French rally driver Sebastian Loeb was able to win the second to the last race WRC series and made his lead over Gronholm. Dubbed as the most difficult tarmac rally, Loeb managed to finish the Rally Ireland with the fastest time and took home the trophy.

"We had an early scare with a damper on the run-out to SS2, so the start of the rally was quite stressful. However, we soon found ourselves in a strong position to win and consequently boost our chances in the fight for the Drivers' title." said Loeb after the race.

The French driver added: "It was an opportunity we couldn't afford to let pass by. The biggest challenge over these very difficult stages was finding a pace that enabled us to stay in control while at the same time making the most of the speed of our C4 WRC. It wasn't easy and I am so happy to have won here in Sligo today."

Below is the WRC standings after Rally Ireland.

Drivers' Championship:

1.     Sebastien Loeb      110
2.     Marcus Gronholm     104
3.     Mikko Hirvonen     89
4.     Daniel Sordo     61
5.     Petter Solberg     42
6.     Henning Solberg     34
7.     Jari-Matti Latvala     30
8.     Chris Atkinson     29
9.     Francois Duval     12
10.     Manfred Stohl     12
11.     Jan Kopecky     10
12.     Toni Gardemeister     10
13.     Daniel Carlsson     9
14.     Matthew Wilson     8
15.     Gigi Galli     5
16.     Luis Perez Companc     4
17.     Xavier Pons     4
18.     Guy Wilks     3
19.     Urmo Aava     3
20.     Federico Villagra     2
21.     Mads Ostberg     1
22.     Gareth Machale     1
23.     Juho Hanninen     1
24.     Katsuhiko Taguchi     1           
 
Manufacturers' Championship:
 
1.     BP-Ford World Rally Team          194
2.     Citroen Total World Rally Team          173
3.     Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team          80
4.     Subaru World Rally Team          79
5.     OMV Kronos Citroen World Rally Team          43
6.     Munchi's Ford World Rally Team          14  

Ralf Schumacher left Panasonic Toyota because of some reasons and he now plans to try his luck outside Toyota's roof. But then again, life must go on. The empty driver's seat left by Schumacher will be filled in by their new acquired driver Timo Glock who has officially signed with Toyota a few days ago. Toyota Motorsport GmbH confirmed that Timo Glock will race for Panasonic Toyota Racing in 2008 last weekend.

Timo Glock is the reigning GP2 Series champion. His career in the GP2 world was absolutely brilliant that's why it's a great move indeed for Toyota F1. Glock has signed a multi-year contract and hopefully, he could already join the test at Jerez on December 4-6.

Chairman and Team Principal Tadashi Yamashina said www.motorsport.com: "It is with great pleasure that we confirm Timo Glock will race for Panasonic Toyota Racing in 2008. I am convinced Timo has the potential to help this team move forward and achieve its aims.

"Timo has great experience of motorsport in several different categories and he reinforced his reputation by winning the highly competitive GP2 Series, which we have already seen is fantastic preparation for Formula 1. He has demonstrated a fighting spirit and good race craft in GP2 so we believe he is the right man for the job."

Timo Glock said: "It's a great feeling to be a Formula 1 race driver again and I am really looking forward to this new challenge. I have worked hard over the past few years to get this opportunity and I must say I am grateful to Panasonic Toyota Racing for having faith in me.

"From what I have seen of the team at the track I am confident we will be able to work well together to move forward. Even though I have not raced in Formula 1 since 2004, I have tested quite regularly so I expect it will take very little time for me to get back in the groove.

"I have been lucky enough to race and succeed in several different championships in my career but my goal has always been to become a full-time Formula 1 race driver. I believe this experience has made me stronger as a driver and as a person.

"Of course, to return to Formula 1 racing as GP2 Series champion is a real honour and we've all seen how well Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton have performed as champions so that is very encouraging. I hope I can also make a strong impression next season.

"Now I have achieved my goal of returning to Formula 1, my next target is to work towards making 2008 a successful season for myself and Panasonic Toyota Racing."

Nothing can compare to the happiness felt by Matt Kenseth right now! He made Ford Racing proud once again as he won and gave the team their fourth straight Ford 400 victory. Ford fanatics were astonished when Kenseth did nothing but dominate the race track since the flag was waved up to the final lap! The crowd went crazy in NASCAR Nextel Cup season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway and the last of Ford's Championship Weekend.

"I guess we had five really good runs to finish the year off and that feels good," said Kenseth. "We really ran strong throughout the chase. I think our performance obviously wasn't quite as good as the 48 [Jimmie Johnson} and maybe the 24 [Jeff Gordon] but I think our performance was as good or better than any other chase closing the season out, so it's pretty awesome to get up to fourth from where we were five weeks ago. Tonight we just had a dominant car."

Kenseth was also victorious in the NASCAR Busch Series race during earlier days where he grabbed third place. Co-Ford drivers Carl Edwards, Stephen Leicht, Greg  Biffle, Bobby Hamilton Jr. and Marcos Ambrose joined in the top 10.

What did racer Tonio Liuzzi think about the practice they had in India? Motorsport revealed the following information:

Tonio Liuzzi said regarding the test:

"I'm very satisfied of how the test went. In a day and a half we did lots of laps and I understood the car very well. Obviously it wasn't easy at the beginning, since the car was very different. Not only in terms of driveability but also in terms of driving position, steering assistance and all the "optionals" of a Formula One car."

"You need to adapt and I struggled a little bit at the beginning. The time we did was not the one we supposed to obtain, of course, that's why at the end I was very satisfied, because the team proved to be much more professional than what you think from the outside. It surprised me because they are hungry to do well, also thanks to the chances they have now with the new owner."

"They will do lots of steps forward, that's for sure. They will need time, because the team has already a quite solid structure in place, but the car can improve, seeing as it remained a little bit behind. They have very good engineers and there is a good feeling inside the team."

He also commented about the Force India car:

"I have to say there are some little flaws which make the car slower, but after very little time they are able to go one second-one second and a half faster, with little details such as the brakes, the steering assistance and so on. Little things which in the end make the difference, because they make the driver more confident with the car. This was the problem I had in adapting to the car."

Liuzzi continues to say something about driving without electronic aids:

"I have to say I enjoyed it very much, because the car is much more nervous. It's not more difficult to drive, but you have to pay more attention to avoid mistakes, while before the traction control concealed lots of faults in the setup and the driving style. Now you have to try and be much more delicate with the throttle, you have to pay attention because it's much easier to lose control of the rear. So it was much nicer for us drivers because it involves us a lot more."

Two of the closest rivals for the NASCAR Nextel Cup championship title recently
met at a press conference before the season finale race in Homestead-Miami Speedway. These two NASCAR drivers, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon are actually close friends and race under the same team - Hendrick Motorsports.
Team owner Rick Hendrick said during the press conference:
"Winning championships is what you work and plan for. You don't expect to accomplish it but you have to set your goals high. We have 95 people on the two teams and 70 of them work on the Gordon and Johnson cars. Everyone freely shares information, too. I want to stay abreast of things and I spend a lot of time with the crew chiefs. We try to look at the competition and identify where we may have shortcomings. Working with the people is easy for me to do."

Meanwhile, check out what the two title combatants said about the upcoming race and the battle for the championship title.

Jimmie Johnson:
"We will not do anything different for the race. Pushing the envelope would not be a smart move for us. In my heart, I believe we have a good shot at winning the race. I have studied them and learned a lot from them.  I have trained myself to watch and study my superiors, and it has helped me grow."

Jeff Gordon
"As bad as I want to win the championship, I will be thrilled if Jimmie (Johnson) wins it. I couldn't be more thrilled, and we won't hang our heads because of it. It has been a great year for us on and off the track, in reference to his becoming a first-time father. Winning the championship would not top becoming a first-time dad but a championship would put a cherry on top of an unbelievable year. Jimmie can flat-out drive, and I am now going to have to start learning from him. He's on top of his game, and he's the one that everyone aspires to be."

Well, just wait for the season finale race and see who will take home the 2007 NASCA Cup trophy! Make your bets. Johnson or Gordon?