Volkswagen's Audi unit is to buy the Italian high-performance motorcycle maker Ducati from Investindustrial Group. The move gives VW another glossy brand to go with its Lamborghini, Bugatti and Bentley luxury car makers.

Karen Blackett is star-spotting over afternoon tea in London's Wolseley restaurant. She picks out Dennis Wise, the diminutive former England midfielder and David Dein, one-time Arsenal vice-chairman. But maybe the stars should be spotting Blackett, who has £1bn a year to spend.

From the Front Row: Rehabilitation won't take place in rugby - it is just too public and too brutal

Strong sales of luxury cars in China have helped the car and plane parts maker GKN to a 15 per cent jump in profits for 2011.

This small Audi SUV lacks style but oozes class

'More luxury jet than family car – with the price tag to match'

Britain leads the Star class world championship, one of 10 being contested off Fremantle, W. Australia, as reigning Olympic gold medallists Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson have been the most consistent of the 41 with a scoreline of 4,3,5,4.

A shark sighted close inshore led to a hurried morning meeting of leaders from the 78 countries and 1,100 competitors taking part in the world championships of sailing.

Nip and tuck all the way, the fan master in the sky pressed the on button, produced a steadily strengthening breeze, and set up some furiously close racing, three of them, on the third day of the Murcia trophy. He also brought a ration of woe.

Off to a bad start on the opening day of the Audi MedCup regatta in Cartagena, Spain, the British-based TP52 Rán, owned by Skype founder Niklas Zennström, added a couple more on a second day delayed by light wind.

The light air specialists came through strongly in the opening race of the fourth regatta for the Murcia Trophy in the Audi MedCup series, but it was a day to put in the bin for Niklas Zennström’s south coast-based Rán team.

The City is in a bit of lather over Hargreaves Lansdown, we hear?

A one-two for Audi-sponsored boats in the Audi-sponsored MedCup crowned some spectacular and close racing on the final day of the Sardinia Trophy.

Multiple Olympic champion Jochen Schumann is on a charge in Italy. After a patchy performance in the opening pair of regattas, two firsts and two thirds in the opening five races of the third not only consolidated the lead of the Franco-German All4One but confirmed that grit and grip have been applied in liberal quantities.