Kristian Boodoosingh, enjoying the wet conditions in a newly prepared BMW M3 that he has never driven before. The rains made track conditions sketchy at best, but he took it in stride. During practice, with the help of Vesko's coaching, he got faster and faster by the lap. By the end of qualifying, he gave everyone a shock, putting the modest BMW M3 sixth on the grid and beating cars way out of its league-- including the mighty Porsches and Corvettes.

Volkswagen is celebrating the World Premiere of the concept car XL Sport in Paris. A special feature makes the car outstanding: its 200 PS high-tech Ducati engine. The XL Sport was developed on the basis of the XL1.

Key facts:
• The vehicle is propelled by the world's most powerful two-cylinder engine.
• The Ducati V2 engine generates 147 kW / 200 PS.
• Aerodynamics of the XL Sport are better than those of any other sports car.
• XL Sport's 200 PS sufficient to achieve 270 km/h. A record.
• The Ducati Superleggera V2 engine revs all the way to 11,000 rpm.
• The high-tech engine features titanium connecting rods and magnesium alloys.
• Ducati engine is fitted with legendary desmodromic valves.
• Completely new chassis reveals layout typical for motor sports.
• Major design aspects have been developed completely from scratch.

THE STIG THRILLS WINNERS AT BUSHY PARK CIRCUIT

Two lucky prize-winners, one from each side of the Atlantic Ocean, enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime thrill today (April 10), when Top Gear's The Stig treated them to some high-speed supercar laps around the redeveloped Bushy Park Circuit in Barbados.

When The Stig returns to the Caribbean island next month (May 17/18) for Top Gear Festival Barbados, he will play his part in an adrenaline-fuelled motoring weekend, starring the winner of last weekend's Bahrain Formula One GP, Lewis Hamilton, in his MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One car. Former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan, now a respected TV pundit, and pitlane reporter for BBC's F1 coverage, Lee McKenzie, will join Top Gear's regular presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, while the opening round of the Global Rallycross Championship will provide a truly competitive edge.
The two online Top Gear Festival Barbados competitions featured The Stig, in life-size cardboard cut-out form, sight-seeing in Barbados. The competition, run in association with Bushy Park Circuit Inc and SLAM 101FM, asked participants to 'locate' The Stig at a popular Barbados location, take a 'selfie' and then encourage friends to 'Like' and 'Share'. The winner was Zeik Ashraph.

The UK competition, run in association with British Airways (BA), attracted thousands of entries, with the entrants having correctly identified the five locations of The Stig's sight-seeing tour. The winner was selected at random and received a prize including return flights for two and accommodation on the island, courtesy of the Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA). The winner was Hayley Middlehurst, but the Bushy Park ride was enjoyed by her husband, Alexander.

The two competition prize-winners were among around 50 guests that gathered at Bushy Park Circuit for the first official function at the redeveloped multi-purpose motor sport facility. Among those welcomed by Mark Hamilton, Operations Director of Bushy Park Circuit Inc, were The Hon Richard Sealy, Minister of Tourism & International Transport, officials from BA and the BTA, media from Barbados and the UK and representatives of Corporate Barbados.
Once the formalities and circuit laps were complete, The Stig was finally afforded the chance to go on his own sight-seeing tour of the island, where Top Gear Festival will make its Americas debut next month. The Stig was shown some of the island's best-known landmarks, including the Gun Hill Lion and the Main Guard at The Garrison. He also visited the island's capital, Bridgetown, where hundreds of the island's population were on hand to give him a proper Barbados welcome.

We did ask The Stig what he thought of his visit to the Island but as per usual he declined to comment.