October 15, 2004
Since taking over from Juan Tortella shortly before the Hungarian Grand Prix, caretaker boss Toby Lock and the JTM have struggled.

Losing Lock as a permanent driver has unbalanced the team, and the recent addition of Juha Tanskanen has been the 5th driver change of the year. For a team struggling for consistency, this is not a good indication for the future.

?We?ve been pretty poor, I?ll put my hands up. Naz has been good when he?s been able to race, I?m delighted Juha agreed to join us for the final few races, but we were just getting into a decent groove, and it all fell apart? said Lock, who has had a difficult time of late.

?I?ve moved out of my house, to a place where there is very little connectivity, so I can?t really call, and the internet is on/off so contacting my drivers has been really difficult!?

As expected, JTM?s performances have suffered as a result, with only one points scoring result (last time out in Magny Cours, Nuti scored a great 6th place) since Indianapolis where both cars finished in the top 5.

However, since the managerial change before the Hungarian event, Lock has been kept in the dark as to the future of his job, and the team as a whole.

?I?ve no idea what the future holds. I don?t know if the team is continuing next year, if I?m supposed to be negotiating with sponsors to stay on, with drivers to drive in ?05, or anything at all. Juan has been bulked down with other work, but still, this is his project and it?s down to him to tell me if he wants me to take over full time.?

There have been rumours that, along with a few other teams, league owner Andy Graydon is considering dropping JTM for a team who show more commitment to the league and consistency.

?That?s up to him. He knows about the problems I?ve had, but it?s not my project after all, so if I?m not told to maintain the team into 2005, then I?m not likely to. If the team goes to the walls, I have no problem letting a team more committed to take our place.?

As for 2005, Lock expanded on a personal level.

?I?ve been asked to test somewhere, but not to race. It?s fair enough because I?ve not had a lot of fun racing this year, and it has been pretty trying to just motivate myself to get in the car. A testing role would be good, but I?m not really sure if I can be motivated enough to race only for the dwindling positions.?

So the future of Lock and JTM are under heavy question marks.

Possibly the biggest question mark of all, is the whereabouts of owner Juan Tortella?