Toro Rosso confirm teenager Alguersuari......

(LEO) -- Toro Rosso have confirmed that Spanish teenager Jaime Alguersuari will drive for the team for the remainder of the 2009 Formula One season. Alguersuari will become the youngest driver to contest a grand prix in the 59-year history of the sport when he lines up on the grid at next weekend's race in Hungary.


At 19 years and 126 days, Alguersuari will beat the previous record held by Mike Thackwell since 1980 by 57 days.

Alguersuari is a product of the Red Bull Junior Program and replaces Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais, who was dropped by Toro Rosso after the last round in Germany.

"I would like to thank Red Bull for giving me this great opportunity to race in Formula One," Alguersuari, who will be team-mate to Swiss youngster Sebastien Buemi, told Press Association Sport

"Ever since I started racing this has been my dream and thanks to the Red Bull Junior Program I will now realise my ambition of lining up on a grand prix grid.

"I am aware that I'm facing a very tough challenge, because coming into Formula One is never easy, coming into Formula One in the middle of a season is even harder and doing so without any testing is really difficult. But already I feel that I am getting great support from the team." Alguersuari is the reigning British Formula Three champion and was competing in the World Series by Renault before making the step-up into F1, but team principal Franz Tost admits his new charge will need time to adapt to life at the highest level.

"Red Bull's stated aim for Scuderia Toro Rosso is that, when possible, it should be used to provide a seat for products of its Young Driver Program," said Tost.

"We therefore chose Alguersuari as the most mature driver currently in the program. I am well aware that over the next few months the team and Jaime will face a major challenge, especially because of the testing ban.

"But Red Bull is always ready for a new challenge. I do not expect anything from him for at least his first three races, during which he has to get used to the car, the team and to the Formula One environment."

Cricket: Pakistan battle back in Colombo Test....

(LEO) -- Leg-spinner Danish Kaneria took five wickets as Pakistan claimed a 66-run first-innings lead against Sri Lanka on the second day of the third and final Test in Colombo.Kaneria accounted for four of the last five wickets to fall, with the home side -- who have an unassailable 2-0 series lead -- crumbling in the final session to be all out for 233.

Pakistan then lost first-innings hero Khurram Manzoor in reaching 16-1 at stumps, meaning that 14 wickets fell in Tuesday's play.

Pakistan had resumed on 289-7 but lost both overnight batsmen, Kaneria and Kamran Akmal, without addition to the total.

Nuwan Kulasekara trapped Kaneria leg before wicket for one to end with figures of 3-47, while fellow paceman Thilan Thushara bowled Akmal for the same score and -- 10 runs later -- also skittled last man Saeed Ajmal to claim his first five-wicket haul in Tests.

Sri Lanka made the worst possible start when Malinda Warnapura was bowled by Umar Gul with the first delivery of the innings, then fellow opener Tharanga Paranavitana shouldered arms to an in-ducker from part-timer Younis Khan to leave the hosts 23-2.

Captain Kumar Sangakkara made a fluent 45 off 56 deliveries to steady the innings, surviving a dropped catch to Manzoor at gully before being unluckily trapped lbw by Ajmal with the last ball before lunch, which appeared to pitch outside leg stump.

Spinner Ajmal bowled Thilan Samaraweera for six, then Mahela Jayawardene was joined by Angelo Matthews in a 71-run stand.

Mathews, who was dropped on 12 by Akmal, made a stubborn 31 before being caught at slip by Misbah-ul-Haq to become Kaneria's first scalp.

Kaneria quickly trapped Chaminda Vaas lbw for 4, then ended Jayawardene's resistance when he bowled the experienced right-hander for 79.

Tillakaratne Dilshan, batting down the order due to an injured finger, stood firm as Kulasekara and Rangana Herath fell cheaply to the twin spin attack of Kaneria and Ajmal.

He added 29 for the final wicket with Thushara, who contributed only five, as he clubbed two sixes and two boundaries in his 44 despite suffering a nasty cut near his eye when a delivery from Ajmal went through his visor.

Dilshan fell short of his half-century when he was caught behind to give Kaneria his 13th five-wicket haul in Tests.

In Pakistan's reply, Manzoor, who compiled an impressive 93 in the first innings, had made only two off 28 deliveries when he was bowled by spinner Herath.

Captain Younis safely negotiated one delivery before stumps were called, while Fawad Alam was unbeaten on 14.

Dubai billionaire seals Portsmouth buyout....

(LEO) -- Middle-Eastern investment is continuing apace in the English Premier League despite the tough economic climate, with Dubai-based Sulaiman Al Fahim completing his long-awaited takeover of Portsmouth.Al Fahim, a board member of the Abu Dhabi United Group which bought out Manchester City a year ago, has been named chairman of the cash-strapped club after passing the EPL's "fit and proper" ownership test.


He replaces Alexandre Gaydamak, who became co-owner of the south-coast club in January 2006 and took over full control six months later.

Gaydamak initially invested a lot of money in Portsmouth, but with the economic downturn taking its toll, he announced last December he could no longer devote enough time to the club.

Al Fahim, who spearheaded the City takeover before Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan emerged as the main backer, struck a deal with Gaydamak in late May before undergoing legal and financial due diligence.

The subsequent uncertainty at Fratton Park saw full-back Glen Johnson join Liverpool in a $28 million deal, while England team-mate Peter Crouch has been allowed to talk to other clubs after voicing his unhappiness. "This appointment brings stability to the club and is excellent news for Pompey supporters," chief executive Peter Storrie, who will retain his position, told Portsmouth's official Web site on Tuesday.

"I have every reason to believe that together with the new chairman we will be able to take the club forward to further achievements, building on the successes of the past three years."

Portsmouth won the prestigious FA Cup two years ago and qualified for the UEFA Cup, but the club's momentum was derailed when manager Harry Redknapp left to take over at EPL rivals Tottenham then his replacement Tony Adams was sacked after a poor run of results.

Paul Hart was brought in as caretaker manager in February and saved Pompey from relegation -- and Al Fahim made his first job as chairman to reward the former Nottingham Forest boss with a two-year contract.

"Paul did a great job keeping the team in the Premier League last season, and having previously worked as director of youth operations he knows the club inside out," Al Fahim said.

"He has immense experience and a great knowledge of the game, and commands the respect of the players. I'm looking forward to working with him."

Born in 1977, Al Fahim started his own business at the age of 18 and moved to the United States after his parents and brother died in a road accident when he was 21.

A keen chess player, he is chairman of the United Arab Emirates Chess Association, while he is the host of business-themed reality television show Hydra Executives.

Hydra has sports sponsorship interests in Dubai, Costa Rica and Germany's Bundesliga.

Meanwhile, Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has given up on signing Crouch following talks with the 28-year-old.

The Black Cats had agreed a fee for the gangly former Liverpool frontman, but he now appears set to return to his native London with either Fulham or Tottenham.

"Naturally this is hugely disappointing for us as Peter was one of our primary targets," Bruce told his club's official Web site.

"I know he was impressed with the set up here when he came for talks, but it's simply a matter of geographical location and that's not something we can affect.

"What's pleasing however is that it shows the intent of the club going forward that we are trying to bring in players of his caliber, and we will continue to pursue other targets.

"We have a number of irons in the fire at present and we will be looking to make several additions to our squad in the coming weeks."

Armstrong clings on to leader Contador's tail.....

(LEO) -- Alberto Contador maintained his 97-second lead over Astana teammate Lance Armstrong in the Tour de France as Mikel Astarloza claimed his first stage victory on Tuesday.
Astarloza, captain of the Euskaltel-Euskadi team, finished six seconds clear of Sandy Casar and Pierrick Fedrigo after breaking free near the end of the 159-kilometer 16th stage from Martigny to Bourg St Maurice.

Contador was near the head of the 17-man peloton in 10th place, 59 seconds back from his fellow Spaniard, with seven-time champion Armstrong registering the same time in 12th.
Britain's Bradley Wiggins retained third place as he finished right in behind the American veteran Armstrong.

However, Australia's Cadel Evans -- the race runner-up for the past two years -- dropped out of overall contention with a poor 46th placing, falling to more than seven minutes behind Contador.

Armstrong had briefly looked like also losing ground on the peloton but recovered well on the day's second climb, up the Col du Petit St Bernard, to rejoin the pack about 2km from the summit.

At the top, Contador's group was two minutes and 15 seconds behind the leaders, while Evans and defending champion Carlos Sastre crested the second climb four minutes behind.Jens Voigt crashed heavily on the descent, while up ahead Franco Pellizotti, Astarloza and Jurgen Van Den Broeck had a lead of 15 seconds on Nicolas Roche, Stephane Goubert, Casar and Fedrigo.

Amael Moinard attacked the leaders but was quickly reeled in before Astarloza made his move with 2km to go and picked up a comfortable maiden stage win, with Casar claiming second for the sixth time of his Tour career.

Fedrigo, Roche, Van Den Broeck and Moinard also finished six seconds behind the winner, while Pellizotti increased his lead in the climbing classification as he finished seventh -- 11 seconds adrift alongside Stephane Goubert.

Astarloza, who was ninth overall in 2007, was delighted after giving his team a first stage victory in eight years.

"I'm super happy right now -- I had the strength to finally win a stage of the Tour de France," he told the race's official Web site.

"I've only got a small resume of results and there's not a lot of victories on it, but this goes right to the top of the list. I'm not finished with yet because I still feel like I've got a bit of strength in my legs and, of course, we all benefited from the rest day yesterday.

"But I'm always prepared to see what I can do. It's never easy to attack a small group of riders, especially after such a rapid descent and against others who were also very strong.

"I had a look around to see how the others responded to Moinard's attack and I seized the chance and went as hard as I could. I was in a good position for the win and this is a day that I'll remember for a long time.

"I didn't want to risk it and have our group come into the finish for a sprint because that's not my strength, so I wanted to give it all a few kilometers before the line."

Saxo Bank rider Voigt was taken to hospital, leaving teammate Andy Schleck worried for his health. "I'm not happy with how the stage went, I can say that much. We tried and I'm sorry but I'm a bit tense right now because I'm worried about Jens," said Schleck, who placed 19th -- one ahead of his brother Frank.

"I just hope that he's okay. I don't really care too much about anything else right now. I only knew about Jens when I came into the finish. I was told he had been in a big crash."

Fuji circuit to stop hosting Japan Grand Prix.....

(LEO) -- The Toyota-owned Fuji International Speedway circuit will stop hosting the Japanese Grand Prix from next year -- the track operators have announced. Fuji Speedway hosted the Formula One race in 2007 and 2008.


The race is set to return to the Honda-owned Suzuka circuit this year, and was due back at Fuji for the 2010 race -- as the 16th leg of the 18-race Formula One series.

The two venues were originally due to alternate hosting the Japanese Grand Prix but, due to the current downturn in the global economy, Fuji Speedway have confirmed they will no longer host the event.

Fuji Speedway opened in 1965. It staged F1 races in 1976 and in 1977, when a spectator and steward died after a Ferrari driven by Gilles Villeneuve ploughed into the crowd.

"We decided it would be extremely difficult to continue holding the F1 Japanese Grand Prix in view of sharply deteriorating business conditions and few signs of a rapid economic recovery," Fuji International Speedway said in a statement.

"I apologize deeply for being unable to live up to expectations. It is truly heartbreaking," Hiroaki Kato, president of the the company that runs the circuit, told reporters.

Kato said the economic downturn was causing a dramatic fall in the number of people attending motor sports events as the world's second-largest economy struggles through its worst recession since World War II.
"We are afraid that unless we circuit operators and promoters grit our teeth and support domestic motorsports, it will not be able to keep on going," he added.

Toyota's decision to pull outcomes as the global economic crisis forces Japanese automakers to slash costs.

Honda has sold its Formula One team while Suzuki and Subaru have withdrawn from the world rally championship. Motorcycle maker Kawasaki has exited the MotoGP and Mitsubishi is quitting the Dakar Rally despite a dozen victories.

Toyota overtook American rival General Motors in 2008 as the world's top selling automaker but fell into the red for the first time in the year to March with a net loss of 436.9 billion yen ($4.6 billion).

It expects a bigger net loss of 550 billion yen this year.

Athletics: Bolt breaks Lausanne 200m record ....

(LEO) -- Triple Olympic champion and world record holder Usain Bolt set a new meeting record in Lausanne with a stunning run over 200 meters of 19.59 seconds despite appalling weather conditions.
In the pouring rain the Jamaican sprinter clocked just one hundredth of a second outside of the fastest time of the year set by American Tyson Gay, in his first and only European 200 meters apearance before next month's World Championships in Berlin.


In typical style Bolt left the field trailing in his wake as he ran a time that suggested in better conditions, he may be on form to threaten his own world record of 19.30 set at the Beijing Olympics.

"I was not expecting such a good time with these conditions," Bolt told the Web site of the sport's world governing body, the IAAF.

"But for me it was ok, as it was not too cold. I was not here to send a message to my opponents but to see at what level I was. I wasn't nervous, even with this weather.

"I am always having fun when I run and people love to see me, so it was really great," the lanky paceman added.

Olympic 400m champion Lashawn Merritt of the USA took the runner-up spot with a time of 20.41, while Jamaicans concluded a good night in the sprints in other disciplines.

Asafa Powell triumphed in the 100 meter, to clock his second consecutive win at the Stade Olympice de la Pontaise, despite the strong headwind.

It was successful night for Powell who had been sidelined with an ankle injury and sets up an intriguing meet with Tyson Gay in Rome on Friday.

"I hate running in the rain but I am very happy with my performance," Powell said. "These were the worst weather conditions in my whole life but I ran my best race this year, technically speaking. I am definitely going for the World record."

Elsewhere, Shelly Ann Fraser of Jamaica won the women's 100m race while Golden League Jackpot contender and double Olympic sprint medallist Kerron Stewart took victory in the 200m.

"It was a bit cold but I wasn't thinking about it. I was thinking about my arms, my technique, my start," Stewart told the IAAF.

Fresh strikes lead to 2010 World Cup fears .....

(LEO) -- A large-scale strike in South Africa has led to renewed fears that stadiums will not be ready for the 2010 World Cup finals.
About 70,000 workers have downed tools in a pay dispute after negotiations broke down earlier this week.

The workers are reportedly seeking a 13 percent pay rise and there are worries that a prolonged strike could jeopardize key projects such as the 94,000-seater Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg.
Stadiums in Cape Town and Durban are also facing a race against time to be finished by the deadline of December set by FIFA, world football's governing body.
Six entirely new stadiums are being built for the World Cup, while four are being modernized, along with a host of other infrastructure projects to help cope with the influx of nearly half a million football fans to South Africa next June.Despite the scale of the strikes, a FIFA spokesman told CNN on Wednesday that they were confident the stadiums would be ready on time.
"We expect all the stadiums to be fully operational by the end of December," he said.
South Africa is the first African country to be awarded the World Cup finals and the main concerns have centered around crime and security as well as the readiness of the stadiums.
But a successful hosting of the Confederations Cup last month, won by Brazil, helped silence critics and local organizers have remained steadfast in their belief that they will stage a successful World Cup.