NWSL news: Yanez becomes Racing coach, Endo back with ACFC, KC honors Wahl
In today's NWSL news, Bev Yanez is appointed manager of Racing Louisville FC, Jun Endo returns to L.A. and more.
1970-01-01 08:00
IndyCar champion admits breaching McLaren contract in £18.2m lawsuit over potential F1 seat
Two-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou concedes in court documents that he breached his contract with McLaren Racing when the Spaniard did an about-face and stayed at Chip Ganassi Racing, having been the reserve driver for McLaren at F1’s Miami Grand Prix. The admission came in Palou's response to a lawsuit filed against him by McLaren in September seeking to recoup at least $23 million (£18.2m) in losses the team calculated Palou's reversal cost the organisation. Palou's 20-page response was filed in the High Court of Justice Business and Property Courts of England and Wales Commercial Court. The Associated Press reviewed the filing Monday. In the response, Palou says he changed his mind about joining McLaren ahead of the 2024 season when he "lost trust and confidence that (McLaren) genuinely intended to support his ambition to race in the Formula One Series and decided to continue racing with CGR in the Indy Car Series instead." Palou "therefore admits that he renounced his contractual obligations" with McLaren and "the real issue between the parties is as to the quantum of any damages which the Defendants are liable to pay," the documents say. The spat over the 26-year-old between two IndyCar teams began when Palou initially disputed a Ganassi claim that the team had picked up the 2023 option year on his contract. McLaren in July 2022 said it had signed Palou and had him earmarked for an IndyCar seat and a reserve driver role with its Formula One team. Chip Ganassi Racing said it had the contractual rights for Palou for the 2023 season. Palou and Ganassi entered mediation and a resolution was reached a year ago in which Palou would drive for Ganassi in 2023 but was also McLaren's reserve F1 driver when it did not interfere with IndyCar. He was able to participate in a practice session, tested for the F1 team both on track and in a simulator, and was the reserve driver for McLaren at F1's Miami Grand Prix in May. McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown was contacted Aug. 8 and told by attorneys for Palou that Palou would not be joining McLaren and had instead signed a three-year extension with Ganassi. Palou won the 2021 and 2023 championships with Ganassi and is now signed there through 2026. IndyCar driver Pato O'Ward last week was named Palou's replacement as McLaren's F1 reserve driver and participated in a practice session during the season-ending race weekend in Abu Dhabi. O'Ward is a full-time IndyCar driver for Arrow McLaren Racing. The bulk of Palou's response focuses on McLaren's loss of revenue claims and attempts to mitigate what Palou will owe in damages. The nearly $23 million in damages McLaren is seeking is broken down in future sponsorship tied to Palou joining McLaren, the costs of using him as a reserve F1 driver, how much McLaren spent developing Palou for F1 and a $400,000 advance on his 2024 salary. McLaren is not seeking repayment of legal fees it says it covered for Palou in last year's fight with Ganassi. McLaren has contended Palou signed two contracts: the first with McLaren Racing as the F1 reserve driver and a separate deal with Arrow McLaren to compete in IndyCar for the team while also serving as the F1 backup. Among the damages McLaren is seeking is nearly $15.5 million in lost revenue under official partner agreements with sponsors NTT Data and General Motors that anticipated Palou would be the driver, including $7 million in revenue and prize money from IndyCar itself. "This claim is embarrassing for want of particularity and speculative in the extreme," the response said. "The performance of any team in a future Indy Car Series cannot be predicted with any degree of certainty. Driver performance is variable." The response also disputes McLaren's claim to lost revenues that Palou "would otherwise have earned in relation to the Formula One Series." It notes that claim would only be valid if Palou was actually McLaren's F1 driver, and that Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are under contract through 2025 and 2026. The response also claims that if Palou was an F1 driver, all the claims to IndyCar financial losses would be moot. McLaren also wants to recoup all money spent on Palou when he was the test driver, both on track and in the simulator, and money it spent seeking a replacement for Palou. O'Ward became Palou's replacement in the F1 role, while David Malukas was hired to fill the open seat in the IndyCar Series. AP Read More MotoGP icon Valentino Rossi returns to competitive motorsport ‘It did not fail’: W Series enters administration Raul Torras Martinez: Spanish rider dies at Isle of Man TT MotoGP icon Valentino Rossi returns to competitive motorsport ‘It did not fail’: W Series enters administration Raul Torras Martinez: Spanish rider dies at Isle of Man TT
1970-01-01 08:00
F1 rumors: Lewis Hamilton pursued an earth-shattering team-up with Max Verstappen, Red Bull
Lewis Hamilton tried to create a true Formula One superteam by teaming up with Max Verstappen and Red Bull.
1970-01-01 08:00
Jewish fears as German support for Israel is challenged on streets
As fighting continues between Israel and Hamas, social discord is emerging in Germany.
1970-01-01 08:00
Horse racing-'Safety comes above all,' Breeders' Cup CEO says following horse death
By Rory Carroll LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -The safety of race horses is paramount, Breeders' Cup officials said on Wednesday, a
1970-01-01 08:00
4 horses have died at a San Francisco Bay Area race track within a 2-week span
Four horses have died at Golden Gate Fields in the San Francisco Bay Area in the past two weeks, California Horse Racing Board spokesperson Mike Marten told CNN on Tuesday.
1970-01-01 08:00
No identifiable relationship between deaths of 12 horses at Kentucky racetrack, investigation says
An investigation into 12 horse fatalities at the famed horse racing track Churchill Downs found no causal relationship between the horse deaths and the track, but the report cited concerns about increased risk for some horses due to the frequency and cadence of their exercise schedules.
1970-01-01 08:00
High School Football Game Delayed So Kid Can Clean Up Horse Urine at Midfield
The Friday night lights were a little too bright for at least one horse in Arizona. Saguaro beat ALA-Queen Creek, 39-35, after a brief delay where a kid had to
1970-01-01 08:00
NWSL Power Rankings: Return to regular season showstoppers
The NWSL picked back up the regular season this weekend and didn’t disappoint, shifting things around in the standings and our rankings.
1970-01-01 08:00
Hawaii wildfires: Why identifying the victims could take years
"It's not just ash on your clothing when you take it off," says a police chief. "It's our loved ones."
1970-01-01 08:00
Hawaii wildfires: Crews may find 10 to 20 wildfire victims a day - governor
Cadaver dogs are combing destroyed homes, but officials say it could take 10 days to learn the full toll.
1970-01-01 08:00
When a 'fire hurricane' hit, Maui's warning sirens never sounded
Lahaina residents tell the BBC they had no official warning before "fire hurricane" engulfed their town.
1970-01-01 08:00