De Paddock - Cart, het begin van het einde

Penske stapt uit de CART-series om in de IRL te gaan racen. Na het opstappen van Honda nu weer een tegenslag voor CART.
Blijkt dat Formule 1 niet de enige is die moeilijke tijden doormaakt. Ik zie dan ook niet hoe amerikaanse racers uit zo'n onstabiele serie in de nabije toekomst in de F1 zullen belanden.

Quote:

Bron: F1Live

Penske pulls out of CART
''We plan to compete in all Indy Racing League series races in 2002.” [08/12/01 - 06:56]

t has been speculated for some time that Team Penske, after winning another title in the predominately American based Champ Car series may not be around to defend it in 2002. Rumours have now been confirmed that the team will compete in the rival IRL series instead due to the fact that CART will continue to travel into Europe as part of the CART championship.

"We plan to compete in all Indy Racing League series races in 2002, in addition to the Indy 500," said Penske president Tim Cindric. "It was a decision made with our principal sponsor based on our collective interests and objectives for 2002."

Penske, like Ferrari, are sponsored by Marlboro, and due to the ban on tobacco advertising at European events, they would prefer to stay in the US where they can continue to get as much coverage as possible rather than have to travel all the way to Germany and England to run minus their official branding.

“We are disappointed to learn of Marlboro Team Penske's decision to leave the FedEx Championship Series. Both Roger Penske and Marlboro have been long-time supporters of CART and they will be missed. We wish them and their two talented drivers, Gil de Ferran and Helio Castroneves, well,” read a statement from CART. “The economics of our sport require teams to satisfy sponsors' marketing needs. We believe the CART FedEx Championship Series delivers significant value for sponsor investment as evidenced by the 2.5 million spectators who attended our races in 20 markets around the world in 2001; the recent renewal of our relationship with series sponsor FedEx; our new television agreement with Fox Cable Networks/Speedvision and CBS; the ongoing commitment of race teams such as Target Chip Ganassi Racing, Team KOOL Green and the PacWest Racing Group; and the expansion of our schedule to include races at three new venues – Denver, Mexico City and Montreal – in 2002. CART has always enjoyed the loyal support of our owners, sponsors and fans."

"They are drawn to our fast cars, unique tracks and technological sophistication, as well as to our many world-class drivers. We will maintain their support by offering the same top- quality product we have offered for decades. And we will remain focused on our No.1 objective – growing our sport and the CART brand.”