BAR blown away in Bahrain sand stunt

Button at Bahrain
By Phil Huff (20/02/2004)
February 20 2004

One team has already come unstuck in the publicity race leading up to this year's Grand Prix circus, and it's Lucky Strike BAR Honda.

As the 2004 season draws ever nearer, BAR tried to jump the start with a PR stunt that backfired.

BAR Honda star driver Jenson Button visited the Bahrain circuit late last year, in readiness for 04.04.04, the date of their first Grand Prix, and the team sent a press pack to writers the world over. The pack contained the relevant press releases, a booklet, a DVD and a bag of Bahrain sand.

Australia's Herald Sun was one paper to receive the package, but reporter Paul Gover missed out on the bag of sand, having to make do with a terse letter from AQIS, the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service.

They letter gave Gover a choice. Pay $42 to have his bag of sand irradiated and sent to him in six weeks, pay $42 and have the bag of sand sent back to BAR, or pay nothing and the sand will be destroyed in 30 days.

It looks like BAR will now be getting their knuckles rapped, with Now BAR is about to get a smack from AQIS. AQIS's PR man, Carson Creagh, told The Herald Sun his fellow watchdogs had so far picked up five bags of sand mailed into Oz.

"We'll be in touch with these people overseas and telling them not to do it again," he said.

Source: Herald Sun.