McNish who celebrates his 31st birthday today simply has to start the finale to the 12-round championship to secure the crown so

McNish, who celebrates his 31st birthday today, simply has to start the finale to the 12-round championship to secure the crown, so only if his Audi fails to clear the grid will he be denied his first ever drivers’ title.The Dumfries-born McNish, who has previous experience of racing on street circuits and has won five of the last seven rounds of the ALMS sportscar championship, is already looking ahead to the chance to compete against Formula One’s leading drivers again. The Scot hopes to join the élite in 2002 when Toyota, for whom he is a test driver, enter the grand prix arena.”I raced in Formula Three at Macau in 1989 against people like Michael Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen, and more recently at Pau in France during the early 1990s with drivers like Damon Hill and Eddie Irvine,” McNish said “My only street race in Britain was at Birmingham in 1990. My best finish in such an event was second at Pau in 1995, but I hope I can go one better in Adelaide.”McNish, whose car has been painted to resemble a crocodile wading through a swamp, is confident his Audi will again excel after dominating the second half of the campaign.. It has been the main storyline these past three years and there appears little prospect of change in 2001 Prepare for Ferrari v McLaren-Mercedes IV.

The saga produced a widely welcomed twist last season, Michael Schumacher winning his third title and becoming Ferrari’s first world champion in 21 years. The German and his Italian team, winners of the constructors’ prize, will already be bracing themselves for the backlash. It has been the main storyline these past three years and there appears little prospect of change in 2001 Prepare for Ferrari v McLaren-Mercedes IV. The saga produced a widely welcomed twist last season, Michael Schumacher winning his third title and becoming Ferrari’s first world champion in 21 years. The German and his Italian team, winners of the constructors’ prize, will already be bracing themselves for the backlash.
McLaren are concentrating their efforts on ensuring they have reliability, as well as performance, from the opening race next season and Mika Hakkinen may have the added motivation to sustain a sharper edge throughout the campaign.The challenge for Ferrari is to stay on top after the ordeal of the long ascent. The relief was as evident as the jubilation when they at last planted the standard of the Prancing Horse at the summit of the drivers’ championship.

Jean Todt, the sporting director, expressed his wish to retreat from the front line after seven years of relentless pressure. Ross Brawn, the technical director, admits he could not have handled another disappointment. The entire team seems to be suffering the effects of nervous exhaustion. There is a belief they will be open and vulnerable to the counter. However, this theory does not take into account the Schumacher factor.

As Ferrari’s greatest strength and the catalyst for their resurgence, he is likely to return from an extended holiday suitably energised to rally the troops of Maranello.Williams-BMW surprised themselves by proving to be the best of the rest last time and will be in the sights of Jordan, who slumped from third to sixth, but now have pukka Honda engines.The domestic duel at Williams could be the pick of the undercard. Ralf Schumacher has been warned he has his hands full with Juan Pablo Montoya, who replaces Jenson Button. Benetton-Renault are providing Button with refuge for the next two years and the young Englishman is anxious to match Montoya, Colombia’s former CART champion.Jaguar believe the only way is up after finishing an embarrassing ninth last season but nothing less than a substantial improvement by Bobby Rahal’s charges will satisfy the parent company, Ford.Prediction: Schumacher to fight off McLaren for his fourth championship.. Bradford have stepped up their search for an overseas loose forward to replace Brad Mackay following Logan Swann’s rejection of the chance to join the Bulls. Bradford have stepped up their search for an overseas loose forward to replace Brad Mackay following Logan Swann’s rejection of the chance to join the Bulls.
The New Zealand World Cup player, who also had offers from Warrington and London, has decided to stay in Auckland, leaving Bradford still without a specialist in the position following Mackay’s retirement, mid-way through a two-year contract.”We have been inundated with faxes from agents and managers since Brad’s announcement,” said the Bulls’ spokesman, Stuart Duffy. “But we are only interested in someone of the same calibre – and there are not many of them around.” Bradford have consulted their former coach, Matthew Elliott, who is now back in Australia with Canberra, but the world-class operator they are seeking is proving elusive.The club has already decided that there is nobody available in this country who fits the bill, so they could go into the Super League season with Henry Paul packing down at the back of the scrum.

That would allow his brother, Robbie, and Paul Deacon to form a half-back partnership, enabling the Bulls to have their three most creative players on the field at the same time.The Wigan youth manager, Brian Foley, has hailed the Boxing Day victory over St Helens as “one of the proudest moments in the history of the club.” Wigan took the field with twelve teenagers, several of whom were making their senior debuts having progressed through the pioneering scholarship scheme at the club.”Boxing Day was a very proud moment for me personally,” Foley said. “To see so many local youngsters in the team, playing with confidence and skill in front of a big crowd, bodes well not only for the future of the club, but for the future of the British game in general.”The younger players such as Martin Aspinwall, Chris Irwin and Ricky Bibey all blended in well. It was great to see the hard work of the last four years behind the scenes come to the fore, so that the Wigan public could see just how good these scholarship players are.”There are many more youngsters waiting in the wings who will make their big break over the next few years.” One of Wigan’s senior players, Denis Betts, might consider an international comeback against the Australian tourists next autumn. Betts has had second thoughts since bowing out before this year’s World Cup.. The most necessary and noteworthy change to the shape of the 2001 season is that it will climax with a Kangaroo tour.