Italian driver Davide Rigon has won the inaugural Superleague Formula title for Chinese football team Beijing Gu'aon. Given the state of the championship prior to the final round in Spain, he had been expected to claim the title, and duly delivered.

The tight and twisty street circuit of Macau welcomed the World Touring Car Championship, as Yvan Muller sought his maiden World Driver's title. His main rival, and team mate, Gabriele Tarquini knew that luck would have to be on his side if he was to overcome Muller's lead.

Yvan Muller has won the 2008 World Touring Car Championship for the first time. After narrowly losing out in the 2007 championship to Andy Priaulx, the Frenchman has been in inspired form throughout the year. He clinched the title with a third place finish in the first race at the Macau Grand Prix.

After taking a gallant victory at Bathurst, and a clean sweep of race wins on the Gold Coast Team Vodafone's Jamie Whincup was hoping to carry his excellent form on to the sole flyaway race of the season in Bahrain.

The Superleague Formula championship season was still closely fought as the series moved to Italy for the fifth round. Two of the biggest names, and biggest rivalries, in football AS Roma and AC Milan would now be doing battle on the race track in Italy itself, and this would certainly draw huge interest.

Sebastien Loeb has won the 2008 World Rally Championship for a record breaking fifth consecutive year. His title rival Mikko Hirvonen won the Rally of Japan, but Loeb managed to finish a comfortable third, which was enough to see him claim the Driver's Championship.

With the season reaching an exciting climax, the driver's title was still undecided as the World Touring Car Championship moved East to Japan for the penultimate round. Mathematically any of Yvan Muller, Gabriele Tarquini, Andy Priaulx, Rickard Rydell or Rob Huff could take the 2008 title, and all was still to race for.

As the series resumed it's sprint race format, the action moved to the Gold Coast to Surfer's Paradise. Jamie Whincup had made a great leap in his quest for the championship at Bathurst, but Garth Tander was hoping to hit back quickly to regain lost ground.

Following on from success in Zolder, Liverpool and Beijing were battling at the top of the championship standings as the season moved to Estoril. Warm sunny weather greeted the drivers in Portugal, in stark contrast to the damp conditions in Belgium during the previous round.

After success in the Philip Island 500, Holden Racing Team duo Garth Tander and Mark Skaife were hoping to see success at the 48th running of the Bathurst 1000. The showcase event of the V8 Supercar Championship again saw regular drivers mixed up amongst returning drivers, and many newcomers. The variety of experience in the field, the nature of the circuit and the sheer duration of the race all added to the excitement that could only be created at Mount Panorama.

Yvan Muller went to the second of the Italian races with a 12-point lead over SEAT teammate Gabriele Tarquini. A strong performance from either driver would push them towards the overall title this season, and end Andy Priaulx’s domination of the World Touring Car Championship.

With the end of the 2008 season in sight, Sebastien Loeb moved onto the first of three asphalt events, knowing full well that he is firmly in control of the Drivers Championship. Francois Duval had been handed a drive in the main Ford team, in a last ditch attempt to close the Manufacturers title lead which Citroen currently have.

The third round of the inaugural Superleague Formula season saw the famous Belgian track of Zolder play host. With the first season of the championship only featuring some 6 meetings with 12 races, collecting wins is vitally important for success, and the championship leaders were vying for top spot again.

Brands Hatch hosted the final round of the BTCC season, just as it had the opener. With the driver’s title and the independents title still to be settled, it was sure to be an exciting weekend of racing action. Fabrizio Giovanardi was the clear favourite over rival Jason Plato, but as with any form of motor racing, nothing is certain until the chequered flag is waved.

After a successful first outing for the Superleague Formula at Donington Park, it was time to head south to the Nürburgring for round two. Again much uncertainty would surround the event, with the cars having never run competitively on the German circuit. To further add to the racing, the races now feature a Compulsory Pit Stop window, meaning that race order could be completely mixed up by a slower stop.

In the first of an Italian double header for the WTCC, racing was expected to be tough with the championship still wide open. N Technology fancied their chances as the dark horse of the weekend, especially with their preference for running with little drag, on what is a high-speed circuit at Imola.

Italian Fabrizio Giovanardi has won the 2008 HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship for the second consecutive year. In what was the first race of the season where Giovanardi had failed to collect a single point, as he suffered an off early on. His title rival Jason Plato failed to finish any higher than fifth, and so lost the title race.

All eyes were on Phillip Island for the first of the two endurance rounds in 2008. Team Vodafone pair Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup have monopolised these events of late, meaning a barren spell for the Holden teams. The whole carnival aspect of the endurance races was added to by the influx of drivers from around the world to take up race seats alongside seasoned regulars.

The World Rally Championship title was in danger of slipping out of Mikko Hirvonen’s grasp, after he suffered successive defeats in Finland and Germany to rival Sebastien Loeb. Defeat in New Zealand would not mean an end to his championship assault, but it would certainly hamper him with only four rallies remaining. Two Loeb-favouring asphalt events and two gravel events where Loeb is noxiously strong are all waiting, in the form of Spain, Corsica, Japan and Wales.

Fabrizio Giovanardi went to Silverstone for penultimate round of the 2008 BTCC season with a healthy advantage of over 40 points over big rival Jason Plato. Giovanardi’s mission was again to score as many points as possible without taking any risks. By doing so he would surely be successful in defending his title.

With the championship battle still wide open, the BMW drivers were hoping to make their mark on the points standings on what is home soil for the BMW team at Oschersleben. Qualifying didn't go well, and the top two BMW's were that of Augusto Farfus in sixth, and Andy Priaulx in ninth.

Mixed weather greeted the inaugural Superleague Formula round at Donington Park this weekend. In itself this round would be a step into the unknown, the formbook was clear and there was great uncertainty as to how anyone would perform.

The sound of chatter and expectation as the crowds gather at the stadium to watch their beloved team, cheering and jeering as the line-ups are announced, and the referee's whistle engulfed in manic song. This idyllic description of football is about to be drowned out by the sound of a 750 brake horsepower V12 engine, housed in a sleek body shell donned in famous team colours. These cars will take the rivalries normally bound to the hallowed green turf, onto the solid black asphalt of motor racing venues worldwide, welcome to Superleague Formula.

Sebastien Loeb had never been beaten on Rallye Deutschland for the six years that it has been part of the World Rally Championship calendar. He was also riding high after his fantastic win on the Rally of Finland, so his rivals were fearing the worst as the first pure asphalt event of 2008 loomed.

Farbrizio Giovanardi went to Knockhill in Scotland, with a 44-point advantage over SEAT driver Jason Plato. Giovanardi's aim was to finish in the points, as often, and as high as possible, but without taking any risks, and also hope that the support from his team mates – former double British Touring Car Champion Matt Neal, and relative BTCC new boy Tom Onslow-Cole, would be strong and consistent.

A memorable Rally of Finland brought in the second half of the World Rally Championship season. High drama, big accidents and an unexpected victor all graced the 2008 instalment of the iconic gravel event.

V8 Supercar history was made at the Winton Raceway this weekend, as three drivers shared the same number of points for the round, and as the rules state, the overall round winner was the winner of race three. The Ford teams had dominated proceedings at the Queensland meeting, and Mark Winterbottom was hoping that he would lead the Blue Oval charge once again.

Brands Hatch provided the setting for the seventh round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship. The undulating Kent countryside circuit exhibited temperatures higher than any of those on the WTCC calendar so far. The partisan British crowd all had high expectations for the British trio of Andy Priaulx, Rob Huff and James Thompson.

Oulton Park is widely regarded as one of the top venues in the country for both driver and fans alike where the British Touring Car Championship is concerned. The hot weather, and promise of top class action drew massive crowds to the sleepy Cheshire village of Little Budworth for round seven of the BTCC.

With no one of the top drivers being able to pull out a significant advantage so far this season, the racing moved to Ipswich in Queensland. The form of Ford Performance Racings Mark Winterbottom has identified him as the man to beat, but last years series champion Garth Tander has been consistently scoring good points this year.

After a six-week break, the British Touring Car Championship got under way once again at the Norfolk circuit of Snetterton. The SEAT Sport cars were predicted to have the advantage at the fast, former airfield, circuit. The practice sessions served to substantiate these theories, as the turbo diesel power plants appeared very effective compared to the rest of the BTCC field.

The World Touring Car Championship moved west from the Czech Republic to Estoril in Portugal, a circuit that was expected to serve the Turbo Diesel SEATs well. The championship table was close, and the drivers at the forefront would be aiming to try and break clear.

Team Vodafone moved on from a successful round at Sandown to try and perform as well again. Craig Lowndes was sure to be feeling confident, as he is the most successful V8 Supercar driver at the Hidden Valley Raceway in Darwin, and was also on the back of his 70th V8SC win in the previous round.

Four time’s World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb crossed the Aegean Sea from Greece to tackle the Rally of Turkey with one goal, to win again. He had his work cut out, as he would be first on the road for the entire first day, and would again be acting as the road sweeper for those behind him.

The BMW teams moved to the Czech city of Brno, with the hope that form in the last round in Pau, and their success in previous years at the Brno circuit would bode well for this season. Augusto Farfus and Andy Priaulx took the wins in Pau, and would be feeling confident ahead of this race.

Fresh from his triple race success at Barbagallo, Mark Winterbottom was hoping to carry the form into the Midas 400 at Sandown. The Holden drivers were looking to bite back, and push the Ford’s down the pecking order.

With an eventful round at Thruxton seeing the championship tighten up, the North Yorkshire circuit of Croft provided the setting for Round Five of the British Touring Car Championship. Jason Plato had sounded out his intentions to hunt down championship leader Farbrizio Giovanardi, in a role reversal from this point last year.

The historic street circuit of Pau in France was the setting for the fourth round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship. Damp practice and qualifying sessions led to teams setting their cars up to wet specifications for the Sunday races, but were greeted with dry, sunny weather for the first race.

The World Rally Championship moved to the renowned car breaking round in Greece. Historically, the Acropolis rally takes its toll on cars, drivers, co-drivers and indeed entire squads. The shakedown and recce showed that this year would be no different, deep ruts and large revealed rocks and a loose surface would all add to the Greek adventure. To add more to the equation, Subaru were debuting their brand new Impreza. The Prodrive prepared car would be in the hands of Petter Solberg and Chris Atkinson.

The World Touring Car Championship returned to Europe after its South American sabbatical, which saw SEAT dominate the Mexican round. BMW and Chevrolet were hoping to build on their previous form, and seek out race wins. James Thompson’s new N Technology run Honda Accord was debuting in the WTCC, after sitting our the previous two rounds of the 2008 championship to-date.

The BTCC headed to the fastest circuit on the calendar, with a visit to the Hampshire circuit of Thruxton. Vauxhall’s Tom Onslow-Cole was hoping to build on his pole position last time out and take his first factory for the VX Racing team. SEAT again began a race weekend with a huge amount of uncertainty, having never run the Turbo diesel cars at Thruxton before.

Sebastien Loeb was hoping that he could get straight back to winning ways, after the freak accident which caused his retirement from the Rally of Jordan. Jari-Matti Latvala has been showing that he is a force to be reckoned with this season so far, and that he is a genuine title contender.

The V8 Supercar Championship moved to its most westerly location, with a visit to the Barbagallo Raceway in Perth, WA. Local hero Garth Tander was hoping to continue his amazing form, which has seen him clean sweep the last two rounds, albeit one being a non-championship round.

The desire for the third meeting of the BTCC season was that it be a dry meeting, and the qualifying session was just that. VX Racing’s Tom Onslow-Cole claimed his first ever pole position in the BTCC, ahead of SEAT driver Jason Plato. Congratulations must be conveyed to Plato, his wife Sophie and their daughter, Alena, who was born only a few days before the meeting.

The WRC got back underway with the inaugural Rally of Jordan. Previously a round of the Middle East Rally Championship, the event is located in city of Amman, and becomes the first ever round of the WRC to be held in the Middle East. Sebastien Loeb was hoping to continue his current form, as was Subaru driver Chris Atkinson. Atkinson’s teammate Peter Solberg was hoping to put the misery of a final day retirement last time out, and get some worthwhile championship points this time out.

It was with great relief that the focus of the Formula 1 season was again placed upon the actual racing instead of antics within the FIA. Fernando Alonso was hoping to achieve some success in front of his massive home support in Catalunya.

What seemed to be an almost never ending period between championship points scoring rounds of the V8 Supercar championship, was filled with the non-championship Australian Grand Prix support event. Holden Racing Team ace Garth Tander took a clean sweep of race wins in that round, and was hoping to take that form into the inaugural street circuit Hamilton 400 in New Zealand.

The BTCC moved north to the Northamptonshire circuit of Rockingham, near Corby. The weather was forecast to be changeable, but generally overcast through the race weekend. However, no one would predict quite how the weather would affect the three races. Team 48’s racing debut was again postponed, as the team opted to focus on fine tuning their cars, and enter the BTCC at Donington Park in the next round.

After a successful double win in the opening Round in Brazil, SEAT Sport were looking to again make their rivals suffer as the WTCC headed to the high altitude of Puebla in Mexico. The Puebla circuit is based around a banked oval, with extensive use of the infield. The track measures 3.7km for race distance, and consists of some 16 corners.

Felipe Massa silenced his critics with a win in Sakhir. The only downside to an otherwise perfect weekend was his missing out on pole position in a qualifying session, which saw BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica take the honour.

It was with great sadness that during the morning of Monday 31st March 2008, Kent Police confirmed that two of the people who died in the light aircraft accident in Kent on Sunday afternoon, were David Leslie and Richard Lloyd.

As the BTCC enters its 50th season, a brief look down the entrants list shows a whole host of names that could realistically challenge for race wins, and indeed the championship, whether it be the overall title or the independents title. The strong field is a mix of seasoned BTCC racers, and a vast number of debutants, meaning only one thing - more exciting action from Britain’s premier racing series.

With Sebastien Loeb and Mikko Hirvonen separated by just one point, Rally Argentina was always going to provide many talking points. The elevated nature of some of the stages would also suit the Subaru Imprezas, as the team were looking to build on their excellent form so far this season, particularly Chris Atkinson’s second place last time out in Mexico.

As the Formula 1 road show moved to Malaysia for Round 2 the attention was, for different reasons, focused on both McLaren and Ferrari. McLaren were looking to expand on their good start in Australia, whereas Ferrari were hoping to overcome the nightmare of the last round, and amass some worthwhile points this time out.

After a close-season dominated by the spying allegations, it was a relief to focus on racing once again. The season opener from Albert Park, Melbourne again drew massive crowds, and was supported by a non-championship outing from the V8 Supercars.

The V8 Supercar series moved to Sydney, New South Wales for Round 2. The Eastern Creek Raceway providing a whole host of action for the three-race round. Holden proved too strong for the Fords in qualifying, occupying the first three positions.

Jari-Matti Latvala headed to Rally Mexico still on the high of becoming the youngest ever winner of a World Rally event. However the weekend’s headlines were surrounding reigning World Champion, Sebastien Loeb, and an engine replacement during the shakedown.

As the WRC was taking place in Mexico, further south in Curitiba, Brazil, the opening round of the 2008 FIA World Touring Car Championship was taking place. Britain’s Andy Priaulx is aiming to make it four wins in as many years in the FIA’s flagship touring class. Yvan Muller is looking to go one better from his second place finish last season, and take Priaulx’s crown. Muller will be again with SEAT, who will run the Diesel engine for the full season after impressing during the latter half of 2007.

The Australian V8 Supercar Championship 2008 got underway this weekend, with the Clipsall 500 from Adelaide. This event, as we have come to expect, gave us much excitement and action.