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F1: Villeneuve Considering V8 Supercar Career, Korea GP Could Be A Wet Weekend

Jacques Villeneuve has apparently moved his sights from a full-time return to Formula One, or a seat in the American NASCAR series, to Australia's domestic touring car series V8 Supercars.

The French Canadian driver will be one of the internati


Jacques Villeneuve has apparently moved his sights from a full-time return to Formula One, or a seat in the American NASCAR series, to Australia's domestic touring car series V8 Supercars.

The French Canadian driver will be one of the international drivers in this weekend's one-off Gold Coast 600 event, and he said he is prepared to move his family to Australia if he lands a full-time ride for 2011.

"I wouldn't mind coming and doing it full-time because it could be a lot of fun," said the 39-year-old World Champion of 1997.

He admitted to the Sydney-published Daily Telegraph newspaper that his efforts to move into F1 next year with a Durango collaboration have likely come to an end.

"We were working hard on Formula One, but we are looking towards other things like NASCAR now," Villeneuve said.

"We had everything in place for the 13th team, but the FIA did a backflip. There was obviously something we didn't know about."

On Wednesday, he tested his Ford Falcon for the Gold Coast 600 at Queensland Raceway.

(GMM)

Wet Weather Possible For Korea GP

There is a chance of another rain-affected Grand Prix event this weekend.

The forecast for the city of Mokpo - the closest to the Yeongam venue in Korea's Jeollanam-do province - is not predicting the kind of extreme conditions that caused qualifying for the recent Japanese grand prix to be postponed.

But the skies above the Korean International Circuit will be cool, cloudy and breezy for much of the weekend, with the chance of showers increasing late on Saturday and into the small hours of Sunday.

And some reports are forecasting a definitely wet day in Mokpo on Monday, the after the inaugural South Korean event, with the accuracy of that prediction clouded by the super-typhoon 'Megi' off China.

"I think we have a very interesting weekend ahead," said Virgin team boss John Booth.

Local reports say as few as 60,000 tickets have been sold for the three-day event so far, with the Yeongam venue still essentially under construction and the F1 event lacking a naming sponsor.

"Frankly, we have not been prepared well for our F1 debut," said Yoon Keun-Sang, the PR director for the race organiser.

"If we host this year's event successfully, the situation will be far different next year," he is quoted by the Bangkok Post.

(GMM)

Korea Surface Won't Break Up Insists Tilke

Hermann Tilke on Wednesday sounded confident the newly-laid track surface at Yeongam will survive this weekend's inaugural Korean Grand Prix.

With the top layer so recently laid and oils still seeping to the surface, it is feared this event could be a repeat of Spa in 1985, when the F1 cars had to go home because the track broke up.

But Tilke, the architect who designed the 5.6km layout, said he is not worried about the strength of the surface.

Instead, he predicted it will be a challenge for the drivers.

"It will probably have little grip in the beginning. But they are the best drivers in the world and must cope with it," the German, whose company provided machinery and expertise for the laying of the asphalt, told DPA news agency.

"It will be very slippery in the beginning. But the track will become faster by the seconds until Sunday," he said.

Also sounding bullish on Wednesday was McLaren's chief engineer Phil Prew, who had worried about the state of the brand new asphalt before arriving in Korea.

"I walked the circuit this morning and the track surface didn't look too bad," he told reporters during a teleconference.

"It wasn't particularly greasy underfoot and it looked - from what you can tell - smooth, well-laid and consistent all the way around."

(GMM)

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