JSBM 11.10 - Joe Saward

Contents:
De Mol gains a foothold in Williams
A triple header for F1?
Croatia plans for F1 circuit near Zagreb
Firestone quits IndyCar
Infiniti confirms Red Bull deal
Proton struggling with Lotus bills
WRC confirms Russian takeover
Mid-Ohio sold to Green Savoree
WTCC entry announced
Cosworth aids Land Speed Record
FAZZT acquired by Schmidt
FIA looks at Formula 4?
Ana Beatriz signs for Dreyer & Reinbold
Swap fever
Motor racing in Palestine
March 7 2011
Issue 11.10
joesaward'sbusinessofmotorsport
N E W S , T R E N D S , I D E A S A N D E C O N O M I C A N A LY S I S F RO M T H E M OTO R S P O RT W O R L D
De Mol gains a foothold in Williams
John de Mol (right) has bought a five percent share in Williams, when the company was floated
last week on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. De Mol is a celebrated Dutch investor. A former
pirate radio DJ, he established an independent TV production company in 1979, mainly covering
the music industry, but expanded gradually and in 1994 merged with Joop van den Ende similar
company to create Endemol, which shot to fame a few years later by creating the
"Big Brother" reality television show, which has been a prime-time hit in around
70 countries. This was followed by Deal or No Deal which sold in100 countries.
Other Endemol products include Changing Rooms, Ready Steady Cook and the
Fear Factor. De Mol sold the business in 2000 to Spanish telecommunications
giant Telefónica for $7.8 billion. In 2007 de Mol's investment company Cyrte
joined forces with Silvio Berlusconi's Mediaset and Goldman Sachs to buy the
company back for just $5 billion. Cyrte has also invested in a number of movie
production companies, notably Hammer (famous for its horror pictures in the
1950s) and Spitfire Pictures, which has a Formula 1 documentary feature in
production at the moment, with director Paul Crowder, who was nominated
for a Grammy for his "Amazing Journey", the story of The Who. Although now
part of the asset management group Delta Lloyd, Cyrte is still closely associated
with de Mol and is run by his close associate Frank Botman. De Mol also owns
a percentage of the children's TV company Hit Entertainment, which owns the
rights to Barney, Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam, Thomas the Tank Engine and many
more programmes.
"This investment sees Cyrte and Williams create a strategic partnership in which we will assist the team to further develop its
potential in all commercial aspects of its business," said Botman. "It will also afford Cyrte a platform from which to participate
in the growth of Formula One."
This an interesting remark as it sounds as though Cyrte has bigger ambitions than simply an involvement with the team.
A triple header in F1?
Bernie Ecclestone is trying to find a way to get Bahrain back into the Formula 1 calendar later in the year, but that is not going
to be easy. There is the now traditional gap in August, designed to give the teams a break in the middle of the year, but they are
not keen to change that as the strain on the teams these days is such that it is not always easy to find people willing to do the
full calendar of races. The option is to add it to the end of the year, but the season already runs until the end of November, and
trying to get F1 teams to race in December is not going to be easy.The option is to try something that F1 has not done before,
namely three races on consecutive weekends. This is possible after the Indian Grand Prix on October 30, and before the race
in Abu Dhabi on November 13. The major problem with the idea is that the F1 circus has yet to try Indian customs and excise
and traditionally new races are given an extra week in order to make sure that everything works properly. Thus trying to rush
the cars and equipment from New Delhi to Bahrain and then on to Abu Dhabi would involve risks. It would, however, build up
some momentum in the fight for the World Championship, if this was not settled by that point.
The teams will incur additional costs by adding a 20th race, but at the same time they will all gain as well as Bahrain will be
paying $40 million into the F1 pot. Half of this will go out to the financiers at CVC Capital Partners, but the rest will be divided
amongst the teams. A team like Ferrari will get a much bigger share than the small fry.The problem is that there are complicated
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rules regarding extra events and all the teams must agree to any events beyond the 17 in which they are contracted to
compete. Under the terms of the Concorde Agreement if there are 20 races there must be three-month gap between the
last event and the first race of 2012, while the August break is also protected in the deal and so needs unanimity in order for
a change to be made.
Croatia plans for F1 circuit near Zagreb
There are plans for a Formula 1 circuit being developed in Croatia, not far from the capital city Zagreb, which boasts a
population of just under one million people. The circuit would be built alongside the A2 motorway, to the north of the city,
close to the town of Bistra. The community there has been proactive in developing tourism in the area, using the Snow Queen
ski races, which have been held on the nearby Medvednica mountain since 2005. The race track would be on the floor of the
valley and would straddle a small stream, which would mean some interesting changes in elevation. The local mayor Kresimir
Gulić has already acquired 450 acres of land for the facility, with the goal of building not only a race track, karting facility and a
large open air concert venue, but also a hotel and sports grounds, with parking for 25,000 cars. The track will have seating for
70,000 with a maximum capacity of around 150,000. There are an additional 7,000 parking spaces at the nearby West Gate
shopping city.
The aim is to have the whole $420 million project finished in six years, with the race track aiming for completion in 2014. If
all goes to plan construction will begin next year. Formula 1 track designer Hermann Tilke visited Bistra in November and had
now completed a plan for the track. Gulić says that he already has private investors to pay for the work and has government
support from President Ivo Josipović and Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor.The project naturally has the support of the local ASN,
the Hrvatski Auto I Karting Savez, headed by Zrinko Gregurek, a member of the FIA World Motor Sport Council.
Firestone quits IndyCar
Firestone has confirmed that it will terminate
its involvement in IndyCar at the end of 2011.
This means that the series must move quickly
to find a new tyre supplier. Firestone has been
involved in Indycar racing for the last 21 years.
The company says that it has achieved its
goals in the series and thus has no further
need to be involved. The news follows the
departure from Formula 1 of parent company
Bridgestone at the end of last year, and there
is increasing speculation that the company will
pull back further at the end of the current
season and stop supplying MotoGP, when its
current three-year deal with Dorna comes to
an end.
IndyCar boss Randy Bernard says that he
has alreadyhad discussions with a number of
possible replacements, notably Bridgestone's global rivals Michelin, Goodyear, Continental, Sumitomo, Yokohama, Hankook and
Cooper Tire. There are also possibilities with smaller firms such as Avon and Hoosier.
The announcement will add a further variable to the IndyCar scene in 2012 when the series will have new chassis and new
engines. It was hoped that Firestone would stay on to provide at least one constant in testing of all the new equipment, which
will begin in the summer.The announcement means that 68 jobs will be lost in Akron, Ohio, although the chances are that many
of these will be taken on by the new supplier, in order to have people who know what they are doing.
Infiniti confirms Red Bull deal
As exclusively predicted in this newsletter, Nissan's luxury brand Infiniti is to enter Formula 1 as a sponsor of the team. The
engines will not, however, be rebranded but will remain as Renaults. Infiniti will be featured on the car, drivers and team uniforms
and equipment. Infiniti started out in the United States, designed to be a premium brand which was separated from Nissan
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because the original company had a mass market image. Toyota and Honda did the same in the same era with the Lexus and
Acura brands. Since then, however, Infiniti has been expanded to become a global brand, with sales in western Europe beginning
in 2008, with more expansion and a broader range of products being planned.
"It is clear that Formula 1 offers us an unrivalled global communications platform, complementing Infiniti’s ethos of Inspired
Performance," said Andy Palmer, Senior Vice President, Infiniti. "We are excited to have the opportunity to enter Formula 1
together with a world-class team like Red Bull Racing Renault."
Bernard Rey, President of Renault Sport F1 further endorsed the new deal: “While Renault is rightfully very proud of our
achievements within Formula 1, we know the future is about collaboration. To have a talented and committed Alliance partner
like Infiniti is very welcome as we set out on the current and future challenges in Formula 1."
Proton struggling with Lotus bills
Malaysian car company Proton's decision to invest in Group Lotus has caused the firm's share price to dive
in recent months, dropping from 5.0 Ringgits at the end of September to 3.2 at the close of business
on Friday, a drop of 36 percent. Adding to the damage has been the downgrading of the profit
forecasts by various analysts following recent meetings to explain the plans for the future and the
announcement that in the nine months ending on December 31, Proton’s profits fell 58 percent
compared to the previous year. The company also announced a loss in the last three months of
2010 of $19.6 million, the first quarterly loss since the start of 2009. This was blamed on "higher
branding costs and restructuring expenses" incurred by Group Lotus, although the companies
overall revenues also fell nine percent in the period. The poor figures surprised the markets as
the automobile industry is generally picking up pace at the moment after the economic crisis. The
Malaysian analysts were told by Proton boss Syed Zainal (right) that company will spend $785 million
on Lotus in the next five years, but concluded that this was a risky strategy and were not impressed
by the level of clarity displayed by the company's management.
Their conclusion was that Group Lotus is using up Proton's cash reserves, which have
halved recently to $188 million. The company said that its domestic car sales hit an all-time
high in 2010, up 13 percent compared to 2009. This may be so, but it does not take into
account the fact that the country continues to dodge tariff restrictions agreed with ASEAN
trading partners. These will have to be removed between 2015 and 2020, at which point
competitors will be able to compete on a fair basis in the Malaysian markets. Proton has
long received considerable government support, and benefited from protectionist policies
and preferential treatment. Proton hopes that the announcement of an agreement to study
possible cooperation with Nissan will help retain some confidence in the company. The feasibility study will end on April 30 if
no binding agreement has been reached with the Japanese company by that point.
All this is somewhat worrying for the Renault F1 team, which is currently relying on Lotus sponsorship, despite the fact that
rival Team Lotus is the team allowed to race Lotus cars in F1.The two parties will go to court later this month to establish who
owns what rights. It is widely rumoured in Formula 1 circles that Lotus chief executive officer Dany Bahar has recently become
a shareholder in GenII Capital, the company that owns the Renault F1 team, which would explain the rather odd situation of
his appointment as a director of the team at the start of February.
WRC confirms Russian takeover
It has been confirmed that controversial Russian businessman Vladimir Antonov has acquired North One Sport, and with it
the commercial rights to the World Rally Championship until 2020. The deal has been made with Antonov's Convers Sports
Initiatives (CSI) company, a sports marketing group. It is thought that the deal went ahead to save North One Sport from
bankruptcy. North One Sport's parent company North One Television will continue to produce all the programming for the
WRC. The CSI management includes former chairman of Leeds United Football Club, Chris Akers.
"Working in partnership with the FIA and other key stakeholders, we plan to achieve even higher targets and continue to give
an amazing challenge to manufacturers, drivers and teams," said Antonov. "Our company plans to invest substantial resources
to improve the promotion of the WRC and bring the quality of competition to even higher levels. This will benefit both
participants and spectators in the long run."
Under the terms of the deal North One Sport will relocate to CSI’s headquarters in London, but for the moment will retain
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the North One Sport name. The deal has been given the approval of FIA President Jean Todt.
Antonov says that he will not be involved in the sport on a day-to-day basis.
"One of the reasons for acquiring North One Sport was the very good team of people already working there and I see no
reason to change a successful formula. It’s vital that whatever changes we make to the WRC respect its heritage and the DNA
that makes it a unique motor sport challenge. We’ll work hard to strike the right balance between the past and the present,
respecting the roots of the WRC but packaging it for the latest television, mobile and multimedia markets."
Mid-Ohio sold to Green Savoree
Kim Green and Kevin Savoree have acquired the
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course from TrueSports Inc.
The 2.4-mile circuit, set in 330-acres of parkland,
is located 60 miles to the north east of Columbus,
was designed and built by car dealer Les Griebling,
who specialised in importing British cars, in 1962.
He ran the business for 20 years before selling it
to entrepreneur Jim Trueman, who had made his
money with the Red Roof Inns hotel chain. Trueman
invested heavily and was able to attract CART to the
facility, but he died of cancer in 1986, at the age of
just 52.The facility has since been run by his daughter
Michelle Trueman-Gajoch.
Savoree and Green, former partners with Michael Andretti in Andretti Green Racing team, took over the company's race
promotion assets in September 2009, leaving Michael to run the team. The new company called Green Savoree Racing
Promotions runs the St Petersburg and Toronto events. Their plan is to keep the current management at Mid-Ohio but to
develop the business around them.
"Properties like Mid-Ohio don't come on the market every day," said Savoree. "It was a great opportunity to invest in a
property with a great history and tradition that, like us, has deep roots in sports car and IndyCar racing. It was also a chance to
extend our relationship with Honda, which is a longtime partner of Mid-Ohio and our other properties."
The track will host the Honda Indy 200 IndyCar race in August, but has a busy schedule of racing school courses and track
days throughout the year.
WTCC entry announced
The official entry list for the FIA World Touring Car Championship 2011 has been released., with a total of 22 drivers from
four different marques. Series promoter Marcello Lotti says that he is satisfied with the field, particularly given the economic
problems in recent months. Around half the cars will be using the new1.6 turbo engines at the start of the season, while the
rest will switch over to the engines in the course of the months ahead. There are rumours that other manufacturers may join
the championship in the seasons ahead, now that the series is using the same engines as the World Rally Championship. The
first such manufacturer could be Subaru, which is rumoured to be evaluating a project at the moment. The stories circulating
at the moment say that the cars will be prepared and raced by Belgium's Kronos Racing operation.
The full entry list for this year's WTCC features a quartet of Chevrolet Cruzes, prepared by RML and raced by Yvan Muller,
Rob Huff, Carlos Bueno and Alain Menu. There will be a pair of private Chevrolet Lacettis entered by Bamboo Engineering for
Darryl O'Young and Yukinori Taniguchi.
SEAT may not be officially involved in the series but its favoured team Sunred will run a total of six cars, led by the Lukoil pairing
Gabriele Tarquini and Aleksei Dudukalo, plus cars for Michel Nykjær, Tiago Monteiro, Pepe Oriola and Freddy Barth.
BMW will have the most cars in the series with Proteam leading the way with three cars for Javier Villa, Fabio Fabiani and Mehdi
Bennani. In addition the Liqui Moly-sponsored Team Engstler will have two cars for Kristian Poulsen and Franz Engstler. There
will also be single entries for Urs Sonderegger (Wiechers-Sport), Norbert Michelisz (Zengö-Dension Team), Marchy Lee
(Deteam KK Motorsport) and Tom Coronel (ROAL Motorsport).
In addition there will be a single Volvo C30 for Robert Dahlgren (Polestar Racing).
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Cosworth aids Land Speed Record Cosworth is to be part of Bloodhound, the British land speed record project that is aiming to break the1,000mph barrier for
the first time. The car will be powered by a Eurojet engine, developed for the Eurofighter, which will take it to 300mph, after
which a rocket will take over. This will be designed by Falcon Project Ltd, a specialist rocketry company based in Manchester,
and will burn a mixture of hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTP) and liquid oxidiser for 20 seconds. A Cosworth CA2010
Formula 1 engine will be used as a pump and will power a ton of HTP into the rocket as it is accelerating. Bloodhound will have
roughly the same horse power as 180 F1 cars.
The vehicle will run on four 36-inch diameter wheels that will rotate at up to 10,500 rpm and will be
machined from solid aluminium. The car will go for the record
on Hakskeen Pan, an 11-mile flat in northern South Africa, close
to the Namibian border. This was used for a
record-breaking attempt by Malcolm
Cambell in 1929. If all goes to
plan the record attempts
will take place at the end
of 2012 or early in 2013.
FAZZT acquired by Schmidt
The FAZZT IndyCar team's assets have been acquired by Sam Schmidt Motorsports.The
team will run under the Schmidt banner this year, retaining the existing team members
and Alex Tagliani, one of the co-owners of the FAZZT operation. The team operated
for just one season, with funding coming from loudspeaker company Bowers & Wilkins.
Schmidt will run Tagliani in the team's Dallara-Honda, while also continuing with its
existing programmes, running Jay Howard at Indianapolis and Wade Cunningham for
three other IndyCar Series events. The team will continue to run in Indy Lights where
it has proved to be very successful in recent years. The plan is to run Brazilian Victor
Carbone and a programme of selected raced for Conor Daly. Schmidt is expected to
make further announcements about the 2011 season shortly.
Schmidt raced Indycars in the late 1990s but was paralysed in a testing accident at the
Walt Disney World Speedway in January 2000. Inspired by a meeting with Sir Frank
Williams, he started his own team in 2001 and ran Davey Hamilton, Richie Hearn
and others in the two seasons that followed. Unable to fund an Indy Racing League
programme the team then concentrated on Indy Lights, while running cars each year in
the Indy 500.
The team has had much success in Indy Lights with four titles for Thiago Medeiros in
2004, Howard in 2006, Alex Lloyd in 2007 and Jean-Karl Vernay last season.
FIA looks at Formula 4?
The new FIA Single Seater Commission had its first meeting recently and is working on plans to devise a new open wheeler
championship to attract the best kart racers. The current problem is that budgets in championships such as Formula Renault
are now in the region of $250,000 for a year, which is five or six times the money that is needed to compete in karting. This
creates a major hurdle for youngsters who are keen to move through the clutter of the junior formulae, but cannot afford to
compete in Formula Renault, which is today seen as the first important step up the ladder.
From there those with sponsorship move to Formula 3 and from there to either GP2, the Renault World Series or Formula
2. It is the job of the new commission to create a more cost-effective route for youngsters to get to the top. The first step in
this programme is the creation of a new Formula 3 International Trophy, which will be launched this year, which combines six
existing events into a 10 race series, aimed at increasing the appeal of F3. The three highest-placed drivers in the final overall
classification will qualify for a Formula 1 Super Licence.
The first step towards creating a more cost-effective structure for motorsport was taken before Todt was elected, with the
launch of the new Formula 2 in 2009. To keep down costs the FIA asked for tenders from promoters who were willing
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to manufacture, prepare and run the cars for the drivers,
thus removing the inflationary effect of having independent
teams. The technical regulations were such that F2 has not
really challenged GP2, but the rules can be tweaked at the
end of the current contract to make the powers compete
at the same kind of level, but without increasing the price.
This year Formula 2 has reduced its price to $450,000,
and increased track time at each event. Drivers now have
30 hours and 40 minutes compared to 28 hours and 30
minutes last year. GP2 has less track time and a budget
runs to around $2.7 million a year, while the Renault World
Series costs around $1.1 million.
The creation of a new entry-level championship to act as a
bridge between karting and Formula 3 is under preliminary
discussion, but for the moment nothing is decided.The commission aims to decide on what is required in terms of budgets and
safety and then decide how to move forward. The French instigated a Formula 4 in 2010, based on a carbon composite chassis
(above) built by Signatech, an offshoot of the Signature team, with 14 races a year for just $130,000.
Ana Beatriz signs for Dreyer & Reinbold
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing has announced that it has signed a deal to run Brazil's Ana Beatriz for the full IndyCar Series season.
She will race alongside former F1 driver Justin Wilson. Sponsorship will come from Ipiranga, a Brazilian oil company that enjoys
a 23 percent share of the Brazilian market through more than 5.600 branded service stations across the country. Beatriz raced
for the team in selected events last year.
"Last year was important for me to run four races to get adjusted and for this year I feel more prepared than ever," she said.
"It's great to be back with Dreyer and Reinbold; they know me already and what it takes to make me grow as a driver."
Wilson will once again be sponsored by Z-Line Designs Inc, a leading ready-to-assemble furniture retailer, based in California
and by Dad’s Root Beer, which has been a team sponsor for the last three seasons
Swap fever
Promotional activities need not be expensive to be effective and one of the most cost-effective is for a sponsor to get two
drivers from different world's to swap positions for a day or so to see how each will go in the other's machinery. This is
probably the reason why we are going to see at least three interesting cars swaps in the course of the next few months, with
NASCAR star Tony Stewart due to try his hand in a McLaren Formula 1 car at Watkins Glen, while Lewis Hamilton will have a
go in Stewart's Chevrolet.The switch has been orchestrated by Mobil, which sponsors Stewart in the Sprint Cup and Hamilton
in Formula 1. Earnhardt Ganassi Racing is not going to be left behind and is planning to run NASCAR driver Jamie McMurray
and and IndyCar racer Scott Dixon in their different cars in the course of the next few days in Alabama, with McMurray driving
Dixon's Target Dallara-Honda Indycar at the Barber Motorsports Park and Dixon having a go in McMurray's Bass Pro Shops
Chevrolet at Talladega Superspeedway. Vodafone is also getting in on the act and will be sending Jenson Button to Bathurst
in New South Wales, to have a lap of the celebrated V8 Supercar circuit in Lowndes's
Team Vodafone Holden Commodore around the Mount Panorama circuit, while
letting Lowndes loose in a McLaren on "The Mountain". This will be quite an
achievement given the extraordinary gradients on the track, which will
mean some fairly high ride-heights. The event will act as a good
promotional tool for Formula 1, aiming to attract V8 Supercar
fans to the sport.
Lowndes says that with a Formula 1 car he should be able
to set a new lap record around the circuit, although he has
never driven an F1 car before. He did spend a season
in Europe back in 1997 as team-mate to Juan Pablo
Montoya in the Formula 3000 championship.
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Motor racing in Palestine
One does not think of motorsport when Palestine is
mentioned but the often troubled state is gradually
calming down, particularly in the West Bank area, close
to Jerusalem. This has meant that the Palestinian Motor
Sport and Motorcycle Federation (PMSMF) has been
able to begin to develop. The club ran its first events in
2005, these being trials held in car parks in Ramallah and
Jericho.Two years after this the club was recognised as the
national sporting authority by the FIA. No-one paid much
attention to this until last year when the Political Consul
at the British Embassy in Jerusalem, Karen McLuskie, was
looking for projects to engage with the local community in
a campaign called "See Britain Through my Eyes", which is
being promoted worldwide, in the run-up to the Olympic
Games in London in 2012. The aim is to present a much
more dynamic and modern Britain and change the image of the country being rather stuffy and imperialistic. McLuskie was
inspired when she saw one of the PMSMF events and spotted a group of women racers called "The Speed Sisters" in action.
"When I saw women racing, I thought it was a great project to encourage," she said. "It gives women a chance to express
themselves and prove they are not ignored or marginalized."
The British Embassy thus helped to prepare a car for the women, provided them with racing suits and offered a training
programme which was hosted by British racer Helen Elstrop, in order to give them more technical skills. The results have
improved accordingly and the Speed Sisters are now well known in Palestine. There is even work beginning on a featurelength documentary film telling the story of the six women fighting to win respect in a male-dominated sport. The film is being
produced by Bungalow Town Productions and SocDoc Studios and will be directed by Geoffrey Smith.
WHISPER WHISPER WHISPER
g Britain's Serious Fraud Office has
started an investigation into A1 Grand
Prix, which is in administration with
debts of $160 million and A1 Holdings,
which was liquidated with debts in
the region of $480 million. The two
companies were run by South African
diamond entrepreneur Tony Teixeira,
who ran a championship which he
aimed to turn into the World Cup of
Motorsport, using identical cars being
run in different national colours (right).
There have been suggestions that the
entire series may have been a money
laundering operation.
g Sir Jackie Stewart was taken ill last week after complaining of chest pains on a flight back to Heathrow Airport from a visit to
the Geneva Motor Show. Stewart (71) was given first aid by the BA crew and then whisked away to hospital when the plane
arrived at Heathrow. Sir Jackie was up and about within a few hours.
g Ford and Ferrari have finally reached an agreement over the naming of the Ferrari F1 car, which was to have been called
the Ferrari F150, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Italian independence. Ford objected to this because they said that it
infringed the trademark of the F-150 truck. Ford has now dropped the law suit after Ferrari agreed to change the name to the
Ferrari 150 Italia. Ferrari had previously said that the car would be called the Ferrari F150th Italia, but Ford was not happy with
that. "In order to avoid the slightest risk of anyone confusing a Formula 1 car with a pick-up truck, for their part, the men from
Maranello have decided that the car will lose the F," Ferrari said in a statement."
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g Danica Patrick (right) finished fourth in the
NASCAR Nationwide race at the weekend
at Las Vegas, behind Mark Martin, Justin
Allgaier and Brad Keselowski. It is the best
finish ever for a woman in NASCAR, beating
the record established in 1949 when Sara
Christian finished fifth in Pittsburgh, although
she was 10 laps down on winner Lee Petty
in that race. The only woman to make an
impact in modern times was Janet Guthrie,
who finished sixth in one race in the 1970s..
g Timo Glock is out of action for a few
days after suffering appendicitis last week.
The 28-year-old German had surgery in a
Swiss hospital and will now miss the testing
in Barcelona, which has replaced the tests that were due to take place in Bahrain, but which had to be cancelled because of
the civil unrest in the country. O’Glock is expected to be fully fit in time for the opening of the F1 World Championship, which
will now take place in Melbourne.
g Daimler AG and Aabar Investment have acquired the remaining 24.9 per cent stake in Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd and
now own 100 per cent of Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix. Daimler has increased its stake from 45.1 per cent to 60 per cent, while
Aabar has increased its stake from 30 to 40 per cent. Aabar is the biggest single shareholder of Daimler AG.
g Suzan Muwonge won the Mbarara Rally, the opening round of the Ugandan national rally championship, organized by the
Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of Uganda.The 34-year-old school teacher has earned the nickname “Super Lady” in Uganda
in recent years thanks to her rallying adventures, which began in 2007 when she finished fifth in the Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally
in a Subaru Impreza.
g Marcos Ambrose has started his own racing team with the goal of helping young Australian drivers compete in the United
States of America. The team will be based in North Carolina and will field Late Model stock cars in the UARA Stars Touring
Series for Australian George Miedecke, the son of well-known touring car star Andrew "Mad Andy" Miedecke.
g Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies is to team up with Yonke Motorsports in the NHRA in the coming days to
publicise the film Rango. The movie will sponsor the team's Pro Stock entry for Bob Yonke in the NHRA Gatornationals at
Gainesville Raceway in Florida.
g Jason Plato is to continue the British Touring Car Championship in 2011 in an attempt to add to the record of 60 BTCC
wins that he shares with Andy Rouse. The 43-year-old won the BTCC title last year in a Chevrolet and is staying with the RML
team this year, aiming to push the record up to 70 victories. Plato will race the Cruze that was used last year to win Yvan Muller
the WTCC title.
g Tickets for the Singapore GP went on sale last week with the announcement that the event will feature not only the
Formula 1 racers but also the rock band Linkin Park, which will be playing on race day at the Padang, in the middle of the race
track. Fans will thus be able to enjoy a top quality musical event in addition to the racing.
g Ford used the Geneva Motor Show to unveil its new "Global
Touring Car" Ford Focus. The car has been developed by Arena
Motorsport in co-operation with Ford engineers. Arena is
expected to enter at least two of the cars in the British Touring
Car Championship with Tom Chilton driving one and Andy
Neate expected to drive the other. The new car is built to
confirm to the FIA S2000 rules but the Arena versions will
be powered by the 2.0-litre turbo NGTC engine, developed
specially for the BTCC by the tuning firm Mountune.
g Saudi Arabia's Yazeed Al Rajhi will return to the Intercontinental
Rally Challenge in 2011. He drove for the team briefly in 2009 and made a one-off appearance in 2010 on the Rally d’ItaliaSardegna at the wheel of a Kronos Racing Peugeot 207 S2000 car but will return this season to take part in six events with
Kronos, beginning with the Tour de Corse in May.
joesaward'sbusinessofmotorsport
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g Team ORECA-Matmut has announced that former Formula 1 driver Olivier Panis will join Nicolas Lapierre and Loïc Duval in
its Peugeot 908 HDi FAP for the first three rounds of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, beginning with the Sebring 12 Hours
in Florida on March 19.
g Former F1 engineer Trevor Foster has joined United Autosports to engineer the Audi R8 LMS of Matthew Bell and Zak
Brown in the FIA GT3 series. Foster began his career as an apprentice with Bob Gerard’s Formula 2 team and then worked
as a mechanic with Roger Williamson before moving on to work for the Shadow and Tyrrell F1 teams before returning to F2
with March factory Formula 2 team. He then established Pegasus Motorsport in 1983 and enjoyed success in Formula Ford
and Formula 3 before joining Eddie Jordan Racing in 1989 and moving into F1 with Jordan in 1991. He moved to Team Lotus
in1993 as director of racing but later returned to Jordan as joint managing director. In recent years he has been MD of Zytek.
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