After taking a gallant victory at Bathurst, and a clean sweep of race wins on the Gold Coast Team Vodafone's Jamie Whincup was hoping to carry his excellent form on to the sole flyaway race of the season in Bahrain.

The Superleague Formula championship season was still closely fought as the series moved to Italy for the fifth round. Two of the biggest names, and biggest rivalries, in football AS Roma and AC Milan would now be doing battle on the race track in Italy itself, and this would certainly draw huge interest.

Sebastien Loeb has won the 2008 World Rally Championship for a record breaking fifth consecutive year. His title rival Mikko Hirvonen won the Rally of Japan, but Loeb managed to finish a comfortable third, which was enough to see him claim the Driver's Championship.

As the series resumed it's sprint race format, the action moved to the Gold Coast to Surfer's Paradise. Jamie Whincup had made a great leap in his quest for the championship at Bathurst, but Garth Tander was hoping to hit back quickly to regain lost ground.

Following on from success in Zolder, Liverpool and Beijing were battling at the top of the championship standings as the season moved to Estoril. Warm sunny weather greeted the drivers in Portugal, in stark contrast to the damp conditions in Belgium during the previous round.

After success in the Philip Island 500, Holden Racing Team duo Garth Tander and Mark Skaife were hoping to see success at the 48th running of the Bathurst 1000. The showcase event of the V8 Supercar Championship again saw regular drivers mixed up amongst returning drivers, and many newcomers. The variety of experience in the field, the nature of the circuit and the sheer duration of the race all added to the excitement that could only be created at Mount Panorama.

Yvan Muller went to the second of the Italian races with a 12-point lead over SEAT teammate Gabriele Tarquini. A strong performance from either driver would push them towards the overall title this season, and end Andy Priaulx’s domination of the World Touring Car Championship.

With the end of the 2008 season in sight, Sebastien Loeb moved onto the first of three asphalt events, knowing full well that he is firmly in control of the Drivers Championship. Francois Duval had been handed a drive in the main Ford team, in a last ditch attempt to close the Manufacturers title lead which Citroen currently have.

The third round of the inaugural Superleague Formula season saw the famous Belgian track of Zolder play host. With the first season of the championship only featuring some 6 meetings with 12 races, collecting wins is vitally important for success, and the championship leaders were vying for top spot again.

Brands Hatch hosted the final round of the BTCC season, just as it had the opener. With the driver’s title and the independents title still to be settled, it was sure to be an exciting weekend of racing action. Fabrizio Giovanardi was the clear favourite over rival Jason Plato, but as with any form of motor racing, nothing is certain until the chequered flag is waved.