Russell sacked by CART

Russell worked for CART since its formation in 1978, first as technical director, before assuming several executive positions and then as chief steward for the FedEx Championship Series in 1999 and 2000, before handing over to Chris Kneifel earlier this year.

Russell's position at CART has reportedly been in jeopardy for several years. But several events in 2001 led to the acceleration of his departure.

First, under Russell's technical leadership, CART missed a self-imposed deadline to set its engine rules for 2003 and beyond. That indecision has directly led to Toyota's withdrawal from Champ Cars at the end of 2002 unless CART adopts Indy Racing League engine rules.

Russell had already angered competing engine manufacturers Honda and Ford-Cosworth earlier this year when he appeared to side with Toyota by immediately implementing a manifold pressure relief valve spacer, without prior testing or warning.

However, the last straw is thought to have been the fact that Russell had made approximately 15 trips to Rockingham Motor Speedway over the past year and approved the facility every step of the way. That judgement was shown to be sadly amiss when significant engineering problems were revealed in the weeks leading up to the inaugural British Champ Car race on September 22. Water seeping from under the track nearly caused the event to be cancelled, and it was only saved by emergency track drilling operations.

CART Chairman and CEO Joe Heitzler thanked Russell for nearly 25 years of service, but he made it clear that a change was needed.

"Kirk is a very dedicated individual, there is no question about that," said Heitzler. "But the managerial issues associated with team-building and other issues that have to happen were not happening. He had a great career at CART, but there were managerial issues that were not being dealt with."

Russell was known as a hard worker, but he was known to micro-manage and his management style won him few friends. Russell's legacy also includes the CART Rule Book, a complex and confusing entity that is expected to undergo a thorough simplification in his absence.

"CART has made the decision to change direction with regard to the course of its race operations," stated John Lopes, senior vice president of racing operations for CART. "We plan an announcement in the near future regarding a new vice-president of technology and competition and a new director to head CART's technology program."