Motorola Announcement

[Liz]

From AR1 : (Jay, you can relax now. )

MIAMI (November 22, 2002) - Messages will continue to fly around the CART paddock faster than the speed of the 200-mph Champ Cars next season as Motorola announced Friday that it had renewed its sponsorship as the "Official Two-Way Radio Equipment of CART".

Motorola has long been a partner with CART and first tested its specialty motorsports headsets with the CART series. Through the partnership, Motorola will provide state-of-the-art radios and its two-way radio communication network for use by CART officials, the Simple Green Safety Team and CART medical personnel on a race weekend. In addition, virtually every Champ Car team in the paddock utilizes Motorola's cutting-edge two-way radio communication technology.

"Motorola is excited to continue our long-term relationship with CART as an official sponsor of the Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford," said Tom Crawford, Director of Corporate Sponsorship Marketing. "We are pleased to be able to provide CART with our state-of-the-art two-way radio communications equipment and in turn, have the opportunity to showcase our products and systems to customers around the world."

The radios are delivered and maintained through a partnership between Motorola and Racing Radios, with Racing Radios handling the logistical duties of maintaining the radios during a race weekend. These radios are vital to the success of each and every Champ Car event as communications from corner workers, safety trucks and officials keep the event moving, while the teams and drivers use them on nearly every lap to discuss their car's performance and possible strategies.

Motorola's dedication to CART and the Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford goes well beyond providing their technologically-advanced radios and headsets. Motorola will also continue to sponsor the "Motorola Call of the Race Award". Established in 2002, the award recognizes the team that executes the best race strategy decision resulting in the team's improved position. For 2003, after each Champ Car event, CART fans will have the opportunity to cast their vote through cart.com to decide which team executed the best race strategy as well as register to win Motorola products. At the end of the season, Motorola will award a year-end prize to the team - using Motorola equipment - that executes the best race strategy throughout the season as voted on by the fans.

[Jay]

I'm involved in my Uni's solar car team and our telemetry systems will likely be mostly Motorola components, as will our radio systems, which likely be very similar to those used in Cart. It's simply a matter of Motorola having what need, and then sticking with their products to avoid compatibility conflicts. We're still in the design stage, but we're currently testing some Motorola microcontrollers (which they were good enough to give us) to see how they would work with various sensors.

Yeah Motorola!

[camcartfan]

Now let's get Motorola sponsorship on the side of one of the cars!

[Liz]

Like maybe Mario's car?

[Jay]

Don't think that'll happen in 2003...from the press conference:

Q:Tom, the past two years we saw Motorola sponsoring a car in the CART series. Will we see that in the future again or is your role going to be in series sponsorship?

TOM CRAWFORD:Actually we've been a sponsor going back to 1994 on a team. It's been kind of a long run. Right now that isn't in the plan for CART for 2003. Chris works hard all the time, so who knows what the future will hold.

I'm not holding it against them though, they're a company in recovery too.

[f1manoz]

I don't mind if Motorola don't sponsor a team in itself, because they are still supplying teams with equipment, so they will therefore get the exposure they need.

So if Motorola are staying in CART, and KOOL pulled out, just which sponsors exactly told Mikey to take his team to the IRL?

[The Snout]

So if Motorola are staying in CART, and KOOL pulled out, just which sponsors exactly told Mikey to take his team to the IRL?

Exactly what I was thinking, Mikey is full if sh1t. Honda threw the Yen and Mikey bent over. When Honda pull out in 3 years will be interesting to see what he does then.

[greg.n]

There is an interesting piece on champweb about what is going on in the Andretti camp and even a rumour that Kanaan was offered back to Mo Nunn if he paid andretti the $1.5 million that tony was to be paid driving for andretti next year. In other words its all going belly up for Mikey!

[BootsOntheSide]

The guys who sponsored the 500 effort I think are suposed to be stepping up to the plate for a full season next eyar, btu it seems like maybe the budget doesn't stretch to 3 cars. If the Champweb rumour Greg reports is true, that is an astonishing situation, if they would rather pay off a driver from a fair old contract than ahve to race him.

Also, Dario is rumoured to regret his decision, and wish he had tkaen Newman-Haas' CART offer. I'm sure its not too late for that deal to be arranged, unless Allan McNish already has his name on the car.

[Liz]

I'd heard that Mikey was shopping Kanaan around too -- which ought to be a lesson to people to keep quiet until all the ducks are in a row (or until in fact you actually have any ducks to line up!)

I'm sure it makes Kanaan feel great too, after he has been heard slagging off CART in public and now he'll have to eat his words. (I hear him backing off though so maybe this has already occurred to him.)

[Crash Test]

Which manufacturer is paying for Mikey's deal?

Supplier to CART for headsets? Nothing earth shattering, nice, but would be nice if they still sponsored Pac West...

[Liz]

This may not be a huge deal but it is a big vote of confidence. And possibly the TKG personnel who don't want to change series' will encourage Motorola to back them (with the proper incentives from the slush fund maybe) even as an associate sponsor would be good.

Possible slogan: "Motorola: We're Staying!"

[indycool]

This is an "in-house" deal of some kind. Motorola executive named Tucker is on the MPH board.

[racer69]

Originally posted by f1manoz
So if Motorola are staying in CART, and KOOL pulled out, just which sponsors exactly told Mikey to take his team to the IRL?

Maybe Michael was told by Kool and Motorola that they weren't backing any cars next year and the sponsers he has been able to get said IRL.

[Tailwind]

Why hasn't Michael announced those sponsers then?

[Liz]

Gag order?

[jock25]

If Honda is bankrolling Andretti's entry into the IRL he probably doesn't need to find any major sponsors. Honda will be picking up the tab.

With regards the rumour that Dario is regretting his move, keep an eye out for who Honda choose to test the BAR-Honda next season. There were apparently some interesting clauses in Dario's new IRL contract.

For more see http://uk.geocities.com/motorsportforum

[Tailwind]

Jock25, what clauses to his contract? I checked out the above link, but didn't find that information. Could you tell us what you know about the cluases? Thanks.

[jock25]

Sorry Tailwind, link should be:

http://uk.geocities.com/motorsportforum/Dariohonda.html

Basically, the rumour is that Franchitti's agreement gives him a shot at an F1 test with BAR. Alledgedly that is one of the main reasons for him staying with Honda.

[greg.n]

If Dario took the IRL drive thinking he might have a chance at an F1 drive he's wishing and hoping but thats about all. Button and possibly Sato are the in form drivers for those seats for 2004 and Dario didn't impress that much in his Jaguar test drive (admittedly it wasn't much of a test). Yes Liz he should have taken the newman haas drive when it was offered to him.

[Liz]

Ralph Firman is a very strong candidate too.

As far as Dario goes, and this may be as far as he goes, I heard in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets this weekend that it is not your abilities that count the most, it is your choices. Makes sense to me.

[jock25]

The Jag test was a set up designed to discredit CART drivers, nothing more than that. He got a shot in the R1 which was a complete pig of a car, most drivers apart from Schumacher would have struggled to impress. da Matta got into F1 with Toyota for being good but also because he's big in south America (a key target market for Toyota - indeed both Mika Salo and Ove Andersson admitted the decision was made in Japan and had a lot to do with commercial issues). So if North America becomes important enough for Honda, he could easily get the nod.