2008 Football League One play-off Final, Match, Summary
Neither side made any changes to their personnel during the half-time interval, and Doncaster won an early free kick which Coppinger struck into the defensive wall. In the 48th minute, Hayter put Doncaster ahead:  Stock played in an outswinging corner which Hayter scored with a diving header to make it 1–0. Three minutes later, Beckford's shot was saved by Sullivan low to his right. On 60 minutes, Howson's strike from 20 yards (18 m) was off-target. Twelve minutes later, Leeds made the first substitution of the game with Prutton being replaced by Kandol.


2008 Football League One play-off Final, Match, Summary
Coppinger was then stopped by Jonathan Douglas before   Mark McCammon came on for Wellens. With around twelve minutes remaining, Dougie Freedman's shot went wide and he was soon after replaced by Andrew Hughes. Two minutes later, Price was replaced by Adam Lockwood before Sullivan was booked for time-wasting. Doncaster then made their final substitution of the match with Coppinger being replaced by Lewis Guy. Douglas then saw his 20-yard (18 m) half-volley fly just wide of the Doncaster goal and after four minutes of stoppage time, the final whistle was blown.


2008 Football League One play-off Final, Post-match
Hayter said: "It is an unbelievable feeling to score the winner. I have been dreaming about it all week." The Doncaster manager Sean O'Driscoll suggested that he "could murder a cup of tea" while his opposite number McAllister suggested his team "huffed and puffed but our quality wasn't quite there today. We lost a poor goal." The Leeds goalkeeper Ankergren reflected "maybe in a few days we'll realise the achievement ... but right now we're standing here with nothing."


2008 Football League One play-off Final, Post-match
Leeds finished the following season in fourth place in League One and qualified for the play-offs, where they lost in the semi-finals to Millwall. Doncaster's next season ended with them in fourteenth position in the Championship.


2008 Football League Trophy Final
The 2008 Football League Trophy Final was the 25th final of the domestic football cup competition for teams from Football Leagues One and Two, the Football League Trophy. The final was played at Wembley Stadium in London on 30 March 2008, the first time that the final had been staged at the stadium since it was rebuilt. The match was contested by Grimsby Town and Milton Keynes Dons. MK Dons won the match 2–0 with Keith Andrews and Sean O'Hanlon scoring the goals in the final 20 minutes.


2008 Football League Trophy Final, Match details
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2008 Football League Trophy Final, Match details
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2008 Football League Two play-off Final
The 2008 Football League Two play-off Final was an association football match which was played on 26 May 2008 at Wembley Stadium, London, between Stockport County and Rochdale to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from Football League Two to the Football League One. The top three teams of the 2008–09 Football League One season, Milton Keynes Dons, Peterborough United and Hereford Unnited, gained automatic promotion to League One, while those placed from fourth to seventh in the table took part in play-offs. The winners of the play-off semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2009–10 season in League One. The losing semi-finalists were Darlington and Wycombe Wanderers.


2008 Football League Two play-off Final
The referee for the final, which was played in front of 35,715 spectators, was Stuart Attwell. Stockport County's Rory McArdle scored with a close-range header in the 24th minute before Tommy Rowe's cross was diverted into his own net Nathan Stanton for an own goal, to level the score. Four minutes into the second half, Stockport County took the lead once again when Anthony Pilkington scored with a header. He then passed to Dickinson who struck the ball past the Rochdale goalkeeper Tommy Lee to make it 3–1 in the 67th minute. Ten minutes later, Adam Rundle reduced the deficit when he scored from around 18 yards (16 m) but no further goals were scored and the match ended 3–2 to Stockport County.


2008 Football League Two play-off Final
Stockport County's following season saw them deducted ten points for entering administration. As a consequence, they ended the season in eighteenth place in the table, three positions and one point above the relegation zone. In Rochdale's next season, they finished in sixth position and qualified for the 2009 Football League play-offs where they lost 2–1 on aggregate to Gillingham in the semi-final.


2008 Football League Two play-off Final, Route to the final
Stockport County finished the regular 2007–08 season in fourth position in Football League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system, one place and two points ahead of Rochdale. Both therefore missed out on the three automatic places for promotion to Football League One and instead took part in the play-offs to determine the fourth promoted team. Stockport County finished six points behind Hereford United (who were promoted in third place), ten behind Peterborough United (who were promoted in second place), and fifteen behind league winners Milton Keynes Dons. Stockport County had gained 55 points from their final 24 games, losing just three and finished the season in fourth place with 82 points. Rochdale picked up 45 points for their final 24 games and finished the season in fifth place with 80 points.


2008 Football League Two play-off Final, Route to the final
Stockport County faced Wycombe Wanderers in their play-off semi-final with the first match of the two-legged tie taking place at Adams Park in High Wycombe on 11 May 2008. Stockport went 1–0 down after a mistake from goalkeeper John Ruddy allowed Delroy Facey to score just before half-time. In the second half Stockport equalised on 82 minutes when Stephen Gleeson scored with a volley to make it 1–1. The second leg was held at Edgeley Park in Stockport six days later. Liam Dickinson scored the only goal of the game in the sixth minute after a solo run from the halfway line to tap the ball past Frank Fielding in the Wycombe goal. The home side confirmed their place in the play-off final with a 2–1 aggregate win.


2008 Football League Two play-off Final, Route to the final
Rochdale faced Darlington in their play-off semi-final, with the first leg being held away at Balfour Webnet Arena on 10 May 2008. Jason Kennedy opened the scoring for the home side with a lob in the 28th minute before Chris Dagnall equalised for Rochdale on 70 minutes when his shot was deflected into the net by a Darlington defender, wrong-footing the goalkeeper David Stockdale. Ian Miller won the game 2–1 for Darlington in the first minute of stoppage time with a header. The return leg was held at Spotland seven days later.


2008 Football League Two play-off Final, Route to the final
Darlington opened the scoring with in the 28th minute after Rene Howe impeded Kennedy in the penalty area, and Clark Keltie scored from the penalty spot. Rochdale drew level on 43 minutes through Chris Dagnall and then took the lead after a deflected strike from David Perkins found the net on 78 minutes. With the score at 2–1 after regular time, the aggregate scoreline was 3–3 and the match went into extra time, during which Perkins was sent off for dissent. No goals were scored during the additional period, so the match had to be decided by a penalty shootout. Rochdale scored all five of their penalties while Darlington's Kennedy missed his and sent Rochdale to the play-off final. After the game Rochdale failed in an appeal against the red card given to Perkins and he was subsequently unavailable for selection for the final.


2008 Football League Two play-off Final, Match, Background
This was Stockport County's fifth appearance in the play-offs, having failed to make it past the semi-finals in 1990 and 1993 and losing both the 1992 Football League Third Division play-off Final and the 1994 Football League Second Division play-off Final. They had played in the fourth tier of English football since being relegated in the 2004–05 season. Rochdale were taking part in their second play-off having lost in the 2002 semi-finals 4–3 on aggregate to Rushden & Diamonds. They had played fourth-tier football since being relegated in the 1973–74 season.


2008 Football League Two play-off Final, Match, Background
In the meetings between the sides during the regular season, Stockport County won both matches: a 2–1 victory at Spotland in November 2007 was followed by a 2–0 win at Edgeley Park the next March. Dickinson was Stockport County's top scorer during the regular season with 19 goals (all in the league), followed by Anthony Elding with 15 goals (13 in the league, 1 in the League Cup and 1 in the Football League Trophy) who had transferred to Leeds United in January 2008. Rochdale's leading scorers were Le Fondre with 17 goals (16 in the league, 1 in the FA Cup) and Glenn Murray with 10 (9 in the league, 1 in the League Cup).


2008 Football League Two play-off Final, Match, Background
The referee for the final was Stuart Attwell who was promoted to the Football League refereeing list ahead of the 2007–08 season, officiating his first match on 11 August 2007.


2008 Football League Two play-off Final, Match, Summary
The match kicked off around 3 p.m. on 26 May 2008 at Wembley Stadium in front of a crowd of 35,715. Both sides had early periods of possession but neither could break the deadlock on a wet surface. Midway through the first half, a Chris Dagnall strike from distance took a deflection and passed just wide of the Stockport County goal. From the ensuing corner, Rory McArdle headed the ball in from close range at the near post to make it 1–0 to Stockport County in the 24th minute.


2008 Football League Two play-off Final, Match, Summary
Anthony Pilkington then struck a free kick narrowly wide of Rochdale's goal. In the 34th minute, Tommy Rowe played in a cross from a short corner which Nathan Stanton diverted into his own net for an own goal, to level the score and the sides went in at half-time at 1–1.


2008 Football League Two play-off Final, Match, Summary
Rochdale made one change to their side during the interval, with Ben Muirhead coming on to replace Kallum Higginbotham. Four minutes into the second half, Stockport County took the lead once again when Pilkington headed Michael Rose's cross in from around 12 yards (11 m) after it had bounced off the ground. Gary Jones, the Rochdale captain, then saw his low shot go just wide of the Stockport County goal. Midway through the second half, Pilkington passed to Dickinson who had managed to evade his marker and struck the ball past the Rochdale goalkeeper Tommy Lee to make it 3–1. In the 77th minute, Adam Rundle  reduced the deficit when he scored from around 18 yards (16 m) but no further goals were scored and the match ended 3–2 to Stockport County.


2008 Football League Two play-off Final, Post-match
The Stockport County manager Jim Gannon reflected on his young side's success: "I hope that we become a role model for all clubs at this level ... Over the past two years we have brought through a group of young players who in the right circumstances, play really good, effective football." His counterpart Keith Hill was gracious in defeat, noting "I think that Stockport deserved it ... It could have gone either way and we gave it what we could but the lion's share of possession went to Stockport."


2008 Football League Two play-off Final, Post-match
Stockport County's following season saw them deducted ten points for entering administration. As a consequence, they ended the season in eighteenth place in the table, three positions and one point above the relegation zone. In Rochdale's next season, they finished in sixth position and qualified for the 2009 Football League play-offs where they lost 2–1 on aggregate to Gillingham in the semi-final.


2008 Football League play-offs
The Football League play-offs for the 2007–08 season were held in May 2008, with the finals taking place at Wembley Stadium in London. The play-off semi-finals were played over two legs and were contested by the teams who finished in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place in the Football League Championship and League One tables, and the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th placed teams in League Two. The semi-final winners progressed to the finals, with the winner of each match earning promotion for the following season.


2008 Football League play-offs
Hull City won promotion to the Premier League after defeating Bristol City in the Championship final, 1–0 with a goal from their leading scorer Dean Windass. This marked the Tigers' first entry to the top division of English football in their existence.


2008 Football League play-offs
In the League One final, another 1–0 victory saw Doncaster Rovers promoted ahead of Leeds United. Stockport County defeated Rochdale 3–2 in the League Two final. This meant all three clubs who had finished immediately below the automatic promotion places in their divisions were promoted.


2008 Football League play-offs, Background
The Football League play-offs have been held every year since 1987. They take place for each of the three Football League divisions following the conclusion of the regular season and are contested by the four clubs finishing immediately below the automatic promotion places.


2008 Football League play-offs, Background
In the Championship, Hull City finished four points behind second-placed Stoke City, who were promoted with champions West Bromwich Albion. Bristol City - who were aiming to return to the top flight for the first time since 1980 - finished in fourth place in their first season at Championship level for nine years. The other entrants, Crystal Palace and Watford, had both played in the Premier League before, with Palace's last spell in the top division ending in a final day relegation in 2005, a year after having won the play-offs. Watford had been relegated from the top flight in the previous season, having finished bottom, and were looking to return at the first attempt.


2008 Football League play-offs, League Two, Semi-finals
Rochdale 3–3 Darlington on aggregate. Rochdale won 5–4 on penalties.


2008 Football West State League
2008 Football West State League took place in Australia, organized by Association football. The State League was won by the Western Knight .


2008 Ford 400
The 2008 Ford 400, a 400.5 miles (644.5 km) race, was the concluding event of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season along with the 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup, and  decides the Sprint Cup Champion for the 2008 season, this race was historic for being the race where Jimmie Johnson became the second driver (after Cale Yarborough) to win the Sprint Cup title three years in a row. The 267-lap race on the 1.5 miles (2.4 km) track was held on November 16 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. ABC covered the race beginning at 3 PM US EST and MRN along with Sirius Satellite Radio had radio coverage starting at that same time.


2008 Ford 400
The race also served as the final event of Ford Championship Weekend, which also includes the Craftsman Truck Series Ford 200 and Nationwide Series Ford 300 races on Friday and Saturday of that weekend, also serving as the season finales for those series as well.


2008 Ford 400, Qualifying
Surprises were abound in the qualifying session, as David Reutimann won his first pole position in his career. Regan Smith wrapped up the Rookie of the Year award as Sam Hornish, Jr. failed to make the field. Jimmie Johnson started 30th and Carl Edwards would start at fourth.


2008 Ford 400, Qualifying
With the 15th-place finish, Jimmie Johnson made history as he became just the second Sprint Cup driver to win three titles in a row. The response from NASCAR fans was phenomenal, as he won many accolades and was celebrated worldwide after his championship victory. Jimmie ended up beating 2nd place Carl Edwards by a total of 69 points.


2008 Ford 400, Qualifying
Failed to Qualify: Sam Hornish, Jr. (#77), Ken Schrader (#96), Max Papis (#13)


2008 Fordham Rams football team
The 2008 Fordham Rams football team was an American football team that represented Fordham University during the 2008 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Fordham finished second-to-last in the Patriot League, a year after winning the league title.


2008 Fordham Rams football team
In their third year under head coach Tom Masella, the Rams compiled a 5–6 record. James Crockett, Fonzie Culver, Greg DeMarco, Matt Loucks, Richard Rayborn and John Skelton were the team captains.


2008 Fordham Rams football team
The Rams were outscored 262 to 238. Their 1–5 conference record placed sixth out of seven in the Patriot League standings.


2008 Fordham Rams football team
Fordham played its home games at Jack Coffey Field on the university's Rose Hill campus in The Bronx, in New York City.


2008 Formul'Academy Euro Series
The 2008 Formul'Academy Euro Series season was the sixteenth season of the series for 1600cc Formula Renault machinery, and the first under the Formul'Academy Euro Series guise.


2008 Formul'Academy Euro Series
It replaced the FFSA Formule Campus Renault Elf, and was managed by the Auto Sport Academy. The series used Signatech chassis powered by Renault K4MRS 1600cc engines. Rounds were contested in France, Belgium, Czech Republic and United Kingdom at 7 venues.


2008 Formula 3 Euro Series
The 2008 Formula 3 Euro Series season was the sixth championship year of Europe's premier Formula Three series. The season was dominated by 21-year-old German Nico Hülkenberg, who won seven of the season's ten feature races amassing 76 of his total of 85 championship points on Saturday afternoons. He won the championship by 35.5 points from early frontrunner Edoardo Mortara as the 2007's rookie cup winner's season somewhat tailed off after the Norisring, scoring just 9.5 points in the final twelve races compared to Hülkenberg's 60.


2008 Formula 3 Euro Series
Jules Bianchi's strong finish to the season, including a win in the final race at Hockenheim and coupled with Renger van der Zande's fifth place and Mika Mäki's ninth place, it allowed the 2008 Ultimate Masters winner to finish third in the championship, a point ahead of both van der Zande and Mäki.


2008 Formula 3 Euro Series, Season standings, Drivers Standings
Note: In the second races at the Norisring, the Bugatti Circuit and the October Hockenheim meeting, due to insufficient distance covered, half points were awarded.


2008 Formula 3 Euro Series, Season standings, Drivers Standings
† — Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 90% of the race distance.


2008 Formula 3 Euro Series, Season standings, Rookie Cup
Rookie drivers are only eligible for the Rookie Cup title if they have not previously competed in a national or international Formula 3 championship.


2008 Formula 3 Sudamericana season
The 2008 Formula 3 Sudamericana season was the 22nd Formula 3 Sudamericana season. It began on 19 April 2008, at Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba and ended on 30 November at Autódromo José Carlos Pace in São Paulo. Brazilian driver Nelson Merlo won the title.


2008 Formula BMW Americas season
The 2008 Formula BMW Americas season was the 5th season of Formula BMW Americas, formerly Formula BMW USA, an open wheel racing series for junior drivers, whose mission is to develop talented young drivers and introduce them to auto racing.


2008 Formula BMW Americas season
The championship is mainly raced in USA, the only exceptions are in June for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal and in November for the Brazilian Grand Prix, both as a Formula One support race. The series crowned champion Alexander Rossi.


2008 Formula BMW Europe season
The 2008 Formula BMW Europe season was the first season of a new open wheel racing series that resulted by the merging of the Formula BMW Germany and Formula BMW UK championships. Formula BMW Europe is a continental series for junior drivers, whose mission is to develop talented young drivers and introduce them to auto racing.


2008 Formula BMW Europe season
The season started on April 27, 2008 at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona and ended on September 14 at Monza. All rounds were staged on the undercard of the Formula One World Championship except Zolder, which was a support race of the Masters of Formula 3.


2008 Formula BMW Europe season
After sixteen rounds, Mexican Esteban Gutiérrez became the first Formula BMW Europe champion.


2008 Formula BMW Europe season, Results and Standings, Drivers
† — Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 90% of the race distance.


2008 Formula BMW World Final
The 2008 Formula BMW World Final was the fourth and the final Formula BMW World Final race, held for the first time at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City on 5–7 December 2008. The race was won by EuroInternational's driver Alexander Rossi, who finished ahead Michael Christensen and Esteban Gutiérrez.


2008 Formula D season
The 2008 Formula D season (officially titled Castrol Syntec Power Cup) was the fifth season for the Formula D series. The series began April 12, 2008 and concluded on October 11. The highest scoring drivers of the series were invited to a non-point scoring All-Star event to compete with other drivers from other series all over the world on November 16, 2008.


2008 Formula Nippon Championship
The 2008 Formula Nippon Championship was the 22nd season of the premier Japanese open-wheel motor racing series. The series for Formula Nippon racing cars was contested over eight rounds. All teams have to use Lola chassis (Lola FN06) and have the choice between utilising Mugen Honda (Mugen HF386E) or Toyota (Toyota RV8J) engines.


2008 Formula Nippon Championship
Defending champion Tsugio Matsuda secured the championship with a round in hand. Together with team mate Kohei Hirate, Matsuda's Team Impul also secured the teams championship with a round to go.


2008 Formula Nippon Championship, Championship standings, Drivers' Championship
* – In race 2 at the August Fuji meeting, the race was run behind the safety car for five laps before the race was halted. Half points were awarded.


2008 Formula One World Championship
The 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 62nd season of Formula One motor racing, recognised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) – the governing body of motorsport – as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars. The championship was contested over eighteen races commencing in Australia on 16 March and ending in Brazil on 2 November. The 2008 season saw the debut of the Singapore Grand Prix, which was held at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, in Marina Bay, Singapore and was the first Formula One race held at night. The European Grand Prix moved to a new venue at the Valencia Street Circuit, in Valencia, Spain.


2008 Formula One World Championship
Lewis Hamilton won the Drivers' title by a point – by overtaking Toyota's Timo Glock on the final corner of the final lap of the final Grand Prix of the season to claim the required 5th-place finish to win the championship – from Brazilian Felipe Massa, while Massa's teammate, the 2007 world champion Kimi Räikkönen, was ranked third, with two wins. Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro won the Constructors' title. In winning the Drivers' title, Hamilton became the youngest driver ever to win the title (a record since surpassed by Sebastian Vettel winning the 2010 Drivers' title) and the first black driver to do so. He was also the first British champion since Damon Hill in 1996.


2008 Formula One World Championship
Eleven teams competed in the championship, although Super Aguri withdrew on 6 May from the 2008 Formula One season due to financial troubles, completing four races. New technical rules for 2008 included the banning of traction control after it was re-introduced in 2001, at the Spanish Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso won the first race held in Singapore; however, only after teammate Piquet deliberately crashed to cause a Safety Car period which helped Alonso's strategy. When Piquet admitted this to the press in 2009 Renault team-principal Briatore resigned. Some journalists dubbed this "Crashgate".


2008 Formula One World Championship
This was the last season for the Honda team before they pulled out of F1 later in December due to the financial difficulties. Honda would return as an engine supplier between 2015 and 2022. Then, Ross Brawn bought the team and renamed it to Brawn GP in February 2009 using the Mercedes-Benz engines. This was also the last Formula One season to race with grooved tyres, used since 1998, before slick tyres returned to Formula One in 2009.


2008 Formula One World Championship
It was the first time in the history of Formula One that all teams used the same two drivers throughout the season.


2008 Formula One World Championship, Teams and drivers
There was a total of seven teams signed up to compete in the championship through an agreement with Formula One Management, with the other four major manufacturers in the Grand Prix Manufacturers' Association (GPMA) having signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the 2006 Spanish Grand Prix. All teams in both groups have two spots each on the 2008 grid. The following teams and drivers competed in the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship: Teams competed with tyres supplied by Bridgestone.


2008 Formula One World Championship, Teams and drivers, New entries
On 14 February 2006 the FIA president Max Mosley announced that all teams interested in competing in the 2008 World Championship would have a seven-day window during which they would have to submit an application to compete. All eleven current teams applied, as well as several others. On 28 April 2006 the FIA announced that all of the current teams' applications for the 2008 season were granted, along with a new team Prodrive, fronted by the ex-BAR and -Benetton principal David Richards.


2008 Formula One World Championship, Teams and drivers, New entries
There were 21 applications in total, several new teams applying included European Minardi F1 Team Ltd, Jordan Grand Prix, Direxiv and Carlin Motorsport. However, despite the Prodrive application being accepted, Richards later announced that the team would not race in 2008 due to a dispute over the legality of customer cars.


2008 Formula One World Championship, Teams and drivers, Driver changes
Double world champion Fernando Alonso left McLaren after a single season to rejoin Renault. He was replaced at McLaren by Heikki Kovalainen, who had replaced Alonso at Renault the previous season. Giancarlo Fisichella, Renault's other driver from 2007, moved to the newly renamed Force India team, in place of erstwhile Spyker driver Sakon Yamamoto, who became Renault's test development driver. Fisichella's place at Renault was taken by the team's test driver Nelson Piquet Jr. (son of the three-time World Drivers' Champion Nelson Piquet).


2008 Formula One World Championship, Teams and drivers, Driver changes
After an unsuccessful test for Force India in December 2007, Ralf Schumacher left Toyota to drive for Mücke Motorsport in the DTM series. 2007 GP2 champion Timo Glock, who had also been the test driver for BMW Sauber, returned to a Formula One race seat in place of Schumacher. Christian Klien, previously the test driver for Honda, and the Estonian driver Marko Asmer took up test driver roles at BMW Sauber.


2008 Formula One World Championship, Teams and drivers, Driver changes
Sébastien Bourdais, who won his fourth consecutive Champ Car title in 2007, joined Toro Rosso in 2008, replacing Vitantonio Liuzzi, who moved to Force India as their test driver.


2008 Formula One World Championship, Season calendar
The FIA World Council approved the 2008 schedule on 24 October 2007. Singapore was Formula One's first ever night race.


2008 Formula One World Championship, Pre-season testing
The first multi-team test session started in Jerez on 14 January 2008. Ferrari, McLaren and Toyota all tested their 2008 cars. Williams tested a modified version of the FW29 whilst Renault and Red Bull tested their 2007 entries. Honda, Toro Rosso, Super Aguri and Force India also attended. BMW Sauber was not in attendance as they were launching the F1.08. Testing then moved to Valencia on 22 January. Renault and Williams were the only teams on the track for the first day of testing. They were both testing their 2008 challengers.


2008 Formula One World Championship, Pre-season testing
They were joined by every other team except Super Aguri for the next three days. 1 February saw testing move to Barcelona. Again, all teams but Super Aguri were in action. The first day of testing saw Kazuki Nakajima crash his FW30. It also saw racist abuse directed at Lewis Hamilton. Williams withdrew from testing on day three to try to fix the problem that caused Nakajima's crash. Meanwhile, on 4 February, Ferrari and Toyota moved to Bahrain to continue testing the F2008 and TF108.


2008 Formula One World Championship, Pre-season testing
On 12 February testing returned to Jerez. Red Bull and Williams were the only teams in action on the first day. The second day of testing saw all teams but Ferrari and Toyota (who were still in Bahrain) attending. After postponing their SA08 launch and cancelling testing at Valencia, Super Aguri turned up to test their SA07B interim car for the first time.


2008 Formula One World Championship, Pre-season testing
Testing moved to Barcelona on 19 February. The first day of tests got underway in rain with Williams, Red Bull, Renault and Toyota present. Nico Rosberg topped the time sheets for Williams. BMW were instead testing on their own in Jerez. Super Aguri did not turn up despite promising a Q&A with the media. They blamed circumstances beyond their control. On the second day Ferrari turned up and topped the time sheets with Felipe Massa on another wet track. McLaren joined on the final day and Williams finished on top with Nakajima.


2008 Formula One World Championship, Pre-season testing
The final multi-team test began on 25 February with every team but Super Aguri attending. Lewis Hamilton topped the time sheets faster than both Kimi Räikkönen and Michael Schumacher. McLaren continued to outpace Ferrari on day two with both drivers on top and Toyota were fastest with Jarno Trulli on the final day.


2008 Formula One World Championship, Report
Hamilton took pole and his fifth career victory at the first race in Australia. BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld finished second while Williams's Nico Rosberg sealed his first podium finish. The race saw only seven drivers finish the race, reduced to six after Honda's Rubens Barrichello was disqualified for exiting the pits under a red light. Despite an engine problem, Toro Rosso debutant Sébastien Bourdais completed over 90% of the race distance, earning him points in seventh.


2008 Formula One World Championship, Report
A grid penalty for impeding drivers and a pit stop mishap left Hamilton in fifth place at Malaysia, while Räikkönen took his 16th career victory after he qualified in second position. BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica finished second for the first time with McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen third.


2008 Formula One World Championship, Report
Hamilton qualified third at Bahrain despite a crash, with Kubica taking his first pole position. Massa won the race with teammate Räikkönen in second. Kubica made it onto the podium, while Hamilton had a bad race, finishing 13th. He was back in the points at Barcelona, while Räikkönen took Ferrari's third consecutive victory, Massa making it another 1–2.


2008 Formula One World Championship, Report
Massa took pole and won for the third successive Istanbul race, Hamilton splitting the Ferraris on the podium. At Monaco, Ferrari locked out the front row with Massa on pole, but on a bad day for Ferrari, with Räikkönen ruining what could have been Sutil's chance to score, Hamilton won the race despite a mid-race barrier scrape causing him a puncture. Kubica finished second and Massa was third.


2008 Formula One World Championship, Report
Hamilton was on pole position at Montreal for the first time since the beginning of the season, a drought of five races, however a pit lane mishap involving himself and Räikkönen eliminated both drivers from the race. Kubica (who also got caught up in the mess but made it through safely) won for the first time with teammate Heidfeld second. Räikkönen started the French Grand Prix on pole, but exhaust problems allowed teammate Massa to get the better of him, and he took his third season victory. Hamilton won back-to-back at Silverstone and Hockenheim. Kovalainen took advantage of Massa's engine failure to take his first career victory at Hungary.


2008 Formula One World Championship, Report
The new Valencia Street Circuit was the new host of the European Grand Prix, Massa taking pole and winning with Hamilton second. At Belgium, Hamilton qualified on pole and finished in first, though he received a 25-second penalty for gaining an advantage during a scrap with Räikkönen. Massa was the classified winner.


2008 Formula One World Championship, Report
Toro Rosso driver Sebastian Vettel became the youngest ever pole man and victor after a stunning weekend at Monza. The race saw a downfall for the big teams, Kovalainen doing a good job for second.


2008 Formula One World Championship, Report
Singapore hosted its first ever F1 race and F1's first ever night race, taking place at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Massa qualified on pole, however, the race was to be a major blow to his championship. On lap 12, while Massa was leading, Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr. purposely crashed (see 'Race-fixing controversy' below), although Piquet never released this until dropped from the team after the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, assisting teammate Fernando Alonso, who went on to win.


2008 Formula One World Championship, Report
He was victorious from a fuel feed problem in Q2 leaving him 15th on the grid, though he still out-qualified Piquet Jr. Rosberg finished on the podium for the second and last time in 2008. Massa was leading ahead of Hamilton, however, when he pitted under the safety car his fuel hose remained attached meaning that the pit crew had to run down the pit lane to detach it. This ruined Massa's race putting him in last position while Hamilton gained 6 points for 3rd place.


2008 Formula One World Championship, Report
Alonso won again in Japan with Kubica second. Hamilton started the race on pole, however he was given a drive through penalty for running wide at the start and shortly afterwards was knocked into a spin by Felipe Massa. He was back to winning ways for the first time since Hockenheim, though, victorious at Shanghai.


2008 Formula One World Championship, Report
At this point, Hamilton had a seven-point lead over Massa, meaning if Massa was to be the victor at his home race in Brazil, Hamilton would need to finish fifth, and he was holding this position though being stalked by Vettel, who eventually passed him on lap 69, as Massa won to momentarily take the title. Hamilton eventually regained fifth place, however, by passing Glock, who was struggling on dry tyres, and finished fifth to take the title by one point from Massa.


2008 Formula One World Championship, Report, Race-fixing controversy
In a scandal that became known as "Crashgate" in the media, during the 2009 season around the time of the Belgium Grand Prix, allegations by former Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr. about his crash in the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix led to charges of race-fixing against Renault and the departure of team boss Flavio Briatore and engineering director Pat Symonds.


2008 Formula Palmer Audi season
The 2008 Henderson Formula Palmer Audi motor-racing competition was the eleventh of its kind. It was contested over 20 races at eight circuits in the United Kingdom and Belgium between April and September. The overall winner was Jason Moore.


2008 Formula Palmer Audi season, Championship
The 2008 Formula Palmer Audi Championship was very competitive, with seven winners through the season and a three-way championship battle going into the final round.


2008 Formula Palmer Audi season, Championship
Jason Moore emerged as champion, but he was under intense pressure through much of the season from Tom Bradshaw and Jolyon Palmer. Moore made the best start to the season, winning three of the opening five races, with Richard Plant picking up a win in Round Two and Tom Bradshaw winning at Brands Hatch in Round Five. Moore also won in a triple-header at Spa-Francorchamps, although Jolyon Palmer scored an excellent victory in Round Six. Jack Clarke also scored a win in Round 10 at Oulton Park.


2008 Formula Palmer Audi season, Championship
In the second half of the season Tom Bradshaw achieved four race wins, including a treble at Snetterton. Elsewhere Richard Keen made a superb albeit brief appearance in the championship, gaining two victories and one pole in three races.


2008 Formula Palmer Audi season, Championship
In total there were 33 entrants. There were 20 rounds across eight race events, one of which took place out of the UK, at Spa-Francorchamps. The championship continued to support large international events at Brands Hatch such as A1 Grand Prix, the World Touring Car Championship and DTM.


2008 Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup
The 2008 Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup was the third Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup season. The season began at Hockenheim on 26 April and finished on 5 October at Spa, after sixteen races.


2008 Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup
Motopark Academy driver Valtteri Bottas won the NEC championship title, having won twelve races during the season, bringing the team their third successive drivers' championship title. His teammates António Félix da Costa and Tobias Hegewald, completed the top three, for the team's second consecutive championship title.


2008 Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup, Standings
Points are awarded only based on position. There are 2 races by rounds, each 25 minutes.


2008 Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup, Standings
† — Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 90% of the race distance.


2008 Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship
The 2008 Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship was the 20th British Formula Renault Championship season. The season began at Brands Hatch on March 29 and finished at the same venue on September 21, after twenty rounds. The championship was won by Adam Christodoulou with Dean Stoneman winning the Graduate Cup.


2008 Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship, Calendar
* – race 12 was the replacement round for the second Croft race. Riki Christodoulou had originally won the pole in the qualifying session held.


2008 Formula Renault 3.5 Series
The 2008 Formula Renault 3.5 Series was the fourth Formula Renault 3.5 Series season. It began on 26 April in Monza, Italy and finished on 19 October in Barcelona, Spain after 17 races.


2008 Formula Renault 3.5 Series, Regulation Changes, Technical
After a three-year cycle, the current Formula Renault 3.5 chassis was replaced by a brand new car built by Italian racecar constructor Dallara. The new car featured flex-fuel technology and could be powered by either premium unleaded petrol or E85 bioethanol, which was a first for this level of motorsport in Europe. The Renault V6 engine, prepared by French company Solution F, will also saw its power increased from 425 horsepower (317 kW) to 500 horsepower (370 kW).


2008 Formula Renault 3.5 Series, Regulation Changes, Technical
The car also featured a new carbon bodyshell, as well as a new shaped front wing, hollowed sidepods and multiple side deflectors designed to improve aerodynamic performance. However, several areas of the car, including the gearbox, rear suspension and carbon brakes, remained the same in order to keep costs under control.


2008 Formula Renault 3.5 Series, Regulation Changes, Technical
The new car made its first public appearance on 21 September at the Magny-Cours round of the 2007 season, with development driver Andy Soucek demonstrating the car at the final round of the series in Barcelona.


2008 Formula Renault 3.5 Series, Regulation Changes, Sporting
In a change from recent years, only 26 cars (thirteen two-car teams) were allowed into the 2008 championship. The World Series by Renault organising committee announced twelve of the thirteen teams on 5 October 2007, with newcomers Ultimate Signature confirmed as the final entrant on 12 October 2007.


2008 Formula Renault 3.5 Series, Regulation Changes, Sporting
The 2008 season also saw the introduction of a new qualifying system to the FR3.5 Series.


2008 Formula Renault 3.5 Series, Race calendar and results
The calendar for the 2008 season was confirmed by Renault Sport on 9 January 2008. Seven rounds formed meetings of the 2008 World Series by Renault season, with additional rounds supporting the Monza 1000km and Monaco Grand Prix.


2008 Formula Renault 3.5 Series, Season results
The maximum number of points a driver could earn each weekend (except Monaco) was 31 and the maximum number for a team was 55.


2008 Formula Renault seasons
Formula Renault is a class of formula racing that was founded in 1971. It is currently the biggest single-seater championship in the United Kingdom.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Season calendar
This table indicates the season calendar. It shows the round number of each series along with their dates. The dark boxes indicates the winter series.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 3.5L, Collective test for notable 2.0L drivers
Every year, Renault Sport Technologies would invite the best Formula Renault 2.0L and Eurocup Mégane Trophy drivers to test the Formula Renault 3.5L. For the 2008 season, the test occurred on November 5–7 on the Paul Ricard HTTT track in France.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, Formula Renault 2.0 West European Cup season
The Formula Renault 2.0 West European Cup was the first season for the WEC series. It includes the French Formula Renault championship that offers a reward for the best French driver and rookie driver. It also has the Challenger Cup which is for drivers using cars that run with the 2004 aerodynamic kit.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, Formula Renault 2.0 West European Cup season
1 point is given to every pole position holder. 1 point is also given to the fastest driver in each lap. There are 2 race rounds. The first is between 60 kilometres (37 mi) and 80 kilometres (50 mi). The second race is between 20 to 30 minutes.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, Formula Renault 2.0 West European Cup season
In Round 6 of the Valencia race, Daniel Ricciardo, Andrea Caldarelli and Jean-Éric Vergne were disqualified for technical regulation non-conformity in their SG Formula's rear wings. Benjamin Lariche, who came in 3rd, was declared the race winner instead.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, Formula Renault 2.0 UK season, Formula Renault 2.0 UK Winter Cup
The Formula Renault UK Winter Cup and Formula Renault BARC Winter Cup are held in same time, but with separated classification.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, Formula Renault 2.0 UK season, Formula Renault 2.0 UK Winter Cup
There are 2 races in each round, both of them between 30 miles (48 km) and 30 minutes


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, Formula Renault BARC FR2000 series
The Formula Renault BARC FR2000 series has 12 rounds in 7 venues. The final standing is established with the best 10 results of the season. A Club Class classification is also established for young drivers (see 2008 Formula Renault BARC Club Class season below) who participate in the same race as the FR2000 series.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, Formula Renault BARC FR2000 series
1 point is given to every pole position holder. 1 point is also given to the fastest driver in each lap. Races are between 30 miles (48 km) and 30 minutes each.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, Formula Renault BARC FR2000 series, Formula Renault BARC Club Class series
The Formula Renault BARC Club Class series includes 12 rounds in 7 venues. The final standings are established with the best 11 results of the season. The Club Class category is raced at same time as the main Formula Renault BARC FR2000 series. The cars use Tatuus or Mygale chassis and are powered by Renault Laguna 2.0L 6 valves engine providing lower Horsepower than the FR2000 class.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, Formula Renault BARC FR2000 series, Formula Renault BARC Club Class series
1 point is given to every pole position holder. 1 point is also given to the fastest driver in each lap. Races are between 30 miles (48 km) and 30 minutes each.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, Formula Renault 2.0 Italia season
There are 2 races with rounds length of 30 minutes each. 2 points are awarded to the fastest driver in each lap and another 2 points to the pole position holder.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, Formula Renault 2.0 Italia season
There are 3 collective tests in summer. In the Misano World Circuit on June 17, in Autodromo Nazionale Monza on July 10 and in the Mugello Circuit on July 23.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, Formula Renault 2.0 Italia season, Formula Renault 2.0 Italia Winter Series
2 points are awarded to the fastest driver in each lap and 4 points to the pole position holder.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, LO Formule Renault 2.0 Suisse season
Extra 1 point is given to the fastest driver in each lap 2 points to the pole position holder. There are 2 races by rounds.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, Fórmula Júnior FR2.0 Portugal season
This is the first season of the Fórmula Júnior FR2.0 held in Portugal. The series, which is the first single-seater championship in Portugal since the end of Formula BMW in 2004, uses Tatuus Formula Renault chassis with Renault 2.0L engines and Michelin tyres.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, Fórmula Júnior FR2.0 Portugal season
1 point is given to the fastest driver for each lap and another point to the pole position holder. There are 2 races per round.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, Fórmula Júnior FR2.0 Portugal season
The Estoril rounds held on September, 27–28 were part of the World Series by Renault event. The races at the last two venues, in Jerez and Estoril, were held at the same time as the Portugal Winter Series FR2.0.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, Fórmula Júnior FR2.0 Portugal season, Fórmula Júnior FR2.0 Portugal(Portugal Winter Series FR2.0)
The Winter Series is held at the same time as the two final venues of the Fórmula Júnior FR2.0 Portugal season.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, Fórmula Júnior FR2.0 Portugal season, Fórmula Júnior FR2.0 Portugal(Portugal Winter Series FR2.0)
Every driver who finishes to race will get 1 point. 1 point is also given for the fastest driver in each lap and another point for pole position.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, Formule Renault 2.0 Finland season
There are 2 or 3 races by rounds, each lasting for approximately 20 minutes.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, Formula Renault 2000 de America season
Extra 1 point is given to the fastest driver of each lap and another point for pole position.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, Formula Renault 2000 de America season
The Formula Renault 2000 and 1600 Junior championship were cancelled in May 2008 by Alfonso Toledano, the president of the Panam GP Series. A part of the engaged teams withdrew their participation, forcing the cancellation of the races at the Latin American venues due to low crowd-turnout.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, Fórmula Renault 2.0 Brasil season
Extra 1 point is given to the fastest driver in each lap and another point for pole position.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, Fórmula Renault 2.0 Brasil season
The Fórmula Renault 2.0 Brasil championship was cancelled after the first round due to a lack of participation.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, Asian Formula Renault Challenge season
Drivers who start their season at round 5 or later do not receive any points for the final standing. The team points-attribution is different from the driver point system : 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 2.0L, Asian Formula Renault Challenge season
The Asian Challenge Category (A) is only for Asian drivers. The China Formula Renault Challenge (C) is for any rounds held in China. The IFC Trophy (IFC) is for the rookie drivers.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Formula Renault 1.6L, Formula Renault Elf 1.6 Argentina season
1 point is given for pole position and an extra point in each race for every participating driver.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Other Formulas powered by Renault championships, GP2 Series seasons
The GP2 Series and GP2 Asia Series are powered by 4 liters, V8 Renault engine and Bridgestone tyres with a Dallara chassis.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Other Formulas powered by Renault championships, Formula 16 season
The official Formula Renault 1.6L Belgium was cancelled after the 2007 season and the Belge Formula 16 attempt to replace it with the same cars. The series was cancelled after 4 races.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Other Formulas powered by Renault championships, Austria Formel Renault Cup season
This is the second season of this series using Formula Renault 2.0L. The season is held on 12 rounds in 6 venues in Czech Republic, Germany and Austria.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Other Formulas powered by Renault championships, Formula Renault 2.0 North European Zone season
1 point is awarded to the fastest driver in each lap and another point for pole position.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Other Formulas powered by Renault championships, Formula 2000 Light season
This is the first season of the Formula 2000 Light held in Italy. The series uses the Tatuus Formula Renault or Formula 3 chassis with Renault 2000 cc maximum engines and Michelin tyres.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Other Formulas powered by Renault championships, Formula 2000 Light season
2 points are given to the fastest driver in each lap and 3 points for pole position. There are 2 races by rounds.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Other Formulas powered by Renault championships, Formula 2000 Light season, Formula 2000 Light Winter Series
3 points for pole position and 2 points for the fastest driver in each lap.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Other Formulas powered by Renault championships, LATAM Challenge Series season
This is the first season of the Latin American (LATAM) Challenge Series held in Mexico. The series uses Tatuus Formula Renault 2.0L F4RS engines and Khumo tyres.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Other Formulas powered by Renault championships, Fórmula Renault Plus season
The series is held in the same rounds as its secondary series, Fórmula Renault Interprovencial.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Other Formulas powered by Renault championships, Fórmula Renault Plus season
1 point is given for pole position and all drivers receive a point for taking part in the qualifying session.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Other Formulas powered by Renault championships, Fórmula Renault Interprovencial season
The series is held in the same rounds as its main series, Fórmula Renault Plus.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Other Formulas powered by Renault championships, Fórmula Renault Interprovencial season
1 point is given for pole position and all drivers receive a point for taking part in the qualifying session.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Other Formulas powered by Renault championships, Fórmula 4 Metropolitana season
This is the first season of the Fórmula 4 Metropolitana series held in Argentina. Cars use the Renault Clio K4M engine (1598cc) with low power. Different from the former Fórmula 4 Nacional series held in 2007, teams can choose their chassis manufacturer; Crespi, Tulia, Tito, etc.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Other Formulas powered by Renault championships, Formula Asia 2.0 season
The 2008 season is the first season for the Formula Asia 2.0 series. The series offers a prize for the best Asian driver in the Asian Drivers Cup.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Other Formulas powered by Renault championships, Formula Asia 2.0 season
Only the two best-placed drivers in each team at each race will receive points for the team championship.


2008 Formula Renault seasons, Other Formulas powered by Renault championships, Formula Asia 2.0 season
Rounds 10 and 11 in Shanghai on November 22–23 don't count towards the championship as there was insufficient preparation time due to the delay in the release of the containers by the local customs.


2008 Formula V6 Asia Championship
The 2008 Formula V6 Asia season took place in four Asian countries. The season started on May 16–18 in Sepang and ended on November 21–23 in Shanghai.


2008 Formula V6 Asia Championship, Race calendar
Earl Bamber and Armaan Ebrahim did not participate to the last venue due to their commitment in the Malaysian round in A1 Grand Prix.


2008 Formula V6 Asia Championship, Full Series Results
Points are awarded in both races as following: 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 for 9th and 1 bonus points for pole position in the first of the two venue races but only awarded to drivers, not for teams. Only the drivers that achieve races are awarded by points. The team standing is obtained with the best two drivers of each team at each race


2008 Fortis Championships Luxembourg
The 2008 Fortis Championships Luxembourg was a women's tennis tournament on indoor hard courts. It was the 13th edition of the Fortis Championships Luxembourg, and was part of the Tier III Series of the 2008 WTA Tour. The tournament took place in Kockelscheuer, Luxembourg, from 20 October until 26 October 2008. First-seeded Elena Dementieva won the singles title and earned $35,000 first-prize money.


2008 Fortis Championships Luxembourg, Finals, Doubles
Sorana Cîrstea /  Marina Erakovic defeated  Vera Dushevina /  Mariya Koryttseva 2–6, 6–3, 10–8


2008 Fortis Championships Luxembourg – Doubles
Iveta Benešová and Janette Husárová were the defending champions, but Husárová chose not to participate, and only Benešová competed that year. Benešová partnered with Shuai Peng, but lost in the quarterfinals to Mervana Jugić-Salkić and Aurélie Védy.


2008 Fortis Championships Luxembourg – Doubles
Sorana Cîrstea and Marina Erakovic won in the final 2–6, 6–3, 10–8, against Vera Dushevina and Mariya Koryttseva.


2008 Fortis Championships Luxembourg – Singles
Ana Ivanovic was the defending champion, but chose to participate in Linz instead.


2008 Fortis Championships Luxembourg – Singles
Elena Dementieva won in the final 2–6, 6–4, 7–6(7–4), against Caroline Wozniacki.


2008 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships
The 2008 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships was an international figure skating competition in the 2007–08 season. It was held at the Seongsa Ice Rink in Goyang, South Korea on February 11–17. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.


2008 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, Results, Men
Daisuke Takahashi set a new world record for the free skating (175.84) and the combined total (264.41).


2008 Four Nations Tournament (women's football)
The 2008 Four Nations Tournament was the eighth edition of the Four Nations Tournament, an invitational women's football tournament held in China. The venue for this edition of the tournament was Guangdong Olympic Stadium, in the city of Guangzhou.


2008 France rugby union tour of Australia
The 2008 France rugby union tour of Australia was a series of matches played in June–July 2008 in Australia by France national rugby union team. The French (with 12 "newcomers" and without the player of the club finalist of Top 14) lost heavily both test.


2008 Fred Page Cup Playoffs
The 2008 Fred Page Cup Playoffs of the British Columbia Hockey League began on February 29, 2008. The top two teams in each of the Coastal and Interior Conferences received a bye into the conference semifinals. The remaining eight teams that qualified, four from each conference, played a best-of-5 series elimination round. For the conference semifinals and finals, play reverted to a best-of-7 series. The conference champions played a best-of-7 series for the Fred Page Cup.


2008 Fred Page Cup Playoffs, Playoff seeds
After the 2007-08 BCHL season, 12 teams qualified for the playoffs. The Nanaimo Clippers were the Coastal Conference regular season champions and were also the BCHL regular season winners with the best record at 88 points. The Penticton Vees earned the Interior Conference regular season crown with 86 points.


2008 Fred Page Cup Playoffs, Playoff Bracket
In each round, the highest remaining seed in each conference is matched against the lowest remaining seed. The higher-seeded team is awarded home ice advantage, which gives them a maximum possible four games on their home ice, with the other team getting a maximum possible three. The opening elimination round follows a best-of-five 2-2-1 format. Each best-of-seven series follows a 2–2–1–1–1 format. This means that the higher-seeded team will have Games 1 and 2, plus 5 and 7 if necessary, played on their home ice, while the lower-seeded team will be at home for the other games. The format ensures that the team with home ice advantage will always have home ice for the "extra" game if there are an odd number of games in a series.


2008 Fred Page Cup Playoffs, Statistical leaders, Points
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty Minutes


2008 Fred Page Cup Playoffs, Statistical leaders, Leading goaltenders
Note: GP = Games Played; TOI = Time On Ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals Against; SO = Shutouts; Sv% = Save Percentage; GAA = Goals Against Average


2008 French Figure Skating Championships
The 2008 French Figure Skating Championships (French: Championnat de France Elite) took place between December 7 and 9, 2007 at the Palais des Sports in Megève. Skaters competed at the senior level in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, ice dancing, and synchronized skating. The event was used to help determine the French team to the 2008 World Championships and the 2008 European Championships.


2008 French Figure Skating Championships
The junior synchronized event was held during this competition; junior and novice level competitions for the other disciplines were held separately.


2008 French Figure Skating Championships, Senior results, Ice dancing
Five time medalists Nathalie Péchalat / Fabian Bourzat did not compete due to injury to him, so they would be well enough to compete the next week at the Grand Prix Final.


2008 French Grand Prix
The 2008 French Grand Prix (formally the Formula 1 Grand Prix de France 2008) was a Formula One motor race held on 22 June 2008 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, France. This race would be the last French Grand Prix for a decade, before returning in 2018 at Circuit Paul Ricard. The 70-lap race event, the eighth of the 2008 Formula One World Championship, was won by Felipe Massa for the Ferrari team starting from second position. Kimi Räikkönen, who started from pole position, finished second in the other Ferrari car; Jarno Trulli was third in a Toyota.


2008 French Grand Prix
Räikkönen and Massa both made a clean start. Renault's Fernando Alonso, who started third, was overtaken by Trulli and BMW Sauber driver Robert Kubica. The front three of Räikkönen, Massa and Trulli maintained their positions through the first round of pit stops. On lap 30, Räikkönen led Massa by six and a half seconds, and Trulli by 30 seconds. Just before half distance, Räikkönen's right exhaust pipe broke, which caused the engine to lose power. Massa, in second place, began lapping quicker than Räikkönen, and he caught and passed him on lap 39. Massa maintained his lead through the second round of pit stops, and won the race; Räikkönen finished almost 18 seconds behind. Trulli fended off McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen, who challenged him in the latter stages, to take third.


2008 French Grand Prix
Massa's win promoted him into the lead of the Drivers' Championship for the first time in his career, overtaking Kubica. Kubica was second, two points behind Massa, while Räikkönen was third. In the Constructors' Championship, Ferrari increased their lead to 17 points ahead of BMW Sauber, McLaren a further 16 points behind in third.


2008 French Grand Prix, Background
The Grand Prix was contested by 20 drivers, in ten teams of two. The teams, also known as "constructors", were Ferrari, McLaren-Mercedes, Renault, Honda, Force India-Ferrari, BMW Sauber, Toyota, Red Bull-Renault, Williams-Toyota and Toro Rosso-Ferrari. Tyre supplier Bridgestone brought two different tyre compounds to the race; the softer of the two marked by a single white stripe down one of the grooves.


2008 French Grand Prix, Background
Before the race, Robert Kubica of BMW led the Drivers' Championship, with 42 points, ahead of McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari's Felipe Massa, who each had 38 points. Massa's teammate Kimi Räikkönen was fourth, ahead of Kubica's teammate Nick Heidfeld in fifth. In the Constructors' Championship, Ferrari were leading with 73 points; three points ahead of BMW Sauber with 70 points; McLaren were a further 17 points behind them in third.


2008 French Grand Prix, Background
Ferrari came into the race with a long series of success at the track, having won seven of the last ten races held at Magny-Cours. In 2007, Ferrari had taken a one-two, Räikkönen ahead of Massa. Massa said that it was important not to discount McLaren and BMW:


2008 French Grand Prix, Background
In recent years, people would say that Canada and Monaco suited McLaren better than Ferrari, while it was the other way round in France and Britain, but I don't think that is really the case this year, as apart from any other factors, we have to consider the BMW team in this equation. This year in Monaco, Ferrari had the whole front row of the grid, even though I think we had more fuel than McLaren and in Canada our race pace was very good too. In other races we have all been very close.


2008 French Grand Prix, Background
In March 2007, the Fédération Française du Sport Automobile (FFSA) stated their intention to rest the Magny-Cours circuit from the Formula One world championship for the 2008 season. Despite this, the race was held in 2008, but the race was dropped from the Formula One calendar for 2009. The French Grand Prix would not return to the Formula One World Championship calendar until 2018.


2008 French Grand Prix, Background
At the previous race in Canada, Hamilton had crashed into Räikkönen in the pit lane, when Raikkönën braked to stop in front of the red light at the end of the pit lane. Williams driver Nico Rosberg then collided into the back of Hamilton. Hamilton later said that he saw the light too late and could not avoid hitting the Ferrari. Hamilton and Rosberg were both given ten place grid penalties for the French Grand Prix, meaning that whatever their qualifying position, they could start no better than 11th.


2008 French Grand Prix, Background
After the penalty was given, McLaren's CEO, Martin Whitmarsh, said that he thought the penalty was "severe", citing a similar incident at Monaco where Raikkönën had crashed into the back of Force India's Adrian Sutil. There, no penalty had been given. However, Rosberg said that the penalties from Canada were "deserved". When Hamilton was asked whether the penalty would force him to change his approach, Hamilton said that "it doesn't really. It's a race, I'm here to win and so I approach it the same."


2008 French Grand Prix, Background
"It's going to be harder," he added, "coming from the back, but I don't have any doubts or any worries, I think we're going to have a very strong package this weekend, and I think the car will be as good if not better than it was in the last race. With that pace, as long as we stay out of trouble we should be able to score some good points."


2008 French Grand Prix, Background
Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr., who was in his first year in Formula One and had scored no points prior to this race, said that he thought that the track suited him and the car much better than previous races. BMW Sauber had taken their first victory at the previous race, but team principal Mario Theissen said that a second win was unlikely at Magny-Cours.


2008 French Grand Prix, Background
In technical developments, BMW Sauber, Ferrari, McLaren and Toyota all revised their front wings. BMW brought both their new wing as well as the version they had used for the previous race to Magny-Cours, but decided to use the revised wing, as it offered better levels of downforce. Ferrari's wing changes aimed at improving the performance of the car's nose hole. The nose hole, which had been introduced at the Spanish Grand Prix, aimed at creating greater levels of downforce, by channelling the airflow. Williams changed their front sidepod winglets. At the previous race, Red Bull modified their RB4's bridge wing to prevent it from flexing, to comply with the latest rule clarifications. For Magny-Cours, the team revised the central section of this element, with the aim of generating greater downforce levels.


2008 French Grand Prix, Practice
Three practice sessions were held before the Sunday race—two on Friday, and a third on Saturday. The Friday morning and afternoon sessions each lasted 90 minutes. The third session was held on Saturday morning and lasted an hour. In the first practice session, which was held in dry conditions, Ferrari's Felipe Massa was quickest, ahead of the McLarens of Hamilton and Kovalainen in second and third. Massa's teammate, Räikkönen, was fourth quickest. The afternoon session, which was held in very hot conditions, saw Renault's Fernando Alonso record the fastest lap, ahead of the two Ferrari drivers.


2008 French Grand Prix, Practice
The hot weather conditions posed several problems for the drivers, as many of the cars ran off the road, sliding through the gravel or across the asphalt. At the end of the session, a new system—designed to limit the cars' speeds in potentially hazardous situations—was tested. In the third practice session, again held in dry conditions, Renault continued their strong practice performance with Piquet leading the final practice session. Red Bull's Mark Webber was next quickest while Sebastian Vettel of Toro Rosso was third. As was the pattern for the season, the McLaren and Ferrari drivers ran heavier fuel loads in this session in preparation for the final section of qualifying.


2008 French Grand Prix, Qualifying
Saturday afternoon's qualifying session was divided into three parts. In the first 20-minute period, cars finishing 16th or lower were eliminated. The second qualifying period lasted for 15 minutes, at the end of which the fastest ten cars went into the final period, to determine their grid positions for the race. Cars failing to make the final period were allowed to be refuelled before the race but those competing in it were not, and so carried more fuel than they had done in the earlier qualifying sessions.


2008 French Grand Prix, Qualifying
I am very happy with this result, not just for myself but above all for the team. So far, the weekend is going really well but of course we have yet to tackle the most important part which is the race, where anything could happen. If I was not to win, I would obviously be a bit disappointed, but the most important thing is to finish and bring home the maximum number of points, because we really need them.


2008 French Grand Prix, Qualifying
Räikkönen clinched Ferrari's 200th pole position and his last until the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix 129 races later, with a time of 1:16.449. He was joined on the front row of the grid by teammate Massa. This would later prove to be Ferrari's last front-row lockout until the 2017 Russian Grand Prix. Alonso qualified third after Hamilton's penalty moved the quicker McLaren driver to 13th; Toyota's Jarno Trulli qualified fourth. Kovalainen would have started from fifth, but was given a five-place grid penalty for blocking Webber during qualifying and would start from 10th on the grid.


2008 French Grand Prix, Qualifying
Kubica, Webber, David Coulthard,  Timo Glock and Piquet rounded off the top ten. Heidfeld qualified 11th, with Vettel ahead of Hamilton in 12th, and Bourdais behind in 14th. Rosberg was next quickest, but after his penalty demoted him to the back of the grid his teammate Kazuki Nakajima took his place. The final four places went to the Honda and Force India teams, with Button qualifying ahead of Barrichello, Fisichella and Sutil. Barrichello, however, was given a penalty for changing his gearbox, meaning that he started 20th on the grid, one place behind Rosberg.


2008 French Grand Prix, Race
The conditions on the grid were dry before the race, although the sky was overcast; weather forecasts predicted rain near the end of the race. Most of the frontrunners began the race on the harder compound tyre. Rain that had fallen earlier that morning had removed some of the rubber on the track, meaning that graining, when small grains of rubber come off a tyre, was likely to be a problem; out of the two tyre types, the harder would better cope with this. Räikkönen made a good start, retaining his first position; Massa behind him maintained his second place.


2008 French Grand Prix, Race
Alonso, who started third, was passed by both Trulli and Kubica, but re-passed Kubica at the hairpin turn exit. Glock also made a good start, taking sixth after passing Webber. Going into the first corner, Button touched Bourdais, resulting in damage to the Honda's front wing. Hamilton, who started 13th, passed several drivers to move into 10th by the end of lap one.


2008 French Grand Prix, Race
At the end of the first lap, Räikkönen led from Massa, Trulli, Alonso, Kubica, Glock and Webber. On lap five, Hamilton overtook Kovalainen to move into ninth. On the same lap, Button was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop, due to the damage he had sustained in his first corner incident with Bourdais. This dropped him to the back of the field. By the end of lap 10, Räikkönen led Massa by 3.2 seconds, Trulli a further 8.5 seconds behind.


2008 French Grand Prix, Race
On lap 13, Hamilton was given a drive-through penalty for cutting the corner of Turn Seven on lap one, and gaining an advantage. He took the penalty immediately, and re-emerged in 13th position. Over the next few laps, the Ferrari drivers continued to pull out a gap on Trulli in third, lapping at around a second per lap quicker than the Toyota. On lap 16, Räikkönen set the fastest lap of the race, a 1:16.630, stretching his lead over his teammate. Further back, Alonso, who had been running fourth, made the first scheduled pit stop, resuming 12th. Button was lapped by several drivers, due to the damage his car had sustained in his first corner incident with Bourdais, and eventually retired on lap 17.


2008 French Grand Prix, Race
On lap 20, Trulli and Kubica, then in fourth, pitted. Over the next two laps, both Räikkönen and Massa pitted. By lap 30, Räikkönen had opened his lead to 6.6 seconds over Massa, while Trulli was over half a minute behind him in third. Just before half distance, Räikkönen's pace became slower, and Massa behind him caught up, passing his teammate on lap 39. After the race, Räikkönen explained that his lack of pace was due to his car's right exhaust pipe breaking, causing the engine to lose power. Further back, Kovalainen, who was running seventh, passed Webber to take sixth.


2008 French Grand Prix, Race
By lap 46, Massa had a 10-second lead over his teammate. On the same lap, Kubica pitted from fourth, starting the next round of pit stops. Trulli pitted from third on lap 50, and Räikkönen and Kovalainen two laps later. Massa pitted on lap 54, and emerged 13.4 seconds ahead of Räikkönen. Trulli kept his third position, but Kovalainen, who made up several places through the pit stops to move to fourth, was closing behind him. On lap 55, light rain started to fall.


2008 French Grand Prix, Race
Although it would continue to rain lightly for the next few laps, it was never heavy enough to be a problem to the drivers. By lap 58, Kovalainen was right behind Trulli. A few laps later, the exhaust pipe which had broken earlier on Räikkönen's car came off completely, but Räikkönen continued to race with similar lap times. Kovalainen, meanwhile, continued to try to find a way past Trulli. One lap before the end of the race, Kovalainen attempted to pass Trulli, but ran wide as Trulli defended his position.


2008 French Grand Prix, Race
Massa crossed the line to win the race, with Räikkönen nearly eighteen seconds behind. Trulli retained third, and took his first podium since the 2005 Spanish Grand Prix, and Toyota's first podium since the 2006 Australian Grand Prix. Kovalainen finished fourth, ahead of Kubica, Webber and Piquet, who took his first ever points in Formula One. Alonso, Coulthard, Hamilton, Glock, Vettel, Heidfeld and the lapped Barrichello, Nakajima, Rosberg, Bourdais, Fisichella and Sutil were the last of the finishing drivers.


2008 French Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
Massa was delighted with his race victory, saying, "A great race, a fantastic result. The win came my way because Kimi had a problem with his car and at the pace he was running, it would have been hard for me to beat him on the track. I would have been happy with second place but of course, the win makes me even happier." After the race, Räikkönen said,


2008 French Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
Obviously I am a bit disappointed because I had hoped to win. Unfortunately, the right exhaust pipe broke just before half-distance and the engine lost a lot of power, especially on the straight after the slow corners. After a few laps, the situation seemed better, but towards the end of the race, I ran the risk of stopping. This sort of thing can happen in racing and I have to try and look on the bright side: eight points are still a good amount and the one-two finish is a great result for the team. Luckily, I had built up quite a good lead in the first part thanks to a car that was really very competitive.


2008 French Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
Trulli said, "Today was a great race, hard and tough. We had a good pace, even if we had to battle with some cars that were quicker than us. I had to fight really hard but that is what people should expect both from myself and from Toyota." Hamilton commented on his drive-through penalty: "My drive-through penalty was an extremely close call: I felt I'd got past Vettel fairly and was ahead going into the corner. But I was on the outside and couldn't turn-in in case we both crashed, then I lost the back-end and drove over the kerb."


2008 French Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
After BMW Sauber's victory at the previous race, their director, Mario Theissen, said that "over the entire weekend here our package did not work perfectly", while driver Heidfeld said that it was a "disappointing result". Alonso said that he felt disappointed after his poor start to the race. Red Bull's director, Christian Horner, said that their problems lay in the bad starts their drivers had made. Button, who retired during the race, commented on his collision: "I got a good start and was alongside Bourdais.


2008 French Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
I thought he was going to turn in at turn one and close the door so I pulled in behind him and then unfortunately hit him in the rear as everything slowed down for the corner. I could feel that there was something broken at the front of the car as there was an air coming in from the front, but the car was driveable and I was staying with the back of the pack so I continued. We replaced the nose but the bargeboards had been pulled off and the car had become undriveable so I had to retire." Piquet scored his first points in Formula One in the race, having failed to score up to that point. He said that he was happy, and hoped that the team could "continue like this for the rest of the season".


2008 French Grand Prix, Race, Post-race
After the race, Massa moved into the lead of the Drivers' Championship, on 48 points, taking the Championship lead for the first time in his Formula One career. Kubica lost the lead of the Drivers' Championship, falling two points behind Massa. Räikkönen moved ahead of Hamilton, on 43 points, while Hamilton was five points further behind. Heidfeld remained fifth. Before the race, Ferrari had been just three points ahead of BMW in the Constructors' Championship; after the race, Ferrari moved into a comfortable 17 point advantage. McLaren made up one point on BMW, although they were still 16 points behind.


2008 French Open
The 2008 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 112th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, from 25 May until 8 June 2008.


2008 French Open
Justine Henin did not defend her trophy due to her retirement from the sport on May 14. Ana Ivanovic, the runner-up to Henin in 2007, won the Women's Singles. On the men's side, Rafael Nadal won the Men's Singles, and equalled Björn Borg's record of four consecutive French Open titles in the open era. Other competitions included men and women's doubles, junior singles and doubles as well as wheelchair and 'veteran' competitions.


2008 French Open
The 2008 edition marked the first time in the Open Era no American man or woman reached the singles' quarterfinals at Roland Garros.


2008 French Open, Notable stories, Justine Henin's Retirement
On May 14, 2008, less than two weeks before the start of the 2008 French Open, defending champion and World No. 1 Justine Henin, announced in a press conference her immediate retirement from the sport. Four-time winner in Roland-Garros, where she defeated Kim Clijsters in 2003, Mary Pierce in 2005, Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2006 and Ana Ivanovic in 2007, Henin became the first player, at 25, to stop her career while holding the number one rank. Despite undergoing a poor run in the 2008 season, Henin was still considered to be a strong favourite for the French Open crown.


2008 French Open, Notable stories, Justine Henin's Retirement
Her retirement left Serena Williams, the 2002 champion and the tournament favourite this year, as the only former French Open champion remaining in the women's draw, and allowed WTA World No. 2 Maria Sharapova to be installed as the new World No. 1, and become the top seed for the tournament. Henin's last match was against Dinara Safina, who went on to have a successful French Open, reaching the final, where she was beaten by Ana Ivanovic. Henin returned at the end of the women's tournament, and presented new champion Ana Ivanovic with the trophy.


2008 French Open, Notable stories, The Williams' sisters performance
This tournament saw the worst performance by any of the Williams sisters at a Grand Slam tournament since the 2006 Australian Open.


2008 French Open, Notable stories, The Williams' sisters performance
Serena Williams, the only former French Open champion left in the draw, was stunned in the third round by Katarina Srebotnik, ensuring that there would be a new champion this year. Williams had never previously lost to Srebotnik in four previous attempts, and had defeated her in the second round of the 2001 French Open and as recently as in the third round of the 2008 Family Circle Cup, where she won the title as part of a seventeen-match winning streak compiled between February and May.


2008 French Open, Notable stories, The Williams' sisters performance
Her third round exit was her worst performance at the tournament since 1999, when she also fell in the third round. Two ESPN experts had touted Serena Williams as the pre-tournament favourite; those same two experts also predicted that Ana Ivanovic, the 2007 runner-up whom Serena Williams would have met in the quarter-finals, would make an early exit, when, in fact, the exact opposite occurred and Ivanovic won the championship amidst a form slump which saw her suffer early defeats in Miami and Rome. Williams had said prior to the French Open that she had "enjoyed her best preparation since winning the event in 2002"; entering the tournament, she had won 23 matches and lost just two (to Jelena Janković at the Australian Open and Dinara Safina in Berlin) for the season.


2008 French Open, Notable stories, The Williams' sisters performance
On the same day as Serena Williams' defeat, older sister Venus Williams was upset by World No. 26 Flavia Pennetta, who had never previously advanced past the fourth round of the French Open, in the third round, adding to her recent history of early exits at the French Open. This marked the first time since the 2004 French Open that both the Williams sisters were defeated within 24 hours of each other; on that occasion, both were defeated in the quarter-finals by Jennifer Capriati and Anastasia Myskina, who then went on to contest a semi-final between each other.


2008 French Open, Notable stories, Guga's Goodbye
The 2008 French Open saw the last appearance on the ATP Tour of former World No. 1 Gustavo "Guga" Kuerten. The 31-year-old Brazilian champion, had been awarded a wild card to play his final tournament in Roland-Garros, where he won his three Grand Slam titles in 1997, 2000 and 2001. Kuerten played his first round, and final singles match on Court Philippe Chatrier against eighteenth-seeded Paul-Henri Mathieu. Kuerten conceded the victory in straight sets after a little less than two hours on the court.


2008 French Open, Notable stories, Guga's Goodbye
A ceremony followed, where Kuerten was awarded a trophy encasing the multiple layers of the French Open's clay courts. Kuerten played his last match in the men's doubles with Sébastien Grosjean. The pair was defeated after three sets by Florin Mergea & Horia Tecău on the score of 5–7, 6–3, 6–1, ending the very final appearance of Gustavo Kuerten on the tour.


2008 French Open, Notable stories, Prix Orange, Citron & Bourgeon
As each year since 1981, three trophies are awarded during the tournament to the players of Roland-Garros: the Prix Orange (Orange Prize), awarded by the public to the player with the most sportsmanship, the Prix Citron (Lemon Prize), awarded by both the public and a journalists' association to the player with the strongest nature, and the Prix Bourgeon (Bud Prize), given by the journalists only to the most improved player of the year.


2008 French Open, Notable stories, Prix Orange, Citron & Bourgeon
In 2008, the Prix Orange was received, for the fourth year in a row, by Roger Federer, who came first of a tally with five choices, followed by Rafael Nadal, Gustavo Kuerten, James Blake and Carlos Moyá. The Prix Citron was obtained by Fabrice Santoro, who preceded Novak Djoković, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams and Juan Carlos Ferrero in the votes. The Prix Bourgeon was given by the press to Alizé Cornet, ahead of Janko Tipsarević and Ernests Gulbis. Gustavo Kuerten, already the recipient of three Prix Orange in 1998, 2002, and 2004, was presented a special ten-year prize for fair-play, in honor of his career and his successes at the French Open.


2008 French Open, Point distribution
Below are the tables with the point distribution for each discipline of the tournament.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 1
The Sunday start saw several seeds in the women's field go out, with Nicole Vaidišová losing to compatriot Iveta Benešová, and Virginie Razzano to Klára Zakopalová. Ana Ivanovic, Serena Williams, Alizé Cornet, Dominika Cibulková and Caroline Wozniacki all advanced to the second round.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 1
In the men's field, all eyes were turned to a clash between Paul-Henri Mathieu and former No. 1, 1997, 2000 and 2001 French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten, which saw the Frenchman winning 6–3, 6–4, 6–2, marking the closure of Kuerten's career. Third-seeded Novak Djokovic came back from a one set deficit to Denis Gremelmayr to make it into the second round.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 1
James Blake, David Nalbandian and Nicolás Almagro proceeded to the next round in straight sets, while Andy Murray needed almost three hours to beat French wild card Jonathan Eysseric 6–2, 1–6, 4–6, 6–0, 6–2. 1998 French Open winner Carlos Moyá fell to qualifier Eduardo Schwank and Janko Tipsarević lost to Nicolás Lapentti.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 2
In the women's event, Jelena Janković, Karin Knapp, Ágnes Szávay and Patty Schnyder all advanced, along with Venus Williams, who lost a set against Tzipora Obziler before eventually winning the match 6–3, 4–6, 6–2. Twenty-third seed Alona Bondarenko was upset by Petra Cetkovská in straight sets.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 2
On the men's side, favorites Roger Federer, Fernando González and Fernando Verdasco all won, as well as Tomáš Berdych, who crushed his opponent Robert Smeets 6–1, 6–0, 6–0, and Tommy Robredo, who defeated 2004 French Open runner-up Guillermo Coria in four sets. Marcos Baghdatis, who had been injured since Indian Wells lost to Simone Bolelli, and 2007 French Open quarterfinalist Guillermo Cañas was also upset in straight sets and three tie-breaks by Wayne Odesnik. The shock of the day came as French No. 1 Richard Gasquet announced his withdrawal a few hours before his scheduled match to compatriot Florent Serra, due to a knee injury. Rain interrupted the play during the afternoon, causing all matches to be stopped and rescheduled to the third day.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 3
Rain disturbed the play during the whole day, causing a late start, following which Svetlana Kuznetsova and Dinara Safina qualified for the second round. After a long interruption in the afternoon, Agnieszka Radwańska, Ai Sugiyama and Amélie Mauresmo had just enough time to advance to the next round.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 3
In the men's singles, Nikolay Davydenko and Stanislas Wawrinka won in straight sets, whereas Juan Mónaco was upset by Robin Söderling, and Mario Ančić defeated Andreas Seppi. Another rain delay eventually forced the ongoing matches to be stopped and rescheduled to the fourth day.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 4
Seventy-four matches were programmed to compensate for the rain delays, allowing Francesca Schiavone, Elena Dementieva, Flavia Pennetta, Katarina Srebotnik, Vera Zvonareva, Anna Chakvetadze, Nadia Petrova, Maria Kirilenko, Victoria Azarenka and Anabel Medina Garrigues to advance, along with World No. 1 Maria Sharapova, who was pushed for two-and-a-half hours, but came back from being led 3–4, 15–40, in the final set by compatriot Evgeniya Rodina, only No. 103 in the rankings, to win the match 6–1, 3–6, 8–6. Ninth seed Marion Bartoli, who led Casey Dellacqua when their match was stopped on day three, eventually lost, while Sybille Bammer fell to Aleksandra Wozniak, and Shahar Pe'er to Samantha Stosur. Agnieszka Radwańska, Caroline Wozniacki, Ana Ivanovic, Patty Schnyder and Serena Williams all proceeded to the third round.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 4
In the men's event, Radek Štěpánek, Lleyton Hewitt, David Ferrer, Jarkko Nieminen, Dmitry Tursunov, Ivan Ljubičić, Mikhail Youzhny and Igor Andreev advanced, as well as defending champion Rafael Nadal, who survived a first set scare to eventually overpower qualifier Thomaz Bellucci 7–5, 6–3, 6–1. Meanwhile, 2003 French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero retired against Marcos Daniel due to a leg injury, and Alejandro Falla defeated Ivo Karlović 3–6, 7–6(4), 7–6(6), 5–7, 6–4, after nearly four hours.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 4
Novak Djokovic, Nicolás Almagro and Andy Murray were among the first to qualify for the third round, alongside Paul-Henri Mathieu, who rallied from two-sets-to-love to overcome Óscar Hernández in four hours and eleven minutes on the score of 2–6, 1–6, 6–4, 6–3, 6–2, and unseeded Michaël Llodra, who upset Tomáš Berdych in three hours and five sets 6–3, 4–6, 5–7, 6–3, 6–4.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 5
Rain again caused some delays and interruptions during the day, but it did not prevent Venus Williams, Alizé Cornet, Jelena Janković, Elena Dementieva, Karin Knapp, Flavia Pennetta, Dominika Cibulková, Katarina Srebotnik, Dinara Safina, Francesca Schiavone, Victoria Azarenka, Ágnes Szávay, Anabel Medina Garrigues and Svetlana Kuznetsova from qualifying for the next round. In the meantime, Amélie Mauresmo lost to Carla Suárez Navarro, Ai Sugiyama was defeated by Olga Govortsova, Maria Kirilenko was beaten by Zheng Jie, and Anna Chakvetadze became the highest seed to fall on day five, when she was upset by Kaia Kanepi in straight sets.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 5
The men's field suffered several upsets as well, as James Blake lost to Ernests Gulbis, David Nalbandian was defeated by French wild card Jérémy Chardy, who climbed back from being two sets down to beat the Argentinian 3–6, 4–6, 6–2, 6–1, 6–2, in over three hours and Igor Andreev was upset by American Robby Ginepri.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 5
World No. 1 Roger Federer came back from losing the first set to dispatch his opponent Albert Montañés 6–7(5), 6–1, 6–0, 6–4, and advance to the third round along with Rafael Nadal, Mikhail Youzhny, Fernando González, Jarkko Nieminen, Dmitry Tursunov, Ivan Ljubičić, Stanislas Wawrinka, Fernando Verdasco, Nikolay Davydenko, David Ferrer, Lleyton Hewitt and Tommy Robredo.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 5
The first matches of the doubles competition were played, with World No. 1 team Liezel Huber & Cara Black, Mariya Koryttseva & Vladimíra Uhlířová, and Peng Shuai & Sun Tiantian to be among the first to advance to the second round of the women's doubles.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 5
On the men's side, Lukáš Dlouhý & Leander Paes, Jonas Björkman & Kevin Ullyett, Daniel Nestor & Nenad Zimonjić, Mariusz Fyrstenberg & Marcin Matkowski, Marcelo Melo & André Sá, Jonathan Erlich & Andy Ram, and No. 1 duo Bob & Mike Bryan all proceeded to the next round, while defending champion Mark Knowles, who partnered Mahesh Bhupathi this year, was defeated in straight sets by Stephen Huss & Ross Hutchins, and 2005 and 2006 champion Max Mirnyi, who teamed with Jamie Murray, lost in three sets to Rik de Voest & Robin Haase.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 6
On the women's side, Nadia Petrova, Maria Sharapova and Vera Zvonareva all won their second round matches. Ana Ivanovic, victor of Caroline Wozniacki, Agnieszka Radwańska, who beat Alizé Cornet, and Patty Schnyder all advanced to the fourth round.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 6
They were joined by twenty-seventh seed Katarina Srebotnik, who produced the first big upset of the day by eliminating 2002 French Open champion, fifth seed and favorite Serena Williams 6–4, 6–4, and twenty-sixth seed Flavia Pennetta, who defeated 2002 French Open runner-up, eighth seed and other favorite Venus Williams 7–5, 6–3, marking the first time since Roland-Garros 2004 both Williams sisters lost on the same day. Serena Williams was the only remaining former champion left in the women's draw.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 6
In the men's draw, Novak Djokovic and Paul-Henri Mathieu advanced to the fourth round, along with Rafael Nadal, who breezed by Jarkko Nieminen, Nicolás Almagro, who overcame Andy Murray in almost three hours, on the score of 6–3, 6–7(3), 6–3, 7–5, Fernando Verdasco, who defeated Mikhail Youzhny 7–6(5), 5–7, 7–5, 6–1, and French wild card Jérémy Chardy, who continued his run in the tournament by upsetting Dmitry Tursunov.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 6
In the women's doubles field, favorites Yung-jan Chan & Chia-jung Chuang, Nathalie Dechy & Elena Likhovtseva, Tatiana Poutchek & Anastasia Rodionova, Zi Yan & Zheng Jie, Dinara Safina & Ágnes Szávay, Victoria Azarenka & Shahar Pe'er, Lisa Raymond & Samantha Stosur, Květa Peschke & Rennae Stubbs and Katarina Srebotnik & Ai Sugiyama all proceeded to the second round, whereas defending champions Alicia Molik & Mara Santangelo were upset in their first match by unseeded Sara Errani & Bethanie Mattek.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 6
Christopher Kas & Rogier Wassen, Jeff Coetzee & Wesley Moodie, and Simon Aspelin & Julian Knowle were among the teams advancing to the second round on the men's side, as Lukáš Dlouhý & Leander Paes won their second round match. Martin Damm & Pavel Vízner were defeated in straight sets by Lukas Arnold Ker & Juan Ignacio Chela, as Arnaud Clément & Michaël Llodra, who lost to Pablo Cuevas & Luis Horna, while Mariusz Fyrstenberg & Marcin Matkowski lost their second round encounter to Michal Mertiňák & Jean-Claude Scherrer.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 7
Victoria Azarenka, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Jelena Janković qualified for the fourth round alongside Dinara Safina, Elena Dementieva and Vera Zvonareva, at the expense of Francesca Schiavone, Nadia Petrova and Dominika Cibulková. WTA No. 1 Maria Sharapova was again pushed in the first set by Karin Knapp, before crushing her opponent in the second, to win 7–6(4), 6–0. World No. 49 Kaia Kanepi, victor of Chakvetadze on day five, pursued her run in the tournament by upsetting Anabel Medina Garrigues in three sets 6–1, 6–7(5), 7–5, and Ágnes Szávay was defeated by unseeded Petra Kvitová in three sets in the last match of the day.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 7
In the men's field, twenty-first seed Radek Štěpánek dispatched Tommy Robredo in straight sets 6–3, 6–2, 6–1, and Roger Federer advanced past Mario Ančić in little more than an hour-and-a-half, whereas his compatriot and ninth seed Stanislas Wawrinka, who led two-sets-to-love and 3–0 in the third, saw his adversary, Chilean Fernando González make a comeback to eventually win the match 5–7, 2–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–4, in just over three hours.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 7
Meanwhile, Lleyton Hewitt and David Ferrer battled through five sets, breaking each other repeatedly, until the Spaniard gained the final advantage, breaking the Australian at 4–4 in the fifth set, which allowed him to win 6–2, 3–6, 3–6, 6–3, 6–4. Former Top Ten member Ivan Ljubičić produced the biggest upset of the men's field thus far, coming back from a two sets deficit to defeat World No. 4, 2007 French Open semifinalist Nikolay Davydenko 4–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–2, 6–4, and obtain his first fourth round spot in a Grand Slam event since the 2006 French Open.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 7
In the doubles, Alona & Kateryna Bondarenko, and Anabel Medina Garrigues & Virginia Ruano Pascual won their first round matches, while Lisa Raymond & Samantha Stosur, Mariya Koryttseva & Vladimíra Uhlířová, Yung-jan Chan & Chia-jung Chuang, Cara Black & Liezel Huber, Peng Shuai & Sun Tiantian, Victoria Azarenka & Shahar Pe'er, Zi Yan & Zheng Jie advanced to the third round. Nathalie Dechy & Elena Likhovtseva were defeated by unseeded team Sorana Cîrstea & Aravane Rezaï, second-seeded Katarina Srebotnik & Ai Sugiyama lost to Ashley Harkleroad & Galina Voskoboeva, and Iveta Benešová & Janette Husárová were beaten by Natalie Grandin & Raquel Kops-Jones.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 7
World No. 1 doubles duo and 2003 French Open champions Bob & Mike Bryan cruised to the third round of the men's draw, along with Daniel Nestor & Nenad Zimonjić, Jonathan Erlich & Andy Ram, and Simon Aspelin & Julian Knowle. František Čermák & Jordan Kerr won one of the last first round encounters. Favorites Jeff Coetzee & Wesley Moodie were upset in straight sets by Serbian pair Janko Tipsarević & Victor Troicki, Brazilian team Marcelo Melo & André Sá lost to Rajeev Ram & Bobby Reynolds, and fifteen-seeded Christopher Kas & Rogier Wassen retired against tall opponents John Isner & Sam Querrey.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 7
Finally, in the mixed doubles competition, No. 1 seeds Katarina Srebotnik & Nenad Zimonjić breezed by their opponents to advance to the second round along with Květa Peschke & Pavel Vízner and Cara Black & Paul Hanley. Eighth seeds Alicia Molik & Jonas Björkman were eliminated by Janette Husárová & André Sá, fourth-seeded pair Chia-jung Chuang & Jonathan Erlich lost to Olga Govortsova & Daniel Martin, and seventh seeds Lisa Raymond & Simon Aspelin to Kateryna Bondarenko & Jordan Kerr. Unseeded defending champions Nathalie Dechy & Andy Ram were upset, in the last mixed doubles match of the day, by Dominika Cibulková & Gaël Monfils.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 8
WTA No. 2 and 2007 Roland-Garros runner-up Ana Ivanovic left no hopes to opponent Petra Cetkovská as the Serb double-bageled her way into the quarterfinals in less than an hour. Jelena Janković faced more difficulties as she had to battle during more than two hours against fourteenth-seeded Agnieszka Radwańska to win only 6–3, 7–6(3), and secure a quarterfinal spot, along with Patty Schnyder, who defeated Katarina Srebotnik. Meanwhile, twenty-sixth seed Flavia Pennetta lost in straight sets to nineteen-year-old Spanish qualifier Carla Suárez Navarro, in her first ever Grand Slam appearance.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 8
In the men's draw, nineteen-year-old Latvian, unseeded Ernests Gulbis was the first player to qualify for the round of eight, by defeating Michaël Llodra in straight sets.


2008 French Open, Day-by-day summaries, Day 8
He was followed by Novak Djokovic, who defeated Paul-Henri Mathieu 6–4, 6–3, 6–4, to reach his third consecutive quarterfinal in Roland-Garros, Nicolás Almagro, whose opponent, the French wild card Jérémy Chardy held set points in all three sets, but eventually lost on the score of 7–6(0), 7–6(7), 7–5, and ATP No. 2 and defending champion Rafael Nadal, who crushed compatriot and twenty-second seed Fernando Verdasco 6–1, 6–0, 6–2, in little less than two hours.