Racing is no exception when it comes to the slumping economy. With automakers in dire straits at present, dropping involvement in motorsport, especially sponsorships, will certainly tax teams and events from all venues of the sport.
While NASCAR is gearing up for its traditional annual kickoff, the Daytona 500 and related events, how its season will fare after the stock car giant’s main event is open to speculation. Teams have merged, sponsorship is way down, and layoffs at the race shops in the Mooresville, N.C., area have been heavy.
Chevrolet will be driven by the newly formed Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, an amalgamation of DEI and Ganassi. Driving for the entire Cup season will be Martin Truex and Juan Pablo Montoya…Â More info
Motorsport boss Max Mosley has tipped Lewis Hamilton to win a second Formula One world drivers’ title in 2009.
F1 commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone said last month he wanted Ferrari’s Felipe Massa to win after narrowly missing out to the McLaren man in 2008.
But Mosley said: “If someone said ‘here’s £100, you have to put it on a driver’ you’d probably put it on Lewis… More info
There’s a rumor going around that a pair of guys with impressive racing resumes are putting together an American Formula 1 team featuring American drivers Scott Speed and Danica Patrick – and its goal is winning a championship within 10 years.
Such rumors make the rounds every two or three years, but this one’s worth taking seriously because the people behind the team are Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor, two noteworthy names in the world of open-wheel racing. Anderson’s been an engineer for the likes of Ligier and A.J. Foyt Racing, and Windsor’s worked with the likes of Nigel Mansell and Frank Williams…Â More info
2005 IndyCar Series champion Dan Wheldon and wife Susie welcomed their first child together Sunday, Feb 1st. Sebastian Daniel Wheldon weighed 6 pounds, 12 ounces and was born at Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, Fla., two weeks ahead of his due date. Both mother and son are “doing well.â€
“It was just the most unbelievable experience of my life,†said Wheldon. “It’s one of those things that, until you experience it, you’ll never be able to put into words how great the feeling is. The first time I saw the little baby… More info