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MotoGP Kawasaki has announced it will run a third factory bike next year. A Spanish team, headed by 125cc team boss Jorge Martinez, is reportedly running the 800cc machine.

* After a lacklustre year as team-mate to Casey Stoner, Marco Melandri will leave Ducati and move to Kawasaki for the 2009 season, replacing Anthony West.

* Honda Gresini have confirmed that they will re-sign Alex de Angelis for 2009, while Rizla Suzuki will keep Loris Capirossi and Chris Vermeulen.

* Nicky Hayden has confirmed that he will race at Ducati Marlboro for the 2009 season.

A1GP The Chinese round of the series has been moved to Chengdu International Circuit with the profits of the meeting going to the Sichuan Earthquake Relief Fund. The date has also been changed to November 8/9 and the Indonesian round at Jakarta has consequently been moved to February 7/8.

* A1 Team Monaco has joined the series. Former F3 and GP2 race winner Clivio Piccione will drive their car.

* Sky Sports, the host broadcaster of the series, has extended its contract for a further three years until the end of the 2010/11 seasons and Five has extended its contract to air highlights of the races by the same margin.

* The UK round of the season has been confirmed as the Championship finale on May 1-3 2009 at Brands Hatch.

RoC Both Le Mans 2008 winner Tom Kristensen and reigning ‘Champion of Champions’ Mattias Ekstrom have been confirmed for this year’s event.

NASCAR Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards have been given a six-week probation following an incident at the end of the race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Busch drove into the side of Edwards on the cooling down lap in response to an earlier move the Roush Fenway driver made. Edwards then replied, spinning the Toyota off the track. Apparently they had “violated Section 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing; hitting another competitor’s car after the race has concluded)”.

DTM A new contract means that Brands Hatch will host a race for the next three years starting on August 28/29 2009.