BAR cars miss opening practice session

Team principal David Richards had hoped that the team's lawyers would be able to release the impounded cars in time for the session, but that did not happen.

France Corbeil, of the firm PPGI, claims that the company is owed the money as commission for helping to negotiate sponsorship for the team. It unsuccessfully tried to seize BAR's cars at the Monaco Grand Prix earlier this year.


Five uniformed police officers and a bailiff arrived at the BAR pit in the Magny-Cours paddock on Thursday to issue the order. The cars have been placed in their transporter and had official seals placed on them.

"We've seized some equipment and impounded the cars," a French police spokesman told Reuters. "We don't know exactly what the legal problem is but a court will rule on the case in an emergency session [on Friday] and decide whether the cars are allowed to race or not."

BAR boss David Richards explained the dispute. "This dates back to 1998 and a verbal contract he [Corbeil] claims he made with [former BAR boss] Craig Pollock," he said. "Craig disputes this and I support Craig wholeheartedly. We never knew about this until five years afterwards when he came to speak to us three months ago about the situation.

"He served the order on us tonight after the court had closed, knowing that we are in court on Friday morning at 9am to have it overturned."