; Weather: air temperature 11/22°C, track temperature 12/29°C; cloudy in the morning then clear skies.

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