Boat forms own team for 2002

Boat finished fourth in the championship standings this year after putting together a late deal with Beck Motorsports, record company owner Mike Curb and US motorsport businessman Cary Agajanian.

Curb and Agajanian have clubbed together again with Boat as a co-owner to form a team for 2002, which will run a Dallara chassis and Oldsmobile engines.

"I think the success of last year is what enabled us to take this step forward and build the team," said Boat. "Now we're just going to try and find more major funding. The competition in the IRL is going to get stiffer, and as it does it is going to cost more to run up front."

The team will be based in Phoenix and while Curb and Agajanian were just sponsors this year, they plan to take more of an active role in how the team is run in 2002. Extra technical help will come in the shape of former Team Menard engineer Darrell Soppe, who will take the role of team manager.

The team, which has yet to be named, is expected to make its debut when open IRL testing begins at Fontana and Phoenix at the beginning of February.