Conference terri::cars_uk

    <<Senna, in the meantime, maintains a dignified silence, unlike
    the majority of F1 drivers>>  note .478
    
    With the news of a ban on Senna for the 1990 season unless he apologises
    for his recent remarks, I wonder how the nonsense above crept into
    the notes?
    
    	George Frost

	George,
    
    	Senna is being crucified for saying openly what many people
    	have been thinking for years, that GP racing is not strictly
    	open and above board. The comments in .478 were around Prost's
        endless whinging and moaning to the French press. Senna on the
    	other hand held one, open press conference. If you read the
    	accounts of how all this started it is obvious that Prost was
    	the first to play the political "off the record briefing" game.
    
    	Anyway, Senna's comments are supposed to have been made at a
    	hearing on his ban, not to the press. Which is a bit like saying
    	that if you speak your mind at your trial you are automatically
    	guilty. FISA or rather JMB's attitude to ACO on Le Mans is
    	identical. "You didn't agree with me so I'll stop you doing
    	anything"
    
    	Senna may be a lot of things, but I maintain that he is less
    	of a whinger than most of the F1 crew - particularly Prost and
    	"our" Nige.
    
    	Paul
    

    In any legal system of the Western World, as far as I know them,
    Senna's allegations are a 100% reason for taking him to court.
    
    What's he complaining about? That he got the black flag?
    
    After all, the one that Mansell had to digest was less evident. Or
    wasn't it?
    
    Where did FISA manipulate in Prost's favour?
    
    (BTW., both of the guys are equally neutral to my emotions)
    
    Inguiringly yours,
    
    Chris

    My tuppence worth. In any competition, there has to be a right a
    general agreement regarding interpretation of the rules. The
    competitors have to trust the officials to interpret the rules fairly
    for all of them and the officials have to trust the competitors to play
    within the "spirit" as well as the letter of the rules.
    
    In my opinion, Senna has not played by the established "spirit" of the
    rules although, in all honesty, neither do I think he has seriously
    broken them - yet! His driving technique leaves a Villeneuve-type
    accident just waiting around the next corner, but then Ayrton has God
    on his side so that's OK by him.
    
    In my opinion also, Ballestre and FIA are not playing their part of the
    game fairly either, distributing what appears to be arbitrary fines and
    bans on drivers more on a whim (or personal vengeance) than as fair and
    open and consistent punishment for digressions.
    
    The whole thing leaves a nasty taste in the mouth and, much as I
    deplore the bickerings of Prost and Senna, I feel that the FIA are the
    real culprits in bringing the sport into disrepute. They should fine
    themselves $10M and ban themselves for life.
    
    In the meantime, Mr Fairplay, Ron Dennis, is quoted this morning as
    saying that Senna WILL be driving in 1990 for McLaren and has
    instructed his driver to be present for testing duties. Whether this
    means that McLaren (either off their own initiative or "persuaded" by
    Marlboro or Honda) has told Senna to make a public retraction or not
    remains to be seen but I do not doubt now that we will see him there,
    on pole, at the first race of the season!
    
    Colin
    

   Ron Dennis made a speech somewhere last night in which he said the 
   FIA were in the wrong. Its reported in "The Times" if anyone's
   interested.


   Frank Williams commented that if you held a microphone close to 
   Jean Marie Balestre or Ron Dennis, they'd say something stupid into
   it. 

    << Frank Williams commented that if you held a microphone close
    to Jean Marie Balestre or Ron Dennis, they'd say something stupid
    into it.>>  note .515
    
    Hurrah,
    		there's the nub!
    
    Hold a microphone close to anybody, let alone any hyped-up F1 driver
    with a monumental ego (they all need it), and they will say something
    stupid into it.
    The same applies to those holding high office, public office, political
    office and any other visible activity.
    
    You and I don't warrant a microphone so we get our joys (or so think
    the press) from reading about it. Let them sell papers!
    
    	George Frost.

    (I think the IT equivalent is to give them a keyboard!!)

    agreed "or a keyboard" - no exceptions
    
    	George Frost
    

    
    - & there's always a risk that even if you say something sensible,
      some nit edits it & it comes out as garbage.  
    
      I've been there - it hurt!

            <<< MARVIN::DISK$TOOLS:[NOTES$LIBRARY]CARS_UK.NOTE;1 >>>
                            -< CARS_UK conference >-
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Note 1246.0                      Dollar Figures                          1 reply
LUNER::PERLA                                          8 lines   2-OCT-1990 16:13
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    In todays USA newspaper 10-2-90 it said that Mansell signed with
    the Williams team for $10 million. It said about a month ago that
    the top five money makers in sports for 1990 were I'm not sure of
    all five, but I do remember three of them were Mike Tyson (boxing)
    $20 million, Ayrton Senna (motor racing) $17 million, and Alain
    Prost (motor racing) $15 million.
    
                Barry

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Note 1246.1                      Dollar Figures                           1 of 1
NSDC::SIMPSON "Two faced commit"                     13 lines   2-OCT-1990 16:57
            -< Ever get the feeling that you're in the wrong job? >-
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The order, for "salaries" is Tyson, Senna, Prost - this does not include
promotional stuff on top. I heard that Senna and Prost were both on about
$7-9m salary. I don't know how sellable Mansell is (ie, how much he'll make
from advertising on top of his $10m ); however it looks as though he's in the
same ball park.

I can quite believe that Senna and Prost are making these sorts of sums of
money when you add their private contracts in.

Incidentally, I think Senna's on $12m next year with McLaren - should be well
over $20m with endorsements. Williams offered him $15m - which is why his
negotiations with Ron Dennis took so long.

    Gee, there is a Mike Tyson Nintendo boxing game - but no Senna, Prost
    or Mansell driving game!
    
    Also, Tyson does some tv commercials (here in the States).  I don't
    recall seeing any F1 race drivers endorsing products or doing
    commercials.  Some of the CART drivers appear in commercials or print
    ads here - Rahal for spray paint, Sullivan for various 'yuppie'
    products, the Andretti's in K-Mart ads, etc.
    
    Do any of the F1 drivers do the same in the UK or Europe?
    
    	-Barry-
    

    
    	Not a lot, but Ayrton Senna was used to advertise the Honda Legend
    about a year ago. Probably forced apon him by his contract with
    McLaren-Honda.
    
    

I think the promotion is done differently... (like DEC vs Apple/Compaq!)
In F1, as far as I can work out, the driver's get paid silly amounts for having
cloth badges on their overalls. I guess that top rates are charged for the
chest, gradually coming down as you go out towards the arms and stomach.

The drivers do a lot of promotional work for their sponsors - talking to
company guests etc.

I don't know how much they can command - however I'm sure that Mark McCormack
et al ensure that their services don't come cheaply.

    re. 522
    On french TV, sometimes you see Alain Prost performing ad's
    for Good year. Also for Midas (third party exhausts) but there is 
    a little story.Midas asked Prost to do these comercials but they
    never paid him, So he asked some stock valeus in place, so the story
    goes that Prost now is the owner of Midas.  
    
    
    Luc Brussels

    Didn't Our Nige advertise on London TV for bus drivers?
    
    Steve

    When I was in England I saw Nigel's face plastered on the back of
    busses. I can't remember what it was selling. Could have been something
    about busses. There were also billboards all over with pictures of two
    cars (MG metros?).
    
    	Under a clean car with some fancy stripes it said -
    	"As driven by Mrs. Mansell"
    
    	Under a car covered with mud -
    	"As driven by Mr. Mansell"

    
    Wasn't that the ad series he did for BL (now rover) with 
    Murray Walker.  3 years old i think.
    
    Nigel