The RuSPORT Champ Car team has been sold! The semi-floundering team was sold to Dan Pettit. Pettit is the “P” in PKV Racing along with Champ Car co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven and former Champ Car driver Jimmy Vasser…
Apparently Carl Russo suddenly wanted out of Champ Cars after the roller coaster season he’d experienced in 2006 after firing AJ Almendinger and Cristano da Matta’s devastating testing accident…
Interestingly Russo seems to have been “coerced” to sell his team to Pettit to keep it “In the Family.” Pettit made his fortunes in the ‘90’s alongside Kalkhoven... I’m sure that the prospects of loosing RuSPORT would have been a bitter pill for Kalkhoven to swallow, since he enjoys publicly stating that Champ Cars future is “All Roses…”
RuSPORT, one of Champ Cars premiere teams will remain in Colorado and retain Jeremy Dale as team president. Dale said that RuSPORT will have two cars on the grid in 2007. Dale say’s his top priority is to retain the team’s number one driver Justin Wilson. With Gerald Forsythe already stating that he’d not been able to cement a deal with Wilson and RuSPORT sponsor CDW wishing to continue its current sponsorship arrangements, it seems merely a formality towards retaining Wilson’s services for next season. Dale is also hopeful of keeping new recruit Ryan Briscoe, who’s wanted by Team Australia…
It’s unknown how Pettit’s purchase of RuSPORT will affect his current team ownership of PKV, which I suspect will keep it’s current name since KV Racing sounds a bit “dorky!”
