CART interim CEO Bobby Rahal's "energy is devoted to
saving his beloved" CART series by "telling anyone who'll
listen that CART is flourishing and on the cusp of new
growth," according to J.P. Vettraino of AUTO WEEK. Rahal
said, "CART has taken all my time -- more than a normal
week's [worth]. It's extremely demanding. Everyone has an
issue. This job demands, more than anything, communication
-- with the press, sponsors, team owners, the manufacturers,
promoters and on and on, which leaves you zero time."
Meanwhile, former CART CEO Andrew Craig, noting that Rahal
"closed deals" on a new race in Dallas and two in Europe,
said: "The European races, some of the other things, were
already in the works. One benefit of Bobby being there is
people might finally realize there are so many things beyond
control of the sanctioning body. The schedule more or less
sets itself, and once he had the lay of the land, Bobby no
doubt realized how difficult his objectives were." Rahal,
on negotiating a new TV deal for CART: "I just met with
ESPN. By January we'll know what our TV deal is. I expect
a better deal than we have now, in terms of commitment,
investment, dedication to the product and how it's
conveyed." Rahal adds of CART, "We know what our 'brand' is
and we are going to get that message out there. We have
four different types of circuits, the youngest, most diverse
group of drivers, and the fastest, most powerful cars in the
world" (AUTO WEEK, 8/21 issue).
