Quotes of the week

"I'm going to treat this matter like a challenging race. I'm very disappointed that IRS matters have to be decided in court. I do not understand about income tax rules. That's why I hire attorneys, experts, accounters [sic] to take care of it. And again I know the difference between right and wrong, and I did not do anything those guys are saying. I am a race car driver. I am going to treat this like a race. I have faith in these guys and I have faith in God. I'll be strong and I'm going to win this race." Helio Castroneves, 2 time Indy 500 winner, Team Penske, talking to reporters outside the courthouse in Miami after pleading not guilty to seven charges of tax fraud and conspiracy.

“This race belongs to the team. To get 16-17 people from both crews on that and get it repaired when I thought we were out, they did something I didn’t think was possible. No one in our team does the work to finish second. There’s no question in my mind that when we got in the position at the end that I was going to do everything I could do to win this race. If it took us to the top step, then it was just desserts for the team." Allan McNish, ALMS driver, co-driver on winning Audi team at Petit LeMans at Road Atlanta

"It was more than a good race. Allan [McNish] would not have been happy with a normal win. He had to crash the car to make it extraordinary. With team strategy and the yellows we were able to bring the car back. It was a real treat and I was pleased to share the car on this day. It really was a dream race and a lot of people deserve this race." Emanuele Pirro, ALMS driver, co-driver on winning Audi team at Petit LeMans at Road Atlanta

"I knew with three DEI cars behind me, it was going to be tough to hold on. Man, it's one thing to get back to Victory Lane — but to do it at Talladega — this is one of four places I haven't won a Cup race, and talk about one to win. I wanted to win here for so long." Tony Stewart, NASCAR driver, Joe Gibbs Racing, commenting on his first NASCAR Sprint Cup win at Talladega

"I think it's wrong that a tabloid editor can destroy a family and wreck a life without being answerable to anybody just to sell newspapers. Anyone who is a victim of this situation has to publicize all over again the very thing they are trying to keep private. If I had been notified first, at least I could have challenged it in front of an independent person." Max Mosley, President, FIA, is set to wage war on the English privacy laws.

"All this is humiliating for F1 and it is an aspect I want to talk about with the other teams in the next few weeks." Montezemolo slammed the event as a "circus" track at which only the appearance of the safety car lottery could spice up. Luca di Montezemolo, President, Ferrari, commenting on the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix

“If the Ferrari president is right about the Singapore Grand Prix being a circus, then we have to be grateful to him for providing the clowns. After the weekend Ferrari had, their president should have shut up and kept his head down. If Massa loses the world championship, he will know the team were responsible. He would have destroyed everybody in Singapore if he had kept going." Bernie Ecclestone, President and CEO of Formula One Management and Formula One Association

"It was like he took his brain out and said 'let's have an accident'. This year will be different. Lewis will have learned from what happened, but you have to remember he was only 21 then and you remember what you were like at 21!" Eddie Irvine, former Formula 1 driver, referring to how Lewis Hamilton threw away the Drivers Championship a year ago.

"We are such spendthrifts with our lives," Paul Newman once told a reporter. "The trick of living is to slip on and off the planet with the least fuss you can muster. I'm not running for sainthood. I just happen to think that in life we need to be a little like the farmer who puts back into the soil what he takes out." The final paragraph of Paul L. Newman's obituary in the New York Times