CART: Team Gordon in Place for 99 CART Fedex Championship Series
13 January 1999
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"I may be a team owner on paper, and my name will appear on the side of the transporter, but in my eyes Im a driver, period," said Gordon, who now becomes the series only driver/owner at the youthful age of 30. "John Menard and Mike Held have been cornerstones in putting this venture together."
"We are fortunate to continue our relationship with engine supplier Toyota, which believed in our abilities from day one, joined by great additional sponsors in Panasonic, Johns Manville, Menards, and Duracell. For me, Team Gordon is an opportunity to secure my passion as a driver for years to come, much like Bobby Rahal did six or seven years ago. Weve been building, running, and winning with our own team in SCORE Off-Road Racing for the last five years and we fully intend to carry that success into CART."
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"I am a businessman with a passion for open-wheel racing," said Menard. "Currently, there are 140 Menards stores in America, and the FedEx Championship Series holds races in six Midwestern markets crucial to Menards, including two races in our home state of Wisconsin. It makes sense to get involved for those reasons alone. My IRL team will aggressively take a run at the title, and with the opportunity to partner with Robby and Team Gordon, well run for a championship in CART, as well." Team Gordon expects the arrival of its first Swift chassis in early February, with extensive testing set to begin immediately. Gordon also maintains a sly view of his Toyota powerplant.
"I can tell you from the seat of my pants that the Toyota engine wasnt given enough credit by the press and was more competitive than people realized," said the two-time CART race winner. "The last four or five races of 1998, Toyota was producing plenty of horsepower. What really kept us from some fantastic finishes was bad luck on the track. We had the fifth-fastest race lap at Laguna Seca, but also a pit fire. In Australia, we were poised for a top-five finish until we were called in for fuel in the late stages of a race that ended with a time limit. At Fontana, we had the guts to stick with the leaders all day until a late tire puncture sent us to the pits out of sequence. Ive never hesitated in believing Toyota can win in 1999 and we want to be the first to do it."
Team Gordon general manager and owner Mike Held feels everyone on the team will feed off of Robbys high energy and determination.
"Were tackling a big job here at Team Gordon," Held said. "Were starting with a clean sheet of paper and well be going non-stop until the first race pulling it all together. Each person knows he has a specific job to do and if we take care of business, no matter how many hours it takes, there is a huge bonus for us on race day Robby Gordon. His day-to-day enthusiasm drives us, but ultimately its his talent to drive the wheels off whatever we put on the track that keeps us inspired. Its not a question of believing he can win, its a matter of knowing he will win that makes it fun and worthwhile."
WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY
Robby Gordon - Team Gordon driver and owner
"We are fortunate to continue our relationship with engine supplier
Toyota, which believed in our abilities from day one, joined by great
additional sponsors in Menards, Panasonic, Johns Manville, and Duracell.
For me, Team Gordon is an opportunity to secure my passion as a driver for
years to come, much like Bobby Rahal did six or seven years ago. Weve
been building, running, and winning with our own team in SCORE Off-Road
Racing for the last five years. We fully intend to carry that success
into CART."
John Menard - Team Gordon owner
"Robbys enthusiasm and determination make me smile. The kid never gives
up. If you spend enough time with Robby you will come away with enough
energy for a couple of weeks! Plain and simple, I believe this program
will be a winning effort and I have a vested interest in making that
happen."
Mike Held Team Gordon owner and general manager
"We are a united group focused on bringing a championship to Toyota,
Panasonic, Menards, Johns Manville and Duracell. John Menard, his stores
and his business expertise provide our team with a solid foundation for
raising the necessary sponsorship dollars now and for the future. Robby
Gordons enthusiasm and work ethic are contagious qualities that embody the
core of our young racing team. We are alive, and were standing on the
gas!"
Andrew Craig Chairman and CEO of Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc.
"Its great to be able to welcome Team Gordon to the FedEx Championship
Series, Robby is a formidable competitor and I am sure that he will bring
the same commitment and passion for the sport to his role as team owner.
Its also a very real pleasure to welcome John Menard and Mike Held to
CART. We wish Robby, John and Mike every success."
Hiro Matsushita - President, Swift Engineering
"Swift Engineering is honored to welcome Robby Gordon of Team Gordon
to the family of successful drivers of Swift racing cars. Although Team
Gordon is newly founded, the collective expertise of each member will
contribute greatly to a successful racing season."
Jim Aust TRD president and CEO and vice president of Toyota Motorsports
"Ten years ago, Robby Gordon joined the Toyota family and won a
drivers championship with the Mickey Thompson Stadium off-road truck
program," explained Jim Aust, Toyota Racing Development, USA (TRD, USA)
president and CEO and vice president of Toyota Motorsports. "Toyota is
extremely pleased to expand this relationship as an engine supplier for
Team Gordons Champ Car program, and we look forward to a very successful
1999 race season."
Lee White TRD general manager
"Ive worked with Robby in the past, and weve won many races together,"
said Lee White, general manager for Toyota Racing Development, U.S.A. "Im
looking forward to similar success with Team Gordon in the Toyota Champ
Car program. Robby is a driver who always has potential to put the car up
front."
Masa Sasaki President & C.O.O. of Pacific Creative Corp and Team Gordon
project partner
"Im glad to join Team Gordon. I believe that this project will bring
a great success to our sponsors based on our race experience and passion.
We will do our best to provide a solid sponsorship foundation for Robby.
We are looking forward to working with Team Gordon and having a highly
productive 1999 season."
Laurie Gerrish Team Gordon team manager
"This is without a doubt, one of the greatest opportunities a person
could have. Weve got a group of bloodthirsty individuals on a mission to
take Robby Gordon to a championship. There is a certain enthusiasm here,
something I havent felt in a long time. I look forward to leading us to
the front."
Brian Berthold Team Gordon chief engineer
"Very few times in an engineers career do you get to work with a
driver of Robby Gordons caliber. Knowing what he can do with a race car
makes the hair on my back stand up straight. We all know he has the
ability to race and win, its our job to make that happen."
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