JULY 8, 2003

Stoddart's celebrity race idea

Paul Stoddart has a fleet of two-seater Formula 1 cars which he has not been using in the last year and he has proposed to the other Formula 1 team bosses that these be used next year for celebrity two-seater races on Sunday mornings at each Grand Prix. Stoddart said that he would like to see 10 cars painted up in the different color schemes of the various teams each with a VIP as its passenger.

"We all have fantastic celebrities at these races," said Stoddart. "Can you imagine if each team had a two-seater painted in their colors, with their sponsors and their test driver in the car? We have celebrities and superstars at Grands Prix and some of them I know want to ride in cars. I'm sure there are some who don't. A properly regulated and safety-conscious 10 or 12 lap race that actually allowed each of the 10 teams to do their own pit stop with their own people... Can you imagine the pull of that, especially if they are scoring points? At the end of the year you would have the celebrity Grand Prix Championship and it could be won by a Jordan or a Minardi because the cars are equal.

"I think it would be a fantastic thing for the spectacle."