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Story by Benetton - 17th January 2000
2000 BENETTON PLAYLIFE LAUNCHED IN BARCELONA


At the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya in Barcelona, the Mild Seven Benetton Playlife team today launched the B200, its challenger for the 2000 FIA Formula One World Championship. "We are starting this season determined to put the difficult times of the past few years behind us," said Chief Executive Rocco Benetton. "1999 was a tough season and everyone in the team was very disappointed with our performance.

Benetton Formula 1 is a team with a top technological capability, but we did not deliver the results we had targeted. When I took charge a year ago, it was immediately apparent that major changes to the team structure were required and as I personally have learned more about the sport, these have been implemented over the past twelve months."

The launch of the 2000 Benetton-Playlife in Barcelona.

One of the most significant changes is the appointment of Tim Densham as Chief Designer. "We have taken on new staff on the technical side and Tim joined us early enough last year to play a strong role in the design of the new car," said Rocco Benetton. "Both Tim and his predecessor worked together for several months to ensure a smooth transition. Tim is a top engineer with his feet firmly on the ground. He has brought a new energy and sense of direction to the team, guided by our Technical Director Pat Symonds."

"We continue to enjoy an excellent relationship with our main sponsors Japan Tobacco and the Benetton Group," said Rocco Benetton, "and with new partners such as Marconi and MTCI on board alongside D2, Korean Air, Agip and Bridgestone, commercially the team has never been so strong."

Giancarlo Fisichella and Alexander Wurz embark on their third season with the team. "We have two of the best drivers in Formula One, they are good team players and are very focussed on their task. I'm sure they'll be fantastic this season and deliver the results we expect of them."

"The B200 has been designed to use proven technology and methodologies with the aim of being consistently fast and reliable," explained Technical Director Pat Symonds. "We have made improvements with the weight and conducted considerable research into aerodynamics and suspension geometry. On the engine side, we have worked closely with Supertec to produce a Playlife engine tailor-made for the car."

Note - the year 2000 Jordan car will be launched on January 31st. We'll be there.