APRIL 8, 2002

Rahal looks back in anger

Bobby Rahal has spoken of his feelings about being ousted from Jaguar Racing last year.

BOBBY RAHAL has spoken of his feelings about being ousted from Jaguar Racing last year. The double CART champion told THE SUNDAY MIRROR in Britain that he "did not have the confidence of Jaguar's upper management".

"I didn't want to leave," Rahal said.Bobby said that he was still trying to put the right people in place when he was kicked out. "There is no way you can run a company singlehandedly, you need able lieutenants."

Rahal said that we will have to wait and see if Niki Lauda is the right man for the job. "Jaguar's upper management think he is the right man," Rahal said. "Time will tell. Jaguar has cast its lot with him so the assumption is that they are prepared to be patient with him."

Rahal's plan with Jaguar was to sign up his old friend Adrian Newey to run the technical operation while also building up the infrastructure within the team. Rahal planned to build a top-of-the-range "double windtunnel" for Jaguar but for the immediate problem of aerodynamic development he did a deal to buy the windtunnel at Brackley which is now being commissioned by the team.