AUGUST 3, 1998
Tom's engines...
TOM WALKINSHAW is still working hard to put together a deal to enable him to run Supertec V10 engines in 1999, although he may prefer to have these badged as Arrows V10s.
We also hear that he is the process of trying to sell a supply of the Arrows engines to Gabriele Rumi of the Minardi team, who cannot afford the Mecachrome deal and does not want to continue as a Ford customer because of the large numbers of engine failures the team has suffered in recent months. A switch to an Arrows V10 would give Rumi a better engine than he currently has for less money. This could raise another $10-15m for Tom to put towards his Supertec budget. We have also heard of attempts being made by Tom to find someone to buy Mika Salo's contract with the team. This is believed to have a $5m buyout clause which would be more useful cash. It would also help Tom to get test driver Emmanuel Collard into the team, which would mean that the Elf petrol company would be willing to contribute to the engine budget.
While Walkinshaw would probably prefer to continue with his engine development program, the costs involved - and budget problems on the chassis side - have meant that he needs to find a big sponsor to help pay for the engine program. Thus it makes sense to take a step back to go forward.
Tom will also be saving money next year because he will no longer have to pay for the services of technical director JohnÊBarnard.