Craig Pollock to announce team next week

[Liz]

I think Labatts is owned by a Belgian outfit. Any Belgian drivers on offer?

[The Other Chris]

isnt pollock associated w/ the alex young cart deal? could we have one bsa sponsored car for young and the other a labatts car for a canadian?

[Jellybabe]

Originally posted by Tiresmoke
It's a seat for JV in 2004 though.

Why? Why assume that just because Craig is doing something Jacques has to do it as well? Jacques said he didn't want to race in the States again - he doesn't need the money and he doesn't want to take a step backwards just so he's still racing.

[Jellybabe]

Originally posted by The Other Chris
isnt pollock associated w/ the alex young cart deal? could we have one bsa sponsored car for young and the other a labatts car for a canadian?

I knew I'd heard another name mentioned Yep, Yoong is the other one who's been linked with it - Craig and Rick Gorne (Yoong's manager) go way back.

[TheRob]

Um, no... Jacques's got a contract with BAR for 2003. Why should he break it?

I said next year. As in 2004.

[Snrub]

While Labatts is owned by Interbrew, they've still tried to maintain the image of being a Canadian company producing Canadian beer. It's sort of like how Jaguar tried to retain it's UK image and those Lincoln LS parts don't matter.

[Liz]

Well, then, hire Lee Bentham, the Memo Gidley of Canada!

[Jay]

I think Lee might have made more of a chance at Champcars if he'd have one... There really are way too many Memos out there though...some deserve rides too.

I don't think Jacques would ever DRIVE in Cart again...but part owner, or sponsor in some form maybe...

[Jay]

This from TSN.ca...looks like this is going to happen!

Pollock to field CART team in 2003

Craig Pollock is expected to confirm his plans for a 2003 CART team next Wednesday in Montreal.

A press conference has been set for Jacques Villeneuve's Newtown restaurant, where a "major development" for the upcoming CART season will be unveiled.

CART has also scheduled an announcement regarding its branding and logo for the 2003 season which will also include the "unveiling of another new Indianapolis-based team that will participate in the 2003 Champ Car World Series".

Reports last week indicated that Pollock had purchased the assets of the former Pac West Racing team, which ran under the monicker of PWR last season before suspending operations due to a lack of sponsorship.

Pollock is expected to operate the team out of PWR's Indianapolis facility for the 2003 season.

British American Racing test driver Patrick Lemarie has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the drive.

Pollock was surprisingly dismissed as team principle of British American Racing shortly before the start of the 2002 Formula One season. He continues to manage the affairs of Canadian Jacques Villeneuve, who is entering the final year of his contract with BAR.

[¡As-de-mim!]

CART has also scheduled an announcement regarding its branding and logo for the 2003 season which will also include the "unveiling of another new Indianapolis-based team that will participate in the 2003 Champ Car World Series".

Who could it be now?

[macdaddy]

I'm thinking that the team to be "unveiled" at the CART press conference is the Pollock entry, ¡As-de-mim!

I'm curious about the European team that Pook alluded to in his recent interview. I've got a gut feeling that Darren Manning will be driving this year, but for whom?

[¡As-de-mim!]

Originally posted by macdaddy
I'm thinking that the team to be "unveiled" at the CART press conference is the Pollock entry, ¡As-de-mim!

I'm wondering why make a pre-announcement and then fly off to the real one?

Emo is a possibility.

[macdaddy]

I'm wondering that too. Maybe I'm wrong, (history has proven time and again the likelihood of that). But the impression I've received from some of the stuff I've read is that Pollock will announce the team in Montreal the day before CART unveils the logo.

Something else I'm wondering is why is CART waiting so long to unveil this new logo? They're acting like it's the biggest announcement of the season! I was surprised that it wasn't put up on the webpage Jan 1.

[¡As-de-mim!]

The Pook press conference is in Indianapolis Wednesday morning, then he flies to Montreal for the Pollock press conference.

[DavidStHubbins]

I hope Darren Manning gets a drive this year - top bloke and can drive a bit too!

[Liz]

Maybe they had a hard time getting the paperwork done on the logo etc. Or maybe they wanted to see what kind of reaction the Other Side's announcement got.

[Jay]

I think they just wanted it to be part of a big buildup to St.Petes. With publicity gradually increasing... starting with race announcements, team announcements, the logo announcements, more driver announcements, spring training, the pre-race weekend festivities and then St. Petes.

Sounds like St. Petes might actually be a good race to go to in the future!

[macdaddy]

Okay... "The List" stands at fifteen confirmed.
1 - Corona Racing Team (Lavin) -Tech mngmnt of Walker Racing
1 - Conquest Racing (Haberfeld)
2 - American Spirit (TBA/TBA)
1 - Dale Coyne (Camathias)
2 - Newman-Haas (Junqueira/TBA)
1 - Fernandez Racing (Fernandez)
1 - Patrick Racing (Servia)
2 - Players/Forsythe (Tracy, Carpentier)
1 - Walker Racing (Gonzales)
1 - Rahal Racing (Jourdain)
1 - Herdez Competition (Dominguez)
1 - Rocketsports (TBA)

I'd like to think that second cars might be added at Herdez (Moreno), Patrick, and maybe even Rahal.

My arch-enemy TSN has this feature up:
http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/cart/feature.asp?fid=864

...Which lists the following teams as "sitting on the fence":

Craig Pollock, Michael Shank, BC Motorsports, Brand Motorsports, Racing Engineering, Forsythe Championship (Yoong), Dick Simon and ORECA.

I see three cars "guaranteed" coming out of that list. Two for Pollock and one for Yoong. Add a ride for Moreno, and the carcount is nineteen. And it ain't gonna stop there! My crystal ball tells me that Manning will be driving, too.

[¡As-de-mim!]

Pook did say that there is a Euro team joining soon.

[Jellybabe]

Pook said there would be a European "contingent", with a larger contingent in 2004...That's not neccessarily a team.

[¡As-de-mim!]

I think you are going to be very, very pleasantly surprised in the next 10 days by the names of some of the new team owners in our series

Yes we have a European ownership contingency coming to our series in 2003 and an even larger one coming in 2004. Obviously from our perspective we want to have a balance of all nationalities.

[Tiresmoke]

Originally posted by Jellybabe
Why? Why assume that just because Craig is doing something Jacques has to do it as well? Jacques said he didn't want to race in the States again - he doesn't need the money and he doesn't want to take a step backwards just so he's still racing.

why not? jacques may not be wanted for an F1 race drive in 2004. is he ready to retire- heck no. would he want to compete in the states again with his friend's new and promising team- why not?

[Tiresmoke]

Originally posted by ¡As-de-mim!
I think you are going to be very, very pleasantly surprised in the next 10 days by the names of some of the new team owners in our series

Yes we have a European ownership contingency coming to our series in 2003 and an even larger one coming in 2004. Obviously from our perspective we want to have a balance of all nationalities.

good find as-de-mim. the wording can be debateable. I read it as more than one european (be it partner or otherwise) team owner.

[DNQ]

Originally posted by macdaddy
Okay... "The List" stands at fifteen confirmed.

Yes, but I am prepared to pencil in a second NH seat with confidence, and of course Moreno in at Herdez is going to happen, so we're getting close to the 18 cars needed. Shame BC Motorsport seems as if it won't be happening.

[f1manoz]

I think we'll get 20 cars. There will be more announcements coming along.