APRIL 29, 2003

Formula 3000 loses Brand Motorsports

The Brand Motorsports team, which bought the assets of the Helmut Marko's old Red Bull Junior Team, is withdrawing from the FIA International Formula 3000 series. This means that German Formula 3 Champion Gary Paffett is out of a job. The team has already dispensed with the services of Nicolas Minassian.

Martin Kendrick, the team principal of Brand, issued a statement which included a long screed about the ethics of some of the other Formula 3000 teams, but the sub-text of the story appears to be that these are difficult economic times.

The disappearance of Brand means that the International series entry in Barcelona will be down to 18 cars.