Vroom at the Top news round-up

WHEN THREE men allegedly conspired to fix last year's Singapore GP - it not only affected the outcome of a single race - but the reputation of an entire sport.

Nelson Piquet Jr told officials he deliberately slammed his Renault into a sidewall during F1's first night-race in a desperate attempt to save his career after being ordered to do so by his boss, and manager, Flavio Briatore.

I doubt the 24-year-old imagined his foolish decision to intentionally crash his car would drive the motorsport industry into meltdown with the consequences running far deeper than just forging a race win.

Insiders anticipate this will be the catalyst for the demise of the Renault F1 team, the loss of millions of pounds' worth of sponsorship to the industry and fans switching off after Piquet and his alleged conspirators ultimately altered the outcome of last year's driver's championship.

The Managing Director of a company who is currently looking at sponsorship in F1 to launch his product globally said: "This whole affair has put F1, and Renault especially, in a very difficult position. If I were a sponsor associated with that team, I would be looking somewhere else to spend my money.

"F1 is a sizeable investment and, if you sponsor a team, it is critical you rely on the team's integrity. With any sponsor partnership, it reflexes your business and, ultimately, if the team you are sponsoring is tarnished, it has a knock-on effect and will no doubt tarnish your brand.

"To be associated with a team involved in alleged race-fixing is not something I imagine the sponsors signed up to at the beginning of the season and, If the shoe were on the other foot, no team would want to be associated with a company that had a bad reputation, so, similarly, sponsors have the right to take the same position."

Fan Tony Field added: "To me, deliberately crashing a car is totally unacceptable - it is not how you expect a sport to be run. It makes you wonder what is real and what is not.

"You could also argue that the actions of Piquet cost Massa the championship last year and then that throws the whole of the 2008 season into doubt - far from making me want to watch the whole ugly episode unfold, it makes me just want to switch off.

"F1 is definitely not what it used to be. Fans are not interested in all the off-track politics, they just what to see real wheel-to-wheel racing with the best driver and the best team win. First it was illegal car-parts, then the budget-cut row and now this. It's a shambles."

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REMEMBER SEPTEMBER DEADLINE

WITH the Renault crash-gate scandal dominating the motorsport headlines, many have forgotten the imminent September deadline that will decide which circuit will host the British GP.

Since last year's announcement that Donington Park had won the rights to the popular round - critics were sceptic about the circuit's finances and whether the Midland track would meet FIA standards in time for its scheduled debut.

Back in May, ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone said that the circuit had until the end of this month to prove that finances are in place to complete the promised redevelopment work, and, unless he sees proof, said it WILL return to Silverstone.

Speaking exclusively to Vroom, commentating legend Murray Walker is convinced the British GP will stay at Silverstone: "I know I am biased but I do believe it will come back to Silverstone next year," he said.

"Many people in the industry are not convinced that Donington will be ready on time and will be able to accommodate that many people. There is also the issue of the track meeting certain standards and, from what I have heard, it is nowhere near the mark.

"I know people have also bandied around the idea of sharing the British GP, switching from one circuit to the next each year, but I'm not a great fan of that," he added.

"Silverstone is a great circuit, the fans love it and I don't why there is any reason to change it, quite frankly. I am almost convinced that we will see the British GP back at Silverstone next year as the other option is untenable.

"All will be revealed at the end of September and I will be greatly surprised if it doesn't remain at the Northamptonshire track."

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BAMBOO SHOOTS FOR GLORY

BTCC START-UP Bamboo Engineering confirmed they will enter a two-car team into next year's championship despite only competing for just THREE months.

The Silverstone-based outfit was set-up in July by Richard Coleman after an acrimonious split with his former boss Julian Tanser - the owner of Tempus Sport.

Following differences of opinion, Coleman and his head engineer David Scott formed their own outfit mid-season, with many of the Tempus staff deciding to switch to the newly-formed team.

Experienced Coleman said he is confident the deal will push his squad to the top of the grid next season: "We're very excited to have secured this deal. At the moment the Lacetti is the car to have and I'm sure that will still be the case next year.

"At the moment, the Lacetti is the car to have and I'm sure that will still be the case next year. There is a very strong possibility that Bamboo Engineering will be the only team running the Lacettis next year, which we hope will put us in strong position in for next season.

"We'll be working very hard now to secure a top-line driver to race alongside Harry Vaulkhard who has already signed to race with us next year. We still consider Harry to be one of the best up-and-coming drivers in the championship and a strong team-mate alongside would help Harry's development as a driver," Coleman added.

"We are also very pleased to continue our long-standing working relationship with RML and the Chevrolet brand who have given Bamboo Engineering their full support this season."

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