Glew still hoping to return

Phil Glew has not written off the chances of returning with Triple Eight this season, after the team’s title sponsorship deal with Uniq has hit hurdles.

TouringCarTimes spoke with Phil Glew at Rockingham, about what has happened and the plan for 2010.

With the Uniq Racing sponsorship deal reported to be over in the middle of the previous week to Rockingham, and Giovanardi confirmed as out at the team, we asked Phil was his seat immediately at risk and was he asked to bring more sponsorship to the team.

Phil Glew’s response:
“The Uniq deal has been postponed as of last week, and that instantly put Giovanardi out as that was all based around Uniq, for me it was a similar situation but I have personal sponsors with WD-40, 3-In-1 and Glasurit – so that gave me an opportunity to bring everything forward to keep us going for the first half of the season”.

Unfortunately the sudden collapse of the Uniq deal, and the short gap to Rockingham was a primary factor in why Glew’s drive at the team was cut short.

“The timescale from when it happened to the next race and now obviously the third round as well it made it very very difficult to put together something that worked for everybody together”

Triple Eight are hopeful of putting together a sponsorship package to continue with their planned two car effort.

“Between the team and ourselves, it’s down to trying to make the Uniq thing happen – because it’s not dead in the water or there’s got to be a replacement somehow, and we’re working really hard, Triple Eight are really hard…we’ve started a really good relationship so why would we want to end that? We need to carry that on.”

“The guys from Triple Eight that are working on the commercial side, they’re going out to America, they’re out there now and this week we might know a bit more about Uniq – I think the feedback from their statement has made them realise that it’s not good for them not to be here…they have their reasons, they’re not ready to launch in the UK, which I can kind of understand – if they promote their brand and no one can find anything to do with them in the UK, it’s kind of pointless”

Commenting on new Triple Eight driver James Nash, who has brought in for Rockingham and the next five races to take the seat vacated by Giovanardi, Glew said:

“It becomes very complicated with somebody else being brought in to try and fill in the gaps”

“Watch this space, because I do believe it won’t be long before we’re back again and we’re more determined than ever – even if we may have to work harder for it than first thought”