P.U.R.E Appointment

[noname]

no one is going to buy a Mechachrome badged as a VW

Never say never. Who was (or still is ?) building Renault engines ?

And just few years back some were laughing parties are the only thing Red Bull can do right.

[Pierce89]

What I belive is that P.U.R.E was a VW cover-operation from the start, which would more easily xplain Simon's hasty leaving from the FIA without any "gardening leave" demanded by his boss, Jean Todt, the new rules were primarily aimed at VW afterall.

If that is the case, Red Bull Racing is already in on it and will switch to VW for the 2014 season.

- Mechacrome fits the bill as VW don't have the know-how or facilities for such developments anyway.

- Pollock fits the bill because he's a notorious wheeler and dealer who nobody takes serious anyway.

You really believe VW would put a a man with a track record a horrendous as Pollock in charge of their F1 engine operation. Even just as a cover Pollock could screw the whole thing up. I also don't think Gilles Simon is the one man band you are making him out to be.

[xpensive]

That's what I'm saying, nobody takes Pollock seriously and that's why he's the perfect cover, if the engine for whatever reason is a dog, think Peugeot, VW don't have to tarnish their own name for a second, everybody will be happy to kick around Pollock.

If VW wanted to do things in their own name from the start, they would have needed an engine building partner anyways.

Now they have Simon on board, who not only knows a thing or two about engines, he's also on top of everything technically related within the FIA and is probably very close to MrT. Simons was clearly a gift from MrT to VW as compensation for the V6.

A near perfect set up for VW.

[xpensive]

Besides, Pollock's track record is really not that bad when you think about it. His success with his BAR team was limited in relation to money spent, that much is true, but it should not be forgotten that he had to trust Adrian Reynard as technical director, when he was a partner in crime, gifting the team with Malcolm Oastler as chief designer without prior F1 xperience.

It seems to me that the Scotsman has learned his lesson on the importance of the technical side by now?

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

I think VW are looking at sportscars and tintops to show their wares.

F1 is a bridge too far, as I recall FOTA bending over backwards to get them to the table by agree 4cylinder turbos.
They pulled the plug far too easily, and while there may be a tenuous link to PURE they would have the place swarming with their own people, it's the way VW do business.
I don't recall VW ever doing things covertly, especially under Piech.

Add to the fact that the one man disaster Pollock is steering the ship, and it seems even if VW where doing this covertly... It would be an xcercise in xtreme risk with barely any reward(no branding)

[xpensive]

VW is just picking up the tab at the moment, nothing else, involvement will come if and when the engine shows some promise.

No risk at all.

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

VW is just picking up the tab at the moment, nothing else, involvement will come if and when the engine shows some promise.

No risk at all.

How would VW justify the cost to their shareholders? Every penny needs accounting, even R+D is split to show where every euro is spent. They cannot hide this, it would need to have been green lit by the board and shareholders, and shareholders are notorious for not keeping things quiet.

[xpensive]

Pah, fifty millon Euros is friction-money in VW's overall budget, could easily be hidden within Piech's bonus-scheme.

[Edis]

And no, the extra cost is not only material but mostly in the number of hours required to make the engine.

The material and build labour will be a downright drop in the ocean compared to the machine setups, jigs, moulds, testing and development costs.

I'm not talking about the build time of the engine, but the total time (man hours) needed to make one engine. It is that time that costs money.

[cossie]

Besides, Pollock's track record is really not that bad when you think about it. His success with his BAR team was limited in relation to money spent, that much is true, but it should not be forgotten that he had to trust Adrian Reynard as technical director, when he was a partner in crime, gifting the team with Malcolm Oastler as chief designer without prior F1 xperience.

It seems to me that the Scotsman has learned his lesson on the importance of the technical side by now?

Unforunatly Reynard's involvement cost him his company and sale of it in bankruptcy court at the time when his chassis in CART was the dominate chassis in the series. Then Pollack started a CART team which the weasel Kevin Kalkovian. The original premise on that was to get Villeanuve back in the series and when that failed the team has had a steady supply of pay drivers.

[xpensive]

Besides, Pollock's track record is really not that bad when you think about it. His success with his BAR team was limited in relation to money spent, that much is true, but it should not be forgotten that he had to trust Adrian Reynard as technical director, when he was a partner in crime, gifting the team with Malcolm Oastler as chief designer without prior F1 xperience.

It seems to me that the Scotsman has learned his lesson on the importance of the technical side by now?

Unforunatly Reynard's involvement cost him his company and sale of it in bankruptcy court at the time when his chassis in CART was the dominate chassis in the series. Then Pollack started a CART team which the weasel Kevin Kalkovian. The original premise on that was to get Villeanuve back in the series and when that failed the team has had a steady supply of pay drivers.

Utter rubbish, Reynard's bancrupcy had nothing to do with BAR, but a most ill-adviced attempt at an introduction on NYSE and an un-wise Riley & Scott buy-out.

Oher than that I advice you to pay some attention at the spelling of names of people involved, it gives more credibility.

[cossie]

Besides, Pollock's track record is really not that bad when you think about it. His success with his BAR team was limited in relation to money spent, that much is true, but it should not be forgotten that he had to trust Adrian Reynard as technical director, when he was a partner in crime, gifting the team with Malcolm Oastler as chief designer without prior F1 xperience.

It seems to me that the Scotsman has learned his lesson on the importance of the technical side by now?

Unforunatly Reynard's involvement cost him his company and sale of it in bankruptcy court at the time when his chassis in CART was the dominate chassis in the series. Then Pollack started a CART team which the weasel Kevin Kalkovian. The original premise on that was to get Villeanuve back in the series and when that failed the team has had a steady supply of pay drivers.

Utter rubbish, Reynard's bancrupcy had nothing to do with BAR, but a most ill-adviced attempt at an introduction on NYSE and an un-wise Riley & Scott buy-out.

Oher than that I advice you to pay some attention at the spelling of names of people involved, it gives more credibility.

I'm not going to get in a pissing contest with you, BTW you kinda spelled other and bankruptcy wrong(hint, hint) . Any way here's what happened to Mr.Reynard and his company taken from wilkipedia

A Reynard F1 project went sour in 1991 and took the company to the brink of bankruptcy—Reynard had to sell many of his personal assets—but the firm fought back, continuing to dominate Formula 3000 until it became a single-chassis formula at the end of the 1995 season and entering Champ Car very successfully in 1994. Overly ambitious attempts to expand the company (and, possibly, Adrian Reynard's increasing involvement with British American Racing) led to financial difficulties.

[xpensive]

Pollock and BAR's senior mistake was to trust Reynard's design team, headed by Malcolm Oastler, which was perhaps leading the way in the CART, but that technology was a far cry from Formula one. Adrian Reynard himself kept fantasizing about keeping his track-record of winning the first race of every new formula he entered, which didn't xactly add to his credibility.

But from a business standpoint, I cannot see Pollock being a failure at all, remember that he landed both British American Tobacco as well as Honda, the latter returning to F1 with an xtremely strong reputation?

I don't find it implausible at all that he talked VW into supporting his PURE venture.

[cossie]

just remember Bud Selig was a used car salesman. Here's Pollack's resume, not any more impressive than Ken Anderson's.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia




Craig Pollock (born February 20, 1956 in Falkirk, Scotland), is a businessman who was the manager of the Formula One driver Jacques Villeneuve throughout his top-level career, and team principal of the British American Racing team from 1999 to 2002. He is currently the head of engineering company Propulsion Universelle et Recuperation d'Energie (PURE).

Pollock worked as a teacher in the late 1970s eventually becoming director of sport at the College Beausoleil in Villars, Switzerland. Here he met a young Jacques Villeneuve who had been sent to the school following the death of his Formula One driver father Gilles. Their shared passion for skiing allowed them to become friends before Pollock moved on to set up his own business.

After leaving school Villeneuve pursued a career as a racing driver, following in his father's footsteps, and eventually moved to Japan. The two men were brought back together by a chance meeting at the Suzuka circuit, and Pollock agreed to become Villeneuve's manager.

In 1993 Villeneuve raced in American Formula Atlantic before breaking into IndyCars in 1994. After winning a race in his rookie season Villeneuve took the CART championship and prestigious Indy 500 win in 1995. The following year Villeneuve relocated to Europe, joining Williams Grand Prix and bringing Pollock into Formula One.

Riding on the back of Villeneuve's 1997 Formula One title, Pollock persuaded British American Tobacco to bankroll his ambition of becoming a team manager. In 1998 Pollock purchased Tyrrell, renaming it British American Racing (BAR), and signed his close friend and driver to be team leader. Immediately a controversial figure, Pollock made numerous claims about how successful his team would be. His high hopes proved to be unfounded however with a disastrous debut in 1999.

Results continued to be poor and by 2001 British American Tobacco had lost patience. Pollock was replaced as team principal by David Richards, although he remained a shareholder until the partial Honda buyout in 2004.

In 2003, Pollock formed CART team PK Racing, with businessman Kevin Kalkhoven. He remained as co-owner of the team until 2004.

Craig Pollock managed Jacques Villeneuve through the end of his Formula One career, and he made an application to motorsport governing body the FIA to enter a Formula One team for 2008. The proposed team was one of many rejected in favour of David Richard's Prodrive entry. [1]

Pollock and Villeneuve ended their business relationship in January, 2008. [2]

In May 2011, Pollock announced his creation of Propulsion Universelle et Recuperation d'Energie (PURE), an engineering company which aims to produce F1 engines for the 2013 technical regulations.[3]

[xpensive]

Most interesting, I would never have found that piece myself, but I thought you were talking about someone named "Pollack"?