MARCH 2, 1998

More money for Alain Prost

PROST GRAND PRIX last week announced a major new sponsorship deal with the Sodexho Alliance, a French restaurant services and management group which has become Europe's largest catering business, involving 30 different companies, including several restaurant chains and specialist catering firms which cater for events such as the Tour de France cycle race and the Olympic Games. The company has 152,000 employees in 66 countries and has a turnover of $4bn. The deal with Prost is for three years.

The company is controlled by one of France's wealthiest men Pierre Bellon who is also Vice-President of the French national employers association the CNPF. The company is based in Montigny le Bretonneux, just around the corner from the new ProstÊGrand Prix factory in Guyancourt.

Prost, incidentally, may soon be getting some more income in royalties from Peugeot as Frederic Saint-Geours, the company's chief executive, says that is quite possible that Peugeot will soon be marketing "Prost" models.