• Pub quiz last night, specialist round: Formula 1. Result. Ashamed to have got one #F1 question wrong, but we still won. #
• @dirtyfrog It was: which team is returning to #F1 after an absence of 50+ years? In haste – and idiocy – I forgot Mercedes and said Lotus. in reply to dirtyfrog #

• http://is.gd/8zXAx – Suzi Perry has left BBC #MotoGP coverage. She was fine, but so is Matt Roberts, who will presumably replace her. #
• #WRC good news part 1: http://is.gd/8zY0m – the rotational calendar idea has been well and truly dropped. #
• #WRC good news part 2: http://is.gd/8zYeX – after his Dakar performance, Volkswagen – via Skoda – is supporting Al-Attiyah's 2010 campaign. #
• Finally finished the @Jamesallenonf1 #F1 2009 book o' blogs. Rather enjoyable. Made me appreciate quite how crazy a year it was. #
• And with only 3 weeks before #F1 2010 gets going in Bahrain, Campos & US F1 are still uncertain. Another crazy year in prospect then. #

• Schumacher's return should distract German eyes from Vettel, easing the pressure he was under last year. Another reason I fancy his chances. #
• And we'll see what the new Red Bull is like from Wednesday, at the second #F1 test, this time in Jerez. An interesting week in prospect. #
• Funny old Mercedes: they're the only ones alternating drivers daily in this week's Jerez #F1 test. http://is.gd/80FCn #
• If USF1/Campos fail to make it to the #F1 grid, I hope there's an enquiry into the FIA selection process. Would Prodrive have made it? #
• There aren't enough #WRC drivers for points to go to the whole top ten, are there? Silly FIA, applying F1 logic willy and indeed nilly. #
• 2010 Renault #F1 merchandise idea: 'Vote for Petrov' t-shirts. I'd buy one. #
• I'd also like to see 'BMW Sauber Ferrari' merchandise. Seriously though: is the team ever going to get around to changing its name? #
• http://is.gd/89Lmi – a beautiful snowy Brands Hatch. Causing less problems than when snow cancelled the first round of BSB two years ago. #
• I've avoided the result, so #WRC on Dave is all new to me. Will it be an improvement on last year's coverage? Let's see. #
• Paul King's #WRC commentary is slightly irritating me, or rather his pronunciation of 'Key-Me' Raikkonen is. #
• Glad to see Kimi Raikkonen has taken his trademark massive cap with him from #F1 to #WRC. Borderline chipper talking to @neilcole on Dave. #
• Good start to #WRC 2010, and indeed a good start to Dave's coverage. Good stuff. #

• Petrov announced at Renault, their car is yellow; Sauber revealed, it has no sponsors; also unveiled: Toro Rosso & Mercedes. Busy few days. #
• And now – pretty much literally – #F1 testing gets underway at Valencia. No official live timing or BBC live text. This is RUBBISH. #
• Well @Jamesallenonf1 has launched a live at Valencia Twitter feed. It's not bad, but it's no Caroline Cheese. http://is.gd/7sPgA #
• Summary from Valencia #F1 test so far, as far as I can work out: some cars have been out, and come back in again. #
• If Friday #F1 practice sessions mean little, then pre-season testing means even less. So: Massa, de la Rosa and Schumacher fastest today. #
• Not surprised to see that Fisichella is off to the F1 retirement home – or sportscar racing as it's also known. http://is.gd/7×9Wr #
• http://is.gd/7xVCx – Implausibly, even more #BTCC on ITV channels this year. Will it convince any sponsors to sign up to any teams though? #
• All eyes are on Valencia for #F1 testing, but Jean Todt is making noises about getting #WRC where it should be. http://is.gd/7yn0e #
• Big thanks to @ClaireVWilliams for brilliant coverage of the Valencia #F1 test. Essential stuff. Looking forward to more tomorrow! #
• It's a big test day: last of #F1 in Valencia; first of #MotoGP in Sepang. Of note: Alonso & Button in new cars; Yamaha launch & Spies. #
• Max Mosley on Radio 4's Today talking about privacy. John Humphrys reluctantly used the word "orgy"; Mosley called it a "party". Brilliant. #
• Didn't realise that the first day of the Sepang #MotoGP test is for test riders only. What a good idea… http://is.gd/7CbM3 #
• http://is.gd/7Ci7D – British Superbikes goes NASCAR, copying Chase for the Sprint Cup. This isn't going to go down well. Not well at all. #
• http://is.gd/7CXAq – Ferrari emphatically fastest at first #F1 test in Valencia, then. But is it representative? We'll find out in Bahrain. #
• http://is.gd/7GBLV – Rossi & Stoner 1 & 2 on #MotoGP Sepang test day 1. Who'd have guessed? Me. 3-5: Edwards, Capirossi, Lorenzo. Spies: 12. #
• #BTCC has lost one of the few 'confirmed' teams: Bamboo move to WTCC with Vaulkhard, and want Turkington too. http://is.gd/7GET0 #
• http://is.gd/7GGLq – Heidfeld as Mercedes reserve driver, then. Should he be pleased to be with a top team, or gutted not to be driving? #
• http://is.gd/7GBLV – #MotoGP Sepang test day 3, top 5: Rossi, Stoner, Lorenzo, Pedrosa, Spies. Good job by Spies, otherwise as expected. #
• BBC #F1 2010 pretty much the same as 2009. Details here, including Ted Kravitz in brown trousers & pink shirt: http://is.gd/7KSuL #

• With confirmation of Alguersuari at Toro Rosso and now Lopez at USF1, three seats left in #F1 2010 and counting… #
• …Petrov looks likely for Renault or Campos, but who the other two will be is anyone's guess. Heidfeld to Mercedes or McLaren as reserve? #
• The 2010 #F1 Ferrari has broken cover, and the Ferrari website. But it's on autosport.com (http://is.gd/7cU0K). Still has an ugly barcode. #
• BBC Monaco F1 won Best Sports Programme at Broadcast Awards, but really pleased to see ITV4's Isle of Man TT nominated. http://is.gd/7h6iQ #
• The big event today: McLaren's 2010 car launch. The question everyone's asking: will it look like the 2009 Red Bull? Seems to be the trend. #
• While we're on McLaren, what a good idea for A Hamilton to independently run #F1 cars for young drivers to experience. http://is.gd/7h9uM #
• Despite myself, I'm intrigued to see the new McLaren. Unlike the week's other launches, not seen a mock-up. New livery? 11am is the time. #
• Well done to @jakehumphreyf1 for the first photo I've seen of the new McLaren. I can't watch the stream. Big old fin on it, eh? #
• I wonder how many people at the McLaren launch are paying attention, and how many are tweeting their way through it. #
• Two words: slick and sleek. RT @jakehumphreyf1 http://twitpic.com/10aoa1 – Thoughts…? #
• Apparently Button & Hamilton had dinner in Newbury yesterday (http://is.gd/7izK0). With the Madagascan Gin Palace closed, where did they go? #

Are Britain’s racing circuits perhaps looking for a bit of free publicity at this time of year, hoping to sell a few more advance tickets for the season ahead? The reason I ask is that there’s been a curious glut of track works news stories recently.

It started a week ago with extra run-off at Cadwell Park’s Barn Corner, which MCN picked up on. The same day, MotorSport Vision itself brought news of resurfacing at Brands Hatch, which Crash.net and MCN dutifully relayed this week.

Not to be outdone, Thruxton communicated its efforts in extending spectator banking via BTCC.net on Wednesday.

But Silverstone did the best job, getting details and photos of what they’re up to on the likes of Joe Saward’s blog and autosport.com. MCN, meanwhile, approached it from a different angle, getting the views of Bradley Smith, Scott Redding and Danny Webb.

So: fancy going to a few race meetings now?

• #F1 Pedro de la Rosa – in recent years a reserve driver who's not been rubbish when he's been called on – will race for Sauber in 2010. #
• It's getting tight for old Nick Heidfeld. Renault, Campos or USF1 look like his only #F1 options now. Someone must take him, surely! #
• Hirvonen leads Monte Carlo Rally after SS2, from Ogier, Sarrazin, Hanninen & Meeke. Live timing here: http://is.gd/6FcIc #
• Hirvonen was leading from Meeke overnight on the Monte Carlo Rally, but Meeke has crashed out on SS5 this morning. Hanninen up to 2nd. #
• Ferrari's 2010 #F1 livery is rather pleasant. I like the new splashes of white to accommodate the Santander branding. http://is.gd/6JlxA #
• http://is.gd/6JBxv – Rossi's helmet looks excellent in an #F1 car, doesn't it? Shame it won't be there more often. #
• #F1 How brilliant is this: Barrichello has been camping in the Williams factory to learn everyone's names. Top man. http://is.gd/6NLjh #

• Coma penalised 6 hours for illegal assistance changing a tyre on stage 7 of the #Dakar. It's for Despres to lose, then. #
• Another car for the #BTCC grid: the VW Golf, coming to Britain via Estonia. Obviously. http://is.gd/64xpS #
• Doesn't Alonso look like a happy cheeky chappy in his new Ferrari outfit (http://is.gd/67S0U)? Ah, this is more like it: http://is.gd/67SbH #
• Nelson Piquet's off to NASCAR for 2010 then (http://is.gd/68aHd). And apparently he misses Renault – now that a certain someone isn't there. #
• Good to see Solberg has his #WRC car for 2010; budget nearly in place too (http://is.gd/6bh2o). Let's have him bothering Loeb & Hirvonen. #
• The news this morning is that SEAT has withdrawn from the WTCC. Just Chevrolet, Lada and a bit of BMW, then. http://is.gd/6eVLR #
• Chose Kingfisher over Cobra at my local Indian yesterday, lining Vijay Mallya's pockets, thereby indirectly financing Force India in #F1. #
• Ecclestone wants short cuts on #F1 tracks to encourage overtaking (http://is.gd/6fzhD). Let's just bring in red shells, shall we? Nonsense! #
• Al-Attiyah wins the final stage, but Sainz wins the #Dakar by just over 2 minutes. Well done! Despres wins on the bikes by just over 1 hour. #

• All change: BSB website has the 2010 riders up (http://is.gd/5MN9y); BTCC website has gone all Dunlop yellow (http://is.gd/5MN40). #
• Apparently Briatore has won his court case and overturned his FIA lifetime ban. What does this mean? Quite a lot, possibly. Mental. #
• Stage 5 of #Dakar is underway. Don't think they've got the snow we have to contend with, but it is the second longest stage of the rally. #
• Bikes are 187 of 456km into #Dakar S5. Coma is narrowly ahead of overall leader Despres, trying to make up the near 40 mins he's behind. #
• Meanwhile, cars are just 53km into #Dakar S5, and it's Sainz just ahead of Al-Attiyah. Overall leader Peterhansel isn't far behind. #
• Not sure why the snow is making me want to tweet Dakar updates. But unless you want to watch Flav & the FIA fighting, it's all there is. #
• It's worth reading the words from Kevin Wheatcroft about the future of Donington Park and the whole mess. http://is.gd/5O51a #
• #Dakar overall leader Peterhansel has stopped 135km into S5. No sign at 138km checkpoint. Cars now beyond 187km. Sainz overall leader. #
• Blimey, Peterhansel is on his way, but in the bikes both Coma and Casteu have stopped. Clearly a bit of a mental day for the #Dakar. #
• Casteu out of #Dakar after a fall on today's stage, which was won by local Lopez Contardo. Despres leads him overall by 37 mins. #
• Monster World Rally Team – Ken Block in a Ford – launched. Rather fun video: http://is.gd/5QyyL. #WRC should be ruddy good this year. #
• #F1 Mosley says Briatore/FIA spat is "very far from over" (http://is.gd/5QKJE ). Can't they all just do us a favour and sod off? #
• Oops! Unusual #Dakar bike standings on stage 6: most of the front runners took a wrong turn. Despres didn't, so he leads. http://is.gd/5QWsY #
• So we've already got the tedious saga of Mosley vs Briatore, and now Irvine vs Button too (http://is.gd/5UwTW). This is a long #F1 winter. #

• Happy New Year! Anyone have a more interesting night than Travis Pastrana? Watch him jump 269ft in a rally car: http://is.gd/5IPKT #