JUNE 29, 1998

Rahal looking for an F1 star

BOBBY RAHAL stops driving at the end of this season and is looking for a top name from Grand Prix racing to replace him in CART racing.

BOBBY RAHAL stops driving at the end of this season and is looking for a top name from Grand Prix racing to replace him in CART racing. Rahal, who co-owns his team with TV talk show host David Letterman - a big F1 fan - is rumored to be talking to both Damon Hill and Heinz-Harald Frentzen and we believe that Heinz-Harald may even have signed an option to go to Team Rahal if he is dropped by Williams.

Frentzen is waiting to hear whether Williams will take up its option for his services in 1999. Frank Williams says that he is not going to make any decisions for some time but there has been much speculation that the team will dump JacquesÊVilleneuve and sign up new drivers next year because it is unlikely to be a very successful season with ageing Mecachrome engines. The man thought most likely to join the team is Columbian Formula 3000 racer Juan-Pablo Montoya.

Other names which have been linked to the Team Rahal drive are Damon Hill and CART star Jimmy Vasser.