JSBM 11.05 - Joe Saward

Contents:
Mallya does his own thing
Ferrari leads the way in F1 launches
Sauber mixes its drinks
The rise of the F1 sub-contractor
Warsaw, Kuwait, Staten Island...
NASCAR announces rule changes
Renault considers the WRC
Petty chasing Danica?
Loeb and Räikkönen for Le Mans?
Pirelli aiming to return to WRC in 2012
January 31 2011
Issue 11.05
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
Mallya does his own thing
In the course of last week Bernie Ecclestone was asked by the Australian media about chatter in Melbourne about the future
of the Australian Grand Prix and whether the contract might be settled before it terminates in 2015.
"We have a contract," Ecclestone said. "We don't break contracts."
This is a sensible attitude in an age where the sport is increasingly dependent on government and corporate dollars. Sadly, there
are still some people left in the sport who do not fully understand this. The announcement by the Force India F1 Team that it
has signed Adrian Sutil, Paul di Resta and Nico Hülkenberg for 2011 and dumped contracted driver Tonio Liuzzi, without even
negotiating a settlement is a very poor advertisement for the team - and for the sport in general. There is not much that the
Italian driver can do about it, as legal action is difficult against a man who had unlimited money to spend on lawyers. In any case,
Liuzzi needs an immediate settlement so as to be able to keep his F1 career alive. The Spanish-owned HRT team would like to
hire him but in order to secure that drive he needs sponsorship as HRT's own commercial operations have failed to generate
anything of note in the last 12 months, even after the recruitment of well-known Spanish businessman Juan Villalonga.
Force India is co-owned by the limelight-seeking Indian drinks baron Vijay Mallya and the more discreet Mol family from the
Netherlands. It is financed primarily by the Mallya-owned United Breweries group brands Kingfisher beer and spirit companies
Whyte & Mackay, Royal Challenge and Signature. There is a commercial deal with German computer company Medion,
although this is believed to be linked to Sutil. United Breweries is expected to soon announce that it has become the world's
largest spirit manufacturer, ahead of Diageo. It should be noted, however, that 90 percent of UB's
global sales are in India and while Mallya is expanding the business in developing markets in
Asia, he says he is not too bothered about the mature western markets. Nor it seems is Mallya
particularly bothered about western business practices...
One can argue about Liuzzi’s ultimate talent and there is no question that his points total in
2010 was disappointing, but closer inspection of the circumstances reveal that he did very little
wrong and was on the pace of Sutil when his car was running without technical problems.
Team members have admitted that the organisation was to blame for some of his misfortunes
last year. Deputy team principal Robert Fernley told the F1 media in an FIA press conference in
October that the team was "comfortable" with the drivers it had for 2011 and said that "Tonio
has had a problem with the mechanical and aero packages in the car throughout the season,
and we work hard to try and correct them for him. There are times when it all clicks together
and other times he’s still struggling a little bit with it, but it is fundamentally something we have
to keep working on with him."
There is no doubting that when the car was working properly Liuzzi delivered, notably in
Montreal where he qualified sixth on the grid. Liuzzi also provided much of the technical feedback as although very quick Sutil
is not the most technical of drivers. Despite his misfortunes Liuzzi has never criticised the team openly and invested three years
in the team, being happy to act as test driver in order to earn his place in one of the racing cars. It should also be remembered
that only a few weeks ago, completely unprompted, Fernando Alonso mentioned that Liuzzi was "a major talent" who had not
had the chance of racing a car to reflect his abilities.
It is believed that di Resta has been given the second seat in exchange for the free supply of the Mercedes KERS system, which
would otherwise be costing the team in the region of $6 million, after the German manufacturer decided to hike the price
of the system last autumn. Di Resta is a Mercedes favourite, having spent the last four years racing for Mercedes in the DTM
Series.
Whatever the details, Liuzzi has a right to feel aggrieved by the way he has been treated, but the law cannot help him much.
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The Contract Recognition Board exists to solve contractual disputes but can only confirm the status of Liuzzi's contract. It
would be for a court to rule about issues such as performance - and that would take years and cost huge sums of money. Thus
Liuzzi's only real option is to try to negotiate the best deal possible in the circumstances and hope that Mallya will pay up so
that he can sign a deal with Force India. There are no guarantees that this will happen. Only last week Force India headquarters
in Silverstone were visited by bailiffs, who were there to collect the $1.8 million that Dutch driver Giedo Van der Garde won
in the High Court last year, one of several judgements against Mallya in the last 12 months. It should be noted that even as the
driver announcements were being made there was another court case going on in London, with the hospitality firm Futurecom
Event & Marketing GmbH.
The choice of di Resta as the team's second driver is clearly dependent on money as the Scotsman has been put into the team
over the heads of Liuzzi and Hülkenberg, both experienced and promising F1 men. Di Resta may prove to be as good in time
and much was made of the fact that he won the Formula 3 Euroseries in 2006 ahead of his team-mate Sebastian Vettel, but he is
going to need to learn about F1 and four years in touring car racing cannot be seen as an advantage, when his contemporaries
have been gaining experience in F1.
Ferrari leads the way in F1 launches
Ask any American what they think of when you
say "F150" and they will reply that it is a large
and very popular truck built by the Ford Motor
Company.
The announcement that the new Ferrari F1 car is
to be called the F150 might be viewed as a gaffe by
the marketing department at Maranello, but the
truth is that the decision to use that designation
reflects two key points: the first is that Formula 1
is not yet big enough in the United States for the
confusion between the F150 and Ford's F1-50 to
make any real impact; the second is that Ferrari
chairman Luca di Montezemolo is clearly keen
to align the company he runs with Italy. The F150
designation is to recognise the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy.
"Ferrari is the expression of Italian excellence, talent and creativity," said Montezemolo. "All the men and women who work
with passion and commitment at Maranello share the pride and responsibility that comes with representing our country to the
rest of the world and it is with this spirit that we wanted to dedicate the new car to such a historical event, which is of such
importance to the entire country."
This emphasis on the team's Italian-ness is highlighted by the rear wing which features the Italian national colours rather
than the name of a sponsor, as would normally be the case. This indicates that no suitable sponsor could be found to replace
Etihad, which had the space last season, but more importantly it underlines the fact that Montezemolo is looking beyond F1
to a role in Italy's national political scene, which becomes ever more uncertain as the current Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi
stumbles from one scandal to another, with the opposition and any number of investigators in hot pursuit. Berlusconi survived
a no-confidence vote in December but is now in further trouble as magistrates investigate fresh allegations of relationships
with suspected teenage prostitutes, notably Karima El Mahroug, a Moroccan nightclub dancer. Berlusconi has been accused of
abusing his office by obtaining her release from a police station last year. He has refused to answer a summons by magistrates,
questioning their authority. Il Giornale, a newspaper owned by the Berlusconi family, launched an attack on Ilda Boccassini, one
of the investigators, citing a relationship she was said to have had with a leftwing reporter 30 years ago. Berlusconi is a great
survivor but the situation is fast becoming unrecoverable and the speculation in Italy is that the popular Montezemolo could
be called upon to form a government of national unity to address the real problems facing Italy at the moment, notably the
economy.
Judging by the car at the launch, the economic situation of Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro seems pretty solid, with the usual
support from Philip Morris (a new logo having replaced the barcode), Shell, Santander, Acer, Tata and AMD. The front wing
endplates remain unsponsored, and Etihad has gone from the rear wing, while Mubadala has also disappeared and is replaced
by www.ferrari.com. There is also discreet badging for Fiat.
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Sauber mixes its drinks
The Sauber F1 team has announced two deals in the last few days: a new sponsorship with
Mexico's José Cuervo, the best-selling tequila brand in the world, and the expansion of its
sponsorship deal with the Mad-Croc energy drink company.
The José Cuervo deal is obviously linked to the arrival of major Mexican influences in the
team, with the signing of Sergio Perez. He brought major sponsorship from Telmex, with
additional support for the team from subsidiary brand Claro, the largest mobile phone
network in the Americas, and Latin America's leading insurance group Interproteccion. José
Cuervo is slightly different in that the company is tied into a longterm deal with Diageo, which
used to own a share in the company. That shareholding was repurchased in 2002 to allow Diageo
to sell its own brands in the Mexican market but it continues to distribute José Cuervo worldwide.That arrangement will end in
2013 but there has already been speculation that Diageo, which has enjoyed much success in F1 with its Johnny Walker brand,
could be about to make a bid for the tequila company, to strengthen its position as the consolidation of the spirits industry
continues. Diageo is also reckoned to be considering a bid to buy the shares in Moët-Hennessy which it does not already
own.
For the moment, however, José Cuervo is still owned by the Beckmann Family, which has been making tequila for six generations
and has enjoyed spectacular success in recent years as premium tequila has taken off in the US markets. The aim now is to
spread the word about tequila to the developing markets of Asia, where F1 is currently making quite an impact.
José Cuervo branding will be seen on the sidepods of the Sauber and on the top of the car’s nose.
"When we found out a Mexican driver had secured a seat with the Sauber F1 Team it all clicked for Jose Cuervo to support
him and the team," said Juan Domingo Beckmann, the chief executive of José Cuervo. "When all the right pieces fall into place
things work out naturally. Sergio is a great driver racing for a superb team in the most prestigious of all sports, so why not
involve the most distinguished tequila in the world, José Cuervo. We are convinced this will be a very successful venture for
the company and for Mexico."
The rise of the F1 sub-contractor
The launch of the Ferrari Formula 1 car and questions about the Resource Restriction Agreement (RRA) have led to the
revelation that the Italian team and others used the Toyota Motorsport wind tunnels at Marsdorf, near Cologne, in the course
of last year, in an effort to maximise their performance within the restrictions imposed. The RRA includes a cap on the number
of staff allowed, restrictions on the time that a team can use its aerodynamic and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) facilities
and a limit on the amount of money that can be spent on sub-contractors. The policing of the RRA has been carefully defined
and there are penalties that can be imposed if anyone breaches the rules. There have been lot of rumours about possible
infractions by the leading teams but these make little sense apart from providing the media with stories to spin as the RRA was
agreed between the teams because costs needed to be cut. There is no question that teams have developed loopholes in the
agreement and it seems that Ferrari and others have decided when defining their strategies that they wanted to concentrate as
much resources as possible on aerodynamic development and so used the sub-contracting budget to buy time in commercial
wind tunnels and made other parts of the cars, which would normally be sub-contracted, in-house. Other teams are believed
to have adopted similar policies with other F1-spec wind tunnels.
In an effort to cut down on the staff there has also been a trend towards using sub-contractors to build chassis and parts.
One company, EPM Technology, which is headquartered near Derby, England, wrote to
all the teams in 2009 offering them fixed contracts for the year with replacement parts
included, thus giving them the incentive to reduce their staff numbers and cut their costs,
while generating more work. The company took on some of those who were laid
off by the teams, which helped to keep people in work. Today EPM works for
several teams and manufactures chassis for Force India.
Force India has sub-contracted almost all of the work that is done with the team
being run by Colin Kolles's organisation in Greding, near Ingolstadt in Germany. The
chassis is being designed by a number of engineers in different locations, while the chassis will be built by Mubea
Carbo Tech GmbH in Salzburg, which used to build chassis for Scuderia Toro Rosso.The engines come from Cosworth, with the
gearboxes and rear suspension from Williams F1 and the drivetrain from Pankl Racing Systems in Kapfenberg, Austria.
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Warsaw, Kuwait, Staten Island...
Ron Walker, the head of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation and a close
ally of Bernie Ecclestone, stepped forward last week to defend his race against
attacks from local politicians and remarked that "the race will not leave here
until 2015 - unless the government decides to talk to Mr Ecclestone about
termination. There are a number of places where the race could go to, such
as Russia, India and Warsaw in Poland. Qatar, Dubai and Kuwait want one,
and they are negotiating in New York for a race on Staten Island".
Some of these bids are well known and others well-advanced, indeed there
are others that Walker neglected to mention, notably South Africa, but bids
from Warsaw, Kuwait and Staten Island have not been discussed openly
before. All three are logical.
Warsaw is Poland's capital city and with Robert Kubica now one of the
top names in the sport, it is natural that the locals would like an event at
which to celebrate his success and show the world a positive story about
the country. There have been various F1 demonstrations in the city, notably
the BMW Sauber Pit Lane Park which was set up in the city in 2007 and
2008 at the Babice Airport, a former military base that is now used as the
city's executive airport. Renault also held a road show in 2007 and Red Bull
did a demonstration last year (above) in Plac Trzech Krzyży (Three Cross Square). There has been no public announcements
about any planning for an F1 although in 2009 the Korean electronics firm LG funded a survey to ask Polish F1 fans where
they would like a circuit to be built and said that the results would be passed on to the Formula One company. LG's situation
has changed somewhat in recent months although the company has just announced profits for last year of $ 1.1 billion. Since
January 1, however, the company has parted company with its Chief Marketing Officer Dermot Boden, who was the major
force behind the company's various deals in F1, including sponsorship of Red Bull Racing and official technology partner status
with the Formula One group. Boden has not been replaced. There was talk some years ago of an F1 track being built near
Gdansk, but that has not materialised.
Kuwait talked about building a Formula 1 track back in 2007, but there has been little in the way of action since then probably
because the competition for races in the Gulf is becoming more and more intense, with Bahrain and Abu Dhabi having events,
Qatar looking to do whatever is necessary to land a Grand Prix and Dubai also keen to join the fun, following the failure of its
Formula One theme park concept.The Dubai Autodrome still exists but owner Union Properties is not thought likely to invest
further in the idea.
Formula 1 has long been trying to find a way to return to South Africa, which used to be a regular stopping off point in the
Grand Prix calendar. The last visit was in 1993 but the race was not financially viable and the promoter was arrested on fraud
charges and so the race disappeared. There have been a variety of projects to revive the event but money has always been
the problem in post-independence South Africa, although government money was used to create a street race for A1GP cars
in Durban and there was an attempt to build a new circuit in Johannesburg with local government money. The reopening of
South Africa to international sport led to the 1995 Rugby
World Cup and then in 2010 the country hosted the FIFA
soccer World Cup and it is hoped that the government
will support a new project being discussed by a new
firm called the Cape Town Grand Prix Bid Company, by
Igshaan Amlay, a former political prisoner, who has been
running an events company for the last five years.
Amlay's goal is to build a 3.2-mile street circuit around
the V&A Waterfront development and the Green Point
Stadium, which is now back in the hands of the City after
an international consortium which was to run the facility
decided not to go ahead as financial projections indicated
huge potential losses. This would be located under Table
Mountain and the aim is to base the event on the Monaco
Grand Prix.
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A Staten Island project is also very interesting, not least because NASCAR's sister company, the International Speedway
Corporation (ISC), bought a 676-acre parcel of disused industrial land on the west side of the island, facing the New Jersey
shore in 2004 with the intention of building a speedway to serve the New York metropolitan area. This went wrong as the
residents of Staten Island were opposed to the idea because of the additional congestion it would create. In the end the ISC
gave up in 2006 and tried to sell the land. Four years later it is still looking for a buyer.The price has dropped nearly $20 million.
The original plan was to include a high-end shopping complex in the area, to be built by The Related Companies, owned by
Stephen Ross, the owner of the Miami Dolphins, who is best known for its $1.7 billion Time Warner Center in Manhattan.
The aim would be to give Staten Island a bit more glitz. Much work is going on on the western side of the island with the
development of the Fresh Kills Landfill into a vast new park, which will bigger than Central Park when it is completed. There is
much discussion going on about a corridor of parks, farmers’ markets, performance spaces, yacht harbours, cafes and restaurants
all along the North Shore of the island, including a light railway that would link up with the Staten Island Ferry. Tourists often
catch the ferry across the harbour in order to get a cheap view of the Statue of Liberty, but they rarely leave the Staten Island
terminal. The aim is to offer them more. The development of public transportation would rid any motorsport development of
the congestion fears that blighted the NASCAR plan (pictured above), particularly as the extension of the North Shore railway
could run right through the middle of such a complex, delivering thousands of people without creating any problems. If the
project under discussions is using the same land - and it is hard to imagine that there could be any other idea given the space
available - then there is much to commend it, if the funding can be found. It will be interesting to see how that develops.
NASCAR announces rule changes
NASCAR has announced a number of measures designed to make the Sprint Cup more fan friendly, including adding the two
drivers with the most number of wins to the top 10 when the series switches to the Chase section run-offs, towards the end
of each season. Previously the Chase had featured the top 12 in the title race, which meant that consistency was rather more
important that winning. NASCAR has also introduced a new scoring system which is designed to make it easier for fans to
follow the championship fight.
"The fans tell us that winning matters the most with them, so we're combining the tradition of consistency in our sport with
the excitement that comes along with winning," said Brian France, the NASCAR chairman.
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The new points system - which will also be used for the NASCAR Nationwide and Truck series - will mean that race winners
score 43 points and the 43rd classified runner will get one point. There will be three additional points for a win, one point for
any driver who leads a lap and another point for the driver who leads the most laps. This means that the maximum score for
a race will be 48 points.
France has also confirmed that drivers must now choose which series they wish to compete in and can only score in one,
although they will still be allowed to race in all three. This means that the other titles will more likely go to rising young stars.
There are a variety of other minor changes to the rules, including a reduction in the number of tyres allowed, modified qualifying
procedures, new fueling systems which will mean that there is not need for a sixth crew member to go over the wall.
Renault considers the WRC
Renault has sold its Formula 1 operation and consolidated its engine operations at Viry-Chatillon.The aim is to become not only
an engine supplier, but also a research and technology consulting firm. This is not unlike what Toyota Motorsport has become
since the Japanese company shut down its F1 operation. However, the word is that the firm is now conducting an in-depth study
into a World Rally Championship project.
Renault Sport Technologies is now headed by Patrice Ratti, who took over from Rémi Deconinck in December. Ratti began
his career with Renault in 1981 as an engineer with the Renault Sport F1 team before moving into road cars in the late 1980s,
becoming head of the Espace project in 1993. He then began a series of international jobs in Mexico and then as head of
Renault in Portugal before returning to Paris for two years to work at corporate headquarters. He moved to become head of
Renault Morocco in 2008.
The Renault Sport Technologies company provides competition versions of Renault road cars for customers, while also
organising the Renault World Series. It is headquartered in Courtaboeuf, in the southern suburbs of Paris, but also uses the old
Alpine facility in Dieppe while there are other production facilities for competition-inspired vehicles in various locations, notably
Heudebouville, not far from Rouen. The company currently produces a number of customer rally cars including the Mégane
RS, which competes in Group N, the 2WD Clio Renault Sport R3, which won the two-wheel drive class on the recent Monte
Carlo Rally, in the hands of Pierre Campana and the Twingo Renault Sport Group R, of which various versions are available.
The Mégane is the most potent Renault rally car since the days of the Maxi Mégane of the 1990s, but the new project is
rumoured to be likely to beased on a Mégane Coupé or on the next generation Clio, which would be most suitable against
the new WRC cars produced by Citroën and Ford.
Petty chasing Danica
With Richard Petty Motorsports having stabilized its financial situation with two cars running in the
NASCAR Sprint Cup for drivers AJ Allmendinger, with primary funding from Best Buy, and Marcos
Ambrose with backing from Stanley Tools, the team is now beginning to look ahead and looking for
funding to return to being a bigger operation in 2012. Last year the team ran four cars but there
was no money to do more. The team is now controlled by a consortium, including financier
Andrew Murstein, and he told reporters last week that he wants to see three cars in 2012 and
would like to have a chat with Danica Patrick about a future in stock car racing.
Patrick is currently competing in IndyCar with Andretti Autosport, continuing in her quest
to become the first woman to win the Indianapolis 500, hoping that the Andretti team will
be a little more competitive this season than in 2010. She is also continuing to compete
part-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series with JR Motorsports, which is linked to
Hendrick Motorsports.
Given her level of stock car experience at the moment it is not likely that Patrick
will be given the chance to race for Hendrick Motorsports in the Sprint Cup at any
time in the near future. The team is limited to four entries and currently runs Jimmie
Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr (who part-owns the JR
Motorsports car), with Kasey Kahne due to join in 2012, when Martin will stand
down. Danica could be slotted in with its satellite operations, notably Stewart Haas
Racing or James Finch's Phoenix Racing, but a drive with Petty might be attractive...
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Loeb and Räikkönen for Le Mans?
There are reports in France that Peugeot Sport may be
considering running one of its new 90X prototypes at the Le
Mans 24 Hours for multiple World Rally Champion Sébastien
Loeb and former Formula 1 World Champion Kimi Räikkönen.
The 90X is a completely new car, designed to comply with
the new 2011 Le Mans regulations, which have rendered
the old 908s obsolete. The team for this year's event will be
announced this week but the idea of such a driver pairing fits
with the WRC calendar as the Le Mans test day falls between
the Jordan and Sardinia rallies, while the 24 Hours itself fits in
between Argentina and Greece.
Loeb already has experience in the event, while Räikkönen
would be a new boy. Loeb likes racing and until recently was still trying to talk his way into racing a Formula 1 car, albeit only for
a few events. The two drivers share the same sponsorship in Red Bull and the Austrian drinks company is still keen to promote
its products in France where the market is less well developed than other European countries because of a long time ban. Red
Bull has featured in many international events but thus far has not figures strongly at Le Mans.
Pirelli aiming to return to WRC in 2012
Pirelli becomes the Formula 1 tyre supplier this year and so has given up its role in the World Rally Championship, but the
company's head of competition Paul Hembery is saying that he wants Pirelli to be back in the WRC in 2012, now that the tyre
rules are open once again and it can compete head to head with Michelin and others.
"I want us to be back in the WRC in 2012," he said. "Once those regulations are out, we will study them carefully and begin - if
the conditions are right - to prepare ourselves. We have a programme of continued development to maintain our knowledge
in rallying through the season."
Pirelli will supply rubber to the WRC Academy this year but is otherwise taking a back seat.
The company has been involved in WRC since it began in 1973.
WHISPER WHISPER WHISPER
g Former FIA World Touring Car Championship driver Andy Priaulx (right) is to
drive a factory BMW M3 GT2 in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup for Team Schnitzer
in 2011. He will also be involved in the development programme of the Munich
company's DTM challenger, which will go into action in 2012. There will also be other
testing work but the firm is not being specific about what vehicles are involved.
g Paddy Lowe has been named as the technical director of McLaren Racing, moving
up from his previous position as the team’s engineering director. Tim Goss, the chief
engineer on the McLaren MP4-25 moves up to fill Lowe’s previous job. Neil Oatley
will remain in his role as director of design and development programmes. The three
engineers - who have 62 years of service with McLaren between them - will share
race attendance between them this year.
g Italy's Guardia di Finanza has frozen $2 million in bank accounts belonging to former F1 team boss Flavio Briatore. The
authorities are investigating Briatore’s tax structures and have been working with the authorities in Monaco. The Guardia is a
military organisation, under the control of the Italian finance ministry, which fulfils the role of coast guard/customs. Last year it
seized Briatore’s yacht Force Blue.
g There are fears in motorsport circles that the unrest that has been seen in the world, notably in Tunisia and more recently
in Egypt might spread to other Arab countries which have been politically stable up to now. The success of the rising in Tunisia
clearly encouraged the Egyptians and may lead to further civil disorder to other countries where there is an underprivileged
underclass.There is much talk of Saudi Arabia, but also Algeria, Bahrain, Lebanon and Yemen.The uprisings seem thus far to have
been related to unemployment and there seems to be little likelihood of any rebellions in countries in the Gulf where much of
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the wealth being generated is now being reinvested in the economies of the countries. Bahrain has diversified its economy and
invested in development and employment, but there is imbalance in that the country is run by a Shiite minority, while most of
the population are Sunnis.
g James Moffat, the son of touring car legend Allan Moffat, will replace James Courtney at Jim Beam Racing in the Australian
V8 Supercar Championship this year. It will be his first year in the series. Courtney won the championship last year but has
moved on to join the Holden Racing Team where he replaces Will Davison. Davison has moved on to the Prodrive run Ford
Performance Racing, alongside Mark Winterbottom and Paul Dumbrell.
g Comcast has taken control of the NBC Universal empire after the takeover was cleared by the US government, on the
understanding that Comcast agreed to some restrictions in what it is allowed to do with its online video services.The company
controls not only the NBC network but also the Universal Pictures movie studio and its theme park operations and a string
of cable channels. It will be interesting to see whether the consolidation will result in any motorsport breaking through on to
the US networks.
g France's Jean Karl Vernay (right), who was the 2010 Firestone Indy Lights champion, is to
test for the Conquest Racing IndyCar team shortly at Sebring International Raceway. Vernay
won the Indy Lights title in his first season with five victories. The former Red Bull driver left
Europe at the end of 2009 after three seasons in the Formula 3 Euroseries. He joined Sam
Schmidt Motorsports, which had support from Lucas Oil and won on his series debut at
St Petersburg, following up with victory at Barber Motorsports Park. Later in the year he won
at Watkins Glen, Toronto and Sears Point, winning the title from James Hinchcliffe, Martin
Plowman and Charlie Kimball.
g The German newspaper Süddeutschen Zeitung and the weekly news magazine Der Stern
have both claimed that they have evidence to prove that it was Formula One boss Bernie
Ecclestone who paid $50 million to German banker Gerhard Gribkowsky. The newspapers
report that a letter sent to Ecclestone in December 2007 by a lawyer representing
Gribkowsky’s company GREP GmbH, complains that the agreed fee had not been paid on
time and that $2.3 million was outstanding. They also reported that the money that went to
Gribkowsky arrived from two different offshore companies: First Bridge Holding limited in Mauritius, which sent a payment of
$21.3 million in 2006, and Lewington Invest in the British Virgin Islands, which despatched a further $27.5 million in 2007.
g The High Court in London ruled last week that Group Lotus plc could not have a summary judgement in its legal action
against 1Malaysia Racing Team over the question of who should have the right to use the Lotus name in Formula 1.The 1Malaysia
Racing Team is competing this year as Team Lotius, while Group Lotus is sponsoring the Lotus Renault GP team. The judge
ordered that there be a full trial, beginning on March 21.There are various different elements involved in the case and all will be
considered during the trial. Group Lotus continues to trade on the successes achieved by Team Lotus, with an announcement
soon after the judgement that Nigel Mansell has been signed up as an ambassador for the Lotus T125 programme, which is
offering those with just under $1 million to spend the chance to own a quasi-F1 car (whatever that may be). The group has
also launched a new clothing and accessories brand called Lotus Originals.
g IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard has been in Houston, Texas,
for talks to revive the Grand Prix of Houston in 2012.The event
used to be on the IndyCar calendar until 2008 (right) when the
Champ Car World Series and the Indy Racing League merged.
It was impossible for all the events to be included in the new
schedule and Houston was one of the victims. Houston remains
keen on an event and wants to revive the track that was laid
out on roads in Reliant Park. The city needs to find a sponsor
for the event to be able to go ahead but the authorities are
keen to re-establish the fixture.
g Premier Sports TV will be providing exclusive live NASCAR
television coverage in Britain this year. Premier Sports TV says
that it will be covering all 38 events and that the coverage
will be advert-free. The coverage will begin with the Daytona 500 on February 12 and will be availbale to around 10 million
spectators.
joesaward'sbusinessofmotorsport
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g Venezuela's Rodolfo Gonzalez has signed to drive for the Trident team in GP2. At the same time Racing Engineering has
announced that it will retain GP2 race-winners Dani Clos and Christian Vietoris next year. Super Nova has signed Johnny
Cecotto for the GP2 Asia Series, and hopes that the 21-year-old Venezuelan will stay on with the team for the main season. He
will join Lotus Renault GP reserve driver Fairuz Fauzy, who returns to GP2 after three years.
g The GT1 World Championship will visit the Sachsenring in May this year, having decided to go to the Circuit near Chemnitz,
rather than returning to the Nurburgring, which hosted an event during the inaugural GT1 season last year. Series boss
Stephane Ratel says that he thinks the event will benefit from sharing an event with the German ADAC Masters GT Series,
which he also runs. Last year the ADAC Masters race attracted a crowd of 30,000.
Connectivity
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