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Originally Posted by blaarg
I wonder what prevented S5000 from manufacturing the chassis locally? Surely we have the skillset and manufacturing capability?
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Nothing really prevented them from doing it, they're just taking a cautious approach for a very good reason: They don't even know if the series is going to succeed yet. Why invest in a local production facility before you even know that? Onroak already had their US facility up and running to support their LMP2 and LMP3 cars here in the States, so it wasn't a big deal to take a chance on the F3 Americas car, but the situation for Australia is a little different.
If the series proves successful, then yes, they should take a very serious look at producing the Onroak-built parts in-country for the series. But until then, the cost of setting up the facilities is tough to justify.
Even then, from what I understand, several of the parts actually ARE to be built in Australia. From what I've seen, Onroak will be building the tub, wings, bodywork, and...that's it. Suspension, engine, wheels, all built in Australia.
So they're not blind to the idea, they're just making sure to look and think before they jump.
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I understand they wanted to keep development costs down buying off the shelf, but France??
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America, actually. The car it's based on is built at Onroak's US facility.