Date: 9th May, 2001 
F1 hopeful Darren Manning is hoping to relive the glory of last year’s 3rd place at the A1 ring in Austria, when he returns this week for the F3000 race.Manning, 25, will be racing this weekend for F3000 team Arden International, in the 4th round of the championship.

“The track conditions weren’t ideal at the race in Barcelona, and the result was disappointing,” he said.“But I’ve gained some very good results in the past at the A1 ring circuit, and I’m confident I can do it again. The circuit is more suited to our set-up, so the car should be on form too.”

The new A1 Ring is host to the Austrian Grand Prix. Situated on the site of the old Osterriechring, in Alpine countryside, it was dropped from the calendar when the race has to be re-started twice due to the narrow cicuit causing start-line shunts.Although it has a new layout it still experiences similar problems, but provided a thrilling race in 1998, when Mika Hakkinen won a head-to-head fight with Schumacher.

A £17.5m facility has seen the glories of the old circuit replaced by a piece of tarmac, full of second and third gear corners, and a very short start-finish straight But the first two corners provide good passing places, as well as being the scene of many incidents.Manning will be flying out to Austria on Thursday and qualifying on Friday in time for Saturdays race.His next F3000 race is in Monaco in two weeks time, whilst his F1 testing commitments with BAR-Honda means he will be testing in Mugello on 4th July.