FEBRUARY 8, 1999

Hart attacks

BRIAN HART has always maintained a very low profile in Formula 1 politics, preferring to concentrate on solving engineering problems and building competitive racing engines. Last week however Tom Walkinshaw was served with a High CourtÊwrit from Hart, which claims that Brian is owed $1.2m by his partner Walkinshaw.

No-one involved is talking but it seems that when Tom decided to run his own F1 engine a year ago he set up a company called Grand Prix Racing Engines. Rather than buying Brian Hart's V10 engine, Tom decided to purchase a majority shareholding in Brian Hart Ltd.. The Hart-designed engine became the Arrows V10 and while GPRE did the racing and development work Brian Hart Ltd. did all the rebuilding.

As Walkinshaw owns both companies the only logical explanation for the writ is that the original purchase of BrianÊHartÊLtd. was never completed and Hart would like all of his money. With Walkinshaw rumored to have gained around $25m from the sale of his shares in Arrows and GPRE, now is a good time for the settling of accounts.