Gascoyne named Trulli as target Lotus driver
Jarno Trulli will make his test debut in a Sprint Cup NASCAR at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway on Wednesday. On Tuesday, another familiar F1 name was at the wheel of the Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota Camry, and a report in the Orlando Sentinal said Mika Salo “caught on quickly”.
After Juan Pablo Montoya made the switch in 2006, and Nelson Piquet Jr recently tested a racer of the lesser Truck Series, Red Horse Racing team owner Tom DeLoach said signing non-American drivers like Piquet “could open up a new market” in US stock car racing.
“There are 200 million people in Brazil on the east coast time zone, and Nelson there is like Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. here,” DeLoach is quoted as saying by USA Today.
“Competing against F1 as a truck owner, I know I’m outmatched, but I think I could make it happen. F1 is in a lot of turmoil,” he added.
Gascoyne named Trulli as target Lotus driver
Mike Gascoyne has for the first time named Jarno Trulli as an ideal driver for the new Lotus team.
Boss Tony Fernandes has revealed that one driver for 2010 has already been signed, although his identity will not be confirmed until a second driver also joins.
Gascoyne, Lotus’ technical director, has worked with 35-year-old Trulli at the Jordan, Renault and Toyota teams.
In recent comments published by France’s L’Equipe, the Briton said: “On a single lap, Jarno is always able to do an excellent time.
“It’s important for a team to know fairly quickly where it is on a Saturday. Jarno would give us that,” Gascoyne added.
Trulli, a veteran of 13 F1 seasons, almost 220 grands prix and victory in the 2004 Monaco GP, will on Wednesday test a Sprint Cup NASCAR in Florida.
Gascoyne said Lotus’ drivers will be confirmed within November because the team wants to “act rather than just react to the others”.
source: GMM