In brief, June 2010

* The 17th in a line of BMW Art Cars will race at the Le Mans 24 Hours in June. One of the two Schnitzer-run BMW M3s will race in a livery billed as a “rolling sculpture” by artist Jeff Koons. British ace Andy Priaulx will join Dirk Muller and Dirk Werner in the V8-powered car.

* The Triple 8 team has returned to the British Touring Car Championship, despite losing its factory status with Vauxhall. Phil Glew, who won last year’s Renault Clio one-make series, is driving one of the team’s Vectras, while James Nash, who raced an RML Chevrolet Lacetti in 2009, has taken over the second car that double BTCC Champion Fabrizio Giovanardi raced to victory on a one-off basis in the Thruxton series opener.

* Former Grand Prix driver Ricardo Zonta raced in the first round of the new FIA GT1 World Championship, a dozen years after winning its predecessor, FIA GT. The 34-year-old finished fifth in the main race at the Abu Dhabi series opener, sharing a Reiter-run Lamborghini Murciélago with fellow Brazilian Rafael Daniel.

* Former Red Bull Junior driver Robert Wickens will race in the new GP3 series this year. The Canadian moves over from Formula 2 to race for the Status Grand Prix team, which masterminded Team Ireland’s A1GP successes.

* Bigger Picture film Deadliest Crash is due to be shown on BBC4 on May 16 after 7pm. The film about the 1955 Le Mans disaster is also available on DVD from www.deadliestcrash.com. Motor Sport has five copies to give away. You can win one by answering the following question: who won the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1955? Send your answer to: [email protected].

* Former BTCC racer John Batchelor, who took commercial support in racing to a new level when he changed his name to John Top-Gear and John B&Q in deference to sponsors, has died at the age of 51. The eccentric entrepreneur, who passed away peacefully on April 11, was also a former owner and chairman of York City Football Club and set up the York City Racing team, which ran in the BTCC.