Thursday October 24th, 2002

Chris Pook, president and chief executive of CART racing, confirmed today he was in talks with Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone about the possibility of linking the rival motor sports.

Pook told a news conference in the lead-up to Sunday's Australian CART race that he was discussing ways to use CART as a training ground for Formula One.

"If there's a possibility to work out a relationship whereby we can help develop Formula One drivers or some of the guys over there on the back end of their careers, they can come and run with us," said Pook.

"I think that would be very positive for motor sports."

Pook added that he was negotiating with Ecclestone but refused to confirm English newspaper reports that Ecclestone was planning to buy a 51 percent share in the series in a deal to lure more American drivers into Formula One and raise its profile in the United States.

"He (Ecclestone) and I are pretty good friends and friends usually try to develop things that are positive for both parties," he said.

News of the talks received a mixed response by drivers preparing for this weekend's race. While some welcomed the move as a possible stepping stone to Formula One, others were less enthusiastic.

This year's CART champion, Brazilian Cristiano da Matta, said the idea was insulting.

"There's a bunch of guys over here that are a lot better than a lot of the guys that are in Formula One," da Matta said. "So it'd be strange to have a training series where you have guys that are better than the other side."

Published at 08:31:46 GMT