MOTORSPORT: A Cochrane on the CAMS board

The Confederation of Australian Motor Sport quietly announced the appointment of a couple of new members on its board this week.

While it named them, it didn’t highlight that one of them is the wife of former Supercars executive chairman Tony Cochrane – Thea Jeanes-Cochrane.

The other is Andrew Fraser, a former Queensland deputy premier and treasurer who has had sports governance experience with the Australian Sports Commission and the National Rugby League.

Jeanes-Cochrane becomes the second woman on the CAMS board, along with Margot Foster, a lawyer who was stroke of the crew that won Australia’s first Olympic medal in women’s rowing at the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

Like husband Tony, Jeanes-Cochrane emerged from IMG (International Management Group) that once ran the Gold Coast Indy and then worked with him at SEL (Sports and Entertainment Limited), which took control of Supercars.

Since Cochrane’s exit from Supercars soon after private equity company Archer Capital bought a majority stake, the couple formed International Entertainment Consulting (IEC), described as “leading originators in entertainment and touring exhibitions”.

Jeanes-Cochrane says the CAMS appointment – announced in the business week culminating with International Women’s Day today – is “a great honour”.

“Our family has a very proud and distinguished history being deeply involved in Australian motorsport – I look forward to carrying on that tradition,” she said.

“I am thrilled to have been given an opportunity to influence the landscape of Australian motorsport.”

The IEC website boasts that Jeanes-Cochrane was “highly acclaimed” for having managed Supercars’ ‘Greatest Show on Wheels’ brand campaign starring American singer Pink.

Jeanes-Cochrane says she will bring to the CAMS boardroom perspectives and experience in dealing with different viewpoints, including involvements with The Rolling Stones, Real Madrid soccer club and a Nelson Mandela exhibition.

Her and Fraser’s first board meeting, replacing outgoing directors Tony South and Ian Gillespie, will be next month.

CAMS president Andrew Papadopoulos claims the new directors are “a coup” and “will have a positive impact on everyone involved in motorsport”.

Jeanes-Cochrane’s appointment comes at a time that Tony Cochrane is often mentioned as a potential leader of a buy-back of control of Supercars from Archer Capital.

Meanwhile, the Australian GT category is losing its manager, Ken Collier, after next weekend’s Australian Grand Prix. Collier has been with GT for seven years through the era of Tony Quinn’s ownership but will not continue under new owner, Jim Manolios’ Trofeo Motorsport.

The once-mighty Williams Formula 1 team, much loved by Australians from the days of Alan Jones’ career – particularly the 1980 world drivers’ championship – will come to the Melbourne GP next week without its chief technical officer, Paddy Lowe.

Lowe, who left dominant Mercedes to try to resurrect Williams two years ago, is on “leave of absence for personal reasons” and is not expected to return.

After its worst season last year, finishing last of the 10 teams in the constructors’ world championship, Williams arrived for pre-season testing of its FW42 model in Spain two days late and the car gave little indication of improvement in the team’s fortunes this season.

Ferrari has dropped long-time sponsor Philip Morris International’s Mission Winnow branding supposedly promoting tobacco-free products ahead of the GP.

Anti-cigarette campaigners claimed the livery that first appeared on Ferrari’s F1 cars at the Japanese GP last October was really an attempt to draw attention to Marlboro, the brand that long adorned the red cars until outlawed almost 10 years ago.

There has been no public indication yet that McLaren will follow Ferrari’s retreat, having revealed three weeks ago sponsorship from British American Tobacco’s ‘A Better Tomorrow’ campaign on its MCL34 car.

Controversy may erupt next week if Australian health authorities deem the McLaren livery unacceptable.

Porsche has shaken down its electric open-wheeler for its entry into Formula E when the category’s sixth season begins later this year.

Porsche Motorsport vice-president Fritz Enzinger said Swiss driver Neel Jani’s outing in the car at the German manufacturer’s Weissach test ground was “an important day”.

“The project is really gaining momentum now,” Enzinger said.
The fifth round of this season’s Formula E series is in Hong Kong on Sunday, while America’s IndyCar series starts on the streets of St Petersburg, Florida, NASCAR is at Phoenix, Arizona (with Roger Penske’s Ford Mustangs having won two of the three rounds so far), and the third round of the World Rally Championship is on gravel in Mexico.

Motorcycle legend Mick Doohan’s 16-year-old son, Jack, will race in the Euroformula Open Formula 3 series this year.

The youngster, who is backed by Red Bull, will drive for Double R Racing founded by Kimi Raikkonen and his managers, (the now late) David Robertson and his son Steve.
Doohan won three races and the rookie title in last year’s British Formula 4.

Previous Red Bull drivers in Euroformula Open have included Sebastian Vettel, Carlos Sainz Junior and Jaime Alguersuari, who all advanced to F1.