British F3 silly season 2010

[Peralta]

Originally Posted by strider

Don't underestimate T-Sport. They're a lot better than some people seem to realise. They had wins with all their drivers this season, which I think is more than any other team managed.

I'm sure James Cole will be sniffing around. What's the name of the guy who sponsors Wayne Boyd? There may be a connection.

That would be James Cole's dad whose name escapes me at the moment. Nice chap.

[alias99]

Chas cole is Coles father who i think takes care of him and Boyd. James Cole tested a Carlin F3 car at Silverstone along with a host of other drivers such as Oli Webb (Fortec), Will Stevens (Fortec), Joe Ghanem (T-Sport), Jazeman Jaafer (RR) etc

[strider]

It is confirmed in Autosport magazine this week that Hitech will switch to Volkswagen engines for next season, actually starting before then and using them in Macau later in the month.

Interestingly, FIA GT driver, Ryan Sharp, is named as the team manager and it says that he and ex-Sauber F1 mechanic, Amiel Lindesay, have taken over majority ownership of the team, presumably from Walter Grubmuller Sr now that Jr has moved on to the WSR with P1.

[Richard B]

Maybe next season we will see the Hitech cars racing each other......

[EastonNeston]

Maybe SRO release a calender for the season so that the teams and other 'stakeholders' can plan their season in good time!

SRO have publicly promised the BGT won't clash with BTCC weekends, does that also apply to F3? SRO have been very quiet on the subject, probably as they are planning to get every round to clash!

[strider]

Originally Posted by EastonNeston

Maybe SRO release a calender for the season so that the teams and other 'stakeholders' can plan their season in good time!

SRO have publicly promised the BGT won't clash with BTCC weekends, does that also apply to F3? SRO have been very quiet on the subject, probably as they are planning to get every round to clash!

No, I think the deal is that they will run F3 and GT together, hence BF3/GT, with the F3 rounds in Europe running with FIA GT if possible.

It is pretty poor that no calendar has been made public yet, but there's some sort of Awards evening on the first weekend in December, so I expect that's when the provisional version will be announced.

[GroupOfOne]

Well if they stick with the traditional Oulton opener on the Easter weekend (and I sincerely hope they do!) then they'll be a part clash with the BTCC, which is at Thruxton.

Only good thing would be that the BTCC is racing on Sunday, and the two circuits are quite some way apart.

[EastonNeston]

That is not good for the people who work in both series, anyone who wants to see both events or for media coverage.
Remember SRO promised that there would be no clashs of GT and BTCC meetings, I wonder how little that statement is actually worth.

[strider]

Hold your thumb and forefinger as close as they can be without actually touching and that's how much SRO's statement is worth.

Last year they agreed that there would be two weeks between all F3 meetings, but most especially where the ones in Europe were concerned. Result? All three European rounds were within a week or less of rounds in the UK. Masterful organisation and integrity.

[EastonNeston]

It's a very good job EU working time directives aren't followed in racing.

[GroupOfOne]

Well thanks to the unveiling of the British GT calendar we can pencil in a few F3 dates.

03-05 April Oulton Park
03/04 July Snetterton
17/18 July Rockingham
14/15 Aug Silverstone Grand Prix
25/26 Sept Brands Hatch Grand Prix

I notice British GT will be running both races on the second day in 2010 (except Silverstone from the above), does this mean the plan is for there to be one F3 race Day One and two on Day Two? They did decide to do three races didn't they? Or have I imagined that

The Donington date for the GTs (in October) has support races TBC so could still be F3, as that's the only track currently missing that featured from the original SRO press release.

[strider]

My guess is that F3 will race at the Donington meeting.

As usual SRO have gone over the top in trying to rescue their failing GT championship. The thought of two 60-minute races on the Sunday is almost sending me to sleep already, but more importantly, where does that leave F3?

Yes, there was a plan that next year they would have three races per meeting. Where on earth are SRO going to fit those into the timetable?

[GroupOfOne]

Yeah I hadn't thought about it from the p.o.v of having 2 x 60min GT races on the Sunday. Possibly not the best way to attract casual fans. Wonder if it could pave the way for FFord to leave?

Maybe SRO are waiting on Donington to go (further) wrong so they can then introduce an extra overseas date? Problem with having it as the last round could be that they'd have to decide sooner rather than later during the course of the season whether to switch the round elsewhere if track work isn't finished, as opposed to delaying it if it were earlier. Of course going for a later date gives them the best possible chance it will be finished.

Announcement of the August Silverstone date presumably also confirms they won't support the FIA GTs at Silverstone in May? Unless that is the sixth UK date.

Just a bit of thinking outloud here, other possible/likely British F3 dates for abroad could be 29 & 30/5 Paul Ricard, 31/7 & 1/8 Spa, 11 & 12/9 Algarve and a Hockenheim date (mid-June again?), giving us.

03-05 April Oulton Park
29/30 May Paul Ricard (FIA GT)
03/04 July Snetterton
17/18 July Rockingham
31/1 Aug Spa (FIA GT)
14/15 Aug Silverstone Grand Prix
11/12 Sep Algarve (FIA GT)
25/26 Sept Brands Hatch Grand Prix

If we're presuming the extra domestic date comes in October at Donington then it leaves quite a big gap through April and May.

[EastonNeston]

Interestingly the promised no Gt clashes with BTCC is now only a 'no raceday clashes. The clash easter weekend will do nothing to reduce costs for teams running in both series who will be faced with having to find extra staff to run at one of the events and long hotel stays at both venues.

Plus the stupidity of large numbers driving late on Saturday night down to Thruxton and then back to Oulton Park after a long Sunday at Thruxton. If we survive the weekend without a serious road accident affecting someone in the paddock I'll be very surprised.

[strider]

Originally Posted by GroupOfOne

Yeah I hadn't thought about it from the p.o.v of having 2 x 60min GT races on the Sunday. Possibly not the best way to attract casual fans. Wonder if it could pave the way for FFord to leave?

I think it's very likely that some stage FFord will join the TOCA package.

I knew from Avon and I've only seen one small piece about it in the press, but FFord are switching from Avon to Dunlop next season (after God knows how many years) and Dunlop is the tyre of choice within TOCA, so it kind of adds up.

[GroupOfOne]

Yup that news was in Autosport last week, though I'd have thought they'd be leaving it a bit late to make the switch for next season (2010). We'll see I guess.

[Redracer77]

I dont think Formula Ford will leave F3/Gt just because they are now going to use Dunlop rubber. They are too closely linked to F3 and the switch is purely a cash one from what I gather. Dunlop has offered a huge pile of cash to get the contract that Avon just were not willing to match.

[WSR Fan]

Jean-Eric Vergne to race for Carlin in 2010

I suppose this was the logical choice for him given that Red Bull already have two drivers in WSR next year (Ricciardo and Hartley). It'll be interesting to see if he can follow in the footsteps of Alguersuari and Ricciardo and make it a hat-trick of drivers' titles for Carlin.

[runshaw]

He will surely be a title contender. I predicted he would move to British F3 in the Eurocup thread two months ago! His pace was extremely impressive in the WSR tests, I assumed given that performance that he would end up there, but this is a better move IMO. Carlin are looking strong already.

[GroupOfOne]

I seem to recall a couple of weeks ago there was some talk by Trevor Carlin that he didn't know what Red Bull would be doing driver wise, so good to see RB continuing to support British F3 by placing a driver here.

[jab]

Originally Posted by WSR Fan

Jean-Eric Vergne to race for Carlin in 2010

Ladies and gentlemen, your title favourite

[wdj]

Originally Posted by jab

Ladies and gentlemen, your title favourite

Guess lacking accuracy, since we have not the whole picture yet:

Vergne or
Dias or
Huertas

[runshaw]

Originally Posted by wdj

Guess lacking accuracy, since we have not the whole picture yet:

Vergne or
Dias or
Huertas

And Calado, of course.

[strider]

Originally Posted by jab

Ladies and gentlemen, your title favourite?

In November? Way too early for that. I think I know one very interesting young Brazilian driver who may yet be signed up.

[Go_For_Pole]

Nasr? Actually I have heard that he has been signed up by a certain BF3 team owner on a management contract.