Aston Martin Racing and Craft Racing AMR have formed a partnership that sees the Asia-based race team responsible for developing the Aston Martin Racing brand in the region, through its participation in some of the major Asian racing series. 

The Asian team will also collaborate on technical development with Aston Martin Racing, provide support for customer racing teams, as well as promote the sales of the Vantage-based race cars.

Craft Racing AMR is regularly regarded as one of the top motorsport teams in Asia and its founders and team have been involved in motorsport in the region for more than two decades.

Since 2010, the team has enjoyed a strong and successful relationship with Aston Martin Racing and will be racing a Vantage GT3 in the GT Asia championship, one of the most exciting and intensely competitive major pan-Asia series, which concludes this year at the immensely popular Macau Grand Prix where works driver Darren Turner (GB) will pilot one of Craft Racing AMR’s Vantage GT3s.

The team is also planning to take part in the highly anticipated inaugural Asian Le Mans series – the class winners of which will be qualified to race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans – scheduled to begin in Korea, and then on to Japan, China, and finally to Indonesia.

This experience and understanding of the car made the team the perfect choice for Aston Martin Racing when looking for a partner team that would focus on key championships on the other side of the world from its head-quarters in Banbury, UK.

James Walters commented: “This isn’t something we step into lightly. Last year we announced that The Racer’s Group would play a similar role in the USA and we’re delighted that our relationship with Craft Racing AMR has grown so strong that we can do the same with them, but to cover the Asian region.”
“Our range of Vantage-based race cars offer a highly-competitive option for a wide scope of Asian GT championships and endurance races and I’m sure that together, we will grow the presence of Aston Martin Racing at each event.”

Mark Goddard, Team Principal and Craft Racing AMR Team co-founder added: “We are extremely happy to take our relationship with such an iconic brand to a higher level and we are confident that Craft Racing AMR will bring further success to Aston Martin Racing in both GT Asia and the Asian Le Mans Series. We also have a programme of long distance races, such as the MME 12 Hours of Sepang and the Dubai 24 Hours.”

Craft Racing won the GT Asia Team Championship at its first attempt back in 2010. The team has since won numerous races in Asia and is the 2012 MSS GT3 champion. The best result to date, as Craft Racing AMR, was the 24 Hours of Dubai, which saw the team take an impressive third overall in their debut 24-hour endurance race.

Aston Martin Racing’s works driver Stefan Mücke (D), who raced with the Craft Racing AMR team in Dubai, will race alongside Frank Yu throughout the GT Asia series, which begins at Motegi, Japan on 11/12th May 2013.

PGA National Russia has announced that they have recently joined International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) as part of Braemar Golf’s membership porfolio.

The prestigious club opened in September 2012 and has already gained high acclaim amongst the Russian golfing fraternity for the quality of the design and exceptional conditioning.

The 7,400 yard European Golf Design layout has been inspired by the classic Scottish links and heath land courses.The course is complimented by a luxurious club house which features 10 bedroom suites, 3 bars, 2 restaurants and a function suite.

Commenting on their membership to IAGTO, Club President Alexander Yarunin said “We are delighted to have joined IAGTO and look forward to welcoming some intrepid golf explorers to Russia. People may not think of Russia as a viable golf destination, however we have a number of excellent courses in the Moscow region designed by leading architects such as Jack Nicklaus, Robert Trent Jones and European Golf Design so making an interesting golf itinerary will be possible. Also our weather and long day light hours from May through to September offer perfect golfing conditions.”

Russia is starting to become increasingly popular with tourists who predominantly visit the historical site of Moscow and St Petersburg , but with the winter Olympics coming to Russia in 2014 and the Football World Cup in 2018 the country is gearing up for sports tourism.

The French Grand Prix may return to the Formula 1 increasing the 2013 calendar to 20 races, according to F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

“As far as I’m concerned, yes,” replied Ecclestone, when asked whether the race could replace the New Jersey Grand Prix, which has been postponed for a year because of construction delays.

“We’re ready to sign. We’ve got a pen and we’re ready to sign.”

Ecclestone admitted, however, that there was still uncertainty surrounding the venue.

Magny-Cours, which hosted the race between 1991 and 2008, is in the running alongside the Paul Ricard circuit, where it was previously run.

The latter track, which is owned by Ecclestone, had been scheduled to go on the 2013 calendar after a deal was agreed with the government of Nicolas Sarkozy earlier this year.

However, it was scuppered when Sarkozy lost the country’s Presidential election to socialist candidate Francois Hollande in May.

Pakistan Cricket Board has welcomed an inivtation from The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BBCI) for a Pakistani team to play in the Champions League Twenty20 tournament this year.

Pakistan Cricket Board chief operating officer, Subhan Ahmed, said: “We feel it’s a significant and positive development. We had been in touch with the BCCI over the participation of a Pakistan team and hope that this step could lead to a revival of Indo-Pak cricketing ties.”

The tournament is contested by teams from India, Australia, New Zealand, West Indies, Sri Lanka, South Africa and England. To date, no Pakistani teams have competed. The Sialkot Stallions were supposed to compete in the competition in 2009 but the plans collapsed after the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai.   

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The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) has revealed it is being investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan.

According to Bloomberg News union executive director Billy Hunter was alerted by subpoena Wednesday of the investigation into their business practices.

“The NBPA will cooperate fully with the government’s investigation,” the union said in a statement.

Carly Sullivan, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, said: “We have no comment. We don’t confirm or deny investigations.”

Just last week, the union’s executive committee voted 8-0 to oust union president Derek Fisher, who demanded a review of business practices even though an audit was conducted in February.

Fisher wasn’t specific about his issues with Hunter, who has several family members on the union’s payroll and working for companies for which the union outsources contract work. He has said he wants an independent review and “a firm of the players’ choosing may conduct the review.”

The Oklahoma City Thunder guard had this to say exactly a week ago after a shootaround:

“Anyone or any group who questions my intentions in any decisions I’ve ever made that I felt were best for our players I think needs to step back for a moment and ask themselves this: Why would I try and ask certain questions and call into review the association that I’m the president of unless I thought there were some serious questions that needed to be answered, things that I, as president, aren’t satisfied with?”

A joint study conducted by the National College Players Association (NCPA) and the Drexel Department of Sport Management found that TV revenues from five major athletic conferences and the NCAA average approximately $784 million per year in new annual revenues. They go on to conclude revenues from televised college football total nearly $2 billion a year.

The study, salve entitled “TV Money Windfall in Big Time College Sports”, viagra pills can be found on the NCPA website. As co-author Dr. Staurowsky explains the study was to address potential scholarship shortfalls in college athletics, ed

In explaining the purpose of the study, Drexel University professor Dr. Ellen J. Staurowsky noted, “During the past few months, proposals to address the scholarship shortfall have prompted questions regarding how such proposals would be funded. With this influx of new money, we argue that this is the time for college presidents, conference commissioners, and athletics administrators to make covering the full cost of attendance a budget priority.”

So, what is done with the $780+ million in new revenue? According to the study, trends indicate that colleges will likely spend the revenue on athletic facilities, and salary increases for coaches and athletic directors.

The study is released on the heels of various NCAA proposals which look to decrease roster sizes, potentially eliminating nearly 1500 scholarships in Division I college football and basketball.

Ramogi Huma, NCPA President and co-author of the study, stated, “It is inconceivable to me that the NCAA and its colleges are considering eliminating over 1500 educational opportunities while enjoying $784 million in new annual revenues that, thanks to their ‘educational mission’, they will receive tax free.” (via Press Release)

The NCPA, which was created in 2001, currently has over 14,000 members from over 150 Division I schools. They work as an advocacy group for college athletes across the nation.

A probe has begun centering around Singaporean Wilson Raj Perumal who is suspected by FIFA of fixing internationals involving African and Asian national teams.

Perumal is now alleged to have offered seven Zambian players in the Finnish football league and the individuals have gone on trial in a match-fixing investigation

Prosecutors say Perumal offered the players bribes of US$682, ambulance 000 to fix games in a scam that targeted Rovaniemi Palloseura (RoPs) while he is also accused of trying to bribe players at two other Finnish clubs.

Perumal, cialis who was arrested in February and has previously tried to flee, was guarded by two police officers as the charges were read in the Lapland District Court.

FIFA believes Perumal organized an infamous match last September, sending a fake Togo team to Bahrain for a friendly that the hosts won 3-0 and he also has links to fixing involving Zimbabwe national team matches played in the Far East.

The accused RoPs players – which also include two Georgians – were charged with accepting bribes to affect the outcome of matches and in cases where the desired result was not achieved, the money was paid back to Perumal, according to the charges.

The club have fired the players after the investigation started and are set to review its policy of bringing in players from Zambia, a trait that has been going for over 15 years.

“We will try to build the team first and foremost from Rovaniemi footballers, then players from Lapland and after that from the rest of Finland,” said managing director Antti Hietakangas.

Soccerex, anesthetist the global leader for the business of football, is once again leading the way in opening up new frontiers with the announcement that they are to hold a new event, the Soccerex Russian Summit on 23^rd -24^th June 2011, in Moscow.

The event will be held in association with leading international communications company, Eventica, at the magnificent Ritz Carlton Hotel, overlooking Red Square and the Kremlin.

With a limited capacity of 400 at the venue, the Summit will provide a highly exclusive networking environment and offer the worldwide football industry a first look at the burgeoning Russian market and the varied business opportunities in this prosperous territory, ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

European football’s governing body Uefa has announced that sales of the corporate hospitality programme for Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine will be handled internally.

Its newly-created subsidiary Uefa Events SA will have full responsibility for the sales, which will start in Spring 2011.

Uefa said it came to the decision “after a thorough analysis of the market, based on a survey conducted in both host countries and a tender process that saw the responses of several well-known agencies”.

CEO of Uefa Events SA, David Taylor, said: “A high level corporate hospitality programme has become an important feature of recent Euro final tournaments.

“I am pleased that Uefa Events SA can take on direct responsibility for all corporate hospitality sales for Euro 2012. This emphasises the official nature of the programme and the commitment of Uefa to make Euro 2012 a football and commercial success.”

Earlier this summer Uefa announced the appointment of Austrian-based company DO & CO to implement hospitality and catering services at Euro 2012.