Kevin Schwantz: Persona Non Grata At CoTA
Paul Carruthers | April 18, 2013
Photography by Andrea Wilson
AUSTIN, TEXAS, APR. 18 – Mum was the word on the Kevin Schwantz situation at the Circuit of The Americas today with track president Steve Sexton for the most part saying very little when the subject of Schwantz came up in the pre-race press conference.
“I don’t want to speak too much about it because there is litigation, the legal situation is outstanding,” Sexton said. “It’s unfortunate that the situation has gotten to where it is where Kevin [Schwantz] has filed a suit against the company and therefore we can’t have a lot of comment for a lot of reasons because the suit has not taken it’s course through the legal channels. That’s about all I can say.”
Ben Spies, one of two Texans – along with Colin Edwards – set to take part in this weekend’s MotoGP debut in the Lone Star State, was also asked to comment on the Schwantz/CoTA situation.
“I can say that Kevin and I are really good friends, but it’s one of the things I don’t ask and don’t know anything about,” Spies said. “It is a little bit different because Kevin is such a MotoGP icon and being Texan and stuff like that, it’s kind of a shame, obviously, for him not to be here. But there are things going on that are beyond many people’s understanding and that’s about it.”
Schwantz, who’s company has filed a lawsuit with CoTA over the promotional rights of the race, attended the MotoGP test last month but was asked to leave by circuit personnel, setting off a chain of negative reaction to the track by American MotoGP fans.
Even though Schwantz has a credential to attend the race, he says he won’t do so.
Paul Carruthers | Editor
Paul Carruthers took over as the editor of Cycle News in 1993 after serving as associate editor since starting his career at the publication in 1985. Carruthers has covered every facet of the sport in his near-28-year tenure at America's Daily Motorcycle News Source.
