The most common charge Indy Racing League partisans make against
rival Championship Auto Racing Teams is that the richer, more
prestigious circuit ignores hungry U.S. drivers in favor of
Europeans and South Americans who buy rides by bringing in
lucrative sponsors. That notion is being debunked by retiring
CART veteran Bobby Rahal, who is seeking a replacement for
himself for 1999.
At week's end only one American IRL driver, Greg Ray, had
inquired about the impending vacancy at Team Rahal, and that
interest came just last week, after cable-TV racing shows
reported that Rahal had received no applications from Americans.
Rahal, 45, has been looking for a successor since last November,
and the job he's offering is more financially rewarding than any
in the IRL.
The retiring Rahal is looking for a replacement driver.
(Jamie Squire/Allsport)
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"For all the talk about people not getting opportunities," says
Rahal, "I'll bet 99 percent of my calls and letters [about the
opening] have come from guys in Europe, South America and other
international racing—and not one has mentioned bringing
sponsorship with him." Rahal's team is already well financed by
Miller Brewing, and teammate Bryan Herta is backed by Shell.
"Americans are as good as anyone else," says Rahal, a Dublin,
Ohio, native, "but it comes down to desire—whether a guy really
wants it. You hear all the criticism of Brazilians and other
international drivers [dominating the CART circuit], but they
work hard, and they live away from home in a strange country.
They're here because they want to race. For our team, it doesn't
have to be an American. We want someone who is capable of
running up front."
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Issue date: July 13, 1998
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