Brazilian race car driver and “Dancing With The Stars†champ Helio Castroneves was acquitted Friday of most charges that he worked with his sister and lawyer to evade more than $2.3 million in U.S. income taxes.
A federal jury acquitted Castroneves on six counts of tax evasion but hung on one count of conspiracy. The jury also acquitted Katiucia Castroneves, 35, who is her 33-year-old brother’s business manager, on the tax evasion counts but also hung on the conspiracy. Michigan motorsports attorney Alan Miller, 71, was acquitted on all three counts of tax evasion and one count of conspiracy. The jury deliberated six days after a six-week trial.
Castroneves, speaking in his native Portuguese, expressed profound relief.
“I just want to thank God, and my fans, and all of the people who prayed for me,†he said outside the courtroom, still fingering a rosary… Details
It’s only happened once, but already the new two race event format has brought a lot of opinions along with a lot of excitement for race fans and teams who now get to see two Grand Prix’s in one weekend instead of usual one as the U.I.M. F1 World Championship for power boating turns a new page in history in its 16 race schedule for the 2009 campaign.
What do the teams think of the new racing format?
“Its been great not only for our team, but for the spectators as well,†stated the Manager for Team Abu Dhabi and four-time World Champion Scott Gillman.
“Obviously we are pleased since each of our two drivers (Ahmad Al Hameli and Thani Al Qamzi) won a race at the Grand Prix of Portugal and I think it will take a mixture of time and education to have the race spectators understand that the first day of competition is as important as the second day which was our traditional Grand Prix time… DetailsÂ
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PUMA passed through the leg six scoring gate in fourth place last night, to maintain their current overall second place in the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09. Having endured tricky light wind sailing during the first week of the 4,900 nautical mile leg from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Boston, USA, the PUMA team are currently battling through squally doldrums conditions as they fight their way northwards towards the equator. With 3,500 miles to go to Boston and currently placed second in this leg, PUMA have been climbing the leader board fast over the past 48 hours.
Fernando de Noronha, an Atlantic archipelago which the fleet passed to the west of during leg one and to the east late last night, is the first milestone of the leg to Boston. In keeping with the intensely close race to date, PUMA was almost within touching distance of their rivals as they passed through the gate, earning valuable points which count towards the team’s overall score in the race. With their minds set on the next milestone of the leg – the fourth and final equator crossing of the 37,000 nautical mile round the world race – the PUMA team are racing within sight of the close pack of boats around them. While wind speeds are varying wildly between five and 18 knots, and the direction swinging from north east to east south east, the ten man crew is being kept on their toes, with everyone poised to run on deck to change sails at any moment… DetailsÂ