Hispania to adopt Williams gearbox

Abu Dhabi - Williams F1 Tuesday confirmed it has agreed to supply Hispania Racing F1 Team with its proprietary gearbox technology.

The arrangement will start with Hispania Racing's 2011 programme and will extend for the life of the current Cosworth engine technology, a team spokesman said.

Williams F1's CEO Alex Burns said: "This is a logical partnership given Williams and Hispania's mutual relationship with Cosworth."

"Our gearbox technology has consistently proven itself as both competitive and reliable, and hence this agreement will be a positive development for both organisations," he said.

Christensen powers Rangers against Chicago

New York - Erik Christensen's wrist shot at 6:36 in the third period gave the New York Rangers a 3-2 victory over the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks on Monday.

Christensen's goal for the injury-hit Rangers, without key players Chris Drury, Vinny Prospal and Marian Gaborik, came just 28 seconds after Patrick Kane had pulled the Blackhawks level at 2-2.

"It was huge," Rangers centre Brandon Dubinsky told reporters. "For [Christensen] to come back and bury one right away, it felt like we didn't miss a beat."

Dubinsky scored twice on the night, his seventh and eighth of the season, as the Rangers (6-4-1) won their second consecutive game.

Chicago (7-6-1) winger Tomas Kopecky had opened the scoring at 17:13 in the first period before Dubinsky's goals at the end of the first and beginning of the third period gave the Rangers' the lead.

Points streak
Ryan Callahan assisted on both Dubinsky goals to extend his points streak to seven games and pull New York within two points of the Philadelphia Flyers at the top of the Atlantic Division.

Sri Lanka see Ponting's absence as chance to build on Perth win

Melbourne - Sri Lanka will keep the heat on an Australia side that will be without their skipper Ricky Ponting for today's opening one-day international in Melbourne, captain Kumar Sangakkara said yesterday.

The Sri Lankans received a significant boost ahead of the Melbourne Cricket Ground match when Ponting said he was withdrawing to attend his grandmother's funeral in Tasmania.

T20 victory
Sangakkara's team hold the whip hand going into the three-match ODI series after thrashing Australia by seven wickets in a Twenty20 match in Perth last Sunday.

The wicketkeeper-batsman warned that Sri Lanka must keep applying the pressure to the world's number one-ranked one-day team.

"A player of Ricky's calibre not being in the side, he's a huge blow to anyone," Sangakkara told reporters.

Focus on winning
"I'm not sure how it will affect the Australians, but for us again it's a case of thinking more about us and trying to keep a focus on the processes that we try and do setting the tone for the innings and getting our combinations right," he added.

Although Sri Lanka are using the Australian tour as a build-up to next year's World Cup on the sub-continent, Sangakkara said his focus would be on trying to beat the home side.

"The World Cup is there, everyone knows when it is and this is a build-up for it," he said. "But for us, this tour is very important, so we take this series in that context, as a series on its own. Of course, the combinations we play will probably allow us to make some decisions about certain players, it will also give players opportunities to grab those elusive places in a final World Cup squad."

Lewis Hamilton still gunning for second F1 title

Dubai - McClaren's Lewis Hamilton has vowed to give it all as he heads into the last two races of the season and seeks to land his second Formula One title.

Third-placed Hamilton finished a disappointing second in Korea on October 24 and trails leader Ferrari's Fernando Alonso by 21 points.

The championship resumes on Sunday with the Brazilian Grand Priz at Interlagos before finishing in Abu Dhabi.

"I'm going into these last two to give it my all and I do believe I can win it," Hamilton told the BBC.

"If I didn't then I shouldn't be sitting here, I'd be at home sitting with my legs up.

"My team know that I never give up and I feel that transcends through the whole team. We are still in the fight for the last two races. It's still possible."

Five drivers still have a chance of winning the title, with defending champion Jenson Button of McLaren the furthest adrift at 42 points behind leader Alonso.

"We are excited, we have everything to gain and not too much to lose," Hamilton added.

Verstappen: Red Bull must pick a driver

With the penultimate race of the 2010 season occurring on Sunday, the race for the World title is still wide open, with five driver's still in with a shot of taking home the Championship crown.

Two of those in the hunt are Red Bull drivers Webber and Vettel, with Webber 11 points behind Championship leader Fernando Alonso and Vettel sitting a further 14 points adrift.

For some time Red Bull have been implored by many to throw their weight behind one driver's bid, something they have refused to do, and Verstappen has now echoed those sentiments.

"Purely mathematically, the German has a chance to be World Champion. But the team really has to put everything behind Webber," the 38-year-old wrote in his column for De Telegraaf.

"He [Webber] has a better chance of winning the title.

"With Webber's gap to Alonso only eleven points, he has a much more realistic chance of winning the title.

"If Red Bull are to win the title it is crucial that at this stage of the title race that they make a choice."

The Dutchman admits that the decision is made more complex by the team's perceived favouritism towards Vettel, which has been a contentious issue throughout the season.

"Of course it's a difficult position for Red Bull," explained the Dutchman.

"Although they have never directly expressed a preference for Vettel, the whole world knows that the team bosses prefer the young German to his older Australian team-mate."

Webber chasing Brazilian glory

After crashing out in the inaugural race in South Korea 10 days ago, Webber has gone from the hunted to the hunter as Fernando Alonso is the man to catch following his victory at the Yeongam circuit.

Webber now finds himself 11 points adrift of the Spaniard with the season approaching its climax, with only Sunday's race in Sao Paulo and the concluding event in Abu Dhabi a week later to come.

The 34-year-old Australian knows he cannot afford another mistake akin to the one he made in Korea, which resulted in him collecting Mercedes' Nico Rosberg into the bargain.

Instead, taking the chequered flag again at Interlagos would be the ideal tonic for the Red Bull star.

"Brazil is one of the best tracks of the year in terms of the atmosphere," Webber said.

"I obviously have good memories from there from last year. It was a nice race to win and we'll clearly be trying to get another victory this year.

"It's now coming to a pivotal stage of the Championship and we need to make the most of every opportunity we can."

The Interlagos circuit is undeniably one of the best in F1, although its ramshackle nature and cramped paddock are arguably the worst.

But the race generally is a spectacle and throws up the unexpected, which is why trying to nominate a winner is too difficult to call.

Webber's team-mate Sebastian Vettel said: "There are a lot of positive things about the upcoming event in Brazil.

"The circuit is fantastic and the spectators are passionate about racing, ensuring the atmosphere during a race is great.

"The Interlagos track is a challenging one for the drivers because it's anti-clockwise which, after a season of racing on clockwise circuits, puts a strain on your neck muscles."

As to whether it will suit Red Bull, it would appear to be hit and miss as far as Vettel is concerned.

"The circuit requires good aero efficiency, which should suit our car," added the 23-year-old, who is 25 points behind Alonso.

"However, the long, uphill start-finish straight will give an advantage to the more powerful engines."

Kelantan Dominate 2010 National Football Awards

Petaling Jaya - Malaysia Cup champion Kelantan dominated the 2010 National 100Plus-FAM football awards by sweeping five of the seven awards at stake.

Kelantan who beat Negeri Sembilan 2-1 on Saturday to win the Malaysia Cup after 55 years to set a historic feat, added another piece of history by becoming the first team win so many awards in a season.

Striker Norshahrul Idlan Talaha was the toast of Kelantan when he won the Best Striker award and the coveted Most Valuable Player of the season.

"This is a very significant and meaningful award in my career. After winning the SEA Games gold medal with the national team, I hope to assist the national team in the Guangzhou Asian Games," said Norshahrul Idlan who took hope a trophy and RM3,000 for Most Valuable Player and RM500 for Best Striker.

The East Coast sides goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat who performed well during the Malaysia Cup final was also a double-award winner by clinching the Best Goalkeeper and Best Young Player awards.

To cap a brilliant day for Kelantan, coach B. Satianathan who guided the team to their historic victory, won the Best Coach of the Year award.

The only awards that escaped the clutches of Kelantan players was the Best Midfielder Award that went to Baddrol Bakhtiar from Kedah and Best Defender award won by Negeri Sembilan's Mohd Aidil Zafuan Abdul Razak.

Three other teams won special awards, namely Johor FC (Best Club side), Selangor (Best Football Association) and Kedah (Best Fan Club).

-- BERNAMA

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