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Schumacher is testing a new nose on the Ferrari this week and it could be used in Montreal on Sunday week. He sensed the opportunity to tighten his grip on the championship and carry it out of his rivals' reach. Instead, he is challenged merely to keep hold.Jacques Villeneuve, his Williams-Renault team-mate, now has renewed hope, especially as the next grand prix is in Canada, his home country. No one has put bums on expensive circuit seats the way this champion does, and suddenly he has opened up the prospect of an enthralling scrap for the title when a boring procession appeared more probable.Before the race, Hill had acknowledged he was embarking on a crucial period of the season. His "fantastic" drive through torrential rain in Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix here had thrown down the gauntlet to Damon Hill. In Italy, Bernie's blessing will ring as loud as the bells of Maranello, but then Schumacher's victory and Hill's demise had been a godsend to Ecclestone. It was with unbridled relish that Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One's impresario, gave his assent to the swell of conviction that Michael Schumacher was back in the contest for the world championship. Of course, he thought the German could now go on and win a third title.
Cayard has already recruited the designer Bruce Nelson and tactician John Kostecki from John Marshall's Pact 2000, which produced the 1995 defender boat, Young America, and which is masterminding the New York Yacht Club's challenge.The principal backer of the San Francisco club is Jim Clark, a founder of Silicon Graphics Their budget is expected to be in excess of $30m.. He also has his sights on claiming back the No 1 slot in the world ranking, held by Ed Baird, the American who was his coach in San Diego.Cayard has moved from southern to northern California to lead the St Francis Yacht Club's AmericaOne challenge for the America's Cup, which Coutts will defend in Auckland in 2000. He had no problems with his opponent in the final, Morgan Larson, winning 3-0. Now Coutts has only to win one of the remaining three races - at Sete, France, next week, New York in September or Bermuda in October - to pocket the prize, although undoubtedly his crew of Simon Daubney, Brad Butterworth and Warwick Fleury would be hoping to share in the spoils.It is an objective that Coutts, who could not contest the events last year because of America's Cup-winning commitments, has felt is well within his reach. Life was made a little tougher in San Francisco for the New Zealander, who did not lose a race on his way to winning the opening event of the year, the Lymington Cup. He was pushed by California's king of the water, Paul Cayard, before winning the best-of-five semi-final, 3-2. It is only because of the reorganisation of the Courage Leagues that we are not playing in the Third Division next season."It is crucial that we tackle the challenge of the new professional era that lies ahead in the same way that our rivals at Northampton, Richmond, Newcastle and Saracens have already done. The alternative is relegation to junior club status," he said..
Played two, won two, and Russell Coutts is two-thirds of the way to winning the biggest bonus in competitive sailing, the $250,000 (pounds 160,000) on offer from Faberge to anyone who can win three of their five match- racing grand prix events in a season. And the former Welsh international stand-off Paul Turner, who is currently the player- coach at Sale, could become the director of coaching. Members of the Second Division club will be asked to vote on a proposal put by a consortium to buy 50 per cent of the club.Under the scheme, the company Sports Network Europe will enter into a joint venture with the Bedford rugby club and inject pounds 2.25m over five years to pay players and to buy new ones.The Bedford chairman, Ian Bullerwell, said: "We have been negotiating with Sports Network Europe for the past month and we hope our members will accept a package which could see us challenging the Bath and Harlequins of the rugby world."Both Geoff Cooke and Paul Turner have agreed in principle to join us, and a number of leading players have said they will come too." The final decision will rest with Bedford's 700 members, who will meet tomorrow evening.Already the Irish lock forward Paddy Johns has intimated that he will join the club, and Bullerwell expects other big names to sign up if and when the membership gives the new proposals the go ahead.Among the backers of Sports Network Europe are Frank Warren, the boxing promoter, and the company proposes that Bob Burrows, the former head of ITV sport, will assume the position of chief executive.Bullerwell added: "Last season we suffered a marked lack of success in the Second Division. He is 16-1 from 20-1, while Storm Trooper, who worked so impressively on Saturday, is solid at10-1.DERBY WITHDRAWALS AT YESTERDAY'S FIVE-DAY STAGE: Amfortas, Ashbal, Grape Tree Road, Heron Island, Jiyush, Kammtarra, Mark Of Esteem, Mick's Love, Nash House, Russian Revival, Stereo Dancer, Supreme Commander.. The former England manager Geoff Cooke is poised to become the director of rugby at Bedford. Tasdid is the only Irish entry left and is not a pacemaker for Alhaarth, who carries the same Hamdan Al Maktoum colours.With most acceptors likely to run, the Derby will have one of its biggest fields of recent years.
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