Champ Car promotes Cotman
Cotman, who has a long and distinguished career in motorsports, will be responsible for much of the day-to-day operations of the Series including legal, personnel, finance and marketing. He also will continue in his critical role as Race Director until he has identified a replacement and the best time to relinquish his duties.
This is the second senior-level move made by the Champ Car World Series in recent months. In May, David Higdon was named Executive Vice President, Strategic Development & Communications. Cotman and Higdon will continue to report to Johnson and work closely with the rest of the senior management team to enhance the Series both domestically and globally.
“We’re enjoying one of the most successful seasons in recent memory," Johnson said. “As we grow and prosper, it’s important that we not only hire new executives but also promote quality people like Tony to key management positions so we can pursue the goals that we have established for the Series. Tony is extremely knowledgeable about the operations of the Champ Car World Series and I believe increasing his areas of responsibility will be beneficial to our company as we focus on the opportunities ahead of us."
Cotman, who worked his way up from a mechanic in New Zealand to a championship winning crew chief and team manager, moved to the Champ Car organization in 2005 as Vice President, Operations and to serve as Race Director.
“I’m thankful to Steve and the Series owners for presenting me with this opportunity," Cotman said. “I’m committed to Champ Car and know that we have opportunities ahead of us that will require additional attention from me. It’s a great time to make this change given the solid team that we have in place."
With Cotman at the helm of race operations, the open-wheel racing organization successfully launched a new car in both the Champ Car World Series and the Cooper Tires Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda. While overseeing the introduction of the new cars, Cotman continued in his role as head of operations where he worked with promoters and suppliers as well as wrote and enforced the competition and technical rules. His duties also included the role of Race Director where he was responsible for overseeing and controlling all aspects of the race. Cotman also is responsible for circuit safety inspection at all new and existing venues.
Cotman began his Champ Car career with Galles Racing. He helped the team to a runner-up finish in the championship in 1991 and a victory in the 1992 Indianapolis 500. He subsequently joined Forsythe-Green Racing and followed Barry Green when he formed Team Green. At Team Green, Cotman won the 1995 Indianapolis 500 and Series Championship. In 1998, he became the Team Manager and later was named Vice President of Racing Operations. When Michael Andretti bought the team in 2003, Cotman remained guiding it to one championship and numerous race wins.
The Champ Car World Series features some of the greatest international race car drivers competing in the most diverse and exciting series in the world. Past champions Sebastien Bourdais and Paul Tracy along with Graham Rahal, Will Power, Robert Doornbos, Justin Wilson, Bruno Junqueira and Alex Tagliani are among the drivers who battle for the Vanderbilt Cup, which is awarded to the champion of the Champ Car World Series. The title is contested on temporary street circuits and permanent road courses throughout North America, Europe, Australia and Asia.