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The TACH Report: Tyrrell F-1 Team Sold to Tobacco Co., Honda Inquiry Gets Sticky, Cadillac to Make SUV

2 December 1997

For some reason no one wants to admit it, but the Tyrrell Formula One race team is being purchased by British-American Tobacco, and the guy replacing Ken Tyrrell as team honcho in 1999 is Craig Pollock. Pollock manages such race drivers as Alex Zanardi, Dario Franchiti and Jacques Villenueve. The plot thickens.

The Feds are once again asking questions about American Honda's field sales operations, and are pointing fingers at people who mouthed off in the probe--which put several managers behind bars and landed Rick hendricks under house arrest. A. Cardiges, the former executive who got several years in the pen for taking bribes is on the verge of getting sprung very soon, as he squealed on other execs and Hendricks.

Cadillac had been vacillating about its intent to build a luxury sport utility, but has now confirmed the project. So far the luxury Utes have sold 67,000 units--MB320, Lexus LX450, Lincoln Navigator, Range Rover, and Infiniti QX4. The Caddy will probably be built on the Yukon chassis rather than the Suburban.

Forbes magazine just issued its list of the 25 highest paid athletes in the world. It is topped by Michael Jordan and includes Michael Schumacher, Jeff Gordon, and Dale Earnhardt. While four racers made the list, only two NFL football players made the grade. Eleven of the top 25 salaries went to basketball stars.

Next April, Daewoo Motors will open its first U.S. operation in Hoffman Estates, suburban Chicago, near O'Hare Field.

The IRL may soon be known as the Reebok IRL. They are talking.

Jeff Gordon just had an operation to remove a polyp from his vocal chords. Prediction: Watch his voice deepen.

About 97,000 1983-93 and 1995 Audis have been recalled for airbag problems.

Toyota will unveil their new Solara coupe at the Detroit Auto Show in a few weeks. It is a mid-sized, 2-door, front drive, and will not look like any other Toyota.

The Road Atlanta race course is getting a zillion-dollar facelift in the hopes of attracting an F-1 race to the South some day. Lotsa luck, it won't happen.

A rumor still persists that Nigel Mansell will test a CART racer with Patrick racing, who just took delivery of a 1998 Reynard chassis.

Look for the NFL logo on Petty race cars next season, as the league is expanding its promotional area. John Andretti is the new Petty Chauffeur.

VW recently announced that it will build a V12 motor for a new luxury car. Now it says it will also build a new small car on the scale of the GM Opel

Indy Lights may stage a 1998 race in Brazil.

Bill Maloney -- The Auto Channel