Johansson quits American Spirit; team in court.

Stefan Johansson has revealed that he is no longer associated with the Champ Car team which raced under the name American Spirit Team Johansson in 2003, having decided to look elsewhere for an involvement in the sport.

The announcement, which comes some two weeks after the Swede actually left the team, confirms little in the way of reasons for his departure.

"As of 18 November 2003, I have resigned as a director of the team," Johansson wrote in a short official statement, "Circumstances necessitated my departure from the company.

"I want to express my gratitude to the entire team for an incredibly satisfying and exciting year in racing, and I look forward to new and different challenges."

American Spirit Team Johansson ran rookie Ryan Hunter-Reay and veteran Jimmy Vasser in the 2003 CART Champ Car World Series, and was rewarded for its unstinting efforts with the unfashionable Reynard chassis when RHR led a team 1-3 at the unscheduled season finale in Australia. However, since that race, rumours have circulated that ASTJ was struggling to meet its requirements for entry into next year's championship - whether it be under CART or OWRS - and had had to lay employees off over the winter recess.

According to grandprix.com, ASTJ is now in the process of being wound up following a lawsuit from Motorsports Spares International Inc for alleged non-payment of debts. The team apparently owes a total of $894,000, but it is thought that the sale of assets will almost certainly cover the amount being sought through the courts.

The news almost certainly confirms that both Hunter-Reay and Vasser will be looking for alternative employment in 2004, with the veteran already admitting that he is again evaluating rides not only in CART, but also in NASCAR and the IRL. Vasser has been linked to a possible owner/driver role at former employer Patrick Racing, where current patron 'Pat' Patrick is known to want to step down.

Hunter-Reay, meanwhile, has been linked to a possible seat at Newman-Haas Racing, but this could be dependent on whether Bruno Junqueira opts to switch to the IRL in 2004.

ASTJ marked Johansson's return to team ownership in the CART arena, having previously run a successful Indy Lights squad that featured, amongst others, future Le Mans winner Guy Smith and IRL champion Scott Dixon.

Johansson lent his name to the team after achieving personal success in single-seaters on both sides of the Atlantic, preceding his 1992 CART rookie of the year award with several seasons in Formula One with Ferrari and Tyrrell amongst others. He also won both the Sebring 12 Hours and Le Mans 24 Hours during a spell in sports prototype racing.