Scuderia Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi carried his improved Friday form into this afternoon's qualifying session in Valencia and the young Swiss rookie made it through to the Q2 phase to eventually secure fifteenth place on the grid

Abarth factory drivers Giandomenico Basso and Luca Rossetti will start today's opening leg of the 39th Barum Czech Rally Zlín in positive mood after setting the third and fourth fastest times during last night's city centre superspecial stage

Nanjing Iveco's zero-emission Daily electric light bus has received a useful sales boost as China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has placed it on a list of just five vehicles that will be liable for state purchasing subsidies

There was a small moment of history this morning when Felipe Massa’s replacement, Luca Badoer rolled down pit lane to start his first ever practice lap as a Ferrari race driver and for the Italian, in his Italian car, it was a childhood dream come true

Toro Rosso made a promising start to the weekend in Valencia this afternoon with Sebastien Buemi knocking on the door of the top ten during the opening practice runs while Jaime Alguersuari was thirteenth quickest in the same session

"My last race was 10 years ago but I did in these 10 years close to 150,000kms with a F1 car," said Luca Badoer today in Valencia, "I am used to doing two race distances in one day because of the tests sometimes we did two races in a day"

Abarth's factory stars Giandomenico Basso and Luca Rossetti will begin their bid for honours on the 39th Barum Czech Rally Zlín later this evening when the fast and unique asphalt rally gets underway with the opening Superspecial stage

ItaliaspeedTV: Iveco ECODAILY (IV)

As it counts down to its world première at the Frankfurt IAA in just four weeks time Ferrari's sensational new 458 Italia has been spotted on the roads around Maranello wearing only a very thin disguise and clearly revealing its stunning lines

The legendary Ferrari-running North American Racing Team (N.A.R.T.) founded Luigi Chinetti, will have its cars, drivers and mechanics honoured during the 2009 Wine & Food and Fall Ferrari Festival in Saratoga Springs, New York, next month

After the long mid-season break in the F1 calendar, it was business as usual in a very hot and sunny Valencia today, where Kimi Raikkonen faced the media in the Ferrari motorhome, overlooking the harbour that forms a backdrop to the circuit

ItaliaspeedTV: Iveco ECODAILY (III)

"Last year I didn’t end the race at Valencia caused by an engine failure," says Kimi Raikkonen, "so this year I want to return and maybe even gain a place on the podium. This is our realistic goal, although we know that it will be difficult"

The giant the Fiat 500 is coming to the UK as part of a tour to promote the convertible with latest version of the 5:1 scale model simulating the ‘open-top’ style of the 500C with a spectacular projection of the sky on to the inner lining of the car’s roof

"These 200 kilometres were absolutely insignificant from a technical point of view, but they allowed me to get to know the car again," says Luca Badoer after his test at Fiorano and as he heads for Valencia where he will make his Ferrari debut

ItaliaspeedTV: Iveco ECODAILY (I)

The Abarth factory challenge on the Barum Rally Zlín which gets underway in 48 hours time will be well supported by four privately entered Abarth Grande Puntos including the JM Engineering-run machine of rapid local youngster Jaroslav Orsák

ItaliaspeedTV: Luca Badoer interview - Ferrari F60 test (Fiorano) & European Grand Prix (Valencia) preview

With a two day test at Fiorano under his belt Luca Badoer says that he is motivated to make the most of the opportunity to drive his first grand prix for Ferrari although the Italian test driver says he will face a tough challenge in Valencia

ItaliaspeedPhotoStream: Luca Badoer (Ferrari F60) - Fiorano Test, Aug 17-18

Ducati North America has unveiled a 175 hp, 362 lb 1098 S, featuring upgrades to the engine, suspension, brakes, gearbox and exhaust as well as using carbon-fibre panels, in tribute to the historic "Martini Racing" Porsches of years past

Felipe Massa is aiming to make his comeback in his home race in Brazil, the penultimate grand prix of the season which takes place on October 18, meaning he will have been out of action for just under three months and missed five races

Tata Motors may not join the race to pick up a majority stake in Italian car design firm Pininfarina the India media reports contrary to expectations that the Indian carmaker will make a bid to fulfil its plan to have a specialised design company

Luca Badoer has just wrapped up 200 km at the wheel of a Ferrari F60 fitted with demonstration tyres providing the Italian with the chance to reacquaint himself with the car in which he had only completed a handful of laps so far this year

ItaliaspeedTV: Fiat Punto S1600 & Fiat Grande Punto Abarth Rally S2000 (historical rally video)