[jjoseph]

Midland F1/Jordan boss Alex Shnaider is to recruit Russian sportscar racer Roman Rusinov to carry out testing and development work on the team’s 2006 car.

Shnaider, a Russian-born Canadian entrepreneur, had originally intended to join Formula 1 in ’06 with a brand new team before deciding that it would be more economic to buy Jordan and bring forward the planned entry date by a year.

However, Shnaider remains determined to stamp his own identity on the team, which he will rename Midland at the end of this season. He has contracted Italian constructor Dallara to build the chassis for next year’s campaign, and Rusinov will be entrusted with early testing duties.

Shnaider told the Toronto Star: “Our new chassis will be ready from Dallara at the end of the summer and Roman will start testing that car. He might test the Jordan car before then but we haven’t determined that yet.”

23-year-old Rusinov is a graduate of the French Formula Campus academy and has a decent, if unspectacular, record in single-seaters. His major accomplishments so far have come in sportscar racing, notably overall victory in the GT category of last year’s Le Mans Endurance Series in a Ferrari 360 Modena.

Shnaider’s revealed plans to field an F3 Euroseries team and eventually intends to promote a Russian driver to F1.

He said: “We will take some young Russian drivers and develop them through Formula 3, and then, if they’re worthy, take them up to Formula 1.”

Shnaider went on to elaborate some of the objectives of Midland’s F1 involvement, as well as the benefits he believes the organisation can offer potential sponsors.

“We are going to use Formula 1 to grow our business,” he said. “Midland is uniquely positioned in eastern Europe, Russia, Serbia and other satellite Soviet republics.

“Many companies, the multinationals, want to enter the Russian market because of its growing middle class, its large population and growing economy. We are in a position to help a lot of these companies, to open doors for them.

“When we offer our car as a marketing tool, it could be a marketing tool for western companies that want access to the eastern market or for eastern companies, like Russian companies, that want the western market.

“We have all the exposure and all the marketing benefits that Formula 1 offers. We can also offer business-to-business opportunities that other racing teams are just not able to. They are racing teams; we are a business and that, basically, is our model.”

[Taku]

jjoseph, on Feb 6 2005, 02:50 PM, said:

“We are going to use Formula 1 to grow our business,” he said. “Midland is uniquely positioned in eastern Europe, Russia, Serbia and other satellite Soviet republics.

“Many companies, the multinationals, want to enter the Russian market because of its growing middle class, its large population and growing economy. We are in a position to help a lot of these companies, to open doors for them.

“When we offer our car as a marketing tool, it could be a marketing tool for western companies that want access to the eastern market or for eastern companies, like Russian companies, that want the western market.

“We have all the exposure and all the marketing benefits that Formula 1 offers. We can also offer business-to-business opportunities that other racing teams are just not able to. They are racing teams; we are a business and that, basically, is our model.”

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

interesting approach. i never understood why a company liek midland would use f1 to promote it's business. but now i get it, it's about expanding business and creating opportunities, not just promoting existing businesses. a very novel and innovative approach that makes sense when you think about it. smart guy.

edit: except for allowing the team to sign 2 freshies as drivers. he's obviously a big picture guy

[Senna]

He’s obviously a twit!
Bring back Eddie!

(I never though I would be saying that)