Newman-Haas being sued by Texaco

[KC]

Texaco has filed lawsuit in federal court for relief from their contract with Newman-Haas Racing over a US$97.5 million dollar debt. The say that they signed the long term deal with NHR believing that Michael Andretti was staying with the team. NHR elected not to pay Andretti's asking price and now Texaco is looking to get out. KMart, the chief sponsor on Christian Fittipaldi's car, has announced they will most likely leave the motorsports arena all together after serious market reversals.

NHR counters that the contract does not specify who the driver only that one must be named immediately in the event of a change. I would imagine that with Fittipaldi and daMatta in the cars, the list of Brazilian or other South American sponsors has grown longer for the team.

[bella]

i've read that christian is very popular in brazil, so perhaps now these big american guys are out of the frame, the smaller brazilian companies might take it over. as someone elsewhere said, i can't imagine those two team owners going short for a season, could you?

ah, typical of the old cart though. they might get away with it if the climate were still the same as it was 4 years ago. now, i guess a lot of people don't understand the whole we need an american now thing. i certainly don't.

perhaps it's time for the brazilian tourism board (is there one?) to step in with some cash, a lot of girls in bikinis, and a nice car pained like the amazon forest. after the rockingham car, it's an idea..... can't see carl haas in a hula skirt, though...

[KC]

The biggest problem with the "American" thing is that if the press scream it loud enough then even the sponsors will begin to believe it and start looking elsewhere. I do believe that a few American drivers need to be in the series (not in every car), but they need to earn their position, not be subsidized by the organizer (Little Al). However, a good many foreign drivers come in and are subsidized by their sponsors and take seats whether they are better than another without sponsorship or not. After all, if a driver has not been in the car then no one knows how they will perform.

[Liz]

That's true,Ricardo Rosset was actually quite good in the lower formulae and then he came into F1 and was a doorstop. But the whole name of the game in racing is Bring Your Own Money, and I don't imagine there is any enthusiasm for subsidizing Americans, as you rightly point out, just so they can get into the cars. I wonder why Casey Mears can't attract the attention of the guys who sponsor the rest of the Mears clan? You'd think he could get an introduction at least. And he did show some good speed at Fontana and a good racing brain as well. Maybe Texaco will offer him sponsorship if he can get a ride somewhere.

The series needs winning pilots, that's what the sponsors like to see. And I think Big C and Little C will win races next year, so maybe Texaco will change their minds and stday.

Bella, the idea of Carl Haas in a hula skirt ...

[bella]

thought that might be funny. till i thought about it.....

big c and little c will win lots of races next season. so long as i stop supporting them......

i would be happy to see casey mears in a third n/h car. not because he's an american, but he struck me as being a good driver. sod the name, that has no effect on me (although i suspect i'm in the minority there...)

[Liz]

Rick Mears was quoted in a French magazine as comparing Gil to Prost, so I am feeling benign toward him right now. But I do wonder why he's not getting any attention from the Sponsorship Gurus - perhaps because he's only won one race in three years in Lights? Jacques got a lot of interest at first just on his name, and then he learned to drive so he justified the interest. Surely Casey Mears could do the same.

But since nobody seems to be noticing him, maybe he's just not that good.