The Star Online: Sports

Texas promoters still hoping GP will go ahead
Dutchman Luiten leads after first round in Malaysia
Former world champion Mullings found guilty of doping

Texas promoters still hoping GP will go ahead

Posted: 17 Nov 2011 06:47 PM PST

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Texas promoter Tavo Hellmund said he remains hopeful that Austin can still host next year's planned U.S. Grand Prix despite losing the rights to the race and the apparent support of Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone.

Ecclestone said he cancelled his original contract with Hellmund's Full Throttle Productions because of a breach of contract and may axe the race altogether.

The 81-year-old Briton was left dealing with the track developers, Circuit of the Americas (COTA), but has since run out of patience with them, saying they had a week to agree to a new contract and pay up or he would scrap the event.

Hellmund, whose father worked with Ecclestone to put on the Mexican Grand Prix in the 1980s, said his company and the race organisers only had themselves to blame for the fallout.

"The reason we don't have a contract with Formula One is because as a project, we have failed many times over to fulfill our financial obligations to Formula One. It's literally that simple," he told a news conference on Thursday.

"Right now we should be praising Mr. Ecclestone. We were in breach on multiple issues as late as May. And he sent numerous requests and letters that we were all aware of how to fix it and we failed to do that."

Hellmund said the problem was caused by a rift between Full Throttle Productions and COTA. He said he tried to buy them out, but they declined, then he agreed to allow COTA to buy him out but they have not yet reached a deal.

"I don't really want to get into the weeds about that. Let's just say there's been a difference of philosophy and for the good of the project I'm willing to do whatever it is for the project to go forward," he explained.

The prospects of the race going ahead as planned in November next year were fading fast with construction halted at the track after COTA officials said they wanted to see a contract, then state government officials ruling out the possibility of a public bailout.

But COTA president Steve Sexton indicated on Thursday that a 2013 startup might be a possibility and Hellmund said he was still optimistic that 2012 could be saved.

"I was encouraged today to see some news reports that the door is still open for us to be able to fix that," Hellmund said.

"And I've also been encouraged in recent days to see that apparently all the funding's in place. And so with that being said I'm really optimistic and hopeful that we're going to get this done and we're going to have a Grand Prix next year."

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Dutchman Luiten leads after first round in Malaysia

Posted: 17 Nov 2011 06:45 PM PST

JOHOR BAHRU, Malaysia, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Dutchman Joost Luiten was confirmed as the first round leader of the Iskandar Johor Open when play was completed early on Friday at the rain-hit $2 million co-sanctioned event.

A late afternoon thunderstorm halted play on Thursday and left 78 players to complete their first round at Horizon Hills early on Friday.

Luiten shot an eight-under par 63 prior to the stoppage and was still on top when the rest of the field finished.

Sweden's Daniel Chopra joined defending champion Padraig Harrington, Marcus Fraser and Gregory Bourdy in second place a shot behind Luiten.

Chopra, who won the event in 1993, resumed his round in a greenside bunker on the sixth hole, which he birdied, and went on to card a 64.

"I stayed very patient as I knew this is a golf course where if you play well, you will be able to make some birdies," Chopra said.

"I didn't hit the ball that well this morning. But now with a bit of break, maybe I can go out and hit some balls and find that momentum."

One of the biggest movers on Friday was Thailand's Chapchai Nirat, who resumed his round tied for 14th but climbed the leaderboard with a 65 to finish in sixth spot.

Colin Montgomerie birdied his last hole in a two-under par round of 69. Paul McGinley, meanwhile, has withdrawn from the event and returned home with a knee injury.

The Irishman is to undergo keyhole surgery on his left knee in the coming weeks but is hopeful of returning to competition in January. McGinley had an 81 in the first round.

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Former world champion Mullings found guilty of doping

Posted: 17 Nov 2011 05:57 PM PST

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Former world champion Steve Mullings was found guilty of a doping offence on Thursday that could land the Jamaican sprinter a lifetime ban from athletics.

Mullings, 28, who will learn his penalty on Nov. 21, was found guilty by a three-member Jamaica Anti-Doping Disciplinary panel for using the banned diuretic furosemide, which could serve as a possible masking agent for other drugs.

"It is a unanimous verdict that Mr. Mullings is guilty of having furosemide in both his 'A' and 'B' samples," Lennox Gayle, who chaired the disciplinary panel, told Reuters.

A stay of execution was granted while the panel awaits correspondence the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) in regards to Mullings' previous two-year ban in 2004 for excessive levels of testosterone.

Mullings' lead attorney Alando Terrelonge said he is grateful the disciplinary panel decided to delay handing down its sentence until next week. "The document that we are awaiting from the JAAA is very important because it is based on the contents of that document, that we can make (final) submissions," he told Reuters.

Mullings, who won gold in the 4x100 relay team at Berlin in 2009, tested positive for the substance after placing third in the 100 metres final of the Jamaican national trials in June.

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Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Khamis, 17 November 2011

The Star Online: Sports

The Star Online: Sports

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