Yes, Arrows fans, you read that right! The news broke last Friday (1st November), when several posts appeared indicating that unhealthy Arrows bank accounts were suddenly going to look rosy again. Up until that point there had been approximately two weeks worth of banter about a ‘deal’ from an unknown German source, banter that rapidly grew more and more confident throughout that fortnight.

According to the chatter on this site’s forum, a deal was signed last Thursday (26th October) with a group calling themselves the European Consortium. Senior management at Arrows were recalled back to Leafield on Tuesday to finalise the deal, although there is confusion over whether the final stages were completed here in the UK or at another European location. The financial movement should be complete by early this week, enabling the staff to be paid by the mid-to-end of the week.

At the moment there is no indication as to where the funds are suddenly coming from, and whether this is a rescue package for the entire team or an attempt to just settle any creditors’ claims. The staff that visit AllAboutArrows seem to believe the former, and this site is right behind them.

The identity of this mystery ‘angel’ is still open to argument. Several contenders have been mooted - Deutsche Post (sponsoring Jordan), Deutsche Telekom (sponsoring McLaren), Porsche (they have a test circuit and most of the technology, but have they the will?), VAG (despite confirmation that they have been talking to Sauber), and lastly BMW (!). Until we know for sure, it’s a good bet that it will be a hot topic of conversation here. According to one Arrows staffer, the identity is not anyway near so grand as the names above - “Prepare to be disappointed. It will not be anything special!”

I’ll leave the final word on this story to Mel Fox from the Arrows team, one of the many loyal team members that have waited out this financial crisis. These words sum up the strength of feeling from the team staff and the fans for the Arrows team, and illustrate strongly why this IS the best team to support in Formula 1.

“We, the staff at Arrows, have waited patiently over the last few months, and now the deal has been finalised we can finally get back to work, and get the team back on track where it belongs! We are a dedicated bunch of people here, and we look forward to being part of the 2003 season.”

This site has a tear in it’s eye. Do you?

Bookmark or share this story with:

• Digg
• Delicious
• Facebook
• Reddit
• Stumbleupon

SPORTNETWORK SPECIALS

• Think you know your sport? Click here to try the Sportnetwork Prize Quizzes