Papis to Rocketsports?(Competition)

Rocketsports Racing will reach to the old country to man its new CART entry. Italian-American team owner Paul Gentilozzi is expected to sign native Italian and popular CART veteran Max Papis for the 2003 season.

The official announcement could come at the North American International Auto Show, where Rocket-sports sponsor Johnson Controls has scheduled a press conference.

About two-thirds of a goal

Team owner Derrick Walker will run a second CART entry for 25-year-old Rudolfo Lavin, with sponsorship from Corona beer. Lavin has driven six seasons in Indy Lights and Toyota Atlantic, where he finished ninth in the 2002 championship.

With recent confirmation that owner Eric Bachelart will return Conquest Racing to the CART fold with European F3000 driver Mario Haberfeld, as well as two cars fielded by Stefan Johansson, CART's confirmed entry list hit 13-still five short of CEO Chris Pook's promised 18-car grid.

Not the point

Whether or not CART was regaining racing momentum as 2002 wound down, the series' financial results looked bleak. Nothing short of a holiday miracle could save the fourth-quarter accounting ledger, which is expected to show another loss.