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AUTO RACING • A new, environmentally friendly auto racing series just got even greener.
Boston Celtics managing partner Wyc Grousbeck and a dozen of his co-owners in the NBA franchise have invested $21 million into Formula E, an all-electric circuit that has already attracted celebrities with environmental interests such as actor Leonardo DiCaprio and billionaire Richard Branson. The series is scheduled to debut in Beijing in September and continue on the streets from Miami to Monaco in a 10-race, Formula One-style championship.
"We aim to help make Formula E a worldwide sensation," Grousbeck told The Associated Press this week shortly before the deal closed. "With our upcoming races in the centers of Los Angeles and Miami, we will help showcase the power and promise of sustainable vehicle technology."
The leader of a group that purchased the NBA's most-decorated franchise in 2002, Grousbeck formed Causeway Media Partners this May — it's named for the street that runs past the Boston Garden — along with fellow venture capitalists Bob Higgins and Mark Wan, a Celtics co-owner who is also part-owner of the San Francisco 49ers.
Franchitti to keep his hands on racing
Auto RAcing •Dario Franchitti hobbled into Thursday's news conference on crutches and sat down between IndyCar's two most cherished prizes — the series championship trophy and the Indianapolis 500 trophy.
That's when it all hit home for Tony Kanaan, Chip Ganassi's employees — and Franchitti himself.
He is done racing.
More than a month after abruptly announcing his retirement, Franchitti finally felt well enough to spend 20 minutes answering questions about the frightening October crash that forced him to reluctantly walk away from the sport.
From wire reports