2008 Vallelunga Superleague Formula round
Having broken a bone in his right hand in practice, Paul Meijer was replaced by Dominick Muermans in the Al Ain car  – becoming their fourth driver in five races. The meeting saw a third win for championship leaders Beijing Guoan and a first win for F.C. Porto. Beijing also extended their championship lead to an almost unassailable 59 points.


2008 Vallelunga Superleague Formula round, Report, Qualifying
After the random draw which split the eighteen-car field into two groups, the fastest four qualifiers from each progressed into the knockout stages to decide places 1 to 8 on the grid. Andy Soucek (Atlético Madrid) missed out on the top eight, despite setting a time some 0.052 seconds faster than Group B 4th Adrián Vallés in the Liverpool F.C. car. As fastest drivers in their groups, Antônio Pizzonia (SC Corinthians) and Davide Rigon (Beijing Guoan) were expected to meet in the final, but neither made the final. Instead, Vallés and Robert Doornbos (A.C. Milan) battled it out, with Vallés coming out on top by 0.260 seconds – the fifth different polesitter in five races.


2008 Vallelunga Superleague Formula round, Report, Race 1
Before the race even began, there was dramas - Borja García (Sevilla FC) started from pit lane and Alessandro Pier Guidi (Galatasaray S.K.) having gearbox troubles on the grid. At the start, Vallés led away from Doornbos and Rigon, with Pier Guidi passing Tuka Rocha (CR Flamengo) for fourth on the opening lap. Lap three saw the end of Enrico Toccacelo's Borussia Dortmund car with suspension failure while running towards the back. The top ten somehow stayed in order, until the pit window. Rigon pitted first followed by Rocha, Franck Perera (A.S. Roma) and Yelmer Buurman (PSV Eindhoven.


2008 Vallelunga Superleague Formula round, Report, Race 1
Doornbos and Vallés pitted on lap 11, allowing Pier Guidi to lead for two laps before his pit stop. Pizzonia took the lead for a lap until he pitted, and after the cycle through, Rigon led from Doornbos, Pier Guidi, Vallés and Rocha. Lap 16 saw Garcia's race end with a stuck throttle. There was a somewhat crazy finish to the race, with Soucek and Perera both retiring within the last five minutes of the race with engine problems and a puncture respectively.


2008 Vallelunga Superleague Formula round, Report, Race 1
Vallés suffered fuel pressure problems towards the end, falling five places in as many minutes as Rigon went on to claim his third victory of the season, opening up a 67-point lead over PSV. Following him home were Doornbos, Pier Guidi, Rocha, Ryan Dalziel (Rangers F.C., Pizzonia, Craig Dolby (R.S.C. Anderlecht), Tristan Gommendy (F.C. Porto), Vallés, Buurman, Duncan Tappy (Tottenham Hotspur), Max Wissel (FC Basel 1893), Stamatis Katsimis (Olympiacos CFP) and Dominick Muermans (Al Ain) – both rookies finishing a lap down.


2008 Vallelunga Superleague Formula round, Report, Race 2
Race two began with a bang – a first corner incident taking out Pizzonia, Doornbos and Rocha at Curva Cimini, causing a long safety car period. Wissel retired the Basel car during this with engine trouble. All was cleared up for the restart on lap six with Toccacelo still leading from Soucek (up from third) and García. A brave move from Soucek at Campagnano moved the Spaniard into the lead with Perera passing García for third. Lap nine saw another accident, this time between Toccacelo and Perera again at Cimini.


2008 Vallelunga Superleague Formula round, Report, Race 2
Toccacelo defended the inside line before moving sharply to the outside where Perera already was. Soucek pitted from the lead on lap eleven, but gremlins struck causing him to pit again, before retiring with gearbox trouble on lap 21. Katsimis led for a lap before he pitted, letting Tappy lead until his pitstop on lap 15. Perera took the lead, having pitted on lap eleven. A mistake from Buurman on lap 17 allowed Gommendy into second and after Perera. García retired again, with brake failure continuing Sevilla's spiral down the championship standings.


2008 Vallelunga Superleague Formula round, Report, Race 2
The number of runners fell into single-figures on lap 27 with another three-car accident with Katsimis, Tappy and Pier Guidi crashing at Cimini. The race wasn't decided until the final lap when Perera made a slight mistake at Curva Soratte, allowing Gommendy through to win by 1.482 seconds from Perera, with Buurman, Vallés, Rigon, Dolby, Dalziel and Muermans completing the finishers. In the championship standings, Beijing had their lead cut to 59 points, which meant that a maximum of 42 points required for championship glory.


2008 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season
The 2008 Vancouver Whitecaps season was the club's 23rd year of existence (or 33rd if counting the NASL Whitecaps), as well as their 16th as a Division 2 club in the franchise model of US-based soccer leagues. With games against well supported MLS side Toronto FC in the Voyageurs Cup and local rival Seattle Sounders selling 22,000 season tickets for MLS in 2009, the Vancouver Whitecaps were marketed as one of the leading markets for a 2011 MLS expansion side. This included expanding the ownership to include Victoria, BC raised NBA star Steve Nash in July.


2008 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season
The Division 1 MLS speculation along with the higher profile that came with public negotiations with Vancouver City Council and the Port of Metro Vancouver to develop the Whitecaps Waterfront Stadium gave a boost to media coverage and game attendances. The privately financed stadium, first proposed in 2006, appeared to be reaching its final government land use approvals in 2008.


2008 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season
The 2008 season started in a strong fashion with two losses in their first ten games as new coach Teitur Thordarson maintained the defensive style of previous coach Bob Lilley to grind out results. The USL-1 league was a closely contested affair with eleven points separating 11th and third in the standings. However, the top two teams, the Whitecaps and Puerto Rico were a further ten points clear of third place. The Commissioner's Cup was a contest between the Whitecaps, who finished runner-up by one point, and the Puerto Rico Islanders.


2008 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season
The Whitecaps almost squandered a 5-1 aggregate league by letting the Minnesota Thunder back into the second leg of the USL-1 play in round, but held on for a 5-4 aggregate win. In the semi-final series against Montreal Impact they ground out a first leg 1-0 loss after their goal keeper was ejected. The Whitecaps deservedly won the second leg 2-0 at home to go through 2-1 on aggregate to the final against Puerto Rico Islanders. The playoff final was a back and forth game in which the Whitecaps prevailed 2-1 in front of 5,822 at their long time home of Swangard Stadium.


2008 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season
This was the first year of the official tournament for the Voyageurs Cup also known as the Canadian Championship as CONCACAF designated a Canadian spot in the new champions league structure of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. The Whitecaps finished third in the 2008 Voyaguers Cup with two losses to Montreal and a draw and a win over Division 1 MLS side Toronto FC.


2008 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Schedule and results, Tables
Commissioner's Cup, bye to semifinal round of playoffs  First round of playoffs


2008 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Schedule and results, Tables
Tie-breaker order: 1. Head-to-head points; 2. Total wins; 3. Goal difference; 4. Goals for; 5. Lottery† Rochester deducted 1 point for use of an ineligible player on August 10, 2008


2008 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Schedule and results, Tables
Last updated: April 26, 2010Source: Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won;  T = Matches tied;  L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference


2008 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Current roster
After the 2007 season, the Whitecaps and coach Bob Lilley parted ways with the Whitecaps hiring Teitur Thordarson. Many local long time stalwart veteran players such as Jeff Clarke, Jason Jordan, Steve Kindel, Geordie Lyall, Martin Nash, and Alfredo Valente remained on the roster. Leading striker Eduardo Sebrango also was back for another year with the new coach.


2008 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season, Current roster
The Whitecaps signed Jamaican striker Nicholas Addlery, US keeper Jay Nolly, Omar Jarun, Japanese international Takashi Hirano, and Bolivian youth international Vicente Arze.


2008 Vancouver municipal election
The 2008 Vancouver municipal election was held on November 15, 2008, filling seats on the Vancouver School Board, the Park Board, the Vancouver City Council, and the position of Mayor of Vancouver. It was held at the same time as municipal elections throughout the province. Three major civic parties were represented: the Coalition of Progressive Electors, the Non-Partisan Association, and Vision Vancouver. The Green Party of Vancouver fielded one candidate for Park Board commissioner.


2008 Vancouver municipal election, Candidates and results, Mayor
One mayor was elected out of 15 candidates. Of the candidates, four were affiliated with a political party, and eleven were independent. Gregor Robertson of Vision Vancouver was elected.


2008 Vancouver municipal election, Candidates and results, City councillors
Ten councillors were elected out of 32 candidates. Of the candidates, 24 were affiliated with a political party, and eight were independent. Eight incumbent councillors were seeking re-election: four from Vision Vancouver, three from the NPA, and one from COPE. Of the elected councillors, seven were from Vision Vancouver, two from COPE and one from the NPA.


2008 Vancouver municipal election, Candidates and results, Park Board commissioners
Seven commissioners were elected out of twenty candidates. Of the candidates, 15 were affiliated with a political party, and five were independent. Two incumbent commissioners were seeking re-election: one from COPE and one from the NPA. Of the elected commissioners, four were from Vision Vancouver, with one each from the NPA, COPE, and the Green Party of Vancouver.


2008 Vancouver municipal election, Candidates and results, School Board trustees
Nine school trustees were elected out of 19 candidates. Of the candidates, 17 were affiliated with a political party, and two were independent. Five incumbent trustees were seeking re-election: three from the NPA and two from COPE. Of the elected trustees, four were from Vision Vancouver, three from COPE and two from NPA.


2008 Vancouver municipal election, Candidates and results, Capital Plan questions, Public works
1. Are you in favour of Council having the authority, without further assent of the electors, to pass by-laws between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2011, to borrow an aggregate $93,820,000 for the following purposes?


2008 Vancouver municipal election, Candidates and results, Capital Plan questions, Public safety and civic facilities
2. Are you in favour of Council having the authority, without further assent of the electors, to pass by-laws between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2011, to borrow an aggregate $68,605,000 for the following purposes?


2008 Vancouver municipal election, Candidates and results, Capital Plan questions, Parks and recreation facilities
3. Are you in favour of Council having the authority, without further assent of the electors, to pass by-laws between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2011, to borrow an aggregate $59,575,000 for the following purposes?


2008 Vancouver municipal election, Voter and party statistics, Voter turnout
Of the 403,663 registered voters, there were 124,285 recorded ballots, marking the voter turnout at 30.79%. This is an decrease of 1.66% from the 32.45% turnout during the previous municipal election in 2005.


2008 Vancouver tornado
The 2008 Vancouver tornado was a rare tornado that occurred in the city of Vancouver, Washington on January 10, 2008. The NWS rated this storm EF1 (wind speeds of 90-110 mph).


2008 Vancouver tornado
The National Weather Service briefly posted a Tornado Warning. The tornado was immediately accompanied by several funnel clouds, and an advisory issued stated that more funnel clouds were possible. A funnel cloud was seen to the south of the tornado in Gresham, Oregon. The storm was a rare event in the Pacific Northwest.


2008 Vancouver tornado
Damage reports showed widespread downed power lines, malfunctioning traffic lights, and roofing that had been ripped off. The majority of the damage was light in nature. Vancouver Lake Crew's facilities on the east shore of Vancouver Lake were demolished in the storm. At least 126,000 customers had lost power because of the storm.


2008 Vanderbilt Commodores baseball team
The 2008 Vanderbilt Commodores baseball team represented Vanderbilt University in the 2008 NCAA Division I baseball season. The team played at Hawkins Field in Nashville, TN.


2008 Vanderbilt Commodores baseball team
The team was coached by Tim Corbin in his sixth season at Vanderbilt. The previous season, Corbin's team posted a 54-13 record and won the SEC regular season crown and the SEC tournament. They also hosted a regional for the first time in school history, eventually falling to Michigan in an extra-innings heartbreaker.


2008 Vanderbilt Commodores football team
The 2008 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented Vanderbilt University during the 2008–09 college football season. The team's head coach was Bobby Johnson, who served his seventh season in the position. The Commodores played their six home games at Vanderbilt Stadium at Dudley Field in Nashville, Tennessee. This was Vanderbilt's first 5-0 start since 1943. The season saw Vandy reach a bowl game for the first time since 1982, and also end a streak of 26 straight losing seasons.


2008 Vanderbilt Commodores football team, Schedule, Season summary
Following a 4–0 start to the season, the Vanderbilt Commodores were ranked for the first time on the AP Poll since 1984. Following the victory over Auburn, the Commodores were 5–0 for the first time since 1943. After the good start, the Commodores would lose their next four games before a 31-24 victory over Kentucky that declared them bowl eligible for the first time since 1982. Vandy would then lose their final two games of the regular season. They ended the season by going to the Music City Bowl where they defeated Boston College by a score of 16-14, ending a 53-year bowl victory drought.


2008 Vanderbilt Commodores football team, Game summaries, Auburn
This game was notably broadcast on ESPN's national television program College GameDay.


2008 Vanuatuan general election
General elections were held in Vanuatu on September 2, 2008. In July, the Melanesian Progressive Party requested that they be postponed, contesting the constitutionality of the Peoples Representation Act No. 33 of 2007, which allegedly enabled voters in certain constituencies to vote in two constituencies. The Principal Electoral Officer, Martin Tete, confirmed that the election would take place on 2 September, as scheduled. The day was declared a national holiday, to encourage people to vote.


2008 Vanuatuan general election
Over three hundred candidates, of which nine women, stood for election, representing twenty-five political parties and approximately eighty independents. There were 170,000 registered voters, and fifty-two seats to fill in Parliament in 17 multi-member constituencies.


2008 Vanuatuan general election, Preliminary results
Unofficial preliminary results were expected on 3 September 2008, with official results expected to take up to a week. Two veteran politicians, the incumbent finance minister Willie Jimmy and former PM Barak Sopé, appear to have failed to be reelected, while the independent Ralph Regenvanu appeared to have got the most votes in his constituency of Port Vila and the leaders of the Green Confederation (Moana Carcasses) as well as of the Vanuatu Republican Party (Maxime Carlot Korman) as well as the deputy PM Edward Natapei were returned to parliament.


2008 Vanuatuan general election, Preliminary results
According to unofficial results, the ruling coalition was likely returned to power in the election; about 18 of the 49 MPs standing for re-election were not reelected, and Vanuatu's oldest party, the Vanua'aku Party, was seen to have gained the largest number of seats with 10 seats. Prime Minister Ham Lini's National United Party appears to have won at least seven seats, as have the Vanuatu Republican Party and the Union of Moderate Parties. Nine other parties and five independents also appear to have made it into Parliament.


2008 Vanuatuan general election, Preliminary results
The Vanuatu Electoral Commission has announced that it will take several days before official results are available, and ABC Radio Australia reports that, due to negotiations in establishing a ruling coalition once results are known, "it could be a week or two before it's clear just who will be leading the next Vanuatu government".


2008 Vanuatuan general election, Preliminary results
On 9 September, it was reported that the Vanua'aku Party (VP) and the National United Party were negotiating to form a coalition government, which would also include at least one more party. Under the agreement the new coalition government would include 33 of the 52 members of parliament. Deputy PM and VP leader Edward Natapei would become Prime Minister, while outgoing Prime Minister Ham Lini would become Natapei's Deputy Prime Minister. However, the leader of the Vanuatu Republican Party, Maxime Korman, now claims he has enough votes to form his own government and become Prime Minister. The ultimate results of the election are still unpredictable.


2008 Vanuatuan general election, Results
Final results were announced on 10 September 2008. The Vanua'aku Party had won the most seats (11 out of 52) and Edward Natapei was expected to become prime minister; he was expected to select outgoing prime minister Ham Lini (National United Party) as his deputy. However, Maxime Carlot Korman of the Vanuatu Republican Party also claimed he had enough votes to form the government. Natapei was elected by Parliament on 22 September, winning with 27 to 25 votes against Korman in a secret ballot.


2008 Vanuatuan general election, Analysis
Derek Brien, of the Pacific Policy Institute of Public Policy in Port Vila, made the following comment on the election:


2008 Varsity Cup
The 2008 Varsity Cup was contested from 18 February to 7 April 2008. The tournament (also known as the FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International for sponsorship reasons) was the first season of the Varsity Cup, an annual inter-university rugby union competition featuring eight South African universities.


2008 Varsity Cup
The tournament was won by  Maties for the first time; they beat  UCT Ikey Tigers 16-10 in the final played on 7 April 2008.


2008 Varsity Cup, Competition
There were eight participating universities in the 2008 Varsity Cup. These teams played each other once over the course of the season. Most matches were played at the venue for either team, but the Round Five, Six and Seven matches were played at Outeniqua Park, George over the Easter weekend.


2008 Varsity Cup, Competition
Teams received four points for a win and two points for a draw. Bonus points were awarded to teams that scored four or more tries in a game, as well as to teams that lost a match by seven points or less. Teams were ranked by log points, then points difference (points scored less points conceded).


2008 Varsity Cup, Competition
The top four teams qualified for the Title Play-Offs. In the Semi-Finals, the team that finished first had home advantage against the team that finished fourth, while the team that finished second had home advantage against the team that finished third. The winners of these semi-finals played each other in the final, at the home venue of the higher-placed team.


2008 Varsity Cup, Teams
The following teams took part in the 2008 Varsity Cup competition:


2008 Varsity Cup, Log
The final league standings for the 2008 Varsity Cup were:


2008 Varsity Cup, Players, Player Statistics
The following table contain points which have been scored in the 2008 Varsity Cup:


2008 Vattenfall Cyclassics
The 2008 Vattenfall Cyclassics road cycling race took place on September 7, 2008 in Hamburg, Germany and saw an all-Australian podium with Robbie McEwen of Silence–Lotto beating Mark Renshaw of Crédit Agricole and Allan Davis of Quick-Step.


2008 Veikkausliiga
The 2008 season of Veikkausliiga was the seventy-eighth season of top-tier football in Finland. It started on 27 April 2008 and ended on 26 October 2008. The defending champions were Tampere United.


2008 Veikkausliiga, Promotion and relegation
AC Oulu finished at the bottom of the 2007 season and therefore were relegated to Ykkönen. Their place was taken by Ykkönen champions KuPS. 13th placed Veikkausliiga team FC Viikingit and Ykkönen runners-up RoPS competed in a two-legged relegation play-offs for one spot in 2008 Veikkausliiga. RoPS won 2–1 on aggregate and therefore were promoted to Veikkausliiga.


2008 Veikkausliiga, League table, Relegation play-offs
KuPS and Ykkönen runners-up FC Viikingit competed in a two-legged play-offs for one spot in Veikkausliiga 2009. KuPS won 2–1 on aggregate and thereby retained their league spot for 2009.


2008 Venezuelan regional elections
The 2008 regional elections of Venezuela were held on 23 November 2008 to choose 22 governors and 2 metropolitan mayors. The candidates were selected for a term beginning in 2008 and ending in 2012, when the next regional elections will be held. The 2008 regional elections were the second during the government of Hugo Chávez Frías and the first since he founded the United Socialist Party.


2008 Venezuelan regional elections
The government of the state of Amazonas and nine municipalities were not chosen in this elections because they had been elected after the 2004 regional elections. The Venezuelan opposition managed to attain the metropolitan municipality of Caracas, won by candidate Antonio Ledezma, as well as five state governments; the United Socialist Party, meanwhile, won seventeen.


2008 Venezuelan regional elections
Henrique Capriles Radonski, the former mayor of the Baruta municipality, became the governor of Miranda, defeating the incumbent, Diosdado Cabello. Adán Chávez, president Hugo Chavéz's brother, became the governor of Barinas. In Carabobo, Henrique Salas Feo, the son of former presidential candidate Henrique Salas Römer, defeated his opponent Mario Silva to become the governor. Pablo Pérez Álvarez became the governor Zulia; he succeeded Manuel Rosales, who had governed from 2000 until 2008 and was a presidential candidate in 2006.


2008 Venezuelan regional elections, Background
After losing the 2004 Venezuelan recall referendum, the opposition became determined to participate in the 2008 elections. Prior to the elections, the General Comptroller, a Chávez ally, banned almost 300 candidates who had been accused of corruption without making formal charges. Leopoldo López, a rising figure within the opposition who raised fears among the Chávez administration, was one of the hundreds of candidates barred from holding office. The Supreme Tribunal later ratified the bans and removed the candidates from the process.


2008 Venezuelan regional elections, Candidates
The following list shows the three main candidates according to their political affiliation (government, opposition and dissident or independent) ordered by number of votes attained. The political affiliation is determined by the political parties supporting each candidate. For the 2008 elections, government candidates were supported by the United Socialist Party; opposition candidates were supported by either Justice First, Democratic Action or the Political Electoral Independent Organization Committee parties; and independent candidates were mostly supported by regional parties.


2008 Venezuelan regional elections, Reception
According to the American think tank Freedom House, from this election forward Venezuela ceased to be an electoral democracy, in part due to the disqualification of hundreds of opposition candidates on corruption charges by stating that "the separation of powers is nearly nonexistent" in Venezuela. According to journalist Rory Carroll, Chávez anticipated that the disqualifications would divide the opposition, though the opposition unified instead. After opposition candidate Antonio Ledezma was elected mayor of the Metropolitan district of Caracas, colectivo leader and Chávez ally Lina Ron occupied Caracas' city hall with the support of authorities. Chávez would later establish a "capital district" that remove mayoral powers from Ledezma.


2008 Vermont Democratic presidential primary
The 2008 Vermont Democratic presidential primary was an open primary that took place on March 4, 2008. Barack Obama won the primary, his only decisive win among the four March 4 contests. The primary determined the 15 pledged delegates that represented Vermont at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. The delegates were awarded to the candidates, Obama and Hillary Clinton, on a proportional basis. Vermont also sent 8 unpledged "superdelegates", to the convention not bound by the results of the primary.


2008 Vermont Democratic presidential primary, Delegate breakdown
The Vermont Democratic Party sent 23 total delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Of those delegates, 15 were pledged and 8 were unpledged. The 15 pledged delegates were allocated (pledged) to vote for a particular candidate at the National Convention according to the results of Vermont's Democratic primary on March 4. The 8 unpledged delegates (popularly called "superdelegates" because their votes represented their personal decisions rather than the collective decision of many voters) were free to vote for any candidate at the National Convention and were selected by the Vermont Democratic Party's officials.


2008 Vermont Democratic presidential primary, Delegate breakdown
The 15 pledged delegates were further divided into 10 district delegates and 5 statewide delegates. The 10 district delegates represented Vermont's single Congressional District. The 5 statewide delegates were divided into 3 at-large delegates and 2 Party Leaders and Elected Officials (abbreviated PLEOs).


2008 Vermont Democratic presidential primary, Delegate breakdown
Of the 8 unpledged delegates, 7 were selected in advance and 1 was selected at the Vermont Democratic Party's National Convention Delegate Meeting on June 7. The delegates selected in advance were 5 Democratic National Committee members, U.S. Representative from Vermont Peter Welch, and U.S. Senator from Vermont Patrick Leahy.


2008 Vermont Democratic presidential primary, Delegate selection process
The Vermont Democratic Party used the results of the state's presidential preference primary on March 4 to determine the allocation of delegates to each presidential candidate. Though the primary was used for allocating delegates, the delegates themselves were selected in a caucus process. On March 22, the Party held a series of town-level caucuses to select its first tier of delegates. On May 24, the Party held its state convention in which the town-level delegates selected the 10 district-level delegates to attend the 2008 Democratic National Convention. The remaining 5 pledged delegates, plus the remaining unpledged delegate, were selected at the Vermont Democratic Party's National Convention Delegate Meeting on June 7.


2008 Vermont Democratic presidential primary, Polls
On February 24, 2008, polls showed Sen. Barack Obama leading Sen. Hillary Clinton by an average margin of 24% (57% to 33%), with 10% Not Sure.


2008 Vermont Republican presidential primary
The 2008 Vermont Republican presidential primary took place on March 4, 2008. Arizona Senator John McCain was the winner of the primary.


2008 Vermont Republican presidential primary, Results
* Candidate dropped out of the race before the primary


2008 Vermont elections
The Vermont Election in 2008 consisted of elections for federal, state, and local elections. All state offices are for two years; all terms expired in 2008. Elections included the gubernatorial, all state offices, including all state senators and representatives, the federal Congress and the presidential. There was no federal Senate seat open.


2008 Vermont elections
A primary election in August determined which candidates parties would choose to run in the general election in November. An earlier "primary" selected Vermont's choices for candidates for president.


2008 Vermont elections, Turnout
72% of the voters, 327,301, turned out for the general election. This was the highest percentage, so far, in the 21st century. A record 26% of young voters turned out.


2008 Vermont elections, Polls
On February 24, 2008, polls showed Sen. Barack Obama leading Sen. Hillary Clinton by an average margin of 24% (57% to 33%), with 10% Not Sure.


2008 Vermont elections, Republican Party Results
* Candidate dropped out of the race before the primary


2008 Vermont gubernatorial election
The 2008  Vermont gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican Governor Jim Douglas won re-election to a fourth term. The gubernatorial primary took place on September 9, 2008.


2008 Victoria Cup
The 2008 Victoria Cup was the first edition of the Victoria Cup challenge, played on October 1, 2008, between the 2008 European Champions Cup winners, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, and the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL), at the PostFinance Arena in Bern, Switzerland. The game was played under IIHF rules. The Rangers won the challenge as they battled from a 3–0 deficit to win the game 4–3.


2008 Victoria Cup
The match was preceded on September 30, 2008, by an exhibition between host SC Bern and the New York Rangers, meant to commemorate the centennial of the Swiss Ice Hockey Association. However the additional game, the first ever between a Swiss team and an NHL team, ended up competing with the main event at the box office. With tickets steeply priced, neither game sold out and a number of Swiss fans favored the SC Bern game, which drew a significantly larger audience (16,022) than the actual Victoria Cup game.


2008 Victoria Cup
The New York Rangers defeated SC Bern in this game 8–1. The Rangers followed the Victoria Cup game with two NHL regular season games against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Prague, Czech Republic, on October 4 and 5 at the O2 Arena. Both games were won 2–1 by the Rangers.


2008 Victoria Cup, Game description
The goalies in the game were Henrik Lundqvist for the New York Rangers and Andrei Mezin for Metallurg Magnitogorsk.


2008 Victoria Cup, Game description
At 1:28 of the first period, Metallurg's Denis Platonov scored a goal past Lundqvist to give them the lead. With 18:07 gone in the first, with the Rangers' Paul Mara in the box for holding, Vladimir Malenkikh made it 2–0 for Magnitogorsk on the power-play.


2008 Victoria Cup, Game description
In the second period, Nikolai Zavarukhin scored another power-play goal at 30:20 to give Magnitogorsk a 3–0 lead over New York, this time with Petr Prucha in the box for holding. Late in the second, Metallurg ran into penalty trouble as Alexei Kaigorodov and Zavarukhin found their way to the box for holding. The two-man power-play led to a goal at 39:37 for Chris Drury.


2008 Victoria Cup, Game description
In the third, penalty troubles continued to plague Magnitogorsk. At 45:45 Dan Fritsche scored for the Rangers to make the score 3–2. Then, with Metallurg's Stanislav Chistov in the penalty box for hooking, Drury scored his second power play goal of the game at 50:13 . With the score tied 3–3, the Rangers were badly outshooting Metallurg. In the last minute, Ryan Callahan picked off a sloppy pass by defenseman Vladimir Malenkikh at Metallurg's blue line and came in alone on goalie Mezin. In a "shoot-out move", he faked a backhand shot, switched to his forehand and managed to wrap the puck around Mezin's outstretched right leg for the game-winning goal at 59:40.


2008 Victoria Cup, Game description
Lundqvist stopped 22 of 25 shots for the win, while Mezin stopped 40 of 44 shots for Magnitogorsk. According to Lundqvist, "I think we should have won the game, and we did. I think we were the better team. They got some easy goals the first period and made it tough on us. That's on me, but the way we came back in this game was great to see. I think we learned a lot. It gave us confidence moving forward, and now we don't have to hear about it."


2008 Victoria Cup, Game description
The Victoria Cup Trophy was accepted on behalf of the team by Nikolai Zherdev and Dmitri Kalinin, the two Russian players on the Rangers. The Rangers received $1,000,000 for their victory.


2008 Victoria Cup, René Fasel of IIHF
We agreed that the Rangers would be the optimal club to represent the NHL in the first Victoria Cup, The Rangers were the first ever NHL club to play against a European team when they met CSKA Moscow in New York on December 28, 1975. They have been one of the NHL teams that have most often shown enthusiasm to go overseas and there is no doubt that many Europeans fans will have no problems identifying with the heavy international presence that the club has. But first and foremost, the New York Rangers are one of the most identifiable clubs in all of hockey and professional sports.


2008 Victoria Cup, René Fasel of IIHF
Out of several choices we worked with, in the end nobody had the credentials of SC Bern and its arena. SC Bern is one of the best-organised hockey clubs in Europe, they are in a successful phase and their fans are maybe the best in the world. Of the many options we had to consider for the Victoria Cup, we felt Bern had earned the right to host this inaugural event because of its devoted fan support.


2008 Victorian Premier League
The 2008 Victorian Premier League (also known as the 2008 Foxtel Cup for sponsorship reasons) is the 97th season of top-tier football in Victoria. It began on 15 February 2008 and ended on 21 September 2008. Preston Lions was the defending champion.


2008 Victory Bowl
The 2008 Victory Bowl is a college football post-season bowl game. The game was played on November 21, 2008 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Malone Pioneers from the NAIA played against NCAA Division III Northwestern Eagles.


2008 Victory Bowl
Malone failed to defend their title as the 2007 Victory Bowl winners on their third consecutive trip to the bowl. Northwestern's win was their second Victory Bowl championship and fourth appearance in the game's twelve-year history.


2008 Victory Bowl, Game summary
Northwestern and Malone University scored a combined 93 points as the Eagles from Northwestern claimed a 49–44 win. The contest was closely competed and it was not until under a minute remaining was the game’s outcome decided. Malone held a 28–14 lead midway through the second quarter,  but after that the point differential remained within seven points or less until Northwestern’s Ty Crabtree ran an interception 50 yards for the Eagles’ final score of the game.


2008 Victory Shield
The Victory Shield 2008 is the 63rd edition of the Victory Shield, an annual football tournament that began in 1925 and is competed for by the Under 16 level teams of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. It was held from 3 October to 29 November 2008 and won by England.


2008 Vietnam floods
The 2008 Vietnam floods affected north and central Vietnam, as well as southern parts of the People's Republic of China after three days of heavy raining. The rainfall, which began October 30, is the heaviest in 24 years, a state meteorological official told the Vietnam News Agency, and were the worst floods in Hanoi since 1984. At least 66 in Vietnam and 34 in China have been killed because of the flooding. Overall, 15,000 families evacuated their homes, and almost 100 schools, 100,000 houses, 241,000 hectares of crops, and 25,400 hectares of fish farms were submerged or damaged in the floodwaters.


2008 Vietnam floods, Vietnam
The floods killed a total of 66 people in Vietnam. In Hanoi, 20, including 3 children, were found dead after 13 more bodies were recovered. Up to one meter of water flooded the city's streets, and transportation was halted. Food prices, especially those of meat and vegetables, reached exorbitant highs in the city, as the rains ruined many crops. Schools were closed on November 3, and damage in Hanoi exceeded 3 trillion Vietnamese đồng ($US 177 million).


2008 Vietnam floods, Vietnam
Elsewhere in Vietnam, 10 people, including 4 children were killed in Nghệ An Province from the floods. 17 were killed in Hà Tĩnh Province, 4 each in Quảng Ngãi Province and Quảng Bình Province, 3 in Bắc Giang Province, 2 each in Hòa Bình Province, Thái Nguyên Province, and Vĩnh Phúc Province, and 1 each in Ninh Bình Province, Phú Thọ Province, Quảng Nam Province, and Phú Yên Province. In addition water levels on the Cả River, Hoang Long, the upper Ma River were very high.


2008 Vietnam floods, Vietnam
The Vietnamese Army and Vietnamese Red Cross using boats and amphibious Military vehicles to rescue survivors. Military helicopters delivered food and water supplies to residents of flooded villages cut off by the floods. Most roads leading to these areas had been washed away. 1,000 Vietnamese soldiers led rescue work, searching for bodies.


2008 Vietnam floods, China
The heavy rains affected southern parts of the People's Republic of China as well, causing mudslides and floods, and killing a total of 34 there. Yunnan Province was hit the hardest, where 26 were killed and 45 remain missing. 8 were killed in Pingguo, Guangxi. Overall, 410,000 were affected in China, and 3,200 homes there were damaged or destroyed.


2008 Vietnamese Cup
The 2008 Vietnamese National Cup (known as the Bamboo Airways National Cup for sponsorship reasons) season is the 16th edition of the Vietnamese Cup, the football knockout competition of Vietnam organized by the Vietnam Football Federation.


2008 Vietnamese Cup, Pre-classified
Five teams did not play in the first round, and were automatically qualified for the round of 16.


2008 Villa Canales bus disaster
The 2008 Villa Canales bus disaster occurred in the municipality of Villa Canales, Guatemala on 29 February 2008, at 19:15 local time. A passenger bus from Transportes Cubanita, with 79 people on board, crashed into a 10-meter ravine after missing a sharp bend in the road connecting Villa Canales to Barberena. 54 people died and another 25 were wounded in the accident.


2008 Vilnius NATO meeting
The 2008 Vilnius NATO meeting was an informal, two-day meeting of Defense Ministers of NATO nations held in Vilnius, Lithuania, from February 7 until February 8, 2008. The most important topics discussed were the War in Afghanistan, the possible admission into NATO of Ukraine, and the relationship with Russia. The meeting was a warm-up for the 20th NATO summit in April, held in Bucharest, Romania. Lithuanian officials say it was the biggest meeting of its kind ever held in Vilnius.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games
The 2008 Vintage Yachting Games was the first post-Olympic multi-class sailing event for discontinued Olympic classes. The event took place on the IJsselmeer of Medemblik, the Netherlands, from 20 September to 27 September 2008. A total of 66 sailors in 47 boats from 17 countries showed up to compete in six Vintage Yachting Classes


2008 Vintage Yachting Games, Prologue, Bid process
Since the idea of the Vintage Yachting Games originated from the Netherlands and also the key project team members were living there, it was an easy step to organize this event the first time nearby. So there was no formal bid process. The city of Medemblik is since the early 1960s the main capital of the Dutch Olympic sailing community. The IJsselmeer of the coast of Medemblik offers mostly fair conditions for racing.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games, Prologue, Bid process
The Royal Yacht Club Hollandia, the primary race organizer in Medemblik, however turned down the request of the Vintage Yachting Games Organization to act as the host club. A perfect alternative was found  in the experienced Surf, Zeil & Watersportvereniging Uitdam and one of its founders Frans Bolweg. With Uitdam the Vintage Yachting Games Organization was ensured form a very professional host club with also many years of experience at the waters near the Medemblik coast. Uitdam co-organized for many years the successful SPA-regatta (currently Holland-regatta or Delta Lloyd Regatta).


2008 Vintage Yachting Games, Prologue, Kick-off and preparation
In order to realize the first edition of the Vintage Yachting Games in time and with the proper quality, a project team was put together with competence in areas. Besides the Vintage Yachting Games Organizations board, the project team consisted of Frouk Segaar (Race management), Lydia Verduyn (Fundraising), Peter Hoekstra, Mireille Zeeman and Martijn van der Driest (Ceremonies), Menno Meyer (Jury), Robin Segaar (Measurement) and Frans Bolweg (Host club).


2008 Vintage Yachting Games, Prologue, Kick-off and preparation
The two main issues of the project team was confronted with were:


2008 Vintage Yachting Games, Prologue, Kick-off and preparation
Both issues were emphasized by the fact that this was the first time ever of such an event. Finally issues were resolved in time by the project team so that the quality of the event was according to the required level.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games, Prologue, Costs
The financial strategy of the project team was that it must be able to organize a minimum event with high quality and finance it with the income of the entry fees. Funds and materials from sponsoring would be used to add quality elements to the event so that the sailors would get more value for money and the sponsors had more exposure a shore.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games, Prologue, Costs
The total cost of the event was approximately €40.000. Because at the last moment there was quite a significant number of no-shows, the project team successfully adjusted the purchase of social events, and some sponsors contributed extra so that the financial aspect of the event stayed (just) in the black.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games, Vintage, Venues
The Regatta Center in Medemblik offers suitable logistic and facilities for the organization of large International sailing events. The waters in front of the Regatta Center are capable for laying out several course areas. For the 2008 Vintage Yachting Games two course areas were used to cater for the Vintage Yachting Classes.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games, Vintage, Wind conditions
The Netherlands in general and the northern part of the IJsselmeer in special has a typical sea climate. The wind is typically gradient driven. In the summer when there is a low tide in the afternoon on the Wadden Sea a sea breeze can develop from the north off the coast of Medemblik.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games, Vintage, Wind conditions
In September the temperature can vary from 10-30 °C. Occasionally a thunderstorm can develop in the afternoon or evening.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games, Vintage, Calendar
The program of the 2008 Vintage Yachting Games was as follows:


2008 Vintage Yachting Games, Vintage, Measurement
Measurement during the Vintage Yachting Games was limited to safety equipment of the competing boats. The boats Flying Dutchman and Europe class were weighed and checked. The remaining sails, rigging and boats were just "stamped". No major measurement issues were found.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games, Vintage, Opening ceremony
8 Metre "Varg" acting as the vessel of the Admiral.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games, Vintage, Closing ceremony
The closing ceremony started with the Vintage InterPares race in the 12’ Dinghies. This was followed by the prize giving. The prizes were handed out by the representatives of the International Class Organizations. During the closing of the event Rudy den Outer thanked the city of Medemblik for her cooperation. He also announced that “Multilario”, will be the host of the 2012 Vintage Yachting Games. After that the Vintage flag was received from the mayor of Medemblik, Theo van Eijk by the Project manager of the 2012 Edition of the Vintage Yachting Games: Pietro Adamoli. This next edition will be organized at Lake Como.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games, Vintage, Media coverage
The official photographer of the 2008 Vintage Yachting Games was Marc van Oers.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games, Vintage, Media coverage
The event was covered by the media in several ways:


2008 Vintage Yachting Games, Sailing
Races in all events were sailed in a fleet racing format of seven scheduled races. The contestants raced around a course in one group, and each boat earned a score equal conform the bonus point system. The five best scores for each boat were summed up for the overall score. On Saturday 27 September the wind conditions did not allowed a valid race.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games, Sailing, Reports per event
Per class separate pages reporting the facts are available (see the details section per class in the medals table).


2008 Vintage Yachting Games, Sailing, Report Vintage InterPares race
By crossing colored ribbon Szabolcs Majthenyi, the responsible person of the victorious Hungarian Flying Dutchman, won the Vintage InterPares race 2008. In this race all winners of the Vintage Yachting Games meet each other in a battle between the classes. This race is held in the 12’ Dinghy, an Olympic class in 1920 and 1928. This class is still very active in 10 countries including The Netherlands, Italy and Japan. For privacy reasons the rest of the finishing order will remain a secret. The International Flying Dutchman class was “THE” Vintage Yachting Class till 2012.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Dragon
The Dragon was an event on the 2008 Vintage Yachting Games program at the IJsselmeer,  Netherlands. Six out of the seven scheduled race were completed. 36 sailors, on 12 boats, from 10 nations entered.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Dragon, Venue overview, Race area and Course
Approximately 2 nautical miles of the coast of Medemblik two course areas (orange and yellow) were used for the 2008 edition of the Vintage Yachting Games.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Dragon, Venue overview, Race area and Course
For the 2008 edition of the Vintage Yachting Games four different courses were available. The Dragon could use only course 4.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Dragon, Venue overview, Wind conditions
During the 2008 Vintage Yachting Games the sailors experienced the following weather conditions:


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Dragon, Races, Summary
In the Dragon at race area Yellow only six races could be completed.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Dragon, Races, Summary
Close competition in the Dragon for the first three positions. Specially when the team of Gordon Ingate, Keith Musto and David Giles (AUS) turned out to be heavy weight specialist on the second day with two wins. The last two races were dominated by the Dutch team of Reinier Wissenraet, Gijs Evers en Marc Reijnhoudt wo took the gold in at the end. The Australians dropped back to third due to the consistent sailing of the British team of Gavia Wilkinson-Cox, Ron Rosenberg and Jon Mortimer who took the silver.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Dragon, Races, Victors
Reinier Wissenraet (l),Gijs Evers (m) andPim ten Harmsen van der Beek (r)


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Europe Female
The Europe Female was an event on the 2008 Vintage Yachting Games program at the IJsselmeer, Netherlands. Six out of the seven scheduled race were completed. 10 sailors, on 10 boats, from 6 nations entered.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Europe Female, Venue overview, Race area and Course
Approximately 2 nautical miles of the coast of Medemblik two course areas (orange and yellow) were used for the 2008 edition of the Vintage Yachting Games.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Europe Female, Venue overview, Race area and Course
For the 2008 edition of the Vintage Yachting Games four different courses were available. The Europe Female could only use course 1.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Europe Female, Venue overview, Wind conditions
During the 2008 Vintage Yachting Games the sailors experienced the following weather conditions:


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Europe Female, Races, Summary
In the Europe Female at race area Orange only six races could be completed.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Europe Female, Races, Summary
By the female participants, Svenja Puls, Germany, got a major lead of 15 points, with four wins out of six races, over her opponent Silvia Zennaro from Italy. Elisabet Llargués Masachs from Spain took the bronze.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Europe Male
The Europe Male was an event on the 2008 Vintage Yachting Games program at the IJsselmeer, Netherlands. Six out of the seven scheduled race were completed. 9 sailors, on 9 boats, from 5 nations entered.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Europe Male, Venue overview, Race area and Course
Approximately 2 nautical miles of the coast of Medemblik two course areas (orange and yellow) were used for the 2008 edition of the Vintage Yachting Games.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Europe Male, Venue overview, Race area and Course
For the 2008 edition of the Vintage Yachting Games four different courses were available. The Europe Male could only use course 1.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Europe Male, Venue overview, Wind conditions
During the 2008 Vintage Yachting Games the sailors experienced the following weather conditions:


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Europe Male, Races, Summary
In the Europe Male at race area Orange only six races could be completed.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Europe Male, Races, Summary
By the male participants, Thomas Ribeaud, France, got a major lead of over 16 points over his opponent Marc Paris Gilbert from Spain. Arne Berg from Germany took the bronze.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Flying Dutchman
The Flying Dutchman was an event on the 2008 Vintage Yachting Games program at the IJsselmeer, Netherlands. Six out of the seven scheduled race were completed. 28 sailors, on 14 boats, from 10 nations entered.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Flying Dutchman, Venue overview, Race area and Course
Approximately 2 nautical miles of the coast of Medemblik two course areas (orange and yellow) were used for the 2008 edition of the Vintage Yachting Games.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Flying Dutchman, Venue overview, Race area and Course
For the 2008 edition of the Vintage Yachting Games four different courses were available. The Flying Dutchman could only use course 3.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Flying Dutchman, Venue overview, Wind conditions
During the 2008 Vintage Yachting Games the sailors experienced the following weather conditions:


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Flying Dutchman, Races, Summary
In the Flying Dutchman at race area Yellow only six races could be completed.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Flying Dutchman, Races, Summary
In the Flying Dutchman it was a massive victory for the team of Szabolcs Majthenyi, at the helm, and Andras Domokos representing Hungary. With only first places! Silver was for the German team of Kilian Koenig and Johannes Brack. In third place came the second German team of Kai Schäfers and Marcus Landgrebe.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – O-Jolle
The O-Jolle was an event on the 2008 Vintage Yachting Games program at the IJsselmeer, Netherlands. Six out of the seven scheduled races were completed. 9 sailors, on 9 boats, from 2 nations entered.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – O-Jolle, Venue overview, Race area and Course
Approximately 2 nautical miles of the coast of Medemblik two course areas (orange and yellow) were used for the 2008 edition of the Vintage Yachting Games.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – O-Jolle, Venue overview, Race area and Course
For the 2008 edition of the Vintage Yachting Games four different courses were available. The O-Jolle could only use course 2.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – O-Jolle, Venue overview, Wind conditions
During the 2008 Vintage Yachting Games the sailors experienced the following weather conditions:


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – O-Jolle, Races, Summary
In the O-Jolle at race area Orange only six races could be completed.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – O-Jolle, Races, Summary
The battle for gold was severe between Henman van Eijk en Max Blom. Almost after each race the positions reversed. In the end Max took the series wit only 0.3 point to spare. Jan Krol became third.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Soling
The Soling was an event on the 2008 Vintage Yachting Games program at the IJsselmeer, Netherlands. Six out of the seven scheduled race were completed. 36 sailors, on 12 boats, from 10 nations entered.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Soling, Venue overview, Race area and Course
Approximately 2 nautical miles of the coast of Medemblik two course areas (orange and yellow) were used for the 2008 edition of the Vintage Yachting Games.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Soling, Venue overview, Race area and Course
For the 2008 edition of the Vintage Yachting Games, four different courses were available. The Soling could use course 4 and course 3 (above windspeeds of 14kn).


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Soling, Venue overview, Wind conditions
During the 2008 Vintage Yachting Games, the sailors experienced the following weather conditions:


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Soling, Races, Summary
In the Soling at race area Yellow, only six races could be completed.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Soling, Races, Summary
Although the early start of the second race the consistent performance of the team of Rudy den Outer, Leo Determan and Ronald den Arend made sure they won the series. The team of former Soling World champion Steven Bakker with Sven/Dick Coster and Joost Houweling took the silver before the German team of Holger Weichert, Laurent Scheel, and Martin Setzkorn.


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Soling, Races, Results
Legend: DNC – Did not come to the starting area; DNF – Did not finish; DNS – Did not start; DSQ – Disqualified; OCS – On the course side of the starting line; RET – Retired;


2008 Vintage Yachting Games – Soling, Races, Victors
Rudy den Outer (l),Leo Determan (m) andRonald den Arend (r)


2008 Virginia Cavaliers football team
The 2008 Virginia Cavaliers football team represented the University of Virginia during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was Virginia's 55th season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The Cavaliers were led by head coach Al Groh. They played their home games at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia.


2008 Virginia Cavaliers football team, Preseason
The 2008 preseason began in early January, with the loss of starting quarterback Jameel Sewell due to academic ineligibility as well as three other players who were not enrolled for the Spring 2008 semester; junior cornerback Chris Cook, freshman wide receiver Chris Dalton and freshman linebacker Darnell Carter.


2008 Virginia Cavaliers football team, Preseason
In February 2008, defensive back Mike Brown was arrested by UVa police and charged with one count each of grand larceny, possession of stolen property with intent to sell, altering serial numbers, and possession of marijuana. Al Groh said of the situation, "At this time we are currently gathering the facts. In view of the nature of the allegation, Mike Brown is not participating with the program at this time." Also in February, defensive end Jeffery Fitzgerald left the school, and subsequently the team, after allegations of honor code violations; the university stating that, "Fitzgerald is no longer enrolled and will never play again for the 'Hoos."


2008 Virginia Cavaliers football team, Peter Lalich controversy
On July 24, 2008, Peter Lalich, quarterback, was charged with unlawful purchase and possession of alcohol, a misdemeanor. Coach Groh would not comment on the charge, and stated that any disciplinary action would be dealt with internally, within the team. Lalich's case has been continued until July 21, 2009, at which point his charges will be dropped should he avoid further trouble.


2008 Virginia Cavaliers football team, Peter Lalich controversy
On September 5, 2008, it was reported that Lalich had admitted to court officials that he had used marijuana and alcohol while on supervised probation. The voluntary admission came during a regular probation interview with officials from the office of Offender Aid and Restoration/Virginia Alcohol Safety Program. He is scheduled for a hearing on September 26. On September 10, 2008 it was announced through a statement from Virginia's sports information office that Lalich would not be starting in the September 13 game against the University of Connecticut.


2008 Virginia Cavaliers football team, Peter Lalich controversy
On Thursday, September 18, Lalich admitted that he had violated the terms of his probation. Later the same day, he was dismissed from the Cavalier football team. In a statement, UVA Athletic Director Craig Littlepage said, "We have supported Peter, but believe today a point has been reached where it’s best for all concerned that [Peter] no longer participate on the team. This is my decision, and it has support of head football coach Al Groh. We wish Peter the best in the future."


2008 Virginia Cavaliers football team, Game summaries, USC
The No. 3 ranked Trojans scored three touchdowns in the first quarter to beat the Cavaliers to win the first game of the season. USC quarterback Mark Sanchez threw for 338 yards, CJ Gable ran for 73 yards, and Ronald Johnson had 78 yards in receiving. The second half was all USC, with UVA turning over the ball three times.


2008 Virginia Democratic presidential primary
The 2008 Virginia Democratic presidential primary took place on February 12, 2008, an election day nicknamed the "Potomac Primary" because the District of Columbia and Maryland also held Democratic primaries. The Virginia Democratic primary was an open primary, and was competitive for the first time since 1988. Barack Obama won the primary, as he did the other Potomac contests that day.


2008 Virginia Democratic presidential primary, Candidates
Six national candidates appeared on the ballot in the Virginia primary. However, all but Obama and Hillary Clinton had withdrawn prior to the primary on February 12.


2008 Virginia Democratic presidential primary, Background
The prior week, Barack Obama had beaten Hillary Clinton in Nebraska (68%-32%), in Washington (68%-31%)  and in Louisiana (57%-36%)  by large margins.


2008 Virginia Democratic presidential primary, Background
The Clinton Campaign looked towards the primary in Virginia as well as those in Maryland and Washington, D.C. which were held on the same day. Though Hillary Clinton spent more resources in the Maryland Primary, she also campaigned in Virginia, particularly in Northern Virginia.


2008 Virginia Democratic presidential primary, Background, Strategy
The Barack Obama campaign divided Virginia into 4 regions in which to campaign: Northern Virginia, Richmond, Charlottesville, and the Tidewater region in the southeast. He was expected to do well with affluent and independent voters, as well as with African-American voters, who could total 25% of the vote on primary day.


2008 Virginia Democratic presidential primary, Background, Strategy
The Hillary Clinton campaign said it would focus its efforts on Prince William and Loudoun counties, especially older white professional women, and also in the unemployment plagued Southwest Virginia.


2008 Virginia Democratic presidential primary, Polling
Barack Obama had a significant lead over Hillary Clinton in final polling throughout the state.


2008 Virginia Republican presidential primary
The 2008 Virginia Republican presidential primary took place on February 12, 2008. This was an open primary with 63 delegates (60 pledged delegates) at stake in a winner take all format. The District of Columbia and Maryland both held primaries on the same day, referred to as the "Potomac primary".


2008 Virginia Republican presidential primary
John McCain won the primary, receiving all of Virginia's delegates to the 2008 Republican National Convention.


2008 Virginia Tech Hokies football team
The 2008 Virginia Tech Hokies football team represented Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head coach was Frank Beamer. Prior to the season, the Hokies were expected to be in a rebuilding mode, recovering after the graduation of several key players. Despite that fact, Tech was picked to win the Atlantic Coast Conference's Coastal Division in the annual preseason poll of media covering the ACC. The Hokies were ranked the No. 15 team in the country at the start of the season, but suffered an upset loss to East Carolina in their first game. Tech recovered, however, and won five consecutive games following the loss, the ACC Championship, and the Orange Bowl.


2008 Virginia Tech Hokies football team, Preseason
During the 2007 college football season, Virginia Tech accumulated an 11–3 record that ended with a 21–24 loss to the Kansas Jayhawks in the 2008 Orange Bowl. The Hokies also won the 2007 ACC football championship, but were not predicted to repeat that success in 2008. In the annual preseason football poll of media covering ACC football, Tech was picked second in the conference, behind the Clemson Tigers. The Hokies were picked to finish first in the ACC's Coastal Division, but lose to Clemson in the ACC Championship Game.


2008 Virginia Tech Hokies football team, Preseason
The reason for that second-place prediction was the loss of several key players from Tech's ACC-champion 2007 team. Virginia Tech lost its top four receivers, its leading rusher, and seven starters from a defense that ranked fourth nationally in total defense. Eight players from the 2007 team were taken in the 2008 NFL Draft, and Tech's 2008 team featured just 10 players who started during the previous season. Making matters more difficult for Virginia Tech, the Hokies suffered several preseason injuries and multiple players were kicked off the team for disciplinary reasons.


2008 Virginia Tech Hokies football team, Preseason
On August 26, Tech head coach Frank Beamer announced his intention to redshirt backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor, keeping him in reserve for the 2008 season. Following Virginia Tech's loss to East Carolina in the first game of the season, however, Beamer removed the redshirt and Taylor played in Tech's second game in the season. After he proved successful in that game, Taylor was named the team's starting quarterback for the remainder of the season, supplanting first-game starter Sean Glennon.


2008 Virginia Tech Hokies football team, Game summaries, East Carolina
The Virginia Tech Hokies' first game of the season also was its first loss of the season. In a neutral-site game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, Tech was upset 27–22 by the East Carolina Pirates. East Carolina, members of Conference USA, became the first team from that conference to win a game against a Bowl Championship Series member school since 2002.


2008 Virginia Tech Hokies football team, Game summaries, East Carolina
The game got off to a slow start, as neither team scored in the first quarter. With 12:19 remaining before halftime, however, Virginia Tech scored the first points of the game with a 30-yard fumble return by defender Ryan Barnett #40 FR. out of Sulphur, Louisiana. Four minutes later, Virginia Tech's offense also scored, extending the Hokies' lead to 14–0. East Carolina answered with a touchdown before halftime, but Virginia Tech led 14–7 at the beginning of the second half.


2008 Virginia Tech Hokies football team, Game summaries, East Carolina
The Pirates' offense scored another touchdown with 10:05 remaining in the third quarter, but the extra point kick was blocked and returned for a defensive score by Tech's Stephan Virgil. If the extra point had been successful, the teams would have been tied at 14 points apiece. Instead, Virginia Tech kept a 16–13 lead, which it retained through the third quarter. Early in the fourth quarter, Tech's offense extended the Hokies' lead to 22–13 with a touchdown. The extra point kick was missed.


2008 Virginia Tech Hokies football team, Game summaries, East Carolina
Both teams were held scoreless for the next ten minutes before East Carolina's Patrick Pinkney ran three yards for a touchdown. The score and extra point cut the Hokies' lead to 22–20 with less than four minutes remaining in the game. Tech attempted to run out the clock, but East Carolina's defense forced the Hokies to punt. The kick was blocked, however, and East Carolina's T.J. Lee returned the loose ball for a game-winning touchdown. With the limited time remaining in the game, Tech was unable to answer the touchdown, and East Carolina clinched a 27–22 victory.


2008 Virginia Tech Hokies football team, Game summaries, Furman
Virginia Tech's second game of the season came against the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) Furman Paladins at Virginia Tech's home stadium, Lane Stadium, in Blacksburg, Virginia. Despite the loss to East Carolina, Tech came into its home opener heavily favored and lived up to that expectation by beating the Paladins, 24–7. For the game, Virginia Tech wore a throwback uniform honoring former Tech coaches Jerry Claiborne, Charlie Coffey, Jimmy Sharpe and Bill Dooley.


2008 Virginia Tech Hokies football team, Game summaries, Furman
The Hokies used backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor alongside starter Sean Glennon beginning with the fifth play of the game. Despite that change in offensive strategy, the Hokies were held scoreless in the first quarter. Tech's defense also held firm, and kept Furman from scoring in the first quarter as well. In the second quarter, both teams were again held scoreless until just 29 seconds before halftime, when Virginia Tech placekicker Dustin Keys kicked a field goal for the Hokies, giving them a 3–0 lead at halftime.


2008 Virginia Tech Hokies football team, Game summaries, Furman
In the third quarter, Virginia Tech's offense finally hit its stride. With 8:41 remaining in the quarter, Sean Glennon completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to running back Kenny Lewis, Jr., giving the Hokies a 10–0 lead after the extra point. Tech added two more touchdowns before the end of the quarter, making the game 24–0 with one quarter remaining. The Paladins scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter, closing the gap to 24–7 and avoiding a shutout, but were unable to further catch up to the Hokies. Tech earned its first win of the season, bringing its overall season record to 1–1.


2008 Virginia Tech Hokies football team, Game summaries, Georgia Tech
The Hokies' third game of the season also was their first Atlantic Coast Conference game of the season as Virginia Tech faced Georgia Tech at Lane Stadium. Tyrod Taylor, who had been the Hokies' backup quarterback at the beginning of the season, started the game and did not relinquish his position. Tech fell behind 3–0 in the first quarter, but took a lead in the second quarter that they did not relinquish through the rest of the game, winning 20–17.


2008 Virginia Tech Hokies football team, Game summaries, Georgia Tech
In the game's first quarter, Virginia Tech was held scoreless while Georgia Tech took a 3–0 lead with a 32-yard field goal by kicker Scott Blair. Early in the second quarter, Tech answered the score by taking the lead with an eight-yard touchdown run by freshman tailback Darren Evans, who finished the game with 19 carries for 94 yards and the lone touchdown. Georgia Tech answered with a touchdown that came from a 41-yard pass to Roddy Jones. The extra point was blocked, but the Yellow Jackets still held a 9–7 lead with 3:44 remaining in the first half. Virginia Tech's offense answered quickly, however, mounting a drive that resulted in a Tyrod Taylor rushing touchdown with just 10 seconds before halftime.


2008 Virginia Tech Hokies football team, Game summaries, Georgia Tech
The Hokies entered the second half with a 14–9 lead and maintained that margin through the third quarter. Early in the fourth quarter, Tech extended its lead to 17–9 with a field goal by Dustin Keys. Four minutes of game time later, Georgia Tech's Josh Nesbitt ran 18 yards for a touchdown. Instead of kicking an extra point, the Yellow Jackets attempted a two-point conversion and were successful, tying the game at 17–17 with 9:28 remaining. From that point, both teams' defenses dominated the course of play, and only Virginia Tech, with a 21-yard field goal from Keys, was able to score. That field goal was the margin of victory, and the Hokies edged the Yellow Jackets, 20–17.


2008 Virginia elections
In 2008, Virginia, for the first time since 1964, cast its electoral college presidential votes for a Democrat, Barack Obama. It also elected a United States Senator, members of the United States House of Representatives, and local officers such as county board and school board members.


2008 Virginia elections, Republican candidate selections and activities
On February 12, 2008, a Presidential primary decided which candidate would receive Virginia's delegates to the 2008 National convention. The results were:


2008 Virginia elections, Republican candidate selections and activities
In a second step, city and county caucuses elected delegates to Congressional District and the State Conventions. The third step was a series of Congressional District conventions held in late April and early May 2008; they elected some of Virginia's delegates to the Republican National Convention. The Republican State Convention (Richmond, Virginia May 30–31, 2008) chose the Republican Senate nominee, twenty-seven (27) delegates, and twenty-seven (27) alternatedelegates at large to the 2008 Republican National Convention. Since the Republican primary is winner-take-all, all National Convention delegates must vote for John McCain on the first ballot.


2008 Virginia elections, Republican candidate selections and activities
The main issues for State Convention delegates was their preference for party chairman and U.S. Senate nominee. James S. Gilmore secured the Senate nomination over Robert G. Marshall by 70 votes out of 10,378. Although Gilmore outspent Marshall by more than 8 to 1, a coalition of Pro-life activists, libertarians and some moderates from Northern Virginia almost succeeded in nominating Marshall. Later in the day, that coalition elected Delegate Jeffrey M. Frederick as state party chair over incumbent John H. Hager (Jenna Bush's father-in-law).


2008 Virginia elections, Republican candidate selections and activities
The Eighth and Tenth Congressional districts chose their congressional candidates in primary elections June 10, 2008.


2008 Virginia elections, Republican candidate selections and activities
In October 2008, Virginia's Republican Party chairman Jeffrey M. Frederick compared Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama to Osama bin Laden because of his association with Bill Ayers. Both had friends who bombed buildings in the United States. A McCain spokeswoman complained Frederick's remarks were "not appropriate."


2008 Virginia elections, Republican candidate selections and activities
On November 3, 2008, the Virginia Republican Party charged that local election officials had mailed absentee ballots ten days late to military members overseas. Its lawsuit sought to modify the rule which requires all absentee votes to be received by the time that the polls close in order to give overseas absentee voters and additional 10 days to return their ballots.


2008 Virginia elections, Republican candidate selections and activities
For 2008, the Republican Party of Virginia raised $489,024 compared with $2,200,851 for the Democratic party.


2008 Virginia elections, Democratic candidate selections
The 2008 Presidential Preference Primary was held on February 12, 2008. Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich, Barack Obama, and Bill Richardson all turned in enough signatures to the Virginia State Board of Elections to qualify to run in the Commonwealth. Chris Dodd did not file with the State Board of Elections by the December 14, 5:00 pm deadline.


2008 Virginia elections, Democratic candidate selections
Delegates to the 2008 National Convention were selected in proportion to the votes gained in the primary. The results of the primary are:


2008 Virginia elections, Democratic candidate selections
Each city or county held a caucus to elect delegates to the state convention in proportion to the primary results during the third week of April. The Democratic Party of Virginia will send 103 delegates and 14 alternates to the national convention in Denver, Colorado. Eighteen of the 103 delegates were automatically allocated to party leaders. In May 2008, 54 delegates and 11 alternates were elected at Congressional District Conventions.


2008 Virginia elections, Democratic candidate selections
An additional 20 at large delegates, 11 party leader and elected official delegates, and 3 alternates were elected at the Virginia State Democratic Convention on June 14, 2008, in Hampton, Virginia. The allocation of delegates between the two candidates which received at least 15% of the vote, based on the primary results, are as follows:


2008 Virginia elections, Democratic candidate selections
In the November 4, 2008 General Election, the Barack Obama / Joe Biden ticket carried the state with 1,897,941 (52.21%) to 1,699,428 (46.75%). Thirty-two percent of that margin came from Arlington County in Northern Virginia. Democrat Mark Warner also defeated former Governor James Gilmore for the United States Senate 2,302,480 (64.69%) to 1,211,654 (34.04%).


2008 Virginia elections, Democratic candidate selections
For 2008, the Democratic Party of Virginia raised $2,200,851 compared with $489,024 for the Republican party.


2008 Viva World Cup
The 2008 VIVA World Cup was the second VIVA World Cup, an international tournament for football, that took place in July 2008. The winners were Padania, who took home the Nelson Mandela Trophy. The tournament was organised by the Nouvelle Fédération-Board.


2008 Viva World Cup
The defending champions and hosts were Sápmi. The competition, organized by the Sami people, took place from 7 to 13 July, in Gällivare, Sweden.


2008 Viva World Cup, Qualification
Due to the inaugural status of this tournament, applicants were admitted to the tournament without a qualification process. As an untested tournament the scheduling doesn't meet the organizational capacity of a billion dollar organization like FIFA.


2008 Viva World Cup, Venues
As a small tournament, like its European counterpart in Europeada 2008, this VIVA World Cup was not expected to bring in the numbers and financial support of UEFA Euro 2008 earlier this summer; the stadia venues are thus rather small.


2008 Viva World Cup, Overview
Padania became the 2008 VIVA World Cup champions beating Arameans Suryoye in the final 2–0. The hosts Sapmi, after coming 4th in the group stage, ended by as a lucky 3rd after winning the last edition. The Arameans Suryoye team were the surprise of the tournament qualifying for the final at their first attempt. Iraqi Kurdistan, also debuting, finished 3rd in the group stage but lost in the 4th place play off to Sapmi. To round of the places, in a distant last position, having lost all of their group games, was Provence, a region of France.


2008 Viva World Cup, Overview
In the inaugural women's tournament the hosts Sapmi came through after an aggregate 16–1 thrashing of Iraqi Kurdistan.


2008 Vladikavkaz bombing
The 2008 Vladikavkaz bombing took place on a routed taxicab, which was unloading passengers at a market in Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia, Russia on November 6, 2008 killing 12 and injuring 41. The bombing was committed by female suicide bomber. On November 15, the attack was claimed by the Riyad-us Saliheen Brigade of Martyrs, a unit of the militant Caucasus Emirate group.


2008 Vodacom Cup
The 2008 Vodacom Cup was played between 22 February and 16 May 2008 and was the 11th edition of this annual domestic cup competition. This edition of the Vodacom Cup was played between the fourteen provincial rugby union teams in South Africa from the Currie Cup Premier and First Divisions.


2008 Vodacom Cup, Competition
There were fourteen teams participating in the 2008 Vodacom Cup competition. These teams were geographically divided into two sections - the Northern Section and the Southern Section – with seven teams in each section. Teams played all the teams in the other section once over the course of the season, either at home or away.


2008 Vodacom Cup, Competition
Teams received four points for a win and two points for a draw. Bonus points were awarded to teams that scored four or more tries in a game, as well as to teams that lost a match by seven points or less. Teams were ranked by points, then points difference (points scored less points conceded).


2008 Vodacom Cup, Competition
The top four teams in each section qualified for the play-offs. In the quarter finals, the teams that finished first in each section had home advantage against the teams that finished fourth in the other section and the teams that finished second in each section had home advantage against the teams that finished third in the other section. The winners of these quarter finals then played each other in the semi-finals, with the higher placed team having home advantage. The two semi-final winners then met in the final.


2008 Vodacom Cup, Teams, Team Listing
The following teams took part in the 2008 Vodacom Cup competition:


2008 Vodacom Cup, Players, Player statistics
The following table contain points which were scored during the 2008 Vodacom Cup season.


2008 Vojko Herksel Cup
The 2008 Vojko Herksel Cup was the 3rd Vojko Herksel Cup whose groups were held which took place at several venues across ex-Yugoslavia. In the Vojko Herksel Cup played 9 teams. Šibenik, a past winner of seasonal regional league, is secured directly to the final tournament, while the remaining 8 teams were divided into 3 groups, whose winners have secured the final tournament. The final tournament was held in Šibenik in Hall Baldekin.


2008 Vojko Herksel Cup, Groups, Group B
Group B is played in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina


2008 Vojvodina provincial election
Provincial elections were held for the unicameral Assembly of Serbia's northern Autonomous Province of Vojvodina on 11 May 2008, with a second-round to be held on 25 May 2008. They were scheduled by the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia Oliver Dulić on 29 December 2007, as required per the Constitutional Law adopted by the National Assembly of Serbia on 30 September 2006 that proclaimed the new Constitution.


2008 Vojvodina provincial election
Negotiations regarding the new electoral law in the current provincial assembly had failed. The Democratic Party (Serbia) wanted to add 12 guaranteed seats in the parliament for national minorities next to the existing 120, but the proposal didn't reach much overall support. The League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina wanted to replace the parallel voting (60 through popular vote and 60 through representative) with the more ordinary party-list proportional representation, but that would require changing the Statute of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. The present electoral law is favored by the Socialist Party of Serbia.


2008 Vojvodina provincial election
In the second-round, SRS, DSS-NS and SPS-PUPS decided to cooperate.


2008 Vojvodina provincial election, Lists approved by Provincial Electoral Commission
1. "Za evropsku Vojvodinu, Demokratska stranka – G17 plus, Boris Tadić"


2008 Vojvodina provincial election, Lists approved by Provincial Electoral Commission
The Democratic Party and G17 Plus have formed a coalition that will go at the election under the list "For a European Vojvodina, Democratic Party-G17 Plus, Boris Tadić". The coalition was also joined by the Serbian Renewal Movement. If coalition gets support from voters, Bojan Pajtić will spend another mandate as the President of the Executive Council of Vojvodina (Provincial government).


2008 Vojvodina provincial election, Lists approved by Provincial Electoral Commission
The "Together for Vojvodina - Nenad Čanak" alliance will stand again as in the last election in 2004, with minor changes. The alliance is formed by the several mostly regionalist political parties including League of Vojvodina Social Democrats, Democratic Vojvodina, Vojvodina Union - Vojvodina my home, Union of Socialists of Vojvodina, Vojvodinian Movement, Democratic Union of Croats.


2008 Vojvodina provincial election, Lists approved by Provincial Electoral Commission
Coalition from elections for Serbian parliament - Liberal Democratic Party, the Social Democratic Union and the Christian Democratic Party of Serbia - will run on Vojvodina parliamentary elections. Milivoj Vrebalov, president of Novi Bečej municipality is candidate No. 1 on this list.


2008 Vojvodina provincial election, Lists approved by Provincial Electoral Commission
As well as on elections for Parliament of Serbia, Serbian Radical Party will run alone in race for seats of the Provincial parliament. They already offered cooperation in formation of new provincial government to DSS and SPS. Bearer of the list is Milorad Mirčić.


2008 Vojvodina provincial election, Lists approved by Provincial Electoral Commission
The Socialist Party of Serbia and the Party of United Pensioners of Serbia will take part in Provincial elections, with Dušan Bajatović as list bearer.


2008 Vojvodina provincial election, Lists approved by Provincial Electoral Commission
The Populist Coalition from Serbian parliamentary elections, composed by the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and New Serbia (NS) will also run together on Provincial level, with 80% of seats designated for DSS, and 20% for NS. Bearer of the list is Zoran Lončar, minister of education in former government, and the president of the Provincial council of DSS.


2008 Vojvodina provincial election, Lists approved by Provincial Electoral Commission
Leader of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians, Pásztor István is the bearer of "Hungarian coalition", an alliance of all ethnic Hungarian political parties in Vojvodina, which will run together, but are expected to become post-electoral partners with pro-European coalition.


2008 Vojvodina provincial election, Lists approved by Provincial Electoral Commission
Mayor of Novi Sad, Maja Gojković, with civic group with which she is running for Novi Sad city assembly, also takes part in Provincial election.


2008 Vojvodina provincial election, Lists approved by Provincial Electoral Commission
Igor Kurjački, former member of League of Vojvodina Social Democrats, formed his own list that will run the electoral race.


2008 Vojvodina provincial election, Results, First round
There were 1,720,818 eligible voters in the first round of the elections, by proportional system:


2008 Vojvodina provincial election, Results, Second round
There were 1,720,818 registered eligible voters, voting on 1,782 voting places, on 25 May 2008, the second round of the Vojvodinian parliamentary election, by majority system. The election was watched by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.


2008 Vojvodina provincial election, Results, Combined results from both rounds
Coalition "For a European Vojvodina" led by Democratic Party won the 2008 election and gained absolute majority of seats in the assembly (64 of 120).


2008 Volleyball America's Cup
The 2008 Volleyball America's Cup was the seventh edition of the annual Men's Volleyball Tournament, played by six countries from North, Central and South America. The tournament was held from September 24 to September 28, 2008 in Cuiabá, Brazil.


2008 Volleyball America's Cup squads
This article shows all participating team squads at the 2008 Volleyball America's Cup, held from September 24 to September 28 in Cuiabá, Brazil.


2008 Volta a Catalunya
The 2008 Volta a Catalunya (88th edition) road cycling race took place from May 19 to May 25, 2008 in Catalonia, Spain. Gustavo César took overall victory, becoming first rider of non-ProTour team to win a ProTour race general classification.


2008 Volta a Catalunya, Teams
Twenty-two teams of up to eight riders took part. The following UCI ProTour and UCI Professional Continental teams were named to the 2008 Volta a Catalunya:


2008 Volta a Catalunya, Stages, Prologue
May 19, 2008: Lloret de Mar to Lloret de Mar, 3.7 km (2.3 mi) (ITT)


2008 Volta a Catalunya, Stages, Stage 1
May 20, 2008: Riudellots de la Selva to Banyoles, 167.8 km (104.3 mi)


2008 Volta a Catalunya, Stages, Stage 2
May 21, 2008: Banyoles to La Seu d'Urgell, 191.1 km (118.7 mi)


2008 Volta a Catalunya, Stages, Stage 3
May 22, 2008: La Seu d'Urgell to Ascó "La Vostra Energia", 217.2 km (135.0 mi)


2008 Volta a Catalunya, Stages, Stage 4
May 23, 2008: Ascó "La Vostra Energia" to El Vendrell, 163.5 km (101.6 mi)


2008 Volta a Catalunya, Stages, Stage 5
May 24, 2008: El Vendrell to Pallejà, 163.9 km (101.8 mi)


2008 Volta a Catalunya, Stages, Stage 6
May 25, 2008: Pallejà to Barcelona, 106.2 km (66.0 mi)


2008 Volta a Catalunya, Individual standings
As of 25 May 2008, after the 2008 Volta a Catalunya.


2008 Volta a Lleida
The 2008 Volta a Lleida (56th edition) road cycling race took place from June 2 to June 7, 2008 in Lleida, Catalonia, Spain. Lars Boom took the overall victory, becoming the second rider from the Netherlands to win the general classification.


2008 Volta a Lleida, Teams and cyclists
The following teams were named to the 2008 Volta a Catalunya:


2008 Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
The 2008 Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana was a road cycling stage race that took place in the Valencian Community between 26 February and 1 March 2008. The race was won by Rubén Plaza.


2008 Volta de Ciclismo Internacional do Estado de São Paulo
The 2008 Volta de Ciclismo Internacional do Estado de São Paulo (Portuguese for International Cycling Tour of the State of São Paulo) is the 5th edition of a multi-day road cycling stage race held in the state of São Paulo. This edition features 9 stages over 1048 km, disputed from April 20 to 27, 2008. The race is a 2.2 event in the 2007-2008 UCI America Tour.


2008 Volta de Ciclismo Internacional do Estado de São Paulo, Classification and Bonuses
In this edition of the race, time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds are awarded to the top 3 riders in each stage. Time bonuses of 3, 2 and 1 seconds are awarded to the first 3 riders at each intermediary sprint point. For the points classification, the top 5 riders in each stage are awarded 10, 7, 5, 3 and 2 points, respectively. The first 3 riders at each intermediary sprint receive 5, 3 and 2 points. Climbs are classified among 4 categories. The first 3 riders at each summit are awarded points in the mountains classification according to the category:


2008 Volta de Ciclismo Internacional do Estado de São Paulo, Classification and Bonuses
The team classification accounts the times of the first 3 riders of each team in each stage.


2008 Volta de Ciclismo Internacional do Estado de São Paulo, Stages and Results, Stage 1: São Paulo
Held Sunday, April 20, 2008, in Autódromo José Carlos Pace. This stage featured 20 laps in the racing circuit, for a total distance of 85.84 km. A field of 94 riders finished with the same time of the stage winner, Edgardo Simon.


2008 Volta de Ciclismo Internacional do Estado de São Paulo, Stages and Results, Stage 2: Sorocaba to São Carlos
Held Monday, April 21, 2008. This stage was 230.2 km long. A field of 76 riders finished with the same time of the stage winner, Edgardo Simon.


2008 Volta de Ciclismo Internacional do Estado de São Paulo, Stages and Results, Stage 3: São Carlos time trial
Held Tuesday, April 22, 2008. This stage was an 11.3 km individual time trial along the streets of São Carlos.


2008 Volta de Ciclismo Internacional do Estado de São Paulo, Stages and Results, Stage 4: São Carlos to Ribeirão Preto
Held Tuesday, April 22, 2008. This stage was 93.2 km long, and was held in the afternoon, a few hours after Stage 3. A field of 95 riders finished with the same time of the stage winner, Edgardo Simon.


2008 Volta de Ciclismo Internacional do Estado de São Paulo, Stages and Results, Stage 5: Cajuru to Campinas
Held Wednesday, April 23, 2008. This stage was 199.0 km long. A group of 8 riders finished with the same time of the stage winner, Otávio Bulgarelli.


2008 Volta de Ciclismo Internacional do Estado de São Paulo, Stages and Results, Stage 6: Campinas to Atibaia
Held Thursday, April 24, 2008. This stage was 193.0 km long.


2008 Volta de Ciclismo Internacional do Estado de São Paulo, Stages and Results, Stage 7: Atibaia to São José dos Campos
Held Friday, April 25, 2008. This stage was 105.6 km long, and a field of 102 riders finished with the same timeof the stage winner, Francisco Chamorro.


2008 Volta de Ciclismo Internacional do Estado de São Paulo, Stages and Results, Stage 8: São José dos Campos to Campos do Jordão
Held Saturday, April 26, 2008. This mountain stage was 79 km long.


2008 Volta de Ciclismo Internacional do Estado de São Paulo, Stages and Results, Stage 9: Jundiaí to São Paulo
Held Sunday, April 27, 2008. This stage was 51.5 km long.


2008 Vrienden van het Platteland season
The 2008 women's road cycling season was the ninth and last season for the  Vrienden van het Platteland (UCI code: VVP) cycling team, which began as Ondernemers van Nature in 2000.


2008 Vrienden van het Platteland season
Ellen van Dijk became European Champion in the time trial and won the stage 2 of the 2008 Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin and the prologue of 2008 Tour Féminin en Limousin. An Van Rie won the Belgian Time Trial Championships. However, the largest victories were on the track. Ellen van Dijk became World Champion in the scratch and European champion in the Women's points race and Women's scratch. At the European championships she also won two silver medals. Willy Kanis won 4 times an individual event at the Track Cycling World Cups in 2008 and together with Yvonne Hijgenaar two times the team sprint event. The team finished 19th in the 2008 UCI Team Ranking.


2008 Vrienden van het Platteland season, Roster
The team had Felicia Gomez and Linn Torp as guest riders during the Tour of New Zealand and Gomez also during the Geelong Tour.


2008 Vrienden van het Platteland season, Season, January–March: track cycling
At the begin of the year Willy Kanis, Yvonne Hijgenaar and Ellen van Dijk were active on the track. At the 3rd round of the 2007–08 UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Los Angeles Kanis and Hijgenaar won the team sprint. At the 4th round in Copenhagen in February Kanis won the sprint and Keirin. Ellen van Dijk and Yvonne Hijgenaar finished in the team pursuit together with Marlijn Binnendijk second in a new Dutch national record.


2008 Vrienden van het Platteland season, Season, January–March: track cycling
Ellen van Dijk was chosen to ride the individual pursuit in the remaining two (out of four) 2007–2008 track cycling World Cups due to her good results at the 2007 Dutch National Track Championships. Van Dijk could, via the UCI World Ranking system, potentially earn qualification for the 2008 Olympic Games. She finished in Los Angeles and Copenhagen in fifth and fourth places respectively.


2008 Vrienden van het Platteland season, Season, January–March: track cycling
After finishing fifth in the individual pursuit at the World Track Championships in Manchester, Van Dijk missed out on qualification for the Olympic games; she finished 12th in the UCI World Rankings and only the first eleven riders qualified. The day after she took revenge by winning her first major senior title, the scratch race at the 2008 World Cycling Championships. With eight laps to go she attacked and rode solo to the finish line. Van Dijk finished at the World Championships in the team pursuit furthermore 6th in a new Dutch national record. At the World Championships Kanis did not win a medal and finished 4th and 5th in the women's 500 m time trial and Women's sprint, Hijgenaar finished in these disciplines 10th and 8th.


2008 Vrienden van het Platteland season, Season, April–June: road cycling
At the end of April Annemiek van Vleuten finished second in the GP Stad Roeselare. Martine Bras and Ellen van Dijk were part of the national team at the Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin where they won team time trial stage 2. Furthermore, Ellen van Dijk finished second in the prologue and Bras finished third in stage 7. At the same time the team rode at the Tour de Pologne Feminin where Liesbet De Vocht finished third in the general classification. An Van Rie finished third in the first stage. At the Rabo Ster Zeeuwsche Eilanden in mid June, Ellen van Dijk finished second in the time trial of stage 1. In the later stages Van Dijk and the team fought for her place in the general classification. She won the youth classification and finished third overall.


2008 Vrienden van het Platteland season, Season, July–September: road and track cycling championships
As the Dutch national time trial champion and due to her good results in the time trials, Ellen van Dijk was selected to participate at the 2008 European Road Championships. Van Dijk became 2008 European Time Trial Champion and finished 31st in the road race. Ellen van Dijk showed again her strong time trial skills in the Tour Féminin en Limousin where she won the initial time trial stage over 4.6 km. Annemiek van Vleuten finished third, 10 seconds behind her.


2008 Vrienden van het Platteland season, Season, July–September: road and track cycling championships
Van Dijk was not selected to ride the time trial at the Summer Olympics, because the course would be too heavy for her. At the National championships, An Van Rie won the Belgian National Time Trial Championships. Ellen van Dijk could not defend successfully her Dutch national time trial title and finished fourth. Annemiek van Vleuten seventh.


2008 Vrienden van het Platteland season, Season, July–September: road and track cycling championships
Willy Kanis and Yvonne Hijgenaar participated at the 2008 Summer Olympics on the track in the women's sprint. Kanis lost the bronze medal match and ended in 4th place. Hijgenaar became 11th. As the scratch world champion Ellen van Dijk also became European Track Champion in the scratch as well as in the points race in September. Van Dijk rode to the silver medal in the elite omnium and the individual pursuit events.


2008 Vrienden van het Platteland season, Season, July–September: road and track cycling championships
Several riders from the team were selected by their national federation to participate at the 2008 UCI Road World Championships to represent the country. Ellen van Dijk (20th) and An Van Rie participated in the time trial. Nikki Egyed (15th) and Liesbet De Vocht (58th) in the road race


2008 Vrienden van het Platteland season, Season, November–December: track cycling
At the end of November Willy Kanis won on the track at the second round of the 2008–09 Track Cycling World Cup in Melbourne the 500m time trial and sprint and together with Yvonne Hijgenaar also the team sprint. At the 2008 Dutch National Track Championships at the end of December Kanis became three times national champion in the sprint disciplines, the 500m time trial, keirin and sprint. Also Ellen van Dijk defended her title successfully in the individual pursuit.


2008 Vrienden van het Platteland season, Other achievements, Dutch national records, team pursuit
The women's 3000 m team pursuit track cycling discipline was introduced at the 2007–08 track cycling season. The Dutch team including Ellen van Dijk and Yvonne Hijgenaar rode the team pursuit for the first time at Round 4 at the 2007–08 UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Copenhagen in a time of 3:36.901 (49.792 km/h). They broke the record later that day. At the 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships the Dutch team including Van Dijk broke the record again in the qualifying round. This is not the current record anymore.


2008 Vrienden van het Platteland season, UCI World Ranking
The team finished 19th in the UCI ranking for teams.


2008 Vuelta a Andalucía
The 2008 Vuelta a Andalucía was the 54th edition of the Vuelta a Andalucía cycle race and was held on 17 February to 21 February 2008. The race started in Benahavís and finished in Córdoba. The race was won by Pablo Lastras.


2008 Vuelta a Asturias
The 2008 Vuelta a Asturias was the 52nd edition of the Vuelta a Asturias road cycling stage race, which was held from 3 May to 7 May 2008. The race started and finished in Oviedo. The race was won by Angel Vicioso of the LA–MSS team.


2008 Vuelta a Burgos
The 2008 Vuelta a Burgos was the 30th edition of the Vuelta a Burgos road cycling stage race, which was held from 5 August to 9 August 2008. The race started and finished in Burgos. The race was won by Xabier Zandio of the Caisse d'Epargne team.


2008 Vuelta a Castilla y León
The 2008 Vuelta a Castilla y León was the 23rd edition of the Vuelta a Castilla y León road cycling stage race, started on 24 March in Valsain, and concluded on 28 March in Riaño. The race was won by Alberto Contador.


2008 Vuelta a Castilla y León, Teams
Sixteen teams of up to eight riders started the race:


2008 Vuelta a Colombia
The 58th edition of the Vuelta a Colombia was held from May 10 to May 25, 2008. Colombia's Giovanny Báez was crowned champion after 50 hours, 25 minutes and 55 seconds or riding through the plains and mountains of Colombia. The last stage, an urban race through the streets of Cali, was won by Artur García. The 27-year-old Báez was the 33rd cyclist to win the Tour of Colombia.


2008 Vuelta a España
The 2008 Vuelta a España was the 63rd edition of the Vuelta a España, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The race began with a 7 km (4.3 mi) team time trial on 30 August in Granada. The Vuelta came to a close twenty-three days later with a 102.2 km (63.5 mi) flat stage, which brought the peloton into the streets of Madrid. Nineteen teams entered the race, which was won by the Spaniard Alberto Contador of Astana. Second and third respectively were the American Levi Leipheimer of Astana and the Spanish Carlos Sastre of CSC–Saxo Bank.