6 replies to this topic

[A3]

From Autosport.com:

Quote

Paul Stewart will step down from his role as executive director of Jaguar Racing and concentrate on beating his recently-diagnosed cancer of the colon.

Stewart, the son of three-time Formula 1 World Champion Jackie, was diagnosed with a treatable form of colonic cancer in April and stepped down from his then position of Chief Operating Officer for the team. He has since been undergoing chemotherapy at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

“Although my doctors are pleased with my progress, I will be required to make frequent visits to Minnesota over the next two years in order to complete my on-going treatment,” said Stewart, “and under the circumstances I feel this will make it extremely difficult to carry out my responsibilities for the company.

“As a result, I have decided that I must resign from Jaguar Racing and have advised [Jaguar Racing chairman] Neil Ressler that I am unable to continue as an executive director of the company.”

Ressler said: “I fully understand Paul’s decision – he will receive all the support he needs from his friends at Jaguar Racing.”

I hope he'll conquer this ugly disease.

[mhferrari]

I hope so too.

[Todd]

I wish him the best, but I thought this was news at the start of last season?

[Damop]

Yes Tood, it seems old to me too! Did he have a relapse?

[A3]

I for one didn't know he had cancer, but it's in the news because now he leaves Jaguar for it.

[Chris G.]

It was almost a year ago that this news broke, but as A3 said, he leaves Jag for it and it's news again.

The sad thing is that he went into treatment hoping for miraculous results. Those results did not transpire, and that is the story really. Had things gone better he could have returned to Jag (well, maybe - depending on the power structure of the team).

I wish him the best.

[Runner]

Paul finished chemo three months ago after being diagnosed in early April. He has been recovering well from the side affects of the chemo and, unless the situation has changed radically in the last week, the lymphoma (cancer) is in complete remission. Chris, do you have any information that he has relapsed?

Jackie's association with the team has effectively ended (although I suspect that his contract runs until Jan. 1) and Paul's resignation simply represents housecleaning by Ford. The fact that Paul would need checkups every three months for the next two years is not news - it was in the British papers last summer. This is about Ford getting rid of the Stewarts even in a rather symbolic position - the fact that Paul is a recovering cancer patient simply presented a convenient excuse. Tell me, do you really believe that Jackie quit in January to spend more time with Helen?

Remember when all the headlines said "Stewarts under fire from Ford for not producing results"? Jackie and Paul sure did a damn sight better than Ford/Jaguar has done. And they did it on a small budget and without a wind tunnel. They did it with exploding Ford engines and without the most embarrassing pr campaign in the history of motor racing. They did it with common sense and intelligence, and no small amount of dignity, all factors that are totally absent from Jaguar Racing.

I wish Jackie and Paul all the best.

[p][Edited by Runner on 11-01-2000]