Brands Hatch poised to become Cart track

The Cart board of management is close to finalising a programme which will see its cars race at the Brands Hatch track in Kent, Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium and Estoril in Portugal on successive weekends next May.

Britain's Rockingham oval track is likely to drop out of the US-based series with three years of its contract remaining, leaving the way clear for the three races elsewhere in Europe.

Cart races would have particular appeal for the Belgian grand prix organisers, whose race was struck off the formula one calendar last month because of the Belgian government's stance on anti-tobacco legislation.

Chris Pook, the British expatriate who is Cart's president and chief executive and who masterminded the Long Beach grand prix 25 years ago, yesterday declined to comment.

The development will fuel speculation that Bernie Ecclestone, the formula one commercial rights holder, could be about to invest in the Cart organisation, which is listed on the New York stock exchange.

The Rockingham promoters, who have lost money in staging the Cart events in the past two years, are certain to welcome a deal which would allow them to drop out of the Cart series with the minimum of expense. They are likely to expand their fledgling Ascar touring car series instead.

Cart cars did compete at Brands Hatch on a one-off basis in 1978. A return to the circuit, which used to alternate with Silverstone as host to the British grand prix, would raise the profile of the series at a time when most attention in the United States is focusing on the rival Indy Racing League.

By staging the three European races in May, Cart would go head to head with testing and qualifying for the IRL's prestigious Indianapolis 500, which traditionally takes place on Memorial Day, the last Sunday in May.

The commercial lure of Indianapolis on the IRL schedule has tempted many teams to defect from Cart next season. However, Pook is adopting an aggressive stance to develop his series as a feeder category to formula one, and using three European circuits will serve to enhance that strategy.