British Formula 3 Off Season thread

[Chewie-1990]

Originally Posted by strider

There are two or three FFord teams looking to move up as well. It'll be about the same as last year.

Nexa Racing were planning on running a couple of cars weren't they? Theres one

[strider]

The testing ban is lifted in less than two weeks now, but there are still some important seats to fill. For instance:

Hitech Racing: TBA, Walter Grubmüller and Max Chilton
Fortec Motorsport: TBA, Fredric Ericsson, Philip Major and maybe another TBA.

All the teams will have new or different cars to test, so they are raring to go, but from what I've heard all the major suppliers are being very slow in delivering what they need, e.g. Dallara, Bosch (for the FIA Control ECU and electronic systems) and HWA (for the Mercedes engines).

Even the National Class guys are stuck, waiting for a Dallara part to enable them to fit the control NBE control Mugen-Honda engines into the more modern chassis they are running this year.

[Last2LiftOff]

Any word on what Asmer's up to this year, aside from his reserve duties at BMW, is he signed-on anywhere yet?

[OJB]

Hopefully he will do a Vettel and get a WSR drive. Did wonder about DTM, but not now he is under BMW contract

[Alex K]

But... a drive in FR3.5 isn't the same as the drive in GP2. I can undrestand him not going to GP2... say, no money, no honey. But I would think twice before I sign anything in FR3.5, there were so many good, very good drivers, in what should have been very good cars, and they didn't deliver results.

Look where Epsilon was last two years, look at Comtec last year, Draco is still near the top, and IMO this is the place to be, and Carlin does good... but year-by-year leading teams are changing, and... I am not sure if it's only because of driver's talent, or also engineers talents. So to sum this up, season in WSR could sky rocket his career or slow it down. IMHO ofc.

[Dani Filth]

Originally Posted by bella

bucharest or valencia.... hmm.

Bucharest of course

[Last2LiftOff]

Originally Posted by Alex K

But... a drive in FR3.5 isn't the same as the drive in GP2. I can undrestand him not going to GP2... say, no money, no honey. But I would think twice before I sign anything in FR3.5, there were so many good, very good drivers, in what should have been very good cars, and they didn't deliver results.

Look where Epsilon was last two years, look at Comtec last year, Draco is still near the top, and IMO this is the place to be, and Carlin does good... but year-by-year leading teams are changing, and... I am not sure if it's only because of driver's talent, or also engineers talents. So to sum this up, season in WSR could sky rocket his career or slow it down. IMHO ofc.

But the same goes for GP2 Alex, no? It seems like quite a cop-out suggesting a driver skip a rung on the ladder for fear of failure.

I dunno Alex...he's already assigned in F1 anyway so, maybe it's no bother.

[bella]

i'd say the world series is the same sort of gamble as formula renault. you can go with the best team with the best engineers, but you still won't win...

i wonder whether the best present for marko from bmw would be a drive in the wtcc to broaden the mind a little...

[Valker]

Originally Posted by bella

i'd say the world series is the same sort of gamble as formula renault. you can go with the best team with the best engineers, but you still won't win...

Isn't that how racing is supposed to work? You must be fast driver too and not just pay for the best car&team to win!

[climb]

Just to avoid scrolling down all the pages of this thread, has a testing calendar been published?
When/Where the first session?

[Alex K]

Today's issue of Autosport informs about new National Class team called Litespeed F3 set up by ex-Lotus engineer Steve kenchington and Nino Judge. Team will use SLC chassis built and ran by Signature in 2005 and Target Racing in German Cup in 2006.

[Alex K]

Can moderator please add this post to previous one!

I found tghat site:litespeedf3.com. Can someone please tell who drives the car fitted with NBE engine in the gallery area?

[strider]

The link to that story, for those who like such things, is here. In the photo, it's ahead of a Lola and a Dallara...

When the car was run in the F3EurosSeries by Signature, it was driven, heroically at times, by Fabio Carbone. Unless Litespeed get him back in the car, I don't see it being a threat to the Dallaras, but it's still good to have some variety.

[climb]

IMHO they just find a very very cheap car to put on the grid

[Last2LiftOff]

That may be so Climb, but top marks for trying. The entrepreneurial spirit's alive and well.

[kerrmanningjarv]

Sergio Perez will drive British F3 Championship Class this year.

http://www.escuderiatelmex.com/cgi-b..._boletin=25761

[climb]

Originally Posted by Last2LiftOff

That may be so Climb, but top marks for trying. The entrepreneurial spirit's alive and well.

Ok l2lo, but I just hope the driver who'll have hardly collected the money to run won't risk to be blocked by a lack of spare parts, or similar problems typical of these situations; after all the chassis manufacturer has gone time ago...

[Alex K]

How many SLC's were developed than? I thought it was only one Carbone + German Cup next year with spare chassis?! If though, in case of... they wouldn't have spare chassis, cause as far as I see it they do two entries full time?!

Off-top. Pretty quite on silly season recently.

[MikeHoyer]

Not too much of it left now anyway!

Well, at least we will have an actual idea of driving, the silly season will continue until the first race no doubt.

[Alex K]

Hopefully it kicked of again: T-Sport named their drivers as Sergio Perez in CC and Steven Guerrero with Salman Al Khalifa in NC. Now, does anyone know which engine they're going to use in CC?

[strider]

Link for that story here. All three cars will have Mugen-Honda engines from NBE.

[climb]

Still no news about testing?

[Alex K]

MikeHoyer should know more about testing.

[Chewie-1990]

Looks like you might be right Alex, Andy Meyrick with Carlin in the National Class
http://www.italiaracing.net/notizia.asp?id=17989&cat=8

[WSR Fan]

McLaren Autosport BRDC award winner Stefan Wilson to race for Fluid Motorsport in the National Class..

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/65126

Really looking forward to this season now. I've lost track of numbers but the grid looks like it'll be at least 30 cars, there's quality drivers with the likes of Hartley, Ericsson, Turvey and Mustonen, the new Dallara chassis not to mention four Mygales' etc.

Good stuff