In Brief, November 2010

• Audi has said its participation in next year’s new Intercontinental Le Mans Cup does not preclude a return to the American Le Mans Series, in which it raced full-time from 2000-08. Marque motor sport boss Wolfgang Ullrich said he was investigating a return to the US series but that no decisions had been made.

• The Formula 1-style shark fin will only be mandatory on LMP1 and P2 prototypes built to the 2011 rulebook. They will not have to be retro-fitted to existing cars that are allowed to race into next season.

• Contemporary motor racing will return to the streets of Pau in 2011. The Pau GP, which did not take place this year, will be run as a Formula 3 invitation race. New organiser Patrick Peter hopes to attract leading runners from top F3 series to the May event.

• Two-time DTM champion Mattias Ekström made his oval racing debut in the NASCAR Sprint Cup at Richmond in September. The Swede, who drove for the Red Bull Toyota team at the Sears Point road course in June, finished 31st.

• French racer Hellé Nice has been honoured with a plaque placed on her grave for the first time since her death in 1984. Nice, who raced in the 1930s, died in poverty after post-war accusations about collaborating with the Gestapo. The Hellé Nice Foundation funded the memorial for her grave in Sainte-Mesme.

• Martin Brundle, Johnny Herbert, Derek Bell and Mark Blundell all joined the grid for the sixth round of the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup at Brands Hatch on September 4/5. Blundell finished third, claiming the title of ‘top legend’.

• Conor Daly, the son of ex-F1, Indycar and sports car driver Derek, has taken the 2010 Star Mazda title after winning his eighth race of the year at Mosport. He plans to race in Europe in 2011.

• Organisers of the London to Brighton run on November 7 have added a ‘Future Car Challenge’ to proceedings. The competitive event will take place the day before the main run and cars will be compared on the amount of energy they use. Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Smart, TATA, Tesla, Vauxhall and Gordon Murray’s T.25 will be among an estimated 50 entries.