Hakkinen calls Coulthard future champion

Marius Turula

Thursday, Nov. 18, 1999 | 9:47 a.m.

HELSINKI, Finland - Mika Hakkinen picks his McLaren teammate David Coulthard to win a Formula One title - but not next year.

The two-time defending series champion hopes to make it three straight next season, a feat pulled off by only one other driver: Juan Manuel Fangio, who won four in a row (1954-57).

"I don't know how I'll find the motivation, but usually the spark for winning will be found," Hakkinen said Wednesday as he prepared for a much-needed six-week vacation.

Hakkinen lauded the 28-year-old Coulthard and the progress he has made since joining McLaren in 1996 after two seasons with Williams.

"I've seen the industriousness David puts into all work, and his concentration on the tasks. For sure, he will win the championship," Hakkinen said on a rare visit to his native Finland.

He begins his title defense March 12 in the Australian Grand Prix.

FOR SALE: It won't be a typical "Going Out of Business" sale.

Ricky Rudd is putting his Rudd Performance Motorsports team on the auction block, beginning Dec. 1 and continuing until every part in his Mooresville, N.C., shop is gone.

"There have been a lot of teams put their stuff up for auction before, but it's pretty rare to have one that has won a lot of races for a long period of time doing it," Rudd said. "I kind of feel like 'Crazy Eddie' or something like that - everything must go."

Rudd, an owner-driver since 1994, is losing his primary sponsor, Tide, at the end of the season, and will move into the No. 28 car at Robert Yates Racing in 2000.

After making that decision, he had to find a way to get rid of his own team.

Before everything is sold, though, Rudd has one more opportunity to extend to 17 his string of winning at least one race every season. He will compete in Sunday's season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

TV TIME: When Tom Compton took over on Nov. 2 as the third president in the 48-year history of the National Hot Rod Association, he said he wanted to get more TV exposure for drag racing.

And so, he did.

ESPN2 and TNN have signed a multiyear deal with the NHRA and will air the final day of competition at each event live or on tape the same day, Compton said Tuesday night at the series awards banquet.

The TV deal also includes 24 editions of the "NHRA Magazine" show, he said.

"NHRA drag racing is poised for a bright future," Compton said. "We are committed to deliver an even more exciting, interactive fan experience on and off the track. You will continue to see a change in the way we market and brand our sport, as we build our stars, enhance our television package and improve our facilities."

Headquartered in Glendora, Calif., the NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport in the United States. It presents 22 national events through its NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series. The NHRA has 85,000 members nationwide and 142 member tracks.

Dallas Gardner, the previous president, has become chairman of the NHRA board of directors.