Five stats from the opening weekend in Melbourne

1. In fifteen of the last nineteen seasons - including each of the last three - the winner of the opening race of the season has gone on to win the Drivers Championship. Jenson Button is now the favourite and the best price available on him is 3/1 with Boylesports.

2. The winning team at the first Grand Prix of the season have won the Constructors Championship in seven of the last nine years. Brawn GP are still available at 11/5 with Boylesports but Ferrari, who broke this trend last season to triumph, are still favourites. The best price available on the Scuderia is 11/8 with Ladbrokes.

But that’s the only reason people watch it!

This season in Nascar, accidents and spins fell to their lowest level in five years. The new, sturdier model of racecar, introduced this year after a successful trial in 2007, was involved in 211 incidents resulting in a caution, according to Nascar race data. That represents a 12% drop from last season and marks the lowest total since 2004.

“Everyone is just getting better and better,” said Nascar star Carl Edwards, who finished second in this year’s championship. “Guys are realising how to race and not make mistakes, so I think part of this is the sport changing a little bit, and I think part of it is the car.”

This is unacceptable. Nascar needs lots of crashes (like the NHL needs fights, say), otherwise it’s just a lot of colourful brand names going round and round and round without incident. Sort it out, or we’ll change channels.

Crasher video bonus! Nascar crash compilation:

What a guy!

Four-time Nascar champ Jeff Gordon says he would take a pay cut to help his Hendrick Motorsport team survive the current economic crisis. Jeff, you’re our new hero (and not just because your wife is insanely hot).

“It’s tough times, it’s something to be very serious about,” Gordon said.

“I’ll do whatever it takes for us to have the best team we can possibly have. If that means take part of my salary to keep certain people on, or to hire certain people, I’ll do it.

“If me and Rick (Hendrick) sit down and talk about the position that we’re in - obviously I’m not the only one - but I would be open to it. I never got into this to make millions of dollars.”

As far as we’re aware, Gordon is the first star driver in any top motorsport series to make such an offer. Could you imagine any F1 drivers making a similar offer?

Another one bites the dust

Suzuki quietly backed away from the World Rally Championship this week, citing the global economic downturn as the main reason for their withdrawal. The Japanese manufacturer, which has no rallying pedigree, only started a serious WRC team this year and will be no great loss to the series.

Much bigger news is the hot, breaking news that the Prodrive-run Subaru team have decided to go the way of Suzuki. A report on the Finnish MTV3 network’s website claims Subaru won’t compete in WRC in 2009. That rumour has just been confirmed by Prodrive’s Dave Richards:

“Subaru’s departure from the WRC is a great loss as it is one of the sport’s icons,” Richards said.

“The Subaru World Rally Team has created true champions such as Colin McRae and Richard Burns and its absence will be felt by many the world over. Although this decision closes a significant chapter in Prodrive’s history, our focus now turns to the future.” 

This is a great shame. Subaru have a terrific rallying pedigree, with six world titles to their name in the last 20 years. Their iconic blue-and-yellow Imprezas have become an integral part of the rallying world. The championship won’t be the same without them. Indeed, only Ford and Citroen remain. And who wants to see a two-horse race?

With Prodrive not involved in rallying, does this mean Dave Richards has his eye on Honda’s F1 team? Watch this space.

New Lewis Hamilton has a bulging savings account

Leonardo Panayiotou, a four-year-old go-karter at the same track Lewis Hamilton first made his mark, has received £15,000 in sponsorship to pursue his motor racing dream. Despite his tender age, Leonardo races a 60cc kart as speeds of up to 50mph. A consortium of sponsors spotted the youngster racing at Rye House Kart Raceway, in Hertforshire, and came forward with the money. His dad Jason said:

“He lives and breathes motor racing. He was born to drive. He’s even beginning to beat me now and I’ve been racing for 15 years. It’s a bit embarrassing.”

The ‘World Cup of Motorsport’ is a joke

The other day we told you that A1GP had descended into farce. Grid Crasher is not sure what the official next stage down the scale from farce is, but A1GP is there! Britain, India, Germany, Mexico and Canada have all confirmed they will miss the season opener at Zandvoort this weekend, and some reports are suggesting that Brazil, China, France, Portugal and Switzerland will not be on the grid either.

The icing on the cake of all this hilarity is that the Germany team could withdraw from the series permanently after it emerged that 2006-07 champion Nico Hulkenberg is still waiting for the prize money for his achievement!

Overtaking has never been so easy

There should be chicane-cutting aplenty in the Superleague race this weekend. The football club-linked teams are coming to terms with the push to pass button, which provides the drivers with extra power for overtaking manoeuvres. The 11,000rpm V12 engine is boosted to 12,000rpm for a 15 second burst after the driver presses the button on the steering wheel.

Each driver can press the button a maximum of eight times in the race, but it cannot be used for two minutes after the previous use and cannot be used in qualifying.

Scot lasts just one season in Nascar

Dario Franchitti, a man who is rightly best-known as Mr Ashley Judd, is leaving Nascar after just one season, to return to IndyCar in 2009. The Scot, who won the Indy 500 last year, will replace fellow Brit Dan Wheldon and team up with Scott Dixon.

Dixon is delighted with the news (perhaps because Wheldon has a reputation in the IndyCar paddock as being a bit of a dick, whereas Dario is a bit of a dude). The Kiwi said: “We saw each other over the weekend and I thought there must be some rustlings going on. To have a driver like Dario on our team is going to be spectacular. We’re going to be a force next season.”