Rowland Spotted Testing in Europe!

jrowland96 · 05-12-2006, 01:43 AM

March 11, 2006

Associated Press

Has the "Silly Season" begun? John Rowland, a Porsche driver in VOR was spotted Thursday in Germany testing a Renault for the European based Megane Trophy series. Rowland is a rookie in VOR, and although it is highly unlikely that he is seeking a new team, having just signed a long-term contract with Champion Motorsports, could a change in sponsorship (and series) be a possibility?

AP reporters caught up with Rowland in the Oschersleben paddock after his test run. When asked about his status in the Porsche Carrera Cup and with Champion Motorsports, Rowland insisted he is not leaving Champion. He suggested that Champion could possibly be expanding it's footprint in world motorsports when he stated, "Champion is always looking for new challenges, and I was here testing at the request of Oakley... Don't read too much into it fellas...".

Rowland is rumored to be unhappy with his current sponsor Sony. His personal manager (and fiance) has been pushing him away from Sony and their SXRD line of big screen HDTVs for some time. She did however allow him to purchase new sunglasses, and that may have sparked a possible relationship with Oakley.