Lauda to focus Jaguar's Formula 1 attack

The Premier Automotive Group, an umbrella company for all of Ford's luxury brands, including Jaguar, has been restructured to include the newly-created Premier Performance Division. PPD consists of Jaguar Racing, its engine-builder Cosworth Racing and data acquisition experts Pi Research.

Lauda will be the Chief Executive Officer of PPD and will liaise between Jaguar Racing CEO Bobby Rahal and PAG president and fellow German-speaker Wolfgang Reitzle.

In the past, Jaguar Racing chairman Neil Ressler was accountable to the Blue Oval's worldwide HQ in Detroit. That led to claims that the race team, which only scored four points in its debut season last year, was hampered by the inherent unwieldiness involved in major policy decisions.

In theory, the re-structuring and re-focusing should allow for shorter lines of communication and a more streamlined decision-making structure.

Ressler will step down from all racing activities for personal reasons, but the three PPD companies will not gain replacement presidents. Instead, it will be Lauda's task to oversee all three and to bring a more streamlined approach to how the group works with its parent company.

"Niki's role is mainly to lead the group as a whole including Pi and Cosworth," said Rahal. "It's really the kind of role that Neil had in some respects - it's more of a corporate job than anything. I'm in full support. He can do nothing, but help my cause."

The 51-year-old Austrian will relocate to PAG's London HQ and is expected to begin work with immediate effect. Lauda had acted as a consultant to the Ferrari F1 team until 1996, but his recent parting of the ways with Lauda Airlines, the Austrian-based company he founded in the late '70s, means his new position will be full-time.

Trevor Crisp stays on as the managing director of Cosworth Racing and Tony Purnell retains his position as the CEO of Pi Research. Ressler's withdrawal from all racing activities will be confirmed at a press conference in London tomorrow (Tuesday).

Ford's World Rally Championship programme with Malcolm Wilson's Cumbria-based M-Sport organisation is not believed to be effected by the re-structuring. However, Volvo's planned return to touring car racing next year with Prodrive could be allied to PPD.