Formula Superfund cancels first round

[Super Tourer]

Superfund is a fund management company with the tag line 'the future of investing'

http://www.superfund.com/

May is a long time into the year to announce a series in the same year, do they expect teams and drivers to sit at home and wait!

To me that press release sounds like - ' we're not ready, we're not sure of numbers - see you next year - probably'

[Gabrio]

I know what they do. However, the figures in their web site cannot justify even a fraction of the amount they have to be spending in sponsorship.......

[Super Tourer]

Originally Posted by Gabrio

I know what they do. However, the figures in their web site cannot justify even a fraction of the amount they have to be spending in sponsorship.......

Apologies!

I think they may appear to spend more than they do, looking at Minardi (for example) you would imagine they are a substantial sponsor, but on the 2004 budget figures I have from Business F1 - Superfund's Minardi sponsorship was $750,000.

[Kicking-back]

All the while, GP2's field is filling out nicely with good quality drivers.

Just a few months ago people were wondering if these two series would mean we'd end up with half filled grids in each.

It looks like that situation has been avoided.

[Mr Jinxx]

I have a feeling I agree with just about everything Mathias said above, so I must be contradicting what I wrote earlier. Except for governing bodies bit, I think.

Teams charge what they want. If the rules of the championship give them open testing, then you will always get the teams who test every day possible, use several sets of tyres, have open (F1 F3 style) formats, who use wind tunnels, rigs, manufacture their own parts, etc, and they will always be crucifyingly expensive. Not necessarily because the top team owners are greedy folk, perish the thought, but because if you do actually do all this work and research and testing, you will have the best car and best data, and a driver who can pay for this, will win through the efforts of the team and the fortuitousness of that driver's ability to pay the Team's charges.

I guess that's what I meant when I said it was always thus. The top teams will charge the most money to do the best job. They do the best job, they make the fastest car, most likely to win. So the good drivers with the most money will try and go there. So the team will charge top whack, attract the top drivers with top money, and you have the elite. Fortec, Carlin, Arden, etc. I don't see how governing bodies can ever break that spiral (which actually boils down to the quality of the team and its engineers, first and foremost - you have to spend that top dollar wisely) whilst still having classes like F3. Even one-make formulas/formulae don't do it. Formula Renault had limits, but it didn't stop the wealthier teams/drivers buggering off to test/race abroad and get whatever advantages they may stumble across in so doing. Does a governing body govern, or police?

Coming back to topic, it is difficult to see Formula Superfund kicking off this year - those people who don't have a drive by May, will be in that position because they haven't got the money. So the smart money in my book would be for Superfund to take this year off, watch how GP2 fares, develop the car, find another backer for the proposed championship, if it needs one, and launch next year in comfortable time, everything sorted. Anyone who was trying to raise sponsorship on the back of the Formula Superfund proposals for this year will be looking rather foolish now, as the premise on which you make your pitch has been pulled from under you like a rug.

GP2 was always going to attract the "better"/richer drivers, for all the well documented reasons. But if sponsorship/backing were easier to come by, then GP2 would have been seriously oversubscribed, and Formula Superfund would have had a healthy grid too. The problem was never with Superfund being "irrelevant" or diluting the market, etc ... it was down to the fact that, in today's climate, too many drivers don't have access to that sort of money. If the financial situation was better, then both championships would have been full, GP2 would be the foremost of the two (as it was with Int F3000 v Euro F3000). No problem.

So I'm sad for Superfund, and hope they can relax and get it together in good time for next year, watching and learning as the year unfolds.

Going back to this oft-quoted idea of the ladder, there have surely always been ladders - different rungs maybe, and also different ways to get to the top without treading on every rung, but a clearly defined ladder is a good thing, in the abstract. Of course, that just ups the cost of any championship which can get itself perceived as a rung, because all the comments I made at the start about the costs/top teams then become of paramount importance to drivers who want to scale the ladder. So you need alternative routes to get from one rung to another, and that's where I think championships like Superfund or others can still play a part, IF they are sufficiently attractive from a sponsors/backers point of view. That's why I still see a problem in BF3, because we couldn't find a soul who felt it was value for money to stump up getting on for half a million UK pounds sterling to race at Knockhill and Croft, when it it would be cheaper to race at Monaco and Estoril in WS, for example. But those are details ... the point is that there NEEDS to be a ladder, and it will always be the costliest way up. But there also NEEDS to be alternative routes to the top, other than that ladder, for the drivers who may be able to shine, but haven't got the money to compete/shine on that regular ladder. You need alternative, cheaper championships, which should still attract good competition, maybe not the glam and glitz of the "rungs", but enough to make headlines if a driver can prove him/herself. Superfund would have filled one of those alternative steps IF the cost was cheaper than GP2, and the series recognised itself as "lesser" but not an alternative to the wealthy, funded drivers. Looks like we'll have to wait till next year to find out now.

[Kicking-back]

Very well put, Mr Jinxx.

My concern about Superfund was based mostly around the fact that I felt we may end up with two series each with weak grids - so in effect it would be having a detrimental effect on GP2 rather than complimenting it.

But I think you make very valid points and it's always interesting to read them.

[Mr Jinxx]

Oh yes, and my point about the ladder narrowing nowadays, means that one alternative route up the ladder, parallel to the "rungs" route, is purely and simply Money. Have a lot of money, or be the right race, creed, nationality, whatever to appeal to a team's owners/manufacturer, etc. That way you'll get a driver fast-forwarding through the qualification rungs, right up to the top levels because she's a female, lesbian, ethnic, far-eastern, friend of the earth, or whatever ... you know what I mean. A pay driver, in whatever guise that may appear. And because that is more prevalent these days, the number of places available to drivers on merit is accordingly fewer, hence the continued weeding out of lesser-funded drivers. And lesser funding is in the stratospheric Pantano regions these days, unfortunately ... a great driver, but what?? - only got £2M to bring to the party this year, sorry pal, no room at the Inn, next ...

[sceptic]

Originally Posted by Mr Jinxx

Have a lot of money, or be the right race, creed, nationality, whatever to appeal to a team's owners/manufacturer, etc. That way you'll get a driver fast-forwarding through the qualification rungs, right up to the top levels because she's a female, lesbian, ethnic, far-eastern, friend of the earth, or whatever ... you know what I mean.

Do you think sponsors would flock towards Alex if he became a lesbian ?

[Mr Jinxx]

I shared the concern, K-B, except that, given the perceived parity in price - close enough, anyway - no-one with a given budget would have gone for Superfund over GP2, no matter what was claimed about TV coverage etc. GP2 would always have been the premier of the two series' so I think it would have always been safe. The Hamilton's and Piquet's etc will always go GP2, given the budget.

The key to Superfund's success, in my view, is to accept that it is not on a par with GP2, but is an alternative to it. Still a valid proving ground, but much cheaper.

Like my 4-seater Ford Fiesta is a valid alternative to a Merc E Class, just as quick (maybe) and maybe more reliable these days, but it's much cheaper. Ford don't try and compete for the BMW/Merc market - they offer a valid, cheaper (often higher-performance) alternative, and there is where the market surely lies for Superfund?

[Mr Jinxx]

If I was a girl, sceptic, I'd be a lesbian

[Dov]

Imo, Superfund should be the feeder series to F1 because their specs are much closer compared to GP2's.

[Kicking-back]

Dov - I don't think that's true.

GP2 is designed to be close to F1 spec.

It's certainly the only place you'll get experience of Bridgestone grooved F1-style tyres.

And the cars are very similar to F1 in terms of dimensions etc.

[Dov]

Originally Posted by Kicking-back

Dov - I don't think that's true.

GP2 is designed to be close to F1 spec.

It's certainly the only place you'll get experience of Bridgestone grooved F1-style tyres.

And the cars are very similar to F1 in terms of dimensions etc.

2005 Superfund Specs - Link

The car will be powered by a 4 litre V10 engine with 650 – 700+ BHP with a maximum torque of 375 lbft at 8500 rpm. Each engine weighs 125 kg and will be sent for a rebuild every 5,000km

[codename_47]

The thing about The Superfund series is that it doesn't just want to be a rung on the ladder to F1, it wants to be an entertaining series in it's own light....

It gave us one of the best looking cars of all the new single seater series (I'm that superficial) it scheduled races on normal racetracks AND two Oval rounds, it really set out to be different to your father's single seater sub-F1 series.....it was trying to be unique....

I'm saddened to hear this news as it was the one I was most looking forward to. I hope it does turn up sooner or later, and gets high powered single seater racing back to Rockinham or Lauzitz, whichever one they decide!

[Dov]

2005 GP2 Specs - Link

The Mécachrome engine used in GP2 was designed by Renault, and is run in conjunction with a six-speed Mécachrome semi-automatic gearbox.

The V8 engine has a capacity of four litres, and produces 600 brake horsepower at around 9,500rpm.

The Superfund car will be running two more cylinders (V10), at leat 50, if not more BHP and the engine will have a slightly longer life as it will run 500 more kilometres before it needs to be rebuilt. That being said, the GP2 car will be running at around 1,000 rpm's higher then the SF car and those Bridgestone F1 styled tires will give them a big advantage. Anyways, both of them are good racing cars, now if we could just get the Toyota Atlantic specs near the Superfunds and GP2's, then we'll be just fine! I guess we're gonna have to wait until 2006 before TA gets their new specs.

[Rob29]

No explanation yet as to why the Brno round has been cancelled? Could it be that the organizers did not come up with the required fee rather than no cars will be ready in time?

[Ian Sowman]

See this post earlier on the thread: http://tentenths.com/forum/showthrea...93#post1200793

[foreversideways]

Shame if Superfund is not to continue. I agree with Mr J, they should re focus for next year. The bottom line in all motorsport is that money does all the talking, end of story. If a team manager/owner has a choice between a quick driver and a rich driver, he will always choose the rich driver. The rich driver keeps him in business, pays his staff, puts food on family table.

[Rob29]

Originally Posted by Ian Sowman

See this post earlier on the thread: http://tentenths.com/forum/showthrea...93#post1200793

Thanks,Ian.Somehow I clicked 'first unread post' and missed a whole page or more posted whilst I was at Autosport show!

[Mathias]

Mr Jinxx has, as ever, cut through the, er, stuff, and explained things brilliantly, and I can see (and agree with) the argument that if there is a ladder, then there should be other, hopefully cheaper, alternatives to it.

But the problem as I see it is that the ladder isn't necessarily well-defined, and there are a heck of a lot of series in Europe aspiring to be the "cheaper alternative" to GP2, but leaving what I consider to be a bit of a big gap between on the one hand Formula Renault, which must now be considered to be the top national single-seater series, and F3 which has gone all international now and pretty much put itself out of reach of the kind of drivers who in many respects should be driving in it.

While that worries me, what worries me more is that I'm beginning to sound like Gaz (though I actually don't think that F3 is dead - it has just evolved into something else).

There were lots of discussions last year about series needing to go European in order to attract the amount of sponsorship money required to compete in the series (i.e. Europe is a very big market, while the UK isn't), but what we've now got is GP2, (possibly) FSuperfund, WS by Renault, EuroF3 and British/International F3, and (to a certain extent) F1's European season, and probably some others that I've forgotten about, all competing for the same scarce pot of European sponsorship money, and the potential television and crowd audiences are therefore going to be that much smaller for each, so it may turn out to be difficult to fill the grids after all (though probably not for F1 and GP2!). To say nothing of all the other, cheaper sports that get so much more media coverage - and draw bigger crowds.

So when I talk about a clear structure/ladder thing whatever, that has to include the FIA or whoever regulating the number of series that hope to compete at each level - otherwise you end up with the wholly unsatisfactory situation of loads of series trying to start up, and everyone - the drivers, the sponsors, the teams etc investing time and money in them, with no real guarantee that they are ever going to go ahead.

[Ian Sowman]

I'm not sure if there should be a cheaper alternative to the ladder. Realistically, these days, if you need to take a cheap alternative you probably aren't going to make it into F1. So why spend a lot of money trying? Why not try to forge a career in GTs or Touring Cars (again, limited options), or do something else altogether for a living and do FF1600* for fun?

*Other formulae are available.

[Mathias]

That would be OK in a perfect world, e.g. if several of the places in each of the real ladder series weren't taken by drivers with more money than talent. If, as has been established, the teams are there as businesses and so need a certain number of "gentleman racers" to guarantee themselves some financial backing, then there are always going to be genuinely talented drivers (like for instance Alex Lloyd or Adam Carroll) who don't get enough sponsorship dosh, or don't get it quickly enough, to sign up for a full season's racing. Rather than giving up (or worse, going all tin-top on us), they need somewhere to keep their oar in and/or impress some potential sponsors for next year. Now, you could go back a rung on the ladder (a la Scott Speed), or you could go sideways but on the other side of the world (a la Richard Antipasti), it's true. But with the former, you risk being overlooked in favour of this year's next big thing, and even if you win the championship people diss you for the fact that lordy! you've been doing FRenault for 3 years now. With the latter everyone important just forgets about you.

To Mr Jinxx's credit, I believe, Alex made the somewhat entertaining decision to do the "cheap alternative" to F3000 when he'd managed to pull some cash together, and hence miss out all that tedious and expensive mucking about with F3. Which meant that, despite the fact that no-one gave a t*ss about Euro3000 before Alex had signed up to it (a) they were still talking about him, and (b) Euro3000 got some thoroughly undeserved press coverage.

So, in an ideal world, you make all the single-seater career ladder series cheap enough for people to enter, and make places available in them only on technical merit, and not on the amount of personal sponsorship cash available...

[sceptic]

Originally Posted by Mathias

To Mr Jinxx's credit, I believe, Alex made the somewhat entertaining decision to do the "cheap alternative" to F3000 when he'd managed to pull some cash together, and hence miss out all that tedious and expensive mucking about with F3. Which meant that, despite the fact that no-one gave a t*ss about Euro3000 before Alex had signed up to it (a) they were still talking about him, and (b) Euro3000 got some thoroughly undeserved press coverage.

You've forgotten c) We all got to freeze our ***** off at the Nürburgring on the final weekend in October.

[foreversideways]

Sceptic. I have not forgotten the cold, foggy , damp weather at the Nurburgring, however i can rather warmly remember the rather nice Superfund hospitality during the weekend and the splended evenings and hospitality we all had at our hotel in Nurburgh.I personally also enjoyed Alex achievement in a good second place after the dissapointment of Saturday and the solid performance of Jonny Reid. Lets not also forget that Nikki Pastorelli was a worthy winner of the championship that weekend.

[Mr Jinxx]

******. It was a **** weekend.