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[Smallville22]

Champions League - Goetze shines as Dortmund surge into last eight

Champions League Last 16, second leg, Signal Iduna Park - Borussia Dortmund 3 (Santana 31, Goetze 37, Blaszczykowski 59) Shakhtar Donetsk 0; Borussia Dortmund go through 5-2 on aggregate.

Mario Goetze enhanced his reputation as one of the rising stars of European football as Borussia Dortmund claimed a 3-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk to book a place in the Champions League quarter-finals.
The German playmaker created the opener after half an hour when Felipe Santana rose majestically to thump his right-wing corner into the roof of the net.
And Goetze was on hand just six minutes later to double the advantage when he coolly diverted Robert Lewandowski's low cross into the far corner.
Jakub Blaszczykowski then added a third on the hour after Andriy Pyatov fumbled a shot from distance.
It means the German champions progress into the last eight courtesy of a 5-2 success on aggregate as they continue to illustrate just why they are serious contenders for this year's competition.
Dortmund are currently 17 points adrift of runaway leaders Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga while a narrow cup loss to the Bavarians last week means their hopes of finishing the season with a trophy are all stacked in the Champions League basket.
Indeed, ahead of the contest Juergen Klopp described the contest with Shakhtar as his team's 'game of the year' and the home support responded by generating a fervent atmosphere ahead of kick-off.
Die Schwarzgelben responded with a dominant first-half showing that saw them take a firm grip of the tie.
The first chance arrived on 10 minutes when Lewandowski surged behind the visiting defence, only to see his low shot brilliantly blocked by the advancing Pyatov in the Shakhtar goal.
The Ukrainian side seemed content to try and hit the Germans on the counter and their best effort of the half came soon after when Fernandinho fired in a shot from the edge of the area that was deflected just past the post.
Dortmund continued to press and eventually they took control when Santana met Goetze's corner with a powerful header that thundered into the top corner.
The goal seemed to shell-shock the away team and they soon found themselves two behind on 37 minutes.
This time Goetze was the beneficiary, turning home Lewadowski's dangerous low cross from the right to snare his second goal in this season's competition.
It looked like being a procession but, to their credit, Shakhtar improved after the break and substitute Douglas Costa twice came close to reducing the arrears within minutes of his arrival.
However, Dortmund responded and after Marco Reus hammered a low free-kick into the midriff of Pyatov they settled the encounter with their third of the night.
Ilkay Gundogan thumped in a 20 yard shot that Pyatov failed to hold, allowing Błaszczykowski to collect the rebound, coolly turn past the stopper and tuck home.
Goetze then mesmerised with a series of stepovers and a shot that flew just over while Pyatov recovered from his error to brilliantly deny substitute Kevin Grosskreutz's low effort.
The hosts played the final moments in cruise control and Reus nearly put the icing on the cake when he stormed past four defenders before fizzing a shot just past the upright.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Mario Goetze - Borussia Dortmund: Showed again why he is regarded as one of the hottest talents in European football with a goal and an assist.

PLAYER RATINGS

BORUSSIA DORTMUND: Weidenfeller 6, Blaszczykowski 6, Subotic 6, Felipe Santana 7, Schmelzer 6, Gundogan 6, Bender 5, Piszczek 6, Reus 7, Goetze 8, Lewandowski 6. Subs: Kehl 6, Grosskreutz 6, Sahin 5.

SHAKHTAR DONETSK: Pyatov 5, Srna 6, Kucher 5, Rakitskiy 6, Raţ 5, Hubschman 5, Fernandinho 6, Taison 5, Mkhitaryan 5, Alex Teixeira 5, Luiz Adriano 5. Subs: Douglas Costa 6, Stepanenko 5.

 

[Smallville22]

World Football - Velez fans banned after trouble at Libertadores Cup match

Velez Sarsfield's fans have been banned from away matches up to the Libertadores Cup semi-finals after causing trouble at Penarol in a clash of former champions last week.
Velez, winners in 1994, must also host the Uruguayan five-time champions at El Fortin in Buenos Aires behind closed doors when they clash again in Group Four next Tuesday.
A club statement said the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) had also fined them $100,000 (£66,000) after fighting between rival fans at the Centenario in Montevideo.
Penarol were fined $14,000 (£9,200), Uruguayan media reported.
The Argentine champions are "prohibited from selling visitors' tickets to Velez supporters for the remaining group matches, round of 16, quarter and semi-finals should the team reach those stages," said the statement on their website.
Velez will appeal after Thursday's official announcement by CONMEBOL of the sanctions, the club added.
The sanctions are similar in part to those imposed on title holders Corinthians after a young Bolivian supporter was killed by a flare launched by fans of the Brazilian side at their Group Five match at San Jose in Bolivia two weeks ago.
Corinthians were ordered to play all home matches behind closed doors until further notice and their fans banned from away games.
Velez and Penarol will be vying for outright leadership of Group Four. They both have six points from three matches. Emelec of Ecuador have six from four matches after beating Deportes Iquique of Chile 2-1 at home on Tuesday.
CONMEBOL, acting more strictly and quickly this year than has been their custom on incidents in South Americas often violence-marred elite club competition, also ordered a ban of one match on Sao Paulo's Morumbi stadium.
Sao Paulo will play fellow Brazilians Atletico Mineiro at another venue on April 17 in Group Three.
Atletico lead the group with six points after two matches. They are at home to Bolivia's The Strongest on Thursday when Sao Paulo, who have three points, host Argentina's Arsenal.

 

[Smallville22]

World Football - Coach: Red Star players cannot pay basic bills

Players at debt-ridden former European Cup winners Red Star Belgrade are so deprived of their incomes they are unable to pay for food and rent, the club's under-fire coach Aleksandar Jankovic has said.
Red Star, who won Europe's flagship club competition in 1991, fell five points behind champions and Serbian league leaders Partizan Belgrade after a tepid 1-1 draw at 10-man city rivals Rad on Sunday, prompting a board meeting on Monday with Jankovic only just keeping his job.
The 40-year old, who is in his second spell with Red Star, did not buckle under fan pressure to resign after the setback and revealed that first team players have only received three minimum wage payments amounting to a total of around 600 euros each since November.
Red Star's debts are estimated at in excess of 50 million euros, a vast sum in Serbia's dilapidated football structure almost entirely dependent on exporting talent to wealthier European rivals.
"The situation has never been as grave as it is at the moment and the players' very existence is at stake here," Jankovic was quoted as saying by Belgrade daily Informer on Tuesday.
"The problems are mounting, there is no solution in sight and I don't have a magic wand.
"I know this team has the potential to be much better but hungry players can't perform and although I criticised them after a below-par display against Rad, the audience should know their situation."
Once a force in Europe, Red Star have been reduced to playing second fiddle to Partizan even in Serbia's top flight devoid of any real quality, having last won the league title in 2007.
With the championship invariably boiling down to a perennial two-horse title race between Serbia's big two, Red Star have only a slim chance of stopping Partizan from clinching a record sixth successive league title.
Partizan, who have a game in hand, are likely to go eight points clear when they visit neighbours BSK Borca on Wednesday and Jankovic acknowledged he may not be able to avoid the axe for much longer.
"The coach is the first to take the hit when things go wrong on the pitch so it's important the players stick together as a unit because there is no telling at this point what will happen at the helm," he said.
President Dragan Dzajic, who returned for a third spell in December after guiding the club to 1991 glory as the technical director, said Jankovic had been given conditional support until a two-week break later this month, when Serbia play Croatia and Scotland in World Cup qualifiers.
"We made it very clear we were unhappy with pale performances after a good build-up during the mid-season winter break but we refrained from making a hasty decision and the board will reassess the situation during the international break," he said.
"We knew of the club's ordeals when we took over in December but that doesn't give us the right to roll over, the players must dig deep to reward the fans for their support."

 

[Smallville22]

Horse Racing - Imperial Commander out of Gold Cup

Former winner Imperial Commander will miss the Cheltenham Gold Cup on March 15 due to a lung infection.
Imperial Commander was sixth favourite to regain the crown he won in 2010 when jockey Paddy Brennan steered him to victory over the two favourites Denman and Kauto Star.
The 12-year-old could return for the Grand National meeting at Aintree in April.
Trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies said: "He's got a lung infection so he won't be going to Cheltenham, that's that. What can you do, it's an absolute sickener but they are very delicate creatures.
"I'm sure he's still as good as ever, he's been in great form, but you can't rush them. Hopefully, he'll be OK for Liverpool."

 

[Smallville22]

World Football - FIFPro: Rummenigge naive on transfers

European Clubs Association president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge's recent comments on the transfer system were branded as unbelievable and naive by the world players' union FIFPro.
Rummenigge, who is also Bayern Munich's chief executive officer, last week rejected European Commission (EC) proposals to reform the transfer system, saying that all political attempts to interfere in football had been "catastrophic".
Rummenigge, speaking to two German newspapers last week, also described the Bosman ruling as an "own goal" and said that football had "the perfect system" before the 1995 ruling on the case brought by Belgian player Jean-Marc Bosman.
FIFPro secretary general Theo van Seggelen, who wants a complete overhaul of the transfer system, responded to Rummenigge on Twitter.
"This is really unbelievable," he said, referring to Rummenigge's comment that "football does not need any corrections".
Quoting Rummenigge's remarks on Bosman, he added: "How naive".
In a report last month, the European Commission said that the transfer system needed to be reformed to allow a fairer distribution of wealth in the game.
The report said the current system benefited only the wealthiest players and their agents and the biggest clubs.
Van Seggelen told Reuters last year that the transfer system was to blame for much of football's financial difficulties.
"As long as the clubs believe they can make money from transfers, we have problems," he said.
"Football must grow up as a professional business, it is not a professional business yet, although some people think it is."
The EC has suggested that a "fair play levy" be placed on transfers to encourage better redistribution of funds.

 

[Smallville22]

World Football - Neymar could move to Europe this year

Brazilian sensation Neymar has said for the first time that he could move to Europe as early as this year.
The 21-year-old Santos striker, who has been linked with Barcelona, Manchester City and Chelsea, had always insisted he would remain in Brazil until after his homeland hosted the 2014 World Cup.
But, as Barca step up their interest with the impending departure of David Villa in mind, Neymar finally admitted he could move this summer.
“If I feel that this year is the best time, why not?” the player said.
“Santos make me happy, but nothing has been decided.”
Neymar however declined to comment on claims by his fellow Brazilian Daniel Alves, who said Barca had a first option agreement with Santos.
“And what if I claimed that Lionel Messi was coming to Santos? Would you believe me?” the flamboyant youngster joked.
Neymar has already scored 129 competitive goals for Santos in national, state and continental championships.
He has also netted 17 times in 28 international appearances since debuting for Brazil in 2010.

 

[Smallville22]

World Football - Police and fans hurt in trouble after Bosnian game

Nineteen police officers and two supporters were injured in crowd trouble after a Bosnian first division match in Sarajevo on Saturday, police said on Monday.
A second match in the northern town of Gradacac was interrupted for 40 minutes because of nationalist chanting, they said.
In the capital, Zeljeznicar Sarajevo fans fought with each other and then clashed with police in the streets after the club's 2-0 win over visiting Travnik.
"Zeljeznicar supporters first fought amongst themselves and then attacked the police," Sarajevo police spokesman Irfan Nefic said.
"Three people were detained over the weekend and police will press criminal charges against them," he added. "Prison terms for attacks on officers on duty range from six months to five years."
The Gradacac game on Saturday was disrupted after visiting Borac Banjaluka fans from the Bosnian Serb Republic, one of the ethnically-divided country's two autonomous regions, shouted nationalist slogans and clashed with home supporters.
The game ended in a 1-1 draw after police escorted Borac fans, who sang Serb nationalist songs to provoke home supporters from the city in Bosnia's Muslim-Croat Federation, out of the stadium.
The Bosnian Football Federation said it was considering sanctions against Borac's supporters.
"We may introduce a stadium ban just for Borac fans, who often cause incidents," the federation disciplinary committee's president Meho Alibasic said.
Last April, a cup tie between Borac and Zeljeznicar was abandoned after Borac fans hit a linesman with a missile, and in September 2011, a league match between the clubs was cut short when Borac fans invaded the pitch and hurled rocks and flares at visiting Zeljeznicar supporters.

 

[Smallville22]

World Football - Teenager Boetius inspires Feyenoord to victory at NEC

Teenager Jean-Paul Boetius struck twice as Feyenoord won 3-0 at NEC Nijmegen on Sunday to stay involved in the Dutch title race.
With 50 points from 25 games, third-placed Feyenoord are three points behind league leaders PSV Eindhoven, who beat VVV Venlo 2-0 on Saturday. Second-placed Ajax Amsterdam have a point more than Feyenoord after Saturday's 2-0 win at Twente Eschede.
Feyenoord opened the scoring after 11 minutes when a superb defence-splitting pass from Tonny Vilhena set up 18-year-old Boetius, who finished with a tight-angled shot.
Italian Graziano Pelle scored his 19th league goal of the season when he headed home a cross from Ruben Schaken three minutes before the break to double their lead and connected with Boetius seven minutes from time to settle the match.
"We played a superior first half and rewarded ourselves with the second goal just before the break," Feyenoord manager Ronald Koeman told reporters.
"And that is quite an achievement from this young team who are playing must-win matches ... if they want to be champions."
Feyenoord, with seven starters coming from their own youth department, last won the title in 1999.
In other action, Dutch Cup finalists AZ Alkmaar slipped to 15th spot following a 2-1 defeat at fellow strugglers RKC Waalwijk. With 25 points, they are above the relegation zone on goal difference only.
Mart Lieder put Waalwijk ahead in the 39th minute but U.S. international Jozy Altidore equalised on 69 minutes with a fine lob after an assist by Adam Maher before Lieder restored the lead seven minutes later with his second.
Lowly Roda JC Kerkrade cruised to a 4-1 home win over Groningen, with Frank Demouge scoring twice, but stayed in the relegation zone with 25 points.

 

[Smallville22]

World Football - Cyclone-hit River crash to first defeat

San Lorenzo, known as 'El Ciclon' (cyclone), blew joint leaders River Plate away in a 2-0 victory in their Buenos Aires derby at the Nuevo Gasometro on Sunday.
River had won their first three matches and led with Lanus, who were away to Racing Club in a later match, while San Lorenzo ended a run of three draws.
River's coach Ramon Diaz, the last man to steer San Lorenzo to a league title in 2007, was given a good reception by the Saints' faithful but not by the referee, who immediately sent him to the stands because his team came out late for kick-off.
Striker Denis Stracqualursi stunned River by giving the home side the lead after 41 seconds, scoring with a low drive from outside the box.
Central defender Mauro Cetto increased the lead with a header in the 19th minute as San Lorenzo lived up to their nickname by overrunning their opponents in the first half.
San Lorenzo had coach Juan Antonio Pizzi sent to the stands eight minutes from time for protesting and substitute Gonzalo Veron dismissed for a second booking two minutes later.
Tigre beat All Boys 2-1 at home in a match played behind closed doors following the death of a man last week shot during fighting between rival gangs of hooligan fans.

 

[Smallville22]

ERC - Wallenwein to contest ERC in Azores

German rally champion Mark Wallenwein will begin his ERC bid at the SATA Rallye Azores from 25-27 April.
Wallenwein hopes to contest up to six ERC rounds in 2013 in his SKODA Fabia Super 2000, although his exact schedule beyond the televised Azores event is unconfirmed.
“I want to take the next step in my career and the ERC gives me this opportunity,” said the 25-year-old.
“For sure we will do four events but we would like to do more.
"I don't have the experience to fight for podiums but if I can be in the top eight in Azores I will be happy and, of course, the live television coverage will be very important for my sponsors and partners.”

 

[Smallville22]

WRC - Analysis: the rally tests facing Kubica

When Robert Kubica signed up to contest the Ronde di Andora in February 2011, the organisers of the event must have been delighted with all the potential publicity of having a former grand prix winner on the entry list.
Then his Skoda Fabia S2000 drifted wide on a slippery right-hander, hit the wall and the barrier. The Ronde di Andora got its 15 minutes of fame and Formula 1 has since been deprived the kind of talent which would almost certainly have been a force for the world championship by now.
Now though, Kubica and rallying have altogether more positive connotations as the Polish driver sets out his 2013 intentions in the World Rally Championship. And it'll be intriguing to see how he gets on.
It's a fair assumption that he will be at the sharp end of the European Rally Championship field in the Canaries later this month, but it's his WRC debut which will be the more interesting proposition.
It would be easy - especially on the back of his hugely strong performances in a C4 WRC towards the end of last season – to consider Kubica a strong proposition for the WRC 2 title.
But there's gravel to consider.
And there's Esapekka Lappi to remember. The 22-year-old is the latest Finn to find fame in the rally world and won every round of the Finnish Rally Championship last season.
This year, he's driving a factory Skoda Fabia S2000 in WRC 2 and is widely regarded to be the benchmark for this season's series. It's impossible to say where Kubica will slot into the Rally of Portugal classification when he goes up against Lappi and the rest of the WRC 2 field for the first time.
Especially in Portugal.
The Faro-based event is one of the hardest WRC rounds to learn and make pace notes on for the first time.
The usually smooth gravel roads high above the Algarve are exceptionally hard to fathom, with direction changes regularly coming on the top or just beyond blind crests.
It's a place where experience and blind faith in the man sitting next to you counts for everything.
It's going to be fascinating to watch a consummate professional and vastly talented driver like Kubica come to terms with the latest challenge in his career.

 

[Smallville22]

Champions League - Celtic fret over future after memorable campaign

Celtic manager Neil Lennon faces a struggle to keep his team together after their memorable Champions League campaign ended with a 5-0 aggregate defeat by resurgent Juventus.
Lennon admitted it was difficult to entice players to the play in Scottish Premiership where the demotion of Rangers from the top to bottom division of the league has left Celtic in a different class to the rest of the field.
"Some of them want to progress their careers, may be outside Scotland, and it's difficult to stop that progression," Lennon said after Wednesday's 2-0 defeat.
"We'll see how they are at the end of the seasons, we still have a championship to win and the Cup but this has been an incredible experience for them."
Lennon said the prospect of another Champions League campaign might help him keep players at the club.
"We probably won't know until next season," he said. "It would be a travesty for these young players not to progress after having achieved so much and played against some of the best teams in the world."
The highlight of Celtic's campaign was the 2-1 win over Barcelona in November which ensured they made it through to the knockout rounds and evoked memories of their greatest triumph of winning the 1967 European Cup.
"You always want more," said Lennon. "I think over the two games we played very well, we are just a bit short in some areas."
"The difference is that there is £100 million behind most of the other squads in the last 16, but we've shown that you can play in the Scottish Premier League and you can compete in the Champions League."
Celtic had to battle through two qualifying rounds even before they made the group stage with their campaign starting on in August when they beat HJK Helsinki 2-1 at home on their way to a 4-1 aggregate win.
They also saw off Swedish side Helsingborgs 4-0 on aggregate and were expected just to be cannon fodder for the other three teams in Group G.
They began the competition proper with a 0-0 home draw against Benfica before going to Moscow and beating Spartak 3-2 on their own patch, their first ever away win in the Champions League after 19 attempts.
Three weeks later they were only minutes away from drawing in Barcelona, taking the lead at the Nou Camp through Giorgos Samaras early in the game, before losing 2-1 to Jordi Alba's last-minute winner.
Two weeks after that came the highlight of their season, a 2-1 win over Barca at Parkhead where goals from Victor Wanyama and Tony Watt gave them a 2-0 lead before Lionel Mess scored in the last minute for the visitors.
Despite losing to Benfica in Lisbon, the city where they won the European Cup in 1967, they beat Spartak 2-1 at home to ensure their qualification which Lennon simply described as "a momentous achievement."
Celtic, 16 points ahead of the chasing pack in the Scottish Premier League, will wrap up their 44th title success in the next few weeks and be back in the Champions League again next season with the added pressure of trying to emulate this season's level of success.

 

[Smallville22]

Champions League - No favours for benched Beckham at PSG

David Beckham got confirmation that there would be no favourable treatment at Paris St Germain when he was not used by coach Carlo Ancelotti in their Champions League last-16 second leg against Valencia.
Ancelotti left the former England captain, who joined in January on a five-month deal, on the bench when qualification was at stake.
PSG, who won the first leg 2-1, qualified 3-2 on aggregate after Ezequiel Lavezzi salvaged a 1-1 draw at the Parc des Princes when he cancelled out Jonas's second-half opener.
Beckham started warming up at the end of the first half and continued during most of the second but after Valencia opened the scoring through Jonas, it was striker Kevin Gameiro who came on as a replacement for midfielder Thiago Motta.
"I hesitated between Beckham and Gameiro but I preferred Gameiro to add offensive energy and then use (Clement) Chantome as a defensive midfielder," Ancelotti said.
Beckham, who made his Champions League debut in the 1994-95 season when PSG last reached the last eight, is looking to make an appearance in Europe's top club competition with his fourth team after playing for Manchester United, Real Madrid and AC Milan.
He has made three appearances for PSG, starting one game, a 2-0 French Cup win against arch-rivals Marseille at the Parc des Princes last week.
Competition in midfield, however, is fierce at PSG, who have Marco Verratti, suspended on Wednesday, Italy's Thiago Motta and Chantome as well as France international Blaise Matuidi.
"He (Matuidi) is one of the best midfielders in Europe right now," Ancelotti said.
"At the 75th minute, he asked me to be substituted after he took a knock. I said no, you stay on the pitch," the Italian added with a smile.

 

[Smallville22]

WRC - Kubica can win on ERC debut - Wilson

Robert Kubica will be one of the favourites for victory when he starts his first European Rally Championship round in the Canaries later this month according to M-Sport managing director Malcolm Wilson.
Kubica conducted his first significant rally testing with Wilson's squad last season, when he reportedly drove the Fiesta RS WRC faster than both of Ford's then regular drivers Jari-Matti Latvala and Petter Solberg
Wilson believes the Polish driver, competing in a Citroen DS3 RRC, will surprise a few people this season.
"On asphalt, there's no doubt he'll be right there," Wilson said.
"I don't see any reason why he shouldn't win in the Canary Islands.
"He is a very, very quick driver, but the question mark is on the loose.
"We never had him in one of our cars on the loose, so it'll be very interesting to see how he goes."
Wilson added that he was disappointed not to be running Kubica's WRC 2 and ERC effort.
"I guess he had a better offer from Citroen," said Wilson, "and that's the way it goes sometimes: you win some and you lose some.
"The good thing, however, is that Robert has committed to rallying and that's another shot in the arm for our sport."

 

[Smallville22]

WTCC - Italian test for Bennani and Proteam

Proteam Racing completed two days of testing at Magione, Italy, with Mehdi Bennani at the wheel of the Italian team’s BMW 320 TC car.
Team Principal Valmiro Presenzini commented: “We have been lucky with the weather.
"We had two wonderful days that enabled us to complete an intensive programme. Mehdi ran for 400 kilometres without any technical issues. We tested new dampers and this resulted in setting our record lap time here at Magione.”
Bennani added: “I had not driven since Macau and it was nice to get back behind the wheel of a racing car.
"We have worked a lot on the set-up and I am pleased with the job done. I have the feeling that we are on the right way to improve the car’s performance.”

 

[Smallville22]

Motorcycling - Lorenzo: Rossi, Marquez in title hunt

Jorge Lorenzo believes Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez must both be considered rivals for the 2013 MotoGP title based on their form in pre-season testing.
Lorenzo and his 2012 Honda adversary Dani Pedrosa have between them topped every day so far in testing, but Rossi and Marquez have often finished within half a second of their respective team-mates.
Lorenzo believes such pace points to all four men being title contenders in 2013.
"Over the six days at Sepang, Dani and I were the top two riders," Lorenzo told the official MotoGP website.
"At the same time, Marquez and Valentino were both really, really close.
"The reality is that it's between four favourites for the world championship and it looks very equal.
"We're all on a similar level, so it's going to be a hard season for all of the top riders in the class."
While Lorenzo was at one stage more than three tenths of a second clear of the field in Malaysia, he cautioned that it will not be until the forthcoming Austin test that Yamaha can gauge just how much progress it has made over the winter.
"I feel very strong on the bike, which is actually feeling better than last year," he said.
"Having said that, that was just one track so we'll have to see what happens on circuits with different characteristics because every track is a different world.
"We don't have any reference [at Austin] so we'll just try and learn the track and improve the set-up little by little."

 

[Smallville22]

GP2 - Coletti leads wet GP2 test day

Stefano Coletti put Rapax on top of a rain-hit first day of GP2 testing at Barcelona.
The Monegasque driver, who won twice for Trident in his 2011 campaign, took advantage of a drying afternoon track to set the overall best, a 1m29.868s, in the closing stages.
That was enough to edge out Felipe Nasr and 2012 Formula Renault 3.5 champion Robin Frijns, once again testing for Trident.
Frijns, who had been the first of the trio to break under the 1m30s barrier, was less than one tenth of a second back from Coletti.
James Calado finished fourth fastest overall for ART and also ended comfortably top of a wet morning session.
His best effort, while some 20s slower than the afternoon, still put him almost a second clear of a chasing pack led by Daniel de Jong and Simon Trummer.
Halfway through the morning Tom Dillmann had gone quickest for newcomer Russian Time, testing for the first time after acquiring iSport's GP2 entry.
The poor morning conditions led to three stoppages. Rio Haryanto clipped the Turn 2 barrier and Kevin Giovesi stopped at Turn 8 in the first hour of running, while simultaneous offs for Rodolfo Gonzalez and Ma Qing Hua brought the morning to a slightly premature close.
GP3 race-winner Conor Daly was in action for the new Hilmer team, with which Dillmann had set the pace at Jerez last week.

 

[Smallville22]

BSB - Big guns testing ahead of season opener

Tyco Suzuki's Josh Brookes and PJ Jacobsen completed a successful opening test prior to the start of the 2013 British Superbike season at Kirkistown in Northern Ireland.
For 19-year-old American Jacobsen it was his first taste of Superbike action aboard the team's GSX-R1000 while Brookes was in blistering form, despite the low spring temperatures.
Brookes said: "It was great to be back out on track and despite coming from 30-degree heat at home in Australia to single-digit stuff here at Kirkistown, we completed a successful opening day.
"I got within a few tenths of my quickest-ever lap-time around here, despite the cold conditions and using our new Ohlins Suspension for the very first time, so I'm pleased with how it all went."
Jacobsen commented: "There's a lot to learn as there are so many things on the Superbike compared to the Superstock bike, and it will take a couple of tests to get 100 per cent comfortable, but all in all it was a progressive day.
"I was surprised how smooth and usable the power was on the Superbike and by the end of the day we were doing consistent lap times. I'm pretty pleased how we have started and I'm looking forward to day two on the big Suzuki."
Ryuichi Kiyonari is looking ahead to the official test at Donington Park after a successful shakedown on the Samsung Honda at Cadwell.
The Japanese, chasing a record fourth title in 2013, participated in a two-day test with team-mate Alex Lowes.
“We have a better idea now of where to start for the next test at Donington Park and I felt more comfortable back on the Superbike," he said.
Lowes, who finished as the leading Honda rider in 2012 on the WFR machine, said the test 'couldn't have gone any better'.
“I am really chuffed with the two days we have had at Cadwell Park and I have left feeling really happy,” he told the British Superbike website.
“The Samsung Honda has so much potential and we did some really good work on engine braking today which was a really good step forward."
Meanwhile Michael Rutter hopes to be fit in time for the opening round at Brands Hatch in April after breaking his leg during a test crash in France on Sunday.
The 40-year-old suffered a fracture at the base of his tibia in testing with the Honda TT Legends EWC team. The 40-year-old will compete in the series for Quay Garage Racing under the Bathams banner with Tommy Bridewell.

 

[Smallville22]

WTCC - Barth to race for Wiechers-Sport

Swiss driver Fredy Barth will compete in the 2013 FIA World Touring Car Championship at the wheel of a Wiechers-Sport BMW 320 TC car.
The partnership between Barth, the German team and Switzerland-based Emile Frey Racing Team was announced today at the Geneva Salon International de l’Auto.
Barth said: “After last year’s successful comeback in the season’s finale at Macau, I am more than happy of having the possibility to take part in the full season again.
"I wish to thank all my partners and sponsors, and I am convinced that with the BMW and Wiechers-Sport we have the right package to successfully challenge not only for points, but for race victories.”
Barth and Wiechers-Sport had their first test on Monday and Tuesday at the Slovakia Ring.
Team manager Dominik Greiner is also optimistic: “I am delighted that Fredy will be driving for us. We warmly welcome Fredy and his partners and look forward to working together with them.
"We are facing a new and exciting season and I'm sure that, once Fredy has got to know the BMW, he will be very competitive.”

 

[Smallville22]

Motorcycling - Austin gets final MotoGP inspection

Austin's Circuit of the Americas has undergone its final FIM inspection prior to MotoGP's test debut at the Texan venue next week.
The leading MotoGP teams will test at Austin from March 12-14.
Its inaugural MotoGP race then takes place as round two of the 2013 championship on April 19-21.
The FIM's new grand prix safety officer Franco Uncini carried out the inspection on Tuesday.
He recommended some modifications to barrier openings, additional air fences and the removal of some kerbs in order to prepare the track for MotoGP.
"I like Circuit of the Americas and the facilities are really impressive: it's picturesque, modern, technical, difficult, challenging and interesting," said Uncini.
"We should be seeing some good races in April because the corners allow for no respite for the riders and should deliver plenty of overtaking.
"The tour we've done this week was to polish over some safety details, as the homologation of the circuit had already been completed.
"We are confident the event will run smoothly because we are working with highly professional people who enjoyed a great debut last season with Formula 1."