WORCESTER, Mass. -- After a decade of Indy car racing, Norton Company Thursday announced it would not sponsor a car in the 1983 Championship Auto Racing Teams Indy car World Series or the Indianapolis 500.
Donald R. Melville, Norton president and chief executive officer, cited important marketing, employee relations and corporate identification objectives as the three major considerations the racing program was to address.
A pioneer industrial corporate sponsor of racing cars, Norton first became involved in auto racing in 1973, when Bill Simpson drove the first Norton Spirit at Indianapolis. The car was fielded by the Rolla Vollstedt team.
In 1974, Norton teamed with Roger Penske to form an historic link in Indy car racing annals.
During the last decade, the Norton Spirit was in the winner's circle 14 times, won 25 pole positions, set numerous track records, won two national Indy car championships and was the 1981 Indy 500 winner.
