Employees From Upstart USF1 Team File Complaint With NCDOL

By Michael Smith, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal

Nine employees from USF1, the Charlotte-based F1 start-up team, have filed complaints with the North Carolina Department of Labor because they have not been paid. Jim Taylor, the labor department's Wage & Hour Dir, confirmed the complaints and said that an investigation is under way. He could not comment further. USF1 had planned to start competition this season, which begins Sunday at the Bahrain Grand Prix. But the team, started by principals Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor, has informed the sanctioning body that it will not be ready to race this year and has asked to defer its entry to ‘11. The Charlotte shop where the team had been working went dark last week when it shut down and employees were sent home. USF1 has reportedly been under a financial strain in recent months. YouTube co-Founder Chad Hurley was an early investor, contributing what's believed to be $15-20M into the team. However, efforts to attract sponsors have failed and Hurley's allegiances are uncertain. It has been reported that Hurley could align with another fledgling F1 team that might replace USF1 in the series. Messages left with Hurley were not returned. The team also has debts with some of its suppliers, including North Carolina-based JRi Shocks. Jeff Ryan, JRi's lead engineer, said the company is hopeful that it will be paid for supplying equipment to USF1 and it is not at the point of filing any formal complaints. Attempts to reach USF1's Anderson were unsuccessful.