COMMENTARY

It's Getting TACH-Y

07/15/96

Foyt Sues CART, CART Sues IRL, GM Sues VW, IRL Sues Indy Car, Italy Sues Formula One Team, Ricky Rudd Sues Felix Sabates, NASCAR Team Owner Goes to Jail. IT'S GETTING TACH-Y . . . by Redline Muldoon.

If you watch old gangster movies you'll know the term "mouthpiece," which is a semi-polite description of a Lawyer. These days in the racing world, the Mouthpieces seem to be the ones making all the bread, as legal hassles are a-flyin'. Anthony Joseph Foyt, Chevrolet dealer from Houston, TX and race car owner is suing CART, stating that they are impeding him from getting sponsors. IRL is suing CART over their use of the name INDY CAR. CART says take a hike 'cause we can use Indy Car as long as it is two words not the one word INDYCAR nomenclature the IRL employs. As stated here recently, a mouthpiece in Italy is suing Formula One team owner Frank Williams over the racing death of Ayrton Senna. Max Mosely, king pin of F-1 replied to this . . . "sue one of our guys, and there will be no more Italian Grand Prix." Ignacio Lopez left a big bucks job as head of purchasing for Generous Motors last year, and GM says he took a ton of files containing company secrets with him. They want the stuff returned, and have filed a law suit. VW has counter-sued, saying that the big U.S. car maker is slandering it.

NASCAR super star Ricky Rudd started a law suit against car/team owner Felix Sabates for hiring away Rudd's chief mechanic. It is rumored that Yacht broker Sabates made a $$$ settlement with Ricky. Also in NASCAR, Kyle Petty has been let out of his contract and does not have a ride for 1997. Anything to do with his (yuck) pony tail? Same for Robby Gordon in CART . . . not the pony tail . . . he's been dumped by Derrick Walker. Probably too many crashes. But Gordon is in demand. At 26 years of age he has a lot left to give a sponsor. Former team 111 Winston Cup team owner, Sam McMahon started an 11 year prison term last week as a result of a bankruptcy fraud suit.

The execs at Walt Disney World want to know who the hell is spreading those dumb rumors about Disney paying 80 million bucks for a Formula One race. Close the theme park for a week? No way! Dick Messer ran the Peterson Auto Museum in L.A. until a few months ago when a former employee (female) did some tattling and he was ousted.

Danny Sullivan, former Indy 500 winner (spin and win), got married on a yacht in the harbor at Monaco during the May 19 Grand Prix, but NOT to the lady in Aspen, Colorado who had him taken to the slammer for allegedly decking her several months ago. Scott Harrington wanted an Indy 500 ride so bad he agreed to everything car owner John Della Penna put in his racing contract including "if you break it you don't get no purse money" Scott broke the car. His share of the purse (everyone gets money at Indy) was $177,700, and he received zip.

Olympic cyclist, Gregg Ormond is taking up car racing with a Toyota Atlantic ride coming up. With all the noise about land speed record attempts . . . Englishman Noble is on the salt with his twin jet monster, but what has happened to Lynn St. James "ladies" assault on the record book? You gotta have faith and Castrol must have lots, as they just re-upped as major sponsor of Dan Gurneys Indy Car team, which just barely manages to qualify for CART races due to an anemic Toyota motor.

Scott Brayton was killed at Indianapolis and it turns out he had no death insurance. He has extensive coverage for racing injuries but nothing covering his death. His wife, Becky, said the IRL helped out immensely, but maybe we all should send something to aid her via the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway, Indiana.

Now I've heard everything hokey in racing awards: the Rogaine company makes some kind of stuff that is supposed to grow hair and now they are getting into motorsports via the Nashville Network where, each week, they will hand out . . . are you ready for this? . . . the Rogaine Hair Raising Finish of the Week. Give me a break. Keep the TACH in the red.......and stay ahead.

Redline Muldoon -- The Auto Channel