APRIL 6, 2002

The Sunday Times Rich List due

THE SUNDAY TIMES will publish its annual list of multimillionaires with this week's newspaper and Bernie Ecclestone will once again be in the spotlight, the exact figure being something of a mystery because of the ups and downs that have altered the value of the Ecclestone Family stake in SLEC, the Formula 1 holding company.

There are expected to be several team bosses and drivers in the lists of Britain's wealthiest people although none of the drivers are expected to get close to the biggest sporting earner at the moment - soccer player David Beckham. It is anticipated that Eddie Irvine will probably outrank David Coulthard thanks his three years of big salary from Jaguar Racing. But all of them are likely to be overshadowed by CART racer Dario Franchitti, who has been stacking away the millions in the United States for the last five years. Franchitti is a fairly low profile racer but his recent marriage to Hollywood star Ashley Judd has put him more in the spotlight with the British public.