This month in motorsport – cont'd.

December
24: The RAC MSA hands over management of the British Rallycross Championship to the BRSCC.

27: Belgian former racer André Pilette dies, aged 75.

January
4: Lamborghini’s future in F1 looks uncertain, as Larrousse confirms that it will switch to Ford’s HB V8.

4: Talk is rife that there will be mid-week F3 races on summer evenings. The idea gets the thumbs-up from team managers.

4: David Sears confirms that he will run Super Nova, a new European F3000 venture. Japan’s Taki Inoue will drive one car.

4: Renault make a surprise appearance on the Monte Carlo Rally entry list. Group A Clio Williamses will be driven by Jean Ragnotti and Alain Oreille.

5: Pacific confirms that Oliver Gavin will be its official F1 tester, and that he will also race for its F3000 team.

5: Vic Lee, boss of 1991 and 1992 BTCC championship winner Vic Lee Motorsport, is jailed for 12 years on drug smuggling charges. Former racers Rob Mason and Alan Humberstone are sentenced to 18 and 15 years respectively for their part in the same operation.

6: Mitsubishi withdraws its entries for the Rally of Portugal.

6: Volkswagen announces that Sebastian Lindholm will contest the British Rally Championship in a Golf.

7: Fledgling F1 teams Simtek and Pacific learn that their World Championship entries have formally been accepted.

7: Reynard launches its 94D F3000 racer.

7: The RAC MSA announces that the British Rally Championship will be for Formula Two cars only from 1995. Gordon Spooner Engineering is known to be developing an Escort RS2000 for the category, with help when possible from Ford Motorsport, which has no plans to build its own F2-type rally car.

8: Bob Fowden wins the Mewla Rally.

10: Mark Blundell signs for Tyrrell.

10: Renault runs its new BTCC challenger, the Laguna, at Nogaro (left).

10: Silverstone postpones its plan to build an oval racing facility.

10: Mauricio Gugelmin joins Ganassi Racing for a full IndyCar season.

10: Alister McRae is tipped to be joining Nissan for the British Rally Championship.

11: Jordan unveils its new F1 challenger, the 194.

13: Nigel Mansell becomes the first driver to lap Phoenix International Raceway in under 20s. The Englishman’s new Lola T94/00 records a 19.96s.

14: At the launch of its new B194, Benetton confirms that JJ Lehto will partner Michael Schumacher, and that Jos Verstappen will be the team’s official test driver. The highly rated young Dutchman had been expected to fulfil a similar role for McLaren.

14: Beppe Lucchini and Giancarlo Minardi conclude the terms of their new business partnership. The resultant F1 team will be known as Minardi Scuderia Italia.

16: The Paris-Dakar-Paris produces a 1-2 for Citroën, Pierre Lartigue/Michel Périn leading home Hubert Auriol/Gilles Piccard. The winning margin is around 90 minutes. The third place buggy of Philippe Wambergue is 11 hours further back in third . . .

17: Allan McNish shakes down the Benetton B194 at Silverstone.

17: Lord Hesketh is announced as the new BRDC President, succeeding the late Innes Ireland.

17: Honda discloses that it will run a works-assisted NSX team in the Le Mans 24 Hours. Meanwhile, ADA reports that it will run a De Tomaso Pantera in the event.

17: Peugeot says that Robb Gravett will not be continuing as a works driver in its BTCC team.

17: Thierry Boutsen finds gainful employment in Germany’s new 2.0 touring car series. He joins Eggenberger to race a Ford Mondeo.

17: Italian F3000 operation Team Crypton confirms that it is talking closely to Franck Lagorce. Lagorce, who won the final two European Championship races of 1993, is, surprisingly, expected to leave DAMS, for whom Jules Bouillon is expected to sign as team number one.

18: Footwork confirms that Christian Fittipaldi will be one of its drivers this season.