...as De Rouvre goes on trial

IN an ironic twist of fate, former Ligier team boss Cyril de Rouvre went on trial in Paris last week facing fraud charges relating to his ownership of the French team.

The French state prosecutor has asked the court for a minimum sentence of three years in prison, a fine of $200,000 and a 20 year ban on De Rouvre running any other company.

De Rouvre is accused of using money from other businesses to fund his motor racing ambitions. Initially he was the owner of the AGS team - and sank as much as $12m into the tiny French team in the course of his year and a half at the helm.

He then bought control of Ligier and set about trying to transform the team by hiring British drivers Martin Brundle and MarkÊBlundell. His period as team boss ended in December 1993, when he was arrested and remanded in custody for two months. He was later released and has spent the last two years awaiting his trial.