IRL: Hamilton and Galles Sidelined, Waiting for Sponsorship
11 January 1999
Albuquerque, NM- Championship car owner Rick Galles and Indy Racing League driver Davey Hamilton hope to run the 1999 Indy Racing League Season, but will only do so if a major sponsorship for the team is secured.
Davey Hamilton, 1998 Indy 500
Hamilton is disappointed he will not be racing in Orlando but is focusing on a long-term relationship with Galles Racing.
"I don't think that the kind of synergy we have on our team comes around very often. So, I have decided that this is the team I want to be with. I have the same guys on my team that were with me when I finished 2nd in the championship in 1998 and everyone is committed to staying together until we can put the proper deal in place," says Hamilton.
Galles has the equipment, team and driver needed to be competitive in 1999 but is not willing to go forward without proper funding.
"I don't want to run this series if we can't win, and to win we have to have a good budget for testing and development. I have been in this business a long time, and racing is no fun when you can't win. We are focusing our efforts on a long-term commitment and to do that we cannot run this team on a race by race basis. This is a good series, and if we are going to be a top team then we need to do it right.
"We have some deals working right now, and we hope to be running in the IRL soon. As far as Davey is concerned, his career is very important to me and if a good ride suddenly comes up then he and I will evaluate it together and make a decision," says Galles.
Hamilton is confident that once a sponsor is signed, the team will be in a position to go forward immediately. "As soon as we get the green light, we are going to go testing for about a week to get back into our racing groove," says Hamilton.
Galles is not making any promises in regards to a time frame for getting back on the track but feels that with the continuing strength of the league that it will be sooner than later.
"Tony George has built a good league and they have shown us a tremendous amount of support in our efforts to acquire a major sponsorship. I won't commit to a date that we will run in this league, but with the talent on this team and in our cockpit, I can't imagine that it would be too much longer. We will just keep working hard on our end and see what happens," says Galles.
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