DJR in strife again.. and saved.. again..

[Razor]

http://www.speedcafe.com/2012/04/04/...nager-resigns/

Originally Posted by SpeedCafe article

Malcolm Swetnam has resigned from his team manager role at Dick Johnson Racing, effective immediately.....

Team co-owner and founder Dick Johnson says he is disappointed to see Swetnam leave the team.

“He’s leaving for family reasons, and I wouldn’t like to be in his situation,” Johnson told Speedcafe.com.

“I’m quite close to Malcolm, and I still am. It’s just under these circumstances that he has come to make this decision. He had to resign for family reasons. I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t spend a whole year 14,000 miles away from my family, especially when you have a young family.”......

In the meantime, Richie Swan and Cameron Clancey will manage the team from the floor, while Johnson and the team’s chief operating officer Scott Jennings will maintain the day-to-day running of the team.

Hmm, seems the woes from 2010's debarcle are still leaving a bit of a dark cloud around the DJR camp. Hope all is well in the end with Malcom's family.

[Mixer]

Hmm good old Family Reasons.

DJR's lack of pace is a real worry, they did seem to be a bit more racy in Tassie but it doesn't seem like the 4 car superteam is working out too well.

[St00ge]

12th and 13th in the championship for Owen and Johnson is not all that bad for such **** start to the season..

[ForumNick]

Originally Posted by Mixer

.... it doesn't seem like the 4 car superteam is working out too well.

Well, according to the Teams Championship table on the 'official' website, they are 4 separate teams! Link:

[Mixer]

Originally Posted by ForumNick

Well, according to the Teams Championship table on the 'official' website, they are 4 separate teams! Link:

Yeah but I suppose the increase in performance with having 4 sets of data is just not materialising.

Since WP did it, it seems nobody really until perhaps FPR recently have been able to make a go of the 4-car superteam...

[rich07]

Maybe it was actually family reasons that he left? A crazy idea I know but it does happen.

[GTRMagic]

Are you allowed to write about DJR on here? There will be an apologist along soon to whitewash the whole thing....

[BlueBlood]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Are you allowed to write about DJR on here? There will be an apologist along soon to whitewash the whole thing....

Not sure, maybe you could ask a mod or an adult.
Appears you can't get both in one package here.

[GTRMagic]

Go take a look at any discussion about this particular team, and watch the posting entities that profess a level of higher knowledge yet proffer absolutely nothing new.

In this case, this change.. the stories are coming thick and fast.. Not all particularly complimentary either by the way. From all the 'official' noise, there is a health issue in the family..

Seems odd to relocate to a foreign country, to talk up the move, to talk of bringing family half way across the world, yet thus far there has been little sign of that actually occurring.

Of interest, as an aside, DJR are currently advertising on Speedcafe for a new chassis engineer, purportedly to replace Mr Fiore's current tenderer, who is set for what were termed 'higher duties' within the team. Initial discussion thought this was for a newly implemented Technical Director role, but you just never know now do you...

Should I set the eggtimer?

[billy bleach]

I know malcolm well, he has been missed on the European scene so DJR loss may be UK gain. It is indeed personal reasons, the verbal lashing he has recieved by armchair experts has had a profound effect on his kids who stayed back in UK.
i think with no light at the end of the performance tunnel it was not worth the aggro.... i look forward to seeing him back on the GT scene soon

[Forda]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

I know malcolm well, he has been missed on the European scene so DJR loss may be UK gain. It is indeed personal reasons, the verbal lashing he has by armchair experts has had a profound effect on his kids who stayed back in UK.
i think with no light at the end of the performance tunnel it was not worth the aggro.... i look forward to seeing him back on the GT scene soon

Thanks for setting the record straight here.

Unfortunately DJR aren't paying off the self-imposed influential motorsport forum gurus, and thus don't get very good press here.

However they are one of, if not the most successful team in the championship.
And they win championships without listeninng to any of the garbage thrown around in here by so-called 'gurus'.

[rich07]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

I know malcolm well, he has been missed on the European scene so DJR loss may be UK gain. It is indeed personal reasons, the verbal lashing he has recieved by armchair experts has had a profound effect on his kids who stayed back in UK.
i think with no light at the end of the performance tunnel it was not worth the aggro.... i look forward to seeing him back on the GT scene soon

Good to hear from someone who actually knows whats going on. Thanks for posting your thoughts.

[bentleyboy]

This is my first post - a friend told me about the hard time Malcolm is getting at this time. I thought I would join and find out what my old friend has been up to. I cannot believe some of the stuff that has be written based on no facts at all.
Malcolm is an intensly private person, he knows the Industry, also his wife worked in the Industry indeed was PA to a F1 Team owner . She is no fool and unsurprisingly was reluctant to move the entire family to the other end of the world to a team with lets say a bit of recent aggro, do no forget they only own 1 entry and the sponsorship deals go year on year. Yes the plan was to move down but there were issues late in 2011 that postponed the move - just as well... Malcolm moved to DJR to work with his longtime friend Dick, they battled through a tough post Courtney year and let us not forget at the mid point their lead driver was P5 and 3rd best qualifer. They then had a terrible run, lack of pace, co drivers crashing and failures due to running worn out kit. Then all you armchair experts got stuck in. Question, if a team turns up at a race with 4 work experiance kids how serious do you think they are? I saw Malcolm this morning in London, he is defending Dick to the hilt but in reality is in bad shape - totally drained - and when he tells just some of the senarios it is not a surprise. He wont thank me for posting this - if he ever finds out he doesnt much care or have time for Forums. Be under no doubt the Guy is an absolute racer and when people around him are just along for the ride he can be pretty difficult but for total strangers to judge why and where at such a private time for him is a bloody outrage.

[Aarrgh8]

It's nothing like a "bloody outrage". It's people chatting on an internet forum, like they do on thousands of forums. There's nothing libellous or even really critical being said about Malcolm Swetnam. The only critical stuff said here seems to be between forum members. Don't let it bother you.

[Mixer]

I guess I'm flame bait here but it seems DJR has expanded dramatically despite not really having the resources to do it properly, and perhaps Malcolm felt he couldn't do the job he was put on for, and therefore was forced to tender his resignation. Either way its a destabilizing influence at a time when DJR can scarcely afford it.

[cavvy]

Is anyone truly reflecting on Malcom Swetnam here? No way, the threads title says it all:
[CENTER][/CENTER]DJR in strife again

Malcolms loyal defenders should not read that as criticism, implied or real. What seems to be being suggested is a new chapter in an old soap opera.

Hopefully the suggestion has no legs.

[rik]

Originally Posted by bentleyboy

a friend told me about the hard time Malcolm is getting at this time. I thought I would join and find out what my old friend has been up to. I cannot believe some of the stuff that has be written based on no facts at all.

What has been written that so terrible? Maybe I haven't been paying enough attention, but I haven't seen any criticism of Malcolm on here or by journalists in the media? There has been some ramblings about DJR expending too quickly and not signing more experienced drivers, but I don't see how that is a personal attack on Malcolm or his family!?!?

Question, if a team turns up at a race with 4 work experiance kids how serious do you think they are?

So you are now suggesting he quit due to lack of resources and job security at DJR? Which is a fair enough reason not to move your family half way around the world.

Plenty of people in V8s cop a lot on forums and in the media, Courtney, Cocho, Skaife, Morris, S.Richards, etc, etc... But not Malcolm Swetnam in my opinion.

[yap]

Originally Posted by Mixer

I guess I'm flame bait here but it seems DJR has expanded dramatically despite not really having the resources to do it properly.

I am a DJR fan, but I was scratching my head when I heard we were going from from 2 struggling cars at the end of 2011 to 4 cars in 2012

[Amaroo Park]

Perhaps now is the time for Steven to give up driving, jump into running the business boots and all and making it secure for the long term. They are in serious need of stability and it would seem the ony way they are going to get it is with a Johnson (Not Dick) running the show

[GTRMagic]

Why do you think that Steven Johnson would have the required skills to operate the racing team? He has been involved with this team for most of his life, yet it is interesting that it seems only to have been since Mr Brabeck's involvement that SJ has shown an inclination towards the team operational side.

Stability is transient.. will they be a 3 car team in 2013? Or a 1 car team?

[Amaroo Park]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Why do you think that Steven Johnson would have the required skills to operate the racing team? He has been involved with this team for most of his life, yet it is interesting that it seems only to have been since Mr Brabeck's involvement that SJ has shown an inclination towards the team operational side.

Stability is transient.. will they be a 3 car team in 2013? Or a 1 car team?

Why do you think he doesn't?

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by Amaroo Park

Why do you think he doesn't?

Lack of interest/input thus far. Formal qualifications. Minimal personal sponsorships.

[Gaz170]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Stability is transient.. will they be a 3 car team in 2013? Or a 1 car team?

I still think 4 cars- 1 DJR rec, 1 Fiore rec & 2 PMM recs.

Still makes you wonder if Malcolm either:
a) Couldn't figure out how to make the cars faster, or
b) Knew how to makes the cars faster, but was told the resources weren't there to do it.

[Amaroo Park]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Lack of interest/input thus far. Formal qualifications. Minimal personal sponsorships.

I dont think formal qualifications are as important as people make, you either have a business brain or you don't and hopefully he does. As for personal sponsorships what does that have to do with running a team, all these contra deals that drivers have these days are usally sort out and done by there managers not the drivers

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by Amaroo Park

I dont think formal qualifications are as important as people make, you either have a business brain or you don't and hopefully he does. As for personal sponsorships what does that have to do with running a team, all these contra deals that drivers have these days are usally sort out and done by there managers not the drivers

The manager may source the personal sponsorship in many cases, but the pilot has to cultivate the contact to keep the sponsor firstly on track with achieving their marketing objectives, and secondly, to ensure that they return.

There are a number of other pilots out in the sponsor gathering universe who cannot for the life of them get personal endorsement deals, even at cutprice rates. It suggests that firstly sponsors may or may not be interested in talking to them or their management, and secondly, that if they had been talking to them, then there was not an ongoing alignment of objectives.

Hardly the place you might want to put someone charged with sourcing several million dollars of sponsorship each season, across dozens of partners both commercial and technical, each with different needs, wants & expectations.